#regina mills headcanons

[goosin-around]

another list of ouat tidbits that I have seen in so many swanqueen fics that I just regard them as canon

Henry calls Regina mom and Emma ma

Pongo loves Regina

Snow and David basically adopted Regina as their fixer upper daughter in law

The swan-mills family do not call Neal Jr. by his name, ever

Granny likes Regina a lot but doesn't ever admit it

Kathren and Regina made up

Tink and Regina are buddies

Ruby and Emma are buddies

Henry is the biggest swanqueen shipper you will ever meet

emma is an insanely jealous person and she totally flipped out when she found out about Mal and Reginas thing back in the EF

Emma is also very strong

regina is a total bottom

[horsetailcurlers2]

random regina mills headcanons that i believe to be 100% true:

-she secretly LOVES classic rom coms from the 80s/90s/2000s. she has seen every nancy meyers movie.

-in the early days of the curse, she tried to teach herself to knit bc she was so restless and bored. it did not go well at all and if she had her magic back then she probably would have set the yarn on fire.

-she’s bilingual. even though her mother disapproved, her father secretly taught her the language of his kingdom.

-her shoe collection is absolutely bonkers insane. henry teases her for it sometimes but she loves it. she probably has a bit of a shopping problem but she likes being able to treat herself and choose things for herself just because she enjoys them- not because somebody else chose them for her or because she’s trying to project a certain image.

-she is a stress baker

-when the curse first brought them to storybrooke in the 80s, she went through a phase with jane fonda workout tapes- leg warmers and all. this is a secret she will take to her grave.

-she goes ALL OUT for henry’s birthday. like, it’s a lot. she spoils him with gifts, she makes all his favorite foods, and she used to throw big parties for him when he was little. as he gets older, it’s a little embarrassing for him but it seems to make her so happy so he doesn’t complain. (she never really had good birthdays growing up so she is determined to do everything in her power to make sure he never has a bad one)

-her library is very extensive. she had a LOT of time to read during the curse and she explored every last genre of the literature of our world. she has very varied and eclectic taste- she’s very fond of both stephen king and jane austen.

-this one is a little out there but about twice a month or so she likes indulging in pipe tobacco in her study. they didn’t exactly have tobacco in the enchanted forest but they had a similar plant and her father used to smoke it so it reminds her of him.

[demonicbaby666]

Comforting you after a panic attack

HCs | Once Upon a Time Masterlist | Masterlists

A/N: ty to @just-a-torn-up-masterpiece for checking this through and giving it their stamp of approval xoxo

Relationship unspecified/romantic undertones

First, she’d freak out a little. Run over to you in a fit of panic and rushed questions she’d give you no time to answer. 

Though she’s experienced panic attacks herself, seeing someone close to her go through one is a relatively new thing. So, it takes Regina a second to gather that that’s what you’re going through, not the effects of a physical attack. 

Once checking you’re unharmed, Regina would mentally slap herself and offer her apologies. 

She’d back away, giving you the space she regretfully was unaware you needed. 

Her lips would stay sealed, and she’d remain quiet for a minute or two to see if her presence alone would help, and either way, after enough time had passed, she’d scooch a little closer and offer soothing words:

“You’re safe.” “I’m here.” “You’re not alone.” 

She’d help you steady your breath by mimicking a regulated inhale and exhale pattern, counting along to keep you on track

and only when she knows you have the capability to decide for yourself, she would ask,

“Can I hold you?” 

It’s partially to soothe and remind herself that she could keep you safe in her arms and that she still had the ability and power to do so. 

But she also knows physical comfort can help in these situations. 

“I’ve got you,” she’d say as she wraps her hands delicately around you.

She wouldn’t pull you into her or make any sudden movements. Only settle her arms in a comfortable position for you both and wait till you feel safe enough to lean into her and let her take some of your weight. 

You’d stay that way for a while, till your eyes felt droopy and the room around you was once again safe.

Her arms would untangle from around your waist, and she’d let you know she’d be right back.

Listening, you’d hear her feet pad up the stairs, the creak of a door, and then the low hum of the boiler running before water distantly spewed out of an upstairs faucet. 

There’d be constant movement and the familiar smell of honeycomb and vanilla bean soap before Regina would come back down and offer an extended hand with a damp hand towel haplessly hanging from her shoulder.

She’d either leave you to undress in private or tenderly help based on how you felt. But she would ALWAYS ask. 

Once you’d settle into the bath, she’d apply shampoo to your hair, massage it in and ask if you wanted to tell her about your day or hear about hers. 

Either she would be happy to do. 

In fact, she’d just about do or say anything to help ease you back into a tranquil state of mind. 

After the bath, Regina would help you out and guide you to the bedroom - where she’d have laid out the comfiest pyjamas you own.

“I can grab another pair,” she’d offer, nervous about setting you off again by doing anything remotely wrong. 

She knew you well enough to know even the wrong material could bring tears to your eyes on a bad day. 

But you’d smile and thank her, tears gathering in your eyes from the sheer modicum of care she was offering to you. 

“Hey! No, no, none of that,” she’d chide, using the soft tone she reserved for young children. “Come here.” 

She’d take you in her arms again, rock you till the tears subsided and your sobs turned to sniffles. 

The only remaining sound would be her faint whispering of lulling reassurances into your towel-dry hair. 

The rest of the evening would be spent on the sofa, where Regina would cuddle you when you wanted, sit through and endure all your favourite comfort films, even if she found them childish. 

You’d catch the older woman paying attention, her expression more vivid and descriptive than words on a page, and watching her instead of the film would become your entertainment. 

She’d then catch you staring.

She wouldn’t get mad; she would only offer a sincere if not shy, smile and point to the TV with a “pay attention” or “stop that you!” 

Then she’d get lost in the bright colours and the instrumental music coming from the TV all over again. 

And the cycle began anew. 

She’d cook your favourite dinner and make sure you had a full stomach before tucking you into bed with a kiss on your forehead and a promising reminder that,

“Tomorrow will be better.” 

And you’d wholeheartedly believe her.

Tags: @babygirlscout @7thavenger @five-bi-five-mind @supercorpstan97 @kenyakimble34 @12fluffybunny12 @maxinehufflepuffprincess @whosprentiss @asolitaryrose3 @imlike-so-gaydude @awritersometime @bossofcriminalminds @tmlwattpad19 @jareguiromanoff @fayharthy @lovelyy-moonlight @patronagrona @storiesofsvu @mrs-prentiss @scarletchase1989 @bigwhoreywhore @homo-oddity @camciel @agathaandgwenslesbian @dmysterioblog @lift-heavy-be-gay @trashytraveler666 @asolitaryrose3 | click here to be added to my taglist

[oautincorrectquotes]

Emma: *Holds out hand to Regina*

Regina: *Holds Emma's hand*

Emma: I was going for a high five, but this is so much better.

[foreverneverandalways]

Switching gears, I think I'm going to decide that for my current headcanon, Regina Mills is a horror film fan and doesn't mind a haunted house. I don't think she'd be a fanatic discussing Nosferatu facts or anything like that, but for some reason I can't think she would be the type to be too squeamish to watch any of it or enjoy it.

Especially a good slasher where it's "just amoral teens getting killed".

Honestly of the Swanqueen pairing I would bet that even if Emma puts up a brave face in public she'd be the type to either have nightmares not be able to sleep after the scary movie/haunted house. In said haunted house she would of course go first like the knight she is only to get jump scared by everything while Regina tries not to chuckle and play the damsel.

Obviously evil queen can be a bit of a different story.

Thoughts?

[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.

[fridaquesadilla]

To me they were canon. Also the fact that the swen fandom is coming back to life makes me so happy!!

Ps. Sorry I keep forgetting to post here

[lalixlizzie]

Snow and a clone of Snow:

David: Two Snows, where am I, heaven?

Regina: Two Snows, where am I, hell?

[ouatsqincorrect]

What are you favourite Regina Headcanons??

i had this whole thing written down in my phone as an answer to this very question and i can’t find it :( it’s a good thing regina lives in my head rent free all the time lol

she’s a total nerd and can absorbe new info pretty quickly. and i’m not just talking about books, history, etc. i’m talking movies and video games, music and art. she’s like an informational sponge. she can tell you ten random shark facts and then go into an entire discussion about the secret to beating space invaders. she listens to classical, alternative, rock, pop. any genre, she doesn’t care. she knows like five languages and picks things up easily enough that she can probably make it in any non-english speaking country. she’s just…constantly learning. she likes anything that can take her away from her mind/this world and she finds learning and experiencing new things does that for her

and speaking of learning new things, she knows how to play the piano and the violin. though she plays the piano more often

one of the drawers in her office desk has a little bowl of candy in it that she keeps stocked. henry’s known about it since he was about 12, emma found out shortly after she and regina started dating, and eventually, the entire family knows and will sneak a piece or two when they visit her at work

she doesn’t sleep much. nightmares are still a recurring problem for her and night is when her thoughts are the loudest. it gets a little better when emma starts spending the night, but obviously those kinds of issues don’t go away just because you love someone. emma helps because she comforts her and there’s someone there to keep her company when she can’t sleep (emma doesn’t sleep much either)

she has more scars than just the one on her lip, but she hides them with magic

she wears contacts during the day but when she reads at night, she wears glasses

as she gets more and more comfortable being herself, she starts to dress a bit more casual. i mean, she’s still regina. so she goes all out no matter what kind of clothes she’s wearing. but she eventually lets herself wear jeans and shirts around the house and is ultimately comfortable one day with being out and about in Storybrooke without being super dressed up

she said for years that she drank her coffee black but that’s a lie. she likes it with milk and sugar. snow feels betrayed when she finds this out

[genghisthebrain]

thinking about wednesday and enid sharing their childhood crushes. and they start to see a pattern, where enid would fall for the grumpy woman and wednesday would fall for her sunshine counterpart

(and how, even after discovering this, neither of them thought that they might be in love with one another.)

[horsetailcurlers2]

more random regina mills headcanons bc people seemed to like the last ones

-she taught herself how to cook. she was never allowed in the kitchens growing up bc it was “beneath her” to be in there with the servants. when she cast the curse and had to be able to feed herself without magic, she made it her mission to learn how to cook. it was a frustrating and arduous journey (with lots of cussing and minor burns involved) but she absolutely loves it now. she watches the food network religiously (and often times yells at the screen when she’s watching those high drama cooking competition shows) and she has a mildly excessive amount of cookbooks.

-she has a similar fascination with HGTV. she loves judging all those house flipping and real estate shows.

-when she finally gets a smart phone and henry and emma introduce her to facebook, she absolutely embarrasses the hell out of him. she constantly posts old baby photos, she leaves sappy comments on every little thing he posts and she is always tagging him in photos he didn’t even know she’d taken.

-she loves olives. loves them. henry tells her it’s disgusting (because it is) but she will eat them straight out of the jar.

-she LOVES putting together a good charcuterie board. she was into it way before it was trendy. she acts all grumpy and put out about hosting family dinners and gatherings but she actually loves it because she gets so many compliments on the food spread.

-speaking of which, everyone already knows this but she cannot take a compliment. she likes them in theory, she just has no idea how to respond to them at all. she gets so uncomfortable. she will either make some kind of snarky or sarcastic comment downplaying whatever it is she’s being complimented for, or she will literally just ignore it.

-her bra and underwear always match. always. i don’t even mean this in a spicy sexy way, just that she is that detail oriented and particular.

-she cried when she watched old yeller. like, full on ugly sobbing. this is another secret she will take to her grave.

-she is a very very sore loser when it comes to board games and she’s incredibly competitive. do you guys know that scene in parks and recreation when ben and leslie are helping those kids with model U.N? and ben tells leslie to wave the white flag and she’s like “the only thing i will be waving is your decapitated head in front of your weeping mother”? that’s regina’s exact vibe when it comes to monopoly.

-in a similar vein, she is a fantastic chess player

[demonicbaby666]

Emma: What’s it like dating me?

Regina: You ever had a migraine and been turned on at the same time?

[oautincorrectquotes]

Emma: Okay, just because you're making me very sexually confused does not mean that you are intimidating.

Regina:

[hot-stuff97]

[swanqueensalad]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

the clinking wine glasses at family dinners.

the extreme competition on board game nights.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[thelastevilregal]

I don't think about it too often because I'm usually busy thinking about the lost potential of Swan Queen but holy shit the lost potential that is Outlaw Queen gets to me too.

Like here you have this folk hero who is basically the symbol of class struggle and selfless bravery, and we never get to see any of that? When we first meet Robin Hood, his goal is a selfish (albeit understandable) one. He wants to save his wife and unborn child.

We don't actually get to see him do the take from the rich, give to the poor thing he's so infamous for until seaaon 4. And even then, his main focus is once again on Marian. He's not helping her for purely selfless reasons; he wants a relationship with her.

Now imagine if we'd gotten the hero version of Robin Hood, the guy who hates mindless cruelty and stands against inequality. He really does steal from the rich to give to the poor. He turned his back on his own title and nobility to go live in the woods with a group of people who have nothing but the clothes on their back and a better vision for the world. He's the thorn in the side of every royal in the realm. Maybe he was even personal friends with Snow White at one point (seriously they have very similar backgrounds and a strong connection to Regina, why do they never interact?).

And then he meets Regina and she comes from basically the exact inverse of his own situation. Her mother had nothing but with cunning wit and determination she managed to claw herself into a position of nobility. She hurt and stepped on a lot of people on her way up but didn't care. All that mattered was increasing her social position.

Regina for her part, doesn't care about money or status. She fell in love with a stable boy and was willing to throw away everything her mother had won for a quiet life with just enough to get by and be happy.

But then things changed. Her love was murdered and she was forced into a marriage with a king. In her spiral into darkness, she clung to the title of queen for some semblance of power and agency.

She grew accustomed to indulging her every whim. She razed villages to the ground. She sneered at anyone who was "beneath" her.

Even after her supposed redemption, she still looks down on those with less than her. She meets Robin and the insults fly freely from her mouth. He's a smelly forest dwelling peasant. It's hate at first sight.

She's responsible for hurting people he's loved, for killing his wife, and yet they're soul mates. What an interesting dynamic that would be to explore and yet they barely scratch the surface.

All we get is some light teasing back and forth and then he handwaves away her entire past because she's changed or whatever and I guess they're in love now.