My Roman Empire is the way Emma and Regina were so clearly made for each other and that them falling in love would have made an incredible/influential storyline, but the writers were so afraid of success and good writing that they decided to turn two independent, powerful women into damsels in distress who base their happiness on the presence of men. And they did this for the sole purpose of proving to SQ shippers that Emma and Regina were straight.
Me: Once Upon a Time season 1 is so cozy and comforting :)
ouat s1: government corruption, a woman almost having to give her baby away against her will, a mine collapsing with a child inside, a girl locked in a mental hospital, arson, homeless children needing to steal to survive, said homeless children almost getting separated in the foster care system, infidelity, drugging and kidnapping, attempted muder, actual murder, a murder trial that has nothing to do with the real actual murder, a man slowly and painfully turning into wood, etc.
And now I'd like to address all SQ gif-set creators, video editors, artists and everyone else putting out/creating SQ content for us to enjoy. I cannot tell you how much joy your creations bring to everyone in the fandom. Please keep creating and keep drowning our feeds with delicious SQ content. This fandom is amazing and I'm forever grateful to be a part of it.
“It was always Emma comes to town as savior & meets Mayor Regina” - And the evidence is present throughout, but it was also present in the pilot episode! The story was supposed to be that Regina’s happy ending was Emma and Henry.
Another example of this technique in storytelling, just off the top of my head, is the Netflix series Wednesday. When Wednesday and Fester talk about The Hyde, Wednesday concludes that she’s looking for two killers, the Monster and its Master. Then in the very next moment Miss Thornhill walks in - the clue as to who the master of The Hyde was walked right through the door.
As Lucy lawless says in that GIF, “What needs to be censored can be put in subtext”. I believe that’s what happened with OUAT’s storytelling and SwanQueen.