[Note from Frolic: We’re so excited to welcome fanfiction writer and Captain Swan enthusiast lucyxswann, “Ham,” to the site! She’s gushing all things Captain Swan in her post for today. Take it away, “Ham!”]
Today marks the 29 month wedding anniversary of arguably one of the most popular ships to ever grace cable television: Captain Swan. If the fact that people keep track of how many months they’ve been married doesn’t prove that to you, then hopefully this article will. The adventure filled love story of Emma Swan and Captain Killian “Hook” Jones is straight out of a modern fairytale and has something for everyone. If you’re one of the few people who’ve never heard of this legendary ship, or simply an adoring fan who loves to be reminded how awesome they truly are, here are five reasons you need to start (or restart) bingeing ABC’s Once Upon a Time right now.
**Fair warning there are a few spoilers throughout, but even with these tidbits of knowledge, their love is worth watching unfold.
1. All the Best Romance Tropes
Captain Swan has almost every top tier trope in the books: slow burn, enemies to lovers, love triangle, second chance at love, soulmate/fate, reunited lovers (more than once), strong heroine, and the list goes on. It’s not everyday you get to watch the daughter of two of the world’s most famous heroes (Snow White and Prince Charming) fall in love with none other than the infamous Captain Hook but Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitis took expectation and flipped it on its head. With a The Princess Bride and Star Wars reminiscent twist of the princess and the pirate (with an “as you wish” and an “I know” or two thrown in for good measure), they check every box for a perfect romance.
2. CONFIRMED True Love
It’s one thing to watch your two favorite characters fall for each other over an excruciatingly long period of time, it’s another to revel in the canon confirmation that they were made for each other. Not once but twice, Emma and Killian’s love is put to the test and they pass with flying colors proving their love is coursing with the most powerful magic in the world. Some people even argue the fact that Zeus himself saved Killian from death to return him to Emma once again proves the power of their love. Watching two people who are broken and love-scorned realize they’ve grown together into something everlasting and powerful is the ultimate ship satisfaction.
3. Time Travel, Alternate Universes, Being Possessed by All the Darkness in the Universe, Hell? They Conquered It All
Easily put, Captain Swan has no shortage of adventure (or angst). They’ve got everything from a Back to the Future style, fan-dubbed TV movie to Emma’s journey to the literal Underworld to resurrect Killian. They battled an evil Peter Pan, all the world’s darkness, being whisked away to separate realms and alternate universes, 3 curses, and a multitude of fairytale villains to secure their happy beginning. In the words of Killian Jones, he’s a survivor and apparently so is their love. If you love action packed adventure, heartfelt reunions, and enough major character death for a lifetime (seriously Killian died 3 or 4 times depending on who you ask), then you’re going to LOVE everything Captain Swan has to offer.
4. Endless Fanfiction
Once Upon A Time may be over but the fans are far from done playing with their universe. On the popular fanfiction site Archive of Our Own, there are currently 12,645 works of fanfiction bearing the tag “Captain Swan”. It’s such a popular tag that hit HBO show, Euphoria, actually features a character who frequently writes Captain Swan fanfiction. From novel-length canon divergent fics like Unbreakable by xHookedonKillianx, to short and sweet one shots such as Ten, Twenty-Five, One Hundred Lifetimes by iknowhowyoukiss, the fanfiction world of Captain Swan has a lot to offer. As an avid fanfiction reader and hopeless Captain Swan fan, I can personally say there is something for everyone and no shortage of truly amazing stories which all stem from the inspiring love of Emma and Killian. (Click here to read some of my fanfiction, including my new strangers to lovers playlist AU “It’s You”.)
5. Hot AF (with the perfect amount of romance)
Possibly the best decision ever made was the creator’s choice to cut Captain Hook’s perm and wax mustache in exchange for the undeniable dashing rapscallion look of Killian Jones. Pair that with the emerald green eyes and golden hair of Emma Swan and it’s a match made in shipping heaven. The dichotomy between their light and dark is striking to say the least and makes for some absolutely stunning shots. In every meeting (yes there are more than one), Killian is floored by Emma’s beauty and wit while Emma is taken aback by his sharp tongue and good looks. Not to mention their first steamy kiss in Neverland for which the script direction was “Emma kisses the holy hell out of him”. On top of it all, there are more than a few swoon-worthy moments and quotes between the two of them to keep those hopeless romantics on board. Killian trades his ship for Emma, and she barely hesitates before trading her magic for him. And they aren’t even dating yet! They are each other’s biggest cheerleaders from day one and watching that grow from enemies to friends to lovers is extremely rewarding. From romantic gestures of all sizes and their heartfelt wedding vows to endless flirting and make-out sessions, Captain Swan has no shortage of romance AND steam.
Captain Swan is a ship for the ages and not just because they do own an ACTUAL pirate ship. When it comes down to it, their tale of swashbuckling adventure, angst, a LOT of denied feelings, and an eventual endgame give us all the happy ending we’re craving these days. Who knew such a timeless story could start with the climb of a beanstalk?
About Ham:
lucyxswann, or “Ham” as her friends lovingly call her, is a Once Upon A Time fanatic in all senses of the word. She dedicates much of her time to rewatching the series, writing fanfiction, and interacting with friends she’s made over the shared interest. Besides OUAT, Ham loves to travel, write, and sing along to Broadway musicals and Disney classics.
Find her here.
1 thought on “Happy 29 Month Anniversary, Captain Swan!”
CaptainSwan is and was my ultimate favourite ship on OUAT, watching their every moment coming together and forming their relationship was magical. I still cry tears of joy every time I watch their happiest moments band tears of distress during their saddest. OUAT is one of those shows that even though it’s no longer airing, it’s not going to be forgotten, fans will show it to their children and so on; it’s pure magic and my all time favourite series, Adam and Eddie did us proud! Happy 29 months CaptainSwan I hope life is treating you well back in Storybrooke ☠️