irelalala

[saptaincwan]

what if we were married and i loved you and we read a book about a book about a book about a book about a movie about a house and a home and fear and love

[killianxswan]

in 3x22 the scene when emma & killian run into each other in the dungeons is basically right after the scene captain charming is bonding by the fire, charming clearly under the impression that their names are charles & leia.

when the two groups meet up with each other (depriving killian of his dashing rescue), they address each other as "swan" and "hook".

charming is in the background just assuming they're cute little nicknames they have for each other.

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Season 4 Rewatch Drabbles: 4x3 Rocky Road

Summary:  A series of 100-1000 word drabbles to accompany my    rewatch of season 4 of Once Upon a Time.  There will be a drabble–either a deleted scene, a “fix it” fic or a character musing for each episode of the season.  Focus will be on Emma, Henry, the Charmings and Killian–with an emphasis on Captain Swan’s epic love story.

Word Count: 651

Other Chapters: (1) (2) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Killian frowned as he watched Emma stride purposely away from him.  She’d asked him to stay behind, treated him almost as an intractable child.

If she thought he’d obey that command, she didn’t know him at all.  The woman he loved was heading into danger.  There was no chance in Hades he planned to sit idly by on the sidelines.

His frown deepened as he ruminated over the conversation with Swan.  Why must it always feel as though their relationship were taking two steps forward and then one step back?  Did she truly mistrust him so much she didn’t even trust him to back her against a foe?  Would she ever give him her trust?

Killian secured Elsa’s cooperation and then headed out into danger.  As they walked he felt the slight weight of his talking phone in his coat pocket, and despite the frustration of the day, he smiled.

Swan had presented him with the device the morning after the attack by the snow beast.

They’d developed a routine, of sorts–or at least as much of one as was possible in a town that had a new crisis every fifteen minutes.  Swan joined him for breakfast in the diner and they discussed their day ahead.

On the morning in question, she’d barely made it through the pleasantries, before she’d slid a small, metallic device across the table to him.  He’d taken it in his good hand, turned it from side to side, examining it. 

“Thank you?” he’d said, the statement coming out more like a question than anything.

“It’s a cell phone,” she’d announced.  “You can use it to call people.  I already put my number in for you.”

He had no doubt the confusion he felt was written squarely across his face.

“Right,” she said after a moment.  “I guess I should show you how to use it.”

He grinned at her.  “That would be much appreciated love.”

He’d seen her use a similar device to communicate with her parents and others in the town.  He’d been quite curious about it.  Had in fact peppered her with more than a few questions.

“How far is the reach of this device?” he’d asked, one day when they were trudging through the woods.

“I don’t know,” she’d admitted.  “I mean, it wouldn’t work in, like, a different realm or something, but I guess, as long as there’s a cell tower around, anywhere.”

He’d gone on to ask about these cell towers and the mechanisms by which phones worked and so on, but she’d cut him off, rather irritated.  “Look, I don’t know all the details of how it works, it just…does, okay?”

She was far more patient with him in the diner as she explained how to make a call and how to receive one.  She even showed him the “Emma” button–the one marked with a number 1–that he need only press and hold, should he wish to speak to her.

He rather anticipated the button getting so much use the number wore off.

It had touched him that she’d given him the device, that she wished to have a way to contact him.  It had touched him even more, made his heart soar, in fact, when, the other day, his device had sung the particular sea shanty she’d taught it, and he’d answered her call.  A call in which she’d requested his help at the town line following the loss of power.

It had made him feel needed, wanted, truly a part of something.

Why she’d reversed course this morning as they pursued the newest villain, he didn’t know, but he could ponder it later, when–if–they once more had a quiet moment.  For now he had a mission.  If possible, he’d find the villain, but above all he’d ensure Emma’s safety.

He could deal with it if she mistrusted him, but if he lost her?  Well, that didn’t bear contemplating.

NEXT CHAPTER->

[ouatsnark]

Regina: I use the dagger on her, I ply her with alcohol, I torture her & insult her… and Emma still won't open to me!

Hook: Funny, she opens up to me all the time. And all I gotta do is ask.

[saveme-storybrooke-potc]

Killian *to Hope*: You want to see what happens when you start dating boys too early? Killian *points at Alice*: THAT! Alice: Ya know what?, I wasn't so much dating boys at 15 as.... Killian: MOM! Alice:... Having sex with them. What did you think I was gonna say?

[ao3topshipsbracket]

AO3 Top Relationships Bracket- Round 2 Side 2

This poll is a celebration of fandom history; we're aware that there are certain issues with many of the listed pairings and sources, but they are a part of that history. Please do not take this as an endorsement, and refrain from harassment.

[queensharotto]

Brittle Doughie’s Cookie Run x Reader Masterlist (Part 6: Early 2024)

A masterlist of @brittle-doughie’s Cookie Run stories organized by month.

Genre Emojis

😞 is for angst, 🎃 is for Halloween, 🎄 is for Christmas, 🍪 is for Cannibalism, 💗 is for Yandere, 💝 is for Valentine’s, 👻 is for Horror, 🎂 is for Birthday, 💚 is for Yandere!White Lily Cookie

The Indents are related to the featured cookies. If there are numerous cookies (Over 10 Cookies Featured), I’ll make a note on that as well. Additionally, I’ll categorize various cookies if they’re associated with a specific hobby, location, food etc.

Also, the ⭐️ will indicate a story featuring one of Brittle’s OCs while ✨ will indicate someone’s interpretation of Y/N Cookie.

Additionally, many people proved art to showcase to Brittle, which will be indicated by this: 🖌️. I will also mention who provided the art.

January 2024 ❄️

• “League of Evil Cookies”

Featuring: Croissant Cookie, Pomegranate Cookie, Lilac Cookie, Kumiho Cookie, White Lily Cookie, Scorpion Cookie, Black Pearl Cookie/White Pearl Cookie and the Gem Mermaid Family

• “Play with Me?”

Featuring: Longan Dragon

• “Forced Connections” ⭐️🖌️

Featuring: Crowned Cupcake Cookie (debut), Y/N Cookie’s Family, Financier Cookie, Kouign-Amann Cookie, Almond Cookie and Cherry Blossom Cookie

Art by runebrave

• “Protective Siblings” ⭐️

Featuring: Tartar Cookie and Nutmeg Cookie

• “Final Days”

Featuring: The Five Beasts and Pure Vanilla Cookie

• “My Cherished Star” 💗

Featuring: Astronaut Cookie

• “Possession of the Abyssal Pearl” 💗

Featuring: Black Pearl Cookie

• “Slumber”

Featuring: Gingerbrave and Friends, Pure Vanilla Cookie and the Faerie Kingdom Cookies

• “Y/N Cookie’s Soulstone”

Description of Y/N Cookie’s Soulstone

• “Slumbering Flower Awakens” 💚

Featuring: White Lily Cookie

• “Imprisoned”

Featuring: The Five Beasts

• “Favorite Gifts”

Featuring: Eternal Sugar Cookie

• “Memories of Sorrow”

Featuring: Primordial Y/N Cookie/Benign Butter Cookie

• “Lots of Questions”

Featuring: Librarian Faerie Cookie

• “Kingdom Interactions”

Featuring: Crimson Coral Cookie, Hollyberry Cookie, Linzer Cookie, Chili Pepper Cookie, Oyster Cookie

• “MASH” 👻

Featuring: The titular entity known as “MASH”

• “Pink Swan”

Featuring: Sugar Swan Cookie

• “Sandwiches”

Featuring: Croissant Cookie, Sandwich Cookie, Timekeeper Cookie, Coffee Candy Cookie and Baguette Cookie

February 2024 💝

• “Trying to Enjoy a Sauna”

Featuring: Orange Cookie, Lemon Cookie, Cotton Candy Cookie, Cappuccino Cookie and Muscle Cookie

• “Reason to Stay” 🖌️

Featuring: Elder Faerie Cookie

Subsequent art by sei-cookie

• “Envious Ex”

Featuring: Shadow Milk Cookie and Pure Vanilla Cookie

• “Feeling Romantical”

Featuring: Pure Vanilla Cookie, Shadow Milk Cookie and the other beasts

• “Storm Warning” 💗

Featuring: Black Pearl Cookie, Seaweed Cookie, White Pearl Cookie and the Gem Mermaid Family

• “An Obessive Cupcake” ⭐️

Featuring: Crowned Cupcake Cookie

• “Shadow + Butter = Envious Beasts” 🖌️

Featuring: The Five Beasts

Art by ax0lotly

• “Challenge Accepted”

Featuring: Gingerbrave and Friends, Black Raisin Cookie and the Inhabitants of the Golden City

• “Noble Angel vs. The Lying Jester” 🖌️

Featuring: Gingerbrave and Friends, Pure Vanilla Cookie, White Lily Cookie, Shadow Milk Cookie

Art by @/ax0lotly

• “Snow Filled Fun” 🖌️

Featuring: The Cookies of the Dark Cacao Kingdom

Subsequent Art by @/sei-cookie, colored ver by me

• “Shadow Milk Melody” ✨🖌️

Featuring: Shadow Milk Cookie, Pure Vanilla Cookie and White Lily Cookie

Art by hugemilkshake

• “A Witch’s Castle”

Featuring: Gingerbrave and Friends

• “Meet Sweet Biscuit Cookie” ✨🖌️

Featuring: The Ancient Cookies and Strawberry Crepe Cookie

Art by @/sei-cookie, colored ver by me

• “The Golden Goddess’s Greatest Treasure”

Featuring: Golden Cheese Cookie

• “Faerie Friends”

Featuring: The Inhabitants of the Faerie Kingdom and Shadow Milk Cookie

• “Beating Your Dough in the QRTs”

Featuring: Captain Ice Cookie, Shining Glitter Cookie, Coffee Candy Cookie, Black Garlic Cookie, Almond Cookie and String Gummy Cookie

• “Kingdom in Mourning”

Featuring: Numerous Cookies

• “A Cringe Day for Chocolates” 💝

Featuring: Shadow Milk Cookie, Pure Vanilla Cookie, White Lily Cookie, and Dark Enchantress Cookie

• “With Baker’s Love” 💝

Featuring: Yogurt Cream Cookie, Walnut Cookie, Almond Cookie, Strawberry Cream Cookie,

• “Ancient Heroes’ Gifts” 💝

Featuring: The Ancient Cookies

• “Two Sides of Compassion”

The Light of Justice and the Vitrue of Scorn

• “Doll of the Beasts”

Featuring: The Five Beasts

• “Even More Heartbreak 2: Mermaid’s Lament” 😞

Featuring: White Pearl Cookie, Lord Oyster, Mystic Opal Cookie, Abalone Cookie, and Crimson Coral Cookie

• “Watching Over Sleeping Beauty”

Featuring: The Five Beasts

• “Pizza Time 2: Delivery Boogaloo”

Featuring: Pizza Cookie

• “Bake It Till You Make It 2: Tasty Delights” 🍪

Featuring: Crunchy Chip Cookie, Mozzarella Cookie, Pure Vanilla Cookie, Raspberry Cookie, Pastry Cookie, Clover Cookie, and White Lily Cookie

• “The Earthbread Big Seller!” ✨🖌️

Featuring: Numerous Cookies

Art by @/hugemilkshake (view their Y/N Cookie)

• “Get in Loser, We’re Getting Hitched!”

Featuring: Princess Cookie and Knight Cookie

• “Aiding the Mala Tribe”

Featuring: Purple Yam Cookie, Milk Cookie and Mala Sauce Cookie

• “Let Me Be Your Princess”

Featuring: The Princess Contest Cookies

• “Hidden Truth of the City”

Featuring: The Cookiemals, Wind Archer Cookie, Churro Cookie, Licorice Cookie, and Pomegranate Cookie

• “Deceitful Joke” ✨🖌️

Featuring: Shadow Milk Cookie, Pure Vanilla Cookie and White Lily Cookie

Art by @/sei-cookie

• “Dawn of the Soggest”

Featuring: Shine Muscat Cookie

• “Meet Freshly Baked Cookie” ✨🖌️

Featuring: Freshly Baked Cookie, Child Cookies and their respective caretakers

Art by sweatinghoneybee

• “The Gist of the Dangerous Exchange”

Featuring: The Choco Chess Twins, Earl Grey Cookie and Gingerbrave

• “Should’ve Been Me”

Featuring: Abyss Monarch Cookie, Mocha Ray Cookie and Lobster Cookie

• “Hold My Hand”

Featuring: Pomegranate Cookie, Licorice Cookie and Affogato Cookie

• “What If: The First” 💗

Featuring: The Five Beasts

• “Beauty of the Abyssal Pearl”

Featuring: Black Pearl Cookie

• “Lights, Camera, Action!”

Featuring: Choco Bar Cookie and Butter Squid Cookie

March 2024 🌱

• “Marriage to Faerie King and the Enraged Beasts” 💗

Featuring: Elder Faerie Cookie and the Five Beasts

• “Lost Voice”

Featuring: The Gem Mermaid Family

• “Missing Stuff”

Featuring: The Time Balance Department Cookies

• “Here in My Kingdom, I Want You Everyday”

Based on Cookie Run Songs

• “The Lily and the Swan’s Embrace”

Featuring: White Lily Cookie and Sugar Swan Cookie

• “Who Broke the Coffee Machine?”

Featuring: The Elementals, Abyss Monarch Cookie and Xylitol Nova Cookie

• “Ingrained” 💗

Featuring: Herb Cookie

• “Clingy Matcha”

Featuring: Matcha Cookie

• “Cherished”

Featuring: White Lily Cookie and the Faerie Kingdom Cookies

• “One Heart for All, All Hearts for One”

Featuring: The Ancient Cookies

• “Wings”

Featuring: Dark Enchantress Cookie

• “Little Bit of Latte”

Featuring: Latte Cookie

• “Loyal Until the End”

Featuring: Caramel Arrow Cookie

• “What is Your Secret?”

Featuring: Butter Roll Cookie

• “A Bunch of Marzipans”

Featuring: Mozzarella Cookie and the Marzipan Cookies

• “Flower from the Other Shore” 💗

Featuring: Cherry Blossom Cookie

• “Dark Enchantress Cookie’s True Intentions”

Featuring: The Five Beasts

• “Welcome Back, Handycookie”

Featuring: Time Balance Department

• “Hiding Y/N, Seeking Beasts”

Featuring: The Five Beasts

• “A Letter? Wonder Who It’s From?”

Featuring: Caramel Choux Cookie and Financier Cookie

• “Rough Play”

Featuring: Rye Cookie

• “We’ve Got Lots in Common”

Featuring: Caramel Choux Cookie

• “Hangouts”

Featuring: Time Balance Department

• “A Friend?”

Featuring: Caramel Choux Cookie

Divider Source l Next Masterlist l Previous Masterlist

[akwolfgrl]

LFT PART 43

They all sat on the drying deck after escaping Loguetown, except Sanji who got up to make snacks/lunch for everyone. Sanji's cat crawled into his lap making itself comfy kneading at his leg. He felt eyes on him. He looked up to see Usopp's confusion, Luffy was just staring at the cat maybe with hunger? And Nami was cooing at the cat.

“Ummm when did we get a cat?” Usopp asked.

“Zoro got it for Sanji as a courting gift, while an odd gift. I suppose though it would be useful, they are considered to be good luck,” Nami explained. “Luffy he's not to be eaten, Sanji would be very hurt if you ate his pet,” she wanted their captain.

She had a point unfortunately, he was looking at the little black cat as if he would make a nice snack. Zoro stroked the cat's back, it arched under his hand purring.

“Fine, can I touch him?” Luffy asked, reaching out a long arm.

“Sure, if he lets you,” The cat would just do whatever it felt like doing, sometimes they were friendly and other times they were selective about who they would allow to touch them.

The cat reached out with one paw to bat at Luffy's hand. Luffy wiggled his fingers causing him to go after the rubber digits with both paws standing on his back legs as he attacked their captain.

“Awwwwww he's so cute!” Nami cooed.

“Look at him go! So ferocious you get those fingers kitty cat!” Usopp cheered the cat on.

Luffy laughed and continued to wiggle his fingers as the cat made little growls as it batted away until he took a worng step and tumbled out of Zoro's lap. He got up with his back arched, fur standing straight up. He lets out a soft chuckle as the cat begins to hop sideways towards Luffy.

“Jungle cat vs rubber, who will win!?” Usopp began to narrate as the scene began to unfold.

The cat countired to attack luffys hand as luffys hand incited the cat into action. The cat warped its paws around Luffys wirst and kicked its back paws agaist his arm and bit at luffys fingers not drawing blood. Both luffy and sanjis cat were having a great time.

“Lunch time! I made sushi and cocktails! Also Luffy like I promised for not eating Mt fish you made you seared tuna steaks eatch one a different seasoning,” Love cook came over Laden with trays. He eve had one a top his head. “Luffy the top is yours,”

“Yosh!” Luffy stopped playing with the cat a reached for the plate on Sanji's head. He imditly shoved a steak in his mouth. “Oooo it's kinda sour and lemony! I like it!”

“Hey shit-cook, I think you burned one,” Zoro pointed to the next one Luffy was swolling whole.

“I most certainly did not, it's call blackened it's a type of seasoning,” He responded handing Nami an orange looking cocktail with a sparkly looking peel. “For you my dear it's a screwdrive granshised with a candy minka peel,”

“Ooo,” Nami took a sip. “Mmm delish thank you sanji,”

“You welcome Nani swan,” Zoro watched as he passed out the other cocktails. “Usopp this is a Pina colda, luffy a blue lagoon. And for the moss a sake bomb,” Sanji handed him a glass of beer with chopsticks and a sho glass of sake on top. Zoro pulled the chopsticks away and the sake shot feel into the beer. “Eat up!” Sanji placed the large platter of sushi on the ground int he middle of everyone takeikg a small plate of just raw fish. “Mr. Noodles here kitty,” Zoro snorted into his drink luckily not spilling a thing. The cat now dubed Mr. Noddles imidlty ran to sanji and the fish.

“Mr. Noddles?” Nami questioned while Luffy laughed his ass off. “What kinda name is that?”

“What's wrong with the name? I think it's cute, and its to late to change it I've made up my mind,”

“But why food?”

“I'm more worried about if the cat, Mr. Noddles is even gonna be safe!” Usopp worried.

“why wouldn't it be?” Zoro asked. “the lady said it was a good gift for a ships cook,”

“Zeff had one, her name was Clementine. She even went to the grand line with them; she only recently died of old age. She was almost thirteen years old, she lasted longer than Zeffs crew who all drowned in a strom,”

“Yah Usopp the cat will be fine,” Zoro used his chopsticks to take some sushi before Luffy ate it all.

“Mr. Noodles is our new member!! We need to have a party!” Luffy declared before shoveling sushi in his mouth.

[shipperqueen93]

Some things never change.

In the year of your lord 2024 I'm having a captain swan vs swanfire argument on tiktok.

[fanlore-wiki]

Featured Article: Captain Swan vs. Swan Queen

This week our Featured Article is Captain Swan vs. Swan Queen, a long-running ship war in the Once Upon A Time fandom, between two juggernaut Emma Swan ships: Killian Jones/Emma Swan (Captain Swan) and Emma Swan/Regina Mills (Swan Queen).

At its most volatile in the mid-2010s, the ship war brought accusations and harassment between shipping factions, and in some cases even involved the show’s cast and showrunners. For many teenage fans, it was also their first experience of a ship war.

Do you have tales from the Captain Swan vs. Swan Queen wars? Add to the page on Fanlore!

------

We value every contribution to our shared fandom history. If you��re new to editing Fanlore or wikis in general, visit our New Visitor Portal to get started or ask us questions here!

[a-heart-of-kyber]

Someone: "Captain Swan vs. Swanfire was a love triangle!"

Me: *looking around*

Me: "Is...is the triangle in the room with us right now?!"

[greenleaf777]

I’m very new here and i have heard of these ship wars so i have investigated and I’m sorry I am so lost. I cannot for the LIFE of me understand where people got Gwynriel from….where’d it come from??? They have next to no moments together and Azriel has like 4 books of moments with Elain. It seems like its some kind of self insertion for the reader who doesn’t relate to Elain. Azriel seems to spend every moment thinking about and noticing Elain.

Pretty much every main character (besides i think Cassian but he may have) has also noticed how Elain and Azriel have feelings for each other.

Does he ever even bring up gwyn when hes not directly near her training her?According to their training in Acosf they could become friends i guess but even he doesn’t consider them friends yet.

I am new to this fandom but to me it seems like this fandom treats EVERY interaction or relationship as romantic if that character is single. Characters can be just friends you know?

I have nothing against Gwyn, she seems cool. Also I’m curious how old is she supposed to be? Cause from reading her lines she seems almost young or perhaps immature in terms of experience.

When do the Fae mature? Do we know this?

Man ship wars are exhausting i think this will be the only post i make about it cause the Captain Swan vs crack ship SQ (another self insert ship) drained me for all eternity. IYKYK. Acotar Tiktok is FULL of shippers hijacking and arguing in videos that have nothing to do with their ship.

[jamesbracket]

The matchups have arrived!

This tournament includes 96 characters named James, Jim, Jimmy, and Jay (with some others too), and they will all be competing in 6 brackets of 16, and the winners of those will be participating in two semifinals, and the winners of the semifinals will fight each other in the final finals! (Basically, it’s just how I did it on @blue-character-brawl, but with the amount of participants cut in half.)

Here are the matchups:

Bracket 1

Jim Hopper (Stranger Things) VS. Jim Halpert (The Office)

James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Marvel) VS. James “Bucky” Barnes (Marvel)

James Bonde (Moriarty the Patriot) VS. James Blond (Super Mario Brothers Super Show)

Jim Rockford (The Rockford Files) VS. James Bond (James Bond)

Jimmy Carter (Real Life) VS. James Madison (Hamilton)

James Byrd (@byrdsfly) VS. James Byrd (Spyro the Dragon)

JayMoji (Real Life) VS. James Phryllas (Real Life)

Jimmy Z (Wild Kratts) VS. Jimmy T (WarioWare)

Bracket 2

James Baxter (Adventure Time) VS. James (Adventure Time)

Jamestown, Virginia (Real Life) VS. James Webb Telescope (Real Life)

Jim Henson (Real Life) VS. Jim Davis (Real Life)

Jimmy Olsen (DC Comics) VS. Jim Gordon (DC Comics)

Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby) VS. James Henry Trotter (James and the Giant Peach)

Jimmy Neutron (Jimmy Neutron) VS. Shimmy Jimmy (Phineas and Ferb)

James McCloud (Star Fox) VS. Jay Elbird (Ace Attorney)

James (Wii Sports) VS. James (Papa Louie)

Bracket 3

Captain James Hook (Peter Pan) VS. James Norrington (Pirates of the Caribbean)

Jim Hawkins (Treasure Island) VS. Jimmy Hopkins (Bully)

Jamie Waring (Black Swan) VS. James Flint (Black Sails)

Jamie McCrimmon (Doctor Who) VS. King James IV (Doctor Who)

Dr. James Possible (Kim Possible) VS. Jimmy Pesto Jr. (Bob’s Burgers)

Prince James (Once Upon a Time) VS. James (Princess and the Frog)

jim teacher (This TikTok) VS. Nagasaki James (Noonbit Man)

James March (American Horror Story) VS. James Vane (The Picture of Dorian Gray)

Bracket 4

James (Pokémon) VS. James T. Kirk (Star Trek)

James the Red Engine (Thomas and Friends) VS. James P. Sullivan (Monsters, Inc.)

Jamie Fraser (Outlander) VS. James Sunderland (Silent Hill 2)

James Ironwood (RWBY) VS. Private Jimmy (Red vs Blue)

James Rallison (Real Life) VS. James Huckle (The Search for Santa Paws)

Jay Walker (Ninjago) VS. Jimmy McGill (Better Call Saul)

Jaime Lannister (Game of Thrones) VS. Jimmy Novak (Supernatural)

Jem Carstairs (The Infernal Devices) VS. James Herondale (The Last Hours)

Bracket 5

James Wilson (House MD) VS. Jamie Tartt (Ted Lasso)

Jim Lake Jr. (Trollhunters) VS. James Hunter (Animal Ark)

James (The Walking Dead) VS. Jimmy (Scott Pilgrim)

James-Roman Grilfalinas (@artificialkids-2k23-official) VS. Jimmy Lightning (Peggle)

Jamie Wellerstein (The Last Five Years) VS. Jamie Winter (Midsomer Murders)

James Holden (The Expanse) VS. James Ford (Lost)

James Garrett (Zoey 101) VS. James Amber (Life is Strange)

Jay Merrick (Marble Hornets) VS. Meanie Jim (Junie B. Jones)

Bracket 6

Jim Moriarty (Sherlock Holmes) VS. James Maguire (Derry Girls)

James Black (Detective Conan) VS. James Gunn (Real Life)

James the Cat (James the Cat) VS. Jimmy the Robot (The Aquabats)

Jimmy King (Emmerdale) VS. Jim Johnman (Monster Factory)

Jame Palrose (Terror Island) VS. Jimmy (Johnny the Homicidal Maniac)

James Diamond (Big Time Rush) VS. James Herriot (All Creatures Great and Small)

James West (The Wild Wild West) VS. James Maxwell (We Happy Few)

Jimmy Campbell (Bandstand) VS. James E. Negatus (Yonderland)

Round 1 of Brackets 1 and 2 will be going up on Saturday, May 20!

[matan4il]

Buddie vs Captain Swan meta

This is for the darling Nonnies who asked me to delve into the comparison! Thank you for your patience, I hope you enjoy it! xoxox

Abbreviations: OUaT = Once Upon a Time // CS = Captain Swan (the Emma/Hook ship) // SF = Swanfire (the Emma/Baelfire ship) // TPTB = The Powers that Be (the team making the decisions for a show) // ep numbers: 201 = ep 201 of 911; O201 = ep 201 of OUaT Unlike with other shows’ canon ships that I have compared in the past to Buddie in terms of what happens to them on screen, this meta is also gonna compare the two ships on the level of the decisions TPTB made (with the two levels not completely separate), which is a part of why this has been one of my fave meta posts to write, ever.

A love story on screen starts with love off screen

Alright, so let me start by mentioning that Hook’s actor (Colin) was only supposed to be on the show for a brief stint. I heard different reports on whether he was originally booked for one ep or five. Either way, it was officially confirmed that even before his first ep aired, TPTB already liked Colin’s performance enough to promote him to a series regular. Yes, before anyone at home even got to watch Hook once. They didn’t specify what they liked, but we can assume it was his acting choices, charisma, the color, humor and sex appeal he brought to the character, but also the chemistry between Colin as Hook and Jennifer as Emma, maybe as early as in rehearsals. Once they expanded Hook’s role so much, they had to tie him in with some of the other regular characters. Hook’s original link to the show was the revenge he wanted to take on Rumple (as established in O204, his first ep), but if he was gonna be a regular, he needed something more. So O205 introduces him to a group of our heroines, especially through Emma’s eyes (she’s the one who sees right through him), while the climax of this meeting plays out in O206, laying out the foundation for CS. Just keep in mind that on 911, Ryan got the part of Eddie because of how much TPTB liked and wanted to work with him. In other words, in both cases it seems the on-screen chemistry and joint journey of two characters started with an off-screen love of TPTB for a charismatic actor.

Both ships were given this initial trajectory of enemies to friends. In the case of CS, Hook starts out on the side of the bad guys while Emma is The Savior. He also uses a sleazy sort of flirting as a tactic: when his opponents are annoyed, it distracts them from his true intentions, and it also disarms them by making it seem like he poses no real threat since he can’t even “keep it in his pants.” He uses this on many, yet from the get go, he has a special focus on Emma. There are four heroines he meets in O205, but she’s the main one he negotiates with, tries to win over, flirts with and when the women have to decide which one of them would climb the beanstalk with him, once they chose Emma he even states, “I was hoping it would be you.” Even the way he puts the bracelet on her wrist is more physically intimate than it needs to be. That means we have an antagonistic start, alongside an undercurrent of attraction. That’s exactly what we have with Buddie as well in 201, when Buck starts out disliking Eddie, but under the surface it’s clear he’s attracted (and not just physically) to Eddie as well, to how incredible he is.

During the O206 climb, Hook starts a dialogue with Emma, but I mean, he really wants to get to know her. It’s still something he can rationalize away in his mind as him simply doing whatever serves his revenge (maybe in the long run this info might be useful), but he doesn’t strictly need this in the short run. Knowing about her first love doesn’t help with how they’ll defeat the giant and retrieve the golden compass. Yet, he wants to know. She intrigues him and makes him want more. It’s the only time we’ll see him in Os2 (other than the finale) doing something that isn’t directly needed for his revenge. In fact, the issue of whether he would betray Emma in order to further his revenge explicitly comes up (she assumes he would based on how Neal had betrayed her in the past), he doesn’t try any tricks when she’s wounded, instead he bandages her hand, goes with her altered plan on how to tackle the giant even though it puts him in a much greater danger (the new plan has benefits for Emma, none for him, yet he still accepts it), comments on how well they work as a team, and we also discover in O209 that he wouldn’t have betrayed her later on either (Hook tells her so when they both know Emma has a lie detection super power, showing that she got under his skin, to make him honest and loyal to her even when it doesn’t necessarily benefit him). My point is, this ep isn’t shy about setting up the possibility of CS being more than two people who temporarily share the same goal. This is so much like Buddie, whose compatibility is clearly cemented in 201 beyond just that one grenade call they worked on together in the ambulance, leading to them exchanging a vow to have each other’s back.

Emma’s reaction to him is played in a more understated fashion. She goes with him because they need the compass, but she doesn’t like the flirting, she openly doesn’t trust him and at first she doesn’t quite open up to his questions. However, we get a hint that her real reaction might run deeper than it initially seems because we get her flashbacks to Neal (the name Baelfire chose for himself in The Land Without Magic), the only love she’s had before. Those flashbacks are triggered simply by meeting Hook, later intensified by his questions. He got under her skin from the start. She also spots his tattoo and asks about the woman mentioned in it. She wants to get to know Hook better, too. When he doesn’t really wanna open up to her about his lost love either, she also guesses correctly what it is he’s not telling her. When he acknowledges she’s right by calling her perceptive, she returns his honesty by admitting she might have been in love before (despite lying about it earlier). That makes their interaction perfectly mutual. We get everything needed for the classic trope of enemies to friends to eventual lovers, not to mention soulmates. And again, the mutual nature of the attraction is so similar to what we get with Buck and Eddie, who both want to get to know the other one better even at the peak of not getting along. Buck still asks Eddie questions to better understand the new guy, while in all of 201, the only person Eddie is shown as being interested in on a more personal level is Buck, with that comment at the gym about knowing that he’s a good guy going through a tough break up, showing empathy, but emphasizing they’re on the same team...

Keep your friends close and your story telling options closer

But CS didn’t get a simple love story set up. I’m certain the original plan was for Emma to actually have a different endgame, which IMO makes the comparison of CS with Buddie so much more interesting. Os2 is full of hints that Emma’s intended endgame was Neal. SF as endgame includes epic symbolism: Emma, the daughter of THE Good Guys from the Enchanted Land, and Neal, the son and grandson of THE Bad Guys from that land, meet in the Land Without Magic, fall in love and have a child together, their union bringing eventual salvation for all. It’s the stuff fairytales are made of! I also have to say that I really loved Baelfire as a kid, so it makes sense that if TPTB set him up to be such a loved character, they would want him (and assume the viewers want him) to have the ultimate happy ending with Emma.

How does CS fit into that? Well, my theory is that when introducing us to them, TPTB saw dramatic potential in the chemistry between Hook and Emma, plus it helped link him to the show, but they hadn’t decided yet how exactly to play with this ship alongside their intended endgame one. I believe they saw three options, and they tried to create the foundation for CS so that it would reasonably lend itself to any of the three, though I do think they had a preference. The first option was to set up the potential of CS as a romantic ship, but then not follow through, making it clear that Hook is attracted to Emma, but that her link to him would just be as The Savior, with him being one of many she helps to save. In other words, Hook’s attraction would be one sided, but it would help him to redeem himself and at some point find his own happy ending. Another option, and I believe the main one they were considering during Os2, was for CS to grow into something romantic (and mutual), but not an endgame ship. It would be a station on Emma’s romantic journey, and the love triangle created by CS would be another obstacle for SF to overcome (and it makes me LOL forever that we got a bit of that love triangle treatment for Buddie when Taylor was around, even without Buddie going canon, unlike CS who had kissed by the time Hook discovers Neal is still alive). The last option is again one that I think TPTB were less interested in, but made sure not to close the door on, which is that the set up for CS would grow into an actual endgame ship.

Why do I think the love triangle option was the initially preferred one? IMO just like Os2 is full of signs that SF were meant to be endgame, we also have hints that TPTB’s course was to create that love triangle between SF and CS, for example in the O206 flashback to the time when Neal shoplifted the swan keychain for Emma. Right within the shot there’s a heart-shaped keychain with a pirate symbol on it. Another example that connects the two ships is that in this ep, Hook tells Emma about having been in Neverland, while in her flashbacks we see SF talking about settling down, and she jokingly asks, “Like, where? Neverland?” Also, on the beanstalk, Hook says he can tell she has the look in her eyes of a lost kid who’s been abandoned by her parents. We already know based on the set up of his revenge story that Hook’s a bit of a lost soul himself (and we’ll find out in O222 that he was an abandoned orphan, too). This was Neal’s background as well. All three are, in a sense, kindred spirits. In fact, while O206 establishes the start of CS and shows us SF for the first time through flashbacks, O221 is going to show us that, independent of this, Hook and Baelfire had also crossed paths and cared about each other, completing all sides of the love triangle. Notice how ALL of these things, because they connect and parallel Hook and Neal, can just as easily support the idea that Hook was always meant to be an obstacle for SF to overcome, or that Hook is Emma’s true love. This is what TPTB like, to keep their options open in case things (and their preferences) shift.

I see similarities here to what happened with Eddie’s character on 911. He was brought in because TPTB liked Ryan and wanted him on the show. They were reorganizing after Abby’s departure in 110, so they introduced Maddie’s character as the new anchor at Dispatch, as well as Eddie to make the team more dynamic. Both needed ties to the team. Maddie would have one in Buck, but she also needed a romantic connection. We know TPTB decided on having the new characters develop a romance. JLH took one look at the ship name and said, “Chim,” 'coz she’s a queen. Which means Maddie would still have her romance, but what would tie Eddie on a personal level to the 118? My guess is TPTB saw the chemistry between Ryan and Oliver, and decided to go with that as the significant bond they’d give Eddie. The changes were made before 201 even aired. Once the ep did, Eddie’s entire introduction is all about Buck, including some clear hints at the option of a romance, without committing to it yet. I’m talking of course about the way Eddie’s presented shirtless for Buck to take him in, the sexy tune “Whatta Man” playing in the background, plus of course the classic enemies to friends trope. Again, TPTB hint at it, lay out the foundations, but keep their options open. When you run a show, there are a lot of elements that might end up not playing out as you intended them to, so you have to reserve some level of flexibility, keep your plans in mind, but also be able to adapt to what ends up working on screen. That’s why I think there were other hints at a possible romantic Buddie throughout s2 (the most blatant of which was the Elf Lady scene in 210 and the social media comments about Buddie in 218), but without anything becoming explicit yet. I do assume back then, they hadn’t decided yet whether to go canon with Buddie or not.

A part of what makes the comparison off screen so fascinating to me is contemplating what made TPTB change course and decide that the option they’re going with is CS as endgmae after all, because it might reflect on when and how a similar decision has been/will be made on 911 regarding Buddie. I do think the ultimate factor was on screen chemistry that garnered CS tons of vocal fans even before anything canon happened between them. Does that remind you of a certain 911 ship? But then, I also think SF's chemistry paled in comparison (I can specify in detail why the ship fell short on the story telling level as well, but my impression is it was a poor decision to cast Neal without an audition, including a chemistry read for SF. CS absolutely sizzle together. Chemistry is a mystery that few have managed to decipher. It’s not about whether actors are good or not, it’s not about whether they like each other as people off screen, it’s an unknown. And it might also be, at least to a degree, in the eye of the beholder. I’m sure there are SF fans who think their ship’s chemistry was way better than CS’. But I say to a degree ‘coz there usually is a general consensus, and in the case of Emma, most viewers seemed to agree her chemistry with Hook was off the charts). If the only ship that OUaT set up in a way that could (and was meant to) rival CS was failing to do that, what were the chances that any other incoming ship would? I suspect this is what settled the score in favor of CS. Not only did they become a canon couple, not only did they become Emma’s endgame, they became in a sense the whole show’s endgame. OUaT’s main theme (explicitly repeated) is that anything is possible if you only hold on to hope. The last significant zoom in we get for the entire show is on CS hugging while holding their little baby girl, Hope. 911 is very similar in its hopeful themes to OUaT, so here I have to point out that no one gives Eddie or Buck hope that things can be good quite like the other man (just one example is Eddie struggling from the very start of s5, and Buck helping him and giving him hope in 514 in ways no one else, not even a therapist, can).

Basically, this dynamic of TPTB creating a ship and not committing to it, but wanting it present in the minds of the viewers and realizing over time that none other could compare to this ship is once more very similar IMO to Buddie. After scenes like the lasagna Buddifer one in 601, there’s no character in the world that can enter the 911 verse at this point and win viewers’ hearts as the endgame ship for either Buck or Eddie over what they have with each other. Ultimately, I don’t see how TPTB can make any other choice that would be satisfying (and acceptable) for most of the audience.

In case you’re wondering whether I’m wrong and CS was supposed to be endgame all along, OUaT actually hinted within the show that this is what happened. In O621, after CS had just been married and immediately torn apart, Hook gives a small speech that seems to reflect the decision making behind the scenes: “Look, we made each other better! All right? Emma and I were never a predestined love story, guaranteed a happy ending. We fought for our love, and we won.” Within the OUaT world, where a whole bunch of things such as Being The Savior ARE predestined, there's nothing that tells Hook he and Emma weren’t. So why is he saying that? It’s TPTB inserting a meta comment into the text. As I’ve been pointing out, I believe these words resonate true for Buddie as well, who might not have been the original plan either, but they found each other, made each other better, and have been fighting together for the little family unit they ended up having.

Love is stored in the parallels

It’s fascinating to me that after CS first meet, the rest of Os2 gives each a mostly separate plot, because they’re both still preoccupied with a former love and they’re not ready to be with each other just yet. Hook is chasing his revenge, haunted by the ghost of the murdered Milah, while Emma is surprised by Neal returning to her life and taking his place there as Henry’s dad.

I find it insane how similar this is to Buddie in s2. They meet as enemies, quickly become friends, but for the most part have separate plots for that season, where Buck has to find a way to disentangle himself from Abby’s ghost (which is how he defines her when he writes his letter to her), and Eddie finds that his one request for momentary help turns into Shannon surprisingly returning to his life and trying to re-take her place there as Christopher’s mom. I’ll repeat, Hook and Buck are both haunted by the ‘ghost’ of a past lover, while Emma and Eddie have to deal with their ex, who’s also the biological parent of their kid, returning to their life. When I tell you that this perfect parallel makes me wanna chew glass...

But this allows them to resolve their issues and come closer together. There’s a moment when Hook thinks he did finally get his revenge in O215, which leads him to ponder in O220 what will become of his life if he does kill Rumple. He realizes it would be empty, as he has no one to share it with. This is a change inspired by Emma. He grasps the emptiness of his pursuit since in spite of himself, he started caring about her. It’s because of what he told her in O206, that she’s “bloody brilliant” and because of what she tells him in O222, that they understand each other (as fellow lost souls). There is something real between them that is changing him. The Os2 finale forces him to choose between his revenge and his own life. It’s a choice that he had to make before and he always chose to put himself in harm’s way in order to avenge Milah’s death (in an O311 flashback he even explicitly tells Tink that dying for his revenge would be satisfying enough). But this time, he realizes he does want to live. And as Emma challenges him in this ep to care about anyone other than himself, he does. He cares about her enough to do the right thing, returning to Storybrooke to save everyone. He practically tells her she’s the reason, that she inspired him to remember he could care about others. When he realizes his return was too late for his initial intention, but he could still help by offering the magic bean to save Henry, he immediately volunteers to do so and even to join the search party. It’s during this time that we’ll see them really coming together. That made me think of the distance we saw between Buddie in 5a, which gave way to them growing closer than ever in 5b, as Eddie confesses his greatest fear to and finds comfort in Buck.

O222 still doesn’t commit to a specific CS option, though. It could be Emma as The Savior helping Hook become better without returning his feelings, it could be the start of something that will eventually make way for Emma choosing Neal once she’s reunited with him, or it could be the start of CS as a ship that OUaT is actually invested in, not just as an obstacle to SF. When did the show decide between those options? I suspect the answer is during the hiatus ahead of Os3. What Hook did in O222, when he chose to return, it was the first selfless thing we’ve seen him do. But is it something that means he’s worthy of Emma or can compete with the feelings she and Neal still have for each other? I would argue that there’s nothing in the Os2 finale to definitively answer that in the affirmative, at least not just yet. In the Os3 premiere, however, I believe we get exactly that. We have a moment when Hook and Regina discuss whether villains like them can get happy endings. It’s a continuation of their talk in O220, where for the first time Hook wondered about whether he should have something more to his life than vengeance. In O301, he lets Regina know he hopes they can get one. As their conversation ends, the camera pans from that to Emma. That may not seem so significant, but in O416, there’s a scene where CS talk about whether Hook, as a former villain, will get his happy ending. She asks him if he’s found it, and he replies, “Don’t you know, Emma? It’s you.” Visually, the show clues us in on this almost two seasons earlier, before Hook himself had even realized it, using that shot. TPTB have already chosen CS over SF, we just don’t (officially) know it yet either.

But it’s one of those things whose full significance you’re meant to only realize during a rewatch. That’s exactly what 911 gave us with that montage of memories Eddie has in 315, where he sees the family he recognizes he’ll always fight to come back to, and that family is not just his son, it’s about both Buck and Chris. As emotional and incredible as that scene was, we discover roughly a season later that it means even more than we realized, as Eddie reveals to Buck in 414 his decision to alter his will following that call, officially and legally binding Buck to their family. Now just imagine, maybe somewhere in what we’ve seen there’s already a scene that one day, with the gift of hindsight, we’ll watch and it will hit us that TPTB were using it to signal that they had already chosen to make Buddie canon, we just needed to wait for it to unfold...

I say this because even though O301 lets us know TPTB have already settled on CS, the show itself will continue to pretend as if the love triangle between them and SF is yet to be decided throughout the rest of Os3. Hook surprised Emma more than once along Os2, but as he chose her over his revenge, she got to really see the kind of man he can be. His bloodthirst for Milah’s murderer was always fueled by his love and by the kind of devotion that only lost souls can offer. If that was so intense, just imagine what he’s capable of feeling when he begins falling in love with the one woman who he thinks of as so amazing that she could even make him let go of his vengeance. Alongside this, TPTB still dwell on Emma’s lingering feelings for Neal. That makes it seem like an open race, but it was later confirmed in an interview that they knew they were going to kill Neal before Os3 even started airing.

There are still clues in the subtext that CS are it. For example, in O301 we get to see them as a battle couple again, something we hadn’t witnessed since their first quest together climbing the beanstalk in O206. Never estimate the power of this trope! Since the days of the ancient Greeks, it has been used to signify a pair of bonded souls, ready to kill and die for each other, playing on the duality of the fierce fight one conducts for the person they harbor the most tender of feelings for, with both partners being so in sync that their bond can be counted on even in the most life threatening of situations. And yes, of course Buddie falls into this long, intense (and historically, homoerotic) tradition, as we have seen them being the ultimate battlefield boyfriends multiple times.

Another thing is that the triangle’s two sides aren’t truly balanced. What I mean by this is that when a show hasn’t decided yet, and wants to build up both ships, it will make sure to balance every significant thing one ship has with an equal counterpart for the other. In O307, CS have a meaningful moment where Emma thanks Hook for doing the right thing and telling them Neal is in Neverland, so that he can be saved. She acknowledges this is something Hook did in spite of Neal being his romantic rival for her affections. Hook responds that when he wins her heart, and he will, it won’t be because of trickery, it will be because she wants him (there are actually three opportunities Hook has in Neverland to win her “unfairly,” and he resists using even a single one of them). What this does is cement the fact that the love Hook feels for Emma can help him be a better man, someone who he once was (as we saw in O305). It’s a redemption through love story. And Neal doesn’t have an equivalent to that. Another indication is in O311, when Emma and Henry have to leave Storybrooke, knowing that once they do, they will lose their memories of everyone else. Hook tells Emma there won’t be a day when he won’t think of her. She smiles and replies, “Good.” Hook on his part is confessing that his feelings have morphed into this hopeless, epic love that will haunt him even when they’re realms apart. Emma, by accepting that, is in turn admitting that she actually does want whatever it is that has started developing between them. But when Neal told her a moment earlier that it isn’t over and he will see her and Henry again, she didn’t answer. Again, these are small signs that TPTB already knew the endgame ship before we got Emma officially choosing Hook, but they still pretended as if it’s not settled yet, still acting as if the love triangle is balanced. And I am forever thinking about 911 and what TPTB have already decided, but still aren’t ready to admit...

The on screen parallels are, like love, endless

We talk a lot about what Buddie’s ‘Oh’ moment might be, that instance of recognition of what they feel. We might not have gotten one on screen yet, or we may discover later on that, like the visual clue in O301, we can only decipher their ‘Oh’ moment in retrospect. With Hook, I think he had his in O302. Emma has to admit who she really is, that she’s still a lost girl. We, as viewers, can tell how similar she is to Hook. When they talk about it later, he asks her, “And just who are you, Swan?” and she teases, “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Hook is usually the one to bring on the flirting that most women don’t take seriously, but this time, when it’s Emma who’s being coy, he reacts with unusual sincerity and responds, “Perhaps I would.” It’s that uncharacteristic intensity that lets us know, he’s admitting it to himself. In O206, we saw that he was interested in getting to know Emma, but he could still lie to himself, hide behind how the info might come in useful at some point in his pursuit of revenge (even though we don’t see him take a similar interest in any of the other opponents). But here, he’s already let go of the idea of retribution, and is admitting to himself he honestly is interested in her, that what he feels is more than just attraction or a means to a goal. He genuinely would like to be the person allowed in. And yes, once more this is very similar to Buddie, who gravitated towards each other from the start, how they both showed such an interest in getting to know the other man better, and we got to see how similar in their trauma and journey towards healing they are, as well as being each other’s person, the one allowed in.

Another thing we have is instances of mutual longing stares. These are supposed to quietly make our guts turn, because CS exchange them in Os3 precisely whenever it seems like they can’t be together. For example, in O306 when Emma discovers that Neal, the father of her child, is still alive and in Neverland, there’s an intense exchange of stares between her and Hook. It reminds me a bit of how Buddie sometimes stare at each other, such as when the the team is discussing Eddie and Ana going to an event as a couple for the first time in 501, but it’s Buck’s eyes that Eddie meaningfully catches...

There’s of course the classic instants of jealousy. They don’t necessarily develop into full plots like on some shows, but they do exist in the background as a reminder for who someone really wants, no matter what facade they may present to the world. In O310, for example, Hook has decided to let Emma go so that she could have a chance to see if she could work things out with the father of her son. But he’s heartbroken, so he tries to take his mind off the pain by hitting on Tink, who of course realizes exactly what he’s doing and says no. Nothing happens, but Emma arrives just in time to see the two of them together and be visibly displeased by the idea. This is a lot like Eddie, even as early as 206, disliking the idea of Buck with any other person, like when he saw Taylor speaking to Bobby in that ep and ignored it, but the second he saw her speaking to Buck...

And let’s talk about building a family unit together! Well, Hook being Emma’s co-parent isn’t exactly a focal point of OUaT, since she shares custody of Henry with another, adoptive mother. The show is preoccupied enough with both Emma and Regina’s journey to accepting their motherhood and learning how to be a good parent to Henry, on top of Neal discovering that he’s a dad (not to mention all the grandparents this brings into Henry’s life), that I don’t think the show has a lot of space left to delve too deeply into Hook as Henry’s extra parental figure. And yet, it does have a whole bunch of really lovely moments that it dedicates precisely to that. For example, in O316, before CS even get together, Hook spends a lot of time with Henry to help this kid grieve. Even when we don’t see these moments on screen, OUaT makes sure to include references that let us know these are happening off screen. And to really cement it, all of O606 is dedicated to establishing that Henry does see them as a family unit and accepts Hook not just as Emma’s romantic partner, but also as an additional parent.

I don’t really have to explain how this is very similar to Buddie, where there’s no question Chris has basically embraced Buck as his other dad, and that these three ARE one family unit, right?

Another thing OUaT did with CS once it decided they were endgame is to give them an epic cinematic point of reference. I’m referring to O305, when Emma and Hook kiss for the first time. Hook, the womanizing pirate, is visibly shaken up by it. Emma, however, is still in denial and right away says it’s just a one time thing. But as she sends him away, he replies with, “As you wish.” This is an obvious reference to the movie Princess Bride which established that saying that is another form of saying, “I love you.”

Buddie have their own cinematic reference built into the ship. Their promise in 201 to have each other’s back is a clear reference to Maverick and Iceman’s exchange at the end of Top Gun accepting the other guy as their wing man. If you ask me, that was a way of saying “I love you,” too. And of course, Top Gun came out in the 1980’s, when mainstream Hollywood was not filming gay romances, but this hit film is widely known and understood as a queer coded movie. In fact, Val Kilmer himself once referred to Iceman as his first gay role... 

And God, that epic reference really fits CS. Even before they get together, Hook’s feelings for Emma are so grand, he chooses to follow her to the ends of earth and time, literally. Magical vortex that leads God only knows where opens up in O321? Hook wants to get out of there right away. It sucks Emma in? Hook deliberately lets go and allows the vortex to claim him as well, while he mutters that one day he’s going to stop chasing this woman (except he obviously won’t). You know who else follow each other into the craziest, most life endangering situations without a second thought? Yep, our resident moron in love firefighters. They will never stop chasing and saving each other either.

An additional way to build up CS as a ship and a significant one is to have them parallel the other canon couples on the show, particularly the ones that have such a sound foundation that viewers know their love is true. If CS parallel those couples, that means their love is true as well. I think the most obvious parallel on OUaT is between CS and Emma’s parents, Snow and Charming. They were THE romance in s1, cemented by their exchanged promise that they will always find each other. Just imagine how feral I went when in O511, we had Emma leading an expedition to the fucking underworld because she was hellbent on finding and saving Hook, and she utters the same epic promise of love her parents have repeatedly made to each other, that she will find him, she will always find him. Just in case we still had any doubts, in the underworld she has to undergo a test of true love, and unsurprisingly, she passes it. Hook and Emma get to spend the rest of their lives knowing that what they built together, by being there for each other, comforting and learning and saving one another, is true love. So I hope you get why it drives me a little crazy to think about how, in essence, that’s exactly what Buddie have as well, their relationship is built from the same building blocks. Not to mention, they’re also repeatedly shown to parallel the canon, foundational couples of 911, like Madney, Henren and Bathena.

Another of these parallels to Snow and Charming can be found in the language one partner uses when they try to revive the part of the ship. In O103, it’s Snow trying to save Charming in Storybrooke, and she’s begging him at first to come back to “us,” but that doesn’t really express what she feels, her desperation, so she switches over to “Come back to me.” That switch says everything about how significant the “me” is. It’s not just a general rescue attempt out of respect for the sacredness of all human life. This is personal. A loss that the rescuer cannot bear. And they have faith that the connection between them and the person they’re trying to save is another life line, in addition to the physical actions to keep the other person alive. That’s exactly what Emma is also begging Hook to do when she’s giving him CPR in O320, in those very words, after Zelena almost drowned him to death. That of course parallels Buck begging Eddie to stay “with me” in 414. Also worthy of note? None of these couples are together when one half of the ship has to rescue the other and ends up resorting to this intimate language.

A parallel I absolutely have to quietly scream about into my fist is the one about emotional walls. In O503, Hook confesses to Emma that he liked her exactly as she was. He tells her that he liked her walls, and he liked being the one to break them down. That confession holds so much, like the acceptance of the person you’re in love with as they are, with all of the parts of themselves that they see as the worst, like the love, patience and support that turns being there for someone else when they let you in on what they see as their ugliest parts into something you see as beautiful, and like that awe-inspiring realization that you are special to them because you’re the only one they let into their mess. Now tell me this isn’t precisely what we got with Buddie, when Buck physically broke down the door to Eddie’s most private space, his bedroom, and he wasn’t kicked out for doing that or met with any kind of resistance, instead what Buck got was Eddie letting down his emotional walls as well, not just in that moment, but also later on, when he allows Buck back into that mess, to help clean it up and fix his broken walls. Yes, the most significant emotional developments that happen between romantic partners are ones that Buddie got to have, too.

And lastly there’s of course the parallel that you can see in the header for this meta post, between the time Emma had to watch Hook be stabbed in front of her eyes in O423 and when Buck had to witness Eddie get shot right in front of him in 413. The way that scene plays out (one is fatally wounded, the other is horrified into paralysis, but then before they can rush in, a third party has to intervene and stop them, as the wounded partner reaches out to them) is a romantic trope in itself, because yeah, shows and movies usually only do it this way to one person when it’s their romantic partner who sees everything and is devastated by it. That Buck was put in the same position Emma during this scene, that says everything.

~~ Thank you soooo much to the amazing @buckleyirondad​ and @madsbuckley​ who shared the load of giffing for this meta (since there were so many scenes to gif). Your creations are breathtaking and so is your kindness! I seriously can’t thank you enough, I hope you had a blast making the gifs, and that everyone reading enjoys this meta! If you have, please consider supporting it by giving it a reblog, thank you! xoxox

[eevylynn]

I was here on tumblr in the Once Upon a Time fandom at the peak of the Swanfire vs Captain Swan feud. That shit was the most vile, toxic shit I've ever seen in 20+ years of being in various fandoms.

Those C$ers would stalk the private lives of SFers. If they didn't scare them off with stupid anons like what this idiot is doing, they'd send my friends anonymous death threats.

And I'm one of the few from the core Swanfire fandom that's still here.

There's a reason.

I don't take crap against my fandom friends lightly.

[happy-emmdings]

Been enjoying your polls lately! do you have any headcannons on how you think cs live their married + family life? Like their habits, their kids, their jobs, their last names etc etc (also so happy you have asks now!!!)

Hi!!

Yes, I sure do have some! Maybe more then you asked for😅

But I have to say that I didn't watch season 7 and though I have a general idea what happens in it, I could not possibly be more confused about its timeline so... let's just say „I've elected to ignore it".

For their honeymoon, Emma and Killian go on a long cruise along the East Coast (there are many advantages to marrying the real Captain Hook), maybe to Florida and back and they make several stops along the way in different places. Killian explores more of the strange land without magic (and with way too much technology) with Emma as his guide and it’s very fun and wholesome

Of course, they inevitably interact with regular people and there is so much comedic potential in that. Obviously because Killian is 200-year-old pirate from another realm but it's time for Emma to realize that she's not the normal person constantly bewildered by the existence of fairytale characters anymore... she's one of the magic freaks now, she has to stop herself midsentence before she accidentally says something that would sound insane

Just imagine Emma and Killian finding themselves at a bar, getting to know some friendly strangers and they start playing Never have I ever... infinite possibilities how that could get increasingly weird

They have an adventure in the Bermuda triangle too, because nothing can be normal for Storybrooke's heroes

Hope Swan Jones is born 2 years after the end of season 6 and she adores her big brother Henry, even though their dynamic is still more like young uncle/niece because of the big age gap but they get full sibling energy when it comes to an argument

Swan is her middle name just to confuse everyone

I've always imagined Hope with dark hair and green eyes even though blond Hope seems to be much more popular. Now I'm contemplating the possibility of dirty blond

The jury is still out on whether or not they would have more than one kid but I suck at coming up with names so🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Emma continues to be Storybrooke's sheriff which at this point just means being the Savior. Let's be real Storybrooke hasn't enforced a single law since the first curse was broken and it’s not like deputy Captain Hook has ever had a lot of regard for law, but... They try to maintain order more or less. Things do get more peaceful, but it's still Storybrooke so of course stuff happens from time to time but nothing traumatizing or apocalyptic. Nevertheless, Emma and Killian solve occasional mysteries together and keep Storybrooke citizens safe

Killian is the first member of Belle's Book Club, because he supports his friend Belle when she decides to start organizing fun activities at the library. You just know he read the original version of The Odyssey. Other book club members include for example August, sister Astrid and Leroy (who is only there for Astrid and their will-they-won't-they non-discreet romance annoys Killian to no end because he's not a bloody matchmaker why are they asking him what the other thinks of them)

The Swan-Jones family goes sailing on their family vacations every summer!

Make it a joint family vacation with Belle and little Gideon. Belle finally gets to travel and Hope and Gideon become unlikely childhood friends.

There's also at least one Swan-Jones and Charmings camping trip that includes Snow teaching Hope and Leo how to make a fire and build shelter in the wilderness, sword duels with sticks, stargazing, campfire songs, so many campfire songs! (they all have such beautiful singing voices and they should use them) This is also time for Emma to bond with her parents and experience something she didn't have as a kid

"Eat some bloody vitamins" dad Killian vs. "Popcorn mixed with milk duds" mom Emma

Killian Jones cannot look at a child he has some connection to without being like "Welp looks like I have to teach this little pirate everything there is to know about sailing and navigating by the stars and secret maps, I simply must, it's the code..." So Hope can tie every kind of knot there is and becomes an expert in old timey boat stuff by middle school

She loves it because 1) it's a special thing she and her dad can bond over 2) it makes her feel cool and smart 3) she's a total nerd 4) she inherited the innate love for the ocean that runs in her dad's side of the family

Hope has magic but she's not super good at it, Emma helps her practice and sometimes pulling an innocent prank on dad or grandpa is part of the practice

Killian makes so many dad jokes. And so does Emma

Killian sings Hope to sleep when she's little and Emma reads bedtime stories to her

Sometimes she reads something like Winnie the Pooh and Hope asks if Winnie the Pooh is also real and Emma shuts the book and stares at the wall and has an existential crisis for a second because who knows at this point he might as well be??

So, these are some of them that I salvaged from the absolute chaos that is my notes app... Thanks for the ask❣️