#au } mad hatter; the child lost in the darkness

[cosmicofdistortions]

@kitxkatrp asked: Send ⏳️ for your muse to meet the younger version of my muse (Xerxes meeting smol Nadine)

The child had just recently entered the Baskerville castle when she noticed the male around one of the hallways, seeming to be sneaking around. None of the other servants or members were around so curiously she went running over just as he was starting to slip out of sight.

"Mister! Wait! You can't be here!"

"Huh?" For a moment she was confused, unable to pinpoint where exactly he'd gone as it seemed he'd disappeared. "Where did he go...?" She wandered about the space for a while before stopping gaze turning to the right.

"....Uhm... Mister...? You can't be here-" She'd found him? Or did he decide to show himself when she was fully away from people?

She did notice something though as she peered at the taller male, the red eye visible. A child of misfortune? She'd heard stories but...

"Are you lost? I-I'm new here but.....I-I can show you the exit if you want?" She wasn't sure why she was offering, normally those here would kill or harm intruders but... something told her he wasn't a danger. Not to her.

"If someone else catches you, y-you could be in big trouble..."

[dexterouslycharming]

Tell me about your interpretation of the White Queen!

The White Queen, or Cecilia Bishop, in both my rewrite and my oc au, is a gentle, kind soul. She does her best for her kingdom and Wonderland as a whole, but sometimes that means doing what she might not believe is right.

Cecilia grew up under her mother, Pearl's, thumb. Pearl was described as a cold, and harsh woman, and it was evident in her raising of Cecilia. She was raised to be the perfect White Queen, to do as she was told until the day she was the one telling people what to do. Leading with a firm hand was always Pearl's first lesson. 'You're people are there to serve you, you are not there to serve them' as she would always say when Cecilia tried to do right by her people.

Growing up, Cecilia was isolated for most of her time, tending to lessons with her mother and fulfilling her duties as princess, but there were times when she got to go out, and that's where she met Maximus Hatter, the next Mad Hatter (as well as a few of the others who would be playing parts in Alice's story.) It seemed to be love at first sight for the two of them, Cecilia being drawn to Max's clumsy and odd behavior (even for a wonderlandian he was a bit odd.) And Maximus being drawn to Cecilia for what he says are 'the amount of feathers a woodchuck might chuck to grow a daisy' (some form of ridilish I presume.)

The two met as often as they could, with Cecilia's maids helping her sneak out when possible, and eventually, on the day the two were to sign the Story Book of Legends, which had been delivered to Wonderland High by Milton Grimm (who stayed to witness the signings) and only comes to Wonderland every four years or so due to the difficulty to find the Well of Wonder, Maximus proposed (They were both 24 at this time with Cecilia being a few months older than Max.) Cecilia said yes, and while they couldn't readily get married at that moment, the two were still just as happy.

About five years or so after this event, and their story had been played out, Maximus said that he knew of someone who was willing to marry them, despite it not being a part of their story. Neither have named this someone in an attempt to keep their identity a secret to spare them the consequences. About three months after their ceremony, at 29 years old, Cecilia found out she was pregnant.

Her mother was furious. Her daughter was carrying a bastard child of who knows what kind of man. . . And when Cecilia's baby was born with stark red hair, a trait rarely seen by those other than the Hatter's in Wonderland, she lost it. The castle was a mess for weeks after, and Cecilia feared for her baby's life at one point in time.

Eventually Pearl calmed down, and 'accepted' the fact that Sylvester, as Cecilia had named her son, had the blood of the Hatter's. She forbid Cecilia from seeing Maximus, and refused to let him meet his son. Cecilia cried for days after this, and alas she was not left without punishment. Being confined to her chambers for how long is unknown, however, what is known is that Sylvester got to meet his father, once at least. A maid who was very close with Cecilia snuck the baby out of the castle one night, and under the cover of darkness brought him to see his father.

She recalled this event to Cecilia the next morning, and the look of relief, and a slight bit of grief for not being able to see her love, washed over her face.

Sylvester grew up mostly with Pearl. Cecilia was not allowed to have a say in his raising. She got to spend time with him, yes, but it was always supervised by Pearl. Another few months went by, and Cecilia had an opportunity to see Maximus again. Her mother was out on a royal visit to the Queen of Hearts, leaving Cecilia on her own, expecting her daughter to do as she was told.

Cecilia took these four days to visit Maximus as much as she could, and brought Sylvester along twice to meet his father and his father's family. A few months later, Cecilia found herself pregnant again, but this time was different. Her mother has been leaving more and more in diplomatic errands, often taking Sylvester with her. Cecilia went through this pregnancy without her mother standing over her shoulder the whole time, and it made her feel more at ease. Alas, her mother arrived home a few days before she was due. Cecilia stayed away, trying her best to avoid Pearl at all costs, luckily for her, her mother came down with a cough the day after she came back, and the same day Cecilia went into labor. Her maids rushed her to the only place they knew that would help her without giving up her secrets, the Hatter's residence. That's where little Madeline Hatter was born and handed to her father. Cecilia stayed with them to recuperate, until she was met with a letter delivered by one of her maids.

Her mother had gotten worse, and she was needed home right away. With a painful day to think about it, Cecilia told Maximus that he needed to care for their daughter, and she had to step up fully as the Queen of her Kingdom. Maximus understood, and though he was losing his love once again, he let her go. . .

Now, Cecilia resides in Ever After, having escaped the curse with The Mad Hatter, Sylvester, Maddie, Kitty and Lizzie. She teaches at Ever After High, teaching classes from princessology to sophisticated chess, and is somewhat reunited with her family, though they have to keep their love, and their children's heritage, a secret.

[ninjnerd-anaklusmos]

Time to Commit Crime Brûlèe:

A playlist

Graveyard; Halsey

Partners In Crime; Set It Off, Ash Costello

Play With Fire; Sam Tinnesz, Yacht Money

Middle Finger; Bohnes

you should see me in a crown; Billie Eilish

Despicable; grandson

Devil On My Shoulder; Faith Marie

If I Killed Someone For You; Alec Benjamin

Twisted; MISSIO

BLAME IT ON THE KIDS; AViVA

Angry Too; Lola Blanc

Sociopath; StayLoose, Bryce Fox

Saints; Echos

Redemption; Besomorph, Coopex, RIELL

Serial Killer; Moncrieff, JUDGE

Who Am I; Besomorph, RIELL

It's My Party; Obey Me! Boys

Angels Like You; Miley Cyrus

Disturbia; The Sequence

Therefore I Am; Rain Paris

This Little Girl; Cady Groves

PLAYING WITH FIRE; BLACKPINK

Panic Room; Au/Ra

Darkside; grandson

Bordeline; Nico Collins

Cry Baby; American Avenue, Kaile Wolfe

HARLEY FVCKING QUINN; Sarah de Warren, Biometrix, Marcus McCoan

Joke's On You; Charlotte Lawrence

Killer; Valerie Broussard

vicious; Tate McRae

I Did Something Bad; Taylor Swift

This Mountain; Faouzia

Savage; Bahari

Animal I Have Become; Three Days Grace

Boss Bitch; Doja Cat

I'm Gonna Show You Crazy; Bebe Rexha

Nightmare; Halsey

Born Without A Heart; Faouzia

The Best; Future Royalty

jealousy, jealousy; Olivia Rodrigo

Control; Halsey

Walls Could Talk; Halsey

Nightmare; Besomorph, RIELL

Queen; Loren Gray

Dandelion; Gabbie Hanna

Mad Hatter; Melanie Martinez

Like A Vampire; Catrien

Tag, You're It; Melanie Martinez

Super Psycho Love; Simon Curtis

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things; Taylor Swift

Wasabi; Little Mix

brutal; Olivia Rodrigo

One Woman Army; Porcelain Black

good 4 u; Olivia Rodrigo

Bad Bitch; Bebe Rexha, Ty Dolla $ign

RABBIT HOLE; AViVA

Class Fight; Melanie Martinez

Alone; Nico Collins

Liar, Liar; Peyton List

Butterflies; Zendaya

Killing Butterflies; Lewis Blissett

Burned; Grace VanderWaal

Pit Of Vipers; Simon Curtis

Sorry Not Sorry; Demi Lovato

Bad Enough For You; All Time Low

Therefore I Am; Billie Eilish

Dance In The Dark; Au/Ra

Everything Black; Unlike Pluto, Mike Taylor

House Of Memories; Panic! At The Disco

parents; YUNGBLUD

Sarcasm; Get Scared

Bad Word; Panicland

Not Afraid; GJan

Blood // Water; grandson

Let You Down; NF

Bad Child; Tones And I

Kill This Love; Social Repose

Take You To Hell; Ava Max

Wolf In Sheep's Clothing; Set It Off

Cradles; Sub Urban

Vulture, Vulture; Of Monsters And Men

break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored; Ariana Grande

IDGAF; Dua Lipa

Queen of Mean; Sarah Jeffrey

Siren; Kailee Morgue

Teeth; 5SOS

Like Lovers Do; Hey Violet

Paranoia; Neoni

Bad Blood; Taylor Swift

Dead Girl! (Shake My Head); Au/Ra, Faith Maire

no body, no crime; Taylor Swift, HAIM

Anxiety; Besomorph, The Tech Thieves

EVIL; AViVA

Hostage; Besomorph, RIELL

Here Comes Trouble; Neoni

Lie To Me; RIELL

WICKED; AViVA

Reaper; Glaceo, RIELL

Not Your Baby; Cadmium, Jex

Lost In Translation; Besomorph, Veronica Bravo

Eat You Alive; Cadmium, Skrybe, RIELL

Burn The House Down; AJR

Sweet Dreams; Besomorph

Monster; Besomorph

CEMETERY; AViVA

Shameless; Biometrix, Bolshiee

all the good girls go to hell; Billie Eilish

Heaven; Julia Michaels

Lovely; Midsplit, No-One, bhea, A-SHO

Dancing With The Devil; Alter

STFD; TeZAtalks

911; Ellise

Keep It To Myself; Ellise

On Accident; Nico Collins

Crash; Neovaiii

Ghost; Nic Collins

Venom; Icon For Hire

Burning House; Nico Collins

That's the playlist! Thank you for checking it out! Feel free to send in an ask with a suggestion for this playlist, as I feel it might be missing something.

[artistic-writer]

Between Now and Nether :: Ch 9 :: A CS AU

Title: Between Now and Nether by @artistic-writer  [full res fanart]

Summary: On their way to a Nolan Charity Gala, tragedy befalls Emma and Killian who is given just seven days to set things right.  Can he make Emma believe and escape the Nether before he is lost forever?

Rating: T+

AO3 Chapters: [1] - [2] - [3] - [4] - [5] - [6] - [7] - [8] - [9] Fanart Full Resolution: [1] - [2] - [3] - [4] - [5] - [6] - [7] - [8] - [9]

A/N: I know this is another chapter with no CS, but its only this one more, and it’s relevant to the story!

Future updates will be Sundays AND Thursdays! (providing I can get the art made in time)

Huge thanks to @hollyethecurious @kmomof4 @winterbaby89 @rouhn  and @wordsmith-storyweaver for your advice and suggestions.  This fic would just be so much worse without you guys! <3  Especially, @hollyethecurious who LOVES listening to me waffle on about whats going to happen just so i can get a gif reaction from her ;)

Taglist: @mariakov81 @rouhn @resident-of-storybrooke @hookedonapirate  @kmomof4@galadriel26 @yellow-bugs-and-pirate-ships @the-captains-ayebrows  @yayimallamaagain @i-nvr-wrote-it @takhisismb @officerrogerss  @kiwistreetswan @distant-rose  @aye-captn@wellhellotragic  @depechemode75

If you would like to be added please let me know for ch 10!

———————————————————————————————————

Graham didn’t remember when he had acquired Killian Jones’ case.  He had the strangest dream a few days ago and when he had walked into the office the next day, his name was scrawled in someone else’s handwriting next to the case number.  When he had questioned how his name had appeared next to the most high profile case on the board, his colleague had simply laughed at him and slapped him on the shoulder playfully, telling him with a smirk that if he didn’t recognise his own handwriting, then maybe he wasn’t the man for the job.

Captain Lucas had even congratulated him on the lead he had discovered.  That he remembered.  One of his informants had spilled the beans for a very small price, telling Graham about Jefferson, the small time everything man with an even smaller fee.  The man was deplorable.  He would do anything for anything, and he always seemed to have a way of disappearing down a rabbit hole when the cops were closing in.

That was, until Graham had uncovered his weakness.  Jefferson had a daughter and would do everything within his power to keep her safely away from the world he lived in.  So when Graham had suggested his informant spread the word that Jefferson’s daughter might be inexplicably tossed back into the foster care system, if he didn’t hand himself in, where she would undoubtedly follow in her old man’s footsteps, it hadn’t taken the vagabond long to turn himself in.  And all it had cost Graham was a second greasy burger because apparently he had caught his informant hungry.

When Graham got the call to come to the front desk that afternoon, he wasn’t sure what had been said around the streets, but he was sure it was his informant’s ability to spin a tall tale that had made Jefferson surrender so quickly.  When he rounded the corner of the staircase and stepped into the much louder, bustling precinct lobby, Graham instantly recognised the hunched figure at the desk.  Jefferson was clearly nervous, his grubby hands shaking between the handcuffs strapped to his wrists and his leg bouncing up and down in a steady rhythm that clearly had absolutely no calming effect whatsoever.

“Jefferson,” Graham shouted over the rabble, making the man jump with a hand to his shoulder.

“Detective Humbert,” Jefferson replied quickly, standing immediately and letting Graham steer him along a long, white washed hallway by the elbow.  “I got your message.”

A small smile crept upon Graham’s lips as he pushed one of the interrogation room doors open and motioned Jefferson inside.  “Which message was that?”  

Jefferson shuffled towards the metal table.  Two identical metal chairs were positioned on either side and he sank down into one, his handcuff chain rattling against the surface of the table with his shaking.  “You know, the message.”

Graham pulled one of the chairs out, the scraping noise echoing in the empty room, before he sat down too, leaning back and folding his arms over his chest.  He pursed his bottom lip and shook his head, feigning ignorance.  There were a few times when a cop had to cross a line, but you never admitted it, especially in an interrogation room.  “Message?”

Jefferson pointed at him with a brown toothed grin, his unkempt mess of dark brown hair hanging almost to his shoulders.  He winked at Graham, tapping the side of his nose.  “Oh, I get it,” he shuffled closer to the table, leaning closer to Graham,  “Our little secret.”

Graham licked his lips and sighed.  The man was a mess, a twitching shell of a man who looked like he was trying to have three or four conversations at once, his face constantly contorting into different expressions and his ears perking up at nothing.  There was a reason they called Jefferson the Mad Hatter.  

“Are you high?” Graham asked him, lacing his fingers together and resting them onto the cool, metal surface between them.  “Because you know I can’t take anything you say as truth if you are.”

“No,” Jefferson said slowly, looking up at Graham sheepishly.

“Because if you are, what would your daughter think?” Graham looked at Jefferson disappointed.

“No, no, no, no,” Jefferson muttered quickly, shaking his head as if to try and rid himself of the voices that resided there.  “I’m not, I promise.”

“Good,” Graham leaned back once more, folding his arms and staring into Jefferson with a seriousness the man recognised well.  As mousy and feeble as Graham seemed to everyone, he was a cop who could get things done and in some cases, all he had to do was stare a perp out.  “I wouldn’t want you to let Grace down.”

Jefferson stopped his leg twitching, stilling it under the table at his daughter’s name.  The whole sentence had a double meaning, one that had been indicated to him clearly on the streets, and Jefferson would rather spend the rest of his life in jail than see anything happen to his daughter.  He had already lost her once, sucked into the underworld of drugs and unable to claw his way free, she had been taken from him.  The last time he crossed Humbert, he had lost his once monthly visitation rights.

“I won’t,” He said sadly, wringing his dirty hands together as a tear escaped from his eye and his breathing quickened.

“You’re doing the right thing,” Graham offered softly.  He might be tricking the man into a confession, but it was the right thing to do.  Jefferson had pulled the trigger that night, killing his fellow detective in cold blood, and they both knew it.

“You promise she will be safe,” Jefferson sniffed, looking up to Graham with a watery gaze.  A tear streaked down his face and cleaned a path through the grime that had layered his skin from sleeping on the streets for so long.  Jefferson tugged the the hem of his hoodie sleeve, tiny dark brown flecks of Killian’s blood still haunting him every time he saw them in the fabric.

“You know I will,” Graham told him.

“I did it,” Jefferson sighed, the words leaving his mouth on a whimper that felt like such a relief.

“Did what, Jefferson?” Graham leaned forward, flattening his palms to the table. 

“I killed him,” Jefferson sniffed pathetically, wiping the back of his bunched hands under his eyes.  His leg had restarted its bouncing under the table and the handcuff chain rattled against the metal surface once more.

“Who did you kill, Jefferson?” Graham prodded.  He had read somewhere that the use of a perps name encouraged a more heartfelt connection, making their confession easier.  

Jefferson paused, rolling his bottom lip between his teeth and looking around the room.  It was dark, only lit over the table where they sat and the walls a concrete grey.  It seemed cold, vacant and Jefferson wondered if that was what prison was like.  “I’m doing this for Grace,” he whimpered, his sobs making his entire body jolt forward.

“You’re a good father, Jefferson,” Graham said sincerely.  

It wasn’t a total lie.  Despite all of his shortcomings and transgressions, Jefferson had never once done anything to jeopardize the safety of his daughter.  He had led his entire criminal life with her in mind, stealing to buy her things that she needed, providing for her with the only means he knew how.  At some point, his life had spiraled into bigger crime, heists, and blackmail, and Grace had shifted from being his reason for his weakness.  Graham had helped him get her away from it all, into the foster system and into a great family.

“You think?” Jefferson laughed, swallowing hard.

“I know,” Graham offered him a weak smile.  There was nothing that made you a better parent than sacrifice for your child.  “So come on,” he encouraged.  “Who did you kill?”

Jefferson inhaled hard, letting out a breath on an audible sigh that sounded like he had reached peace.  “Killian Jones,” he said stiffly.  “I killed Detective Killian Jones.  Shot him dead outside of his home with a stolen 9mm Vector pistol.”

Graham felt a shiver at Jefferson’s confession.  Whilst he knew he had done it, it was something else to hear the details that only the police report had come out of the man’s mouth.  The type of pistol was never divulged to the public through the news and only the shooter would have known that.

“Serial numbers filed off, of course,” Jefferson quirked his eyebrow and looked down at his hands again.  “His blood is still on my sleeves here,” he offered his cuffed hands to Graham who looked over the dried flecks with a frown.

“So why you?”

Jefferson looked up and gulped hard.  “I owe people.  I owed Gold.”

“Lots of people owe Gold,” Graham said flippantly.  He pointed at Jefferson with a menacing finger.  “Why you specifically?”

“I’m a nobody,” Jefferson shrugged.  “I am expendable. I have weaknesses.  I have my price.  Pick your reason! I suppose I was the perfect fit to off a dirty cop.”

“Killian Jones wasn’t dirty,” Graham said gruffly, balling his fist on the table in front of him.

“Are you sure?  Rumour has it he was following in big brother's footsteps.”

Graham ran his tongue over the back of his teeth.  Whilst he had never met the oldest Jones brother, he had heard stories of the die hard cop willing to do anything to get the job done.  Liam Jones was tough, rugged and had a personal vendetta against Gold which made him a lot of friends in very dark, but high, places.  If he wasn’t dirty, Graham would have been surprised.

“Why did you do it?” He asked softly, redirecting his question that had so far got him no answer he could use in a court of law.

“Hyde threatened my daughter,” Jefferson cried again, fresh tears welling in his eyes.

“Hyde?” Graham sounded disappointed for a second.  He had expected Jefferson to say more about Gold and Liam Jones, but it was close enough.

Jefferson nodded.  “That piece of shit works for Gold you know.”  Graham nodded his agreement.  Everyone knew who Hyde worked for and who protected him from being touched by any law enforcement agency.  “Said if I didn’t kill Jones and disappear into one of my little rabbit holes, Grace would suffer.”  Jefferson couldn’t stop the hot tears stinging his face as he thought about what might have happened to his daughter.  “He said he would make sure I never knew where she was buried.”

“Okay,” Graham stopped Jefferson’s tirade and encouraged him to calm down by pausing.  Jefferson was clearly agitated and for a second Graham felt guilty he had suggested the foster care mishap that would have meant Grace got sent back to a care home.  

“You can make sure she is safe,” Jefferson said defiantly.  “You can make sure they never find her,” Jefferson sniffed.  “Right?  That’s what you promise.  That’s why I am here.”

“Look, Jefferson,” Graham began, leaning over and uncuffing Jefferson’s hands.  The man wasn’t a threat in this room and Graham figured with what was to come, the guy deserved a break.  “I know you are not a bad guy.  You have just been dealt the worst hand, right?”

“Right,” Jefferson agreed tearfully, rubbing at his wrists.

“I can get Grace into witness protection, but only if you think you can help me get to Gold.”  Jefferson stopped his leg jig under the table once more, his face paling.  Graham wasn’t sure if it was fear or something else, but Jefferson knew something that terrified him.  “Do you think you can do that?”

“What will happen to me?” Jefferson looked up at Graham again and he could tell that he didn’t really care.  All the man cared about was his daughter, so his question puzzled Graham who frowned.

“Well, you killed a cop,” Graham said matter of factly.  “People will want to see you pay, but I will make sure you get leniency for your help.”

“No death penalty?”  Jefferson asked hopefully.

“No death penalty,” Graham promised.  “And Grace safe.  With a family who will know nothing about you or her past.”

“Will I ever see her again?” Jefferson’s voice cracked and he wrapped his arms around his body, hugging his arms as his breath hitched in his throat.  Graham looked away sadly.

“Probably not.”

“Good,” Jefferson said and turned away, staring at the corner of the room.  “All I bring her is hurt.  She’s better off without me.”

Graham watched Jefferson claw at the skin on the back of his hands, clearly a nervous habit that had previously left scars.  His nails raked over the ridges of flesh like it was nothing, hands quivering, blackened nails white because of how hard he was pressing.  Graham caught his attention again, this time by sliding a pad of yellow lined paper across the desk, a black pen resting on the page in front of him.

“I need you to write it down.  Your confession,” Graham told him gently.  Jefferson looked up at him, eyes red and puffy.

“There is more to the death of your Detective Jones,” He said as he grabbed the pen and began scribbling on the paper.  “Both of them.  It’s bigger than you know.”

[faithandfairies]

About Emma being Owen, i think its right, also he was the person what grow up to torture Regina together with Tamara, in the process of the magic is unholy(this is what happened to Emma), its about abuse and religious things, i think when Regina is Evil, like being bad, she doesnt represents herself but the Emma's ID, so the ID killed the father, the inversion thing, the father was the bad one, and the ID killed him to save the child, what can be Henry or the pure part of the mind. Maybe both?

I agree, I do think that the conversion therapy is what happened to Emma. I’m on the fence on whether it actually happened to Regina as well.

Part of me thinks that both Greg and Tamara are actually Emma. They represent different parts of her or her story . The only part to Tamara’s story line we really got is that she had a grandmother she’d loved. I think that connects to Ruby and Granny which I think is another part of Emma’s story. I think aside from a father she knew and loved she probably also had a grandmother at one point. And possibly a mother given Ruby’s story with her mother.

I also think it’s possible that Emma somehow forgot a large chunk of her past due to some kind of trauma (i.e. car accident and subsequent amnesia or the actual loss of her parents like Dory) and that the story of her being left at the side of the road as a baby might not be true. It’s possible Emma actually only lost her parents at age 10, not as a baby. And that she had loving parents up to that point. I also think it’s possible that Regina might be the only person alive who still knows Emma’s true story aside from it being somewhere in Emma’s mind. Which might also be part of what Regina being the song in Emma’s heart means. She may be the only person who can unlock Emma’s past and help her remember that she at one point as a child had people that loved her very much. (Of course, I think one of those people was and still is Regina herself.)

Part of me also thinks that Emma at some point ended up with a church or a religious cult of some sort which I think is where Rumple, Blue  and Tinkerbell come in. Blue, who in Storybrooke is Mother Superior, a nun, along with Tink. And that is probably where the conversion therapy happened. I think Rumple may have been a priest, a corrupt one, with the same cult/church. His Dark One Vault carries a symbol that reminds of the Catholic Church. There’s also other stuff, like the fact that Blue supposedly condemns all evil, but did always help Dark One Rumple. I also think that Rumple and Regina’s story, the fact that he mentored her and the underlying themes of that relationship don’t bode well for her story with him either. And I think that Emma and Regina may also be connected through Rumple somehow.

As for the Evil Queen/ID thing, Shady has said that as well. The thing is that psychodynamic psychology which is where I think that falls isn’t my strong suit. So I know of it and I agree that maybe Emma projected part of herself onto Regina, and with the whole Snow being Emma’s Superego thing but other than that I don’t really have a psychological opinion on that.

I do agree that Emma most likely killed someone.

I go back and forth between it being her birth father and her foster father. Did she know her birth father? Was he a good person or was he the one who hurt her? Or was it a mentor? Not so much a father, but a father figure?

I go back and forth. Sometimes I think Emma had a loving birth or adoptive father who never hurt her but that she somehow lost. Owen’s father who might also be Henry Sr.

And then looking at Regina’s story with Rumple I think Rumple is the “bad father”. (Priests are coincidentally also actually called “Father”). And that he definitely hurt Regina. And it’s not much of a stretch to think he could have history with Emma too, where he hurt her.

What drives this home for me is that I’ve connected Rumple to Jefferson, the Mad Hatter.

And an important aspect of Jefferson’s story line is him kidnapping Emma and Snow, tricking Emma into thinking he has a limp so she’ll put herself in a vulnerable position meaning to help him. Rumple is the only character on the show with a limp, one that is also capable of disappearing. I also think Snow is young Regina. So I think Rumple hurt both of them. This story also connects Belle’s story and the whole Wonderland bit, since Emma drinks Jefferson’s tea and when she does, it puts her to sleep. And just before she falls asleep she drops the teacup, which could have led to the chip in the cup. The constant reminder that what Belle and Rumple ended up building wasn’t real. Just a girl believing she’s in love with her captor and both forgetting that she didn’t want to be there in the first place (Stockholm Syndrome). So that would make Emma Belle. Or Belle Emma. In the season 4 AU when Belle drops the cup and it chips it’s a reminder to Rumple that what he has with Belle there isn’t real and can’t be made real. That he isn’t a hero and never was even though Belle believes him to be one. They also have a baby in that reality.

And it makes me wonder if Henry isn’t possibly Rumple’s/Gold’s biological son. Also because they had Neal, Henry’s supposed father, and Gold merge at one point where they couldn’t tell who was whom. So maybe they’re one and the same and that is the reason Gold seems to be the only character on the show without a first name. Because his first name is actually Neal.

It would also explain Snow’s second child being named after Neal. A nod to his parentage. Since if Snow is Regina and Regina adopted Henry, well then Henry would be Neal Jr.

It also fits with Robin Jr. being named after her father, Robin. And the fact that a lack of real consent was also a part of her conception. It even fits with Emma and Regina promising Zelena to raise Robin alongside Henry together were anything ever to happen to her. Possibly paralleling Robin Jr. with Henry (Neal Jr.) in every way.

Then there’s the fact that Neal is dead and Rumple has also died. And the only reason Rumple is alive now is because Neal took his place in death. And the first time Rumple almost died it was through poison at the hands of Hook, one of the many parent killers on this show and possibly another representation of Emma and Regina.

Of course, I could be wrong about all of this.

[upthenorthmountain]

Disneyland Paris Ride Reviews

Here they are! Reviews or all the rides and shows we experienced. So there’s a few missing that we didn’t do for various reasons, but we hit the majority of what was available to us I think!

DISNEYLAND PARK

 FANTASYLAND

 Sleeping Beauty’s Castle

At Disneyland Paris the castle is Sleeping Beauty’s Castle (Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant). There are steps up inside the castle and you can see stained glass windows and tableaux with the scenes from Sleeping Beauty, and also step out onto the balcony to see the view over Fantasyland. There is a dragon under the castle - if you walk up from Main Street and head round to the left of the castle, not over the bridge, you will see the sign for La Tanière du Dragon. There is also a shop inside the castle selling jewellery and crystal, and sometimes you can watch someone making glass roses.

The nighttime show, Illuminations, is mainly projected onto the front of the castle. It starts at park closing - currently 11pm - and it’s a good idea to take your place at least an hour before. There is a lot of projection, also fireworks and fountains, and as we left the park afterwards Mickey Mouse was standing on the balcony of the Main Street railway station waving and wishing everyone goodnight, which was a lovely touch.

 Royal Castle Stage

This is to the right of the castle, coming from Main Street, and there are currently two shows using it - Joyeux Anniversaire Disneyland Paris in the morning/lunchtime, and the Starlit Princess Waltz in the afternoon/evening. Both shows are mixed French and English. The first has a cast of different characters and they do a birthday song and one with sections for each of the lands in the park. The princess show features eight princesses, who dance, then their princes come on and they all dance together, because Disney knows how to give the people what they want. There are a few stone benches but you’ll need to get there fairly early to get one; otherwise you’ll end up sitting on the floor but Disneyland has the cleanest floors I’ve ever seen so whatever.

 Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains (Snow White and the seven dwarves) 

This is a Snow White dark ride, which sounds lovely! But two years ago when I took a four year-old and a six year-old on it, by halfway through I was hugging them both and saying ‘I'm sorry, I'm sorry, just close your eyes, I'm sorry’ because they were fucking terrified. It opens with happy dwarves and woodland creatures, but then immediately heads into the dark woods, with scary trees lunging at you and the witch constantly appearing and a dungeon full of skeletons, one of which jumps right at you. Then a brief scene of Snow White and the Prince waving at you, then the ride is over and you have to stop everyone crying. You think I am exaggerating. I am not. What the hell were they playing at. Worse than the Phantom Manor because at least you expect that to be scary.

 Les Voyages de Pinocchio 

Now this is more the thing! A traditional dark ride, scenes from Pinocchio, jolly good stuff. Boys turning into donkeys, being eaten by a whale, just what you'd expect. Not that exciting but it is nice in a traditional sort of way

 Le Carrousel de Lancelot 

The first time we went to DLP as a family was in 2014, and we were only there one night and didn't have time to do everything. Several times we walked past this lovely carousel and I told the girls we'd do it later, but we never got round to it. When we returned in 2015 I said we'd go on the carousel first, marched straight into Fantasyland and it was surrounded by hoardings as it was being renovated. But this time! We went on it! First of all! And it was lovely. A lovely carousel with lots of horses that go up and down, as carousel horses should, I can’t stand it when you go on a carousel and your horse doesn’t even fucking move, but it’s okay because Disney understands me.

 Peter Pan’s Flight 

Another dark ride but you ride in a flying pirate ship, out of the nursery and over London to Neverland. Newly renovated and much more colourful and sparkly. Flying in a boat makes it that much more fun, until the ride breaks down, and everyone has to be evacuated, and you’re ten feet above Neverland and cast members have to help you down with ladders, and today it was warm so you wore a skirt, and your six-year-old was so very brave so you have to be brave too even though it is Surprisingly High. Walking back through the closed ride was awesome though and we rode the ride several other times without incident.

 Disneyland Railroad

Steam train that takes you round the park. We only went halfway on it on this trip, from Fantasyland through Discoveryland to Main Street, which is cool because you go through the top of It’s A Small World and you can wave at the boats; I think the other side through Frontierland has a Grand Canton tableau thing but I forget. The main problem is that if they only have one train on you can wait up to half an hour for it to come round again.

  Meet Mickey Mouse 

Here is where you can meet Mickey Mouse, all day, because why not. And they will take your picture. Does what it says on the tin. Can be quite a long queue but you’re inside and can watch cartoons on a big screen.

  Dumbo the Flying Elephant 

You sit in the elephant and there is a lever to make it go up and down. A bit of a slow loader so can build up quite a queue but I think an essential part of the Disney experience. Let the small child accompanying you believe that you get scared when it goes all the way up and it will vastly increase their enjoyment or maybe my daugher is just evil.

  Alice’s Curious Labyrinth 

Alice in Wonderland themed maze in two parts; the first is pretty much a walkthrough, with a few different paths and dead ends but it isn’t really possible to get lost; you run into the Caterpillar and the playing cards painting the roses red and can take a picture. After this section you can exit, or you can enter the Queen of Hearts maze, which is a proper maze, and has a castle in the middle that you can go up. A good arrangement as children are satisfied with the first section without having to risk spending time getting lost and frustrated. Only open during the middle of the day, I’m not sure why; when we were there it opened at 11am and closed at 5pm.

 Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups 

Another Disney classic and the canopy and lanterns are very pretty. You can turn the disc in the middle to make the cup spin faster, possibly while laughing maniacally….guys, I think my youngest daughter might be Slytherin

 Casey Jr - le Petit Train du Cirque (the little circus train)

 This is the circus train from Dumbo, and it shares space with the Fairy Tales boat ride; you can wave at the boats as you go round and see some of the scenes and the central castle. These two rides are set a little back from the rest of Fantasyland, behind Alice’s Labyrinth, and they close earlier for some reason (7pm while we were there, the rest of the park not closing until 11pm). This is a good little trainer rollercoaster and it plays the Casey Jr song all the way round, as it should.

 Le Pays des Contes de Fées (the land of fairy tales)

A boat ride past scenes from various fairy tales, some Disney (Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, Aladdin etc), some not (Peter and the Wolf, the Wizard of Oz etc). Nice and relaxing and plenty to look at. Not very exciting though and probably best for little ones.

 It’s a Small World

This is a goddamn classic and no Disney trip is complete without multiple rides, I am not even joking, I think we went on it four times on this trip? And a good time was had BY ALL (the good time is compulsory). This had been newly renovated and looks very shiny but WHY is the ceiling still just tiles? Why is it not painted black? There are even things that draw the eye upwards - kites in China, monkeys in Africa - and then it looks like an office building or something. Paint the ceiling! Black! It would be so easy!

 Princess Pavilion 

This is the place to meet a princess! It had changed a bit from our last visit - then, you queued up before it opened at ten and got a timed ticket to come back and see whichever princess was on duty. This time you just had to wait in the queue, but there was a sign saying which princess you would see, which was good because then we could decide whether to bother. If you have a Priority or Easy Access card you can go in the morning and get a timed ticket but they only have so many so best to go early. We saw Rapunzel one morning and my husband queued with our eldest daughter for two hours to see Aurora in the afternoon, which was 100% worth it because Aurora is her favourite and she hadn’t met her before and we have a photo of her face when she first saw her and I’m tearing up just thinking about it

 DISCOVERYLAND

 Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast 

This is a ride that is also a game! You have a laser gun and you have to shoot the targets with a Z on them to defeat Emperor Zurg. You get points for hitting the targets and it is possible to get very competitive. Every photo from this ride has me frowning in concentration. I always ride with a child and I always win. Because it’s a continuous loader, they have to stop it every now and again to help someone with reduced mobility, if this happens while you’re on the ride find the closest target and hit it over and over.

 Orbitron

Like the elephants but you ride in a rocket ship that goes up and down. I’m not good with heights and this seems to go very high and not be entirely stable? And you slide from side to side and I’m not super big on it. I’d rather ride the elephants again to be honest. It makes me uncomfortable and whenever I’m on it I just want to get off but other people love it so what do I know

 Videopolis Theatre 

This used to have an awesome Lion King show but now it is the Jedi Training Academy, which we didn’t do, but we did enjoy a performance from the Calidcott Musical Theatre Company while we were eating at the fast food restaurant that’s also in the building so that was nice.

 Star Tours: l’Aventure Continue 

This has all be redone and relaunched and it so much better! Not as rattly, 3D screens, and in theory you get a different ride each time (our first and second rides were different, the third was the beginning of the second with a different ending). It’s all in French which I suppose can’t be helped but did impact our enjoyment a bit. But very slick and I enjoyed it a lot.

 Starport 

We met Darth Vader! That was nice. He was a bit scary but we were brave.

 Hyperspace Mountain

Space Mountain but skinned as a Star Wars ride - I’m not sure if that’s permanent, as a lot of the Jules Verne-esque theming was still in place, but it was fun. The ride now has space battles, big screens with spaceships and lots of lasers and sound effects, pew pew pew. I think at the beginning it says you’re flying to Jakku? But my French isn’t good enough. We didn’t realise until the last day this was open in Extra Magic Hours or might have gone on it more, but did manage six rides between us which was pretty good (I rode with eldest daughter twice, and she rode with my husband twice, youngest daughter not being tall enough to join us).

 Autopia 

Little cars that you drive along the track; there is a steering wheel but you don’t have to steer properly if you’re lazy or six years old. Someone over 1.32m has to control the pedal. You have a little drive through the countryside then you spend ages queuing up to get back to the platform to disembark. Eldest can drive the car herself and loves it, youngest can’t reach the pedal but loves to steer or at least try to.

 ADVENTURELAND

 Pirates of the Caribbean 

Is still closed for refurbishment which is a BIG PILE OF POO. This is youngest’s favourite ride and we couldn’t do it. So it gets ZERO POINTS.

 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril 

Mine car rollercoaster, a bit rattly and jerky but good fun, has one 360 loop. Good theming, tucked away right at the back of Adventureland. I think for a few years they ran this backwards? But it’s forwards again now.

 La Passage Enchante d’Aladdin 

A walkthrough with scenes from Aladdin. This was closed on our last visit but this time we all enjoyed going up Aladdin’s Enchanted Passage.

  FRONTIERLAND

 Phantom Manor

This is the Haunted Mansion. A bit hard to follow the story if you don’t speak French, something about a bride? She keeps turning up, certainly. Another Disney classic and I know I shouldn’t keep complaining about the language barrier when I’m the one who willingly went to a foreign country but it does make it not as good as at the American parks, for me.

 Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing

You can ride the riverboat round Big Thunder Mountain. Pretty slow and not enough seats and we didn’t bother on this trip. There are some tableaux along the side of the lake, mostly on the outside, so stand on that side of the boat if you want to see them.

 Big Thunder Mountain 

Mine cart rollercoaster, has been updated with new scenes including a dynamite blasting section, top stuff. The ride loads on the side of the lake and most of the track is on the island, so you immediately plunge into a pitch-black tunnel before surfacing to climb and go round and round, then back through a black tunnel full of bats to the platforms. Just the kind of thing I like and it’s got even better since our last visit.

  WALT DISNEY STUDIOS

 BACKLOT

 Rock’n’Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith

A rollercoaster in the dark, with loud music and flashing lights. Launch start. Very fast, don’t put your head against the headrest or it’ll get rattled to pieces, I like it but it’s very intense and the theming seems a little bit dated now.

 Moteurs...Action! Stunt Show Spectacular featuring Lightning McQueen

We saw this on our last trip but not this one. Quite long and didn’t seem to know if it wanted to be a stunt show, or a Cars show, or showing film special effects, but good if you like that sort of thing.

 PRODUCTION COURTYARD

 Studio Tram Tours: Behind the Magic

You ride in a tour tram thing and see some props from such blockbuster hits as Dinotopia, Reign of Fire and Pearl Harbour, none of which I’ve seen, has anybody? But there’s a bit where they show special effects with rain and fire and a flood which was quite cool. Sit towards the right of the car if you don’t want to get wet. But it was a hot day so we didn’t mind. Needed more to look at as some parts of the road were empty and that was a bit dull.

 Disney Junior Live on Stage! 

We saw this on our last two trips but not this one as our two are growing out of Disney Junior a bit, and the show badly needs updating. There are alternating French and English shows so check the times.

 TOON STUDIO

 Animagique Theatre

The current show here is Mickey and the Magician. We had to queue for about half an hour before the show but it was well worth it, it was a very good show with live singing, magic tricks, lots of songs and dancing. In general, Mickey speaks French and the other characters speak English, but the plot isn’t complicated and is mainly an excuse to show songs from different Disney films. The theatre is also air-conditioned and has comfortable padded seats which was almost worth the wait by itself.

 Cars Quatre Roues Rallye

Similar to the Teacups, but you’re sat in a Car and they move round each other in a figure-of-eight and you keep thinking you’re going to collide but not quite doing it. In theory each car seats four but my husband and I are average-sized and only just fit side-by-side in the back row of the car. Good fun though and doesn’t make you as dizzy as the teacups, not me anyway.

 Crush’s Coaster 

This is AWESOME and probably my favourite from this trip. The rollercoaster car is shaped like a turtle shell, with two seats facing forward and two back, but once you get into the rollercoaster section it spins so you’re facing forward, backward, this way and that way. Starting off forwards you see more of the shark, starting off backwards you see the jellyfish better, but it doesn’t matter once you get past the first few scenes and into the East Australian Current, which is a dark rollercoaster section with spinning lights and occasional turtles. Smooth except for when it rights you at the end which can be a bit jarring. Top stuff.

 Les Tapis Volants - Flying Carpets Over Agrabah 

The thing about this ride, which is like the elephants again but with flying carpets, is that it should clearly be in Adventureland in the main park, which has a big area themed for Aladdin, but I’d guess there isn’t room for it, so it’s in the Studios park, with the genie there and supposed to be directing a film? It doesn’t make a lot of sense. The ride itself is good though, smooth and quite fast. Nice breeze on a hot day.

 Art of Disney Animation 

This building currently has an area where you can meet Belle - don’t believe the times in the programme, she was here all day, with a long queue (again, if you have a Priority/Easy Access card you can get a timed ticket but get there early as they only have so many). There is also an exhibition of Disney concept art and, my favourite part, an area with little desks shaped like the bottom half of Mickey Mouse and a cast member who teaches you to draw a Disney character. We all drew Stitch. The drawing bit was a nice change of pace and also I got to show off a bit and the cast member said my picture was very good, she really did, no honestly

 Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Remy

This was my favourite ride on our last trip and it is still my second-favourite (Crush’s Coaster, which we didn’t ride last time, has just pipped it). You wear 3d glasses and ride in a little rat and it is all very slick and immersive. Half in English and half in French but not much dialogue so it’s easy to follow.

  TOY STORY PLAYLAND

 Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop

You sit under a parachute which goes up, then drops, four times over I think. I didn’t ride this one but I was informed that it is higher than it looks and you have a great view; it feels secure as it drops; and that it is very good.

 Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin

My husband won’t ride this one as it gives him a headache but my head, which can be delicate, doesn’t mind it. The dog goes round and round and a bit up and down. Quite bumpety and you get pushed to the side of the car.