#leopold ouat

[horsetailcurlers2]

every time somebody says that leopold from OUAT isn’t meant to be perceived as a creepy weirdo for marrying the teenage daughter of one of his exes even though he’d never met her and she looked visibly distressed when her *mother* accepted his proposal, supposedly bc his daughter “needed a mother” (not to mention reading her diary and locking her up in her room when they were married), i just remember how young EVA looked in the flashbacks of when they first got together and i’m like…… yeah this man is a serial creeper.

[horsechestnut]

Once Upon a Time missed a prime opportunity by not making Zelena both Regina and Snow White's half sister.

[moistvonlipwig]

ouat certainly could've done a better job exploring the damage leopold did to regina in depth and calling it out for what it was but to say that him coming off as a creep was 'unintentional' is genuinely ridiculous. a&e have repeatedly stated that regina was 17-18 in "the stable boy" and that leopold remembered and recognized cora in that episode. they deliberately wrote regina not consenting to her marriage with him and emphasized this in multiple episodes. they deliberately wrote leopold locking her up and invading her privacy. they deliberately framed the flashback where regina has him killed around the theme of wanting freedom from imprisonment. they deliberately wrote leopold getting engaged to regina's mother in the characters' backstories. they deliberately wrote regina criticizing his treatment of her decades after the marriage had ended and snow accepting this criticism. they deliberately wrote regina never apologizing for killing him and snow never asking her to. they also deliberately named him king leopold which is not a name you give to a character the audience is supposed to like. oh and they deliberately cast richard schiff to play him who is not an actor you cast to play a simple sweet character with no depth.

i know a&e have a dubious track record with writing about consent but they knew precisely what they were doing when they wrote a story about a teenage girl being forced to marry a man three times her age who was literally her mother's ex, who held absolute monarchical power over his young wife and happily used it to control her, and who was named after one of the most evil men to ever walk the earth. they did not fail to write a kind man, they wrote him as what he is -- a rapist and abuser. you are doing ouat, and regina's story in particular, a massive disservice if you think otherwise.

[goosin-around]

Regina: When I was married, you know what your father often said to me?

Snow: Please stop sleeping with other people?

[swanqueensalad]

i’m not sure if you’ve already done something similar but i was wondering if you had any hc for regina’s relationship with clothes? i just feel like there’s so much to dig into with all her mother’s bullshit and how she was raised to value appearances, how performative a lot of her outfits were as the evil queen, the shift in how she dresses after the curse breaks, her and emma’s opposite approaches to how they dress themselves. idk i just feel like if anybody else would also have thoughts on this, it would be you

anon i am literally in love with you for sending me this ask. honestly why have i never done a post on this before!!! this is SO interesting to me!! clothing is definitely a hugely important part of regina's character and journey over the course of the show.

PSA: this turned into a literal play by play biography of regina's life through clothing. ur welcome. also this is totally unedited, we die like men

I think clothing means a lot of different things to Regina. I think she both revels in and resents the glitz and glamour, uses it as her shield, weaponry and armour but also it can be very vulnerable for her... it's a lot

and I agree that, unfortunately like many things with Regina, we have to start by tracking back to her childhood and how Cora raised her

Regina is a young noblewoman in the enchanted forest, and much of her 'value' to her family would lie in making an advantageous marriage. Layer on top of that Cora's absolute single minded determination for success, social climbing and for Regina to become queen one day and you just KNOW appearances were a huge deal when Regina was growing up (we see this threaded through canon too, in Cora magically changing Regina's clothes/hair/makeup for her)

to Cora, Regina's beauty was always a valuable tool she could use, but her brutal ambition would have led to absolute perfectionism.

After all, sweetheart, queens have to be perfect.

I think even when Regina was a very young child, a huge amount of weight was put onto her clothing and how she was presented.

I can imagine Cora choosing elaborate outfits for her infant daughter, dressing her up like a doll and making sure the ribbons in her hair matched exactly, being absolutely critical of everything to ensure her child was the best dressed, the most perfect

And I think this hugely impacted Regina's childhood. Cora would have allowed Regina very little freedom, partially because she was conditioning her to behave like a queen (or just like an obedient pawn for her to do whatever she wanted with) but also partially because Regina literally could not risk getting messy or dirty.

Image is everything, darling.

As child, Regina couldn't really play because she would ruin her dress, or her hair, or scuff her shoes. She had no choice but to occupy herself with the 'proper' pursuits that her mother approved of, because she physically couldn't do anything else. No running, tree climbing, flower picking etc for tiny Regina. Lots of sitting quietly and looking pretty, even as a child.

I can definitely see Cora showing Regina off from an early age, dressing her up like a doll, inviting other noblewomen for tea and dressing Regina better than any of their children, making her sit nicely and quietly.

If Regina were to be 'bad' and accidently dirty her dresses, mess up her hair etc. I think Cora would definitely punish her quite severely. because from day one, Cora was drilling into Regina that her appearance was one of the most valuable and worthwhile things about her. Queens have to be perfect.

And of course, little Regina doesn't want to be a queen, she just wants to go play in the meadow with the other children, but she wants to be a good girl more than anything, because mother hurts her when she's not.

As Regina grows older, I think Cora becomes far more critical of her appearance. A doll like, cute child is far easier to keep 'perfect' than an adolescent girl, and it's also all a huge control tactic for Cora to keep Regina affection starved and desperate to please her. So there would be backhanded comments, the constant pressure to be more beautiful. The feeling started to grow in Regina that she was pretty, just not pretty enough, never enough.

Ik I've talked about this before here (TW for EDs) but I headcanon Cora as absolutely fucking up a young Regina's body image and relationship with food too, controlling/restricting her diet. So I can imagine that dress fittings became a source of enormous stress and pain for an adolescent and teenage Regina.

In the enchanted forest, as a noble, all of Regina's clothes were likely hand made from expensive fabrics. Cora would spare no expense for making her daughter the most fashionable, beautiful, ideal young lady. So there was enormous pressure on Regina to 'wear the clothes well' and to keep them pristine. But these fittings would have been hell, because Cora definitely was stood in the corner, never ever asking Regina's opinions or how she feels in the clothes, but only ever criticizing the fit, asking if her corset could be laced tighter, and despairing over tiny mistakes.

Despite all this though, I do think a young Regina enjoyed clothing and fashion in a way. As much as her mother made it absolute hell, Regina really did like the few dresses she was allowed to have a say in and I think she always liked pretty things, she just wished she was allowed to like them on her own terms.

I think the white dress we see her wearing in a lot of her early EF flashbacks was one of her favourites because it's pretty but also simple and comfortable, something she would have chosen herself and just luckily happened to be considered suitable by her mother.

I've written about it in this fic but I also think Cora would have been actively sexualising Regina from a young age, trying to make her as appealing to suitors and other noblemen as possible to get more power and advantage. This would make Regina very uncomfortable, and I think at this point she really resented all this elaborate clothing and heavy jewelry.

There's also something really interesting in canon ouat costume design I want to discuss because I've never seen it discussed before: in 2x015 The Queen Is Dead, we get a glimpse of the fashions in Leopold's kingdom around the time Regina and Snow were about to meet for the first time. We see Queen Eva, clearly an empowered adult woman, wearing a tightly fitting deep red dress covered in jewels. Meanwhile the ten (ish?) year old Snow White wears a more appropriately girlish frock with puffy sleeves, a simple bodice and full skirts. Around this time, we mostly see Regina dressed in the latter style, implying she is still being dressed and presented more as a young lady/maiden than an adult. The blue dress Cora puts her in to meet King Leopold is a very similar design to Snow's, with full sleeves and skirt; her riding coats are also loose and puffy sleveed; the dress she wears at dinner when married to Leopold is full sleeved and skirted too; the white dress we see her in several times is the exception, but looser still than Eva's style.

I believe the earliest we see Regina in that adult style dress is in Fruit of the Poisonous Tree, when she's years into her marriage and about to kill her husband and seize power. This is a moment of empowerment for her shown through costume, and a clear shift she's gone from girl to woman, which is actually disgusting considering this is at the end of her marriage to the elderly king.

My point here is that I think throughout her marriage the world still saw Regina as a child to a degree, a poor replacement for Eva, and Regina was still very much a young woman, who did not feel any older or freer. Her marriage kept her trapped and unempowered, just like her mother had.

She always had to be beautiful and perfect, and this pressure was amped up even more as queen. I can see a newly married Regina trying so hard in the first few years to always be perfect, constructing elaborate outfits, hair and makeup just like Cora taught her, to try and be good enough for Leopold, to make him more kind to her, to make anyone at court notice her at all, but it never works. She is still only ever objectified or sidelined or both.

When she begins training with Rumple, we start to see Regina developing a new sense of style: she begins wearing darker colours, to mimic her mentor in a way. I think this is very indicative of her mental state, how easily influenced she was, how much she wanted to latch onto this one source of potential hope and power in her life.

But this was of course a transitional period, and I do think it's interesting that we see her in 1x11, seducing Sidney and killing her husband finally wearing one of the long, tight, elegant 'adult' dresses Eva wore as queen. This is when Regina really steps into her own power.

Once again to refer briefly to the same fic I think in the few years leading up to this (remember, as I love to remind everyone, her entire horrific marriage was probably around 8 years at least), Regina began to learn more of her seduction politics, and started to understand how she could manipulate the way men behaved towards her. She started to fully understand what her mother meant, how to choose a dress for the right situation, how to choose a neckline, a lipstick shade, a way of walking and talking.

I think this took her a while to stop feeling disgusted by. At some point, the rush of even this tiny way of grabbing power was exhilarating, long overdue. At some point, that stopped making her skin crawl.

Starting to wear darker colours was I think a way of rebelling against her past self. I really think throughout her reign as the 'evil queen', Regina had to loathe her younger, innocent self because that was the version of her that got hurt, used, raped, manipulated, brokenhearted. It was easier to hate that version of herself, to blame herself for being weak and stupid (Mother's voice in her head, always) than to fully feel the pain she was still in. So the pastels and whites of her youth were completely gone. She buried them, and the girl who loved them, as far as she could.

It also seems like pastels were commonplace in the Enchanted Forest based on every extra in every ballroom scene ever, and at this point Regina was so reliant on her attractiveness as a form of power that wearing dark colours and deep jewel tones was a way to ensure she always stood out, always caught the eye.

As her reign grew, I think the Evil Queen costumes grew more and more extravagant as a show of wealth and power to dazzle the commoners and intimidate all the nobles. Regina was showing them with her style choices that she was in a league of her own. And the more she leaned into it, the glitz and glamour, all the diamonds and makeup, the things she hated as a young girl, the safer she feels. The more hidden. The more superhuman.

The Evil Queen was a physical symbol as well as an idea of who Regina was. I think of it almost like how celebrities have public persona, sexualised and stylised, instantly recognisable and fastidiously designed. I think this made Regina, a physically small woman, much smaller than all the other older, male leaders and rulers, feel protected, confident and powerful.

(I think it's also a defense against the fact that as a very young girl Regina was sexualised by her own mother for a much older man, for his whole court I suppose. Regina has always been taught, through her mother's words and actions, that her beauty and attractiveness correlate to her worth, power and usefulness. And now she sort of enacts that on herself to keep herself safe. Because they can't sexualise her if she's sexualised herself first, they can't be using her if she's letting them and using their lust for her to her own ends. Her beauty keeps her safe. Queens have to be perfect, Regina.)

When we get to Storybrooke, I think it translates somewhat. In this world, political figures are the power symbols, and unfortunately in this world too, female politicians are more successful if they are polished and beautiful. Or so Regina would see it.

Queens have to be perfect, sweetheart.

She upkeeps the Evil Queen thing where she has a recognisable image, this polished perfect professional thing. Though this world is on a much smaller scale, Regina's mindset is not at all. She would never be seen out of the house without a perfect face of makeup, without perfectly done hair, manicured nails, the right outfit, the right shoes. Because queens have to be perfect. You can't show them a single crack in your armour.

It isn't all a chore though. I think Regina really does enjoy her own style, especially in Storybrooke as it is so different to anything Cora or Leopold would have had her wearing, and because it's part of a world she made for herself, there's more of a sense of independence and ownership of her own style. I think she has a really nice sense of routine in doing her makeup and hair, which is good for her too.

But still in Storybrooke, we see Regina using her attractiveness, using seduction as a often reached for tool in her arsenal.

And on the other hand we have Emma.

Now, this is a Regina post but the ask did specify and I do find it interesting and want to discuss, so I'll give a much briefer overview of my headcanons about Emma and her style.

Off the bat I'll say I consider 'Emma's style' as season 1 and 2 Emma. (I'm not going to analyse the straight-girl-style-ification of Emma Swan in the later seasons bc that's another story and also just Bad storytelling imo)

Skinny jeans, boots, tanks, plaid, leather jackets, beanies, baseball shirts. She's mostly casual, can be a bit edgy, a bit lesbian swagger, a bit teenage boy (at times). Sometimes she does a winged liner, sometimes nothing. And she dresses with nothing else in mind but what makes her feel confident and cool and herself.

Because Emma as a kid never really had the freedom to pick her own clothes. The homes got a lot of donations, and sometimes there were cool things she could grab a hold of if she managed to beat the older kids to it, but a lot of the time she was just in whatever hand me downs she could get. Not ideal for a young queer girl trying to work out her identity.

So when she started to establish a life for herself, the first time she buys her red leather jacket etc, these moments are really meaningful to Emma because it's more about being able to own her sense of self and stand on her own two feet in a stable way rather than just being about the clothes.

Which is so beautiful, because it just goes to show that once again Regina and Emma are complimentary opposites. Clothes were never important in Emma's life, so when she gets the chance, she just likes being able to wear whatever the fuck she wants, to never really worry about it, and to feel good. To Regina, clothes were always enormously important and so a great deal of thought and preparation goes into everything she wears.

I think it is interesting the way they interact in this case, because they are so different, and they both find the other one so hot, and I think they also both admire how different it is for the other.

Regina in denial would definitely consider Emma's casualness to be improper and lazy, but deep down, and eventually openly once they grow closer, she knows she admires her freedom and fearlessness.

Meanwhile Emma thinks Regina is the hottest woman on the planet (she's right) and appreciates how perfectly her gf puts outfits together, how good her makeup and skincare collection is.

But Emma can also see the other side of it for Regina too, is one of the few people (perhaps because of her own history with clothes) who can see the strain there. The control and obsession with her own appearance, the perfectionism.

And I think Emma is really good for her in that sense. Emma's own freedom and confidence is a good influence. Because gradually, as they get together and their relationship develops, Regina is able to let down a little more of that mask, bit by bit.

Letting Emma see her with wet hair, her natural curls straight out of the shower. Or in her robe with no makeup on in the mornings. And as they build their life together, Regina finds this immense relief in having someone who sees all of her in every state.

It's not as scary as it once seemed.

And Emma thinks Regina is just as beautiful in leggings and fresh faced as she is with makeup and an expensive dress. (Once again, she is right). This is groundbreaking to Regina, this idea that she can be loved and valued without upkeeping her definition of 'perfection'. That she could be enough as she is, for Emma.

That she is enough, as she is.

And of course, she doesn't always believe that. How can she, after the life she has lived? But she's working on it, and when these feelings of immense vulnerability and insecurity in herself arise, she is able to voice them to Emma (sometimes with a bit of struggle) and Emma holds space for her, listens without judgement, calls Cora a dumb bitch (sometimes) and assures Regina that she is the most beautiful person Emma's ever seen, but that her beauty is not why she fell in love with her, and it's not what makes her worthy.

And slowly, I think Regina starts to get back to finding more joy in fashion. More appreciation, in the way her younger self always wanted.

[thingsthatneedtobesaidsblog]

Everytime I come across a Regina had Daniel's baby story I roll my eyes so hard. Because Regina mentions that they only get a compile seconds maybe a mintue or 2 minutes max of them being alone because Cora was constantly on Regina's neck at every moment of the day but especially when she was with Daniel. So where in the seven hells would they have time for sex let alone even a quckie??

And the name is always Daniella and she falls in love with Peter Pan and old as man!!!

Like honestly I would kill for more fics where she did have Leopolds children. I think her dynamic with her kids would be very similar to the one Alicent has with her kids. It would be tragic especially during her Evil Queen Era because Regina killed the king when Snow turned 18 so 8 years they've been married so the kids would be toddlers then teens when the curse is casted and then throw in Henry Regina's golden child, her favorite.

It would be so tragic.

[c0dmic]

Regina and Leopold's Marriage Pt2

I KNOW THIS IS LATE BUT I ORIGINALLY MADE THIS PT2 IN MAY BUT FORGOT TO POST THIS:

I heard someone say that Regina "WILLLINGLY married Leopold. She wasn't forced." As much as that angered me, part of me agrees. PART.

But we are all aware of Regina's reaction to Leopold was literally screaming, "NO.". She couldn't say "no" due to her most likely not trying to fuck up her relationship with her mom even more and not embarrass her mother infront of royals.

But for the 'WILLINGLY' part:

The wedding took place after Regina pushed Cora into the mirror. So, she must've thought, "She doesn't have any power/ control over me anymore, she doesn't control me," besides the thought of "Holy shit" and "it worked!". But the reason why she didn't leave afterwards was because, Rumples MANIPULATION had already been placed in Regina's head. Causing Regina to crave power. So technically, she WAS FORCED because if Cora didnt say 'yes' to the proposal and pushed Regina into it, Regina wouldn't have been so manipulated by Rumpel, that she would go onto the wedding, and Daniel would most likely still be alive for longer. Like a domino effect, one action leads to another and another and so on. And 'Another' is Regina's path to darkness. So she, she WAS forced but accepted it, and later on used it to get what she wanted.

Rumpel had already manipulated her mind. And so I'm sure Regina's mindset was, "if I build up my status by marriage and being higher up do to tha, I also can build my mental state and not be 'broken/sad' and I can be wanted and have more control over my life."

Here's something that correlates to what I'm saying:

Credits: ouatanalysis on tumblr

So in conclusion, she was forced, just accepted it and used her marriage to get what she wanted. Of course, when I said she probably wanted to "be wanted" the marriage didn't give her that, nor did the kingdom. So that was a bit of a downside.

[kyliafanfiction]

I loathe how 1x11 makes Leopold seemingly perfect, and we never really get a look at any other side of the story.

[crypticpawpoems]

The Mirror

The events in this poem, I can say for sure, Happened right after The experiment’s failure.

Regina now had nothing left. She wanted the kingdom to herself, by all means. But for now, she decided To act as a quiet and good-natured queen.

For now, we will shift focus To Regina’s husband, King Leopold, Whose purity, generosity, and kindness Never grows old.

King Leopold was taking a walk Along a sandy beach ramp When he saw that the tide had washed in A golden and oddly shaped lamp.

He picked it up, And like a curious kit, He rubbed the shiny lamp With his hand a bit.

Purple smoke encircled the lamp. It was anything but teeny. Before the king appeared A well-dressed genie.

He said, “I am the genie of Agrabah. I will grant you three wishes. It can be anything, from granting you gold To cleaning your dishes.”

The king replied, “I have everything that I require. I have a good life. The kingdom is healthy. There is nothing I desire.”

“Then maybe you Can do something for me. A genie’s job is tiring. Can you wish me free?”

“With the power Vested within me, I so wish for you, Genie, To be free!”

Smoke encircled the gold bracelets On the Genie’s wrists. Now he could do all of the things That were on his to-do list.

“Your Majesty, I thank you For setting me free. Though, I still am not the happiest That I could be.”

“I wish with all my heart, As my second wish, To bestow upon you My third and final wish.”

The lamp was now back In the Genie’s possession. He could use the wish For any little want or obsession.

“Genie, for your generosity, I grant you a place at my palace. You will be safe From any forces of malice.”

Genie accepted the invitation to the castle. The king had become his friend And he would stay by his side To any length’s end.

Time passed at the castle, So much that Snow was now a young adult. In my opinion, though, She was still a wretched little dolt.

Regina survived through every tedious day. Being good was really boring. She never really fit in and was slightly shamed By everyone, even the king.

One day, there was a feast. Regina entered the dining hall in a beautiful white dress. The food upon the long tables Appeared to be a scrumptious mess.

Genie happened To be at this feast. He had only expected everyone To be eating like beasts.

This was the first time That Genie actually noticed the queen. He took a shine to her, If you know what I mean.

It was the high point of the feast And people were busy meeting happily. This is the moment That Regina chose to leave discreetly.

Genie saw Regina leave. He decided to go after her For it would make him unhappy if she were to grieve.

He found her in a courtyard Next to an apple tree. Regina jumped in surprise As Genie spoke, “Pardon me.

I saw you leave.” Genie did not kid. Regina said, “No one in there ever notices my absence.” Genie said, “I did.”

Regina looked up and stared into Genie’s eyes With awe on her face. She smiled. In her life, Genie had found a place.

“I grew this tree,” said Regina, “In my childhood garden.” She became serious for a moment And her heart hardened.

“This tree and I have two things in common,” Her words were like a mournful song. “Neither of us can leave the castle And neither of us really belongs.

I don’t feel for the king. I don’t intend to be mean, But I know that he will never love me Like he did his first queen.

I feel trapped.” Genie could understand. “Of all people, I know what it’s like to be trapped.” He held out something in his hand.

It contained a handheld mirror. “Here is my gift to you So that you can see yourself The way that I see you.”

Regina accepted the mirror and held it So she could see her reflection. “How do you see me?” She was trying to make a connection.

“I see you as The most beautiful creature in all the land.” Genie was obviously infatuated And Regina had things in motion for schemes she had planned.

The next day, The king called Genie to Regina’s chamber while she was out. “Genie, there is someone of a matter That I need you to scout.

I have called only you here Because I trust you. Now here is the thing That I’ll have you do.

Read this entry in my wife’s diary And you shall see What has me so Terribly worried.”

Genie was given the diary And through it he read An entry that half-filled Him with dread.

It read, “Last night By my apple tree, A man I had never seen before Walked up to me.

We spoke for but a moment, Yet, his words held me dear And he gave me A small mirror.

Though it was but a simple mirror, It stirred up feelings in me that had long been forgotten. He had treated me much better than the king, Who makes me feel nothing but rotten.”

The king said, “I never would have thought That the queen would betray me like this. Genie, I need you to find the man who gave my wife this mirror And bring him to me. You cannot afford a miss.”

Genie replied, “Yes, Your Majesty.” But what was he to do? It would only be a matter of time Before King Leopold saw him through.

Until the culprit was found, The king locked Regina in her room. Genie knew that he would need help to free Regina And he would need it very soon.

Genie went to Regina’s courtyard Where he met Henry, Regina’s dad. He hoped that Henry would have a way To help Regina out a tad.

Henry was holding a box and said, “What’s inside will work for sure. The content of this box Is the only thing that can free her.”

Genie took the box And Henry handed him the key. Genie knew it was his duty to deliver the box to Regina. It was the only way to set her free.

“Genie, King Leopold trusts you. You can gain access to Regina with ease. You must do this to free my daughter! Do this task for both her and me, please!”

That night, Genie went To Regina’s room. He ever so hoped what was in the box Would free Regina from her impending doom.

Regina was sitting In front of her mirror. She turned to face Genie. “Oh! You’re here!

Why are you here at this hour? You could be caught by the king!” “For you,” said Genie, “I would risk anything.

Your father instructed me to give you this box. He told me its contents would free you.” “Ah, yes,” said Regina, “I think it will do.”

Genie set the box on the table And Regina turned the key. The objects inside the box Were a sight to see.

Regina slowly opened the lid And as if following a piper, Two scaly, green heads poked out with a hiss. Genie gasped, “The Agrabahn Viper!

It’s from my home country, Agrabah, And is the deadliest of all snakes. It can kill with a single bite, Leaving chaos in its wake.”

Genie realized in an instant, “Death is your freedom?!” Tears were streaming down Regina’s face. “It is my only escape From this wretched place.”

“If you are to die, Then I will die, too. My life is nothing Without you.”

Regina slowly slid her finger Towards the deadly snakes. It was inches above the vipers’ heads when Genie grabbed it. “Stop! I can’t let you make this mistake.”

“But I cannot Possibly stay. Genie, there is No other way!”

“Oh, but there is Another way that we could try. What if the king Was to die?”

Regina smiled. “That might just work, But you have to be sure. You can’t let this plan Become a failure.”

“My queen, Soon, you shall be free, And then we can Live happily.”

Genie went to King Leopold’s chamber. He was sleeping soundly in his bed. In a few moments, He would be dead.

Genie went to the foot of the bed And set the box down. He moved swiftly, Making little sound.

He opened the box And the vipers looked at him. They recognized his Agrabahn blood and awaited orders, No matter how grim.

Genie pointed at the king. The vipers understood. Genie believed that what he was doing Was for the greater good.

The vipers slithered under the blankets. Their figures moved up the bed. You could see murder in their eyes When they got to King Leopold’s head.

The king awoke and stared at Genie. There was pure innocence in his eyes. It made Genie feel guilty For the king’s surprise.

The vipers hissed and striked At King Leopold’s neck. Genie knew now There was no turning back.

The king’s face was turning purple. The venom was taking effect. The look that was now on the king’s face, Genie would never forget.

“I am the man who gave your wife that mirror.” The king’s expression was the worst he’d ever seen. “Just as you freed me, Now I must free your queen.”

The king was gasping for air And choked out his last words with much anguish. “I never should have Made a wish.”

King Leopold was silent. The dark deed was done. Genie fled the dead king’s chamber. Regina had won.

Back in Regina’s room, Genie came rushing in with quite a fuss. “I have succeeded in killing the king For the both of us.

Now, Both of us are free, And neither of us Has a reason to flee.”

“You’re wrong. You have to go For a dire reason You’ve forgotten so.”

Genie knew that something Was troubling his queen And he asked, “Whatever do you mean?”

“The guards will find the vipers in his bed And they’ll know that it was you. You have to escape While I see this situation through.

I’ve arranged for a boat to be your transportation. It will take you far away, But the castle is a place Where you cannot stay!”

“I don’t understand. We could leave and be together! What happened to being Together forever?”

Genie realized, “It wasn’t a coincidence that you chose the Agrabahn Viper. You knew it was from my homeland. You wanted the king’s murder to be traced back to me. This was all planned.”

“I never loved you,” Regina stated boldly. “What?” Genie said. Regina repeated it a bit louder, “I never loved you!” Genie wished that he could be dead.

“You should be grateful that I’m granting you the option Of safe travel. Otherwise, you would be buried Underneath the gravel.”

“No. There is another way.” Genie took the lamp in his hand. “I am certain that I must use this wish. I completely understand.

I wish to never Leave your side.” Purple smoke encircled him And he was gone like the tide.

Regina looked left, right, and turned around, But Genie wasn’t there. Then, she heard something Crying out in despair.

She looked down at the mirror in her hand. It was in the perfect place, But instead of her reflection, Regina saw the Genie’s screaming face.

Regina grinned and thought, “This adds perfectly to my plan. I’ll use this to my advantage In any way I can.”

[alannacouture]

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Happy Valentine’s Day from multiple fandoms. I hope, however you spend today, you remember that you are loved by so many, not just a romantic partner 💖💖💖

[spocktaculartea]

mmk but if regina had done what snow suggested and told the king that she already loved someone, he 1000% would have been cool and have done his best to deal with cora

[horsetailcurlers2]

do you have any headcanons about reginas upbringing with cora and/or her relationship with the king? i know it can be a sensitive topic on here but imo theres no way they both didnt abuse her in some way shape or form

yes i very much do and they are all objectively awful and sad. i’m a bit hesitant to answer for a couple of reasons. the first reason is that i definitely have an idea of what she went through in my head but to write it out is very different than to just have it in the back of my head when i think of or read anything about her character. the other reason is that my headcanons aren’t anything new. they’re all things lots of other people have thought or written about. however, i do have thoughts so i will try my best. TRIGGER WARNING for child abuse, marital rape, and mentions of eating disorders.

-cora was abusive. hands down, there is no ifs, ands, or buts. even from what they show in the show (it’s an ABC sunday night family show. when it comes to the especially dark topics, they are usually vague or just stick to heavily implying things), we see her manipulating and gaslighting her daughter, being extremely controlling and critical, and physically restraining her in aggressive and violent ways. i think cora was definitely physically abusive- she often used magic instead of her hands because she rarely wanted to mar regina’s beauty.

-i can see her doing things like restraining regina when she was very young if she ever “misbehaved”. i have an image in my mind of little regina being tied to a chair and forced to endure hours of etiquette lessons. cora probably would direct painful bursts of magic at her if she ever misstepped. she’s definitely struck regina before- probably mostly slaps. but she probably would heal the marks with magic (besides maybe the lip scar but i don’t have one solid headcanon about how she got that)

-regina definitely grew up hearing the philosophy that children should be “seen and not heard”. she rarely got to do anything childlike. maybe she was allowed to play with dolls or indulge in dress up games if cora was in a good enough mood to ignore her for the day, but cora probably started telling her she was too old for things like that when regina was around eight or nine.

-regina was probably also very isolated as a child. she rarely socialized with other children outside of rigid balls and parties. she spent most of her days with private tutors or learning how to be a “proper lady”.

-image is extremely important to cora. the only thing cora truly valued about regina is her looks. this has resulted in an complex about her looks even in adulthood. the regina we see in the show is clearly a person who values her appearance. even as the evil queen, she presents a very carefully curated image to the world. if there is one thing that cora has beat into regina, it is that appearances matter. she rarely likes to be seen without makeup and she is very particular about her outfits.

-i also think this contributes to a complex about her intelligence. her mother was always belittling her and calling her a “stupid girl” and her so called husband never had any interest in hearing what she had to say about anything. this is part of why magic is so seductive to her- she can prove that she is more than just a pretty face. (i also have dragon queen headcanons about mal being one of the first people other than daniel to be interested in her intellect)

-i also believe that cora was probably cruel to regina about her darker complexion and would make her wear light makeup and powders and avoid staying out in the sun for too long. same thing with her hair- she taught regina to dislike her natural curls. she always had to iron them out straighter or reshape them into more “perfect delicate ringlets” (like snow’s hair), or hide them with braids. this all feeds into a fucked up whitewashing thing cora definitely perpetuated.

-and her body. especially as she got older, cora was very strict about what regina’s body was supposed to look like. she was supposed to be beautiful and desireable to male suitors, which in cora’s mind= thin. cora would control what regina ate on a daily basis and essentially had her on a starvation diet. i definitely headcanon regina as having issues with eating just based on a few comments she makes in the show and one line in “regina rising”. even as an adult, regina can still hear cora’s voice in her head when she eats or looks at her body in the mirror. to cora, regina’s body has always been a commodity and it has to be maintained like one. this is a very very hard mentality for regina to shake.

-i have very complicated feelings about henry senior. on one hand, he was the only loving presence in her life for a very long time. on the other hand, he was never strong enough to protect her- not from her mother’s abuse and not from being sold off to a fifty year old man. i think that although he was the thing she loved most, she also resented him a bit deep down. (side tangent: i think regina has a deep seated complex about single fathers because of this. like, look at her issues with jefferson, hansel and gretel’s dad, and owen/greg’s dad. it’s almost like she is punishing them all for not being able to protect their children). and he felt a lot of guilt about never intervening until it was too late and she was consumed by darkness- i think he was in a way resigned to his death. he didn’t fight that hard against her killing him because he felt like he was finally making a sacrifice for her happiness or he was paying some sort of penance.

-the king. ughhhhhhh. okay i have made a few posts before about how creepy king leopold is but let’s just state it very plainly: that man raped her. what business does that man have marrying an 18 year old stranger? she looked visibly distressed when he proposed. there is no way he thought she was super into it. “snow needs a mother”?????? one that is barely eight years older than her?? when she has a perfectly good nanny taking care of her. no, that man has a thing for young girls (just look at eva in those flashbacks) and he wanted a beautiful young wife to warm his bed.

-this is horrible and dark, but i believe regina’s wedding night was her first sexual experience. as much as i would have liked daniel to be her first time, there’s almost no way she would have gotten away with it when cora kept her on such a tight leash.

-he treated her like an ornament. he dressed her up and paraded her out to balls and parties only to ignore her all night and dote on his daughter. if cora treated her like a commodity, then leopold treated her like a doll. something to entertain snow during the day and to entertain him at night.

-snow of course was ignorant to all of this darkness until many years later. she thought she had a very happy childhood with her father and stepmother. this is part of why she has such a hard time reconciling her kind and loving stepmother with the cruel and evil woman who wants her dead.

-regina learns early on not to refuse him. that it is easier and less humiliating if she lets him have his way. i can’t even describe how awful and traumatic i think her wedding night was.

-i really don’t know if he would have been physically abusive in other ways. i think he had an inflated ego and probably bought into all the people calling him a “kind king”. he thought that he had a right to her body and she was the one out of line for not happily obeying him. but i wouldn’t be surprised if he got physical with her in other ways, considering the way he canonically locked her up in her room and read her diary.

-his is the one murder she will never regret.

-she likely had long lasting trauma surrounding sex. after the end of her marriage she is so consumed by her rage and thirst for revenge. she gorges herself on the freedom of finally having control over her own body for once in her life. this is a big part of why she goes so crazy as the evil queen.

-i personally think that regina never really thinks of her marriage in terms of what it was. like, she knows she hated it and leopold was awful and disgusting. but she never attributes the word “rape” to it al until many many years later. she still has it ingrained into her mind from her mother and her husband, that she was his wife and it was just her duty. she doesn’t even fathom that it’s possible for a husband to rape his wife. i think she eventually goes to therapy or one day she is watching something on tv and they talk about marital rape and something just shifts within her. suddenly she feels so vindicated. she can finally put a name to it. for years, she thought she was being dramatic and that rape was something that happened with strangers and not within a marriage bed. it is both terrifying and incredibly cathartic to finally name what she went through.

ugh i’m sorry to end on such a sad note. regina has gone through way too much (obviously this doesn’t absolve her of all the evil she has done, but it definitely explains a lot of it and nobody should have had to go through all that).

[justanoutlawfic]

And for these 6, may it just be another Sunday.

Especially Brennan. Mostly Brennan.

[goosin-around]

i absolutely hate hate HATE when someone is talking about reginas marrige or its mentioned in a fic that happens to say she was 17 when leopold proposed, and then I go to the comments and people are like, 🤓um actually she was 18.🤓 that does not make it any better my boy hop off.

[swanqueensalad]

A very long, sad deep dive on the Snow & Regina dynamic, post-everything, for anon

snow and regina are best friends. it's very weird. nobody really wants to use that phrase around regina lest she fireball them... snow really really wants to use that phrase all the time (this is their whole dynamic lol u don’t need to read the rest of the post)

i would say it happened naturally, but it really didn't. it happened with a lot of hard work, honesty, effort, dedication to being better from both of them, and then once all of that was done it was natural, it was sort of impossible to be any other way.

because snow and regina have known each other a long time. longer than most people in their family, in their town. and despite everything that happened after, all the tragedy and pain that the adults around them orchestrated, they were once two little girls that should have been friends. little snow idolised regina and looked up to her in every way, the beautiful kind hearted girl who saved her from a horse, and the instinctive bond between them was always there. there was a sisterly relationship there from the start, and i think for regina as a lonely girl with an awful family life, snow was sweet, and refreshing company to have, even if she got in the way sometimes (just like a little sister would).

and then of course everything comes crashing down, and it is snow's fault but it also isn't, because at the end of the day she was just a little girl mourning her own mother, who cora knew exactly how to manipulate.

but i think the reason regina never saw it this way was because she too was very young and sheltered and her worldview was totally limited by cora's abuse: when regina was snow's age, nothing she did would ever be excused by 'but i was a child'. at snow's age, she had to mind everything very carefully because to put one foot wrong was to be punished severely, held 100 percent accountable. i truly believe the reason regina never excused snow for her age is because she was never excused for hers, ever, even as a tiny child, and as a victim of such abuse in such a controlled environment it never would have occurred to her that that was wrong, or even abnormal.

(i believe a big part of regina and snow's relationship healing was regina's worldview shifting as she grew and changed and worked on healing herself, because as she reevaluted the things cora taught her, she can see the world and the past events in a whole new light. this is of course, a hard and complex process that regina is still working on, but ultimately she does come to realise snow was a child who meant no wrong, who only wanted to help, regardless of the outcome. which doesn't make it not her fault, necessarily, but it adds layers she could not accept before)

regina was married to king leopold for a long time. this is something i've spoken about before, but it's still something i think isn't so well understood, purely because the show didn't go into it that much (and i believe it didn't because it would have simply been too dark and uncomfortable for primetime abc. the writers knew the situation they had put themselves in and kept a distance). if snow was about 10 when regina and leopold married, and 18 when he died, that is 8 years. the better part of a decade. that is a long, long time, especially for a grieving, growing, traumatised girl like regina trapped in the most awful environment in which literally every powerful adult around her was brutally using her in one way or another, manipulating and preying on different parts of her trauma, grief and vulnerability. (while her brain was still developing and processing everything that had already happened and she had zero support system, zero outlet for any emotions. like, some of y'all do not understand how fucked up regina is.,, like, think about that. or don't if you don't wanna be sad forever)  

and all the while, the little girl who caused it all sees nothing wrong! no difference in their relationship, to her! except now she wants to call her mother. (even stepmother is bad enough from a girl no more than 8 years younger than you) and thinking about this stage of their relationship is agonizing to me. regina is at princess snow's beck and call, and this hurts because despite everything, she still feels some affection for her, that sisterly love did not die clean with daniel. the hatred and the blame and the fury just go along with it now, except she cannot express one bit of it. she has to smile and play dolls with her like everything is fine.

snow truly, for a few years at least, saw nothing wrong, or at least convinced herself nothing was wrong because her worldview as a well loved princess meant she could easily excuse any questionable things she picked up on. and this is something i think she definitely struggles with later, and even way into her healed post everything relationship with regina. (we talk a lot about regina's guilt and internally never feeling able to atone for it all, but god, snow feels so much guilt for everything regina went through. and i think at some point, they are able to talk about it. not in depth. not in detail. but with very few words, they both understand the depth of meaning and of immense shared pain. regina is not sure what she feels about forgiveness, but she knows she loves snow, and that snow has always loved her. she knows that now they are family, and their time together is lovely, and so she has acceptance at least, if not forgiveness).

i think the moment leopold is dead and snow is out on her own, she starts reconsidering everything. in the last few years she has questioned things a little more, but never let herself really go there, because she has never had to, and why would she when it is so painful? but alone, with her father dead and regina behaving so out of character (or is she, snow wonders), she can't help but look back without the rose tinted lens of her childhood. she remembers things. regina's silences and trembles at the breakfast table. the way she was ignored, sidelined, stared at. the dark circles under her eyes. all those times they had been playing, or walking, and regina seemed to be a million miles away, jolted back to earth only by snow's insistence.

more reluctantly, she thinks about her father and the way he treated her. the way he looked at her. the way he spoke to her (or didn't). spoke about her. the things he must have done. this is something snow still doesn't really process for a long time, because snow idolised her father, but eventually she cannot deny he must have hurt her.

and then there's that episode of season 1 where we get the dialogue 'she thinks i ruined her life' 'did you?' 'yes'. i think bandit snow, processing these things, dealing with a lot of new feelings of anger and pain, started putting two and two together. (but i don't think she fully confronts the real, most awful truth until years later, because she can't.)

i think ultimately the thing that hurts the most about all they went through when they were basically at war was that deep down, they still cared for each other. 'love never left the room' and all that. hatred and pain and fury existed too, overwhelmingly, overpoweringly so, but ultimately they grew up together. (it's just one of them grew up having to 'raise' the other). they still had  memories tined with warmth of horse riding together, walking together.

and so when they do start to heal, (as i believe snow always fiercely hoped they would, deep down), it's not so much that they have to create a relationship but to rebuild and unearth one that was already there, one that never should have been torn down like it was. of course it's tentative at first, but snow never once stopped having hope that one day regina would change and they would find their way back into each others lives. and once the trust is back, the feeling of family, of working together for the same goal and being willing to risk everything protecting each other because of circumstance...

once that's there, it's the other things that re emerge more softly and slowly.

the coffee at granny's. first, a little awkward, a little quiet without emma and david and henry to fill the gaps in conversation. but gradually, they realise they have a lot to talk about, a lot of shared opinions in ways that matter and vastly differing opinions in ways that don't, but are fun to debate.

the parenting advice. the stories regina has to share about henry as a little boy, the grandson whose first ten years snow only ever saw as a school teacher. the way regina helps her learn to care for neal. the passing on to him of henry's saved onesies and blankets.

the silly jokes that gradually start to form between them, against all odds.

the teaming up against david and emma when they suggest something particularly dumb.

the cooking together! snow is hopeless but enthusiastic, regina is skillful and finds it calming, so it becomes a thing.

the clinking wine glasses at family dinners.

the extreme competition on board game nights.

the hugs at the end of the day, which go from being stiff and quick and awkward with pain and memories caught up in every brush of the fingers, to warm and natural as anything.

the way snow is able to sit down with regina when she is caught up in her own thoughts and issues, and give her rational advice from a far more positive and balanced place than regina's brain allows her. the way she is able to hold regina's hand and support her. (it feels like making up for past tragedies. not nearly enough, but it's something.)

the way regina, equally, is able to keep snow grounded and bring her down to earth when she's panicking, the way she can simply and efficiently allow her to talk through her worries and daily struggles, give her space to ramble and talk and be, but also to give her to the point, no nonsense, blunt advice that snow needs and rarely gets anywhere else.

the way that somehow, strangely, against all odds, snow beings mothering regina a little, in a weird turnaround of events that feels more right and more balancing than anything else. the way she holds her hand, looks out for her, checks in with her, gives that kind of advice and reflection. because now it's regina who needs it, and snow who can provide it. because somehow, seamlessly, regina also became her daughter in law, and her relationship with emma is something that brings snow a deep sense of peace, gratitude, warmth. (now regina is truly family in the beautiful way she always was meant to be. now she knows regina and emma will both be cared for, loved, as they deserve. she knows someone will look after regina, someone will ground emma. they will laugh and cry and build a home and life together, a life not too dissimilar from the one with daniel that snow inadvertently stole from regina a long time ago)

i think they do speak about things that have transpired between them, sometimes, when it comes up and one or both of them feel they have to vocalise something. it's never in front of others, even david and emma. some things are entirely between the two of them, and nobody else will understand, or needs to.

they speak softly, respectfully, giving each other space and quiet validation. sometimes they cry, or get angry, but it's never really at each other and they both understand this now. sometimes they cry for the girls they were and what was taken from them both. sometimes one or both of them feels or thinks something they cannot speak or say to the other, and they both respect that.

i think they have both apologised. sincerely. and i think they don't need to go into any detail, really. they both just know.

but they are equals now, entirely. no more titles, no more real power dynamics, despite any maternal/caretaking instincts that snow might feel. they are the equals they were always supposed to be, and the people with the friendship the girls they once were would have wanted.

and they can laugh together. this is the thing that warms my heart most. just thinking of snow and regina laughing together, simply, over some very silly joke that isn't even that funny.

[ouatsqincorrect]

I’m intrigued to hear your thoughts/headcanons on Regina and Leopold’s “marriage” and what exactly it was like for everyone involved eg. Snow, Cora, Henry Sr, ofc Regina and etc. I went way too deep into a thought-spiral myself about it and the more I dwell on it, the more pain I feel for Regina. Given the tiny heartbreaking pieces of insight we’re given about her life as Leopold’s wife in flashbacks, just imagine the crap she had to go through that we didn’t even get to see onscreen.

honestly, i think if ouat hadn’t been a “family show,” regina’s story would’ve been even more depressing because yeah, there is so much we just didn’t get to see but was hinted at and i—

give this poor woman a break. anyway.

one thing that always really bothered me about snow is that it seems like no one ever sat her down and told her that her father was regina’s abuser, so she brings him up when she shouldn’t (like the idea that she was going to name baby neal “leopold.” i mean. can you imagine the amount of shit that would’ve brought up for regina.)

which is why, in my mind, snow and regina actually do sit and down and have that conversation at some point

archie’s the one who suggests it when snow mentions leopold and it causes regina to go into a full blown panic attack. she tells him about this in a session and he tells her the only way she’s going to be able to stop this is by letting snow know that it makes her uncomfortable

which regina really doesn’t like. she’s never had any intention of telling snow the truth about all of that. and honeslty, i think this has always been the case, even when she was the evil queen

she’d rather snow live in a blissful world were her father was actually a good guy, then be the one to tell her that no, he was actually a really, really shitty human being

maybe because regina knows what it’s like to have a parent who lets you down

and when she has to have that conversation with snow, she’s terrified. she has herself convinced that she’s going to lose everyone (snow, emma, henry, etc.) because of it

but emma assures her that it won’t happen like that because this is snow white we’re talking about and despite being given many chances to walk out regina’s life for good, she never has

snow is upset, to say the least, when she finds out but it’s not for the reasons regina thinks. i mean, yes, she’s hurt to find out her father was a piece of shit but she’s more hurt to find out regina had to go through what she did, and to find out that maybe daniel wasn’t the whole reason as to why the evil queen wanted to kill her for so long

ultimately, she tells regina simply “you’re my family now. not him.” and that’s that. snow may be an idiot at times but she does care for those she loves fiercely and regina is one of those people

(which by the way, quick side note, david has always had a bit more of an understanding as to who snow’s father really was. he can read between the lines and he actually noticed all the times regina would flinch when snow mentioned her father’s name. he’s actually grateful when snow and regina finally talk about it, because it’s always been an elephant in the room)

regina knows cora is the reason she was forced to be in that marriage, and yeah, she’s found ways to forgive her but that relationship will always be tainted because of it. it makes things like mother’s day and cora’s birthday all that much harder for regina

she can also admit that her father didn’t help things. henry sr loved her immensely, but he was also a coward who stood by and let regina get abused by multiple different people (cora, leopold, rumple). he even admitted to this in the underworld, at least in terms of cora

but regina forgives him easily because even though he never tried to stop it, he was also the only person who held her and was there for her after the king would do what he wanted to her

at the end of the day, this is something regina tried really hard to just forget. but it does come back and hit her hard and that’s why conversations, like the one she has with snow, have to happen

there are a few days out of the year that really bring back those feelings in full swing (the anniversary of her wedding night, etc.) and her family is aware of when these days are and how to help regina handle them

usually it involves her and emma staying home from work, watching shitty movies david and zelena suggest, and eating a casserole snow made (the one thing snow makes that regina doesn’t complain about—actually she loves it)

also, regina isn’t fragile. she’s not broken. but she is trying to heal and when there aren’t villains to fight every single day, there’s more time for her to think over those things from her past

and it’s a real fucking journey