themeepyfreak

[themeepyfreak]

Rumple: Baelfire...

Neal: It's Neal!

At this point, of course Neal doesn't want to be Baelfire. To Neal, the name "Baelfire" has always been associated with misery and suffering. He was abandoned by his mother, father, and step-father (Hook) as Baelfire. As Baelfire, he was tortured for centuries in Neverland and never got his happy ending. It wasn't until he called himself Neal that he met Emma (the love of his life) and had 10 years of normality without the dangers of magic.

His staunch denial of the name "Baelfire" was another way for Neal to deny his past. For his entire life, Neal has been forced to move on from one trauma to another. He never allowed himself any time to grieve, evidenced by how fast he got over Tamara. While this may have helped Neal survive, this wasn't healthy in the long run.

Therefore, I always thought that this moment was foreshadowing future character development for Neal. I thought the show was going to force Neal to confront magic and his related trauma that he pushed aside, maybe through Emma's uncontrolled magic in s4. Only after some soulsearching will Neal finally accept not only magic but also acknowledge how much it hurt him as Baelfire. Only after some soulsearching will Neal finally get over his trauma and allow his father to call him Baelfire again without any resistance.

[themeepyfreak]

Here is mine... all over the place.

No pressure tags: @takadasaiko @shewholovesall @justanoutlawfic

thank you sm for the tag @messylustt <33

search your name + core in pinterest and post the first nine things you find

i love this so so much & i also love how i have the same name as the goddess, maxine minx <33

no pressure tags: @ciinnamilke @stvrlighttgabss @poisonedprose @saintlulls @ouchvns @daltopia @solutopia @juneberrie & anyone else who wants to do this <3

[themeepyfreak]

"you read a lot, right?"

"yes!"

"what are some books you've read recently?"

"uhh i don't remember"

[themeepyfreak]

From a Doylist perspective, this scene was definitely meant to subtly foreshadow that Henry's dad was Baelfire.

However, from a Watsonian perspective, Emma didn't know Neal's real name, so this was a weird lie. It makes me wonder if Neal made jokes in Emma's presence about himself and fire without any context. Because given Neal's canon humor when he grows up (read: "The Kingdom of Damarian on the North Shore of the Dragon Fields of Zorn"), punny jokes about his old name seem to be in his wheelhouse.

I thought I was lingering too hard on Neal as an arsonist (it's a cool idea okay) and then in "True North", Emma lies to Henry, tells him that Neal was training to be a fireman.

She made up this story, but I've often wondered if there were any ingredients that were true. We know Emma got pregnant with Henry right after she got out of foster care and considering she was stealing cars, she probably DID have trouble finding work. I'm curious where the 'fireman' angle came from, if it was truly random or if Emma remembers Neal with a weird relationship with fire.

[themeepyfreak]

Technically, Emma probably wasn't lying in this scene, but I doubt she put more than the legally-required effort to find and inform Neal about Henry before he was born and adopted.

Legally, Emma had to tell Neal, as Henry's father, about Henry and his adoption before giving him up. However, since Emma didn't know where Neal was, all that she would need to do was prove that she made an effort to tell him.

One common way that Emma could have done this is by putting an ad in the classifieds informing Neal that he's a father, she's putting the child up for adoption, and if he wants to contest it, he needs to come to the courthouse on a certain day at a certain time.

However, given that a) most people don't read the classifieds unless they are looking for something specific, and b) the paper would be in Arizona, and Neal was in Canada by that point, the odds of him seeing such an ad would be slim to none. Plus, even if Neal did miraculously see such an ad, he realistically couldn't come to the courthouse without getting jailed since he was still a wanted man in Arizona for stealing the watches.

Regardless, it would be enough of an effort for a judge to give Emma the right to put the child up for adoption without Neal's express consent.

NO YOU DIDN'T.

I understand why it makes total sense why she didn't but it's also fucking sad because if Neal had known she was pregnant, there wasn't a chance in hell he would've left, even after August...

[themeepyfreak]

Day 6: Favorite Trope

Friends-to-Lovers

I love the friends-to-lovers trope because the characters form a bond and truly get to know each other before romance ever comes into the picture. And when romance does get involved, instead of getting crushes on each other for shallow attributes like their physical appearances and public masks, the characters get crushes on each other for their true selves. As friends, the characters have seen each other at their best, at their worst, when they're happy, when they're sad, when they're trying too hard, when they're not trying enough, etc. And despite knowing all of their flaws and unattractive moments, the characters still fall in love with each other- warts and all.

That's one of the reasons why I love Swanfire- because it's the essence of a friends-to-lovers relationship. Even though there was mutual attraction between Neal and Emma from their first meeting, I doubt either of them tried to pursue a romantic relationship immediately. When they both met, Emma was too closed off and unwilling to trust people after her trauma with the foster system. And even though Neal was flirty with Emma at first, his flirtiness and confidence seemed to be a mask he formed from living on the streets for years. (Whenever Neal was sincere in "There's No Place Like Home" and the latter parts of "Tallahassee", he fidgeted and was more insecure and acted more like young Baelfire did.) When Emma and Neal met, they were both just two lost, homeless kids in need of a friend, not a romance.

Because of their dire situation, Emma and Neal decided to cohabitate the bug and work as thieving partners which acquainted them with each other fairly quickly. They spent almost every minute with each other, living together in a small space barely as big as a closet. Inevitably, they grew to understand each other more than they even knew themselves, as shown by Neal knowing how much Emma yearned for her parents and Emma knowing Neal's mentality concerning the tallies in his Neverland cave in "Nasty Habits". They saw each other at their moodiest, grossest, most braindead, etc. But despite this, they were still fascinated with each other, interested in each other's stories and thoughts and opinions, until they finally fell in love with each other- warts and all.

[themeepyfreak]

Day 5: Song/Quote

"You don't get closure You blink and it's over And you never see what a good thing you had til it's gone I never saw What a good thing I had But it's gone"

"Test of Time" by Beth Crowley

[themeepyfreak]

Day 4: A Personal Headcanon

My HC is that after talking to August and deciding to leave Emma to her destiny, Neal went back to the meeting place to say goodbye to Emma, but it was too late.

Canonically, in "Tallahassee", when Neal went to fence the watches, he left the bug with Emma. Therefore, when August intercepted Neal and persuaded him to leave Emma, the bug was still in Emma's possession. So when Emma was arrested, the bug was most likely close to where Emma was waiting for Neal. This means that in order for Neal to have had the bug when he confronted August later in Canada, Neal must have gone back to where the bug was (close to where Emma was waiting for him) before leaving to Canada.

Personally, I think that an hour or two after Neal stood Emma up, he started to feel bad about leaving without a word, so he tried to go back to the meeting place hours later than they planned to at least give her a goodbye. However, when Neal reached the meeting place, Emma was already gone (since August called the cops on Emma- confirmed by A&E on Twitter- and she was arrested) though the bug was still nearby. I think Neal assumed that Emma left on her own (or that August already connected with her), so he took the bug and went to Canada.

It's not until Neal was already in Canada when he opened the trunk; saw all of Emma's possessions, including the baby blanket she never left without (since canonically, Emma didn't have anything on her when she was arrested); and realized that something was wrong. Afterwards, he tried to look for Emma, found out that she was arrested for the watches, tried to locate which prison she was in with no luck, and finally contacted August to get some answers. That's when August told Neal about calling the cops and convinced Neal that Emma was better off in jail (since it's not like Neal could have bailed her out anyway). This led to Neal requesting to meet August in person where they had their second canon conversation in which Neal (naively) promised not to reunite with Emma until after the curse was broken if August took care of Emma and made sure that Emma got the money and the bug (with all of her possessions, including her baby blanket, inside).

Disclaimer: This hc probably contains plot holes. It's just my best reasoning of what happened in "Tallahassee" based on the canon events and characterizations. I also don't mean to villainize August in this HC; I actually have theories on why August makes the decisions he does in "Tallahassee", but this post is already too long without going into August's perspective. Maybe if people are interested, I'll make another post on August's point-of-view specifically.

[themeepyfreak]

Day 3: Love Languages

Neal/Bae: Physical Touch

Neal/Bae's love language is the easiest to parse out in canon because it's prevalent throughout. Ever since Bae was a baby, physical touch was how Rumple expressed his love to him. In every flashback scene with Rumple and Bae, Rumple has a hand on Bae, silently supporting and protecting him.

And the show writers use this nonverbal interaction to parallel Bae and Rumple's relationship as it becomes more strained. When Rumple becomes the Dark One, his touch becomes more possessive. This continues until Bae starts rejecting Rumple's touch (as he rejects the Dark One) when Rumple tries to reach out to him in "Nasty Habits" and "Manhattan". In both "The Return" and "Manhattan", Rumple's abandonment of Bae is described as Rumple letting go of Bae's hand- a very physical action. That's why the moment when Bae grabbed Rumple's hand in "The Miller's Daughter" is so impactful- because it is the first time that Bae wholeheartedly accepts his father's touch and affection in centuries, even if he is still angry. As season 3A progresses, Bae physically distances himself from his father in Neverland when he finds out about the prophecy and feels like he can't trust him in "Nasty Habits". However, once Bae forgives his father in "Save Henry", he enthusiastically hugs him. In season 3B, Bae and Rumple literally share a body due to Rumple's love for Bae- their physical closeness once again symbolizing their repaired relationship. When Bae dies in "Quiet Minds", his hand falls out of Rumple's, representing their permanent separation. Bae no longer needs Rumple's physical touch and affection because Bae's no longer there.

Using touch to portray affection and genuine care is a theme for Bae throughout his life. In "Second Star to the Right", Bae uses physical touch to comfort Wendy. And later in "Tallahassee", Bae is more physically affectionate with Emma the more that time passes and the closer that they become. Even as early as their first "date" in "There's No Place Like Home", Bae plays with Emma's glove when he's being vulnerable to feel closer to her physically without crossing her boundaries and touching her.

Bae's need for physical affection in "Tallahassee" (especially after being touch starved in Neverland for centuries) is complemented by Emma reciprocating that physical affection despite not being a touchy person. Emma starts out being standoffish in the beginning of "Tallahassee" and "There's No Place Like Home", drawing into herself and avoiding any physical touch. However, as time passes, she gets more comfortable with being physically affectionate and even initiates it, especially when Bae is upset. One canon example is when Emma grounds Bae with physical touch when Bae is agitated about the wanted poster. When Bae starts arguing against Emma going for the watches, she swings her arm around him which seems to calm him down to the idea more.

I headcanon that Emma and Bae did a lot of hand-holding and non-verbal communication throughout their relationship. I think that they had signals to each other to make sure the other person is alright (which would have helped during heists as well) to complement Emma's innate ability to read Bae. I think that Emma realized early on that the best way to comfort Bae after nightmares was physical touch (hugs, gentle kisses). I can also see Emma sidling up to Bae whenever she sensed that something was bothering him and just quietly grabbing his hand and lacing her fingers in between his to remind Bae that he's not alone and make him relax almost instantly.

Just like physical touch is used to display the progress in Bae and Rumple's relationship, it is also used to show the progress in Bae and Emma's relationship when they reunite.

Bae has a tendency to fidget with his scarf, especially when he is vulnerable around Emma, which I think is a self-soothing technique. He longs for her physical touch, but too much has happened between them for him to reach out to her, so he physically touches his scarf to comfort himself. It isn't until the penultimate episode of season 2 after he breaks up with Tamara that he finally reaches out to Emma, hugging her when she's about to fall through the portal. This continues in season 3A when he hugs her after getting out of the cage in "Ariel" and stays beside her to support her throughout.

Emma, on the other hand, tries to be standoffish around Bae but fails miserably- just like how she tries to deny her love for Bae but fails. Since they reunite, Emma is always pictured by Bae's side (which is seen in many stills from season 2B and 3A). Not to mention that other than Henry, Emma initiates physical contact (even if it is just casual) with Bae more than anyone else in canon in the earlier seasons. In season 2B, she physically pushes him in "The Miller's Daughter" when he stops to stare at the magical chalk barrier, and she physically grabs him to stop him from going after Henry when Henry confronts Regina in "Welcome to Storybrooke". In season 3A, Emma hugs Bae in Neverland after they get him out of the cage in "Ariel", Emma sidles next to Bae to hug him after his father dies (which encourages Henry to do the same) in "Going Home", and Emma's the one who initiates the hug with Bae at the town line when they are about to be separated yet again. When Bae dies in "Quiet Minds", Emma pulls Bae into her arms and lets Bae die being physically comforted by her- being loved. And lastly, when Emma reunites with Bae briefly in the underworld in "Souls of the Departed", Emma caresses Bae's face, showing that she still loves him even though he is dead.

This behavior especially stuck out to me because in the earlier seasons, the other person usually has to initiate physical contact for Emma to return it. But with Bae, she's a lot more liberal and initiative with physical touch, even when she "hates" him.

Finally, to cement how Bae associates physical touch with love and affection, Bae is very physically affectionate with Henry. From their first meeting, Bae mimics Henry's body language and leans in close to him when talking, showing his love and interest through nonverbal communication. As they get closer, Bae is always touching Henry- ruffling his hair, patting his shoulder, carrying him, hugging him, wrestling with him in the background of "The New Neverland", etc. And Henry returns it readily, appreciating physical affection just like his father does (though probably not as desperately as Bae seems to crave it). The blatant physical affection between Henry and Bae is what makes their relationship seem so close and loving, even if they had a limited time together.

[themeepyfreak]

Day 3: Favorite Episode

2x21 "Second Star to the Right"

I love this episode for a multitude of reasons.

First, I loved all of the flashback scenes about Bae's backstory. Ever since season 1, I wondered what happened to Bae after he went through the portal. And after all of the foreshadowing about Neverland (from all the way back to "Tallahassee"), it was so satisfying to finally see the pay-off. Not to mention that the flashbacks also explain the beginning of Bae's life of crime- since in Victorian England, it was the norm for street children and the only option he had other than working in a factory conducive to minimal pay and child abuse. I also loved the portrayal of Wendy and the Darlings. I'll never forget Bae's expression when Wendy accepts him and the Darlings take him in as part of their family.

Second, even the present day scenes filled my Swanfire heart. Emma was still suspicious of Tamara, and while she might have claimed that it's only due to her superpower, it's obvious that she's so diligent due to her jealousy concerning Tamara's engagement to Neal (especially considering how she acts around Greg/Owen who also set off her lie detector). Then, the beach scene where Neal apologizes and explains how he never forgave himself was so heartwarming and raw. Especially when followed by Neal saying that he'll always have Emma's back, even if he still didn't believe her about Tamara.

The cincher of the episode was Bae sacrificing himself to the shadow for the Darlings paralleled by Neal sacrificing himself to the portal while shot for Emma and Henry. It not only harkened back to "The Return" but also showcased Neal's self-sacrificing nature which is prevalent throughout his presence on the show (even debatably in his decision to leave Emma in "Tallahassee"). It was heartbreaking to hear Emma and Neal say "I love you" to each other again only to lose each other again.

I still remember when this episode came out, and during the hiatus before season 3 was released, I rewatched it multiple times, just dreaming of possibilities of how Bae's story continued in Neverland as well as Neal reuniting and reconnecting with Emma in the place of his former trauma. While season 3 didn't fulfill all of my expectations, the last 2 episodes of season 2 will always be in my heart because of the hope and daydreams they incited.

[themeepyfreak]

Day 2: Family Moment

One of my favorite Swanfire family moments in the show is when Neal brings Henry home from their sword fighting hangout, and both him and Emma tuck Henry in together. They are both fairly new to being Henry's parents, yet they coparent like pros.

Not to mention Neal and Emma's conversation afterwards. First, Neal's mention of August stealing his money and Emma's acceptance of that statement implies that Neal and Emma talked about what happened that night in detail off-screen. They hung out and had multiple meaningful conversations that we (as the audience) completely missed out on. Then, Emma asks for Neal's opinion about returning to the Enchanted Forest, showing that no matter how angry she might be at Neal, she still cares for him and values his thoughts.

They may not be officially together in this scene, but it's so obvious how much they care and love each other even after 11 years.

[themeepyfreak]

Day 1: Parallels

There are so many parallels between Snowing and Swanfire, but the one that is mentioned the least is Snow leaving Charming paralleled to Neal leaving Emma. Both Snow and Neal broke their respective significant others' hearts for the other person's benefit. (Snow wanted to save Charming from George's wrath; Neal wanted to reunite Emma with her family so that she could fulfill her destiny in breaking the curse.) Afterwards, both Charming and Emma try to find the other person despite their broken hearts. (Charming physically looked for Snow in the woods; Emma stayed in Tallahassee for 2 years.) The journey to find each other again is tough (with Snow drinking the memory loss potion and Neal crossing borders- and possibly avoiding Emma as to not interfere with her destiny like he promised August), but in the end, they do reunite, even if it takes a while.

[themeepyfreak]

Day 1: Favorite Important Location

not really a location... but the bug

The bug meant so much to both Neal and Emma.

First of all, they both separately made the decision to steal the bug, despite it objectively being the worst car to steal in the lot. It's old (1972) which makes it not only stand out but prone to break down soon. And it is bright yellow which is practically asking for attention. It's no wonder that the cops immediately flagged the car down when Emma ran that stop sign. However, despite its misgivings, both Emma and Neal still met in the bug and made it their home for months.

Even after they were separated, Neal gave up the bug- his home and only stable shelter while he was on the run in Canada- to Emma alongside the $20,000, keeping nothing for himself. Then, after Emma left prison, she kept the bug and maintained it so that it still ran smoothly 10 years later (a monumentous feat for a used 1972 car). From s1 onwards, the bug was a constant, always alongside Emma, even in the underworld.

[themeepyfreak]

If it is true, I'm grateful that he's finally happy since his entire life was just one tragedy after another. If anyone deserved to finally find happiness, it was Neal/Baelfire.

But I really don't buy the unfinished business bit, especially when he never met Henry after promising to see him again in the s3a finale. If Hook (a character known for being selfish before falling in love with Emma) had unfinished business due to leaving Emma in a slightly precarious situation, then Neal (a character with more familial connections known for caring more about others than himself) had to have unfinished business for the same reason. He died with Zelena still at large, his dad still under Zelena's control, and the town (including his amnesiac son) still under attack- a much more precarious situation than Hook died in.

In all the nonsense of ouat season five at least I am grateful they confirmed that Neal was in an actual better place and did not have unfinished business jfc it sounds morbid but that guy got out at the right time really

[themeepyfreak]

While I like the Swanfire underworld bug scene in s5, I would have preferred Neal's last scene (if he could only have one) to be with Henry.

Right before Emma and Henry crossed the town line at the end of s3A, Neal promised both of them that he would see them again. And while he saw and talked to Emma again briefly in s3b before dying, he never saw or talked to Henry again. That's major unfinished business.

I wish Henry found his dad in the Underworld (maybe when searching Neal's room at Granny's), and they had one last loving and inspirational conversation, giving Henry the closure that he never got in canon. Then, after fulfilling that unfinished business, Neal could go on to Heaven or whatever better place he's supposedly in in canon that rendered him unresurrectable unlike Hook, Zelena, Maleficent, and apparently every other villain in the show.

[themeepyfreak]

@cptainjones​ Thank you for responding to me in a polite manner. I know that Neal’s age is a hot topic, so I’m glad to be able to have a discussion about it in a reasonable manner.

Since I have more space in a post than in a comment, I’ll address all of my thoughts on the discourse here. I apologize in advance for how long this is, but I’d rather express all of my thoughts on the subject than leave any room for confusion.

I would like to point out that the timeline in the show is completely screwed up. They contradict themselves many times which muddles things up even more. A&E are just terrible at math and timelines which is what started this mess in the first place.

Firstly, Emma Swan’s birthday is canonically October 22, 1983 since she turned 28 years old on October 22, 2011. The wiki states that Henry was born on August 15, 2001 (due to Regina’s password in a later episode), so Emma would have been 17 (2 months shy of 18) when Henry was born. Henry would have been conceived in December 2000 when Emma was already 17. There are some things that contradict this like Emma telling Ashley she was 18 when Henry was born (though that could have been a rounding error on her part) and the s1 newspaper which supposedly states that Emma was in prison giving birth to Henry in 1996 (I say supposedly since I didn’t personally see this, and it’s obviously a mistake by the props department if this is real since Emma was 12-13 in 1996).

With this in mind, it is impossible for Neal to have met Emma in 2001 like it says in the 3x22 carousel ride flashback, another example of A&E screwing up the timeline. Instead, it’s reasonable to believe that Neal and Emma met in 2000. It’s never confirmed whether Neal and Emma met before or after her 17th birthday, but given that they seem pretty close to each other and that Emma takes a while to open up to people, I tend to believe that they knew each other for longer and met before her birthday. However, this closeness does not prove that they had sexual relations with each other or were even in a relationship before she turned 17 since they were probably friends for a significant amount of time beforehand.

For Neal’s age, the only canonical evidence is the wanted poster (as you mentioned) which states that he was born in March 1977, making him 23 years old for most of 2000 and early 2001. However, this date can’t be taken seriously because everything else on that wanted poster is a complete lie and based on a fake ID. Neal’s real name is not Neal Cassidy, he’s not from New Jersey, and he wasn’t born in 1977 (since he was born in the Enchanted Forest). This means that canonically, Neal had to make up his age and his birthday when getting his fake ID. Whether his made-up age correlates with his actual biological age or not is up for debate. The only other things we know about Neal post-Neverland and pre-Tallahassee is that he was most likely 14 or 15 years old when he came to the Land Without Magic the second time, depending on whether he turned 15 in London or not, and he had a job as a janitor (that he got with his fake ID) for a few months.

I’m of the opinion that Neal got a fake ID that was much older than his actual biological age since he came to the Land Without Magic underage. He would have wanted to be at least 18 years old to bypass the foster system, be able to legally get a job, etc. I personally think that within a year of coming to the Land Without Magic he got an ID saying that he was 21 years old so that he could drink or at least sleep at bars (some of the only places open all night) when the weather was terrible. In the late 1990s, it was really easy for teenagers to get fake IDs to drink. Even in the show, it’s implied that Emma probably had a fake ID stating that she was 21 at 16 years old when she was shocked that Neal didn’t take her to a bar for alcoholic drinks in the carousel scene.

While this is just my personal headcanon, it’s substantiated by the fact that Neal acts like a teenager in all of the Tallahassee flashbacks. (This could also be because he’s emotionally stunted from his time in Neverland, but that brings up a whole other discussion.) He dresses immaturely, has younger mannerisms, makes immature decisions, does things (like stealing the Swan keychain) without thinking them through, etc. Even his request to settle down reads like a teenager who doesn’t understand how difficult that would be in reality. Additionally, there doesn’t seem to be a power imbalance in Neal and Emma’s relationship. In fact, Emma seems to be the one making most of the decisions such as getting the watches from the train station and even where to settle (She was the one who pointed at Tallahassee.). Their relationship just doesn’t read as an older man taking advantage of a younger woman, and I don’t think that was A&E’s intention.

Again, I could be wrong, and people are entitled to their own opinions. While I am a Swanfire shipper, I do realize that there are issues with the ship. I just hate the narrative that Neal was inappropriate or a rapist because I profoundly believe that he was not.

I feel like a lot of people don’t pick up that Emma was around 16 when she met Neal and he was implied to be in his twenties at the time (or at least I remember that’s how it felt during my last rewatch that he was quite older than her when he ended up in the ‘normal world’)

oh for sure! that's another reason I really don't vibe with swanfire as a ship. emma turned 28 the night henry found her & by that point he was already 10 years old, thus it's a fact that she was 17 years old when she had him. since we know neal & emma had an actual relationship together to the point where she was comfortable with him and content to build a future with him, we can typically infer that they had a fairly long relationship, and she was in prison for an 11 month long sentence, so she was definitely around 16 when she got together with neal.

& we can definitely infer that neal was older than emma by a fair bit. I mean outfits alone, ouat very clunkily I might add, always makes a distinction within flashbacks regarding the age of a character through costuming; emma with her glasses & ponytail, killian with his long hair, etc etc. neal in the flashbacks with 16 year old emma looks the same as he does ten years later. from this we can generally assume he was then already an adult by the time he met emma.

[themeepyfreak]

As a college student who regularly attends events I have absolutely no interest in or time for to get free food, I now completely understand Edmund Pevensie in LWW.