Illustration for @alexandralyman‘s wonderful fic “Beyond the Horizon.” This is one of my favorite CS fanfics, and if there is anyone left who hasn’t read it (it’s insanely popular!), I highly recommend it. Thank you, Alex, for sharing your talent with all of us!
Here’s an excerpt from part four of my Captain Swan AU of the Tom Cruise/Nicole Kidman movie Far and Away. This is the chapter where they finally get to Oklahoma. You can read the rest here on
The tiny room at Granny’s was mostly dark with just the gentle glow of candlelight to see by. Killian stood in the far corner of the room, facing the curtain where Emma changed each morning and evening. He could see her intoxicating silhouette by the flickering candlelight, her head tilted back and her fingers combing through her hair. Killian’s heart pounded and his mouth went dry just as it always did.
But then Emma softly called his name, and he blinked in shocked surprise as she stepped from behind the curtain. His eyes drank in the sight of her body; every curve, every soft bit of her skin on full display. Her smile was gentle, yet without a hint of hesitance or shyness. She whispered his name again when she reached him, running her hand along the expanse of his chest, then looping her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her close, bending his head to press his lips against hers. The feel of her breasts pressed against his bare chest set every nerve ending in his body on fire as he pillaged her mouth with his tongue. She kissed him back just as fervently, her fingers carding through his hair. She tilted her head back as he trailed kisses down her neck and across her collar bone. His mouth found her breasts as he lowered her to the bed, and her fingers clutched his hair in a tight-fisted grip as she moaned his name.
“Jones!” a harsh voice ripped Killian from the pleasures of his dream. He jolted awake, completely disoriented to find himself suddenly in glaring light instead of the soft glow of candles. The heat he felt was no longer a throbbing simmer inside him, but one that baked his skin. Instead of Emma’s soft curves beneath his fingertips, he felt instead rocky soil. At his back, the rough bark of a tree rubbed him instead of the light scratches of Emma’s fingernails.
Every time I see “guilt” or “sin” associated with food I roll my eyes so hard I’m worried they’re going to get stuck.
“5 Super Bowl Snacks you Don’t Have to Feel Guilty About!” Dear God Brenda just eat the nachos. They’re special, they make you happy, and some nachos for the Super Bowl are not going to make or break anything.
By all means, make the lettuce wraps too, but do so because they’re healthy and yummy, maybe they align with your goals better. But guilt and shame and sin shouldn’t never be associated with food. It is not healthy. It should not be normalized.
Food does not have morality. Food does not change your worth as a person.
if you feel guilty for eating, who are you even feeling guilty for? its like feeling guilty cause you didnt cut your nails to the right shape, like.. what. feeling guilty in front of no one but yourself hust feels like a paradox. you eat because you want to eat and it doesnt affect anyone but you so why should it make anyone feel guilty? we have to overcome this
I absolutely agree with your comment but unfortunately, we feel guilty because we’ve been bombarded all our lives with the message that the worst thing a person can be is “fat”, so we should be ashamed of every bite if we are fat, or fearful of it if we’re not. Of course it’s not right, but it’s something extremely difficult to unlearn when all your life you’ve feel judged by everyone about what you eat, at some point you start believing you deserve shame and to feel guilt over it.
You are not a failure for not sticking with your diet!
It absolutely breaks my heart when I hear people talk about their past experiences with restrictive diets and how they ‘failed’ or ‘gave up’ or didn’t have ‘enough willpower.’ Diets simply do not work in the long term – and this has nothing to do with a failure of willpower.
If you’re someone who has tried various restrictive diet plans in an attempt to achieve weight loss, I’m willing to bet that you’ve expended more effort towards that pursuit than any other area of your life. I know so many people who have spent periods of time going without their favourite foods, going to sleep hungry, or waking up at 5 am to go to the gym. All these things take tremendous effort, and yet we blame ourselves and call ourselves lazy when we can’t keep up these strenuous behaviours!
Any diet or fitness plan that requires you to suffer is not one that you’re going to keep up in the long run. If your fitness plan leaves you nauseated, in pain, or generally miserable, you’re eventually going to quit. If your diet plan leaves you feeling restricted, deprived of your favourite foods, and unable to celebrate with food at social occasions, you’re going to stop following it. Because why would you stick to something that makes you feel mentally, emotionally or physically bad? Life should be about feeling good and enjoying yourself!
We’re not built to suffer, and no amount of willpower will make you stick with something you don’t enjoy in the long-term.
~“But if I don’t suffer through my diet and workout plan, how will I ever be healthy?!”~
If your health is something you’re interested in improving, I’m not saying you should abandon your efforts to do so. But instead of putting yourself through another restrictive diet plan that you won’t enjoy and are likely to quit, why not try living the healthiest life that you enjoy?
Move your body in a way that is enjoyable, and leaves you feeling good, so it becomes a positive part of your life that you look forward to. Eat foods that make your body feel good, but also eat foods that satisfy your emotional and social needs.
Choices that promote physical health should be part of a lifestyle that you enjoy, and be balance by choices that satisfy other non-physical health needs in your life. Eating cake on your birthday may not contribute to your physical health, but it certainly can contribute to your emotional and social health!
The healthiest life that you ENJOY is the only lifestyle that you’re going to maintain.
It doesn’t matter if someone else eats ‘better’ or exercises more. You are a different person, living under different circumstances and guided by different personal values! The healthiest life that you enjoy will be different than someone else’s, and that’s okay.
cshappybeginning 