#Emma Swan analysis

[crime-wives]

when emma’s hurt by something, she pushes it down and away and pretends until she can’t anymore. she bends and bends and sometimes she can steady herself, pull herself back from the precipice. until she breaks, and all the hurt springs back and she’s an open wound. a lost girl who’s always running, always afraid. emma fears her pain will make her unlovable. that the people she loves will leave if they realize the breadth of the wounds she carries. emma is bruised knuckles and hard, lonely eyes and an indescribable ache.

regina is more obvious in her hurt. she’s angry. a storm. she wields her pain as a weapon. she is not afraid to be seen in her intensity. often, it’s a mask to cover to the grief she feels. her life has been a series of losses strung together with only her as a constant. love is often the source of her pain. she feels so much hurt because she has the capacity for so much love. beyond the anger is so much self loathing and hatred. anger is the easier of the two. she is rage and she is destruction, and if she can’t find someone to destroy, she destroys herself.

emma grew up angry, regina grew up sad. they both became what they needed to survive.

[jackiestarsister]

"A Time for Everything" new chapter: "Warmth"

This chapter covers the events of Once Upon a Time Episode 4x02, "White Out." Hook and David must get along as they race against the clock to free Emma from an ice cave. Afterward, Hook is invited to stay while Emma recovers.

Read on FFN

Read on AOC

[shutupineedtothink]

Ok so my friend and I just recorded 4 HOURS of raw audio breaking down the OUAT pilot, season 1 finale, and discussing the show in general for our new podcast where we make each other watch episodes of our favorite shows and talk about them together. It’s exactly as fun as you would imagine. :)

But even after all that, I still have things I forgot to say or didn’t get to. So here’s a few of them:

1. “Evil” as addiction: the OUAT writers treat the concept of being evil like addiction/substance abuse which is really interesting and kind of a bold choice for a 2011 show about fairytales. Then within that structure they show basically the two choices you have when facing addiction: choose not to use and become a better, healed version of yourself (Regina) or keep using and stay stuck in your patterns and hurt everyone you love forever (Rumple). As a child of an alcoholic who has chosen the latter, I loved watching Regina’s journey in this context and while she stumbles a lot, she keeps striving to be good even though she gets the short end of the stick most of the time. And her North Star is always Henry, which I think is important to show that you don’t just change because you feel like it, there usually has to be the threat of something worse happening if you don’t change (in this case, losing Henry physically and emotionally).

2. Regina Mills might be the most psychologically complex and interesting character on prime time tv in the 2010s? Period??

3. I rambled a good bit in the podcast about the costumes and color symbolism but here’s a bit more for you: Once Regina is on team heroes she often wears some kind of red top (the hero’s color) with a black jacket/coat over it showing that she’s changed on the inside but she still *looks* like the evil queen on the outside and can now use that persona/power to her advantage instead of being consumed by it. By the end of S5 this contrasts with Emma who wears her signature red jacket but a black/white/gray sweater underneath, showing that she’s a little more of a mix of good and evil these days post-dark one. In a color sense, they’re almost mirror images of each other at this point, and it’s really cool.

4. I know a lot of people are really salty about how Emma’s light kind of dims toward S4, 5, 6, and I’m right there with you. Her character feels flatter, and honestly kind of depressed. Now idk if this was a real choice on the writers’/JMo’s part, if she was going through some stuff at this time and it just showed up in the character, or what. That said, it does track for me in a way, especially post-dark one. She should be kind of thrown off by everything that’s happened! She should be changed! I just wish they had done something with it instead of pretending it was normal. If Regina��s struggle with evil is analogous to addiction, why can’t Emma’s struggle with evil be analogous to depression? It would have been an interesting take. Somebody write the fic.

I could keep going but I’ll stop here for now. Stay tuned for the podcast!

[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.

[booksteaandtoomuchtv]

Hey there. Guess who is still thinking about Breaking Glass? "May I have the honour?" He asks. And in those lines, he has ruined me for any other OTP. The fact he calls it an honour. An honour for her to open up another layer. An honour to see the girl he will never get to meet but still loves because she is the woman he loves today. An honour to see more of her story. An honour to peek over those walls.

Look at how nervous she is as she hands the box over to him. She keeps her eyes averted. She doesn't know what to expect, because she has never opened up like this before.

He, however, has not stopped looking at her. Our Consent King is giving her every opportunity to bail out. He is also checking in on her. He knows she doesn't let those walls down easily, so he is watching for any indication that this is not something she is okay with.

Jaw set. Emma is uncomfortable but she is going to let him in. She's also terrified by what his response will be. She knows what she sees in this meagre collection; but what will Killian see? What will he think? What will she do with his reactions? This is new territory for her.

The moment before she sees his reaction. But, we see it. Look at the joy on that man's face! He is seeing more Swan and he couldn't be happier. This is what she kept. These are meaningful and happy things that she's held on to. I imagine that he is imagining the girl who would hold these things dear.

Emma has seen his reaction. He isn't pitying her. He isn't passing any comment or judgment on her offerings. He isn't running from her. He is DELIGHTING in her and in this moment. She is smiling, you can see the relief of the burden lifted from her shoulders.

The absolute delight in this smile. She is sharing with him, Emma let him into the softest part of her and it is beautiful and perfect. She let HIM see. She trusts him - which is a lot harder than getting her to love him.

She's pleased, relieved, and almost a bit... contented? Almost as if she is thinking "What was I expecting? Of course, he gets it."

[pedroscardigan]

OUAT S2E10🚨

HOW IS IT THAT EVERYONE ALWAYS ASSUMES REGINA IS BAD. like even fans of the show continually throw her ass under the bus. WHY CANT WE UNDERSTAND SHE JUST WANTS TO BE HAPPY. yall, they were so quick to assume that she murdered archie and didn’t even think “oh maybe magic made it seem like it was her and someone else did it!”. where tf are the lie detector tests??? why hasn’t emma’s little truth powers come out??? like this shit is so frustrating because the Good™️ main characters are so quick to say she can never change, when genuinely so many of them have and they can’t get their heads out of their own asses. they can’t fathom anything other than what they’ve known when the whole show is LITERALLY ABOUT changing perspectives!! emma changed from a thief to a sheriff! so can’t regina turn from a (heartbroken evil queen) to a (wanting to be good mother)?

snow white and prince charming are the most annoying characters at this point, sorry. someone had to say it. MY GOD.

[caliburn-the-sword]

ranking ouat characters by how likely they are to lose a finger in a swordfight

preface: i'm gonna be poking fun at these funky little characters for fun, but i really appreciate how the show gives them distinct fighting styles!!! it both sets them apart both literally and by personality, as well as setting them up for interesting fights as different characters are pit up against different characters!!! that's really cool.

now, before i start, YES, a lot of things are gonna sound like an innuendo. get your laughs out about it now. if you make a dirty joke, i promise i will be in your walls <3

anyway, as i've mentioned in a previous post, my experience in swordfighting is in using wooden training sword , which weighs just under a kilo. i typically use this for the fancy, pretty looking stuff like patterns. in actual sparring, i'm using what's essentially a plastic pipe covered in foam which if i had to estimate weighs a quarter of a kilo MAX). a proper real metal sword, depending on the length, is gonna be somewhere just under or over a kilo. so contrary to all your fantasy novels or movies, you're not gonna pick up a sword and be like "oh shit that's heavy i can't even heft it up". you will very easily be able to pick up that sword. it only becomes heavy once you've done a lot of swinging it around, carried it for a while, etc. adrenaline can carry you through maybe the first three minutes, and then your exhaustion will hit you, and then you're gonna be carried by your own endurance primarily, but yes this does build strength so believe me when i say that all the ouat characters are canonically quite strong (but you didn't need me to tell you that lmao).

Last place: David

HIS SWORD THROW IS SO IMPRESSIVE. you will most likely end up very unarmed having missed the enemy and very at the mercy of your enemy who still has their sword. luckily for him IT WAS COOL AS FUCK that i won't be considering that a point of deduction, ESPECIALLY because he would have hit regina if she couldn't teleport.

now let me just say, his circle work??? very good indeed. he can take multiple enemies in a fight. he absolutely will NOT trip over his feet and get killed in that way.

now, i understand the flair for the dramatic in big, overarm swing type movements. i've got two concerns: first of all, how far he extends his arm when swinging his sword. he's opening himself to get his hand cut off, getting stabbed, etc. secondly, when you extend your hand that far and suddenly have to block a strike??? it's essentially the strength of your arm vs the strength of your opponent's ENTIRE body. you do NOT want that.

he also has a tendency to blend hand to hand combat with swordfighting, yikes. when swordfighting, a main advantage is your REACH and how much DISTANCE you're able to keep. david is essentially throwing all that away to get closer and throw in a couple elbows. he's gonna get himself very stabbed that way.

occasionally, he also does a big spinny thing and can i say PLEASE don't turn your back on your opponent you're ITCHING to get stabbed. interesting note: when he uses a two handed grip, he tends to swing like a baseball bat.

judgement: at best, he's lost a hand. at worst, he's dead.

Killian Jones

not even 0.5 seconds into his first fight with rumpelstiltskin, SIR WHAT WAS THAT WINDUP??? YOU'RE NOT THROWING A BASEBALL. after that he's got a decent fencing style. he keeps his free hand close to his body, where he doesn't risk it getting cut off. i'm concerned when he advances that he makes his stance TOO long. since this is a one on one fight, that's fine, but if he was fighting multiple people at once he would be taken out by being TRIPPED. that said it's still good that he advances and places pressure on his opponent. solid technique. HELP HE JUST DID THE WORST GLANCE EVER. rumpelstiltskin's sword was STILL UP and KILLIAN WAS ALREADY LOWERING HIS SWORD. THIS IS HOW YOU GET SLASHED IN THE CHEST. random wide swings???? i appreciate that he ACTUALLY aims for vital points, unlike literally everyone else on this damn show. killing someone pretty much stops YOU from getting killed, so his survival prospects have just increased despite everything.

killian has a GREAT ability to disarm his enemies. disarming your enemies = not being killed.

his movements in his fight with emma are ALL wide and dramatic. is he showing off???? i hate to say it but if YOU have a sword and someone is trying to tackle you, you should STAB them so that you don't risk losing your sword, impaling yourself, or your opponent getting your sword. horny bastard.

HE DID A DRAMATIC SPIN. JAIL. and wasting time gloating?? surefire way to give your opponent opportunities. he's lucky emma was never aiming for the kill to begin with, and was quite inexperienced.

we see VERY wide swings in the neverland arc too.

does not have a very strong stance when fighting blackbeard </3 killian being capable of using his hook to reinforce blocks by placing it down the edge of his blade is AMAZING. i don't know how to explain this, but when you're gripping the handle of your sword with two hands, you are pushing against a single point. when he holds the handle with one hand and braces the other end of the sword with his hook, the force is more evenly spread, making it stronger. the only way i can think of achieving that with two hands is by bracing against the flat of the blade, and by god i am NOT risking that EVEN tho it's just a plastic pipe covered in foam LMAO.

idc about the context you are absolutely NOT striking towards someone's feet. don't do that. very impractical, even if you're trying to force them to step somewhere.

anyway he's pretty decent at taking multiple opponents at a time, tho i do prefer charming's circle work.

judgement: this is so long BECAUSE HE'S SO DAMN INCONSISTENT. i noticed that past season 5 he gets back to being more consistent and fency. so i think it's during high emotional states when he starts going wide. unfortunately the big thing with fighting is you gotta be able to BALANCE your emotion or you're gonna slip up like hell. i REALLY wanted to rank him higher than i did (it was honestly very close between him and snow white) because like i mentioned, he doesn't hold back and has great disarming skills, however i find him too inconsistent to be reliable. catch him on a bad day (he has a lot of those) and he's sloppy. so yeah.

Snow White

she doesn't have as many swordfighting scenes as other characters, but she's quite promising. i won't fault her for kicks, even tho i personally wouldn't risk it, because she isn't getting up close and personal like an elbow would (looking at david). she has a tendency to get low, which like major no no. mega yikes. you lose all your reach with that. i'd like to commend her for being able to get BEHIND her enemies quite often. anytime you can manage to NOT be where your opponent is pointing their sword is a pretty good one. however she also likes to spin, and you know how i feel about that. she doesn't swing too dramatically (like the others before her on the list), and she tends to put more of her body behind her slashes and parries rather than using her arm to tank it all which i really appreciate. i also REALLY noticed her grip (in a good way). mainly because i couldn't watch her footwork. that goes hand in hand with my previous point, you gotta have a good grip to put your body behind in strikes. i would say her biggest risk is getting her hand chopped off, but otherwise i reckon she fares quite well.

Number 1: she's an icon, she's a legend, and she IS the moment Emma Swan

really appreciate emma also managing the sword toss. anyway, tbf what i'm judging rn is one of her earliest swordfighting scenes GIRL DON'T DUCK UNDER A SWORD?? DON'T GET LOW FIRST OF ALL, AND SECONDLY IF YOU MISJUDGE YOU LOSE YOUR HEAD. please DODGE or PARRY or BLOCK. emma has the same big swinging problem as david. IF YOU LOSE YOUR SWORD DON'T GET CLOSER GET FURTHER. IDC HOW MUCH YOU WANT TO GET YOUR HANDS ON HOOK, THAT'S A GREAT WAY TO GET STABBED. then she CRAWLS (turning her back on her opponent) for her sword instead of JETTING IT. girl a sword is gonna do you no good when you're ON THE GROUND YOU CAN'T SWING OR STAB FOR SHIT. now if you pull up the clip and see her FIRST strike once she gets on her feet again, first of all: SHE WASN'T EVEN AIMING FOR ANY VITAL SPOT SHE SWUNG LIKE HALF A FOOT FROM HIS HEAD. secondly that grip is giving me second hand embarrassment. what is that.

next significant swordfight we see is with gold in season 4. her fencing-like stance?? cool. she is NOT leaving her torso or neck open to any stabbing whatsoever. she kept her free hand close to her body for a SIGNIFICANT portion of that fight which is AMAZING. homegirl is NOT risking her hand getting cut off. slay. also, when she's going for power, she has a two handed grip and puts her ENTIRE body behind the thrust. very impressed. she's also got GREAT footwork and she is putting PRESSURE on gold by advancing and pushing him back.

now, in her fights with gideon, she does a lot of very awkward and stiff two handed grip. girl PLEASE do not get lower to glance off, step to the SIDE. she falls back into big wide swings but she was going through something. i KNOW that's contradictory to what i said about killian, but EVERY other time she has powered through and this is the exception.

judgement: as much as i was making fun of her, we only see a few blunders most of which she was always going to survive because of how big a simp hook, not to mention those were within her first few DAYS of having a sword. she then went on to become who i think is the best swordfighter in the whole show, so emma clears all

[sevenfifteenam]

one last thing before i go to sleep: Storybrooke and Free Will

so, i've been wondering about this for a while now.

apparently, the inhabitants of storybrooke had free will during the dark curse- which i find hard to believe, because they're trapped in this little town and have no memories of their real selves. i mean, how much of it is free will when you're stuck in the confines of a persona that isn't you? mary-margaret may have had free will but was forced to do the same thing over and over again, and had no memories of who she originally was... even jefferson who has his memories, doesn't seem to have much of it, although for different reasons). the notion of free will under the dark curse is completely ridiculous, but for the sake of this, i'll roll with it (or at least, try to)

in my mind, people gained free will as emma came along- that's what makes the most sense, because no one has free will when stuck in a time loop (so of course, when the clock starts moving... shit goes down) + regina's influence on the town decreases when emma arrives imo (with ruby leaving granny, ashley taking back the contract, graham leaving regina, etc etc. these characters finally get to "break out' of the loop, and to which i say good for them!!)

which brings me to my "analysis" of the day: david nolan. i'm highkey obsessed with this little guy in a /neg way because he started out with no cursed memories, therefore giving him more free will than anyone with this show- and i think it initially helped a lot with this decision-making because charming still shined through david nolan. he knew he wanted mary-margaret, and immediately left kathryn to be with her, just like charming has never been afraid to pursue what he actually wants. i guess we could look at the parallels between 1x06 david nolan and charming but we'd be here all day, so i'll just say that it's interesting to see david give up on love for what he deems a "noble reason" in both timelines but in completely different ways with him being 'trapped' by his fake memories and george. especially since in the first case it's because he has his fake memories that he has to... anyway

i understand that the amnesia and suddenly remembering his cursed memories must have not been easy, but that definitely did not warrant the mess that was cursed snowing LMAO

what's interesting is that david has the same problem as anyone else: he technically has free will (solely as his cursed persona, which is a whole other can of worms...), but this town is so under regina's control that in the end, one could say "ah well, regina's curse made me do it!" because i like to think it's everyone's go-to excuse when discussing the fucked up shit they did under the dark curse BUT david doesn't have that. when he woke up, emma was already there, so he didn't have the remnants of regina's influence.

but also the whole time, david was very much going against regina's will, which makes it... arguably worse? i mean, he got his memories as regina was losing control over the storybrooke narrative but damn. he was just doing whatever. regina would try to get him away from mary margaret and he'd show up at the diner at 7:15AM like... hiiiiii

i have some beef with the writing itself because i still don't know if their cursed selves were supposed to be diametrically opposite to their OG selves or if their OG selves were dormant. the latter seems more likely because mary-margaret still has enough snow in her to be able to dropkick jefferson and ashley just straight up pepper sprayed gold- to which i have to say, legend behavior by the way.

what i mean is that it's not a thing for david post 1x06, save for being irrevocably drawn to mary-margaret/snow. like, in 1x16, charming could not believe for one sec that snow would ever do something cruel while david... david went for the (in this case, metaphorical) kill by throwing out all the faith he had in mary margaret. i don't know if it's on purpose or if his cursed memories overrode every charming trait he had (badum tss) but damn... cheater coward liar annoying like pick a struggle babe, you can't have them all </3

i sound like a hater but i'm just cranky because it's almost 1AM and i'm overthinking about free will in a small fictional town under a curse that was broken when i was beginning middle school (i'm almost in my mid twenties)

[themattress]

As cluttered and clearly written in a hurry the script for “The Brothers Jones” is, the fact that it needs fine-tuning still doesn’t hamper its enjoyability for me as an episode, and this scene is a major reason why. I’m no MRA-type who harps on about shit like this, but there is a frankly heinous female-centric double standard at play among many fans when talking about what went down in 5A with Dark Hook and Dark Emma. After suffering from the effects of the Darkness in Camelot, Emma finally breaks after Hook is mortally wounded while saving her family and pulls a selfish Rumple-esque move by forcing the Darkness onto Hook and turning him into a Dark One so that he can stay alive for her sake rather than for his, since he was begging her not to do it because he knew it would corrupt him. Immediately worried about the consequences of this, she forcibly controls Hook with Excalibur, pressing what she ought to know damn well is his greatest trauma trigger. Hook, who had been trying to resist the Darkness, gives in and murders Merlin so that he can be brought to Storybrooke and bring the souls of the past Dark Ones there, which will allow him to get revenge on Rumple.

Emma then wipes everyone’s memories, Hook’s included. In Storybrooke, she gaslights him, emotionally manipulates him, and ultimately captures him and chains her up in her basement as part of a plan to force all the Darkness onto Zelena and kill her once she’s found a way to heal Hook’s mortal wound, telling Hook through all his objections that “it’s for his own good.” After she fails, Hook gets his memories back and goes on the warpath: tying her up and leaving her, later showing up to her again to verbally and emotionally abuse her in order to “hurt her like she hurt him”, and then later stopping her from trying to save her family from being sent to the Underworld by the resurrected Dark Ones’ magical marks on them, even magically impersonating her son to lower her guard so he can do it. In the end, he snaps out of his mania and sacrifices himself to stop what he put into motion and destroy the Darkness.

Tl;dr version: Hook does good but will die as a result -> Emma does bad -> Hook does bad -> Emma does bad -> Hook does bad -> Hook does good and dies as a result. It’s a tragic cycle where Emma and Hook are abusive and toxic toward each other. And yet there are fans who ignore everything on Emma’s part in order to depict it as just Hook being an abusive boyfriend who does horrible, unforgivable things to Emma out of nowhere, and say it’s nonsensical Emma and her family would want to go to the Underworld to save him after that.

Which brings us to this scene, where Liam calls Emma out on the fact that what she did to Hook in Camelot was selfish and, to a lesser extent, so is what she’s doing now: saving Hook from Hades is one thing, but wanting to bring him back to life is quite another. And to all the fans who asked “how can she still want him back after what he did to her?”, the answer is here plain as day: because it will alleviate all the guilt of what she did to him. Emma wasn’t some blameless innocent victim; as Dark Ones she abused Hook as much as he abused her. The Underworld Saga is about both of their redemptions for all of that, not just Hook’s.

[crime-wives]

sometimes i think about the fact that regina has literally held emma’s heart in her hands. the intimacy of soft fingers slipping under layers of skin and bone and blood and pulling out the muscle that keeps emma alive. cradled in the palm of her hand, glowing, still beating. regina having to be so gentle so as to not hurt her. and emma allowing regina to have that power over her. and then i think about the fact that regina’s fingers were bare and not gloved. the way she could feel every vein, every groove. the way she was not limited in her ability to see all of emma. something about the way regina handed the heart back to emma. placed it into the palm of her hand like an offering. look, i kept it safe for you, i love you, do you trust me?

[jackiestarsister]

"A Time for Everything" new chapter: "Acceptance"

Between Episodes 4x03 and 4x04, Emma talks to her family about her love life. Graham's death is acknowledged, David's conversation with "Prince Charles" is remembered, and Henry faces the reality of his mother dating Captain Hook. Ultimately, Emma accepts her feelings, and her family accepts her relationship with Hook.

Read on FFN

Read on AO3

[swanqueensalad]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After all, sweetheart, queens have to be perfect.

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

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

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

Image is everything, darling.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Queens have to be perfect, sweetheart.

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

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

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

And on the other hand we have Emma.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It's not as scary as it once seemed.

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

That she is enough, as she is.

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

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

[swanqueenelmaxshadowhunters]

Okay, so, I was thinking in the shower (bc where else is a better place?) about a fanfic I may write at some point:

It's a jemily/swanqueen (cm/ouat) kinda of crossover, slightly inspired by the movie bringing Ashley home:

Jennifer Jareau and Emma Swan are sisters. Emma was adopted when she was, idk, 10? And she had some rebellious phase in her teen days where she would run away but she would always come back a few days later. During her days away she always kept in touch with her sister, JJ, tho.

One day, when she's like 20, she doesn't return home after work or something. at first JJ doesn't think much about it, used to her sister's disappearances, but when 2 days pass and she doesn't hear a word from Emma, she starts to worry. She feels something is wrong.

JJ goes to the police, but they don't pay much attention due to Emma's history of running away during her adolescence. JJ begins her own search, and when a week passes and she hasn't heard from Emma, JJ takes a drastic step: she goes to the FBI.

There she meets the head of the behavioral analysis unit, Emily Prentiss, and she explains that they can't just take over an investigation without the invitation of the local police, but seeing the fear and desperation in JJ's eyes, Prentiss says she will see what you can do.

Prentiss then contacts Regina "Roni" Mills, an old acquaintance of hers, and chief of the local police - or something like that - and asks for her help. Regina asks if Prentiss has any evidence that this isn't just a case of escape, and Prentiss then asks Penelope to do a search, see if she can find any more cases that might be linked.

Penelope finds a few more cases that are at least suspicious and that's enough for Prentiss and Regina to move forward. Regina contacts a team she trusts and informs them about the case, and "kindly" asks them to invite the BAU to help with the case.

Things move from there.

Anyone would be interested?

[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.

[booksteaandtoomuchtv]

"And I now see you for what you really are... an anchor."

Okay, but this isn't a lie. Here is why:

Anchors prevent ships from drifting due to wind or water currents. Anchors keep ships on their course. On the sea, a slight departure from your course can take you miles away from your destination. Anchors are so essential to life at sea, that often boats have two in case one is lost!

So...

Emma keeps him on the course that Killian has charted; Killian wants redemption. The Darkness is the strong current, the wind gust, that wants to pull him from his course.

Anchors also provide security, stability, and peace. All things that would cause Killian to turn away from the wants and needs of the Darkness. With these words, the Darkness intends to sever the connection between Killian and his anchor to ensure that he is lost in its waters.

Credit to @kazoosandfannypacks for touching on this a bit in a couple fics and posts as well. :)

[wily-one24]

Weird asks: 1, 20, 34, 43, 46

Here we go!!

Who is/are your comfort character(s)?

Hahahaha. Ok. Well. I guess it depends upon the show i'm watching at the time, doesn't it? I mean, I have favourites in all my shows, but my absolute comfort characters, whom I love and invest in...

Veronica Mars, Emma Swan, Samantha Waters, Olivia Benson, Kaylee Frye, Buffy Summers, Jane Rizzoli, Cordelia Chase.

I have previously stated that I have a type and that type is emotionally damaged but hella strong women who are somewhat lackadaisical when it comes to their own personal safety when it comes to solving a case/getting justice (all of the above women fall into this, except perhaps Kaylee Frye, but she is my 'happy face/light in the darkness' lady, all the rest are my 'strength will rise up from the ashes like a pheonix' ladies).

I have many other faves and likes, however, you can pretty much narrow it down to who I have written fic for. These are my comfort characters, because fic IS my comfort. I have so much free therapy because of fic. I've pretty much written that post before (years ago, I would have to hunt it down) about what each major fic in my life was allegorical to... and I probably don't even WANT to know what my SVU fics are trying to break through in my brain, BUT, when I need comfort, this is where I turn.

Edit to add: Hunted!!

Go here to get a rundown on some self therapy in my major fics.

And here for a more in depth analysis of Paint It Black (question 11).

20. Do you say soda or pop?

No. Neither. I'm Australian. I say "Soft drink". Soda or pop? Pfft, get jumped on. It's SOFT DRINK. I mean, if you're feeling really old fashioned you can say 'Fizzy drink", but nobody really does. Soft drink, thank you.

34. Is there a song you know every word to by heart?

Buah hahahahahaha. Like, I think the easier question to ask there is "is there a song you DON'T know every word to by heart?"

I have a few Spotify playlists, my biggest one is called "Sing Loud", it has 114 songs on it, 6 1/2 hours worth, and I know every single word. Because I *DO* sing loud. And, also, it's worth noting that that is not my entire mind's playlist of favourite songs. Just the ones I sing loudly to. I have full musicals I can sing the entire lyrics to, musical episodes of my favourite tv I sing along to, entire ALBUMS from the 90s that I listed to on my Discman to and from Uni on the train...

OBVIOUSLY, I know most Sheryl Crow songs by heart (at least those pre 2010, I haven't really caught up to her new stuff yet), gimme a bunch of Sarah McLachlan, the Whitlams, No Doubt, Madonna, Machine Gun Fellatio, Garbage... anything from the 90s, a BUNCH of stuff from the 80s. I also like heaps of things from the 70s and some from the 60s, some from 2000 onwards as well. My taste is rather eclectic.

You don't quite know the range of eclectic until someone on the train watches fascinated as you take Rob Zombie out of your Discman and swap it for Sarah McLachlan. I got some *weird* looks.

My brain is very lyrically inclined and I remember so many words to so many songs, it's insane. If I like a song, I will listen to it over and over again until I get the lyrics right. Which, I have to say is so much easier NOW than it was back in the 80s, when you had to hover around your stereo so you could press play/record simultaneously the second your favourite song came on the radio just so you could have a copy...

But, yeah, once I like a song and I've heard it a few times, those lyrics are BURNED into my brain forever. That's why so many of my fics are song titles. Paint It Black, Memory Cloud, Wicked Game, Foolish Game, The Girl of My Dreams (Is Giving Me Nightmares), The White Room, Hybrid Lives, Silver and Cold, Spoonful of Sugar, Breaking the GIrl... etc... and those are just off the top of my head. This is why I used to vid, decades ago.

43. What’s your take on spicy foods?

There's a take? I like somewhat spicy foods.

I do not like stupidly spicy foods, to the point that it hurts and you can't breathe and it's basically a competition of how much you can hurt yourself to win... that's not fun for me.

But I do like a bit of kick. I like spicy thai curries, and mexican chillis, and jalepenos, something that doesn't necessarily want to kill you, but does bite back a little.

I am sensible with my spice level.

46. Favorite holiday film?

TBH, I'm not really sure I have one.

I mean, Die Hard is always a Christmas Classic, I guess? I'm not really one to sit around and watch a Christmas movie or... is there such a thing as an Easter movie? A Queen's Birthday movie? Ramadan? The Melbourne Cup? I don't really know.

(Well, there's probably a few movies about the Melbourne Cup, now that I think about it).

I'm not against them, per se, like if there was a movie on and it looked interesting and it was the holiday times and happened to focus on that holiday, I'm not going to turn it off, but I'm not going to seek out that specific movie.

The only real special holiday thing I watch each year... might be the Carols By Candlelight on Christmas Eve and the New Year's Eve Countdown, but those are not necessarily movies. They're not. One is a concert and one is... well... a countdown retrospective of the year and some fireworks.

I guess the Christmas movies always seemed a little too... faked for me. Maybe it was all the happy families (so fake) or the overly twee messages (please) ... maybe it was all the fucking snow and over the top decorations that seem to be uniquely American.

I don't think I've EVER seen a Christmas movie that represents what I know as Christmas, in the middle of summer in Australia.

@dahllaz