#regina caused emma trauma

[ouatsnark]

a lot of anti csers use the "always be an orphan line" or "pretty blonde distraction" line as a talking point as to why cs is toxic and him using emma's insecurities/trauma against her....but like that wasn't actually him talking, he didn't mean any of that deep down, he was LITERALLY CURSED WITH DARKNESS. the real killian jones loves emma and is her number one cheerleader in every situation. my favorite moment of him hyping her up is him saying "there's the fight i love." like, THAT'S killian.

The SQers say that a lot while at the same time trying to frame all of this as Regina being "truthful" when in reality Regina is attacking Emma's trauma and insecurities:

Even Neal fans try to ignore the fact that he laughed at Emma's abilities and ignored her opinions.

But anti-CSers refuse to acknowledge the fact that Hook had to literally be consumed by evil and be manipulated by the dark ones to get him to the point where he would say anything like that to Emma. The dark ones were using him. And he deeply regretted his weakness and he apologized. Regina never apologizes for any of her meanness.

[caliburn-the-sword]

other than the entire adultery plotline, the only thing i would retcon in the entire season 1 of ouat is the fairies are cursed to become nuns in storybrooke. WHAT EVEN WAS THAT??? so many characters became their exact opposites, so why was blue the exact same stuffy woman both as a fairy and in storybrooke? in my mind, the fairies became a giant lesbian commune (so essentially what they already were in the enchanted forest) living on the outskirts of town. and because storybrooke shouldn't have any contact with the outside world, the fairies collectively own a farm that sources most of the food for all of storybrooke. when the curse broke they were like hey actually this is pretty good. and kept being a giant lesbian commune.

[agentoffangirling]

I'm really glad Once Upon a Time ended in 2018 cause oh my god, if they had their hands on Disney characters now?

Raya would randomly show up in the middle of the season to beef with Regina cause it turns out she's the person who really turned everyone to stone

Luca is actually the son of Ariel, and the queerbaiting that would commence between him and Alberto??

Mirabel's true parents are Rumplestiltskin and Ember from Elemental, who's actually Mei Lee from Turning Red, who was cursed into a flame form by Zelena

Zelena cursed her cause Mei Lee was a red panda and Zelena always liked red pandas when she was younger, but Cora said no so now she has everlasting trauma whenever she looks at one

Buzz Lightyear is Emma Swan's one true love and Asha shows up as an end tag, revealing herself to be Snow White's evil adoptive sister

[his-lost-one]

i have so much anger towards the blue fairy on behalf of so many characters.

here’s a little non-complete list of the characters whose lives she messed with (in no particular order):

tinkerbell: tinkerbell committed the grave sin of trying to help regina (who was not yet evil at this point in time) and blue punished her for that because of the bad people regina was surrounded with. and sure maybe tink shouldn’t have stolen the fairy dust to help, but like she didn’t even take much and we’ve seen how big the bags are that they have of it, i doubt that made any real difference. and yet blue took away tink’s wings for breaking a rule while trying to help an abuse victim oof

regina: at the time that blue refused to let tinkerbell help her, regina was an abuse victim who had never actually hurt anyone (yet). but because of her mother and rumple trying to manipulate her, blue didn’t think she was worthy of being saved. HELLO?? (also if she had allowed tink to help regina, they might not have had such a falling out and maybe tink would’ve kept trying and maybe she’d have succeeded- do you know how many lives that could’ve saved??????)

fiona: objectively, it was stupid to tell fiona that rumple is destined to be a savior, of course she would want to protect her kid. yes, fiona did go too far with the whole shears of destiny thing, but honestly we have no reason to believe that fiona would’ve actually been dangerous to anyone if she hadn’t been banished. she just wanted to protect her son

malcolm/pan: if blue hadn’t lied to him about why fiona was gone, he never would’ve despised rumple as much as he did. and it stands to argue, he might not even have ended up abandoning rumple. his life could’ve gone completely differently tbh

rumple: blue caused him to grow up without parents who would have stayed around if she hadn’t interfered, blue is the reason he ended up separated from baelfire (because of the bean)

baelfire: is blue hadn’t given him that bean with the promise of basically everything he was yearning for, he wouldn’t have ended up in the land without magic where pan’s shadow got him and then he wouldn’t have been stuck against his will for like 200 years on neverland

emma swan: if blue hadn’t lied about the closet’s capacity, then emma could’ve gone through with her mother and she wouldn’t have the trauma of her time in the system and from feeling abandoned all her life

pinocchio: if blue hadn’t lied about the closet’s capacity he wouldn’t have been tasked to take care of a NEWBORN at age 7 and he wouldn’t have been separated for his father during most of his formative years

gepetto/marco: i know he partially brought this on himself by making blue lie, but if she hadn’t done that, then he never would’ve been separated from his son for 28 years

nova: blue stopped her from being happy with dreamy

grumpy: ffs blue is the reason his name went from DREAMY to GRUMPY. like?????

and honorable mention:

archibald hopper: i KNOW i know i know he wanted to be cricket but like. c’mon. this is insane. she turned him into a bug. she came to fulfill his wish when he hadn’t even said it out loud, just thought it- which is fine i guess, but that also means that she could have helped at any point earlier before innocent people had to die?? because there is NO way this guy never once thought “i wish i could be free of my parents” when that’s his whole personality at that point like BLUE HELLO?????

[ouatsqincorrect]

omg your little comment on your last headcanon post about how regina feels differently about touch with each member of her family has intrigued me i would love for you to elaborate on it also i love your blog!!

thank you!! (again, tw for abuse)

regina doesn’t like to be touched by people she doesn’t trust fully. (thank you cora and leopold for the years of trauma)

which is why, as this family actually becomes a family, and they start working through their issues, everyone kind of slowly figures out what is acceptable and what’s not

especially when regina starts to be a little more open about her past and they witness a bit of what her daily struggles are (because again you can’t convince me this woman is 100% fine after all that)

if someone is not apart of her family, regina doesn’t want them touching her at all. and the rest of them are aware of this (emma, david, and snow will try and get whoever it is away from regina if they can tell she’s uncomfortable)

rumple is the one person in her actual family who never touches her and this is purely his decision. like i said in that other hc post, he knows what regina went through during her marriage almost better than anyone, and he refuses to step over any boundaries she has

(he figures he’s had a hand in enough trauma in her life and he doesn’t need to be the cause of anymore)

there are maybe two times when regina initiates a hug between them and it’s only ever when something serious is going on

on the other hand, regina never initiates touch between her and belle because just like rumple, she understands she hurt people and she doesn’t want to overstep

but belle has forgiven her and doesn’t mind. she’ll touch regina’s arm to calm her down or pull her back into a conversation, and regina doesn’t mind (she knows belle and knows she’s not nor has she ever been a threat)

if we’re talking love languages (platonic and other), david’s is physical touch. and when he finds out regina actually hates when people touch her, he gets upset with himself because there have been many times over the years when he’s touched her just to protect her or show that he thinks she’s done a good job at something

but regina assures him that his touch has never bothered her. david is one of the only men in her life who has never had a rough touch with her. he’s always been gentle and she doesn’t mind hugging him, or initiating touch between them

zelena doesn’t exactly hug regina often but its because she herself isn’t a fan of physical touch but regina doesn’t mind touch between them (except for when she’s having a difficult day. she can’t explain it, but she doesn’t want zelena coming too close on those days)

she also doesn’t mind touch from snow, although snow does intiate touch between them much more frequently

but once she becomes more aware of regina’s past, she always makes sure regina is 100% aware that she’s going to touch her. (like when they’re out fighting villains and regina gets hurt, it’s always “i need to check your wound, regina. is that ok?”—regina assures her that most of the time, it is ok)

touch from henry never makes regina uncomfortable

and neither does touch from emma, not really. there are days and anniversaries where she doesn’t want to be touched too intimately but emma is very careful at being aware of this

ultimately, regina doesn’t mind touch from most of her family but she is thankful when they become aware of her past and they actually start taking that into consideration before touching her

this actually makes a huge difference in her life because it’s a reminder that she’s got people who care for her and respect the boundaries she’s trying to make

[couragehopelovefaith]

hear me out. swanqueen happens in s2, but it is realistically portrayed as an abusive relationship that emma struggles to escape from but over the next season or two, her arc is her realising her worth, meeting killian and living her happily ever after with him and the rest of her family. and regina is banished to another universe that's just all the villains whining about their problems and blaming everyone else.

Thanks for your message! Sorry this took so long, I just had to process how to express my thoughts about this somewhat logically.

I usually love the storylines where the character gets away from the abusive relationship and slowly starts healing (alone or eventually with someone else). And we could've had that with Swan Queen and Captain Swan, but... even though the family tree and character connections in OUAT are very messy in general, Regina is still basically Emma's grandmother. Therefore, I haven't been able to see them together in any kind of romantic relationship, abusive or good. In addition, considering what Regina did to her parents, Henry and their friends and how much trauma and abuse Emma has already faced before the show started and kept facing in canon (caused also by Regina), I just wish to see Emma far from Regina unless it's absolutely necessary and has to do with keeping Henry and the town safe. But I would want to see the situation where Regina's "friendship" and general behavior is recognized as toxic and the rest of the scenario happens like you described. Nevertheless, I would be curious to hear more about your headcanons considering your idea. :)

[lesbian-in-leather]

For the fake fit title!!!!

Hiii what about something like "Rotten, sweet apple" for swanqueen??

Send me a made-up fic title and I'll tell you what I would write to go with it

Ooh I've never actually written for OUaT before, this was really fun!! Thank you anon!!

Fandom: Once Upon A Time

Summary: Emma confesses her feelings for Regina. It doesn't go well. (I don't know when in the timeline this is set, but Emma and Regina have become friends and Regina has a lot of unresolved trauma. Do with that information what you will). Hurt/No Comfort

Rating: T (violence)

Word Count: 1,257

Regina blinked. She felt her heartbeat quicken as she looked at Emma. The saviour. The epitome of goodness and bravery and happy endings. She must have heard her wrong. She must have.

“I love you, Regina.” Emma repeated, and it did nothing to ease Regina’s reeling mind. “I think I have done for a while now, if I’m being honest.” Emma laughed a little, beginning to ramble, clearly desperate to fill the silence. Regina just stared at her. She couldn’t even focus on what was being said, unable to hear anything over the pounding of her blood in her ears. Her breath was coming faster and faster, and she could feel the panic settling deep into her chest.

She had to leave. She had to leave now.

“Regina?” Emma’s hand came up, gently, reaching for her cheek, and Regina flinched away. “Woah, hey,” Emma took a few steps back, holding her hands up in a gesture of surrender. “What’s going on? Are you alright?”

No.

No, she was not alright – about as far from it as she had been in a long time. Regina couldn’t breathe, balling her hands into fists to stop them from shaking. And Emma was watching her, green eyes clouded with such tenderness and concern and love, that for a moment they weren’t green at all. Blonde hair became short and brown, and green eyes were suddenly a deep blue. I love you.

The apparition was gone in an instant, and Emma was moving closer again, her hand on Regina’s shoulder, voice warm and reassuring. “Talk to me, Regina.”

She yanked her arm out of the gentle grip, half-stumbling backwards. “Don’t touch me!” She was still breathing heavily, and Emma was looking at her with such pain and hurt in her eyes.

That’s what you do. You hurt people.

“Regina, I-”

She clenched her fists tighter, the sharp sting of her nails digging into her own palms bringing her back to herself, just a little. Just enough.

“I don’t know what I did to give you the impression that I was even remotely interested in that confession, Miss Swan,” she could her the tremor in her voice, but she pushed on, knowing that if she stopped now, if she gave even an inch, she’d lose control completely. “But believe me when I say you have sorely misjudged the situation.” Judging from Emma’s expression, her performance was better than she’d thought. Emma’s eyes were filling with tears, and Regina could feel herself about to break at the sight. “Just imagine it – the Saviour and the Evil Queen?” she let out a bitter laugh that sounded borderline hysterical, even to her own ears. “Ridiculous.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t-” Emma’s voice cracked, and Regina hadn’t meant to teleport away, but she was immensely grateful as the purple smoke swallowed her, whisking her away from the pain she’d caused. When the smoke cleared, she fell to her knees in her vault, blissfully alone as the tears began to fall.

She wasn’t sure how long she stayed there, curled on her side on the cold stone floor, her body wracked with sobs as she pictured Emma’s face, replied her confession over and over. Eventually her breathing began to even out, even as silent tears still pooled on the uneven stone by her head. Her limbs felt so heavy, and she was so exhausted that she didn’t even bother to teleport home before allowing the calming tendrils of sleep to pull her mind into oblivion.

She was running. Panic constricted her chest as she neared the stables, already knowing what she’d find. The wind whipped her braid back and forth but she didn’t care, stumbling over roots and stones until she threw the stable doors open. Candles alighted on the walls and there he was, lying broken on the floor in the centre of it all. Daniel. She collapsed beside him, combing his soft brown hair through her fingers, willing him to look at her. But he didn’t. He couldn’t.

“It’s for your own good, Regina.” Cora’s voice echoed through the space, but when she turned back to the doors, there was no one there. She looked back to Daniel, but he was gone, too. Just dust between her fingers.

She stood, the room spinning, but she didn’t know where she was going. Where could she go?

Graham appeared in the doorway, taking long, purposeful strides towards her, his face set as his eyes locked with hers. She tried to speak, but he slammed her against the wall by her throat.

“You did this,” there was a crowd behind him now – her father, Daniel, Zelena, even little Snow White, back before everything had gone so terribly wrong. All of the people whose lives she’d ruined watched as her huntsman choked the life out of her. “You’re rotten, Regina. And while you’re alive, you’ll rot everyone else with you.”

“No!” she managed to shout, her magic throwing him off of her. He hit the opposite wall with a sickening crack, and the crowd cowered from her as he slumped to the ground. “I’ve changed,” she begged them all to see it, but they shrank back in fear of the fire in her hand. “I’ve changed!” the fire grew, catching on the hay, and the smoke swallowed her. She reappeared on a faraway hill, but she could still hear their screams as they burned.

“It’s all your fault, dearie.” Rumple’s high-pitched giggle bounced around her head, and suddenly she was in the woods. She started running again, but his voice followed her, as if he were speaking right in her ear. “All that anger, all that fear… all the pain you cause… Use it.”

She stumbled into her vault, the drawers pulsing red all around her. She reached for a heart, her vision blurry with tears, but she couldn’t stop now. The Evil Queen didn’t give in to love. She felt her huntsman’s beating heart warming her freezing fingers – he had betrayed her. Time and time again, he had betrayed her.

She squeezed, feeling its pulse stutter under her hand.

But why wouldn’t he betray her? Everyone did. Snow White wouldn’t even keep a single secret – even her own mother hadn’t been on her side. They were all too good for her. Too good to be taken in by her lies. Her fingers tightened around the heart, pressing harder, harder. She heard a gasp of breath, and felt her lips curl upwards. Heard her own laugh echo around the space as she turned towards the heart’s owner.

Her eyes widened and she tried to release it, tried to stop choking the life from the heart in her hand but it was too late.

“Regina…” Emma breathed as she dissolved into dust.

It was always too late.

“Emma!” Regina’s eyes flew open, and it took her a moment to remember where she was. Her face was still wet with tears, but morning light filtered into the room. She should get back. Henry would be wondering where she was.

He’s better off without you. Her own voice murmured in the back of her mind, and she sat up, trying to block it out along with her pounding headache. Her tongue felt like sandpaper and she absently ran a hand through her tangled hair. She couldn’t let Emma get hurt. She couldn’t let herself ruin anyone else. She was the Evil Queen; evil doesn’t love. And even if it did… no one could ever truly love her in return.

Not without paying the price.

[copyrightcreep]

introductions

ello ello. seeing as i'm finally no longer frontstuck. i thought it best to share some introductions and basic do and don'ts. C.H.I.P.S.(me): Cymbaline, Helios, Inigo, Phoenix, Solarios. i age with the body. pronouns are he/they/flame/flameself. though i don't really care what you use. JJJ: Jace Jetro Jaz'zyll. 23 year old dragornborn introject. goes by they/them. Ailen Daexidor: 143 Sea Elf. vampire. and menace. goes by they/them. loves rain and water. Hermeaus Mora: ageless skyrim introject. doesn't front often. and doesn't like to talk. it/it's/itself and they/them. somehow friends with Aziraphale Aziraphale: ??? we don't know his specific age. good omens introject. very gay for Crowley. any pronouns Dempsey: ??? no idea. not quite human anymore? introject from COD BO 3,4 (2 too cause that's where orgins first debut). gay for Takeo. he/him SpaceCore: no age. it/that. portal 2 introject. fragment. loves space and is about the only thing it talks about. Emma: 30 something human introject from Once Upon A Time. she's a fucking menace. will test boundaries and cause trouble. lives together with Regina. she/her Regina/EQ: doesn't wanna admit how old she is. the only one able to keep Emma in line. she/her introject from UOAT Bark: ageless forest spirit/protector. loosely based on Skyrim's Spriggans Tree/treeself, they/them. mostly stays in memory forest Jaxon: 637 year old fire dragon. about as big as a 6 story flat. can assume humanoid form. the dad dragon tm. he/they/she Jason: water spirit, not too friendly. you gotta earn his respect. made out of a water like substance. but can assume more solid form. proud of his horns and scars. he/him Da Kids: (won't be sharing names for privacy) L: age slides between 4 and 7. skrunkliest skrunle to have skrunkled S: factive, somewhere between 6 and 9. S and L get in way too much trouble T: snekboi, 14. loves snow and the cold. H: 16, trauma boy. sticks close to Dempsey and SpaceCore Do's and dont's: please don't encourage Emma or Jason's antics. interact with Jason with care. he can become quite hostile. try to keep it kid friendly around da kids. feel free to interact as much as you want. just make sure towatch the tags for who's speaking. if there's no specific tags just call us Moon.

[pirateswhore]

the people have spoken so prepare for a roller coaster @shipwreckrd @zippoluv

we covered Shakespeare and his sonnets a few months back in my English Ren Course and he's been living rent free in my head (I'm a nerd ok? leave me be). Shakespeare's sonnets can be split into sonnets for the Dark Lady and sonnets for the Fair Youth. Shakespeare's love for the Fair Youth (further text - FY) went behind the physical, it wasn't a sexuak attraction but rather a deep, pure admiration. To him, FY was the physical embodiment of perfection, a shining bright light, guiding him towards happiness (sound familiar?). In his Sonnet 87 specifically, that idolisation can be seen more clearly as he doesn't see himself worthy of FY's love.

my own academic nerdiness aside, here are some parallels I can draw between the sonnet and CS's relationship:

(Emma = beloved, Killian = poet)

Farewell! thou art too dear for my possessing,

And like enough thou knowst thy estimate.

The Charter of thy worth gives thee releasing;

My bonds in thee are all determinate.

the sonnet starts in the aftermath of a relationship's end, we can assume that it was the beloved that ended it and all the poet has left to do is accept it and move on. he is aware that he was never worthy of the beloved's presence. the beloved has realised this and broken the bonds holding them tethered to the poet.

Emma being too good for Killian is something we see both Killian and people around them believe. From Regina saying "you're too good for Hook" in s5b, to Killian himself seeing himself as unworthy of Emma, be it his physical disability (that made him seek a deal with Rumple before their date) or his past sins and evil deeds (it isn't until s5 that he admits that "all sins can be forgiven when someone loves you". the reason Killian doesn't admit to Emma that he made a deal with Rumple is because he fears she will leave - realise her worth, break the bonds holding her to him, and he's lose her. when he does confess what he'd done, we can tell in the voice message that he leaves Emma that he is fully ready to lose her over it - that it would open her eyes and she would realise that she's too good for him.

For how do I hold thee but by thy granting,

And for that riches where is my deserving?

The cause of this fair gift in me is wanting,

And so my patent back again is swerving.

it is interesting to me that the beloved and their love are regarded as a gift in this scenario, one that can be given only by the beloved themselves and taken away at any time if the poet proves ultimately inadequate - we can see Killian wait for Emma, waiting for her to give herself to him, to open up and let him in. he let her set the pace of their relationship, control most aspects of it, and ultimately put himself at her mercy. nothing was stopping her from backtracking, saying she actually didn't want to be with him and put an end to their relationship. much like the poet, killian would respect this decision, knowing deep down from the start that this would one day happen.

Killian is blind to his own progress, how far he's come in his fight against the darkness and ultimately sees no redeeming qualities in himself that would keep Emma around him. he doesn't see why she is with him, he doesn't see what she sees - a good man driven into hiding behind a pirate persona by continous heartbreak and trauma.

Thy self thou gav'st, thy own worth then not knowing,

Or me, to whom thou gav'st it, else mistaking,

So thy great gift, upon misprision growing,

Comes home again, on better judgement making.

the poet reflects on their past relationship and the only reason he can find as to why the beloved gave themself to him is that their either misplaced their own or his worth and that the gift (love) has now gone home again to the beloved.

in terms of captain swan (and killian's view), I would call it a mix of both - Emma's past would easily make her susceptible to having low self-esteem and a poor opinion of herself. everyone eventually left, so she can't be too picky, right ? and her love for killian would blind her and make her (mistakenly) see past his flaws. we can tell she has a lot of hope and faith that killian will find the goodness inside, and we can also see that killian doesn't see himself as worthy of it ("that's quite a lot of faith you're putting on me, Swan"). in his head, what's stopping her from taking off the crimson coloured glasses and seeing him for what he truly is (in his mind) - a lowly, worthless pirate ? the great gift that is her love and care would be taken away from him, given rightfully back to Emma, and all he could do in that moment would be to hung his head, accept it and cherish that it ever even happened. that she ever happened to him

this can be seen culminating in s5b, during their farewell in the underworld - he's well aware that they had more time than they were ever meant to have and as she's leaving in the elevator, he's trying his damn best to remember her, her face and everything about her, still in awe that she gave herself to him (but now more sure than ever that he was undeserving).

Thus have I had thee as a dream doth flatter:

In sleep a king, but waking no such matter.

the essence of Shakespeare's sonnets are contained in the last 2 lines - the relationship, looking back, feels like a dream. perfect and happy but ultimately not real. in the dream (during their relationship, while the beloved was still his), he felt like a king, all powerful and with the world beneath his feet but now that the beloved is gone, that's as for from the truth as you can get.

luckily, we don't see captain swan ever break up but we do see what in s3 killian would be like if he ever lost Emma - an empty shell of a man unsure of what to do with himself. for the short amount of time that she was in his life, she managed to turn it upside down. now that she's gone and he has to get back to who he was before, he's unsure that he can. for all he knew, he was left to mourn his loss and relive their time together for the rest of his life. knowing that everything he ever wanted was so, so close yet so far out of reach.

and yea - that's about it, I think. this is longer than the essay I submitted for my final which I think says a lot.

also a quick edit to go with it (couldn't be bothered to do all 14 lines qlskqls i just chose the 4 that fit the best i think)

it's. it's 2 am and I'm thinking about how well Shakespeare's Sonnet 87 fits with early Captain Swan. This is peak interests-clashing-together moment

[eddisfargo]

Not a day will go by (8/?)

Want to start out with an apology for this taking so long! I've had a huge mental block towards writing, and I want to thank everyone who reviewed, hearted or reblogged for keeping me inspired and giving me the push I needed. And ESPECIALLY @motherkatereloyshipper, whose beta-ing made this chapter about 50% better than it otherwise would've been, and who gave me ideas that made the ensuing chapters look much less intimidating!

I'm going to try REALLY HARD to have another update like... in the month of September. Wish me luck!

Thank you so much for not giving up on this story!

So, when last we left our heroes, Hook had just taken a massive bite of his foot with some people who turned out to be Emma's parents.

Tagging: @resident-of-storybrooke   @everything-person @teamhook

AO3 Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8

Summary:  Awkward moments past (mostly), the family makes plans. Hook makes his own.

“Huh,” was all Hook could think to say. “I wouldn’t have… guessed that.”

“We’re older than we look,” the woman said, with a smile that looked a bit forced. “You might know something about that.” After a moment’s uncomfortable pause, she soldiered on. “But I should’ve introduced myself sooner. I’m Snow, and this is David.”

“You usually call me Dave,” the man – David, apparently – informed him, crossing his arm. “But for now, maybe you should stick to Your Highness .”

Hook raised his eyebrow. He might’ve been perceived to have insulted their daughter – he supposed they might not choose to see his words as complimentary – but how had he been supposed to know whose company he was standing in? He had no bloody context .

“Okay,” said Emma, breaking a silence that had gone on too long. “This is on me. I’ve got to remember that he doesn’t know anything right now.”

This more or less paralleled Hook’s own thoughts, but he thought she took it rather too far. “I know quite a bit,” he said, bristling. Allowing his temper to rise was certainly an improvement over his state of confusion. “But it certainly wouldn’t hurt to tell me who the hell I’m talking to at any given time.”

The man, David, stepped forward. “The first thing you need to know is that you do not talk to Emma like–”

“I think,” the Queen interrupted, sounding bored. She had been watching from the corner with her arms crossed and an expression of amused disdain that raised her hackles still further. She continued, “we have more pressing matters to deal with than a disrespectful tone of voice.”

“Right,” Emma said, all business. “We need to figure out why this happened, and how to reverse it.”

The Queen rolled her eyes. “How to reverse it is obvious. Unless he’s had a recent head trauma…” she raised an eyebrow at Hook. He took a moment to ensure that he felt no pain and shook his head. “Then it’s magic. We might not know who caused it, or why, but I’d think you’re all familiar with the remedy by this point.”

No one seemed to question this statement. He looked to Emma for explanation, but found her smiling at him – a strange, soft smile. He looked away quickly, turning his eyes back to the Queen, who was still talking.

“I’m going to operate under the assumption that you’ve already kissed him?” At Emma’s nod, she shrugged. “So, he doesn’t love you.”

Beginning to see where this was going, Hook risked another glance at Emma, who was biting her lip.

Regina spread her arms. “So, fix it. He fell pathetically fast for you the first time while you were actively trying to get rid of him. How hard could it be?”

Hook felt his jaw sag. That was how their relationship was supposed to have begun? Captain Hook was rarely inclined toward pathos, nor toward wasting his time on a woman who wasn’t interested. No woman was worth that. “Now, wait a – ”

She continued as if she hadn’t heard him. “No, curing him isn’t your problem. Your problem is that until you do, we have an unreformed pirate walking around Storybrooke. If you don’t win him over fast, our first priority is limiting the casualties.”

“He wouldn’t!” the other woman – Snow? – interrupted. “He’s changed!”

“He changed his ways for her , and he doesn’t remember her. We can’t trust that he’s changed, and we can’t trust him. The man he used to be solved all his problems with a sword through the chest.”

Now this, he couldn’t let pass. It wasn’t that he disagreed with this assessment of his character, but the blatant hypocrisy was astounding. He took a threatening step toward her. “Oh, that’s rich, coming from you ,” he spat, “Your Majesty .”

She didn’t back down, straightening from the wall to meet him head on. “At least some of us–”

“Wait,” Emma interrupted. She didn’t shout, but somehow with that one word, she took control of the room. She was looking at him, her brow furrowed. “I thought you said you had no idea who she was.”

Hook hesitated. He had said that, hadn’t he? He reached for an explanation. “I suppose something reminded me,” he said, trying to look surprised himself. “Her contemptuous tone, perhaps.” Deciding he might as well go all in, he brightened his voice. “Perhaps my memory is slowly returning!”

“That’s great!” said Snow.

“No,” said Emma, who was looking at him for the first time as if he was a stranger. Slowly, she shook her head. “You’re lying.”

“I just–” he began, reaching for a plausible cover story.

“Is Regina right?” Emma looked into his eyes as if searching for something. She didn’t seem to find it. “Can we really not trust you?”

He opened his mouth for a rejoinder and got caught in her eyes. He had rarely found himself so at a loss for words, but the way she was looking at him gave him pause. He found himself on the verge of saying something he ought not when Regina interrupted.

“I say we lock him up, just to be safe. He’s incapable of solving his problems with anything but violence.” She made eye contact with him, and the threat in her glare made him defiant. He felt a sudden stab of dread that she would reveal a piece of his history he was quite certain he wouldn’t have told his wife. She didn’t seem like the sort of woman who’d accept… well. Certain sins he’d committed, that he preferred not to think of. It crossed his mind that Emma seemed close to her own father. Hook shook himself out of this line of thought.

“I’ll have you know,” he said coldly, “that I am perfectly capable of controlling myself, if I so choose.” The Queen rolled her eyes. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

Hook smirked. “What would you be willing to stake against it?”

At this, Snow interrupted, sounding appalled. “The stakes are people’s lives! Our friends and family!”

Regina scoffed. “No, we’d better make it something he actually cares about.”

Hook opened his mouth to deny… something. He wasn’t quite sure what, but he didn’t like a damned thing she was implying. Well, he’d show her. He’d show them all. “It’s a wager. I won’t harm a hair on any precious little heads for one week, and…”

“One week ?” Regina interrupted. “Please! Even you could hold yourself back for a week. One month , or until you get your memory back. Whichever comes first.” At his nod, she continued. “Fine. Now, what stakes would make this worth your while?”

Hook considered if there was anything he might want from her. There wasn’t much. She may have powerful magic, but he wanted no part of it. All he wanted was for her to pay . For her deeds in the past, and, of course, for her slights against him today. That was it. Humiliation. What would she hate more than anything? “And you admit, publicly, that you were wrong. A formal apology, and…” He grinned cruelly. “You bow to me. ”

The Queen gritted her teeth. “Fine. And when you fail, I’ll take… the Jolly Roger.” “You’ll do no such thing!” Hook said immediately.

The Queen smiled maliciously. “I should have known. Here I thought you were so sure you could win.”

Before he realized what he was doing, Hook had turned to Emma, as if for support.

Emma was biting her lip, looking troubled. “An exception for self-defense,” she said firmly. The Queen seemed about to protest, as was Hook–not, in his case, at the exception, but at the terms of the wager. But Emma held up a hand toward the Queen. “Look, someone might have done this amnesia thing on purpose. Which would mean we have an enemy. I’m not making him choose between his safety and his ship.”

Looking put-upon, the Queen agreed. “Fine. An exception for non-lethal self-defense.”

“Or defense of someone else,” Emma said firmly. When the Queen nodded reluctantly, Emma turned to him. “Agreed?”

His ship . On the ability to control his temper. Well. He could do it. It would be easy . Perhaps it would even be wise. An image intruded into his mind of a spotted dog and how he’d have felt if he’d–No. With intention, he changed the image to that of Regina’s face upon being forced to humble herself. It would be worth it. He nodded once to Emma, who gave him a smile of such relief that something inside of him twisted.

He supposed she’d been picturing him cutting a swath of bodies through her town, as well she might. He still could, in fact, and wager be damned. If things went south, he could abscond with the Jolly and none could catch him. But her eyes held such trust… He swallowed hard. Irrelevant. Far more important, of course, it would be bad form to go back on a wager. Unworthy of him. At any event, he wasn’t so dependent on violence that he couldn’t do without it for a month.

“Well, with that out of the way,” said the man–David. “Do we have any leads on who could’ve done this?” “While we’re placing bets,��� the Queen said darkly, “ten to one Gold will know.” She sighed. “If he doesn’t know personally .” “Who’s Gold?” Hook asked. The room went instantly silent.

“He… owns the local pawn shop,” said David after a long moment. “They sell magic supplies. It does seem likely that if a substance did this, it went through there.”

Emma was looking at Hook with a worried expression. “I don’t know if bringing him in on this is the best idea.” Hook tried to keep his suspicion off his face. Whatever they weren’t telling him, it was clearly intentional. Let them think he was taken in. He was still capable of finding things out on his own.

“I’ll talk to him,” said the Queen, not looking thrilled at the prospect. “Elsewhere.”

“Sounds like a plan,” said Emma. After a small hesitation, she added, “Regina?” At the other woman’s raised eyebrows, she said quietly, “Maybe don’t mention any… bets.”

Regina made a face. “I think I know better than to volunteer any information, thanks.” She looked at Emma. “I suppose you know what you need to do?”

Emma took a deep breath and smiled tentatively at Hook. “I hope so,” she said, taking his hand. Hook looked down at their clasped hands for a long moment.

“What can we do?” Snow asked eagerly.

Emma thought for a moment. “Maybe try to think of anything else he should urgently know? There are a few things that… could’ve been avoided.” She grimaced at her father, who crossed his arms.

“I’ll say,” David said flatly. Hook couldn’t quite repress a smirk.

Crossing the crowded room in two strides, Snow pulled Emma into a hug. “Oh, sweetheart, I know how hard this is right now–we’ve been there! But you two love each other so much. Your father and I beat this. You can too!” Hook raised an eyebrow. “This has happened to you? This exact situation?”

“Well,” Snow said, looking a bit embarrassed. “it was a little more… intentional in our case.”

Hook found himself intrigued. “How did you cure it?” David grinned wickedly. “She shot me. Hey Emma, maybe you could try–”

“Thanks, Dad ,” Emma interrupted.

Completely ignoring the interruption, Snow beamed at Hook. “True love’s kiss! I just… had to fall in love with him first. Again. But it didn’t take long! Because we were meant to be together, just like you and Emma. You’ll get there!”

To fall in love with Emma. That, apparently, was the key to his memories. If he wanted them back badly enough, that was. But the more everyone talked about how much he’d changed, the more this version of himself–Emma’s husband–sounded like a different person. No one he’d seen seemed particularly afraid of him–the Queen had called him “pathetic,” and no one had really seemed to disagree. Did he want to return?

Certainly, Emma was beautiful... And there was something about the way she carried herself that couldn’t help but appeal... Not to speak of their experiences in the bedroom that they evidently shared.

But he barely knew her. Knew almost nothing… Except for the way she took charge of a room when there was a problem, or the way she looked at him – a way no one had ever looked at him before… But that was nothing, he reminded himself… Certainly not True Love . At least not on his side. And this whole roomful of people, they purported to care for him and yet, he was certain, they were still avoiding telling him everything. No, he couldn’t trust anyone here fully.

Pulling back from her mother’s arms, Emma took a deep breath. “Thanks, guys,” she said, looking around at everyone. Including, to Hook’s annoyance, Regina. Then she turned to him. “Let’s go home.”

[martianbugsbunny]

OUAT Thoughts Pt.33--Episodes 2-3

I have watched through S4E3; spoilers DNI. Also, spoiler warning for anyone further behind than I am.

—I understand the point Anna is trying to make to David, but she’s coming off as oblivious. Her problems with Elsa were backed by the fact that they’re royalty, rather wealthy, with no concern about immediate survival. She speaks from a place from very high privilege, and as a result she comes off as condescending.

—lol David with long hair

—I can’t believe Bo Peep is a warlord! Only in this show….

—But her dress is gorgeous. The skirt is above ankle length, so there’s no risk of tripping. There’s a big old skirt with a couple of layers. There’s a rather fetching bodice. The mix of stripes, decorations, and solid colors is balanced just right.

—It’s kinda disconcerting how tall Henry’s gotten. It’s like watching my kid brother grow up, but in extreme time-lapse.

—Love is stored in the Killian Jones. This dude is killing me with how good a boyfriend he is. He’s genuinely affectionate with Emma, and even in their more casual moments it’s obvious how much he cares for her. He gets this beautiful look of desperation in his eyes when she’s in trouble. I could use a Killian Jones in my life.

—Or a Queen Elsa. I tell you, the second I saw her with her hair in that fancy-ass updo, I had *visible sapphic panic* She gives me those pleasant little palpitations 💓

—Archie wandering around town apparently giving random, unsolicited psychiatric advice is hilarious. And these emotionally constipated Charmings definitely need his assistance.

—At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that Jack Frost is Elsa’s slightly evil grandfather. Which, btw, would be amazing.

—I’m not sure how confident I am that this other Snow Queen is actually related to Elsa. Her timing is beyond suspicious.

—I kinda wanted to see more of Hans. He’s got some decent potential, assuming he’s not dead, which he probably is. But here he’s a bit more of a threat, and he’s got something to prove, which makes him even more dangerous. I also like the angle where his brothers are in on his schemes to take over other kingdoms. And their dynamic within that new angle, where it seems that Hans has all the ambition but his brothers have most of the power, is intriguing.

—Hahahaaa!! True Love’s Kiss didn’t work! Take that Marian!

—I probably shouldn’t hate her, cause even if she is a little snotty she hasn’t done anything wrong, but still! She’s getting in the way of Regina’s happy ending!

—But the Hood family going for ice cream is adorable. I think the kid’s name is Roland? Whatever his name is, he’s a cute kid. HE WOULD MAKE A VERY NICE LITTLE BROTHER FOR HENRY.

—Hook’s dark sense of humor is awesome.

—I loathe Kristoff. First of all, the hair color, while spot-frickin-on, is the only physical thing about him that works. He’s not stocky enough, and his nose isn’t big enough. Second, Kristoff’s intelligent, good-natured, kind-hearted personality has been replaced with abrasiveness and snark. And frankly I don’t think it works. I also see no reason to give him and Elsa beef; it doesn’t really fit, and while I think maybe some initial friction between them could work, having them legitimately fight the way they have is unnecessary. Part of what I like about the Frozen trio’s dynamic is that they get along. There’s no fighting for the sake of fighting. Basically, because Anna loves Kristoff, Elsa loves Kristoff, because she can tell that their relationship is for real (unlike Anna’s feelings for Hans and vice versa). He just doesn’t work.

—If I ever see Olaf in this show I riot. I don’t hate him; I don’t find him to be the Jar-Jar of Disney sidekicks or anything. And if I am a little tired of Josh Gad, that’s not his fault, and I have nothing against him as a person. I just don’t want to see Olaf in OUAT. Flat-out.

—Charming’s father trauma was a lil hard for me. I have previously written a post regarding the use of alcoholism in media, which kinda but not really skirts around my issues, but here we go: about two years ago at this point, one of my grandparents, who isn’t the healthiest person to begin with, fell down the stairs. And lo and behold, it was a fall apparently influenced by alcohol. That grandparent was in the hospital and then a rehab center for a decent chunk of time (and, being the height of the pandemic, and also my being hundreds of miles away, I couldn’t exactly visit). So, I’ve some alcohol-related trauma, although I think compared to what a lot of people have, and what it could’ve been for me, I got off easy. Suffice it to say, I appreciate the serious, realistic tone Charming divulged that information with. That kind of thing wins me over quick.

—Kinda disappointed there has been neither hide nor hair of a Yen Sid character. I love both the Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Kingdom Hearts, in which he played a fair role, and seeing Yen Sid in my new favorite show would slay me.

—Seriously, is Rumple doing evil things again? He needs to chill for a couple seconds.

[ocenitram]

Regina got a few Legos, helping her granddaughter build a castle. “Of course, Emma” she said. “ How big should the castle be?” Regina laughed at Emma’s silliness. “ You just finish up and I’ll change you “ she cooed.

Regina thought about what David said. “ You could be right. “ she said. “ Maybe I should just… enjoy this. “

Henry called to Snow. “ Want to play again?”

Emma thought for a minute tapping her chin and thinking of how to reply, "Hmm, I know it should be as big as the house nana we needs to make it huge cause we can has two houses, and we can all live in lego house," the blonde stated that she wanted this house to be as big as their actual manor and she wanted her family to move to the lego house. "Nana, I done," the big baby said pointing towards her loaded diaper.

"Yeah, if they insist on acting like children then treat them the way they act although that means you might have to ground them every once in a while. but still I bet they just want the motherly side of you no offense I know you a better know but they both may have some trauma left," David wasn't trying to hurt his stepmother in law he was just trying to see things from the other two perspective he hoped that Regina wasn't hurt or mad at him for saying those things.

"Sure, and this time you're gonging down little bro," the bandit princess stopped her work to enjoy a game with her brother "last one there is a rotten egg," Snow said then ran as fast as she could to her brother's room.

[ouatsqincorrect]

hey i saw your headcanons about david/snow/regina and i was wondering if you have any about regina and coras mother/daughter relationship and/or regina and rumples twisted father/daughter/mentor relationship

sure! (but a real quick disclaimer: if you like cora, don’t read this. if you think rumple did not harm regina in any way, don’t read this. do not get mad at me for having my own opinions on them, please and thank you) ALSO tw for abuse.

i am a firm believer in the fact that regina needs therapy. this woman has been through hell and back and you can’t convince me that forgiving herself in 6x14 was all it took to “move on” from everything

she starts going to archie, even though it’s not ideal. (he’s still the only therapist in town and one day, regina will fix this, but for now he’s the only option she’s got) and she begins to work through her past for the first time

this involves accepting that cora harmed her much more than she’s ever been able to admit to herself

she still feels like she’s forgiven her, but forgiving your abuser doesn’t take away the years of trauma they caused

this goes the same for rumple. he may be an actual member of her family now, but he did manipulate her when she was just 18 and broke her down until he could use her to do his bidding (not to mention the whole “no one will ever love you” and “you’re weak when you’re not evil” mindset he introduced to her)

cora is gone. regina has to deal with that trauma without her because there is no bringing cora back, but rumple is still here

and he’s an active part of her life in a very different way then he used to be

rumple never becomes a hero, not really, but he’s also no longer a villain and even though he’s not necessarily getting any professional help anywhere like regina is, he is learning how to articulate his thoughts about his past and what he did

and rumple, just like regina, is willing to admit there are some people who are never going to be able to forgive him and that’s ok

he knows he hurt regina. he’s always known that. even back in the EF, he knew what he was doing to her was wrong

which is why when they actually end up being a part of the same family, he doesn’t pressure her to forgive him or start treating him like they’ve been good friends forever

instead, he shows he cares for her in little ways. he’ll magic over some coffee on rainy days because he knows regina hates when the weather’s bad or he’ll put an extra protection spell around her house when there’s a villain in town because even though he knows she can take care of herself, he still wants to protect her (and henry and emma)

they never talk about these things he does and rumple knows they probably never will

also, he never touches regina without her permission. (i can go on for years about how regina feels about close contact with each member of her family but anyway)

more so than almost anyone else, he understands what she went through back during her “marriage” to the king and he refuses to break any boundaries she might have

(this is different than what happened between him and the evil queen. and he regrets that immensely)

regina, for her part, knows rumple is trying and although she’s certain a part of her will always be a little pissed at him, she does slowly start to forgive him

they never won’t butt heads though. there will always be a lot of unnecessary sass between them but that’s just who they are as people and they both know that, at the end of the day, they’re there for each other if they need it

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Insecurity Is One Of Regina's Prime Motivations

Made this post on reddit initially and thought that I’d get tumblr’s thoughts too. to preface this I’d like to say that I’m not saying that insecurity is her only motive nor is it her main motive. But I do think that it is a very strong contender.

Warnings for eating disorder and abuse mentions. If you want to see the full discussion here’s a link.

So (very recently ) I was part of a discussion about fatal character flaws and it got me thinking. For the aforementioned discussion I went back and found two  pages from the Regina Rising novel. 

The entire page (as well as several other scenes) makes me think that Regina would have a lot of insecurities. Regina isn't comfortable with herself  as a whole, she's not comfortable in her own skin and doesn't love  herself. If that makes sense. For the sake of not having to type it all again I'll post that comment here;

Though  I do think that insecurity stemming from guilt is definitely part of   it--especially with post redemption Regina. Pre-redemption Regina though  is another matter. I actually had a very specific scene in mind (I'll get to that in a bit). I think that her insecurity began far before her  quest for vengeance. It started with Cora trying to police everything in  her life right down to how she rides horses ("you ride like a man").

In  the Regina Rising novel Cora criticizes Regina's ability to paint and (if I remember right) her dancing skills. She also criticizes her outfit  choices. And there was a part where it is implied that Cora restricted  her eating habits as well.  I'll have to see if I can find that page.

So  I think that her insecurity stems from years of her mother belittling her for every little thing. The root is Cora and the imposing of her   will onto Regina. That Regina never seemed to be able to please her and meet her high standards.

The scene  I mentioned above was in episode 14 of season 6. This is the episode  where The Evil Queen is following an arrow to take her to the person she  hates the most. In the end it leads her to a mirror.

This  leads me to say that it goes beyond feeling guilt. I think that she's always been mad at herself. I think that guilt does come into play; deep  down I think that she felt responsible for Daniel's death. And so that  guilt fueled the insecurity she already felt and that insecurity lead to  her vengefulness and hatred.

So  to answer your question simply; I don't think that vengefulness is the  root but it is a big factor. I think that emotional/verbal child abuse  is the root of her insecurity. And thus insecurity is the root of her fatal flaw.

More specifically, I feel like Regina probably has or had body image issues. This is something that I don't think I've seen people talk about very much. But I actually (since reading the novel) have begun to headcanon that she, at one point, might have suffered from an eating disorder or at the very least was very self-cautious about eating habits. The thing that caught my attention and led to me thinking this the most was the very bottom most line of the second image.

Basically I feel like a lot of Regina's vengfulness and her former hatred of people like Emma and Snow stemmed from trauma and insecurity. That her hatred of herself had a pretty big hand in her seeking vengeance and casting the curse. Snow sharing her secret and Daniel's death was just the catalyst--the thing that caused all of these insecurities and all of this anger that has been building to finally come to the surface.

I'd love to hear what everyone else thinks of this speculation.

[firelxdykatara]

I was the anon who sent the ask about cs, and you actually addressed some of the major arguments i've seen - being with hook turned emma from a strong, independent woman into just a love interest, hook pursued emma with no reciprocated feelings, and that he never really redeemed himself. I've also seen arguments that cs is abusive, which i've seen to some extent in anti-kataang posts. i try not to dive too deep into the anti tag for my own sanity but these are some of the main things i've seen

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

ok, sorry, i was just caught up in the euphoria of reminiscing about my captain swan feelings that for a moment there i lived in a world where the Anti CS Brigade didn’t exist. but no, yeah, i know exactly what you’re talking about and honestly i think i just......blocked 90% of it from my mind because so many of those arguments were so vitriolic and widespread but also baseless, like...

gods, ok, here we go. anon you have activated my dormant ouat wordvomit processors and idk if i’ll be able to shut up any time soon but i have A Lot Of Thoughts Here, and also a lot of really bad memories cause ye gods, the ouat shipping wars of the days of yore were vicious.

ANYWAY, like, the vast majority of these arguments came from the ‘swan queen nation’, which is where you can trace a lot of super toxic wlw ship stans back to--just for a little context, but clexa and supercorp both had their roots in swan queen, among other ships, but those are the Big Three i always go back to because what they have in common is ‘the main character of the series is explicitly abused/treated horribly by another woman and for some reason the shippers go nuts over this pairing and will insist the show is queerbaiting them if this specific pairing is not made canon’. and swan queen stans, in particular, had it out for captain swan, because they were incredibly insistent about regina and emma being in love, and naturally the existence of emma’s romantic arc with killian threatened that.

as a result, they quite literally made shit up.

it’s funny (not ‘funny ha ha’ but like funny depressing), because a lot of what they accused CS of is actually shit that happened explicitly on screen with regina and emma. they claimed that emma was no longer strong or independent because she fell in love with killian, while ignoring the fact that she’d become a literal doormat for regina’s many abuses (there are so many things regina did to emma even after her alleged redemption which, if she weren’t being so coddled by the narrative, emma would never have let her get away with--like blaming her for saving the life of a woman regina had murdered in the past, or like telling emma to her face that she wanted to tear killian’s throat out because he managed to come back from the underworld while the man regina loved stayed dead) because, for some reason, they interpreted emma being happy and no longer closed off to the people she loved, choosing to let down the walls she’d built up over a lifetime of trauma as her being ‘reduced to a love interest’ which just did not happen.

like, factually, straight up, emma was every bit as badass while dating killian as she was back in season 1. the only difference is, in season 1 emma didn’t trust anyone, she was closed off, she had a million walls built high around her by trauma, and she wasn’t willing to let anyone in because she believed that if she did then she’d only be traumatized again when they inevitably left. by season 4, when she started officially dating killian, many of those walls had come down, she was happier and healthier, she was falling in love and she was letting herself be in love, she had her parents, her son, the whole town full of people she loved. she was fucking happy, but she wasn’t happy with the right love interest, so swan queen shippers insisted they wanted ‘season 1 emma back’. because they would rather emma be miserable so they could interpret her antagonism with regina as closeted gay pining, than have her dare to be happy with a man and a family that didn’t include regina.

as to the other claims, while hook did make his feelings for emma clear once he realized he felt them, the ball was in her court almost completely. he made comments, told her how he felt, said things like ‘when i win your heart, and i will win it, it will be because you want me’ where the clear emphasis was on emma’s feelings--he believed she had some feeling for him, but he wanted anything between them to be because it was what she wanted. emma initiated every explicitly romantic interaction. killian made a flirty comment, which he was wont to do, and which she could easily have brushed off--instead, she grabbed him by the coat and yanked him into a kiss which lasted far longer than it needed to if all she wanted to do was make a point. (sorry, that scene is just burned into the brain of every CS shipper, i know it literally by heart lmfao) he made it clear that if she wanted him he would be there, but i she didn’t he wasn’t going to push her. he followed her through an entire damn portal into the past because he wanted to help her, because he’d go anywhere for her--to the end of the world, or time--but emma was the one who invited him to dinner with her family. emma was the one who noticed he hadn’t come in yet, and went to see him. emma was the one who kissed him, initiating their relationship.

like @storynightlight said in the replies to the last ask you sent, a majority of the important milestones in killian and emma’s relationship were initiated by emma. she was the one constantly progressing their relationship, it went entirely at her pace in large part because one damaged soul recognizes another, and killian had been through enough trauma in his long (long, long) life to understand that emma needed to work things through on her own terms. he wanted to be part of her life, but it had to be when she was willing to let him in. and he was perfectly content to wait for her to be ready.

as far as the ‘abuse’ claims go, that was honestly just straight up fabrication on the part of swan queen shippers mostly, which is intensely ironic considering the state of emma and regina’s ‘friendship’ for literally the entire damn series. most of them referenced things that happened while emma and killian were enemies (they called their sword fight ‘abuse’, which like.... i’m sorry but two people on opposite sides of a violent conflict having a fight is not abuse, and incidentally that’s an argument that zutara gets hit with too, to this day, clearly words don’t actually mean things anymore), and ignored the fact that killian’s behavior changed as his redemption arc progressed. he didn’t become a good upstanding citizen overnight, but he did feel remorse for his prior bad actions and the harm he caused, he went to great lengths to make up for that harm when and where he could, and he tried to be as good a man as he possibly could in later seasons, even when circumstances (like, oh, gold having possession of his heart and using it to control him, which anti CSers also blamed him for, go figure) made that nearly impossible.

meanwhile, as late as season 6, regina was still blaming emma for everything that went wrong in her life. regina happily browbeat emma about everything she ‘stole’ from her for basically the entire series. regina, in the context of their friendship after her alleged redemption, was constantly verbally and emotionally abusive to emma--and yet that behavior was completely overlooked, or deemed ‘pining’ or some other obvious evidence of romantic feelings, by swan queen shippers who would prefer to claim emma was being abused by her caring and loyal boyfriend who constantly believed in her even when she had trouble believing in herself. (incidentally, it truly is incredibly rich of regina stans (and rumple stans, a lot of them say this too) to claim that killian never redeemed himself, when regina is the one with a vault full of hearts she never returned to their proper owners, and regina is the one who murdered someone emma cared about and never confessed to it, let alone apologized for it; graham died in emma’s arms while regina crushed his heart, and it was never once brought up again. regina got away with it scott free, and it is just one on a list of crimes she literally never expressed even the slightest bit of remorse for, let alone tried to atone for. yet killian is the one who ‘never redeemed himself’ mmhmmm ok sure jan.)

I’M SO SORRY ANON, you probably had no idea the can of Worms you were opening with these asks, but CLEARLY i still have a lot of damn feelings about this fucking show lmfao. THANK YOU THOUGH!!! i haven’t talked about captain swan or even really reminisced much in a while, and i miss them a lot, so it was nice to dive back into my Feelings and remember so much of what i loved about them! i may do a rewatch soon >.> it’s ok if i just skip 4b except the finale and then turn it off immediately after emma and killian’s reunion at the end and pretend the entire show ended there, right????

i hope you’re having a good night! thanks again for the asks <33

[themattress]

OUAT AND ME: IN WONDERLAND

Story - Because this spin-off series only lasted for one season's worth of 13 episodes, its story is simply the Wonderland Saga and nothing else beyond that, which is for the best given that the story reaches far too complete an ending for anything beyond it to make any sense. The story is about Alice and what transpired after she returned from her original journey through Wonderland as a little girl, leading up to her romance with a young genie named Cyrus as a teenager, their tragic separation, her commitment to a mental institution, and her return to Wonderland in order to reunite with her lost love alongside her friend the Knave of Hearts, all while facing threats from the Red Queen and Jafar who seek to use Cyrus’ genie powers to break the laws of magic in order to accomplish their own secret goals.

The Wonderland Saga is as tight as tight can be, with one chief setting (Wonderland), a relatively small cast of characters, and a 4-episode beginning, 4-episode middle, and 5-episode end. Of course, this wouldn't matter if it wasn't an engaging story with enjoyable characters, but thankfully it very much is. This series is the brainchild of not just Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, but also of Jane Espenson and Zack Estrin, and because of this fact combined with its limited length, it actually surpasses the original Once Upon a Time when you stack the two completed shows up against each other. Sometimes, less is more.

As I said, the story is divided into a clear-cut beginning, middle, and end. The beginning focuses on the early part of Alice and the Knave's journey and establishing who they are and what their deal is, while Jafar and the Red Queen's goals and motivations are kept enigmatic and Cyrus is trapped in a cage for the whole duration of the time. The middle lets Cyrus escape, sheds light on Jafar and the Red Queen's goals and motivations, and explores the darker sides of Alice and the Knave as we see just how badly their past traumas have affected them. And the end is all about the alliance of Alice, Cyrus, the Knave and the Red Queen as they fight Jafar and his new ally the Jabberwocky to decide the fate of Wonderland. It's here that all lingering questions are answered and all character arcs are fully completed.

As far as stories go, this is top tier OUAT. I think I like the Dark Curse and Neverland Sagas slightly more, but the Wonderland Saga comes in at an incredibly close third place.

Characters - There are less of them than in the main show, so this will be easy.

* We start with Alice, played by Sophie Lowe as a teenager and by pre-Stranger Things Millie Bobby Brown as a child. She is a wonderfully multi-faceted heroine, capable of great love and great hate, great kindness and great cruelty, great ingenuity and great gullibility, and always treading the line between holding to hope and giving into despair. While her romance with Cyrus is the focal point of the story, I love that it's not the only important aspect to her character. We also delve into her fractured relationship with her father; her initially unsteady but eventually rock solid friendship with Will; her hate, fear and distrust of Anastasia up until she finally sees the girl behind the queenly mask and how very much alike they truly are; and even her internal mental and emotional conflicts with herself on various matters that sometimes go external due to how Wonderland works. And no offense to Emma Swan, who is great in her prime, but I feel like Alice is ultimately the stronger and more likable lead.

* Cyrus really impresses me, because being the romantic male object of the heroine's attention and a guy who spends the entire first third of the story stuck in a cage, he could have very easily been a boring character. But very quickly, he shows that good looks and magic powers aren't all there is to him - this guy is smart. His cleverness and ingenuity that allows him to affect the plot even when inside his cage is something to behold, and he only gets better once he's free from his prison and gets to play off other characters with more frequency. Add to this a backstory where we see he used to be a selfish con artist, and it being his love for Alice that changed the selfish part while repurposing the con artist part for the cause of good, and you have a character you can enjoy and a couple you can root for.

* The show's breakout character, for better or for worse (no, it's definitely for worse, as we'll see in the next post) is the Knave of Hearts / Will Scarlet. Played excellently by Michael Socha, Will was formerly one of Robin Hood's Merry Men but is now an outlaw all to himself in Wonderland. He's sardonic and quippy, selfish and yet reliable at the same time, eerily muted in his emotions due to having his heart removed from his chest and yet clearly possessing deep feelings within his soul that occasionally bubble to the surface. We watch him go from an untrustworthy, cowardly cad who refuses to accept responsibility for anything to a brave and loyal friend who will sacrifice his own well-being for those he cares about. And his love story with Anastasia honestly steals the show from Alice and Cyrus', as it's full of betrayal and heartbreak and fights and truces and reconciliations before its happy ending, and that honestly feels more human than Alice and Cyrus' entirely plot-based separation.

* Speaking of the Red Queen / Anastasia, she is the female villain with a redemption arc that Regina (and Zelena, to a lesser extent) wishes she was. When she first appears, the Red Queen seems to be a chillingly calm and poised sociopath without moral scruples, but she quickly starts displaying vulnerability, and kudos must be given to Emma Rigby for conveying this through her amazing performance. Her cool, haughty face is like a mask, with more and more cracks beginning to show until we see who she really is - Anastasia, a peasant girl who was misled into a life that was full of power and privilege but that was also lonely and way over her capability to endure in the long run, and who desperately wants to take it all back and return to who she used to be. Once she realizes that she won't be getting the magic shortcut she seeks and that in the process of seeking it she'd wrought even more damage to Wonderland, Anastasia fully commits herself to doing better by everyone that she'd hurt. Even horrific torture, temporary death and mind control doesn't stop her from aiding in the cause to save Wonderland! She's amazing and more than earns her happy ending with Will.

* I could gush about Jafar, the Big Bad of the story, all day long. Jafar has always been my favorite Disney Villain, but he's the villain of an animated musical comedy, so I guess I've always had the question in the back of my mind as to what he'd be like if applied to something with a more serious tone? Well, this version of the character, played to chilling perfection by Naveen Andrews, answers that question. Stripped of most of his caricatured and humorous elements, Jafar is a psychotic, power-hungry madman who will stop at nothing to get what he desires. There is no-one he won't manipulate or torture or murder in his quest to become all-powerful. And the show also gives him a feasible, compelling and incredibly dark backstory (he's the bastard child of an Agrabahn sultan who rejected him to the point of trying to murder him) that explains why he is the way he is but is never used to excuse him or entertain the slightest notion that he might be redeemable.  This version of Jafar perfectly embodies what Roy Disney and Jeffrey Katzenberg said about the original: “Jafar is just pure evil. He wants to take over the kingdom and kill everybody in sight or enslave them, or whatever suits his fancy." "This is the guy that wants it all. You know right from the start that he is a desperate character, capable of doing anything and everything to get what he wants".

* The White Rabbit / Percy is a purely CGI character, and you'd fear that this wouldn't work, but the show embraces how cartoony he is and so it actually works perfectly. He's a very appealing character as well: very neurotic and cowardly, but also a family man whose heart is in the right place and who can be very brave when push comes to shove. A lot of his likability also comes from the fact that John Lithgow (yes, I'm surprised they were able to get him too!) does his voice, and I can't think of anyone else who could voice such a character better.

* In terms of side characters, we have many Wonderland staples reimagined for this show, such as the Cheshire Cat who is now a feral beast voiced by Keith David, the Caterpillar who is now a Jabba the Hutt-esque crime boss voiced by Iggy Pop (who sounds nothing like the voice from the main show, but I digress), Tweedledee and Tweedledum who are the Red Queen's manservants (one being undyingly loyal while the other is a spy for Jafar), the sleazy Red King who tempts Anastasia into becoming his bride, the Carpenter who is trapped in a drug-like haze in the Boro Grove, the White Knight who stands guard over an important pair of doorways, and the Jabberwocky, a monster in the form of a humanoid woman whose power is being able to see a person's greatest fear and use it to psychologically torture them.

There is also mention of Alice having met Jefferson the Mad Hatter when she was a child, and Cora the Queen of Hearts herself appears in the flashback that shows how she manipulated events so that Will became the Knave of Hearts and ensure that Anastasia remained the Red Queen, whom she taught magic and villainy to and treated like a daughter. Regina, Zelena, Anastasia...is there no young woman that Cora won’t attempt to ruin?

Other side characters from other realms include Alice's highly flawed yet ultimately repentant father Edwin, his bitch of a new wife Sarah and her precocious young daughter Millie, and the cold-hearted Dr. Lydgate all from Alice's Victorian world; Robin Hood, Maleficent (voice-over only) and Anastasia's mother Lady Tremaine all from the Enchanted Forest; Nyx the guardian of a sacred well, Cyrus' mother and Jafar's teacher Amara, Cyrus' brothers Taj and Rafi, and Jafar's father the Sultan and half-brother Mirza all from Agrabah. The Sultan, by the way, is a particularly interesting character, as he's introduced as Cyrus' kindly old cellmate and you really get to thinking of him as a good guy, only to then learn who he really is and just what an utterly horrible person he was in the past. His tale is a tragic one, as while he sincerely commits to repenting, it’s not good enough and thus he cannot escape fatal poetic justice.

And then there's one side character that just really gets my goat: Elizabeth aka the Lizard, a cute young thief who has a crush on Will. She appears in the 4th episode and doesn't really do much of anything, then disappears for a while. I thought maybe she was going to end up paired with that "Mr. Darcy" suitor of Alice's from her world and it was going to be a big Pride and Prejudice reference...but instead, she reappears in the 9th episode, becomes the now genified Will's master, and makes a wish that accidentally kills her in order to give Will man-pain. And then she isn't really spoken of again afterward. What was even the point of her!? You could cut all of her scenes and actions from this story and miss absolutely nothing!

Atmosphere - I would describe this show's atmosphere as light and dark, back to back. When it's light, it is much lighter than Once Upon a Time, being very whimsical and romantic and fluffy and hopeful to an even higher degree than its parent show at its best. However, this kind of lightness helps to make the dark elements come off as that much darker as a result. And while there's certainly some dark stuff where Alice in concerned, from an intended lobotomy in the premiere episode to the intense clashing she has with her father, and in the troubled pasts of Will and Anastasia, nothing comes close to the darkness of everything Jafar-related. It's a guarantee that he will do something horrible to someone at least once per episode, although it's usually more than once. The nature of his backstory as a bastard child whose father attempts to drown him plus the intensity of his depraved power-lust also make him a particularly dark character, as is his eventual partner, the terrifying Jabberwocky. Personally, I have always appreciated stories that can balance light and dark in this way and am able to handle both of them, so this show's atmosphere is very appealing to me.

Episode Quality - All I can say here is that there is only one dud in this series, and it's not hard to spot which episode it is. Like I said, while the beginning and middle portions of the show are 4 episodes each, the end is 5 episodes...and the first of those 5, "Nothing to Fear", is incredibly awkward and poorly executed. On top of being where the aforementioned death of the Lizard occurs, the plotline with Alice, Cyrus and Anastasia is also botched. Alice clinginess to Cyrus out of worry that he might become separated from her again and she wants to savor the time she has with him now doesn't really work in the context of needing to find where the freshly genified Will went ASAP, and it makes Alice look bad - Will went through "Bloody Hell" to help her reunite with Cyrus, and now that she's been reunited with him at the direct expense of Will, she doesn't give a fuck? She feels no urgent desire to pay her friend back and be as dedicated to helping him as he was to helping her? Also, the way she verbalizes her issues sounds too ripped off of Emma Swan from the similarly clumsy episode "The New Neverland", and what works for Emma doesn't really work for Alice.

Alice's distrust of Anastasia and dislike of working with her is also badly written, in literally every other episode the tense dynamic between these two has been handled with more care and nuance, but here Alice just comes off as a bratty child. Again, Will is missing and you need to find him quickly, so being able to put aside your differences with Anastasia maturely would go a long way in helping make that happen, Alice! Also, there's a sequence with angry peasants tying Anastasia, Alice and Cyrus to stakes to be eaten by nocturnal wolf-like creatures, and it's so thoroughly mishandled to the point of coming across as comical (Anastasia really can't fight back or escape her binding despite the skills we've seen her have before? Cyrus really thought an eloquent speech was going to instantly convince the peasants to do what he wants of them? The peasants act like they're righteous people who are getting justice against their oppressor and yet then tie two completely innocent people up for daring to go against the grain on the matter? And oh my God, those wolves look awful!)

The only good parts of the episode are the very last scene between Alice, Cyrus, Anastasia and (finally!) Will, plus all of the scenes with Jafar which lead up to the Jabberwocky's debut. Otherwise, this was a transitional episode that needed a lot of fine-tuning from its makers.

Overall - Once Upon a Time in Wonderland is now on Disney+, so if you have that streaming service and haven't watched it, please do so. It's a very well-made limited series that features a great story and great characters played by great actors, and is a definite part of OUAT in its prime. And again, when both completed shows are compared, this one wins hands-down.