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hungrywhovianjedi · 7 years

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It Hurts To See You and Him Book 2: I’ll Fight It for You

New Dark One, Killian Jones, finds himself in a frighteningly familiar situation, as he struggles against the aftermath of protecting his love. Emma Swan and the hero gang is left in shock after the sudden disappearance of the Pirate, and now must figure out how to get wherever the Dagger has taken Killian, before the darkness can swallow him whole.

Read the First book: : Prologue, chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 4, chapter 5, chapter 6 chapter 7 EpilogueIHTSYH Also on: FFN

The spinoff: The prologue

If I Never Leave also on: FFN

This story is also on: FFN

Tagging some friends, and people who’ve shown interest: @looselipswontsinkships (this series wouldn’t have become the monster it did, without your help) @revanmeetra87 @flslp87 @galadriel26 @thegladelf @teamhook @andiirivera @captainswanandclintasha @onceuponaswans @tomeandflickcorner @el-kelpo @laughswaytoomuch @ihaveagreatmemoryithink @cs-lover4life @the-corsair-and-her-quill @sentencecompletion @dmarien

prologue

He could still feel the echoing pain as the darkness struck, biting and slashing at his skin, worming below the surface, burning as it felt like it replaced every cell in his body, making him grit his teeth, he swore he could still hear Emma’s screams for him, but now the silence was almost deafening, until he heard the soft sounds of bird song, and a sharp whistling that pierced his skull.

He spun on the whistler, pulling down the hood, on the cloak he didn’t remember donning, an almost inhuman snarl passing his lips as he spotted Rumpelstiltskin lounging against a tree, whistling without a care in the world.

“Crocodile?” He asked, confused, “How are you here?” Killian looked the demon up and down with distrust.

Rumple grinned. “I’m not!” He giggled, “I’m the darkness, dearie. I’ve come to help ease your transition into the dark one.” The imp explained.

Killian raised an eyebrow in question. “Why would I listen to the man that I tried to kill for two centuries? I rather think you’ve picked the wrong face, mate.”

Rumpelstiltskin giggled, and waved a hand, red smoke engulfing him, and suddenly it wasn’t him standing there at all, but the Emma from that other place, hair knotted tightly on the back of her skull, skin deathly pale, black dress clinging to her form, and it caused his heart to seize.

“How’s this?” She asked in her flat, cold voice, green eyes unexpressive, as her lips turned up in a small smirk. “It seems that this one might do wonders to convince you.”

He growled. “You’re wrong, because you’re not Emma.” He turned his back on her, only to find her perched on a fallen tree a little ahead.

“You can’t escape me, I’m in your head, silly.” She smiled at him, and he thought he might have seen a flicker of Emma there, but he chased it away.

“It’s a wonder how easily you might ignore your own mind, darling.” He informed her, pushing past her through the trees.

“You never were good at ignoring me, though. Were you, Hook? Not even back then in that bar.” She sighed. “You know, almost changed the course of history right there. She never did forget that sexy guy she kissed in a bar.”

He shook his head. “Don’t take memories from my head to use against me, it won’t work.”

A high peal of laughter. “These aren’t your memories, Hook. I might not have been in this reality, but there was a time, in a separate possible future, where I was the Dark One. These are Emma’s memories. I just know exactly which ones to use to torture you. Or convince you you’re better off, if you simply give in, and learn how to harness the power you now hold.”

He shook his head. “No! I won’t give into darkness again. I promised to give up on my revenge, and I damn well intend to keep that promise.” He kept walking.

“You can’t just walk away, from the voices in your head, Killian.” She told him, and in a flash, she was right in front of him, fingers dancing over the front of the robe he wore. “I go, where you go. You can’t escape me.”

He closed his eyes, willing her away, before he kept walking, “If I’m correct, I’m in the Enchanted Forest now. Which means Merlin can’t be far, and the apprentice said that Merlin can destroy the darkness. If I destroy the darkness, I can get back to Emma. So, I’d like to see you try and stop me.”

She sighed. “Forget Merlin. You’re better off with me. I can show you how to harness that power, so you don’t have to lose anyone, ever again.”

“I’ll never become like them, like Rumpelstiltskin, or any other pitiful souls you’ve trapped. I’m no longer the man that would hurt the people I love! Or the people who love me.” He snarled, as he continued forward, shocked and relieved when she disappeared and the way was finally cleared in front of him. He needed to find Camelot.

~~I’ll Fight It for You~~

Emma was in shock, eyes still on the spot that Killian had stood a moment before, the swirling blackness swallowing him whole. She had met his eyes as the darkness took him, his blue eyes wide with fear. She was aware of hearing someone screaming, and only now, was she beginning to realize it was her. She had been so sure that tethering someone to the darkness had been for the best, but now, as she stood, eyes glued to the dagger glinting in the streetlights, did she realize that it was the worst thing she could have ever done. That idea led to Killian throwing himself into the maelstrom, and now he was the dark one. Where was he? Was he even Killian anymore?

Emma shook herself, she couldn’t think like that. Wherever the darkness took him, he was still him. Killian would never stop being Killian.

“What the hell was Guyliner thinking?” Regina snapped, breaking the sudden silence that had filled the air.

Emma whipped her head to look at the ex-queen. Who was she, to be angry right now? What had she lost? Killian had saved her life. How dare she be angry with him?

“Regina!” Her father snapped.

“There had to be another way!” Regina cried.

Emma shook her head, still unable to make her vocal cords work.

“There wasn’t.” Snow informed her, voice thick with emotion. “That thing was going to kill you. He saved your life.”

“No.” Emma whispered, and everyone turned to look at her. “He was saving mine. I was about to do the same thing. He saved me, by saving her.” She moved robotically towards the dagger still lying in the street.

“Emma.” David said softly.

“Hook’s the dark one?” Henry asked, jogging up.

“Now he’s a problem, for all of us.” Regina stated as though there was no other option.

Emma spun on her. “He is still Killian!” She shouted.

“I sure hope so, it’s not like the one-handed-wonder rode off on a unicorn of rainbows. He was sucked up by a vortex of evil!” Regina shot back.

She was desperate, as she looked back at the dagger, feeling a sense of sinking dread at the sight of it.

“Where did he go? Where did it take him?” Robin asked, and it struck Emma, that Killian is his friend, she couldn’t be selfish here. She took a deep breath, she knew there was one way to find him. The dagger. The dagger could summon the dark one. It was right there, she could summon Killian back. She could find him.

“It doesn’t matter.” She said softly, as she crouched beside the dagger. “If we can’t find him, we can summon him.” She hefted the dagger before her, swallowing back the grief she felt when she saw his name etched into its surface. “Dark One, I command you, come back.” Emma waited, looking around, even looking up, because he might fly down, hell, she doesn’t know what to expect. Whatever it was, she didn’t expect a perfectly silent night to echo around her, without her pirate appearing before her, to assure her he was still him. “Killian! Come back, as holder of the dagger, I command you! Come back!” she sobbed, shaking the dagger, like that might make it work.

“Emma.” She felt strong arms around her, and her father’s voice whispered to her, “Come on, give me the dagger, it’s okay Emma. I got you, Emma.” he gently pried the dagger from her shaking hands. She collapsed back. “It’s okay, Emma. It’s okay.” He promised, as she turned and sobbed into his shoulders.

“Why didn’t it work, it was supposed to work.” She pleaded with him, shoulders shaking.

He shushed her, smoothing her hair, after passing the dagger off to Snow, so he could hold his daughter closer. “We’ll find him. He’s not here, but we’ll find him.”

#whovian writes #IHTSYH: IFIFY #CS ff #captain swan ff #I'll Fight It for You

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identity-matters · 7 years

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Edinburgh Fringe: My Reviews

I've just come back from The Fringe and these are my thoughts. You can scroll down to see play-by-play reviews but I have a short pre-amble first. Theatre has been a passion of mine for quite a long time so I'm surprised it's taken this long to get up to Edinburgh. On the basis that I didn't know when I'd next be up I took full advantage of my trip and saw as much stuff as I could; and as varied stuff as I could. I like taking risks with theatre because in my experience, for every 3 shit things you see, you see 1 thing that stays with you for a very long time. I've rated what I saw below but it comes with two very strong provisos: 1. These are personal opinions shaped by, among other things: my life; my hopes and expectations of theatre; how I felt during the show and the particular performance I saw. A high grade means I enjoyed it and is no guarantee you will do the same. 2. Everybody who came up to Edinburgh to put a show on is amazing for contributing to the cultural hotpot. A poorer review does not reflect on my views on the people behind it. They are all genuinely great artists for throwing so much into the melting pot. I've given 'A' to three shows, all very different. This is as close as I'll get to giving you my 'pick of the fringe'. * Michelle McManus: The Musical. A great crowd pleaser for lovers of cheese and musicals. * The Last Resort. A dark semi-immersive examination of Guantanamo Bay. * John Robertson (Dominant). Do not go if you are at all prudish or shy, but if you are not this is a anarchic comedy tour de force. With that, on to the reviews: (Monday August 7th) The Dark Room: B+ Comedy based on getting audience members to play an impossible 80s retro text-based game. It had built a cult following - which did not improve the show for first time viewers. The formulaic game portion was surely innovative and hilarious at one point, but now felt like an inside joke with the repeat audience chanting along from the start. That said, the new material and the improvised audience interaction was great and kept it fast-paced and snappy. 5 Guys Chillin': B- A drama exploring the gay 'chill'/sex party scene using verbatim quotes from interviews. This felt like it wanted to be eye-opening and expose a subculture. The problem is that it was exposing a subculture I'm well aware of. I knew the people they speak about and their words. It was certainly interesting and well-acted, but (for me), it slightly outstayed its welcome. This is not culturally significant: D A naked one-man character-driven show that seemed to build itself on the brief 'emotional whiplash: the sketch show.' It seemed to be well-received by many in the audience so it's possible I missed something. The problem for me was that the humour never hit hard enough and the vulnerability felt quite contrived. The actor and especially the technical team were excellent, but the content felt like it was at 60% of what it needed to be to make an impact. (Tuesday August 8th) Briony Redman: B A traditional 'Harold' comedy sketch show exploring screenwriting and modern genres. It was an gentle show, never offensive, often giggly. However, it lacked the bite to be hysterical. None the less, it was sweet and fast-paced and always had something interesting to say. The Canon: B A comedy sketch show based around the literary canon. There is nothing groundbreaking or truly original about this show, but it does present a lot of interesting scenarios and garners a steady stream of laughs. Bonus points for Taylor Swift/Shakespeare mash-up. Shame: B+ A drama about female sexuality told half through vlog and half through live action theatre. This was a really interesting medium that added to the story, made up of likeable but distinctly human characters. The ending packed an emotional punch but the moments leading up to it were slightly too expositionary and fell a bit tepid. Michelle McManus: The Musical: A Actual Michelle McManus from actual Pop Idol puts on a Glaswegian Hyacinth Bucket character for her fictional comedy musical revue. This is a riot from start to end. The songs (ballads from broadway) add to the show and are delivered powerfully and comically. The numbers are linked by an extremely funny and well-delivered performance that surprised a lot of the audience. Evocation: E A retelling of Giraud poems through the medium of gothic puppetry and drone music. This mark may be very harsh, and reflects more my inability to interpret what the hell went on than any mistakes the production team made. It looked gorgeous and chilled me out. It turns out watching theatre has a hard mode and this is it. Reformed Whores: B Musical comedy duo, satirising country and western through sex-positive messages. I like country music and the songs here were definitely catchy. There was a danger they relied a little too strongly on shock humour at times. The biggest problem here was the venue. These are performers that need interaction and raucousness. You're never going to get that in a sterile, small conference room. (Wednesday August 9th) Heroes: B+ A drama from an Icelandic company about how demonising enemies of war impacts young communities. This was well-acted, and the young cast clearly had a great time putting it on. There were definitely scenes in this that had strong impacts on the audience, and this made it well worth watching. However, the characters and fictional backdrop of the play were so one-dimensional and far-removed from reality. I feel like this eroded the social commentary they wanted the play to take on. The Last Resort: A A dark and invasive play, in which you play residents of the recently converted Guantanamo Bay holiday resort. This is excellent and a key example of why it's worth taking risks with theatre. The semi-immersive approach is a great way to make you laugh and relax before the show takes a dark and eye-opening turn. You will feel uncomfortable and you will love it. Oxford Imps: C A standard improv troupe from Oxford Uni. I saw them a lot whilst I was there and enjoyed them, so I went in with high hopes. Despite a few great moments, this was generally a disappointment. Enough of the troupe felt like they were trying to get their own ideas heard at all costs. This made the scenes feel messy and loose because they didn't agree on a reality. Monster: B+ A one man show about toxic masculinity as it relates to domestic abuse. An excellent character actor explains how tapping into unsavoury characters to method act leaks into his every day life. The blurring of all the characters builds into a heavy momentum. There's no payoff here - though I wonder if possibly that's the point. It's an interesting piece of theatre with a great actor but one that feels a little unsatisfying at the end Paul Sinha (Shout out to my ex): B Chaser/Comedian/Former GP performs a stand-up set about the annus horribilis since his partner left him. Stand-up comedy has a different job from a lot of the other work I've seen. First and foremost it's about making you laugh: and the show did that. The audience was in a good mood and the personal anecdotal style kept the laughs rolling. It may not have made me cry, or think, or challenge my beliefs but that's likely beyond its brief. John Robertson (Dominant): A This was billed as stand-up, by a crude and acerbic Australian (host of The Dark Room). In reality, none of it was scripted and instead we got a loose collection of thoughts inspired by the audience and his S&M past. It was a small audience (15ish people) and so all bets were off. Anarchy reigned and all audience members were involved. It was shocking, anarchic and unsubtle but constantly hysterical. He is a master of his work. We're All Going to Die: C+ An ensemble comedy about a group of scientists dying one-by-one on a remote research station. This had a young cast, and I assume this was scripted by them as well. The script was trite and lacked direction or purpose. The constant quipping removed anything but facile humour from what we watched. The characters were all one-directional. That said, it was enjoyable enough. There were some fun one-liners and set ups. It was a perfectly pleasant way to pass an hour. Thief: B+ A dramatic monologue by a queer sailor who puts a brave and defiant face on being forced into sex work. The acting deserves considerable credit here for bringing this complex character to life. In lesser hands this would surely fail, but it was a captivating if invasive performance. The show never knows what it wants to do with the character, though, making his backstory almost comically dark. There is an attempt at moralising at the end that feels a little too neat and tidy. At the end, I left feeling impressed at what I watched, but wondering why I watched it. (Thursday August 10th) Salome: D A one-man production of the Oscar Wilde epic. In typical Wilde fashion the dialogue is clever and knowing and that pulls you through this otherwise ropey production. Production values are low; characters are barely distinguished (Salome speaks falsetto and wears a scarf) and audiences are left questioning whether Salome really needed a one-man production. Kafka & Son: B A dramatic monologue adapted from a letter Kafka wrote to his father explaining his fear. The aesthetics of the play were beautiful and the team clearly had a great deal of respect for Kafka. It was an interesting and relevant biography: I feel like I'll see Kafka's works very differently now. The issue was the content of the show was dry, and at multiple times I found myself looking at my watch. The Odyssey: B+ A highly energetic physical performer reads the story of the Odyssey with pep, gusto and silly noises. The energy and tightness over the whole 70 minute show was impressive and brought a lot of life to the performance. The problem was, I felt like nothing was added to above the story. It brought back feelings of sitting cross legged on the floor in primary school being read classics. It was certainly charismatic and enjoyable but unmemorable. Noose Women: C- A comedy-drama about a TV production company who are convinced by a charismatic cult leader to host a reality show where the prize is death. It was perfectly watchable but a deeply flawed production. The story was paper thin and all drama was resolved within seconds. The central conceit took a back foot to meandering subplots that went nowhere. None of the characters were likeable or consistent; and unfortunately the humour did not make up for it. You could do much better than this at The Fringe.

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