#dynamic: henry rumplestiltskin

[dinneratgrannys]

You read the book? Yes, I did.

[saptaincwan]

ok but i do wish we'd gotten more development of killian's relationship with the rest of the cast and world idk

more of his friendship with belle. a bit more in-depth exploration of his fucked up feud with rumplestiltskin. more of his time with milah, which could add more layers to his relationships with baelfire and rumple

and above all captain book captain cobra captain charming SNOW WHITEEEE. he's marrying their daughter and they talked like one time about it 😭

captain charming was one of his most developed relationships but i wish we could've gotten to see charming Enthusiastically welcoming killian to the family

AND CAPTAIN COBRAAAAA henry was the person who kickstarted killian's redemption arc. the way he could not abandon bae's son as he himself failed bae. how he grew to care for henry as his own. the change in their dynamic from killian being the coolest guy in storybrooke who took henry sailing often and helping him connect with his dad, to his stepdad and how that affected their relationship.

i think there was a LOT of potential here. i love how the show developed cs's relationship but i do wish we could've seen killian's relationships outside her. how he found so many different kinds of love and things to care about and new wonderful things in This land. how he grew to love it and its people too

[jackiestarsister]

OUAT Rewatch: Season 1

I started writing down my thoughts as I watched each episode, and got kind of carried away with it as I went along! So here are my thoughts on most of the episodes of Season 1 of Once Upon a Time.

(Spoilers for future seasons are noted in parentheses.)

Episode 2 “The Thing You Love Most”

~ Emma and Regina both have a death/rebirth moment involving fire. The first leads into the second: Emma burns the pages about her birth, and Regina burns her father’s heart.

~ The fact that Regina was willing to sacrifice her father, and that he is Henry's namesake, impresses upon the audience the possibility that the young Henry could also become collateral damage in Regina's effort to destroy everyone’s happiness.

Episode 4 “The Price of Gold”

~ I had forgotten about Henry’s Cinderella moment, losing his shoe as he goes up the stairs!

Episode 5 “That Still Small Voice”

~ The fact that Geppetto’s parents turned into puppets raises a lot of questions about both character and worldbuilding. Why did Geppetto decide to make Pinocchio? Why was the Blue Fairy able to bring Pinocchio to life, but not Geppetto’s parents?

Episode 6 “The Shepherd”

~ “Remember what happened to Frederick” sounds like a throwaway line, like an allusion to a tragicomic incident in Midas’ past, but it’s actually setup for a later episode in this season!

~ David is like his namesake in the Bible, as he starts out as a shepherd but then becomes a king.

Episode 7 “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter”

~ What Regina did to the Huntsman—basically making him her sex slave—is really horrendous, and seems to be unknown to everyone else. The series moves along in such a way that it seems the audience is meant to forget about him.

~ (Spoiler:) What happened to the Huntsman when Snow and Charming took back the kingdom from Regina? Did he remain in her thrall to the very end? Could they not have rescued him at some point?

~ Emma makes a good point about how Regina drives away the people she claims to love. She reminds me a little of Orual, the queen and stepsister in Till We Have Faces.

~ Graham’s fate shows that when Regina cannot control something, she will try to destroy it.

Episode 8 “Desperate Souls”

~ Mr. Gold says, “I do hope they won’t break my little bell.” Was this foreshadowing Belle?!

Episode 9 “True North”

~ In Storybrooke, Ava and Nicholas are repeatedly shown eating candy or dessert!

~ I don’t like Emma’s harsh characterization of the foster system, like all foster families are in it only for the money. There are good, decent foster parents out there. Every foster kid’s experience is different, and Emma’s was pretty unusual in that she had no parents but was never permanently adopted.

~ I think this is the first time we see Regina trying to take someone else’s children to keep as her own. It’s interesting in that it shows how long she has wanted a family, and how long she sought it in the wrong ways.

Episode 10 “7:15 A.M.”

~ I love Snow and Grumpy’s relationship! They’re kind of polar opposites, unflagging optimism versus jaded pessimism. But they have some qualities in common, like loyalty and determination.

~ I wish we got to see more of the dwarves’ dynamics. Stealthy deserved better! And he speaks so casually about Doc making knockout gas!

~ It’s kind of beautiful that on the night their brother dies, the dwarves take in Snow, who has pretty much lost everything.

Episode 11 “Fruit of the Poisonous Tree”

~ (Spoiler:) Henry was recording the stories long before he became the Author! Kind of fitting that his scene (not) talking about it is with August, who eventually reveals the role of the Author.

Episode 12 “Skin Deep”

~ Belle’s very first line on the show is an expression of hope in Rumplestiltskin.

~ The princesses/heroines going on a girls’ night is a cool idea!

~ It is rather remarkable that Rumplestiltskin lets Belle leave for that errand. It’s like that saying, “If you love something, set it free, and if it loves you, it will come back.” Either he trusts that she’ll keep her word, or he hopes she cares enough about him to come back. But if she had taken that opportunity to leave, would he have punished her or her town?

~ Rumple’s tantrum is on a level with Kylo Ren, destroying everything in a given room.

~ Rumple is shown smashing most of the tea service, then sparing the chipped cup. But then, the chipped cup and a teapot are shown in Belle’s cell. Did he bring her food, or magically transport it there, before releasing her?

~ The sorcerer’s apprentice’s hat is visible in Rumple’s home!

~ The moment when Rumple puts the cup on a pedestal and cries over it—somehow that, to me, is the most Beauty and the Beast moment. It’s the part of the story expressed in “If I Can’t Love Her Reprise” in the stage show and “Evermore” in the 2017 movie. He believes he has lost her forever, and he is haunted by her memory, which he nevertheless still treasures.

~ It seems that Regina manipulated both Belle in the past and Mo in the present, in order to get Rumple/Gold to turn on them.

Episode 13 “What Happened to Frederick”

~ Granny saying “If you won’t, I will�� regarding August reminds me of the grandma in Mulan seeing Shang for the first time.

~ The idea that “something lost will be returned to you” through water sounds like the song “All is Found” from Frozen II.

~ I wondered why the camera paused for so long on that guy Kathryn bumped into at the school; turns out it was Frederick!

~ The red spray paint in Regina’s desk draw suggests she, or someone working for her, was the one who spray-painted “tramp” on Mary Margaret’s car!

Episode 14 “Dreamy”

~ After seeing Snow and Grumpy’s first meeting earlier in the season, it’s great to finally see their Storybrooke counterparts interact! They really are an odd, unlikely pair, but that’s what makes their friendship so endearing.

~ I also love Belle and Grumpy’s friendship, which we see begin in this episode.

~ Interesting that when Belle gets her freedom, she does not return to her village. It must be the first time she is truly free, without any responsibility, so she makes it last a while!

~ Dreamy/Grumpy’s storyline in this episode seems to go against the backstory he shared with Snow. Did he later regret his actions and try to win Nova back?

~ I hated what Granny did and said to Mary Margaret in the previous episode, but I love that they have a nonverbal reconciliation in this one, with Granny lighting her candle.

Episode 15 “Red-Handed”

~ I love the visuals of this episode, with Red’s cloak contrasted against Snow’s white ensemble. The shots of Red and Snow tracking through the snowfall are beautiful—that had to be real snow, right?

~ After meeting and staying with Red, Snow adopts her hairstyle with a ribbon in a braid.

~ David and Red experience the same thing in their respective timelines, having gaps in their memory and wondering if they are the culprit of a crime.

~ It seems a little odd that Red doesn’t suspect Snow, a stranger who showed up the night of the attack, of being the wolf.

~ I think Red should have been the one to have the idea to talk to Peter, rather than Snow suggesting it.

~ So many characters in this season say “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

Episode 16 “Heart of Darkness”

~ I wish we saw more of Snow White’s time living with the dwarves. Then again, I wish it had been during a happier period of her life, when she was not suffering from a broken heart or memory loss.

~ Henry deals with an emotional blow the same way his mothers and other characters do: getting a drink at Granny’s bar!

~ “Evil doesn’t always look evil. Sometimes it’s staring right at us, and we don’t even realize it.” So true!

~ Snow’s reconciliation with the dwarves is so sweet, and I love seeing them line up to help her!

~ Cutting from Gold telling Emma “You’re more powerful than you know” to Rumple bottling her parents’ hairs to make the magic of love + the high-pitched version of Snow and Charming’s theme = brilliant!

Episode 17 “Hat Trick”

~ This is the episode that feels most contrived in this season. Mary Margaret breaking out right after Emma asked her to have faith in her, and Emma being so kind and trusting toward Jefferson, both seem out of character. A core part of Emma’s personality—one that she works to overcome throughout the series—is that she protects herself and does not trust people easily. She is not the type to go into a strange man’s home and drink something he prepared. The whole detour is even more odd because she’s supposed to be searching for her missing friend.

~ “I’d rather lose my job than my friend.” Yeah Emma! Granted, she hasn’t had many friends in her life, so it makes sense that she would be protective of Mary Margaret, the only friend that hasn’t let her down in some way.

~ Jefferson promising not to miss Grace’s tea party is like Captain America promising Peggy Carter a dance. (It’s hard not to think about the Marvel films Sebastian Stan has been in while watching him in this show.)

~ Jefferson’s hat seems like a cross between a Portkey in the Harry Potter books, and the Wood Between the Worlds in The Magician’s Nephew. I wonder if that room is based on the one Alice comes to after going down the rabbit hole, where she has to open a door. The door to Oz can also be seen there, foreshadowing its introduction to the show!

~ Jefferson mentions Regina’s father even before he is revealed in the episode! Nice, subtle setup.

~ I wonder if the character of Jefferson is modeled after Sweeney Todd. A hatter and a barber both deal with people’s heads, and the way Jefferson sharpens his scissors made me think of Todd’s razors. Both men also have a daughter whom they were unjustly separated from due to a tyrant.

~ Jefferson raises some big philosophical questions about the nature of story and inspiration. Unfortunately this show tends to either leave those questions unanswered, or does a poor job of trying to answer them.

~ (Spoiler:) All the setup is there foreshadowing that Cora is the Queen of Hearts. But who is the King of Hearts? How did he end up with her, and what was their relationship like?

~ If Jefferson was stuck in Wonderland, how did he end up in Storybrooke? Didn’t the curse only touch the Enchanted Forest?

~ Emma is an amazingly convincing actress and liar. She comes across as so sympathetic, even when terrified, and she might be mixing truths into her acting.

~ Emma actually starts believing at the end! (Spoiler: Maybe her belief would have grown if August didn’t make it so personal.)

Episode 1x18 “The Stable Boy”

~ (Spoiler:) Cora wears a heart-shaped pendant, even before she becomes the Queen of Hearts—and ironically, when her own heart is no longer inside her.

~ Bailee Madison does a fantastic job of imitating Ginnifer Goodwin’s mannerisms. She adds even more childlike innocence and naivete to Snow’s idealism.

~ The scene of Cora and young Snow is hard to watch, knowing what Cora has already done and what Snow will do. And it’s no wonder Snow caved in: she’s never seen duplicity in anyone, especially not a mother.

~ So much foreshadowing when Cora talks about the sacrifices she had to make.

~ It’s fitting that Ruby is the one to find Kathryn, after being the one to find the box with the heart; but there could have been another scene, or even just a shot, to show how Ruby has been doing since then. She was pretty torn up about it, and she must be relieved to be able to set things right.

Episode 1x19 “The Return”

~ I had forgotten that Emma suspects Gold of kidnapping Kathryn. I’m glad this was addressed, because it seems to be forgotten as other storylines push forward.

~ I kind of wish that at some point, they showed Rumple stopping the battle in the Ogre Wars, rather than the characters just describing it. It must have been an incredible moment for him, as someone who had always been afraid (spoiler alert: and was too scared to go to battle when he was enlisted).

~ The misdirection in this episode is kind of brilliant. August goes to the Mother Superior to ask for advice about his father, and Rumple thinks it’s Baelfire going to the Blue Fairy as he did in the past, but it’s really Pinocchio going to the Blue Fairy to seek advice about approaching Geppetto/Marco. And then, to top it off, Rumple goes to Jiminy Cricket for advice!

~ What Regina did, causing David to doubt/betray Mary Margaret, and what Mary Margaret describes, poisoning their relationship, is exactly what Satan does.

~ Mary Margaret’s words about the one person you counted on not being there for you is similar to what happens between Rumple and Baelfire in this episode.

~ (Spoiler:) I’m confused about how common magic beans are in the Enchanted Forest. The Blue Fairy says the one she gives Baelfire is the last known to them, and apparently they’re so rare that he needs to construct the Dark Curse to cross worlds. But just a few years later, Hook gets his hands on one; and centuries later, James and Jack talk about them as though they are rare and valuable but not unheard of.

~ For August to deceive Gold by impersonating his long-lost son is pretty cruel.

~ (Spoiler:) August’s actions also don’t quite fit, because it is later revealed that he actually met Neal on at least two separate occasions, one of them while en route to Storybrooke just after Emma arrived.

~ “He hasn’t been himself for a while.” True in more than one sense for Sidney/Mirror/Genie!

~ Love Emma at the end: she is FIERCELY protective of the people she loves!

Episode 1x20 “The Stranger”

~ Love Henry’s defiant confrontation of Regina!

~ The Blue Fairy says the enchanted tree is the last in the entire realm. I wonder, were there once many more, and was that why the land was called the Enchanted Forest?

~ Does the wardrobe just act as a portal? If so, why wasn’t that an option for Rumplestiltskin? Did his magic not mix well with that kind?

~ I don’t understand why Regina tries to seduce David, considering he’s not even on good terms with Mary Margaret at that point. But David handles it like Gawain in “The Green Knight,” chivalrously refusing the temptress’ advances.

~ The shot of Regina downing the rest of her wine, then throwing the glass and breaking the mirror is pretty great!

~ It’s not very surprising that Pinocchio/August strayed from the right path, since Geppetto set an example of dishonesty and selfishness.

~ I forgot what a strong and emotional reaction Emma has to August’s revelation. From the way she talks, it sounds like on some level she does believe, but she doesn’t want to admit it because she’s so afraid of the responsibility it would put on her. I wonder if she also fears what it would mean for her relationships with her friends/family, since she has such mixed feelings about her parents.

~ How did Emma get home, if she left August behind in the woods? Did they both go back on his motorcycle? Or did she hitchhike or something?

~ It looks like Marco owns a sailboat, even after what happened with Monstro!

~ Emma and Geppetto both try to put their children’s wellbeing before that of the community.

~ Looking at Emma’s overall journey, her “refusal of the call” story beat really lasts this entire season!

Episode 1x21 “An Apple Red as Blood”

~ I’m very curious as to when Regina figured out that Emma was the Savior, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. She seemed to have her first inkling in Episode 2, but when did she become certain?

~ (Spoiler:) It’s interesting that killing Emma would break the curse. Was that foreshadowing the Final Battle of Season 6?

~ Henry’s desperate act at the end of the episode makes sense after his final conversation with August, who seems to already be at the “all is lost” beat of the story before the hero decides to keep fighting.

~ “You may have wakened the sleeping dragon.” Was that setup for next episode?

~ Subtle foreshadowing from Archie: it’s true that Regina wouldn’t directly, intentionally hurt Henry, but it’s quite possible for him to get hurt by her efforts to hurt others.

~ “Is this how it’s always gonna be? Us taking turns finding each other?” “We will be together.” Both were right!

~ If Regina didn’t think of getting the apple until Jefferson suggested reaching through with her hand, what was she planning to do or get from the other world? And apparently the hat also enables time travel to a degree?

~ “Haven’t we both suffered enough?” True in more than one way: they both had more suffering in store, thanks to Regina’s vengeance.

~ (Spoiler:) Snow and Charming seem to be “one heart” even before they share a heart, as they sense when the other is hurt.

~ Did Regina not know or care what happened to the rest of the cursed apple after Snow bit it? And she just left Snow's body there for anyone to find?

~ Interesting to see Emma wearing a skirt and Regina wearing pants when they talk. It’s almost a reversal of their usual attire.

~ There is no way would Emma eat anything Regina made, especially now, knowing that she tried to frame Mary Margaret.

~ Henry falls exactly the same way his grandmother Snow does after eating the apple!

Episode 1x22 “A Land Without Magic”

~ I love that they brought Graham back for the finale, and he’s still protecting Snow! I guess even though Regina his heart, he still has some autonomy.

~ That might be the longest and most ominous title sequence yet!

~ Does picking up the book make Emma actually see, or remember, the flashbacks to her birth? Is it meant to be like Moses in The Prince of Egypt?

~ The look on Emma’s face when Regina reveals Mr. Gold’s real name could be interpreted two ways: A) she is incredulous that they are talking seriously about fairy tale characters; B) she is horrified to learn that Gold is that particular villainous character.

~ Does Regina have the ability to just transport anyone anywhere, even remotely? That’s a formidable power from a strategy perspective.

~ Charming is so done with Rumple and all these villains!

~ Did Emma not see Jefferson lurking in the hospital room? Why is Regina comfortable leaving him there with Henry?

~ It’s really telling that Emma goes to see August before going to battle. She is not seeking any material help, just moral support. Then he ends up filling the role of the fallen mentor whose death motivates the hero.

~ It’s pretty symbolic that the town’s library isn’t running! Just like the clock until Emma came.

~ I forgot that Emma sees Snow’s coffin!

~ When you think about it, putting the egg inside Maleficent was really a violation of her person. (Spoiler: Was she carrying it inside her the next few times Snow and Charming saw her, as shown in Season 4?)

~ Mary Margaret probably reads the book to Henry while he’s in the coma because when she did that for David it woke him up.

~ Does Jefferson work for the hospital? That’s the only explanation I can think of for how he obtained a uniform, knew the passcode, could give the desk nurse a drink without being questioned, and knew that Belle was there.

~ How did Jefferson know about Belle’s connection to Mr. Gold?

~ Emma’s fight with the dragon might be symbolic of her own internal/psychological battle.

~ When she destroys the dragon, she looks like she’s exhausted and can’t believe she just did that.

~ I’m confused about the timeline in the present day. It looked like Emma went down the elevator shortly before midnight, but when David gets in his car it’s 7:00 a.m. Did Emma's journey and battle last all night?!

~ The Mother Superior must be a hospital chaplain. I wonder who called her to Henry’s room—somehow I doubt Regina would ask for a religious person to come if anything happened to her son.

~ Ironic that Regina is the one to say “You did it” when Emma breaks the curse(s)!

~ Henry looks at Emma with so much pride!

~ Such a good finale!

[mythologicalcycle]

once upon a time modern family au.. just whatever the fuck they had going on but more domestic

[battleincarchive]

tag drop: cora mills ( by request ) 

[battlearchived]

new muse :  cora mills

[martianbugsbunny]

OUAT Thoughts Pt.23--Episodes 4-5

I have watched through S3E5; spoilers DNI. Also, spoiler warning for anyone further behind than I am.

—Rumplestiltskin is such a dramatic king. Brooding on a rooftop, going for the black war paint...delicious.

—Mirage-Belle isn’t a representation of how Belle views Rump. She’s very similar, but that’s not it. That’s the representation of the last part of Rump that believes in himself. That’s the part of himself he’s been trying to listen to for the past couple of episodes; that’s the part of himself that he has to ignore to be the Dark One. Currently he’s hovering on a fine line; he’s not flat-out ignoring that part, but he has pushed it further down.

—I don’t necessarily fault Baelfire for not trusting Rump. He doesn’t really have much reason to. But what would it take for Rump to prove himself? If Bae is never going to trust him, why should he continue trying?

—Which brings me to another point: This is the greatest test Rump has faced to date. Not because he’s trying to be good (he has done that before) but because he has to continue being good even though his son doesn’t trust him to be. I really hope he picks the right option.

—It was a bit cruel of Bae to leave his father incapacitated in the middle of Peter Pan’s territory. That might’ve been going too far.

—Also, Bae is now in a cage, and Henry’s still with the Lost Boys, so…what did he really accomplish?

—Henry starting to turn evil is something I predicted, but it’s still shocking, particularly because he’s a child. I do believe that his moms will be able to snap him out of it, though.

—I think Regina will hate this turn of events the most. Snow and Emma are good, so of course they’ll be disappointed, but Regina’s has plenty of moments of regret because of her own darkness. The theme of wanting better for their children than they had is common among the parental figures in this show, so Regina may get her moment with it soon.

—That star map Baelfire made was super pretty. I love those kind of things (though I don’t think I could ever sleep with one in my room).

—I hate how much I’m starting to like Hook. The new elements of his backstory are much more humanizing and endearing than his relationship with Mila.

—It amuses me to no end how he calls Charming “mate *salty*”. It’s a bit like Rump’s “dearie” but applied much more specifically.

—These idiots are never gonna get off the islands. How could they not have come up with an escape plan sooner?

—Okay, so what’s the beef between Rump and Peter? I wouldn’t be surprised if Peter turned out to actually be Rump’s brother, though I’m not putting any money on that. This show gives me trust issues.

—Lmao, the Pied Piper had PAN PIPES! That’s awesome!

—Also, Peter Pan being the Pied Piper is fun. It low-key makes sense, and even in OUAT I’m not sure the Pied Piper could be stretched into an interesting story of his own accord.

—Speaking of interesting stories, you know that opera about the magic flute? THAT should be in this show. It’s a bit thick in the words of the wrong storyteller, but it’s a gorgeous piece of work if it’s told well.

—Dang, Hook was looking fine in episode 5. Ridiculous hat aside, he’s rather dashing in his navy uniform.

—The Jones brothers come pretty close to capturing the magic of sibling life. They’re definitely a romanticized version of sibling-hood, but they’re still pretty salty at each other. I give their dynamic about an 8.5/10.

—Hook becoming a pirate because thieves have more honor than his king is interesting. I hope I get to see more of him terrorizing the seas.

—So Charming isn’t dead, that’s great—but how is he planning to explain it to Snow and Emma when he can’t go home?

—Who’s in the cage? Rump? Tink? An unknown party to be named later?

—It is true that Rump might find sacrifice difficult now that he has his son to live for (which, by the way, kills me), but maybe he’s reading the prophecy wrong. I really hope he is, because if not his only options are A) dying or B) killing Henry, and I am not comfortable with either of those. Maybe Rump’s “undoing” is describing him losing his dark powers and becoming a normal person again. Maybe Henry’s actually going to save him. These people just need to think outside the box!

—Besides, he can’t trust that Seer. She proved herself to be good at cryptic double-talk already.

—YES! I get to see Ariel in the next episode! I can’t wait!

[firelxdykatara]

once upon a time for the ask game! not sure if you’re deep in the fandom still but i remember seeing you post about it so i’d love to hear more of your thoughts

oh man ouat at its height was my LIFE, it was my main fandom along with tvd for years lmao, so LET'S SEE HERE

blorbo (favorite): EMMA FUCKING SWAN, HANDS DOWN. I love her so much, she's everything to me, which is a huge part of why I still haven't bothered with s7--no Emma, no point. She was dealt such a raw fucking hand by the series, she kept being torn down and kicked while she was low, especially in the later seasons, but at the end of the day she had Killian and she had Henry, and her parents when they weren't too busy coddling Regina to remember their actual daughter, and she got her happily ever after which is the really important bit. The rest is easily fixed in fanfiction.

scrunkly (my baby): Henry, I think. I don't normally care much for child characters, and he did frustrate me a little when he seemed to forget the fact that Regina abused him for the first ten years of his life so badly that he readily convinced she was the Evil Queen and fled to Boston to find his bio mom to bring her back to KILL SAID EVIL QUEEN, but he was also young and Regina kept abusing him and I prefer to believe that a lot of his later attachment to her was more a defense mechanism than anything else. And anyway at the end of the day I love him, he's baby. (And it was so funny to watch him hit puberty between seasons with the show scrambling to come up with reasons for timeskips to catch up.) Honorable mention goes to Ruby, who I love so very much and I'm still mad the wrote her off like they did. I maintain that she and Belle should've been ouat's central queer romance and the real Beauty and the Beast storyline but ABC were cowards.

scrimblo bimblo (underrated fave): Elsa, I think. The Frozen arc tends to get a bum rap in fandom, but I actually quite liked it and I think it was the last half-season arc that was generally consistent all the way through and stuck the landing (the less said about s5 and s6 the better, and 4b still makes me incandescent with rage), and I loved Elsa and her dynamic with both Anna and Emma so much. She's the only character I really shipped Emma with aside from Killian (and Graham, but he'd died long since), and she was so perfectly cast I'm still in awe.

glup shitto (obscure fave): Ariel. She only showed up in a couple episodes, but I thought Joanna Garcia was wonderful in the role and I always loved seeing her show up on my screen. Honorable mentions go to Jasmine and Aladdin, who I remember nothing about in terms of their ouat storylines but I do remember Karen David and Deniz Akdeniz were literal perfection and their chemistry was FANTASTIC and if I could I would sell my soul to have a live action Aladdin remake starring the two of them.

poor little meow meow (problematic fave): I'm sure Killian still counts (as problematic/controversial, not particularly unpopular, but still), given the narrative the SQ fandom tried pushing about him. And pre-redemption he was absolutely my problematic fave, he was the epitome of if evil bad, why sexy??? and there are a few people he absolutely SHOULD have killed and it would've been sexy af of him (mostly rumple ngl). And anyway yeah Killian Jones, 100%, I love him so much and I'd have happily been pre-redemption Killian's pirate queen.

horse plinko (punching bag): Probably Neal. I don't actively hate him as much as I used to, but I'm reminded of my loathing every time I rewatch s2 and s3 and I still fucking hate that we were FREE OF RUMPLESTILTSKIN (and he actually went out on a decently high note! making one single, selfless choice, and saving storybrooke, and gods damn it all he should have stayed dead smfh), and Neal had to go and be a fucking idiot trying to get back the father he'd spent 300 years hating for abandoning him akldjghlkdsjfhg (granted, it was some truly, ridiculously awful writing, but I already didn't like Neal so it's not much of a stretch to just blame him for committing suicide by stupidity). So yeah I'd love to kick him around just for cathartic funsies.

eeby deeby (superhell bound): Regina Mills and Rumplestiltskin. (I refuse to pick just one.) I hate them both SO MUCH and their 'redemptions' were utter shit and the show would've been much better if Rumple stayed dead after 3a and Emma kept getting to punch Regina in the face for attempting to use her as an emotional punching bag all through the later seasons. But since that didn't happen, Regina can just go right to superhell with Rumple's scaly ass.

ask me about blorbos from my shows!

[izzythehutt]

What did you think about the Rumple being Regina’s secret father theories in Season 2?

They made no sense since the entire point of the Cora/Rumplestiltskin relationship was that he definitively wasn't. They also very obviously cast a Latino actor to play Henry Sr. (both older and younger version) because Lana Parilla is half-Puerto Rican.

Him having resentment because she was "supposed" to be his daughter is an interesting angle on their relationship. They obviously have an evil mentor-protégé dynamic, but sometimes it seemed to border on fatherly. Until that season they hooked up, lol.

[dinneratgrannys]

There's magic in it, every time someone makes a wish.

[ao3feed-swanqueen]

by CommanderLexa121

This story is after Ruby imprinted on Emma and Regina’s daughter Charlie.

How will Zelena and Ruby navigate their new lifestyle. Charlie has PTSD and Ruby will do anything and everything for her. Though she still loves Zelena.

Words: 2434, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 2 of The Littlest Wolf

Fandoms: Once Upon a Time (TV)

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con

Categories: F/F, Other

Characters: Emma Swan, Evil Queen | Regina Mills, Henry Mills (Once Upon a Time), Red Riding Hood | Ruby, Wicked Witch of the West | Zelena, Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Belle (Once Upon a Time)

Relationships: Red Riding Hood | Ruby/Wicked Witch of the West | Zelena, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan

Additional Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics

[intothewickedwood]

Once Upon A Time Rewatch: 2x12 In the Name of the Brother

Poor Belle’s terrified. I mean I would be if I’d just been shot and some man had magically healed me.

Emma: “Gold are you insane!” Mr. Gold: “Yes, I am.” Omg. Gold be wild!  

Ngl Gold attacking Hook is kinda hott xD.

Aww, Snow looking after Belle. I would’ve liked to have seen more of their friendship. I think they would’ve really gotten on.

I love Gerhardt. He deserved better. And Victor’s father should have treated Victor better. I think the Frankenstein brothers look alike. The casting team strikes again!

Oh snap! His name is Viktor! I’ve been spelling it wrong this whole time!! And also, what language is that on his letter? I know they’re in the Land Without Color, but are they supposed to be in a certain country? Does the Land Without Color consist of every country that’s in the Land Without Magic?

Gerhardt sticking up for his bro! This is why I love him!

His father is a jerk!

A feeling of dread just crept over me. I don’t want Gerhardt to die!!

It’s weird how Rumple shows up in colour. I guess people who aren’t from that land all do. Or maybe he just used magic so he could be be super vibrant!

Was Rumple trying true loves kiss to help Belle remember there?  

Woah, that scream scared me! Poor Belle’s having the worst day!

Okay Hook, really going for the innuendos there.

I forget how powerful Gold is sometimes. He can heal major injuries in seconds! If only he were a doctor!

Yep. It seems everyone who isn’t from the lwoc appears in colour when there.

A so the land without magic does have witchcraft! Explains how Jefferson could travel there!

Yes! Rumple & Cora interaction! My otp!!

Is Cora being genuine when she says she wants Rumple to find Bae? Who can ever tell?

“Let’s seal it how we used to” *kisses Gold*

Damn. Golden hearts is so awesome! Their relationship is so unpredictable. I love it!

I wonder if Gold still has feelings for her? I headcanon he always has.

Gerhardt!

Greg has ‘Her’ on his phone. How ominous.

I freaking love these interactions between the Charmings, Ruby & Leroy! More of this please!

Whale, honey! Poor guy!

Oh man, this is awful. Poor Viktor just wanted to bring his brother back!

Cora sniffing Regina’s clothes and looking through her things will forever be extremely creepy. It just shows the level of obsession she has with Regina.

How does Cora know to imitate Henry’s voice? I guess that just goes with the spell. I’d like to know how these spells work!  

Regina’s look of terror when Cora appears.

Omg. Cora and Regina’s relationship is so complex! They love each other but with Cora it’s to the point of obsession and with Regina it’s such an unhealthy love. It’s so interesting and heart wrenching to watch!

Ah, very perceptive of Regina to realise her mother wanted her broken!

This scene! This dynamic is everything!

Whale! Poor man has no support system until Ruby comes along. He really loved his brother.  

I just found out that according to David Anders Frankenwolf was supposed to be canon! But Megan Ory’s schedule conflicted with the show!

Thank goodness Ruby was there!

Viktor’s father is so horrible. Gerhardt just wanted to protect his big brother! I needed another episode to see what happened to Gerhardt and to see the brothers reunited.

Gerhardt, no!! This is awful!  

Oh okay, so according to Ruby she is a werewolf and not a lycan.

Poor Ruby having to live with the fact that she ate Peter. That would make me feel sick. Also, I needed more Ruby-centric episodes!

Oh, so the father was like that because he never got over their mother. Maybe Viktor reminded him too much of her or Gerhardt reminded him more of her.

Here goes Cora with her manipulation game.

Cora, why don’t you give a damn about Zelena goddamn it?! She would have happily become the obedient daughter you always wanted!

Oh man Regina’s fallen for the manipulation! But I understand why, she’s probably been craving the love of an authority figure for years. Look at the way she hugs her! It’s like she’s longed to do that for so long. And of course, Cora knows that and uses that to her advantage.

Poor Gerhardt. Poor guys tormented!

Rumple you’re freaking Belle the heck out!  

“If you focus (on the cup), it will work. It’s magic.” Rumple, do you have any idea how that sounds to someone who doesn’t know they’re from the EF??

Oww! I hate needles!

“Rumplestiltskin and Captain Hook had a fight and someone got hurt. We weren’t sure if Dr. Frankenstein could fix him, but he did.”

I love the Charming family all being together like this! Emma kinda seems like Henry’s big sister, which I’m all for!

Greg is so shady.

[theonceoverthinker]

A Tumultuous Embrace (1/5) (Golden Hook)

Summary: Captain Hook and Rumplestiltskin have wronged many a man in their days as villains, so many in fact that they’ve unknowingly overlapped on more than one occasion. What are they going to do when two of those cases want revenge and know exactly how to best take it? Now trapped together in a beyond compromising position, will Killian and Rumple be able to work together to fight against impossible odds and get home, or will their lingering hatred of each other prove to be their shared doom as they literally go down together?

AO3       Fanfiction.net

Dynamics Featured for this Chapter: Golden Hook (mentioned), Rumbelle (mentioned), Captain Swan (mentioned), Swan Beauty (mentioned)

Content Warnings for this Chapter: Assault 

A/N: This was supposed to be whump. It started from a freakin’ whump prompt! And don’t get me wrong -- the first two and a half chapters are a decently whumpy, but afterwards...well, you’ll see. But for now, enjoy this chapter of pure, slow burn whump (Yeah, I’m coining that term)!

Tagging @sherlockianwhovian, @black-wolf066, and @killian-whump! If you do (Or don’t, I promise I won’t be offended) want to be tagged in upcoming chapters of this fic, please let me know!

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

CHAPTER 1: A TUMULTUOUS BEGINNING

Nine times out of ten, the sound of the bell above Rumple’s shop ringing would have Rumple at the ready beside his shop’s front counter in a matter of seconds. Given how quiet his shop often was -- especially these days -- the noise it made tended to linger in the air for at least a couple of seconds after sounding off. At the very most, it would give him business, and at the very least, the company would serve to make his day more exciting and give him something to tell Belle about over dinner in between bouts of reacting to the literature leanings of Storybrooke’s citizens.

Yes, nine times out of ten, Rumple had every reason to see what goings on had just entered his vicinity and acted on it.

Today, unfortunately for him, was that all too rare tenth time. 

And even after the immediacy of the ring, Rumple was in no hurry to so much as pick his head up, let alone actually go to the front of his shop.

But what put Rumple in a state like that?

Well, as with everyone else in the world -- no matter the realm -- some days were simply better than others. For Rumple, today was just about as bad as it could get for him and he hadn’t the energy to deal with anything else aside from the immediacy of his body’s needs. 

And right now, that need was for rest was the most pressing, leaving him unable to do anything in the face of such an urgent instinct but relent.

The reason behind Rumple’s exhaustion, apathy, and moodiness came down to two matters.

First, Gideon, now deep in his teething phase, had several of his now quite common bursts of crying fits last night. Despite the ample supply of teething toys Rumple and Belle had on hand to satiate their son’s needs, few sustained Gideon for more than a few minutes at the most. 

He must’ve gotten his fickleness from his father. 

Knowing Belle had spent the previous night caring for Gideon at the cost of any energy she may have had the following day, Rumple took it upon himself to give her a well-deserved night’s rest. The results did wonders for his wife’s sleep schedule, but horrors for his. He thanked his stars his job was almost defined by how slow business often was because today, Rumple barely found himself able to do anything more than sit in his shop’s backroom and try not to crumple or tarnish any goods under a head that spent more time supported by a table than supported by his neck. Already, he had taken two unintended naps, though neither did anything to help him recover from last night’s trials.

But that first reason was a side effect of a decision that Rumple made of his own volition and truly, he knew that he had no one to blame but himself for it. 

The second reason -- the one that made him not only apathetic to the ringing of his shop’s bell, but downright grouchy  -- was decidedly not. 

This morning, as Rumple struggled to keep his head from falling into a plate of eggs and toast, his lovely Belle announced that later this week, their family would be dining at the Swan house. Rumple was too tired to bother holding in his subsequent groan. That groan resulted in a low-key argument between he and Belle that was decidedly not resolved by the time they parted ways for the day and Rumple had a strong feeling that an end to that argument would be no more in sight when he came home than when he left.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t stand anything about that family -- far from it. Things had been complicated between he and Emma in the past, but nowadays, he got along well enough with her. And Henry was his grandson and someone he’d wished to further connect to for a long time now. Finally, he had been offered something of a chance and in some ways, that felt like a second chance connecting with Bae. 

Yes, an evening with Emma and Henry sounded nice. For them, Rumple found no issue in doing his best to not just get along, but thrive in a deeper relationship.

However, neither of them were the problem.

Instead, it was the third member of that household that was causing him enough grief to challenge his wife.

Rumple considered himself lucky. Following the breaking of his mother’s curse, much of the bad blood shared between all manner of people in Storybrooke was forgotten. Facing the possibility of certain death tended to have that effect on people.

And few benefitted from that olive branch more than he did. His trips through town no longer made the levity surrounding his fellow townspeople wilt like a rose during winter. Hell, sometimes, he even had a friendly exchange where he and another would talk about their wives or children while waiting in line for groceries or during trips to the library. Rumple never expected to like that as much as he did, but Storybrooke had really started to feel like home for reasons more than just Belle and Gideon’s presences.

Time had a funny way of doing that.

That said, there were some slates that weren’t as easy to clean as others and one of those was the shared animosity between himself and Captain Hook.

Dealing with Hook wasn’t especially hard, but he wouldn’t call it especially easy either. Rumple had accepted Hook as a part of his existence and they silently agreed to a truce. Their paths crossed few and far between enough that there was no cause to stew in their mutual animosity. They just came and went as they wished and that was that.

It didn’t mean that either of them had to like it, and no, neither of them liked it at all, but given the circumstances, their situation was about as good as they could ask for -- awkward, but not miserable. 

Rumple only hoped things would’ve stayed that way.

But then Emma had to go and befriend Belle, and with that friendship, force their two hostile husbands together. 

Why couldn’t the two of them just leave well enough alone?

So yeah, Rumple found himself in the emotional crossfires of exhausted and cranky today and thinking about his reasons for either only served to make the emotions ever more intense.

Who knew the phrase ‘like father, like son’ also worked in reverse?

Like his baby boy, he was just tired.

So when the bell went off in his shop, Rumple honestly wasn’t sure if that’s even what it was and thus didn’t bother getting up from the comfort and privacy of the back room to go investigate. 

In fact, in quite the opposite move, he started to fall back asleep.

Rumple told himself it wouldn’t be an issue. He had magic set up to alert him if anything was stolen, and beyond that, short of another crisis, he didn’t care about the odd customer or two and their burdensome wants. So what if he ignored them? The worst that could happen would be him pissing off a customer, but then again...who in this town HADN’T he pissed off at this point? One more wouldn’t make a difference.

By the time the subsequent footsteps had entered the back room, Rumple barely resonated them. What fight his brain was putting up against the pull of sleep was losing fast and dissolving quicker by the second.

When that little bit of fight in him gave in, he finally allowed himself to drift off.

That decision turned out to be all that was needed for his guests to take what -- or rather who -- they wanted.

And only hours later would Rumple feel the resulting pain from the baseball bat that soon after his departure to the realm of dreams, would harshly make contact with his head.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Killian Jones, whether thanks to his naval training or simply the demands of being a captain, could be quite the creature of habit when he wanted to be. 

After over two hundred years of surprises, from the daily adventures of his life of piracy to the endless twists and turns of Neverland to the magic and monsters that made up so much of Killian’s life after meeting Emma, there was something that could be said about the comfort of a routine. Routines allowed for a relative sense of calm in one’s life. They were a chance to let the brain rest a bit, something all too necessary for life in the near constant state of excitement Storybrooke offered.

And that sentiment it what brought Killian to the docks this evening. It was a nice detour on his stroll home from work as well as quiet and barren from crowds around the end of his shift, so he made visiting the seaside spot a regular part of his week. The calm of the ocean as it laid beside him on a calm night allowed him to release the tension from the day.

It also made for quite the stress reliever. 

When Emma and Belle first started hanging out after a trip to the library on Emma’s part that went exceptionally well, Killian was thrilled. Heaven knew they both deserved more friends, especially ones that were a touch more removed from their respective parts of the family, and of everyone they could’ve chosen as a friend, they did a damn good job of it. So Killian encouraged Emma to spend as much time as she wanted with Belle so that they could enjoy what the other could provide for companionship.

But then they had to start involving both himself and his bloody crocodile, and that’s where Killian support found itself waning.

If there was ever anything truly difficult to deal with in Storybrooke these days, it was the idea of letting Rumplestiltskin come and go as he pleased. While many a sin had been forgiven all throughout the town and their very extended family, Killian didn’t care to extend that as much with Rumple as he had with others. It wasn't a war between the two of them by any means -- they had silently settled on something of a cease fire for the sake of their families and the well being of the town they shared, but as for anything beyond that, Killian refused. There was simply too much baggage accumulated over the years to even consider bothering with any niceties beyond his barest efforts. 

And Killian held no doubts in his mind that Rumple felt the same way about him. Even with their truce, their encounters were no less awkward. For the most part, thankfully, they’d been kept to a minimum.

However, now that was about to change.

Later on this week -- in four days to be precise -- they’d all be dining together, putting Rumple and Killian far closer together than he and he expected Rumple ever would’ve wanted to be and for far longer than it couldn be reasonably expected for a spat to not break out.

Killian didn’t need to tell Emma of his dislike of the event -- he was certain that his face had done that well enough by Emma’s assurance that it wouldn’t be too bad. With all due respect to his wife -- he begged to differ.

He wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Rumple was trying to weasel his way out of it -- because he was honestly trying to as well… 

How weird was it to want his crocodile to succeed for once?

Quite weird, and that’s why he was he needed a level of stress relief. 

The sea was one of the few constants in Killian’s life -- perhaps that’s part of why he found it so calming to gaze at. Even during the evening when it resembled tar more than water, it was still beautiful. 

Killian stared at the abyss of ocean that stretched into the practically invisible horizon. It had warded off a nice portion his disdain for the dinner, though there was still a good deal of it left.

He had done a good job being a better man. It was okay to have limits as to how good he could be. Killian knew that and he knew that Emma knew that. So he didn’t feel particularly unjustified in not wanting to have to entertain his enemy for an entire evening, especially when he also knew that one evening would inevitably lead to another and another. He wasn’t going anywhere and neither was Rumple. Would Emma and Belle’s friendship end up subjecting the both of them to a lifetime’s worth of discomfort?

It was awful to think that. Killian didn’t WANT to think that.

But he did.

What would he do? He presently hadn’t a clue, but he didn’t think he could just leave it at that. If simply coexisting with Rumplestiltskin proved to be the occasional pain, he couldn’t imagine how awful it would be seeing him on an even more regular basis.

Killian could only imagine how awful that would be -- sharing his home, table, and even more of his time with Rumple than he’d already wasted without Rumplestiltskin being present. And after everything that he’d been put through at Rumple’s hands since he first arrived in Storybrooke, that all only felt worse.

No, he’d have to talk with Emma. He wouldn’t do it. She’ll understand -- she always understands him. At the very least, maybe he’ll grant himself a stay of execution until the moment Emma and Belle’s friendship makes contact between himself and his crocodile completely unavoidable.

A shudder overcame Killian. Just how terrible would that moment be when it was finally here?

Killian didn’t want to know.

The calm of the sea seemed to be failing at its job. Now, he felt more stressed than ever. 

Maybe it was time to go back home.

Not even one step away from his location was he when suddenly, he heard a cracking sound.

Before Killian could even turn his head to investigate, the answer made itself known -- someone had broken the street lamp he was standing under, shrouding his vision in darkness. It was a good thousand feet to the next street lamp in either direction, and Killian could only see the twinkle of the lights beaconing in the distances.

Killian reached for his cellphone to call Emma, but just as his hand was started its motion towards his pocket, the arm attached to it was grabbed and twisted.

He tried to shout, but was stopped by a punch to his jawline. 

Stumbling back, Killian tried to regain his balance, but was quickly grabbed again.

A gloved hand pushed itself against his mouth and a torso did the same to the back of his head. Killian shouted louder, but little escaped. He bit the hand in front of him, but it remained roughly pressed against him. Between the hand and the torso, it felt like his head was in danger of being smashed. 

His eyes peered up to get a look at his assailant.

Or should he say, assailants.

If Killian could describe them in one word, that word would be crooked. 

Crooked noses sat above crooked smiles that only gave hints at what were likely crooked motivations.

Killian had dealt with these two men before.

Never did he expect anything to come of their encounter. 

But that was the thing about Storybrooke -- problems of the past had their way of coming back and biting them in the ass.

And now, Horace and Jasper were back in his life, with far too much of an advantage for Killian’s liking.

Hopefully, Killian had the power to do something about that.

He swiped his hook at Horace, but Horace caught it mid-swing.

“I think we can get rid of this. Give that wife of yours something to find when she goes looking for you. What do you think about that?”

As Horace pulled the brace connecting his hook to his body off, Killian’s only response came in the form of a steely glare.

“There, that’s better. Jasper,” Horace said, looking just above Killian’s head at his other kidnapper. “Keep your grip on him. I’ll have him out in a bit.”

Jasper, who was still holding Killian’s mouth and head hostage snickered. 

“You got it, Horace.”

Killian felt his nostrils flare up with rage as they pulled at whatever air they could to continue living.

Given his ability to survive all manner of environments, they were damn experts at that by now.

But while breathing helped Killian hold on, it did little to help him escape.

With few other solutions, Killian began giving into whatever base instincts -- however limited -- that he had, which in his state, only amounted to convulsing his body in every direction he could.

Still, it did no good, and his position was only made worse with a swift kick against the back of his shins that brought him to his knees.

Even as Killian fell, Jasper’s hold remained as firm as it had been the entire time.

Though Killian’s will to fight had not lessened at all, something deep within told him that he wasn’t getting out of this -- not by a long shot and definitely not by himself.

The last thing Killian saw before blacking out was a wooden baseball bat slamming into his head.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Transporting bodies, if one knows what they’re doing, isn’t hard, and Horace and Jasper knew damn well what they were doing. Neither was a stranger to heists and with a decently sized truck at their disposal thanks to their cursed professions, some careful timing, and a bit of luck, it was almost too easy.

And now, Rumplestiltskin and Captain Hook were theirs to do with as they deemed fit -- and oh did they have a plan for what they deemed fit.

“Get them both settled here, Jasper,” Horace ordered. “Come on, hurry up. We want to get them taken care of before they wake up.”

“IF they wake up, that is,” Jasper shot back, chuckling. “You really did a number on them with those clonks on the head, Horace.”

Horace dismissed him with a casual wave of his hand. “Don’t worry, Jasper. They’ll wake up, alright…After all they put us through, they don’t deserve to get off so easily, and we’re not done with them just yet by a bloody sight. Now start tying them up.”

Jasper seemed a bit put off by the fact that he was going to have to do the hard part of the work this time around, but Horace wasn’t about to allow himself be guilted otherwise. Whether he liked it or not, Jasper was likely the most talented knot tier in history and Horace didn't want to chance even the possibility of a premature escape. 

No, Jasper would ensure that their prisoners would suffer their fates side-by-side and helpless, just as they had to do all those years ago.

“How do you want me to arrange them?”

Horace thought about it for a second before a thought struck him.

The Dark One and Captain Hook had screwed up their lives while in pursuit of revenge on each other.

A side-by-side torture was too good for them.

Why not instead put them as they always were: At each other’s throats?

Yeah, Horace liked that idea quite a lot.

“Let’s make them face each other,” Horace instructed. “Put Hook under The Dark One’s pits. That way, the shorty won’t be able to get his arms past his head. And then stick his arms under Hook’s.” It would no doubt be hard to get them like that, particularly that last step, but if it worked the way Horace envisioned it, their last moments on this Earth would be truly hellish.

Jasper smirked. “Good thinking, Horace. One problem though: Hook’s only got one hand. Aren’t you worried he’ll slip out?”

Horace hummed as he considered the problem Jasper presented him with. How indeed COULD he keep Hook in place? Normal binds wouldn’t work when one could just slip their arm out of them.

No, he needed something that would stick.

Horace considered his own body. He balled his left fist and looked up and down his arm. With his right hand, he formed a circle and slowly traced over the outer layer of his arm, looking for a point where he was sure a bond couldn’t slip out. When he arrived at his elbow, he fastned the circle and made a move in the other direction.

Upon seeing that it couldn’t move, he practically beamed.

“Bind his right hand to his left elbow.”

Jasper grinned at him.

“That’ll keep them awfully close,” he said, clearly unable to keep the laughter out of his voice.

“That’s the plan.” Jasper got to work, arranging them as Horace ordered at a quick pace, especially for him.

He supposed, as was the case for his captives, a lust for vengeance could do that to someone.

“That’s it, get them nice and tight.”

When Jasper was done, Horace tested the strength of the binding. Pleased as the strength and layers of the knots, he offered his friend a satisfied nod. 

“So what do we do now?” Jasper asked.

“Now?” Horace repeated. “Now, we just sit back and ready ourselves for some sweet revenge.”

[ao3feed-rumbelle]

Playing Happy Families

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2Qv7XwQ

by Ultra

Everyone has returned to their rightful place in the Enchanted Forest and Queen Snow declares there will be a Thanksgiving celebration - her whole family (blood-related or otherwise) is invited to dinner!

Words: 3709, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Once Upon a Time (TV)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, Gen

Characters: Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard, Prince Charming | David Nolan, Henry Mills (Once Upon a Time), Emma Swan, Captain Hook | Killian Jones, Baelfire | Neal Cassidy, Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Belle (Once Upon a Time), Red Riding Hood | Ruby

Relationships: Prince Charming | David Nolan/Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard, Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan, Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Baelfire | Neal Cassidy/Red Riding Hood | Ruby

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Season/Series 02, Thanksgiving, Family, The Enchanted Forest, Happy, Family Dynamics, Complicated Relationships, Redemption, Family Feels, Love, Religious Discussion, Thanksgiving Dinner, Home, Memories

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2Qv7XwQ

[shadowedoracle]

Season 1 Overview

This is basically my overview post of my general feelings on Season 1 and if and how those changed after rewatching it. It was going to be an overview of my general thoughts on each season in one post but that got stupidly long so I thought it best to start splitting it up into shorter posts per season. I want to post separate posts about different episodes and characters so I’m kind of keeping it very broad brush for now.

Overall I like Season 1 but it’s not my favourite season. I can understand why it’s a lot of people’s -- it’s probably the most consistent and it has the initial fun of working out what’s going on and who everyone is. The character dynamics and the flashbacks all pretty much work very well and it’s an overall fun season to watch. I love that there were three really different strong female leads who are all allowed to be three very different but real women. And then there are characters like Ruby or even Belle who may not be considered main characters yet but are also really cool and different women too. On rewatch its weird to sometimes see how crucial Snow and Charming are before they, but particularly Snow get sidelined later on.

I certainly liked the show enough to continue after this season but I don’t think I loved it after this season. I just sometimes feel a bit ‘meh’ about it. I like it, I like it a lot, actually after rewatching I love it, it but I don’t think it’s quite the show at it’s best yet. Although it gets there in some episodes (*cough* ”Skin Deep” *cough*) and particularly towards the end of the season -- I’m pretty sure “A Land Without Magic” is my favourite season finale and it sets up Season 2 so well. I think my general feelings were always ‘good, fun, I like this show a lot’ but mostly not ‘this show is fantastic and is my life now’. Although my main memories of my first watch through is basically noting that any Rumple-centric episode is always really good and being shocked by Ruby being the wolf and loving that twist in ”Red Handed”. Of course, I was in a pretty bad state when I started watching OUAT so it may have just taken a while to seep into me. Also I wasn’t watching this as fast as I’d watch later seasons but I was still watching quickly enough that may have gotten meant I couldn’t savour and enjoy what this season is.

There are definitely clues and hints I appreciate more after rewatching the this season and episodes that have gone up/down in my estimation but my overall impression is pretty similar although maybe a bit higher. The main difference is that I’m more appreciative about what the show really is. I think when I started watching it I found it too overly romantic (I am grumpy old cynic, always have been, always will be) and that wasn’t something I was in the mood for or tend to want to watch. But having really gotten into the show I’m like ‘sure it’s romantic and silly but that’s fine and fun’. So in part this is just OUAT getting through to this grumpy old cynic but also just me knowing what the show actually is and not comparing it so much to other fairy tale retellings I’ve read/seen.

My main criticism of Season 1 after rewatching it was I wished they’d allowed Regina’s love for Henry to be unambiguous. I think the nuance of the character in the later seasons is why she’s probably my second favourite character after Rumplestiltskin. In Season 2 we see her struggling -- she clearly loves Henry but can still do terrible things. That’s much more interesting to me if they’d set that up clearly from the get go even on rewatch when I know she does care, it’s harder for me to like her in Season 1. There are some clues and times when she shows genuinely her love as she does in other seasons, which allows her to be nuanced but they sometimes play it a bit too ambiguous. I know Lana Parilla was asked to do it like that but I feel like that was a mistake personally as I at least needed until Season 2 to really become a big fan of hers.

I think that’s it for general overview thoughts that aren’t too into specifics. So overall I think this season has grown on me as I do really love this season now but not as much as Season 2 which I get to squeal about in the next overview post.

[faithandfearcollide]

OUAT rewatch: 2x07 - Child Of The Moon

Billy: A mouse. Ruby: What? Where? Billy: No. I meant me. I was a mouse. My name was Gus. I lived in Cinderella’s pantry, I ate cheese, I gnawed on wood, but I preferred the cheese.

Pretty sure this counts as an instance where Regina’s curse actually benefited someone. Just sayin’

David: Still worried about those nightmares? Well, don’t be. Cause, when you go to sleep tonight, I’m going to be right in the next room. Now maybe, lose the java, and go grab a cocoa.

This is really sweet, David. He’s very encouraging and I appreciate how great he is with Henry. Even if him being "right in the next room” every night hasn’t really lessened the severity of Henry’s nightmares so that shouldn’t really work as a comforting thing...

Why does George pick now to pick a bone with David. He’s been running this town for, what, weeks?

Ruby: We’re making a cage. Know anybody who might want thirty-eight frozen lasagnas? David: I’m sorry, what? Granny: I know. Nobody would believe it if you told them my lasagna was frozen.

Granny freezes her lasagna? Guess she was no competition to Regina after all.

Ruby is panicking about wolfing out because it’s the night of a full moon while they’re on the run from Regina’s knights coming after Snow. These two really did find each other didn’t they?

Regina: Henry? Henry, wake up. It’s okay. It’s okay. You’re okay.

Henry: Wh-what are you doing here? Where’s David? Regina: He got an emergency call this morning, and he asked me to look after you.

I love that out of everyone David could have called, he called Regina. This whole divorced parents thing between Evil Charming is one of my favorite things about S2. The little mentions that these two were keeping each other in the loop with Henry is really nice.

It’s okay, Henry. Mama will fix this.

Someone called David about a double parked truck and somehow missed the ripped apart owner underneath? A little suspicious there Dave.

Rumplestiltskin: A side effect. You know, it’s remarkable you’d cast a curse you know so little about. Regina: My victims are not supposed to wake up. That’s why I certainly never cared what happened to them after. …Until now.

I love how Lana delivered this line. Her switch from antagonized to soft remorseful mom was perfect.

Also fuck off Rumple. You were the one that pushed for her to cast it.

I love that as soon as Rumple starts offering Henry things, Regina’s right there, protectively watching over him, having his back, keeping present in the conversation.

Regina: Everything comes at a price with you. What do you want for this?

She’ll do what it takes to make sure her son is safe and I’m sure whatever price needed to be paid, she’d have paid. But I do like that she’s teaching her son to always ask questions about the consequences of accepting help from the likes of Rumplestiltskin.

Rumplestiltskin: For a house call? You couldn’t afford it. But this is for Henry. This one’s on me.

This was actually very sweet of Rumple. Everyone has a soft spot for Henry.

David: No. A few months ago, everyone thought Mary Margaret was guilty of murder. She needed someone to believe in her. I didn’t do that. I am not going to make the same mistake with you!

I appreciate David wanting to believe so hard in Ruby but I also feel like the writing’s on the wall here and it’s safe to assume she’s responsible for this one…even though I know she wasn’t.

George: Protecting your friend at the peril of everyone else. I knew you’d slip up, shepherd. It was only a matter of time.

He’s literally locking her up at this very moment, how is he not protecting everyone?

David: Please. Ruby. I know you. I know the real you, and I know you can control the wolf.

This was touching. I love that they gave David and Ruby a strong bond outside of Snow.

The dynamic switch was great here. We went straight from David talking Ruby down to Ruby talking David down.

Also you’re an asshole George.

Ruby: You’ll find another way. David: You don’t know that. Ruby: But I know you. And I know you’ll never give up until you do. And David? You’re not going to be doing this alone. David: Thank you.

I love them.

Henry getting to be involved in the plot again!

I wasn’t a huge fan of this episode as a whole but I did like how many dynamics we had going on with Ruby. In summary: This episodes was just one giant friend ship sailing into the sunset.