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moistvonlipwig · 5 months

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OUAT Week Day 5: Favorite parallel(s)

Here's a riddle for you.

Once upon a time, there was a man. A father, to be precise, who loved his child with all his heart. The child's mother had left, so the father was the only parent the child had left. One day the father met a man, a pirate, who mocked him for his softness and weakness, for that is what the pirate thought being a loving father was: soft and weak. But the pirate was not unreasonable; he gave the father the chance to prove him wrong. He challenged the father to a duel. But, of course, such a venture was risky, as the father's child was waiting for him back home, and needed him to come home safe.

What did the father say? Did he say no?

Or did he say yes?

When we first meet Killian Jones in 2.04 "The Crocodile," he takes on the role of the pirate in the story above: the tormentor who believes that putting your child first is worthy of scorn. "A man unwilling to fight for what he wants," he declares, "deserves what he gets" -- an impressive bit of rhetorical theatre that erases the very personhood of Milah and Baelfire both, instead constructing a world that revolves around the figure of the "man" and his success or failure to live up to a hyper-individualist and violent ideal of masculinity. No one else figures into the equation -- not women and certainly not children. To even consider putting fatherhood before being "a man," in Killian's worldview, is nothing but weakness.

By the time 7.13 "Knightfall" rolls around, Killian is now in the role of the father in the story, faced with the choice to duel a pirate and affirm his masculinity through meaningless violence or to go straight home to Alice and free her from the tower without risking his life first. It is no accident that he finds himself in the same situation he once put Rumpelstiltskin in so many years ago. Rather, it is a necessary step in his journey of redemption, growth, and healing.

Like so many other villains and former villains on Once Upon a Time, Killian was once a victim of other people's actions, but over time he has become his own worst enemy. Therefore, it is himself and his own false ideology that he must defeat in order to progress on his journey. So while Captain Ahab is not literally Killian, the way the Split Evil Queen is literally half of Regina or Wish Rumple is literally a version of Rumple, he is metaphorically Killian, and specifically Killian from "The Crocodile."

Captain Ahab makes metatextual sense as a mirror-Killian. Melville's Ahab was a direct inspiration for Barrie's Captain Hook -- in their source texts, both captains lose limbs to sea creatures and dedicate their lives to pursuing revenge against the ones they blame for this loss. And Captain Ahab's name is practically synonymous with obsession and revenge in popular culture. Ahab is revenge made flesh, the originator of the legacy of vengeance and violence that all Captain Hooks are heir to, here to tempt Killian into undoing the work he did in 7.07 "Eloise Gardener" to give up his revenge and his old pirate life behind for the sake of his child.

"Eloise Gardener" is a major turning point for Killian, arguably the biggest one possible. It is the moment where he chooses Alice over his quest for revenge, and in doing so rejects the version of himself who sold Baelfire to Pan, who orphaned and abandoned Liam II, who hated his father and Rumpelstiltskin so much that (as Bae put it) he didn't even realize he had become just like them. In this moment, he chooses not to continue down the path of becoming like his father, instead choosing to identify himself with his mother, who stayed with him "as long as she could." He names his daughter after her; he sings the same lullaby to his infant child that she used to sing to him; he promises to follow her example in staying with his child. He breaks the cycle he's been trapped in for literal centuries.

But that is not the end of the story. Just as Regina choosing Henry over the curse in the 3.09 "Save Henry" flashbacks was not the end of her story. She still had a lot to learn. And so, at this point, does Killian.

Thus, when faced with the same choice Rumple was faced with all those years ago, Killian chooses wrong. Unlike Rumple, he does not swallow his pride and go home to his child, even as Wish Rumple begs and cajoles him to do just that. Wish Rumple has his own self-serving reasons for not wanting Killian to accept the duel, but it is hard not to see him as an echo of the past, urging Killian to make the same choice he himself once made. But Killian doesn't listen. He accepts the duel, choosing the path set for him by Ahab -- his mirror-self, the reflection of the man he once was, his own false ideology that he has yet to truly reckon with. And it costs him everything.

Although he does not die in the duel, the way Rumple surely would have if he'd accepted Killian's challenge, Alice still loses him. A tiny graze from Ahab's bullet permanently poisons his heart and makes it impossible for Killian to stay with his daughter the way he once promised to. It is a profound cruelty on Gothel's part, but perhaps the cruelest part of it is that Killian, like all great tragic heroes, did it to himself. He chose to risk never coming home to his daughter, and that choice in itself ensured he never would. His own twisted ideology has failed him, and he has been forced to confront just how wrong and empty it truly is.

But this is not the end of the story, either. Indeed, in its own way, it is a kind of new beginning. For all that the curse of the poisoned heart is an awful thing for Killian and Alice to endure, Killian's experience with the duel does ultimately change him for the better. Not instantly, for it is hard to change without a support system, especially when you are suffering; but once he has people who have his back, he is able to take the lesson he's learned to heart. What is that lesson? That there is nothing in the world that matters more than one's child; that cleaving children from good parents who love them is nothing but petty cruelty; that being a good father is more important than being "a man" who is willing to "fight for what he wants"; that what he did to Rumple centuries ago was wrong.

Once Killian has learned this lesson, he can overcome his own previous failings as a sort of anti-father figure (or in other words, a Captain Hook -- George Darling's other face, a man whom "no little children love"). Instead of separating families and orphaning children, Killian helps keep families together. He abandons his plan to replace expectant father Storybrooke Hook in 7.02 "A Pirate's Life"; he helps reunite Zelena with Robin Jr. in 7.11 "Secret Garden"; he defends Regina's decision to cast the curse to save Henry in 7.10 "The Eighth Witch"; and, perhaps most touchingly, he gives Jacinda the white elephant to keep her and Lucy together in that same episode, sacrificing his own chance at a life with Alice to do so.

He becomes a living embodiment of loving fatherhood, surpassing not just his past self and his own father but Rumpelstiltskin as well. Indeed, in 7.22 "Leaving Storybrooke", he dies redeeming Rumpelstiltskin's greatest betrayal of Baelfire -- Killian keeps hold of Alice's hand while a portal threatens to separate them even as her very touch kills him, in sharp contrast to Rumple's series-defining moment in 1.19 "The Return" when he lets go of Bae's hand for fear of losing his power. Rumple, in turn, dies redeeming Killian's greatest transgression against Alice -- he gives Killian his heart to replace the one Killian poisoned with his choice to duel Ahab. Rumple, whom Killian taunted when they first met for choosing to get home safe to his son rather than risk his life, gives his life so that Killian can get home safe to his daughter, and in doing so finally heals the wound Killian inflicted on himself all those years ago when he made the opposite choice.

It is a powerful and beautiful ending for Killian and Rumpelstiltskin both: an ending where they redeem themselves by redeeming and healing each other, where they do for Alice what neither could do for Baelfire, where they defeat the ghosts of their past selves for good and pave the way for a better future. And it was all set in motion a long, long time ago -- with a father, a pirate, and an offer to duel.

#wish hook #killian jones #ouat meta #once upon a time #userstorybrooke #golden hook #knightrook #ouat #rumpelstiltskin #knightfall my beloved!!!#and it's the story of us

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lumadreamland · 1 year

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#knightrook #ouatedit #knightrookedit #once upon a time #ouat 7x22 #ouat s7 #alki #mine #mine:ouat

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herhookedhero · 3 months

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I kinda find it amusing that I have all these Colin photos from OUAT Burbank con I never posted about.

Honestly I forgot I took them. I found out my dog died at the con and was a wreck that day. I have the world’s saddest photo op because I told Colin and Rose about it right before the photo was taken. We were standing waiting for something and Rose asked me how I was doing. Colin grabbed me into the biggest hug ever right after the photo was taken and then Rose. It was the sweetest thing.

#colinodonoghue #colin o'donoghue #Killian jones #ouat convention #ouat cons #rose reynolds #alice jones #ouat #once upon a time #onceuponatime #captain killian jones #ouat captain hook #captain hook ouat #knightrook #captain swan #cs

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piraterefrigerator · 11 months

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WELL I REWATCHED THAT SCENE FROM ELOISE GARDNER WITH BABY ALICE AND MY HEART

One: Killian's singing?? How did I not notice how mind bogglingly beautiful that was before now? Idk what it is about his singing in that scene but I'm gonna cry

Two: The voice crack when he mentioned his mother this man has so much completely unaddressed childhood trauma you can just see it all over him at any given time. The daddy and mommy issues are strong with this one (not saying the mommy issues are from any wrongdoing on Alice's part but she's dead and my guy is wounded from that)

Three: Other than memories of his mother he MUST be parenting with only the guidance of "be the exact opposite of everything my father was" because it's not like he knows what a good father looks like (unless you wanna count Liam who practically raised him)

So yeah that's my ramble thanks for coming

@fairytalepsuedonym Enjoy my knightrook shenanigans

#knightrook #alice jones #killian jones #wish!hook #good father #scratch that amazing father #i love him with my whole heart #also he has the singing voice of an angel let him be musical

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hookaroo · 2 months

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Laden of the Torn (25 of 25)

AO3 link Catch up on tumblr: One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen Sixteen Seventeen Eighteen Nineteen Twenty Twenty-One Twenty-Two Twenty-Three Twenty-Four Tagging @priscilla9993 @cocohook38 @killian-whump <3

A few weeks later…

Killian could now guess almost exactly when the pain would start, as determined by how long he’d been away from Alice. A fortnight allowed him to get within sight of the blue spires as the curse’s grip slowly tightened around his heart. One month, and he could stand at the tower’s base and gaze upward longingly with only mild discomfort. Six weeks, and he could make half the climb before the knives commenced their assault. Before now, he hadn’t had the self-discipline to test anything longer.

This time, as he climbed in the darkness of near-dawn, his still-healing hand threatened to give out before his heart even felt the first tentative prick of a blade. But his determination drove him higher, and yearning anticipation drowned out all physical concerns.

Alice knew better than to watch him climb. Her proximity as he reached the high window would put him in danger of falling, or even being flung outwards into space as he’d done in her premonitory nightmare before he’d even been cursed. So she waited against the far wall, anxious eyes watching for his first appearance, which always propelled her into an excited bounce--the only way to contain the longing energy that would otherwise have launched her forward into an ill-advised attempt at a hug.

Today was no different, and as Killian pulled himself up to catch his first glimpse of his impatiently waiting daughter, Alice let out a little squeal of relieved delight. Panting, Killian leaned against the wall to catch his breath, flashing her a bright smile as he fumbled for Mandible’s potion in the satchel slung over his shoulder. Alice grinned back with a wave, still bouncing on the balls of her feet and watching apprehensively as one decorative ceremonial cloth fluttered to the floor, followed by a second animal-skin wrapping. He could see tears glistening on her face, and the lump constricting his own throat made choking down the potion absurdly difficult.

Almost immediately, the stabbings slowed, the knives retreated, and Killian’s rib cage could expand freely as he drew a huge, satisfying lungful of air. He downed the last mouthful of tangy liquid, carefully replaced the stopper--he planned to fill the vial with water several times to be sure he extracted every last second of its offered reprieve--and then took a single eager step forward. Alice took that as her cue and was across the room and in his arms before he had even completed a second step.

“Alice…” Killian breathed, squeezing her tight as he’d done so often in his dreams.

“Papa!” cried Alice in almost the same instant, and they both laughed and sobbed and held each other as if nothing would ever drive them apart again.

Killian soaked in every last detail of that hug: the way she felt in his arms, her warmth and surprising strength as she squeezed him back, the sound of her emotional whimpers of laughter as she was overwhelmed by the same heart-wrenching delight that also coursed through his veins. The flowery scent of her hair. The unexpected height of her head against his shoulder. He closed his eyes and committed it all to memory.

“Papa…” whispered Alice brokenly.

“Yes, Starfish?” Killian placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

“I… I’m not sure I can let go.”

A tear slipped down his cheek and disappeared into her shining crown of gold. “Nor am I, love. I’ve missed you… more than words can tell.”

Alice sniffed, then tilted her head back to look up at him. She gave him a watery smile, saying,

“Let’s pretend… let’s pretend tomorrow doesn’t exist. It will always be today, forever and ever. Would… that be all right?”

Choking back a sob, Killian nodded. “Of course.”

He wanted to expand upon that, to offer reassurance or somehow lend credence to the fantasy, but found he could not speak as frustration and grief boiled over. A single day was not nearly enough, and it was so terribly unfair that they had to spend their limited time together dreading the unfeeling approach of sunset. With a trembling hand, he reached up and began to stroke Alice’s hair, wrestling back all of the negativity, refusing to let it spoil this one precious day.

“I can’t believe how tall you’ve gotten!” he exclaimed, tone only slightly crazed. “Slow it down, would you? I can’t have you looking down on me one day and pointing out every new silver hair that crops up.”

Alice laughed shyly, finally and reluctantly pulling away, but entwining her fingers with his and gripping tightly. She looked down at herself, then gave an innocent shrug. “Sorry, Papa; I’ve decided to become a giant when I grow up. You’ll just have to make do.”

Killian grinned at her, sincere and encouraging. “Not to worry, Starfish; I’ll be proud of you, whatever you become.”

Alice wiped her face with her sleeve, looked him up and down, and frowned slightly. “Have you been eating properly? You look dreadfully skinny.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oi, cheeky, would you rather I have a gut full of whale blubber? It would be very hard to climb the rigging of the Jolly Roger hauling that lot around.”

Alice’s laughter still contained a hint of concern, and Killian sighed. Perceptive, his daughter.

“I’m all right love; I give you my word. I had a… minor illness not long ago, but as you can see, I’m good as new now.” He glanced around the only surroundings she’d ever known, taking in the condition of her prison and noting with love the obvious attempts she’d made to make the place presentable for him. “And what about you? Not up late reading every night, I hope?”

“Papa!” Alice rolled her eyes at him. He waited for a proper reply, mock sternness completely undermined by the loving grin on his lips. Giggling, she relented. “I’ve been good, I promise. You would be proud.”

Killian couldn’t resist pulling her into another embrace. “I am, love. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders. Can��t fathom where it came from, considering what a buffoon you have for a father.”

“Oh, Papa…”

He had meant it as a bit of lighthearted self-deprecation--a reference to his recent scrape with Blackbeard and his monkeys, perhaps--but suddenly, the weight of his true misdeeds pressed down upon him with full force. Gently, he extricated himself and stepped back so he could look her straight in her eyes. Using his hook to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, he choked out,

“Can you ever forgive me, Alice?”

She looked completely mystified, and when it took him a moment to continue past his emotions, she asked,

“Forgive you? For what?”

He looked at the floor, recalling with painful clarity the instant the curse had been revealed. “The witch was right. It’s entirely my fault my heart was poisoned. I wasn’t thinking about anything but my own worthless, stubborn pride. I neglected my responsibility to you. I even had a whole night to consider the fact that I was risking my death for nothing more than my bloody reputation, and I still chose to be reckless and selfish. I’m so sorry, love. I’m only cursed because I’m a damn fool, and I’ve forced you to share in the consequences.”

There were tear stains on Alice’s face when he managed to meet her eyes again, but she squeezed his hand, then surged forward and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

“It’s okay, Papa. I forgive you.”

Still wracked by shame, Killian cradled her head against his heart. “You do?”

“Everyone makes mistakes,” she reminded him simply, and he knew he would never forget the complex mix of relief, guilt, pride, and overwhelming love that filled him from head to toe at her quiet statement. It did not completely unburden his heart; nothing ever would until he found a way to permanently break the curse. But a noticeable weight did lift with Alice’s sincere offering of grace.

“I love you,” she said, and he only just managed to choke out,

“I love you too, Alice.” He cleared his throat and struggled to gather his composure. “Thank you for being so understanding. I give you my solemn vow that you are my entire focus, from now on. I won’t stop until I free you, or cure this heart for good.”

“I know.” Alice managed to look hopeful then, despite the number of months that had already passed with no progress on either count. She took her father by the hand again and pulled him farther into the room than he’d dared venture since his magical banishment.

“How about a game before breakfast?” she suggested as she led him to the chess board, which had already been neatly arranged, minus two meaningful missing pieces. She produced her white knight from a pocket in her apron; Killian did likewise with his black rook. As two equally faded pieces joined their more vibrant counterparts, Killian said,

“I would like nothing more, Starfish. But I must warn you, I may be a bit out of practice.”

They both took their accustomed places. Alice scoffed teasingly. “That’s only an excuse for when you inevitably lose.”

“Is that so? Well, we’ll just have to see about that, won’t we?”

Alice giggled, considered him for a moment, then made her first move. And for just that single moment, tomorrow did, indeed, cease to exist.

#ouat fanfiction #laden of the torn #wish hook #alice jones #knightrook #angst #the end #thank you for reading!! :)

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priscilla9993 · 8 months

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AAAAH this scene gives me so many feels! Maybe I'm reaching but there's so much going on here. Killian has just gotten discharged from the hospital and he has to come back to his apartment, prepared for the absence of Alice yet glaring presence of filled in remnants of having stayed together while both cursed, probably swimming in memories and bits of lingering magically induced pain. The way he asks, "Starfish?" as if to confirm that the curse was broken and it wasn't just a dream. How he probably still has her marked on his phone as Tilly and didn't expect to hear from Alice. The look of disbelief and recognition as she answers. I don't know if it's intentional or coincidence that Alice replies, "Yes, papa, it's me," because it parallels all too well with their initial reunion moment, where he thought she was dead and she physically showed up, presuming they were shielded/cured from the effects of the poison heart curse. (Aka 7x08's "Alice, is that really you?" and "Yes, yes, it's me."

They're connected through the wonders of modern technology, her words clearer and different than before as they're now awake, even though it'd probably been a few days since he physically saw and heard from her last. The pain, strength, and joy Killian expresses as he hears her voice. Man could have been ready to break down at the gravity of their situation all over again in his loneliness, but Alice calls him up and he emotes as if she were right in front of him.

When this episode came out, I was like, "Just let them hug already! Wait, they can't. This hurts." Still comes as a shock and pleasant surprise to me, in tandem with him, at Alice being across the street. The writers could have just left them with a phone call in different places, but I'm glad they went this way because it hits hard in all the right places!

#knightrook #kr meta #wish killian jones #alice jones #nothing like the feels to give me more feels #ouat s7 #ouat 7x21 #once upon a time #pris speaks

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intothewickedwood · 2 years

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@dinneratgrannys day 2 - july 11 - favorite side character or cameo: Alice Jones

#ouatweek2022 #userstorybrooke #alice jones #ouatedit #alicejonesedit #curious archer #knightrook #ouat s7 #ouat tilly #tilly rogers #once upon a time #ouat #my edit #my gifset #alice jones*#alice jones (multi)#flash warning

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wicked-storybrooke · 8 months

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Gothel knew so much about Alice and Killian's lives in the tower. But how? I can't stop imagining her hovering in the air and peeping over the windowsill or through one of those scooby doo-style portraits with eyes. Or maybe she was on the ceiling the whole time :O!

My best guess is that she communicated to Alice through her dreams or could telepathically gather information that way. Or it could be that she's just telepathic at all times, as she seems to have the psionic ability to control minds (like the Desk Sergeant).

What do you think is most likely @fairytalepsuedonym ?

#ouat #once upon a time #knightrook #wish hook #alice jones #ouat gothel #ouat s7 #eloise gardener #theory #knightrook theory #mother gothel theory #s7 theory

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ouatnextgen · 8 months

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Character Profile: Alice

(As a brief reminder, I changed who Alice's parents are for this AU...and I changed them again, so now she's Emma and Killian's kid, Hope's twin sister)

Name: Alice Matilda Swan-Jones

Other names: Al (by her friends)

Alli (by her friends)

Love (by Robyn)

Tower Girl (by Robyn)

Lass (by Killian)

Starfish (by Killian)

Baby Girl (by Emma)

Kid (by Emma)

Age: Sixteen

Height: 5’5

Hair: Blonde

Eyes: Blue

Gender: Cis Female (she/her)

Face Claim: Rose Reynolds

Sexual Orientation: Lesbian

Species: Human

Father: Killian Jones

Mother: Emma Swan

Sibling(s): Henry Mills (paternal half-brother)

Hope Swan-Jones (twin sister)

Other Family: Prince David “Charming” Nolan (maternal grandfather)

Queen Snow-White (maternal grandmother)

Prince Leo Nolan (maternal uncle)

Prince Benjamin Nolan (maternal uncle)

Brennan Jones (paternal grandfather)

Alice Jones I (paternal grandmother)

Liam Jones (paternal uncle)

Liam Jones II (paternal uncle)

Occupation: The Savior (all), student at Storybrooke High (Storybrooke)

Home: Storybrooke (born), Misthaven (briefly), Wonderland (briefly)

Favorite Color: Turquoise

Songs: Paradise- Coldplay || Runaway- Aurora || Birds- Imagine Dragons

Powers and abilities: Light Magic

Weapons: None

Likes: Robyn Hood

Birthday: April 18th, 2015

Zodiac: Aries (Brave, willful, productive, humanitarian, moody, impulsive, impatient, assertive)

Personality Type: INFJ (Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging)

Alice tends to approach life with deep thoughtfulness and imagination. Her inner vision, personal values, and a quiet, principled version of humanism guide her in all things.

Description: Alice means “noble” in German. She has blonde hair like her mother, and blue eyes like her father, as well as his facial features.

#ouat next generation #ouat next gen #alice jones #curious archer #mad archer #knightrook #the season 7 rewrite #the next gen verse #alice swan jones

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