#i thought it was cute that she and the prince meet in the woods beforehand

[modern-alebrije]

MAYBE it'll be like, ariel is in line to take over the carniae sea from her dad, but she doesnt want to and its like a whole dynamic between them. like, "all your sisters took this responsibility, now it's your turn. you're royalty, this what you're supposed to do" and ariel just does everything she can to NOT do that, and she just focuses on her collection and dicking around.

[heyyyharry]

In Another Life Series: Chapter 4 - The One He Loved

…in which heartbroken Harry and his assistant Y/N disappear for a day.

Series description: Y/N and Harry are soulmates and destined to meet in every lifetime, but no matter how many times they reincarnate and find each other again, they never seem to get it right.

AU: reincarnation, soulmate!harry, prince!harry, assistant!y/n, witch!y/n.

This is the longest chapter so far. I chose the name Ann for Y/N in her past life because I’m obsessed with Anne Boleyn (what a queen!). And the truth is I know nothing about palmistry, I learnt a little bit from my friend, that is all, sorry if I offend anyone with historical inaccuracies as well as the palmistry thing haha. 

By the way, the part in italic happened in their past life.

Chapter 3 - The Girl In Black: Y/N’s first day at work is a mess, and Harry’s relationship is not any better.

.

Y/N had never thought one day this would happen — Harry Styles asked her to take him to her flat. Well, she didn’t exactly expect to be his personal assistant but apparently anything was possible nowadays.

“I want to go somewhere I could hide, just for now at least,” he said as soon as they got out of the lift.

“Hide from whom?” She asked, and he answered with nothing but a single smile.

Y/N pulled out the key to her flat and opened the door, apologizing beforehand if her place was too messy. Her flatmate Lisa and her weren’t like pigs or anything, but the clothes on this man probably was worth more than everything in her flat combined. He obviously lived a much different life than this.

“Cool place!” Harry’s comment surprised Y/N as they both entered her humble flat.

“Thanks…I think it’s kind of terrible but—”

“It’s cute, I like it.” Harry shrugged with a tiny smirk on his face.

All of a sudden, her friend Lisa burst through the bathroom door, then instantly froze the very second she noticed there was a stranger in her shared flat. It shocked her even more to see it wasn’t just any man. 

It was Harry Styles.

Lisa secretly thanked God for letting her put on clothes before she got out of the shower. She would’ve dug herself a hole had she walked out here all naked in front of this man.

“Harry, this is my flatmate/best friend Lisa. Lisa, this is—“

“Harry Styles!” Lisa quickly walked over to Harry and shook his hand with too much energy it wowed him a little bit. However, it wasn’t the first time he’d met a fan like her. It was just like any other day in the life of Harry Styles.

“Hi there, nice to meet you.” He gave her a charming smile which never failed to make the girls swoon and melt at his feet. “I hope it’s okay if I can stay here for a while.”

“Oh stay! You can just move in, I don’t mind at all!”

“Lisa!” Y/N nudged her friend who quickly covered her mouth, making Harry laugh.

“Thank you ladies,” he said to both of the girls.

“You don’t need to thank us,” replied Lisa. “I’m really sorry about your girlfriend, I used to be one of her fans but I unstanned her the moment I saw those pics!”

Harry’s eyes turned to the floor awkwardly whereas Y/N was just utter confused.

“Wait, what are you talking about?”

“Haven’t you checked Twitter and Instagram this morning?” Lisa continued because she didn’t see the look on their celebrity guest’s face. “Lillie Xander was caught kissing another guy! That little cheater! I can’t believe I was obses—”

“Lisa, enough,” Y/N interrupted her older friend then quickly turned to her boss. “I’m really sorry, Lisa was just—“

“It’s okay. I’m okay, thank you Lisa…I just don’t want to talk about this now.”

“Okay, got it!” Lisa gave him two thumb-ups then took a step backward as soon as Y/N gave her a not so pleasant stare. 

“I’ve got stuff to do in the bedroom. You two carry on with your conversation yeah?” She announced then quickly walked away.

When the door was finally closed and she was out of sigh, Y/N released the longest sigh ever, which revived the smile on Harry’s face.

“I’m sorry about her, she can be overwhelming sometimes.”

“That’s why she’s living with you. You tone her down.”

Y/N furrowed her eyebrows at his unexpected comment. “Really? You think so?”

“I don’t know, talking to you makes me feel calm so it probably works with her as well.” He shrugged, grinning widely. “I’m glad I picked you.”

“You picked me? Not Jeff?”

“It was rather random.”

“Random?”

“I’ll tell you another time. Mind showing me around your home?” Harry questioned as he walked on, Y/N hurriedly followed just to make sure he didn’t find anything he wasn’t supposed to by accident. Harry stopped to admire some paintings on the wall and looking at him now started to evoke some of Y/N’s memories.

“Uh—Not really a home, just a flat.”

“Anywhere can be home as long as you feel safe there,” he spoke softly then turned around to face her. Their eyes met again, and this time, it finally occurred to Y/N where she’d seen those green eyes before. 

The painting in the museum.

“Why are you staring? Is everything alright?” Harry asked in confusion as he touched his face in fear he’d got something on it.

“Actually, has anyone told you—“

The sentence was forever left finished on Y/N’s lips when a surprise guest burst through the front door unannounced.

“Jason?!” Y/N furrowed her eyebrows as she stormed towards her friend, finger pointing straight outside. “Get out.”

“No, wait, I need to talk to you!” He pleaded when she grabbed his arm to force him out of her flat, but he refused to comply.

“Seriously, you can’t avoid me forever!”

“I can and I will!”

Jason tugged his arm away from Y/N’s grip, causing the girl to lose her balance all of a sudden and fall down on her butt on the wooden floor! Both Jason and Harry rushed to her side but Harry got a hold of her first.

“Hey, don’t touch her!” Harry held up one hand to warn the younger man as he helped Y/N stand up with the other. 

A bit frightened, Jason took a step back. Being intimidated by the stranger in his best friend’s flat was one thing, but the thought of him hurting her scared him more than that.

“It’s okay, Harry, he didn’t push me,” Y/N clarified and withdrew her hand from Harry’s. “He’s my friend.”

“Who’s this guy?” Jason asked in confusion, pointing at Harry, who shot him a loathing look in return.

“This is my new boss, Harry Styles. Harry, this is Jason.”

“Oh you’ve got a new job! Amazing!” Jason cheers as he grabs Harry’s hand with both of his, giving it a firm shake. “Nice to meet you Mr. Styles. So what’s the name of your company?”

Noticing the puzzled look on Harry’s face, Y/N breathed out a slight laugh. “Forgive Jason, he doesn’t know any celebrity who’s still alive.”

“Wait, he’s a celebrity?” Jason raised an eyebrow at Y/N, who did the same expression back without providing him with any further explanation.

“Jason, leave, I don’t want to talk to you right now,” she demanded, making the poor guy frown.

“I miss us hanging out, Y/N.”

“You should’ve thought of that when you tried to kiss me.”

Harry widened his eyes now that he understood why his assistant was so against seeing the person she called her friend. However, he stayed silent because it was none of his business anyway.

“What should I do to make you forgive me?” Jason hopelessly begged with his hands clasped in front of his chest. That still didn’t seem to work because her expression remained the same.

“You can start by leaving me alone for now,” Y/N asserted but Jason’s feet were rooted to the spot, he wasn’t going to move. That left the girl no choice but to reach for Harry’s arm as she suggested, “let’s go somewhere else.”

“But—“ Jason stuttered when the pair walked right past him and straight out of the door. He called out her name but she didn’t take one look back, and that was how he knew he had really messed up this time.

When those two had already left, something suddenly occurred to Jason. He stood there, staring blankly at the opened door for a few seconds, then started to wonder, “have I seen that guy before?”

…

“Stay sill! Don’t move!” The peasant girl scolded the Prince when he tried to shrug her hand away from his wounded leg. He’d got this injury from falling down the hole in the woods but it hadn’t hurt as much back then because he’d been more worried about him dying.

“Just leave it, I’ve got plenty of good physicians back at Court,” he said, staring at her, but she didn’t return the look. The girl was too busy examining the wound, and Edward thought in the dim candlelight in this small cottage, she looked breathtaking somehow. He had plenty of beautiful women at Court who would do anything for him, still he’d never felt this way when he looked at them.

“Why would the future King of England be wandering in the woods alone at night?” Her voice pulled him out of his piles of thoughts as she laid her palm flat gently on the deep cut just above his ankle. Edward hissed in pain, however, for some reasons he trusted her with whatever she was trying to do.

“Uhm…I ran away.”

“Why?” She looked at him, confused. She just couldn’t understand why someone who’d been born with royal blood running in his veins could even think about escaping that luxury life and risk putting himself in danger.

“I’m engaged to a girl whom I’ve never met before.”

“Is she a princess?”

“Yes, a very beautiful princess. People call her the French Rose because of her beauty.”

“Then why are you complaining?” The girl shook her head and exhaled a snort.

“I…didn’t want to have the same marriage as my parents. They’re not happy nor in love. 

“‘Didn’t’? So you’ve changed your mind then?”

Edward pressed his lips together and nodded slightly. “I got a lot of time in that hole to think about my future. Maybe people like me aren’t allowed to fall in love and that my duty is to protect the throne, not run away from it. That’s why I intended to return to the castle but my horse got scared by thunder and left me behind.” 

“I see…”

Silence, once again, drowned out the two lonely people in the small cottage. The girl closed her eyes, hand still cupping the wound, lips mumbling the same sentence in a foreign language all over again. Edward could speak fluently Italian, Spanish, and French. But this, this sounded like a whole new language she invented herself. He was too focused on the words coming from her mouth to notice how the pain had reduced to the minimum, then disappeared entirely.

She removed her hand, and the wound on his leg was no longer there. His skin was as smooth as before, it appeared as if there had never been an accident.

“H-How…How did you do that?!” He exclaimed in shock whereas she remained calm and quiet. “Who…are you?”

“My name’s Ann,” she told him at last. His green eyes flickered in the warm candlelight, and for a brief moment she got completely lost in it. Still she managed to escape to fully introduce herself to the future King of England. “But people like your father call me…a witch.”

…

Y/N held Harry’s hands on the table and examined the palm lines carefully. There were only a couple other customers in that small restaurant so nobody really paid attention to them. Had Harry been somewhere more crowded and well-known, a girl holding his hands like this would have got him, as well as her, in big trouble.

“Something important is going to happen in your life soon,” Y/N broke the silence at last, eyebrows furrowed while her finger traced across his palm. “Maybe you will meet someone special and they will change your future and reveal all the unasked questions about your past.”

“Wow, that sounds spooky,” he commented but she shushed him immediately.

“I haven’t finished!”

“Okay, carry on.”

“Uhm…Your wealth line says you’re rich, which is obvious so I won’t talk more about that…The strange thing here is that your love line is split in half which probably means relationships are not easy for you, also…I cannot see the children line.”

“So I’ll have no children?!”

“Not really, that line rarely shows on a person’s palm.” Y/N gives her boss a smile then taps on his hand before letting it go. “Don’t worry, palm lines change once in a while so your destiny can change if you make right choices in your life.”

“How did you learn this palmistry thing?” Harry had his arms crossed on the table as he asked the girl, feeling quite intrigued by her little talent. There was really nothing to prove she was right, but somehow she made her predictions sound very convincing.

“My mother’d taught me before she passed away…” Y/N shrugged and took a sip from her cup of coffee which was now already cold. Her eyes immediately shifted down when the topic was brought up, and Harry knew he shouldn’t continue.

“I’m sorry about your mum,” he mumbled before throwing on a smile to change the subject. “So do you read your own palms?”

“I can’t. You cannot see your own destiny. Someone else has to do it for you,” she answered, resting her chin on her knuckles, elbow on the table. “If I’d known I would’ve walked away from my last job the moment I got through the interview.”

“About that, I’m sorry your boss was such an asshole.”

“A perverted asshole!” She corrected him. “I could feel his erection every time I entered the room it creeped the fuck out of me.”

“I would never do that,” Harry blurted out then realized what he’d just said by accident. “I mean…I’m not that kind of person…Ugh, okay forget it. That came out so fucking wrong.”

“It’s okay, I got your point. Thanks.” Both of them burst into laughter at once.

Now as Y/N was staring into his eyes again, she almost brought up the painting. She’d wanted to a couple times today but she thought it would be weird to talk about it. Maybe that was just her imagination and his eyes looked nothing like the ones in the King’s portrait. She was probably just being paranoid.

“What time is it?” She asked when she saw him check his phone.

“7PM,” he replied, blowing up his cheeks. “Wow, can you believe it? We really spent almost a day together being normal!”

“Well, I’m normal every single day so yeah I believe it.” She lifted her shoulders, making him laugh. 

“I wish every day was today.” He sighed with a cute little pout on his lips, which got her heart jumpy and the corners of her lips to curve up.

“What’s your favorite part of today then?”

“Well, I enjoyed the old bookstore you brought me to after lunch—“ two dimples appeared on Harry’s face as he recalled “—also the art gallery in your neighborhood, I loved your stories about those paintings.” He pulled his chair to scoot closer to the table, leaning forward a bit. “Do you paint as well, Y/N?”

“Only in my free time.”

“So those paintings in your living room are all yours?”

Y/N tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she nodded. “There are more in my bedroom, they’re not finished yet so…”

“Could I see them next time?”

“Sorry, no!” She shook her head, holding up both hands. “I never show my unfinished works to anyone.”

“Alright, show them to me when they’re ready,” he requested with a grin, causing her stomach to flex, in a good way. However, she decided to dismiss that unnecessary feeling and told her boss he should probably return home now.

“Jeff must be so worried because we both have our phones turned off.” She sighed heavily. “He’ll probably kill me.”

“I’ve got your back, don’t you worry,” Harry promised his assistant as he shot her a wink. Little did he know, he just sent her on cloud nine just by simply doing that.

…

The King was pondering in his chamber when there was a knock on the door. He gave the visitor permission to come in, and his wife entered shortly after. The Queen was wearing a huge smile on her face, the sight of which sent the monarch quickly on his feet as he already knew what the good news was.

“Edward has come home!”

In the Throne room, Edward was waiting for his parents with his savior, Ann. He made eye-contact with one of the guards and realized he should be careful with his words from now on. The young Prince then leaned closer to the girl’s ear and whispered only for her to hear, “I’ll keep your secret as long as you keep mine.”

“I gave you my word, Your Highness, a witch never breaks a promise,” she speaks softly under her breath, eyes carefully scanning around the hall. “But remember our deal, I saved your life, so you—“

“Ask my father to send food to the poor people in your village and end the witch hunts,” he finished her sentence with a smug on his face, which made her smile so wide for those were the exact words she had said to him back in her cottage. 

“A prince never breaks a promise either,” said Edward as he stood up straight again with his head held high, the sight of which made Ann’s heart skip a beat.

The huge doors at the front were finally opened wide and the King of England marched into the room, looking mighty and strong as ever. His pace quickened once he saw his precious son again. Ann expected a fatherly hug from the King to his heir, however, the old man just stopped in front of Edward and kept a straight face as he inquired, “where have you been?”

“I went hunting and I got lost—” 

It was obviously a lie but the King didn’t care enough to recognize that.

“—Then this girl found me in the woods and brought me back home. She saved my life.”

The King turned to the maiden. An amused look shown on his face when he saw how beautiful she was, despite already having a mistress and a wife. 

“Your Majesty.” Ana bowed her head to avoid looking at the man she despised. Nevertheless, Edward could see it, the look his father was giving this poor girl, he could sense something very wrong about it which left him feeling uneasy for the rest of this conversation.

“Edward! My dear boy!”

All heads immediately turned to the entrance where that voice had just come from. The Queen hurriedly ran into the Throne room, followed by two of her maids, and a very beautiful young lady with wavy blonde hair and blue eyes, who’s also accompanied by two other female servants.

Giving Edward a kiss on the cheek, the Queen cupped his face between her palms and started ranting on how much she was worried about him.

“I’m safe now mother.” He laughed, turning to take Ann’s hand, pulling her nearer to his side. “This is the girl who saved my life.”

“Oh, really? Young girl, what is your name?”

“Ann, Your Majesty.”

“Well Ann, you will be rewarded for saving the future King of England,” announced the Queen as she turned away. Edward took a quick glance at Ann, smiling as she did the same. The happiness on the young pair’s faces didn’t last too long for the Queen couldn’t wait to introduce the new member at Court for her beloved son.

“This is Princess Emilié from France, who was also very worried about you in the last few days, Edward.”

Ann felt her heart fall to the bottom of her chest but she kept her head hung low because she was in no position to make eye-contacts with the nobles. Edward, on the other hand, felt a weight on top of his shoulders. That weight could be the responsibility he carried to keep his country safe and secured. 

The beautiful girl bent her knees with a charming smile on her face as she bowed down to her fiancé whom she’d only met. Strangely, Edward could only look at Ann.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Your Highness,” Emilié said. Her voice sounded like a soft ballad. She was perfect, but Edward couldn’t see himself falling in love with her.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Princess. I hope you’re having a good time at Court,” he said with a casual grin before turning back to his father. “May I have a talk with you in private, Your Majesty?”

“Alright…Come to my meeting room,” the old man said, unable to remove his eyes from the peasant girl standing next to his son. “What about this girl here?”

“I want her to stay here, in the castle, at least just for a while.” Edward’s suggestion left all three women at shock, the King however didn’t object to having such an attractive lady in the castle, he was more than happy to make that possible.

“Edward, you can’t do that! She’s not a noble!” Cried out the Queen.

But the King silenced her at once, “do not tell the future King of England what to do. The girl saved your son’s life, she can stay.”

His wife couldn’t argue so she obeyed and nodded her head. 

“Now go ask the maids to arrange a room for lady Ann. And Edward? Come with me.”

“Yes, father,” the Prince replied before giving his mother and his future wife each a quick kiss on the hand before turning to his new friend. 

He took her hand gently, brought it too his lips and stayed for three seconds before pulling away. No matter how much the royal members in this room tried to ignore what they’d seen, it was too obvious, where the young Prince’s heart really stayed.

“See you, lady Ann,” he softly spoke, receiving a small nod from Ann whose eyes were still glued to her feet.

“Your Majesties, Your Highnesses.” She bowed then heard footsteps leaving her behind in the room surrounded by guards in armors. 

Ann lifted her face up once the doors were finally closed and Edward were gone, along with his parents, and the beautiful princess who was going to be his wife. Though Ann knew she could never be with a future King even if she dreamt of it, she surely would if she could, for this man was much more than just the crown on his head.

…

Y/N got comfortable in her bed after along productive first day of her new job. She started smiling at the ceiling, thinking about the next day when she got to meet Harry again. If everyday was like today, she undeniably had the best job in the world.

Speaking of Harry, the moment she finished her thought about him, her phone lit up on the nightstand, vibrating to notify a call. 

When she saw the name Harry Styles was shown on the bright screen, Y/N didn’t hesitate and answered it right away.

“Hello?”

“Sorry for calling you so late.” His voice sounded so soft and soothing, she could melt into the sound of it. So Y/N sat up with her back against the bed frame, smiling wide in the dark. 

“It’s alright. Do you need anything?”

“I just had a talk with Jeff…He got super pissed so could you maybe buy him coffee and breakfast on your way to the studio tomorrow morning?”

“Sure, no problem.” She giggled.

The beam was soon to be washed off on the poor girl’s face the moment she heard a soft moan coming from Harry’s side. At first she thought it was him who made the sound, but then the moaning got a bit louder, and she realized it was another girl.

He wasn’t alone.

“Harry, who are you talking to? Go back to bed baby…”

That female voice broke Y/N’s heart into million pieces. She felt a lump in her throat, just waiting for him to say something.

“I’ll be right there, Lillie.”

“Lillie?” She asked. The disappointment was clear in her voice, but she tried to cover it up with a soft laughter. “You two got back together?”

“Yeah…welll…yes,” he admitted, making her heart ache even more. “I’ll tell you in the morning…Sleep well, alright?”

“Okay, you too…Goodnight, Harry.”

The call ended with Lillie’s laughter and Y/N felt completely dead inside. It was unreasonable for her to be feeling this hurt about someone she’d only known for a day. Nevertheless, it didn’t feel like a day to her. She wasn’t one to believe in soulmates, yet ever since they met, she’d been hoping he could be hers.

So she squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself to fall asleep. That night she had the strangest dream ever, one that she remembered clearly even after waking up the next day. In her dream, she saw two flames, burning in a pair of green eyes.

[theonceoverthinker]

OUAT 3X18 - Bleeding Through

If you don’t like Cora, then I’d recommend you EVA-cuate before this review begins!

...Fuck what you say! I’m proud of that one!

Anyway, the review is under the cut!

Press Release

After Zelena steals Regina’s heart, Regina casts a spell so that she can speak across the realms to her dead mother, Cora, to discover the truth about why she abandoned Zelena, and Belle stumbles across what Zelena’s ultimate end game is. Meanwhile, in the Fairy Tale Land that was, young Cora is duped by a man claiming to be a prince and finds herself alone and pregnant. But a chance meeting with a real prince could lead Cora to the royal life she’s always craved, but she must keep her pregnancy a secret or risk losing everything.

Main Thoughts - Characters/Stories/Themes and Their Effectiveness

Past

The Cora insight in this episode is so great. Like we really see how a woman with ambitions of royalty, but still a level head becomes someone so driven like the Cora who abused Regina so she’d become royalty. ”Revenge is a long-term plan.” I like how even in an episode that is more-or-less leaning towards sympathizing with Cora, there are nuggets of her darker side wedged in there. It really helps balance the story and remind the audience that yeah, this is Cora. There was always that darkness to her, even while she still had her heart.

Everything in this flashback also completely recontextualizes what happened with her and Regina and Daniel’s relationship. Like, of course a love with a commoner would leave Cora just a bit apprehensive. That’s not to excuse her for SHIT, but I do this it’s important to point out nonetheless.

Present

It’s weird that we don’t really reach the meat of this story until the halfway mark. Everything beforehand is more setup than anything and it’s unlike most every other episode in that regard. The closest comparison that I can think of is “Coming Home” which spent its last fifteen minutes as an epilogue.

I compared the Regina/Zelena/Cora conflict to the Snow/Regina/Cora conflict in the past, and I guess now’s as good of a time as any to unpack that. Just like how Snow did something that hurt Regina without meaning to at all, so did Regina to Zelena. Both Snow and Regina in their respective situations were innocents and so were Regina and Zelena victims of Cora. So, is there a point to pointing this out rather than to just say that it exists? Well, I think the latter instance shows the only good way that a complicated issue like this can be resolved: communication and understanding. Snow and Regina grasp this about each other and finally, this is where the bulk of their issues are put to bed. While Snow’s divulgence of her secret comes out, it’s going forward played for laughs in the instance of a corrupted state or as a “what if.”

But ANYWAY, that aside, the Snow/Regina dynamics sits at the heart of the present segment’s story. It’s hinted at early on and blossoms from the end of the failed seance onward. Snow’s apologies to Regina throughout the episode allows for these two women to finally confront the complicated nature of their run-ins with Cora. Cora was a bad person who in the end, got what she deserved, but the mess she left behind wasn’t deserved by those with whom she left it.

All Encompassing

THAT ALL HAVING BEEN SAID, ”She didn’t want to give up Zelena. She was forced to by my mother.” Everything Snow recounts about her possession is utter BULLSHIT and makes me think she has no comprehension skills! To put it bluntly, that aspect of the ending fucking sucks! This would be one thing if this were a few episodes ago, but she’s contradicting things that have and will be in mere minutes literally clarified. Cora DID willingly give up Zelena and all Eva had to do with it was making sure Leopold wasn’t swept up by it. THAT is why “My best chance” is the swerve of a line that it is, because it’s a mother giving up her child to die in the woods with absolutely no remorse! Because of all that, the moment where Snow “exposits” about the present ends up as the weirdest story hole that paints everyone involved in such an unnecessarily weird light. This is either the result of the writers not communicating with each other about the framing or the framing being flat-out wrong. Like, they’re trying to make this a more complicated issue, but are going in the reverse order of things! How did they fuck this moment up so badly?! If they wanted to do that, Eva should’ve been shown in the episode to be a lot more malicious than she was instead of exposing a liar. The actions should’ve been worse, but I’m more on Eva’s side than Cora’s. OR FUCK! LEOPOLD has a giant ass hatedom and he was the one who proposed to someone he was roughly four times older than! Make HIM the baddie! Have him outright reject her for the pregnancy and kick her out, no lie attached. That way, you get to keep the message the same, but give that assholery to someone who deserves it. Just...this element that makes up the moral center of the story is utter GARBAGE here, and it’s so sad given how well set up everything else was. Eva’s move was only douchey if you remove the fact that Cora was keeping such a big secret!

Insights - Stream of Consciousness

-”Red apples are so sickly sweet. Don’t you agree?”That must be an Enchanted Forest thing, because not in our realm, or at least not compared to Granny Smiths!

-Okay, Zelena’s plan to get Regina’s heart was sinister and ingenious as fuck!

-The way Roland just drops the firewood in his hands upon seeing Rumple is so fucking adorable! #bestcharacter

-Aww! Regina’s first thought when she loses her heart is to ask if anyone was hurt!! <3

-I love the background music in the flashback’s first scene. It’s so bouncy and peppy and just makes me smile!

-Jonathan’s such a sneaky asshole-ish fuck. He has his seduction of Cora down to a freakin’ science!

-”I’ll turn this ring into gold.” Bitch, she’ll do it herself!

-”Can you please tell your mother that we’re not naming your brother Leopold?” Yes! Please don’t!

-”Eva might not work for a boy.” Edwin?

-The Dark Vortex is hands down the silliest thing this show has ever done and I kind of love it.

-”Oh don’t be jealous.” ...This line was said from Zelena to one of her monkeys. Do her monkeys have crushes on her?

-I like the explanation for why they don’t use the seance more. I am curious though, do you think people who have moved on can be communicated with? Like, if Neal were killed with an actual weapon and Zelena were present for it, would he have been able to be summoned?

-FUCK YOU, JONATHAN!

-”Good luck finding me.” Why? You’re a gardener. You’re pretty easy to find. ...Okay, so you’re just gonna run away from your job? ...You are such a loser.

-Hey! Pre-scummy Leopold! Decent to see you!

-Jeez. Hearing Emma talk about how powerful her magic is hurts! Damnit!

-”I’m not in the mood for a heart-to-heart.” “I’m not sure that’s physically possible right now.” XD That’s an underrated joke and Regina’s chuckle was well earned!

-”You can help with the teacups.” Why is it that teacups are this show’s equivalent of being soft and cute?!

-I love how you can see how freakin’ amazed young Leopold is when Cora takes his knife to make the fire.

-The way Emma says “Boom!” is sooooo cute! She’s so excited and I want that as my fucking text tone! <3

-...I love how Belle for once gets to interrupt someone at Granny’s. This is ending up as the best Belle episode ever and she’s not even the main!

-”You should have a woman dress you more often.” I can’t say that I disagree.

-”Why a heart? Why courage? Why a brain?” Do you think Zelena knows that there’s not only a book series, but a classic movie based around these things?!

-”My son is not lost. He’s dead.” Don’t remind me!

-Haunted house! Why are there so many Halloween episodes that have fuck all to do with Halloween?!

-I love how the possession blends into the next flashback scene! That was COOL storytelling!

-...I know Rumple’s playing her, but damnit, the dude’s dashing as fuck. If I were Zelena, I’d have fallen for him too.

-Damn! Zelena’s touch starved! Have a listen to those gasps!

-”And he said I have a tough placenta, which somehow came out creepy.” Yup, that’s Whale for you.

Arcs - How Are These Storylines Progressing?

The Wicked Witch - So we now have Zelena’s plan and I while I stand by what I said in my “It’s Not Easy Being Green” review in saying that it’s kind of pointless going back in time when Cora only wants a child that will grow up to be royalty, the process of how she time travels is nonetheless a good one and Zelena’s the kind of character who is both cocky and talented enough to make it happen.

Regina’s Redemption - We get so much of Regina’s Redemption in this episode and once again, it’s all just spectacular! “If she wants to kill you, she’s gonna have to go through me.” Like, Regina’s not only defending someone who she used to HATE, BUT is freely standing up to her mother. That’s so impressive!

Killian’s Redemption - I think it’s a big show of how much Killian has grown as a character that while not romantically pursuing Emma, he’s still doing everything he can to help the cause while he comes up with another plan. He’s definitely in a complicated spot here and not telling Emma is definitely a mistake, but for his current situation, he’s doing what he can to ensure everyone’s safety.

Rumple’s Redemption - Rumple made a really impressive stride here. Just as much as Rumple mourns for Bae’s loss, he wants to honor the sacrifice he made and thus refuses to resurrect him at the cost of invalidating that sacrifice. Look, Rumple has a tendency to put his needs above others, but with Bae, he will never do that again.

Favorite Dynamic

Belle and Regina. Let’s talk about that apology scene and how good it is. I like how at the start of it, Regina does what she did with the Lost Boys and points how how them working together could benefit them both, but upon seeing that that won’t work (Or that it will, but Belle deserves better), she gives a real apology. And I like how Belle, while working with her, doesn’t necessarily accept it. It’s also a good moment in that it gives Belle a voice as she gets to react to things and get angry, and as Belle isn’t often granted that by the writing staff, I think it’s something that makes those moments stick out more.

Writer

Jane Espenson and Daniel Thomsen finish out their work for the season here, and they were doing such a good job...but then they fucked it up! Like, the mistake was easy to fix. Either make Eva do something FAR more villainous than convince Leo to test Cora or axe the “my mom was evil too” angle. But by not going all in on one or the other, you lose the center of your story, and that’s exactly what happened here.

Rating

8/10. Not gonna lie. That 8 comes solely from the ending resolution on Eva and Cora. That lack of understanding of what your own narrative was saying is so shocking and appalling to me that I had to take off more than just one point for it. The rest of the story -- both of them -- are so good. How did they not stick the landing? I feel like they were trying so hard to make Cora more complicated that they neglected Eva in the process.

Flip My Ship - The Home of All Things “Shippy Goodness”

Captain Swan - This is such a weird moment to love as a CS fan, but I still do. Emma’s finally opening up herself more to Killian and Killian can’t do the same, but Emma’s still trying and she’s trying fairly hard! Also, I want to know how that conversation would’ve gone had Belle not stepped in! Would Emma have gotten the truth out of Killian? Would there have been cuddles? It’s anyone’s guess!

Golden Heart - Just gonna point out that when Cora finally showed up, it was in by a spinning wheel of all things!

Outlaw Queen - I like the present buildup to Robin and Regina getting together. Regina’s softness and understanding of them being soulmates on top of their chemistry really helped the expedition of their romance work. Robin’s subdued presence alongside Regina and Snow’s conversation about her resilient heart really helped their kiss come together.

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Hey guys!! Thank you all for reading and to those fine and fabulous folks at @watchingfairytales for birthing this project! Also tagging the marvelous @daensarah by request! Love you all and I’ll see you all next time!

Season 3 Total (169/220)

Writer’s Scores: Adam and Eddy (39/60) Kalinda Vazquez (26/40) Andrew Chambliss (34/50) Jane Espenson (28/30)* David Goodman (29/40) Robert Hull (30/40) Christine Boylan (20/20)* Daniel Thomsen (28/30)*

* Indicates that their work for the season is complete

Links to the rest of my rewatch will no longer be provided. They take posts with links outside of searches and I spend way too much time on these reviews to not give them that kind of exposure. Sorry for the inconvenience, but they still can be found on my page under Operation Rewatch.