#Think about the first time Henry becomes enchanted with her
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Christmas Reruns 2023 Day 32: New Year New Town
Merry Christmas if you celebrate it and happy holidays if you don’t! One of the things I love about Christmas is watching reruns of all the old classic Christmas movies–Christmas is a big time for nostalgia. A few years ago, I decided to incorporate that tradition into my fandom life and post my CS holiday reruns. So here you go! Enough holiday (mostly) fluff to get you to New Year’s Day. (With a new story posting on Christmas Day.)
Rating: G
Word Count: 1868
Other chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
A/N: Taking place sometime not long before grown up Henry calls for Hook, Regina and Emma to come to his aid in the alternate Enchanted Forest in 7x2, the residents of Storybrooke are living out their Happy Beginnings. With New Years approaching, Regina and Snow decide it’s time for a new town wide initiative. Emma and Killian use the occasion to make a special announcement of their own.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Good morning, Beautiful. How was your night?” Killian crooned softly as he leaned down to kiss Emma’s cheek, his hand softly caressing her shoulder.
Emma smiled as she slowly opened her eyes and turned over to meet her husband’s adoring gaze. She’d introduced him to the song a few months ago, and ever since then, he’d woken her up to it nearly every morning.
They’d been married for five years now, and yet Killian could still make her stomach swoop like a teenager with her first crush. It should be illegal for someone to be so romantic.
Emma sat up, ran a hand through her riotous curls, and then pulled Killian down for a long, slow kiss. Life was good. Life was really good.
Killian pulled away with a reluctant groan. “I’ll never complain about a good morning greeting like that, my love, but if we continue on in this manner, we’ll never make the city council meeting on time.”
Emma groaned. “You sure we can’t just skip it? It’s New Year’s Eve; I’d much rather just stay here in bed with you.”
“Likewise darling,” Killian said with one more smacking kiss to her lips before he threw back the covers and got to his feet, “but you know neither Regina nor your mother would ever let us get away with that given their New Year, New Town initiative.”
Emma groaned again. “Oh yeah, that. Can’t wait”
About a month ago, just after Thanksgiving, Regina and Snow had called a special town council meeting.
“We’ve been Big Bad free for five years now,” Regain began without preamble, staring down each of the members of the council, “and you’d think that would mean our town would be nearly perfect, by now, but that is not the case. I’ve still had to deal with the same petty squabbles as I’ve always had to, and I think it’s high time we do something about it.”
“Just what kind of squabbles we talking about ‘your majesty’?” Leroy asked, scowling fiercely
“Well, for one thing, I think we would all appreciate it if you’d lay off the threats of a lawsuit everytime someone eats the last of Granny’s bacon before you get there.”
“I have always tried to get as much bacon as I possibly could, and my brothers all know it”, Leroy argued. “They double cross me at the diner counter, they know what to expect.”
Regina rolled her eyes and looked on the point of retorting back, which Snow quickly stepped in.
“The point is not to point fingers at any one person,” she said. “The point is that I think we all have things about ourselves that we could change in order to become the best versions of ourselves.”
“So, Lady Snow, what particularly are you and the queen proposing?” Killian asked.
“As you all well know, the holiday season is just now ramping up, and before you know it, it will be Christmas and then New Years,” Snow explained. “Regina and I were talking over tea one day, and we had a thought. New Years is the time for resolutions. What if we–all of us–the whole town–made new year’s resolutions to make our town a better, friendlier town?”
“We’ll call it the ‘New Year, New Town’ initiative,” Regina said in her typical no nonsense tone. “It will, of course, be compulsory for all residents of Storybrooke.”
There was a general groan among the council as everyone began talking at once. Regina banged her gavel, finally restoring quiet to the council room.
“While I personally don’t think New Year’s resolutions are a bad thing,” Archie said, “I do have questions about how it would work practically, though. Surely you can see that forcing the town to make New Year’s resolutions is a bit heavy-handed, even for you.”
“Not happening, Sister,” Leroy tossed in.
“For once, I have to agree with the dwarf,” Killian tossed in. “No bloody way in Hades you will get the town–or even most on this committee–to go along with such an authoritarian scheme.”
Regina sighed in exasperation. “Listen Captain Guyliner…”
Snow stepped in again before things could further devolve. “Okay, maybe we can’t make it compulsory, but I was thinking, we could have incentives. You know, get pledges from various businesses for prizes for anyone who makes and keeps their resolutions until the end of the year. Make it a fun, citywide competition. That sort of thing.”
After a fair bit more debate, the council finally voted six to five–with Regina, Snow, David, Archie, Whale and Marco voting aye and Zelena, Emma, Killian, Leroy and Granny voting nay–to implement the initiative. Emma had been on the fence about the whole thing, but what finally tipped her to the “nay” side, was Regina’s final decree.
“There is one thing I must insist upon,” Regina said. “If we can’t force the entire town to comply with the initiative, we must at least stand in solidarity in our efforts to encourage full participation. To that end, I move that the initiative be compulsory for the members of the council.”
Another groan around the room.
“What’s stopping everyone from just making self-serving resolutions?” Whale asked.
“Well….” Snow began slowly. “Now just hear me out!”
No statement that started like that could ever end well.
“Regina and I discussed that, and we came up with a plan that we think is fair for everyone,” she said. “We, the council, have a say in each other’s resolutions. Everyone is free to submit resolution ideas for each other, and then on New Year’s Eve, we hold a vote to determine what each person will focus on next year.”
That suggestion got more than a little pushback, but in the end, it was reluctantly adopted.
And so here they were, New Year’s Eve morning, making their way to town hall to decide upon and commit to their resolutions for the coming year.
Emma took a deep, calming breath, as she and Killian took their seats at the council table. Killian took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze offering her his support and strength. She couldn’t care less what the council had decided for her resolution; the whole thing was ridiculous anyway. What did have her nervous and excited and a little freaked out was the plan she and Killian had come up with just before Christmas when they learned the news. Fact was, it was a big deal, a really, really big deal.
Regina, dressed in her customary power suit, banged her gavel against the table to quiet the gathered council and call the meeting to order.
“Okay, as it’s New Year’s Eve, and I’m sure we all have better places to be, let’s go ahead and get to it,” she said.
“Here’s how it will work,” Snow said eagerly. “Everyone will vote on the proposed resolutions via secret ballot. The ballots will be tabulated, and then each one of you will be given an envelope with the list of suggested resolutions the council proposed. The one picked for you will be listed at the top in red.”
“And if we refuse to go along with that one?” Leroy asked, crossing his arms and scowling fiercely.
“We aren’t unreasonable,” Snow said in answer. “If you can’t go along with your top choice, you have the option to choose one of the other selections on your list.”
Voting and tabulation were rather quick affairs, and within fifteen minutes the results were in.
“Just to get you all to stop bitching about this and see that it’s not that big of a deal, I’ll go first,” Regina said, taking her own envelope. Taking her letter opener, she neatly slit the top of the envelope and pulled the single sheet of paper free. Taking a moment to read through it, Regina scoffed. “‘Cut back on snarkiness and insulting nicknames’? Really? I don’t–”
“Oh yes you do, your majesty,” Killian said. “I’ve lost count of the number of times you’ve called me some variation of ‘Handless Wonder’ or ‘Captain Guyliner’.”
“Oh, did I hurt your little feelings?” Regina snapped.
“Aaaannd there’s the snark,” Emma commented.
“Fine!” Regina said, “just to prove to all of you that I’m serious about making this initiative work, I’ll accept your stupid resolution.”
With the first resolution reveal out of the way, the rest went rather smoothly. Snow resolved to refrain from revealing secrets (although Emma personally preferred the resolution Killian had submitted for her mom: Call before coming over to your daughter and son-in-law’s house). David resolved to make time for his mates now that his farm was taking up so much of his time. Zelena resolved to cut out envy from her life. Leroy resolved to stop running through the town yelling “terrible news!” about anything less than a full blown emergency. Whale resolved to stop drinking while on duty. Archie resolved to actually get a medical degree not given to him from a curse. Granny resolved to replace the uncomfortable mattresses in her inn. And Marco resolved to take classes to bring his woodworking business into the twenty-first century.
Finally, it was down to just Emma and Killian. The moment of truth.
Emma stood up, and without even looking at what was written on her envelope said, “I resolve to be the best mother I can possibly be and to learn all I can about how to care for a newborn.”
She was met with blank, confused stares as she sat down and Killian rose to make his announcement.
“And I’d like to address my resolution directly to Dave,” he said with a cheeky grin. “Mate, my resolution for next year is to not get your daughter pregnant….again.”
For a moment the blank stares continued until suddenly Snow gasped. “Emma….Killian? Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
Emma stood, and laced her fingers with Killian’s as her smile bloomed and a tear fell from the corner of her eye. “If you think we’re saying you’re about to be a grandma again, then yes. We found out on Christmas Eve. It finally happened! I’m pregnant!”
Later that night, after the ball dropped and the new year came in amid fireworks and cheers, Emma settled in bed in Killian’s embrace.
“How are you feeling, love?” he asked, holding her to him and nuzzling her neck. “Is the little one causing any distress?”
“At the moment all is well,” Emma said. “Now in the morning when the nausea hits like a ton of bricks I might have a different answer, but for right now, everything feels just about perfect.”
Killian placed his hand on her belly and rubbed gently, his attempt, she knew, to caress their growing child. “Something tells me this new year is going to be our best one yet.”
“Something tells me the same thing, babe,” Emma said.
They fell silent for another moment before Emma broke the silence with a chuckle. “How long do you think it will take for the council to realize we totally blew off their resolutions for us?”
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Let’s go on Dreaming
Every time I listen to the song So Close and think of the scene it is from in Enchanted, I think of Outlaw Queen during that bloody painful Frozen arc and I HAVE to write something.
So we’ll pretend that Marian was really Marian and after she gave her blessing to Regina, nothing else happened in the town of Storybrooke. There was no Zelena issue to resolve but our Regina wasn’t quick to forgive Robin for things that happened during that time.
I’ve left descriptions of clothing etc. out of it purposefully. When I’m reading a fic, I usually like to visualise some of my favourite characters looks and just go with that so when descriptions come into it, it either muddles my brain or I just ignore them 🙈 that is only me though! If you prefer descriptions, let me know and I will include them in the future.
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“I’m fine right here, sweetheart,” Regina smiled at Henry. Waving him away when he attempted to lead her to the table that Emma and her parents were sitting at. “Go have some fun.”
She had only agreed to come because Henry had refused to go without her.
If there was one thing Snow White loved, it was a victory party. She almost found herself wondering how many had been thrown over the years she’d attempted to kill the girl but decided not to take herself down that path tonight. They were in an extremely healthy place now. They’d never be the young princess and her kindhearted rescuer again, too much had happened. But they’d become something of a family once more.
She smiled over at the woman in question, shaking her head when Snow frowned at her resistance to join them.
Almost subconsciously, her eyes drifted to where Robin stood with his back to her and his eyes trained on his whiskey glass at the bar. When she looked back to Snow, she found sympathy there but no pity and for that, she was grateful.
She and Robin hadn’t spoken much since Marian had given her blessing. Regina hadn’t seen much point in it. They’d missed their time many years ago in a land far different than this one and they’d been fools to think otherwise. She’d been the biggest fool of all.
Darkness hadn’t yet touched her heart when she’d first laid eyes on him in that tavern. Sure, she’d had the first suggestions of darkness shrouding her thoughts but her heart had still been pure, much like Robin’s was. But now…she was the furthest thing she could have been to what he deserved. How she’d ever believed it could work was ridiculous. Of course he’d choose another over her. Of course he would.
It was a deep ache that threatened to steal her breath entirely every time she allowed herself to think too much into it. Tonight wasn’t about that though. Tonight was about spending time with her son and the people he loved and who loved him, even if they didn’t all love or even like her. So she took a deep breath and swallowed against the lump in her throat. She’d weathered the storm before, she would do so again with the help of Henry this time to keep her on the right path. On the only path she wanted to be on.
When a glass was placed in front of her, amber liquid swirling within, she took a deep breath, readying herself to look into shining blue eyes and refuse the offer of a drink only to release it swiftly and in no way subtly when she found Granny to be standing before her.
“Knock it back quick, girl.”
Regina frowned up at the woman before realising how she was standing right in front of her, her bulking frame hiding Regina from view of any who may be looking over. She smiled gratefully before picking up the glass and tipping the whiskey into her mouth, swallowing like she was a dying woman and this was the elixir of life. “Thank you,” she coughed lightly, placing the glass in Granny’s hand.
“Atta girl.”
And with nothing more than a comforting squeeze of her hand around Regina’s, she was moving off towards the bar once more.
——————
A short while later, Regina found another glass in front of her. This one easily identifiable by the smell that reached her instantly. Tequila.
“Miss Swan, I’m-“
“You may look fine, Regina,” Emma interrupted as she lowered herself into the booth opposite her, her own shot glass in her hand, “but I know I’d prefer a friend in this situation.”
Robin had since moved from his place at the bar to sit beside his (now) ex-wife and son. Their gazes had met a couple of times, holding only for one painful instant before she was looking anywhere else but at him despite the feeling of those eyes still on her.
“It’s been a hard few weeks for everyone,” she continued, her fingernails tapping at the glass in her hand now resting on the table in front of her. And Regina blinked.
Though she’d initiated the search that had helped stop Emma from relinquishing her powers - a ridiculous notion that the Charmings had somehow entertained for a terrifying moment - she’d been too wrapped up in her own issues with Robin to remind Emma that magic was in the very fabric of her being. So she nodded and lifted the shot glass in front of her, smiling when Emma mirrored her and knocked them together with a satisfying clink before they were sinking the tequila without so much as a grimace.
Emma’s eyes moved back over to her family and Regina studied her for a moment. Here was a woman who’d finally found everything she wanted - the son she’d been too afraid to keep, the parents she’d always searched for and the love she’d always craved from other partners but never found. Yet, much like Regina, she’d been unable to accept it and had tried to change herself.
Regina shook her head, knowing that she too should be accepting that she was simply enough as she was despite her past but it was so much easier to give advice rather than take it.
“If ever you should need my help with anything, Emma…” she began tentatively, lifting her eyes from the table when the blonde turned her attention back to Regina. “I may not be the most approachable, but I am always here…whenever you need.”
Emma nodded gratefully before chuckling softly to herself and eliciting a frown from Regina. “You may not have been approachable when I first got here, Madame Mayor,” she grinned, able to laugh at their initial rivalry now despite how both were nearly killed numerous times during those first couple of years, “but you’re most definitely not as scary now as you were then.”
Dark eyes flashed with a dangerous humour as a perfectly tweezed brow lifted. “You think I’ve gone soft, Miss Swan?”
“Okay, no,” Emma laughed, lifting herself from the booth. “Let’s leave the Evil Queen in her cage, shall we?”
Regina merely shrugged in response as Emma began backing off with a much easier smile than when she’d first sat down. “The night’s still young.”
“Yes,” Emma nodded, that smile softening as she cocked her head towards where Robin now sat alone, “it is.”
——————
She was on her way back from the bathroom, weaving slowly through those who’d chosen to get up and dance - Henry and Emma among them, she noted with a smile - when small fingers curl around her hand suddenly.
“Dance with me, R’gina!”
“Roland, use your manners,” Marian’s admonishment came instantly as Regina turned to find the two behind her.
“Dance with me please, R’gina!” he amended adorably, Regina’s heart growing two sizes as she crouched to his level with a warm smile.
“By the looks of your rosy cheeks,” she tapped at the side of his face, eliciting a shriek of laughter from him, “I’d say you’d already been dancing.”
He nodded before reasoning, “But I haven’t danced with you yet!”
“You can’t just abandon your mama,” she replied, not wanting to step on Marian’s toes with their checkered past. “Who will she dance with?”
The woman in question laughed easily, shaking her head as she explained, “You’d be doing me a favour,” she raised a hand to her forehead for Roland’s benefit as she added, “I’m all danced out, I’m afraid.”
Roland looked from his mother and back to Regina excitedly as she looked up at Marian with her eyebrows raised in question, asking if the woman really was sure. When she merely smiled wider and nodded, Regina looked back to Roland.
“Well I guess that’s settled then.”
And with that, she hefted the giggling toddler onto her hip and began turning them in circles, revelling in the same excited shrieks this kind of dancing had once pulled from her own son when she’d twirled him around the kitchen as a child.
—————-
She was almost out of breath and quite ready to call it a night. Roland had allowed her a moment of reprieve, running to his mother to ask if she’d been watching their two, three, four different dances (which, of course, she had). She was about to turn and start making her way back towards her table when she felt it. She felt him. Standing behind her.
“May I have this dance, milady?”
Regina turned slowly on the spot, quite sure at least four pairs of eyes were on them already as she finally locked a steady gaze on the man she’d been unable to look at all night.
His smile was so earnest, so full of hope as he stood before her that she found herself automatically nodding despite the lump rising in her throat.
Robin gave her a long moment more to change her mind before he was slowly and tentatively stepping into her space with his hands held up palm outwards.
She shouldn’t, Regina knew she shouldn’t but somehow, her hands lifted of their own accord. One found its way onto his shoulder, curving over the muscle there as she felt him cup her waist, while the other laid gently atop his waiting palm.
There was a moment in which their eyes locked once more. One filled with every single word they’d never been able to say to one another, never been brave enough to voice in these last few heartachingly awful weeks. And then, without any more thought to it (because what needed to be said right now, here in this frozen moment between them) they pulled one another closer and began to move, feeling for the first time in a long time that perhaps things wouldn’t have to be so difficult anymore. Perhaps for once, things could be easy.
Just this once.
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OUAT rewatch: Season 5
Overall thoughts:
Season 5 is (both literally and figuratively) the darkest season of the show, and it feels the least "normal" in terms of the characters' day-to-day lives. In both halves of the season, they are stuck in a prolonged crisis. They don’t have time to relax, yet they don’t have much urgency about what they need to do. The most happy and “normal” moments are those stolen during their time in Camelot.
I think the storyline would have done much better if the Camelot storyline and Emma’s descent into darkness happened in the present day, rather than being presented as flashbacks after a time skip. Using the Dark Curse over and over again makes it feel like a cheap plot device rather than the life-changing tragedy it was at the start of the series.
One of the biggest problems I have with this season is the way they treat “darkness” as a kind of entity in itself, and the ambiguity about whether individuals struggling with darkness (Emma, Hook, Gold, and Regina) are truly in control of themselves. My other problem is that Emma’s motives and actions simply don’t match up, and so much of her behavior is out of character. It’s hard to figure out how much of her words and actions are sincere and how much are a manipulation. Is she simply pretending to be evil in order to lead them on?
With that being said, here are my thoughts on each episode:
Episode 5x01 “The Dark Swan”
~ Regina immediately reverts to her snarkiest self. I wonder if it is partly because she is so upset about what happened to Emma. Is she hurt that after she worked so hard to protect Emma from going dark, Emma took on the darkness willingly? Or does she have survivor’s guilt, since Emma saved her from becoming the Dark One?
~ Hook’s capacity for darkness is immediately on display. He hasn’t appeared this dangerously angry since season 2.
~ How is Henry suddenly there and aware of what happened? Did he see the whole thing? How does he feel about his birth mother sacrificing herself for the sake of his adoptive mother?
~ Rumplestiltskin presents himself as the Roku to Emma’s Aang. It’s an interesting move, and a way to keep Robert Carlyle in the cast while Gold is in a coma. But it’s a bit confusing with regard to Emma’s psychology.
~ Ironically, embracing one’s power is usually the goal of a protagonist, but in Emma’s case it’s what she wants to avoid at all costs.
~ Hook and Regina haven’t had such direct or intense interaction in a long time, and it’s great to see!
~ Emma’s “first taste of darkness” seems similar to when Hook regained his hand and thought it was acting outside of his control.
~ Merida’s casting is PERFECT.
~ What is the definition of a witch in this show? What makes Zelena a witch, but not other female wielders of magic like Regina and Emma?
~ Merida and Emma’s scene is great, but the turnaround from enemies to traveling companions is a bit rushed.
~ Why is Henry just leisurely reading a book at Granny’s? Shouldn’t he be poring over the storybook or something else useful in the search for Emma?
~ Hook’s reaction to Henry’s news that he broke the Author’s pen is perfect. He does not get angry with Henry, and in fact seems to understand and respect the decision, but you can tell he wishes that the members of this family weren’t always so noble.
~ They are so not subtle with the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest allusions! Are the nurse and mopper really supposed to be from that story?
~ Regina didn’t give Hook a commodified portable spell; she enchanted his hook herself.
~ Why are Robin & Roland staying at the Charmings’ loft? Wouldn’t Regina’s house make more sense?
~ The idea of Robin Hood reading Goodnight Moon to his son is adorable! I wonder if he discovered the children’s section of the town library and set out to read Roland all of this world’s classics.
~ Who is Floyd?
~ “Secure the condiments!” might be my new favorite line!
~ Why would they bring Zelena with them? I can understand Regina and Robin wanting to keep tabs on her and the baby, but wouldn’t it be safer for their quest to leave her in jail?
~ Of course Leroy arrives announcing bad news! His speech to Mary Margaret is both endearing and hilariously self-aware about the fact that the dwarves have been missing from the action so much over the last couple seasons.
~ Rumple is just like Darth Vader and Palpatine, egging on the hero to “Use your anger.”
~ “When has that ever stopped me before?” So true: Hook has crossed worlds and time for Emma on multiple occasions!
~ Two seasons ago, Emma was the one making a motivational speech in the season premiere, convincing the heroes and villains to work together. Now Hook is presenting that to her as proof of what she’s capable of.
~ “Of course someone’s going to get a punch to the gut for putting me through this, then mercy.” That’s funny and in-character for Merida, but also a significant statement about the role of justice alongside mercy.
~ Does Emma expect Regina to kill her if she gets out of control? That would just make Regina the new Dark One. Emma wouldn’t wish that fate on her.
~ “Terrible news: no onion rings!”
~ How long does the journey to Camelot take? Geography in this world is as ambiguous as in the Galaxy Far, Far Away: distance only ever matters for plot reasons.
~ Sneezy wears a red leather jacket like Emma’s while filling in as sheriff! My only question is, who put the remaining dwarves in charge of the sheriff’s department?
Episode 5x02 “The Price”
~ Did everyone get new clothes from their hosts, or did Regina conjure them with magic like she does for herself?
~ Regina not knowing how to dance really doesn’t make sense. I’m sure Cora and Henry would have made sure she learned when she was growing up, especially before marrying her off to a king.
~ “Why can’t anyone accept that?” Maybe because you cursed and threatened them?
~ Maybe Emma’s words to Regina were a warning, not a threat. That would make more sense.
Emma wouldn’t want Regina to die.
~ Why did everyone in the present day switch back to the outfits they were wearing when they left?
~ I love seeing Belle have such great friendships with Hook and Grumpy/Leroy. She both gives and receives encouragement in this episode.
~ “It’s far easier to hate a Dark One than it is to love one.” That rings true even in real life.
~ Why is Regina’s leadership capability important now? She moved back into the mayor’s office weeks earlier and no one commented on it. Then again, how did that transition of power take place? Did they hold an election, or did Snow abdicate the role to her?
~ How much of Emma’s “new look” is involuntary? Can’t she control things like her hair, makeup, and wardrobe?
~ I don’t like that Robin has basically just become a plot device in Regina’s storylines, particularly in the role of “damsel in distress.”
~ Mary Margaret and Emma’s ballgowns are gorgeous! And even Granny has beautiful ball attire!
~ Why does Mary Margaret use that name instead of Snow White in Camelot? Why don’t she and David reveal themselves as royalty of their own kingdom? Do people there not know of them?
~ David, Henry, and Violet are like Hermes, Orpheus and Eurydice in Hadestown.
~ “Are you a knight?” “Better. I’m a writer.”
~ That ball montage is lovely! In such a dark episode and season, it’s nice to see the characters have a few moments of fun and happiness.
~ It’s nice to see David fight in Regina’s defense, but how can he just kill her assailant? What happened to “Heroes don’t kill”? They make such a big deal about it regarding enemies like Zelena and Cruella, but apparently not for random attackers?
~ Emma’s musical theme starts to play but then takes a dark turn!
~ Why did Emma choose that moment to kiss Hook? Did the idea of True Love’s Kiss only occur to her then?
~ Why/how were they able to fend off the Fury? They didn’t give a life as it demanded. Was it something about love defeating death, or love fulfilling the price?
~ How can David and Mary Margaret talk about winning or losing “this fight” when Emma hasn’t even said what she wants?
~ That montage at the end is so beautiful! Love Regina freeing Sneezy (though, why didn’t she do that earlier?) and Hook and Belle toasting to not giving up on love.
Episode 5x03 “Siege Perilous”
~ Have the dwarves been mining fairy dust regularly throughout these past few seasons? I thought it was just during Season 2 as part of the effort to bring Emma and Mary Margaret home.
~ It’s nice to have an episode focused on David as an individual, since he doesn’t have many! And this one shows the continuity of his motives and feelings. He has always done everything he could to protect/save his children, and had a lot of angst about his perceived failures and limitations in Season 3. His frustrations here are much the same.
~ Does Arthur wear his full armor all the time?
~ Arthur is out to flatter David from the very first moment he appears. He is very quick to suggest that he and David should consider themselves brothers.
~ Leroy is right that the dwarves, and the townsfolk in general, swallow a lot because of the royal family. But his threat is completely contrary to the loyalty he and the others have always shown.
~ I wonder if David’s red leather tunic is an homage to Emma’s red leather jacket!
~ “A leader does what needs to be done.” That might be Arthur’s philosophy in a nutshell.
~ Why does David feel the need—or the justification—to use deception? He did it when he made Snow think she’d pulled Excalibur, and he does it with the supposed “Chalice of Vengeance” now.
~ I don’t know what’s funnier: King Arthur driving a truck, or turning a car chase into a joust!
~ Those empty suits of armor try to drown David like the Inferi Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
~ Seeing Hook and Emma together, yet so distant and strange, is heartbreaking. Emma keeps changing tactics: since Hook didn’t go for her coy seductress act in the previous episode, she switches to the innocent look she had on their first date. They’ve basically switched places from where they began, as she is now asking him to trust her rather than the other way around.
~ It is confirmed that Hook told Emma the full story of what happened between him, Milah, and Rumplestiltskin. It is satisfying to hear Hook repent of his actions and acknowledge that he was originally the villain of that situation. He can now see that he created the crocodile as much as the crocodile created Captain Hook.
~ Arthur keeps Excalibur sheathed when knighting David, so no one can see that the sword is incomplete.
~ Baby Neal crying during his father’s induction to the Knights of the Round Table is the most realistic thing he has done since he was born. Too much of the time, the writers and characters just gloss over the fact that David, Snow, and Robin are raising young children. They just get pushed to the side while their parents go on adventures and deal with drama.
~ Lancelot tells Snow to “trust your eyes,” but then says Camelot is not what it seems. Mixed messages much?
~ Arthur and Grif’s scene is so chilling, like a cult leader pressuring their disciple to become a martyr.
~ When did Robin decide to put his thieving days behind him? And when did Hook decide he was no longer a pirate?
~ Was the whole date just so Emma could get something that touched Rumple? If she knew there was something on the ship that would qualify, couldn’t she have just taken it?
~ I don’t understand why Emma fixates on making Gold into a hero. Why not just get one of the many heroes in town to draw Excalibur?
Episode 5x04: “The Broken Kingdom”
~ Young Arthur and Guinevere are very well cast!
~ Why and how did Emma start making dreamcatchers? Did she request materials from the palace staff, or were there already some available that she decided to take advantage of?
~ “You’re the Savior. Save yourself.” Was that a direct allusion to Jesus on the cross?!
~ I don’t like the use of captions for every time and place in this episode. “Five years later,” “Five years earlier,” again and again. And those years don’t add up with Lancelot being banished and meeting Snow and David roughly thirty years earlier.
~ It’s nice to see Guinevere being proactive and having an arc, but it seems to be at the expense of Lancelot being an active character. He mostly just follows her and reacts to her.
~ Hook’s facial expressions throughout the scene with Henry and Violet are priceless! He is so pleased, proud, and amused.
~ I like that Hook gives an explanation for how he was able to cope with his trauma and demons. Being near the ocean is extremely therapeutic.
~ Guinevere’s ultimatum to Arthur seems to come out of nowhere. It would mean more if we saw them struggle more in their relationship.
~ When in his life did Hook have the opportunity to learn how to ride a horse? Is it difficult with only one hand?
~ Odd to hear Rumplestiltskin allude to Milah. Even more so considering he was the reason it didn’t end well for her.
~ As good a twist as it was, David and Snow’s ruse doesn’t entirely make sense. They put their cards on the Round Table.
~ This episode shows how unnecessary the six-week timeskip was for telling the story of this half-season. The entire episode takes place in the past, jumping between two different points in time, except for the final two scenes.
Episode 5x05 “Dreamcatcher”
~ When Hook offers to give Henry dating tips, I think that may be the first time Regina realizes that he is becoming a parental figure/role model to her son, and how disastrous that could be!
~ Did Belle take the time to change outfits after discovering Gold had disappeared?
~ Finding a girl’s missing horse isn’t restoring a happy ending, it’s just doing a good deed.
~ How can Emma and Regina let Henry continue to go around unsupervised and unprotected after what happened to Snow and David?
~ You can actually see the moment when Emma gets the idea to do to Violet what Cora did to Daniel, minus the killing.
~ That is a pretty easy way to cheat a protection spell!
~ Henry trying to set up a date is soooo cute!
~ The magic stuff is weird, but visually, it’s cool to see Emma using both light and dark magic! When she’s done, Emma looks so proud of herself, tossing her head back a little.
~ Regina is a bit of a hypocrite in this episode: she just recently took Belle’s heart in order to blackmail Gold, but gets mad at Emma for taking Violet’s heart to deceive Henry. Does her anger lie in the fact that Emma did that to a young girl, or the fact that she deliberately hurt Henry?
~ Merlin’s question to Emma, about whether she is truly ready to be free of the darkness, has some real-life parallels. People may subconsciously cling to the sins, addictions, and bad habits that (they say) they want to be rid of.
~ The final shot of Emma against Regina’s house conveys more isolation and devastation than any of her other Dark One scenes. Their situation is so similar yet different to Season 1, when Emma was trying to connect with Henry and Regina wanted to keep them apart. Now Emma, not Regina, is the one hurting Henry in the name of protecting him.
~ This episode has the most mentions of Baelfire/Neal without him being a protagonist or plot device. Apparently he told Henry about how he won Emma’s heart, and Emma told Hook some things about her relationship with Neal, such as his gift of a dreamcatcher to her.
Episode 5x06 “The Bow and the Bear”
~ I don’t mind Belle having a side quest with Merida, but the way it happens is just weird. Why would Merida expect someone she kidnapped to agree to help her if she does not have any leverage over her?
~ Gold uses the same trick to escape Emma that Emma used to escape Jefferson, breaking a teacup in order to cut through their bonds.
~ Does Emma really not care whether Belle lives, or is she confident in Gold’s ability to protect her? Either way, seeing her be so callous about Belle, who has helped her family so many times, and even saved Hook’s life, feels so wrong.
~ Interesting that Emma says she doesn’t believe some things can’t be forgiven. If she truly believes that, why would she wipe everyone’s memories?
~ Interesting that even when the tables have turned, Emma and Gold are still nemeses.
Episode 5x07 “Nimue”
~ They never explain what the Holy Grail is or where it actually came from. In Athurian legend, it’s a Christian relic, and in OUAT it is decorated with crosses; but the characters talk about it as if it’s a gift from a pantheon of gods.
~ Why would Merlin expect a different outcome from touching the Grail after his companion died trying?
~ Couldn’t Merlin and Emma just teleport close to their destination?
~ Merlin and Nimue are very much like Jesse and Winnie in Tuck Everlasting. A magical drink gives immortality to one, and the other has to decide whether they also want to be immortal, or live a normal mortal life.
~ A battle plan drawn on a Granny’s Diner menu is like the epitome of this show’s style.
~ The shot of Nimue passing the Grail to Merlin in front of the fire is beautiful.
~ Emma clutches Hook’s ring when she is afraid!
~ Nimue’s hair ends up in a style like Emma’s after embracing the darkness! But why doesn’t Emma’s skin turn crocodile-like the way Rumplestiltskin and Nimue’s did?
~ Emma’s declaration about her self-worth is awesome! She used to think she was an orphan who didn’t matter and never would; now she knows better!
~ Emma passing her test would feel more meaningful if the audience didn’t know about her going dark later on.
~ How can it be that easy to “tether” someone so powerful to an object?
Episode 5x08 “Birth”
~ I wish there were more scenes of Prince Charming, Captain Hook, and Robin Hood working as a trio! They’re the romantic partners of this show’s three main protagonists, and they’re some of the best examples of healthy masculinity in the whole show.
~ How can Mary Margaret voice doubt about Emma still existing? She’s always the voice of hope and love!
~ Hook’s hair has been longer and messier throughout this season, and his facial hair more pronounced. I wonder if he’s neglected his appearance out of worry for Emma, and/or if it is a costume choice meant to make him look darker.
~ Why is Dr. Whale so weird and awful? And have there really not been any babies born in Storybrooke in the months since Neal’s birth?
~ Why couldn’t Regina use magic to free herself?
~ You can barely see the moment when Hook is injured.
~ Emma and Regina’s conversation about the allure of darkness is actually one of the better ones on the topic. It’s the first time someone talks to Emma about it with sympathy, without trying to tempt her to embrace it.
~ Hook must be so tired of Emma chaining him up! How many times has it been since they met?
~ Emma and Hook’s love literally ignites a flame!
~ If tethering Hook turned him into a Dark One, why didn’t Merlin become one?
~ Jennifer Morrison’s acting during Hook’s “death” scene is amazing!
~ The title of this episode had a double (or perhaps triple) meaning: Zelena and Robin’s baby is born, and both Emma and Hook are reborn as Dark Ones.
Episode 5x09 “The Bear King”
~ The casting for Eleanor, Fergus, and the Witch is fantastic!
~ This is another episode that switches between two timelines in the past, showing how unnecessary the six-week timeskip was.
~ Ruby says the last time she saw Philip and Aurora, at baby Neal’s coronation party they were about to have a child. But Aurora was pregnant at least a few weeks before Mary Margaret was, and Leroy implied that she had given birth before Neal’s coronation party, so presumably Aurora must have had her baby before or at the same time as Mary Margaret had Neal.
~ If Ruby and Tiny managed to produce a bean, they ought to have given others the chance to go back to the Enchanted Forest too.
~ This is the first time a full-on battle between opposing armies has taken place onscreen in this show.
~ “Your magic is never very direct, is it?” from Eleanor to the Witch is hilarious!
~ I love the Celtic-inspired music in this episode!
~ This might be the first episode in which Emma does not make a single appearance!
Episode 5x10 “Broken Heart”
~ The dark version of Hook’s musical theme!
~ Hook’s transformation into the Dark One is so painful to see onscreen. It seems like a reminder that birth in itself is a traumatizing experience. Given that, it makes sense that such a rebirth, as he refers to it, would be full of trauma.
~ Interesting that once he emerges as a Dark One, Hook changes his costume for the one he used to wear in Seasons 2 and 3, rather than the fancier one he wore in Camelot.
~ What I just cannot buy about Hook becoming the Dark One: A) that he did not sense anything different about himself after returning to Storybrooke, and B) his sudden and absolute plunge into the darkness after regaining his memories. He had grown past his desire for revenge and recognized that it would not bring him fulfillment.
~ Hook acting like Rumplestiltskin is so weird and creepy!
~ So apparently there are Dark One chronicles just readily available? Did Hook read them during the years he spent plotting his revenge?
~ Why would Gold accept Emma’s offer of protection after what she did to him? What is she thinking?
~ Weird that Emma and Henry talk about him forgiving Gold, and Henry says Gold showed that he changed. Is he talking about how Gold saved Belle and became a hero worthy of Excalibur?
~ I was wondering where Lancelot has been since his breakout! And the Lady of the Lake is his mother? Was that already known? What happens to Lancelot after this?
~ I’m glad Mary Margaret defends Emma’s decision to save Hook! Everyone seemed to gang up on Emma telling her that she ought not try it.
~ Hook is right about Emma pushing away the people she wants to protect, but wasn’t that already covered during Season 4’s Frozen arc?
~ Do Dark Ones really need to worry about things like scouting a path and finding water? Couldn’t they just teleport and conjure the things they need? And splitting up right after finding each other is pretty bad strategy, especially if Emma is afraid of what Hook might do.
~ I like that Regina and Robin are giving Zelena a chance with clear boundaries in place; but what assurance do they have that she won’t simply disappear with the baby?
~ “Operation Cobra Part 2” isn’t a very original name! Plus, their current mission doesn’t have much to do with the first. “Operation Dreamcatcher” or “Operation Dark Hook” would be more fitting.
~ For all their intensity, Emma and Hook’s flashback conversations are a bit repetitive.
~ The part of Hook’s fall that is believable is his desire to never be controlled again. As is revealed in the next episode, he grew up basically a slave; then he was manipulated into doing a corrupt king’s dirty work; and Gold controlled him by taking his heart. As a pirate and a former slave, he places an extremely high value on freedom.
~ If they are both Dark Ones, with equal amounts of power, how can Emma simply knock Hook out with a wave of her hand?
Episode 5x11 “Swan Song”
~ This is the first episode of the season whose flashbacks have nothing to do with the Camelot arc, and instead add backstory from further in the past to the context of a character’s actions in the present day.
~ The casting for Brennan and young Killian is great! Young Killian has amazingly good facial expressions as he thinks over his father’s question and decides on his answer.
~ What was the point of Rumple and Hook’s meeting on the road? Why does Hook let him keep Excalibur?
~ Why would Zelena show up and tell Regina and Robin what she plans to do? And what does Robin expect his arrows to do against the resurrected Dark Ones?
~ It’s such a reversal to see Hook having more magical prowess than Regina!
~ Why would Regina need to rendezvous with Hook outside the palace after recruiting him? And her outfit and the slinky way she comes out of her carriage are really over the top!
~ I get Mary Margaret’s point about wanting to spend her last moments well, but saying it might be a fight they can’t win is so OOC!
~ So, Belle didn’t get marked, and no one told her about the impending threat to the others? And she just blithely accepts Gold’s random offer of an opportunity to travel, while knowing that Hook and Emma are still Dark Ones? That’s insulting to her intelligence and integrity.
~ If you pause at the right moment, you can read what Emma wrote in the note she left for her family, and it’s heartbreaking!
~ There are way more Dark Ones than people who got marked.
~ You can see how guilty Hook feels as soon as he kills his father.
~ Even though her life was not in danger, seeing Emma in pain finally snaps Hook out of his fixation on revenge.
~ Hook is basically doing the same thing Ingrid the Snow Queen did last season, sacrificing themselves to save everyone from the very threat that they created.
~ Even after she’s no longer the Dark One, Emma still talks with the same strange accent/cadence she adopted when she was.
~ “How does one get to the Underworld?” There’s a whole song about it in Hadestown!
~ The weirdest thing about the Underworld arc is that there is no conversation about who will and won’t go. The parents leave their babies behind, and Regina lets Henry make the dangerous journey, without any argument or explanation. There is no stirring moment of everyone deciding that Hook is worth it and that they want to help Emma.
Season 5x12 “Souls of the Departed”
~ This is one of the biggest episodes about Regina. I’m pleased that they did something they rarely do, filling in a gap in the characters’ larger story—in this case, how Henry Senior ended up Cora’s miniature prisoner.
~ I’m guessing Emma’s dream/vision takes place in the amusement park that she and Neal broke into. I wonder if the name of the ride, The Revelation, is symbolic!
~ The idea of the Underworld looking identical to Storybrooke … really seems like they’re just looking for any way to keep using the same sets and locations, even when the characters go to different worlds.
~ Regina’s father’s words are true, but should have been spoken to her years earlier, before she ascended to Evil Queen!
~ I don’t like how childish Regina is in the flashbacks.
~ While I love that the two Henrys got to meet, I find it hard to believe Regina would bring Henry along for a confrontation with Cora.
~ The clock beginning to move the same way it did in the pilot episode is a fantastic callback—and interestingly, Regina’s reaction is the precise opposite of what it was then!
~ The revelation of Hades feels a little predictable, with all of this show’s homages to the Disney versions of classic tales. Personally I find the actor underwhelming for the God of the Dead, and the blue fire hair just doesn’t work; it’s enough of an homage to have blue flames when he teleports.
Episode 5x13 “Labor of Love”
~ That is one intense teaser, and shows so much of Hook’s character. Even after being tortured, he refuses to give up, at least when Emma is involved. He insists on helping his fellow prisoner escape, and holds off Cerberus so she can do so, trusting her with the task of finding Emma.
~ David using the name “Bandit Snow” feels a little too much like an awareness of the fandom’s nicknames for characters.
~ Young Snow running through the woods and falling into a pit feels like the scene in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves when she gets lost in the woods.
~ Hercules’ casting is great: he’s young, as most demigod heroes probably were; he’s handsome, making him a believable first love interest for teenage Snow; and he has a strong physique to go with his godlike strength.
~ I wish there were more scenes with Henry and Robin Hood! Henry is already the son of two former thieves, he would probably get along really well with Robin!
~ Hercules and young Snow basically have the same storyline as Anna and David last season, with the newcomer giving the future hero a one-day crash course in fighting so they can defeat their extorting enemy. Anna and Hercules impart practically the same lesson about trying what seems impossible. While the premise is repetitive and a little flimsy, what I find interesting in this case is that Hercules does not offer himself as the hero to solve Snow’s problems; instead he offers to teach her so that she can solve her problems.
~ The music when Hercules talks about his labors seems reminiscent of “Go the Distance”!
~ It must warm Hercules’ heart to see Snow carrying a bow and arrow when they reunite!
~ How does Robin Hood known about air ventilation ducts? Has he learned how to carry out heists in the Land Without Magic?
~ Regina calls Herc “Wonder Boy”!
~ Young Snow basically experiences the humiliation that Hercules experienced in the movie when he first came to Thebes.
~ It’s interesting and quite plausible that Regina worked behind the scenes to undermine Snow even before killing her father and trying to kill her.
~ Cruella says “We hear it all down here.” Just how much do the Underworld residents know about what happens in the land(s) of the living?
~ Regina being the one to give Snow White a pep talk really does seem like a “when Hell freezes over” kind of moment!
~ Why didn’t young Snow change into that more practical outfit before confronting the bandits?
~ Did David and Hercules ever get a proper introduction? That would have been great to see!
~ Meg does not seem at all like her Disney movie counterpart. But, I like that Hercules does the same for her as he did for Snow by equipping her to defeat her fearsome enemy.
~ There are still many unanswered questions: Why/how did Meg end up in Cerberus’ path in the first place? And why did Hades imprison her? And why did he torture Hook?
~ As weird as it is to see Snow have a romantic interest other than David, her relationship with Hercules is pretty believable for the kind of people they are and the stage of life they were in when they met.
~ What Snow/Mary Margaret says about forgetting who she was, and reclaiming her identity as Snow White, is interesting for character, but seems like the kind of thing she should have said earlier in the show. It would have made more sense in Season 2, when the curse had just broken and everyone in Storybrooke had to reconcile their two identities. It would have been great to see Snow struggle to return to her old self, instead of immediately bouncing back.
~ Who are the guards working for Hades? Are they supposed to be Pain and Panic?
~ Hook seems a lot like Westley in The Princess Bride during his final scene, in terms of both the torture he endures and the nature of his threat against Hades (basically “to the pain,” since he can’t kill him).
~ This episode’s title is excellent, as it refers to Emma’s quest, Hercules’ labors, Snow’s efforts to protect her people, and the fact that Hercules finds love with young Snow and Meg.
Episode 5x14 “Devil’s Due”
~ Is the eye an homage to the three Fates/Gorgons who shared an eye?
~ Looks like Belle is hanging out with Grumpy/Leroy at Granny’s!
~ Milah kills a snake to save her son, like Mother Mary stepping on the serpent to save her children!
~ Milah seems at least somewhat aware of who Emma is, but still has to ask for clarification about her relationships. I appreciate that she doesn’t give Emma a hard time about either Hook or Neal; she simply asks to make sure she understands.
~ Putting Emma’s nursery furniture in her house is creepy as … well, Hell!
~ Why does Milah insist that Rumple be the one to kill Fendrake and steal the cure? Why not do it herself, since she’s braver and has the use of both legs?
~ Young Killian knocks out Milah’s assailant with his left hand!
~ Milah and Killian’s first meeting explains so much about them and their relationship. He is a foil to pre-Dark One Rumple. He stands up for Milah, showing bravery and physical strength, even though she is a stranger to him. Meanwhile her husband is reluctant to fight for her and her son.
~ It’s kind of amazing that Snow is the one to accompany Regina to find Daniel’s grave, since she was the one Regina blamed for his death.
~ Milah and Rumple’s relationship is wonderfully complex. Neither of them is completely innocent, yet neither is entirely to blame for how things turned out. They each caused each other to change for the worse.
~ Gold didn’t need to kill Milah; surely he could have just used a memory charm to make her forget that she had seen Hades appear. Or would that not work because she is dead?
~ I’ll never forgive the writers for deciding that Milah couldn’t be reunited with Hook or Neal. Rumple, at least, seems to feel a little guilty for betraying her, but believes it necessary to save his child.
~ Regina healing an injured horse is interesting, and fitting since she used to love them so much. I totally thought it was going to be a horse that belonged to her.
~ How does Robin know that the friend was a “her,” and that she meant something to Gold? Did he tell them all that Milah was the one they were going to enlist for help?
~ “She made me who I am” is true, and sounds like a compliment, but I doubt Gold means it that way.
~ It’s so heartbreakingly ironic that after all the times Gold has pressed people into bad deals and even threatened to take away their children, he is now at the bad end of a deal that could cost him his child.
~ Hades chose the three central characters to stay in the Underworld. Emma, Regina, and Snow have been the main foci of the show since its beginning.
~ The characters seem to use idioms with the word “hell” in them more than ever now that they are in the Underworld!
Episode 5x15 “The Brothers Jones”
~ I’m glad that Henry acknowledges how hard it was for him to see Hook die.
~ I like that Hook is dealing with the weight of what he did, and is not immediately on board with Emma’s plan/desire to bring him back to life.
~ It’s sad to think of Liam waiting for Killian to die so they could be reunited, only for Killian’s life to continue for centuries.
~ The flashbacks seem to indicate that Killian always had doubts about his self-worth.
~ “If you served an honorable king, it would change you.” This seems to have come true, as Hook changed while serving the Charmings!
~ They totally robbed us of an emotional reunion hug between Killian and Liam! Why’d they have to cut from their first look to when they’ve settled down with drinks and apparently caught up a bit already?
~ This episode adds a bit more nuance to Hook’s relationship with rum. Apparently young Killian used it as a coping mechanism while working as a deckhand, and it cost him his opportunity to escape from slavery. When he then enters the king’s navy, he scolds a sailor under his command for possession of alcohol, saying it leads to bad form; now we know he was speaking from experience!
~ I like the wording of Liam’s declaration, but the delivery comes off kind of wooden, like he’s making a show of nobility rather than acting on real conviction.
~ Apparently the mayor and the sheriff having an affair is something Storybrooke and “Underbrooke” have in common.
~ I’m curious when exactly Regina forgave herself for her wrongdoings. In Season 2, she asserts that she might actually be good, and that the title “evil” was given to her by her enemies. In Season 3, she says that she has no regrets about the horrible things she did because they all led to her adopting Henry. At what point did she come to understand that what she did was wrong? And once she repented, when did she forgive herself?
~ Regina says she tore out the pages of Henry’s storybook about herself so he wouldn’t figure out she was the Evil Queen, but I don’t remember that, and he did figure it out. Emma was the one who tore about the pages about herself.
~ Hades really plays the part of the devil, with limited power in this world, but enough promises of worldly power to tempt people to evil.
~ What would the point of a mutiny be if the new captain maintained the exact same course as the old captain?
~ With Emma being so protective of Hook and afraid to lose him, how could he be abducted from right under her nose?
~ So much of the dialogue in this episode comes across cheesy, but Hook’s line about the bar being so high he could only fail is great. That dynamic between the two brothers makes sense.
Episode 5x16 “Our Decay”
~ Dorothy has grown up a lot since the last time Zelena saw her! The scared little girl is now a powerful woman … but no explanation is given of how that happened.
~ They give Dorothy basically the same dynamic with Zelena as Snow did with Regina, a rogue heroine beloved by the people.
~ How does the Scarecrow have a brain now, if he didn’t go on that quest with Dorothy to get one from the wizard?
~ It’s cool that they lean into Hades’ jealousy of Zeus, but to bring out the parallels with Zelena, it would make more sense to stick with Zeus being the younger brother, not older.
~ How can Hades steer the bike with Zelena’s hat blocking his vision?
~ I’m surprised that Gold, who has spent so long hiding secrets from Belle, comes clean to her as soon as he sees her.
~ Gold’s little speech to Belle sounds like a conversation they should have had earlier in the show, perhaps in Season 2.
~ Zelena has never been as emotionally or psychologically complex as she in this episode. It’s refreshing to see!
~ If Hades’ heart was stopped, how can he claim to love?
Episode 5x17 “Her Handsome Hero”
~ Hades finding a flower in the Underworld and recognizing it as a sign of hope … should be a nod to Persephone, but of course they wouldn’t let her be his love interest in this story.
~ “I don’t have any issues.” The looks that the others give her = Emma is so in denial!
~ It’s good that they explore what is going on with Emma, since she has not been the focus for the last several episodes; but it feels like more telling than showing.
~ The toxicity of Belle and Rumple/Gold’s relationship is on full display in this episode. They both betray each other.
~ How did Belle get the dagger? Why would Gold part with it after saying how much he loves it?
Episode 5x18 “Ruby Slippers”
~ “It’s hard to be a Savior when no one wants you to save them.” That’s actually a good line, but it would have meant a lot more at some other point in the series, when Emma is in the midst of playing that role for her people.
~ I love that Hook and David talked, and that they work together to help Snow! They acknowledge the fact that everyone came to the Underworld to save Hook, and that it wasn’t just for Emma’s sake. And the one thing they have most in common is that they’ll do whatever it takes to help/protect the women they love. It’s great to see Hook help David to help his wife and son.
~ Ruby and Snow’s conversation about love has a lot of wisdom in it. I wish Snow had given that kind of encouragement to Emma when she was trying to figure out her feelings and relationship with Hook. Aside from the first season when everyone was cursed, they’ve never really talked about dating!
~ The way Hades kills Auntie Em demonstrates one of the biggest and most frequently recurring plot holes in fantasy fiction: if the villain is powerful enough to kill people so easily, why doesn’t he just kill the protagonists, instead of drawing out the conflict for so long?
Episode 5x19 “Sisters”
~ The song choice at the beginning of the episode and the wording of Hades’ proposal make me think of Loki. I wonder if those writers took inspiration from OUAT, or if there were any writers in common between the two shows.
~ “Because he’s a villain” really doesn’t make sense coming from Regina, of all people.
~ Interesting to have Hook and Cora reunite! I was not expecting that, and it went pretty well for both of them, considering that the last time they saw each other, they were getting in the way of each other’s plans.
~ The parallels between Zelena & Regina and David & James!!!
~ How is Robin able to take care of a baby by himself in the woods? I know it’s not his first time caring for a child, but logistically, how is that working out? Where/how is he getting milk for her?
~ Cora, Zelena, and Regina’s reconciliation is amazing! Barbara Hersey is one of the best actors on this entire show, and she knocks it out of the park; as melodramatic as they are, none of her scenes are cheesy or saccharine. And Cora being redeemed at the end was beautiful; I seriously wondered if she would go on to the worse place, after harming and destroying so many lives, but instead of consuming her, the fire seemed to purify her, like purgatory, before allowing her to move on to the better place.
~ David throwing his brother into the River of Souls just doesn’t sit right. It’s dissonant with both David’s character and the show’s theme of redemption.
Episode 5x20 “Firebird”
~ This is the first episode in quite a while that focuses on Emma in both past and present, and explores her relationship with Hook.
~ If Emma went looking for answers about her past in Maine, at the diner where she was found, she must have realized how close she was when Henry brought her to Storybrooke.
~ Emma was on the receiving end of a bail bondsperson! And learned her tricks from her!
~ So apparently Emma only worked as a bail bondsperson for a year or so before Henry found her. What did she do during the decade after her imprisonment? Did she live as a thief all that time?
~ It seems weird that Emma continued to look for her parents even after placing her own son for adoption.
~ Hades’ explanation for why Emma and Hook’s heart split wouldn’t work makes sense. Emma’s plan always had that flaw: she would not have been sharing her heart with Hook’s physical body, only with his Underworld counterpart.
~ It makes sense for Peter Pan of Neverland to be one of the few people to say “tick tock,” the others being Rumple and Hook.
~ Robin has good reason to be suspicious of Regina trusting Zelena: there could be any number of magical deceptions at work, such as controlling her heart.
~ Emma and Hook’s first adventure was ascending a beanstalk into the sky; now, on what seems to be their final adventure, they have to descend to the deepest place underground.
~ STEALTHY! I hope he and Snow had a reunion at some point!
~ Emma looks back as she leaves the Underworld, just like Orpheus in the myth!
Episode 5x21 “Last Rites”
~ Hades kind of causes his own downfall by killing Arthur, giving him the opportunity to help Hook.
~ Hook knows the names of the stages of grief! That’s pretty funny, considering how long it took for him to move on from losing Liam and Milah.
~ Like when they first met, Robin and Regina are once again in a secret tunnel breaking into her own seat of power!
~ I would expect Hook, a pirate, to know well enough where someone would hide their treasure.
~ Even in death, Hook does everything he can to help Emma!
~ It’s cool to see Hook and Arthur both having moments when they decide to do the heroic thing.
~ It’s nice that Zelena reaches out to comfort Regina, but Regina should have tried to comfort Zelena as soon as she killed Hades, not turned to Robin’s dead body.
~ Emma, Regina, and Zelena all lose the men they love in roughly the same day.
~ Someone finally pronounced “prophesied” correctly! I wonder if King Arthur’s actor pointed out that characters had been saying it wrong.
~ Zeus is totally miscast. He looks completely unimpressive and underwhelming, not like a god or a king. They could have at least given him a decent haircut.
~ The fact that Hook already has a grave in the Storybrooke cemetery raises many questions: Who buried him? Was he buried with his hook, or did someone save it and give it to Emma? Did he leave behind a will and testament? Did ownership of the Jolly Roger pass on to Emma?
~ Everyone putting arrows on Robin Hood’s coffin is a beautiful, fitting tribute.
~ I have mixed feelings about Hook coming back. On the one hand, it’s fitting that he was only able to return after he and Emma were willing to let him move on; that kind of paradox makes sense. But for him to come back when Robin cannot is just weird, and it undermines the character growth Emma has been struggling with, learning to love despite the fear of loss and let go of those who cannot stay with her.
~ I would expect Regina to get rid of Hades’ ashes as quickly as possible, not let them lie in her office.
Episode 5x22 “Only You”
~ Roland joins the Merry Men’s toast with what looks like chocolate milk!
~ If Gold wanted to obtain all of Storybrooke’s magic, wouldn’t the well be the better place? That was where he brought magic to Storybrooke in the first place.
~ Emma uses the same arguments on Regina that the others were using on Emma in the previous episode, saying that she should take a break to deal with her grief.
~ This is not the first time Henry expresses the idea that all magic is bad and should be destroyed. But he has also expressed wistfulness about Emma and Regina’s magic, which has the capacity for good. And he himself uses magic for good as the Author. There could have been more, better buildup to him coming to the decision to destroy magic.
~ Why would Gold appear to the heroes and tell them what Henry is doing? The only plausible reason would be if he wants them to find Henry for him. They should realize that!
~ I’m guessing Guinevere returns to Camelot with the other inhabitants, but does anyone console her about Arthur’s death or tell her about the role he played in defeating Hades?
~ Roland’s final scene is sweet, but it’s strange to see Little John so at ease with the witch who turned him into a flying monkey. And Roland’s relationship with Zelena is so weird at this point: they lived together for several weeks, so they must have bonded while she was pretending to be his mother, but she killed his actual mother, and Regina and Robin made him forget about the period of time when they lived together.
~ The scene of Emma and Regina in the apartment (which has now been inhabited by both of their dead lovers) is unusually long, and amazingly deep. Regina finally talks about the tension between good and evil inside her, and what motivates her from moment to moment. I only wish this had been explored or explained earlier in the series; but maybe she did not have the words to explain it, or enough trust in Emma to be vulnerable about it with her.
~ Henry is acting more like his father than ever, breaking the library’s exhibit and stealing an artifact.
~ I knew Gold would be behind the doors!
~ Gold choosing to save the Olympian Crystal rather than Belle from the portal is almost predictable at this point. Did he learn nothing from his centuries of regret over not choosing Baelfire over his magic?
~ I have mixed feelings about the new context they give to Baelfire/Neal. On the one hand, I’m glad they gave some explanation for what he did during those years apart from Emma, and his apparent hatred of magic resonates with the attitude he expressed to Hook and the Darlings. On the other hand, doing research to destroy magic goes against what he said about trying to forget about the Enchanted Forest.
Episode 5x23 “An Untold Story”
~ Overall, I don't like that this show treats works of science fiction like Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as if they were fairy tales, because they're categorically different. That being said, the steampunk-like landscape of the Land of Untold Stories is quite interesting!
~ Gold seems to change his tune to Regina throughout this episode: in one scene he tells her that she’s gone soft, in the next he tells her that the Evil Queen is who she truly is.
~ Henry seems to both teach and learn a lesson about the “willing suspension of disbelief.”
~ I’m a little disappointed that Emma and Hook did not get more screentime during this finale, after everything they went through this season in their struggle to be together. But I’m glad they finally had a moment and professed their love when they were not in danger.
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White Crow Part 1
A/N: This is part one of my Felix redemption arc I am starting! Sorry for taking so long to post it on Tumblr too
What if Regina took Felix's heart instead of Pan?
Summary:
Felix, Peter Pan's right hand man was given a second chance to live in an orphanage. With a strange bond to Y/N he tries to reconnect to the world and find a purpose again.No matter the effort, people will think of him as a villain. He has a hard time breaking out of his cycle, hoping to become someone good that deserves a happy ending.
Felix took a sharp breath. He felt a stinging pain from inside of his chest, overwhelming him in waves as if his heart was being pressed together too tightly by the weight of his own flesh. Only that there was no such thing like a heart beating inside Felix's chest anymore.
"Now it belongs to me. You see, when you take a heart, it becomes enchanted. Stronger than a normal heart. You're not hurting the beast. You're controlling it." Regina had said when she took it from him. Felix was smart enough to tell she had copied the exact phrasing from the dark one. She had been a student of his, a good one so he was aware of, for that he never underestimated the dark queen. Besides, he never held a personal grudge towards her. After all, it was Peter who truly betrayed him, and if it was not for Y/N's idea to let the evil queen take his heart first, he would have probably died that night. Something inside him had already told him that Peter wanted to kill him, so Y/N only proved a point with that, but also made him lose the only friend he ever had. The empty feeling afterwards was enough reason to want his heart back. Felix knew that something inside him was missing, now it was even clearer to him. With it, he would have this amazing warm feeling of being free, but with an empty chest to walk around, there was not even a little spark glowing up. It would give him hope. Felix brought his hand up to his chest, just to check one more time for a sound of a beating. Nothing. He just felt like an empty shell. He felt no difference after tricking Pan, and maybe it was exactly that disturbing him the most. He puzzled about an eventual deeper meaning to it, assuming that he was that cold to begin with.
I killed my only friend.
"Come back!" He felt that stinging pain once more, and just like a soldier in trance he strutted all the way back through the cold forest, leaving the spring behind. He tried not to look down onto his hands, knowing that he should not expect to see anything else but red. With Peter raging about the missing heart Felix could barely fight against his magic, so he had to grab for that edgy stone. He was just glad that he was not in Henry's body anymore.
Readers P.O.V.:
The second Felix returned, Y/N's eyes widened. His face was sprinkled in blood, and his hands were fully covered with it. He had this empty look in his eyes when they met Y/N's. They instinctively searched for the most familiar face, before his eyes darted to the evil queen.
"I am done with Pan." Felix said with a deadpan face. "Now return my heart, witch."
Regina's face twitched at his tone, " And why would I do that?"
Felix pressed his teeth together, his jaws visibly tightening. For a second he just glared at her through squinted eyes, no words crossing his lips. Y/N looked over to Regina, holding his heart with a satisfied grin. It was just then that Y/N finally realized that he did not respond because he was not able to.
"Give it back to him." She said pleadingly. "Please."
Regina huffed and let her arm sink before she turned to the girl, "Are you for real? After everything you want to let him go without punishment?"
"Didn’t he suffer enough? Pan used him and tried to kill him. He has no reason to harm us!"
"Mom look, it's all red!" Henry pointed out, sharing the entreat. "He is not a villain."
Villains and heroes- good and evil. This had to mean something. At least it did to Y/N and Henry.
"If you want it to be returned so badly, do it yourself." Regina mocked with a teasing undertone. Her eyes darkened with each step towards Y/N. She grabbed for her hand and shoved Felix' heart inside it. The girl widened her eyes and darted her eyes down to her hand, then back to Regina, shaking her head in disbelief.
"All you have to do is push it inside his chest."
Y/N locked eyes with the second in command who gave her the same startled expression. His heart was pulsating hot against Y/N's fingertips, reminding her with every pump that she had the ultimate power over him. She could make him do whatever she wanted, but with each second holding it, she was overwhelmed by strong emotions coming from it and flooding her mind.
She approached the boy in a trance like state, not once breaking eye contact. Felix looked at her in anticipation once she came to halt in front of him.
"Please." Felix whispered impatiently, slightly leaning forwards. "Give me back my heart and I promise-"
He stopped his sentence with a painful growl when Y/N interrupted him by pushing his heart back inside his chest. The pain came in waves, stinging him behind his eyes down to his toes, worse than having it ripped out in the first place. Felix felt his knees weaken, but he was not ready to show weakness, so he pressed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth while he fought against his own body.
A few seconds later the pain disappeared completely, instead, there was this slow and steady pumping of his heartbeat. Felix reached for his chest and opened his eyes. A short glimpse of Y/N was enough to fasten the rhythm, overwhelming him like waves. Felix did expect strong emotions when he got his heart back, but never had he pictured anything warm like this.
"Let's go back." She said and rubbed her arms. Felix looked up into the sky. It was snowing. Back in Regina's house, Felix sat motionless on the staircase, letting Y/N clean the blood off of his hands.
"Why are you doing this? I can do this myself. " He suddenly said and glanced over to her. The girl stopped and looked back, feeling somewhat caught. She had questioned herself all the time what was running through his head, and if he felt forced to end it like this. If Felix wanted to talk about it, he probably would do it on his own, there was no need to bother him further. Giving him some space now would be smart
Y/N rose and just as she started to walk off, she felt him grab her wrist.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I'd like some help." He said timidly, letting go of his gentle grip. Y/N gave him a faint of a smile, sitting back down beside him and grabbed for the wet towel once more.
"Thank you." Felix smiled back, showing her a rare sight. He looked so innocent when he showed her his dimples.
"I think your idea of letting the evil queen take my heart worked. It turned out Peter did want to use it and kill me. You saved my life."
"I am just glad Henry got his body back before you… you-"
"Smashed his head? With a rock? If you want to ask me how I did it, don't fret."
Y/N swallowed hard. She painted herself a picture of the act, and could not help but feel sorry for Peter. With scarce resources of magic, Peter had no chance against this giant of a boy.
"How do you feel?" She then asked and placed his hand on his. Such an innocent move of hers, but it made Felix feel the heat rise in his face. Her touch was warm and gentle, he did not mind it at all, the opposite, Felix liked it. He looked at her and she found herself drawn into his gaze, unable to look away. She did not see a monster in him like the others. When the boy suddenly smiled at her, Y/N could not help but smile back.
"So where else should he go?" They suddenly overheard the adults obviously talk about Felix in the other room, caughting their attention, so they both exchanged a look filled with curiosity, before they decided to investigate. Stepping inside, everyone in the room went silent, darting their eyes into the direction of the intruders. The adults looked at them not for long before returning completely unbothered back to their discussion.
"We can't let him go to Neverland or else he will start plotting something." Regina grumbled with crossed arms in front of her chest. She clearly talked about Felix. David and Hook were on her side, nodding in agreement.
"Aye." The captain said with a glare towards the boy, "That shall be unwise. Who knows what he could be up to there."
"We could let him live with us in storybrooke." Snow chimed in and stepped forwards.
"Sure.'' We just play happy family." Hook said sarcastically and put on a fake smile. The second in command moved his eyes into the pirate's direction without turning his head, the annoyance written all over his face. "There is already no space for all of us."
"We can't keep them here, that's true." Emma agreed with Hook on this, pressing her brows together in a serious manner.
"What else do you have in mind?" Y/N chimed in, after all it was also her they needed to find shelter for. She looked up to Felix, waiting for him to speak up as well. He said no words but seemed to be intrigued by the conversation. In the end they had no choice but to comply after everything they did.
"I suggested the orphanage, where the rest of the lost boys were put up." Regina answered. That was the second Felix face started twitching, obviously not being fond of the idea. Still, no word crossed his lips. Y/N on the other hand tried to stay optimistic, after all, how bad could it be?
"We can't!" Emma's voice shrill through the room. "We protected them to be save from Felix!"
"You act as if he is vile and untamed!" Y/N glared at her. Felix felt his heart warming up when she defended him, well aware that she had witnessed him back on Neverland. He had treated the lost boys cruelly and barely showed mercy. No matter how much he told himself that it was Pan, it would always remain to be a lie.
"I don't trust a teenager that almost killed my son-"
"He helped you protect Henry!" Y/N interrupted. "If you put him in an orphanage you might as well put me in there!"
"So be it." Hook said with a shrug. He could not stand anyone from Neverland, not even Y/N. The pirate was convinced that not Pan himself was the source of evil, but rather the island itself. Felix had once mentioned that Hook liked to name them "the offspring of madness". The further away he was from them the better. Y/N waited for the others to say a word, but it seemed like the argument was over with that. An orphanage it would be. The girl looked over to Felix, but he was already staring at her. His face said nothing, Y/N could not read it like that. How much she wished she could.
Felix's P.O.V.:
With this clattering swaying of the car, Felix feared that this short drive would be the end of him. Y/N next to him did not look less terrified, shortly exchanging a look with him before she would look away again. His eyes darted down to her hands on the seat, and he longed to touch her hands once more, hold her and assure her that he would make sure everything was okay. On the other hand he had never been really close to her back on Neverland, rather seemed to avoid her instead. He knew that Pan loved games and that he would play with her too, so getting close to her was never an option before. Felix had to admit that the small gesture of her taking his hand earlier showed him how badly he had Felix gentle touches. Everyone around him saw him as the bad guy, so it was probably something he would not receive so quickly.
Perhaps, but eventually he had the chance to prove himself now, to show Y/n and the others that he can change and be a better person. Neverland was the past, and there was nothing holding him back, opening new possibilities for a better life. Felix wanted to change and become a better person, so he knew that he had to keep the girl safe from anyone that might cause trouble in their new start.
"Thanks for helping me back there." Felix whispered into Y/N's direction, trying to make him inaudible as possible for David. He did not want to show him his weakness.
"I wish I could help you sooner. That must have hurt." She whispered back.
"had it worse." he chuckled and leaned back into his seat. There was no way back, so Felix tried to stay optimistic. Y/N did not say anything in response, so they sat in silence as they drove down the road. At the arrival Felix stiffened up before he got out of the car. The building reminded him of a high castle, combined with the aesthetics of a church. Y/N by his side did not look less nervous. Still, he was glad to have her by his side. Felix was not fond of the idea to move into an orphanage with all the boys back from Neverland. No one liked him for good reasons. After what Henry told him, Felix came to the realization that all this time he had been a villain, and that there was no space for evil in this world, his fate being a life with no happy ending. It did not matter how hard it would be, the former lost boy wanted to be good. To do that, he needed to prove that he was no danger and that there was more than violence leading him on. Even if he would straight up apologize to the former lost boys, he strongly doubted that any of them would accept him or spend time with him. Felix used to be on his own back in Neverland, so what had changed? Why did he need to prove something and to whom? The heroes? Y/N? He took another glance at her, asking himself why she stood up for him. She had never been close to him on Neverland, barely talked to him before, but now he was fascinated with the girl. Maybe he did want to convince her especially after she even made it possible to prove himself.
"I told the staff to have a close eye on you." David spoke to Felix as the boy stepped out of the car. "Make trouble and you're in a less comfortable facility. I am talking about supervised living. It won't give you the freedom you're being granted right now. "
Felix replied with a resistant nod. He was far too tired to force a smile and even if he did, the man would know that it was a lie. He turned to get his backpack from the backseat and faced the old building. It was a huge estate with huge towers and many windows, clean from the outside besides some toys laying on the grass. There were the sounds of chickens nearby that must belong to the house. It was welcoming and less scary than Felix had imagined.
"Do you hear that?" Y/N said with a smile, closing her eyes for a second. "I hope there are more animals."
"Maybe they do." Felix gave back and raised his brows, leading the way up to the doorsteps of that building. "Maybe they have sheep or goats."
"What about sheep AND goats!"
He nodded and faced the door to knock, heavy and loud, maybe a little too loud. They waited a moment, then another one and another, until Y/N lifted her hand to knick again. Just as her knuckles were about to touch the wood, the door was finally being opened. The people behind the door were two gaunt nuns, none of them showed any efforts to properly greet them or make them feel welcome in their new home.
"You," One of them pointed at Felix. "Boys section."
"And you," The other one said with a voice naturally softer than the other one's. "Girls section."
Inside the building Felix immediately got separated from Y/N to be escorted to his new room. He had to walk up a large staircase and left down the hallway, and Y/N followed a staircase opposite to the other one, vanishing out of the boy's sight.
"That's it." The nun who escortes him said disdainfully, her meager finger pointing towards the wooden door. "Don't expect much."
Felix looked down into her wrinkled face. She was an old, scanty, time worn woman, ghoulish with pale skin and gray eyes, colder than his own. Her teeth were yellow with brown stains, and given away the scent of coffee, Felix assumed she drank it regularly. With that, she turned, slowly shuffling wearlily down the hallway. Felix already could not stand her, wondering if those emotions came naturally or if there was more than a simple bias behind it. Nevertheless this nun was an unpleasant woman. Opening the door, Felix followed her advice and kept his expectations low. The room was kept simple: There was a bed in the corner with a desk next to it, right underneath the window, a mirror next to the door and a dresser parallel to the bed. Much space left. If Felix owned something personal, he would see it as space to embellish it, but now it was just an empty space.
Felix stepped in and sat down onto his bed. He could not look into the mirror. Not yet. Not after what he had done to Peter Was there true obedience with a heart being under control, or was there not a single move coming from himself? Felix was not sure if he wanted to do this, but in the end he killed his only friend. Did Peter trust him like Felix had trusted him? Now there was no way of telling anymore, so he needed a way to go past this, just like with all the other nasty things he did back on Neverland.
Felix did not see Y/N again until dinner, but by that time she was sitting close to Wendy. Felix was surprised to see the girl here as well, but questioned it not any further. Where else should she be? When she first saw him, the Darling girl froze. It was like her whole body told him to stay away- so he did. While he ate, she seemed to notice his gaze, so she avoided looking in Felix's direction all together. He could not help himself but felt disappointed that Y/N was not accompanying him, but it was understandable that she craved female companions after all. The boy would try to talk to her the next day, noticing how all the boys around him stiffened up and tried to keep their heads to themselves- just like on Neverland. Felix did not like that. He had never felt lonelier, knowing that there was not a single person to talk to. With the mood that bad, Felix decided not to bother any of the others with their presence, swaying onto his feet before leaving the room. Just as he was about to turn and leave, someone stretched out their leg, causing Felix to trip and Fall into the ground. During the sudden crash Felix bit harshly onto his lip and he could feel a small amount of blood mixing with his saliva. When he heard a quiet chuckle, Felix turned around and looked at the boy that had caused him to fall and bite himself. The boy was his age, not much shorter than Felix, golden locks and piercing blue eyes. With those angular cheeek bones Felix felt like looking at someone relative. The pretty boy wore a smug grin and looked down at Felix in full contempt. Felix's eyes burned in anger at the taste of his own blood, picturing a million ways to get revenge. It was not worth it, Felix thought, it only would bring him trouble. Raising to his feet once more he wiped off the blood and glared at the other boy before he walked off. This was not worth a fight, especially in front of the others. Sooner or later he would receive a payback, and the former lost boy never forgot a face, especially not if the other looked quite similar to himself. On the way back to his room, Felix crossed ways with the nun from earlier again. By listening to the conversations at the table he had learned that her name was sister Tilda.
"Have we been in a fight, mr.?" She stated so scornfully, raising her spare eyebrows in a judging manner.
"No I haven't, someone pushed me-" The nun shook her head and kept walking past him. This was useless. All they saw was Pan's pav dog, not a person. They had made their mind up to him and now he was stuck with this impression until he had the chance to prove him otherwise.. He had no idea how to do that, so Felix felt hopeless and frustrated. Laying down onto his bed he contemplated his regrets. During the first night, Felix was constantly tormented by gruesome nightmares. It was as if there was something that was ought to get him, haunting him even when he opened his eyes back open again. Rethinking his life, he came to conclusions that living on Neverland had been a nightmare and Peter Pan was made of them, just like a greenish personification of the devil. Felix hated himself for sticking to him until the very last moment. It gave him the realization that he never had a true friend after all, everything was shallow and built on lies. Felix had no one but himself. He needed to see Y/N again and ask her why she saved him and why she thought he was worth being saved. After all it was her who even thought about him and created a plan, using all her energy to convince the other heroes to help. She must have had a reason for her actions, doubtful she acted on sympathy alone. The next day she went into the city along with Wendy, so Felix kept his distance. He wandered through the corridors, exploring the building when he suddenly crossed the boy from the day before, the one who caused him to trip. Felix wanted to beat him up, show him his place, but he knew that this would be a ticket to get thrown out immediately, far away from Y/N. It was reason enough to care
"So you're the leader of those dirty savages?" He asked with a disgusted expression plastered over his neat face.
"No." Felix shook his head with a deadpan face. "Peter Pan is dead."
Jimmy scoffed and tilted his head. "Wouldn't that make you the leader?"
"No." Felix said again.
"So you're just a savage loser like the rest of you newbies?" He looked disgusted up and down, scanning every little detail. "Your face sure kissed a blender."
Felix felt his blood rise and he gritted his teeth, trying to control himself from not jumping at his throat right away. There was this strong urge to just throw him into the ground and choke the boy until his face turned blue. What a pleasant daydream. He had done worse to boys for even mentioning his scar, but after some time he learned to restrain himself. Not now. Not here. Felix was above this, way too smart and cunning to be tricked into violence like that, not after years being teased by lost boys that tried to get a reaction.
"Dude what is your problem? Have you ever been in a fight? How about you let your fists talk?" Felix gave back snarkily.
"Why should I go down to your level? You will see, sooner or later the nuns will throw you out either way. Some animals just can't be tamed. You newbies are a pest and if it were up to me they should have never let you in that easily. "
"Ah," Felix said with a smirk. "Lost boys can be little devils. Are they giving you nightmares?"
The blonde boy yanked his head away, rolling his eyes and wiping some of his curls behind his ear. "Pathetic to assume any of you would scare us first-arrivals!"
"Because mommy's early abandonment was traumatizing enough already?" Felix chuckled out. The boy gritted his teeth and formed his hands into fists, giving Felix the impression to be attacked any second, so he got in position himself.
"I'll have you out of here quicker than you can think. Wait for it." The boy snarled and gave him a dirty look before he would leave the direction he came from. After the boy stormed off, Felix returned to his room, taking an afternoon nap. When the boy woke up again, he was surrounded by darkness. Searching for the switch of the nightlight, he turned it on, darting his eyes to the watch on the wall. It was past ten already, so he had overslept the dinner and his chance to talk to Y/N again. Felix heard his stomach growling and seconds later he felt a wave of hunger pulling painfully inside him.
"Shut up already!" Felix whispered to himself as he sneaked through the corridors and heard his stomach rumbling again. Inside the kitchen Felix was surprised to still see some light on, and he prepared for an excuse to be in the kitchen, when he suddenly froze in place.
"What are you doing here?"
"Same question." Felix gave back startled, but inside he was happy to meet no one else but Y/N. She looked tired, still she kept doing the dishes.
"Wendy has a headache. It's our turn to clean up."
Y/N stood in front of a pile of dishes, no wonder why she was still awake. Felix stepped closer, grabbing a towel to help without saying anything. It was not needed and he would not even let her fight him on this. Fortunately she said nothing against his presence, instead she let out a small, satisfied hum. This reaction warmed him from deep within his chest after such a rough day.
"What happened to your face?" She asked worriedly and touched his chin. Felix never wanted this to stop.
"I fell." He lied, not wanting to admit that he made an enemy on his first day. It was not like this was on Felix though, there was no reason for the other boy to simply hate him just because he was from Neverland. There had to be more behind it, or else he would treat the girls the same way.
"Be careful." She said out warmly, a soft smile forming on her face.
"I will." He gave back, and with that she removed her hand, making him miss her touch in an instant. Since she returned his heart to him, being with her felt like a dream. Maybe he had created a weird connection to her, or the evil queen enchanted him, or perhaps, this was all just in his head. Nevertheless, her company suddenly started to make him feel nervous like never before, making him believe he was sick or some sort.
"Have you slept well?" Y/N then asked, continuing to wash the dirty plates. "I have looked for you, but sister Edith chased me out of your room and the boy corridor."
Felix giggled at the picture of that, but at the same time he was surprised that Y/N looked after him.
"I felt pretty tired after everything that happened. I am pretty hungry too."
"There is some roasted chicken and potatoes in the fridge."
Felix nodded thankfully, interrupting his assistance for a moment as he warmed himself a plate from the previous dinner. When he was done eating, Y/N had finished cleaning up. She reached for his plate at last while he grabbed a towel and dried the plates.
"Thanks."
"I am the one that should be forever thankful for what you did for me." Felix said, looking over to her. "I just wanted to ask you why you were willing to help me. Everyone thinks I am too dangerous."
Y/N chuckled lightly, shaking her head. It made Felix impatient for her response. "I saw that he only used you when all you wanted was a friend. " She replied and stepped closer to him. He had the urge to just grab her and embrace her in his arms, to tell her how happy he was to have met her and how scared he really was to die. Instead, he looked down at the girl, his eyes glued onto her as he waited for her to continue. Suddenly they both heard some footsteps nearby, so Felix took a step back, curiously watching the door. No one entered, but the motions in the hallway made Felix uneasy enough to return to his room. He had enough troubles for the start.
"Have you seen the chicken yet?" Y/N asked before he could even make the choice to leave. She ignored the footsteps altogether. Felix shook his head.
"Franklin showed them to me. You should meet him, he was very kind and maybe you will find a new friend."
"I will think about it if I meet him."
"I haven't seen him at dinner, so maybe he roams around, too."
Felix did not know who Franklin was, what he looked like or what age he was, but for a second Felix felt a sting when hearing that name a second time. He lied to himself that it had to something else than jealousy. He listened to the sounds behind the door. The footsteps walked past them, but they were too fast for a nun, too many, so the boy assumed it must be the other kids. Maybe even Franklin.
It made Felix feel uneasy. He had no intention to meet the others again or learn to know new faces, so he was glad that Y/N suggested he go outside. Felix rather went out into the cold than get into another uncomfortable situation. The boy finally managed to relax after a long evening, smiling down at Y/N as he followed.
Just as they were to leave the house, Wendy suddenly entered. When she saw Y/N she stopped and stared, her smile quickly fading as he moved them to her side.
"Y/N-" At the sight of Felix she made a horrified face, and he read it as a "shit, not him."
"Wendy-" He started and she widened her eyes, bending her head cautiously aside.
"You should rot in hell. This is not what you deserve after Hell-land." She used his short gap to speak first. She quickly hushed past both of them, not giving Felix any chance to talk.
"She never told me why she hated you so much." Y/N followed the girl with her eyes until she vanished upstairs in the hallway.
"Because I was one of the people that kept her from her family." Felix suggested an idea, looking down at the former lost girl.
"She doesn't hate Devin or the other boys."
"Truth be told, most of them were just harmless morons."
With that he turned and left the building, quickly followed by Y/N. Outside it was freezing and without proper clothes they just took a quick peak around the house, assuming the animals were fed by someone. With a quick glance they saw that there were indeed some goats. It was too cold to stay any longer, so both decided to go inside quickly. On the way back Felix was surprised to see Devin. He remembered him well, so he raised his hand to wave. The boy froze at the sight of him, eyes widened in disbelief. He did not look pleased to see the former second at all. Just like Wendy.
"I really hoped he had killed you." Devin said, his eyes wandered up and down. With that he turned on his heels as if he changed his mind and walked back where he came from. Felix stood and stared. He was silent for a moment before he shook his head and turned to Y/N.
"I think I will head back to my room." He said dryly.
Y/N said nothing but she did not have to. Her eyes were full of disappointment, as if she did not want him to go. Felix did not want to leave her like that, not that soon, but it was late and even though he had slept the whole day he still felt tired and drained. Besides, he could not bear facing any of the other boys right now.
"Can I give you something before you go?" Y/N suddenly said as Felix was about to leave. He looked at her expectantly and gave her a confirming nod before he walked behind her to her room. When they arrived it took her only a few moments to receive a small paper bag with some black fabric inside.
"I saw it and thought about you. It was always warm in Neverland so I thought you would need something warmer." She smiled at him while giving him the bag.
"Thank you." Felix showed his teeth while smiling. He had never received a gift before.
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⭐️⭐️( 😃 <— how i look coming into your inbox asking you to talk about the pretty best friends for probably the tenth time this week. and it’s only wednesday)
Every ⭐️ exchanges for a headcanon (or we-haven't-plotted-yet theory / plot bunny) about our characters' (potential) dynamic.
I think maybe we've talked about this before but lately I am thinking so much about matching earrings. I don't know if that counts as an entire hc but just the thought of like. sb: Hey that looks like earrings Allie has / Henry: Yeah we traded.
The melting pot of Henry's skill in sailing knots and Allie's knowledge of the art of the daisy chain has resulted in... it's not a competition. But nevertheless increasingly complex flower crowns (which Allie probably can't help but enchant to keep living even after they've been woven together). Some of these dot the crowded walls of her little cottage. Others have made their way into Henry's lighthouse, and Hetty's tavern, and the cabins of the Tempest. A bunch more have become living sculptures in her garden, and at least one has continued growing out in ...odd ways, blooming into a big circle that a person could sit -or curl up for a nap- in the middle of. (Why did this happen? Allie's convinced it was something to do with Henry and the garden and love. Henry's pretty sure the love part is right but the rest was all Allie, even if she didn't notice, but what does he know. (¯\_(ツ)_/¯ magic.))
There are luck charms scattered around Allie's place. The first one he left, he didn't say anything about it. It wasn't a secret, exactly, he just. Left it on an impulse, didn't bring it up. It made him feel better about her living by herself. Later it turned into more of a going-away ritual. Some she knows about -he had her direct him where to put it- others were just quietly place somewhere. It's hard to say whether they're doing anything, given it does seem like the woods themselves do a pretty good job of keeping her safe anyway. But a little help never killed anyone. And she likes have 'pieces of him' around too, little reminders that he'd been there, and promised to come back.
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I got to the point of liking your posts before reading them, because I know I will love them lol.
I wanna say I'm really excited for the list of bonus dwm stories you planned, especially the ones involving the hellfire guys because I'm loving their dynamic. (You have a Scottie fan here lol)
The preview of Out of the loop is amazing, I really like the way you portrait Gareth and his "hatred" towards the reader lol... "At first, she appears as this beautiful, enchanting woman, but underneath that guise, she’s a wretched old witch who thrives on torment" this made me laugh a lot, yes she might be an evil witch but a beautiful and enchanting one 🌝 Is there a small chance they will become friends? Or at least get along
I'm looking forward the next chapter of paper men too, since I'm extremely curious to see Henry's pov. Even though Vic is my favorite guy, I find Henry, and also Patrick, extremely interesting characters, one is extremely wounded and channels his pain in anger the other has a completely different view of the world in comparison to others and you describe it beautifully. I recently started reading the It book, thanks to your fic.
Have a nice week🌺
Yes! Don't me wrong, I absolutely love writing romantic stories about Eddie and the reader, but I have so much fun writing funny little fics with the rest of Hellfire.
And if you like Scottie (I do, too btw) you're really gonna enjoy one of the later fics I have planned. Obviously, he's going to be in most of the pre-DWM fics and a few of the post-DWM ones (once he gets out of prison, that is), but there is one in particular that I'm really excited about. Scottie, because he's approaching the end of his senior year, doesn't want to graduate without having gone on at least one date, so he asks the reader out on a date. It's really cute. Scottie is in top form. And they end up spending quite a bit of time talking about Eddie, so... I'm really looking forward to that one. 😊
And regarding Gareth, honestly I doubt he'll ever become friends with the reader. I do think that, eventually, he'll realize that she makes Eddie very happy and he'll soften up to her a little, but that's about it. Gareth holds a grudge like no other, and he just finds her personality very grating. That's never gonna change.
Lastly, I'm excited about returning to Paper Men, too! These last chapters are gonna be really strong, and then the next part is going to be a wild rollercoaster. I hope you enjoy the book. It's one of my favorites. I love the movies, but the book is so much better, especially when it comes to portraying the Bowers Gang.
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Between The Pages
A collection of 'Deleted Scenes' from the 'Swan-Mills Saga' series. There's always more to the story, more than meets the eye. Here we delve into the missing moments previously removed from either 'The Story of Us', 'After The Sunset', 'What Dreams May Come', 'Sins Of The Past', 'The Once & Future Queen' or 'Into The Story-Verse’.
Merry Christmas
Set between 'The Story of Us' and 'After The Sunset', the Swan-Mills extended family shop for the perfect Christmas tree.
Distance Is Overrated
Set between ‘The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter’ and 'True North’. Having killed for the first time since becoming a mother, Regina is keeping Emma at arms length. Confused by her behaviour, Emma is nevertheless determined to do her job as Deputy and find out the truth behind Graham’s death.
Consider This
Set between ‘A Bitter Case’ and 'I’ll Be Your Mirror’. With the vision of her death still haunting her, Emma is visited at the station by the Evil Queen. Although initially reluctant to listen, Emma soon finds the Queen’s words making a lot of sense to her. But what will Henry and Regina think?
Guardian Dragon, Pt.1
Set during the events of ‘The Price of Gold’. Just where did Regina go that Saturday? We know for certain it wasn’t to a city council meeting. Catching up with an old friend, Regina reflects on the events leading up to casting the Dark Curse and her mixed feelings about Emma Swan.
Guardian Dragon, Pt.2
Set during Season 4 and the events of ‘Best Laid Plans’. While Regina is undercover with the Queens of Darkness, Emma is desperate to make sure she’s all right. During a private rendezvous, can Regina and Emma keep their relationship a secret, or will they be discovered by prying eyes?
I’m Glad You Came
Set During ‘The Cricket Game’. After that bittersweet kiss outside the diner, Regina walked home alone. Or did she? What follows are the events that took place directly after Mary Margaret & Emma’s welcome home party.
Seduced By Darkness
Set during ‘Swan Song’. Finding themselves back in Storybrooke with the Dark Swan up to no good, Emma’s friends and family want answers. Bound and determined to be the one to find those answers, Regina resolves to confront the Dark One for a third time. Will she be successful, or does the Darkness have something planned for Regina that she’ll never see coming?
The Long Way Back
Set directly after the events of ‘Going Home’. Having returned to the Enchanted Forest along with the people she once cursed, Regina must face a life without the ones she loves most. Her heart aching with the loss of Henry and her mind filled with memories of Emma Swan, the former Evil Queen must soon face her toughest challenge yet. Chronicling the events of 'the lost year’ through the eyes of those left behind, we embark on a journey to reunite a family torn apart.
I Believe In Us
A Belated Christmas Story. After the kiss that sent Emma back home to the future, Storybrooke’s fate is now uncertain. Can the curse still be broken without the Savior? Will Regina be able to move on from her latest heartbreak and mend her relationship with Henry? Set during ‘The Once & Future Queen’.
Before All Hell Breaks Loose
Set during 'Souls of the Departed'. Having just destroyed the Darkness and the Evil Queen, Emma, Regina and the family return to Storybrooke to deal with the immediate aftermath of their ordeal. Meanwhile in the Underworld, Lord Hades plays host to several new arrivals and contemplates his next move.
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heyo, i just spent an extended amount of time scrolling through your headcanon posts. with that in mind— do you think you could explore emma and regina’s bad habits? keep up the great work ❤️❤️
thank you for the scrolling bestie and for the ask, i do appreciate it. these are my favourite kinds of posts to make so of course i will oblige and as always, get carried tf away <3
usually tws apply
as far as bad habits go, i think they both have quite a lot - our girls have both Been Thru It TM and would naturally have picked up many coping habits along the way. they are also both Very Annoying
let's start with emma, who i think has more in what we would think of as a stereotypical way
first of all, ik we all joke about fanon Messy Emma, but emma swan is a gross gremlin girl for real and i actually love that for her. if left unchecked, she will eat chips and dip in bed and gets crumbs everywhere and never brush them off. she will leave All her clothes on the floor until she physically can't move past them. she will let a slice of pizza rot in the box on her kitchen side for a month.
and no wonder, when she's spent most of her life living alone with nobody else to care about or hold her accountable. the sad truth is, emma has never felt like she's had a Home before so she's never had a reason to keep all those cold, empty apartments tidy.
when she starts taking responsibility for henry, she immediately becomes really aware of this and determined to be better and she does, and so by the time she moves in with regina she is way better, but will still leave clothes lying around and old food out here and there (this actually Counters regina's obsessive tidying and somehow they find a middle ground, but we will get to that later...)
emma is not a nail biter, but she's a nail picker. girl will find a strip of raw skin on her finger and Peel. this is more of an anxiety/anger related thing, and she's working on it now.
emma's sleep schedule also... bro... like the mess, she's way better when she lives with henry and regina because these are people she loves with whom she naturally falls into a healthier routine, and she has a job she loves too that she's actually excited to get to work on time for - but most of her life, she's had no concept of time or sleep.
she will stay up til 6am and wake up at 4pm or anything within that boundary. pot noodles for breakfast. cereal for dinner. and again, it's because she's never felt like she's had a 'normal' family, life or routine, it's just never been a part of the way her brain works
(regina loves cooking though and part of her love language is definitely making sure her loved ones have good meals, so these days are long over for emma, unless she genuinely wants a pot noodle for old times sake. now days, she never even leaves for work without a lunch packed lovingly for her by her wife, often with a note or flower enchanted not to wilt. sometimes if regina is out early she'll even leave emma and henry breakfast too)
regina is almost the exact opposite - she is obsessively neat to a fault and will get very touchy about a sock being left on the floor. she will get up from watching a movie because she noticed crumbs on the side and had to clean it up. (because cora left her terrified of ever making a mess or showing a face less than 'perfect')
both of these 'bad habits' eventually slightly neutralise each other, to the point regina can still relax despite leaving the dishwasher for an evening, and emma can make the bed after herself in the mornings because hey, it does only take a few seconds, and it does feel better to come home to.
and besides, they are both trying to set a good example for henry, which leads to them setting better standards for themselves easily, naturally. (emma and regina healing their inner children by raising their child is TOO MUCH for me i'm dead bye)
regina also has bad sleep habits but more in an overthinking/will get a sudden thought and end up knee deep in google tabs for three hours kind of way. emma often has to (gently) remove the phone from her, turn it off and leave it on her side of the bed, before cuddling into her and holding her close til she falls asleep.
regina is an overplanner. she will stress herself out and get snappy about to do lists for to do lists and stuff she is only ever holding herself accountable for. she will also Never know when to rest or leave her work alone until emma can see the frown lines appear and see she's getting a headache and very gently remove her from her desk, get her some wine or water, make sure she's eaten, run her a bath etc. regina is very grateful for this - it's the opposite of everything she was ever taught but damn it, emma does know best sometimes.
(i’ve talked about this before but i have always headcanoned regina as having struggles with disordered eating, and occasionally when she’s super stressed she will fall back into harmful habits, but emma is very on top of noticing the signs for this and helping her not listen to those urges or engage in those habits when necessary)
regina also has a very short fuse still with people she doesn’t know very well or trust, but she’s working on it and she’s getting there! (she’s doing yoga and meditation now but she’s lowkey embarrassed about it and emma is not allowed to tell anyone)
regina actually did bite her nails when she was younger, and she still gets that urge sometimes but usually stops herself before it gets anywhere, because cora punished her every time she caught her doing so
both of them of course have also had the bad habit of snapping at people when they feel uncomfortable rather than being honest, shoving down their own feelings, ignoring their own pain, lashing out and getting defensive, but they have also both worked on those things so much over the course of the years and help each other so much too. our girls learned to communicate and together they find it is easier than they ever thought it could be <3
#anyway thanks bestie#this turned out to be kind of sad#like everything when i think about these two too much#but please do always feel free to hit me up with these kinda prompts bc they make me happy#emma swan#regina mills#swan queen#swan queen headcanons#bad habits hcs#sq headcanons#swan mills family#swan mills family headcanon#swan mills family headcanons#sq
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heartless | 13. two outsiders
pairing: henry mills x oc
a/n: so it turns out becoming the sickest you’ve ever been in your life and spending that entire time thinking about your wip to distract you from the agony can really do wonders for your writing.
warnings: implied sex and a temporary death.
wordcount: 1301
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"Hey, guess what? Taco shells were on sale!" Henry announced as he sprinted into Emma's apartment. Max and Emma followed him, taking off their coats.
"Apparently, taco shells, not a big item in the Enchanted Forest," said Emma.
Henry halted as he approached Mary Margaret's bed, frowning. "What are you guys still doing in bed? It's the middle of the afternoon."
Max had to work hard to contain her laughter when she joined Henry's side and saw what he was missing. The couple was laying next to each other in bed, clutching the sheet against their chests, with panicked faces and hair even messier than hers. It got even funnier when she turned and saw Emma's reaction. She couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the absolute priceless look of shock and discomfort on her face. Because of her lack of a normal childhood, this was obviously something she'd never experienced before.
Mary Margaret stared blankly at them for a while before replying, "The trip back was tiring, and I needed to rest."
"And I needed to– help her... rest," David added.
Max shook her head and rolled her eyes, unimpressed by their lies. "Come on, Henry. Let's just go make tacos," she said, grabbing Henry's shoulder and leading him to the kitchen.
–––
The celebration party at Granny's was winding down a bit. Max sat by the counter, eating what remained of Regina's lasagna. Henry was deep in conversation about the Enchanted Forest with Mary Margaret, but Max wasn't listening. She kept her eyes on Emma and Regina, who were talking by the door. The two were vigilant enough to keep their tones hushed, but it was clear that the conversation was growing both heated and emotional.
The pair's conversation ended, and Regina walked out of the building. Max rushed to pick up her leather jacket and follow her.
No one noticed that she left.
"Regina!" Max called out. The woman halted, turning back towards the girl, and now that she was closer, it was clear that there were traces of tears in her eyes. "Are you sure you wanna leave?" she asked. "I hear there's gonna be cake soon."
A sad smile formed on her lips, and she let out a quiet, "I'm sure."
"Then, um..." Max looked down at her shoes for a moment, flinching at how awkward she was being. "Then can I walk with you? I'm getting kind of tired, too."
Regina just stared at her for a moment — surprised by the way she had reached out to her, before nodding. "Yeah, come along."
They spent the first length of their walk in silence. This was only the second time they had been alone together in any capacity, and the first played on repeat in Max's head like a movie screen. It was just after Regina's life had gone to shit, and just before Max's had. In the hospital when Henry was dying. The day the curse was broken. It was the most helpless she could remember feeling at the time, and Max had turned to Regina, looking for answers, but she didn't have any.
Of course, she knew now that the answers she was looking for couldn't be found in her past... but, perhaps — they could still be found with Regina. In her company.
It was she who finally broke the silence, when she said, "You have your memories back now." Despite being phrased like a statement, Regina said it like a question. Clearly, that moment had been on her mind, too.
Max nodded. "I do."
"Do you have any family?"
She shook her head. "No. Well," she added carefully, running a hand through her hair, "there was someone, but, uh... I've been looking, and... he's not here."
Regina was quiet for a moment before saying, "I'm sorry." Just like before, her voice carried both regret and kindness. And just like before, it didn't surprise Max. She gave Regina a small smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"It's not your fault," she reassured. "The curse didn't separate us... that happened before."
Regina nodded, falling silent again. Max watched her for a bit, before facing forward and saying, "For what it's worth, I'm actually thankful that you cast the curse."
This seemed to surprise Regina.
"You are?" she asked.
Max nodded. "I wouldn't have met Henry otherwise. And, to be honest," she forced a pathetic laugh, "a part of me kind of wishes it was never broken."
A scoff adjacent to a sigh escaped Regina's lips. "Yeah, I know what you mean."
"It would make things easier."
"Certainly."
They continued walking in silence until they reached the intersection where they had to go their separate ways.
Max halted and turned to Regina, facing her head on to cement the importance of what she was about to tell her. "You know..." she said slowly, "Henry believes in you, Regina. Remember that."
Regina nodded, the tears reappearing in her eyes. She looked appreciative, but there wasn't much hope in her expression. Max wished she could come up with something else to say to cheer her up, but that was Henry's area of expertise, not hers. So she just nodded and smiled, before turning away and walking the remaining distance towards the orphanage — which had become significantly less crowded since the curse broke and all the parents who were still living had come to collect their children, now that they remembered them — hoping that what she'd already said would make a difference. She still wasn't sure if Henry's belief would be enough to save her, but she hoped it would be for Regina.
–––
The news of what Regina had done to Archie had devastated Henry. There was no accounting for what he currently felt. It had been two hours, but Max still hadn't allowed herself to grieve yet. Cause it didn't matter. Not really.
It didn't matter that she'd started to find a real friend in Regina. It didn't matter that she thought she was the only person who could understand how lonely she'd felt ever since the curse was broken. It didn't matter that she now knew that she was completely alone on the outside of this community. It didn't matter, because Henry's grief was bigger. Regina had been a mother to him for his entire life.
And, besides, Max still didn't really believe it was actually true. Comparing it to a bad dream didn't feel entirely accurate when her whole life had been like a bad dream, but it may just be the most fitting metaphor she had. Surely, she would wake up soon and none of this would've happened?
"I really thought she'd changed," Henry mumbled into her tear-soaked shoulder.
"I know," said Max, wrapping her arms around him even tighter. "I did, too."
–––
Captain Killian Hook stood on a rooftop across the street from the Dark One's shop — watching him through his spyglass as the man realized what he had taken from him — when his newly reacquainted second-hand-man walked up behind him.
"You have it, Mr. Smee?" he asked, pocketing the spyglass.
The man nodded, holding up the brown woven blanket he'd stolen for him to take. "What is it, Captain?"
Killian took the blanket in his hand. "It's the end of the crocodile's hope," he said, examining it with glee. "Now he's trapped here."
Feeling jittery, Mr. Smee rapped his knuckles against his leg, eyes darting all over the place as he watched Killian — who was too wrapped up in his own world to notice. Knowing he had to tell him eventually — there was no telling what his Captain would do to him if he found at Smee had had this information and withheld it — he cleared his throat. "There's something else I must tell you, Captain."
The pirate's eyes remained on the blanket. "What is it?" he asked absentmindedly.
"Um, it's Max, sir. She's here."
Killian turned his head so quickly his neck almost snapped. "She is? Well, why didn't you tell me that earlier?" he berated him. "Come on, I have to see her," he said, his feet already taking him away despite having no idea where he needed to go.
"I'm afraid it's a little more complicated than that, sir," Mr. Smee stammered.
Killian's footsteps halted, and he slowly turned around. "What do you mean?"
"Well... she seems to be close friends with Emma Swan's son."
His mouth opened slightly in surprise before he closed it, biting the inside of his cheek. That certainly complicated things.
–––
Max was sitting next to Henry in Emma’s apartment, trying to convince him that turning Mary Margaret’s room into an armory wasn’t the best idea (how the tables could turn in their relationship really amazed her sometimes) when a knock at the door sent Pongo into a frenzy.
Emma opened the door, and out stepped none other than supposedly dead Archie Hopper. Henry ran up to get a closer look at him, but Max remained at the table, transfixed.
Archie wasn’t dead. Regina hadn’t killed him. They were wrong.
“What happened?” asked Emma, looking the most shocked out of all of them.
“It was Cora,” said Archie. “She kidnapped me.”
Henry called out his name, and the two hugged.
“Henry,” said Emma as they parted. “We were wrong. Regina didn’t do it.”
“I knew it! Maybe we should let her know.”
“Yeah. But something tells me either way, we’re gonna pay the price.”
(not my gif)
heartless taglist: @clarasamelia @anonymousewrites
#once upon a time#ouat#rewrite#fanfiction#once upon a time rewrite#ouat rewrite#once upon a time fanfiction#ouat fanfiction#henry mills#henry mills x oc#henry mills x reader#henry mills imagine#henry mills imagines#henry mills fluff#henry mills angst#jared gilmore
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I'm shifting to Once Upon a Time, figured I'd do a little introduction of my Storybrooke DR.
My name is Hannah Swan, fraternal twin sister to Emma. We grew up together until 3 when we were separated.
I show up to Storybrooke the day of our birthday - 10/23 - and decide to stay for a week to celebrate my birthday. After seeing some weirdness around town and running into Emma and seeing her get setup I decide to stay and put my travel plans aside. I rent an apartment over the Daily Mirror (which is now located on main street if it wasn't before) from Mr. Gold & end up getting a job at the paper as an Inventory Control Specialist (I scan old newspapers and files into the online system and restock the newspaper vending machines in the mornings).
Emma & I end up becoming friends, and therefore Mary Margaret and I become friends. I overheard Henry talking Operation Cobra with Emma and can't help but feel some kind of correlation between the weird things I've seen and felt and the possibility of Storybrooke being under a curse and everyone being fairytale characters. It sounds crazy but things just seem...too coincidental for me to just write it off, so I do what I do best, research, observe, and connect patterns. I keep a little notebook on me and Henry pulls me into Operation Cobra and gives me the run down of his suspicions while I notate my own (who in town could be which fairytale character) and we wonder what my role in all this could be. Once August rolls into town and the book changes, my story is now in there, tied right in with Emma's.
My first full shift should take place during season 1 episode 10 when the storm rolls into town. I have shifted here once before but it was the middle of the night before the morning I'm supposed to wake up and I shifted back immediately. The plan is to wake up, freak out that I shifted, brush my teeth, grab a cup of coffee from my coffee maker, answer the door to let Mr. Gold in - he's going to have me tape the windows and prep the apartment for the storm and give me advice on what I need to get - then head to Granny's to meet Emma and Mary Margaret for breakfast! From there (after much more freaking out about being at Granny's and meeting everyone) I'll go to the store, prep the apartment, then go for a walk and go down to the beach and watch the storm roll in.
I'll end up having the Captain Swan ship happen with me rather than Emma, and Graham isn't going to die, just fall into a coma until the curse is broken, from there it's up to Emma to find her true love. Sexuality is more realistic, and polyamory isn't taboo or looked down on. I do have magic, it's easy for me to use and learn and doesn't come with a price, the price was the last 28 years of my life WAS the payment. I will be going up the beanstalk in season 2 and going through the Enchanted Forest but I think the plot starts changing pretty drastically in season 2 so we'll see what happens from there.
I'm shifting to this Storybrooke Reality for a full day by 7/7/2023 so I'll post updates as I get them!
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Once upon a time for the ask game thingy hehe
Okay, both you @itsfabianadocarmo and @cosette141 asked for my answers on this for OuaT, so here goes!!! 😜
Fandom Ask Game
Send me a movie/book/show and I'll tell you:
favorite character: I mean, the obvious answer here is Killian Jones. And, believe me, I do love our pirate hero very, very much. But my true favorite character of the entire show (hopefully no one throws me out of the CS fandom for this) is Sheriff Graham/the Huntsman. I just adored him from the first time we met him. My heart still breaks for him. And I am always going to think he deserved better (and we deserved more of him!)
least favorite character: Probably either Cora/the Queen of Hearts or Gothel/Eloise Gardiner in Season 7
brOTP: I do really enjoy some Captain Charming - they have such a fun bros and family both connection! - but my heart really belongs to Killian and Belle. Captain Book/Captain Beauty, whichever you want to call it is such a lovely friendship. I treasure every teeny little scene of it we got to see. There’s something so redemptive and wonderful in them overcoming their past animosity and becoming friends, and I absolutely adore them bonding and having each other’s backs! 💖
OTP: It’s Captain Swan, absolutely, all the way, they’ve really taken over most of my imagination and free time! 😅 (In all fairness, I did at the start think Gremma, or HuntSwan, could be my True Love OTP, but the show very literally killed that possibility. And of course, we then met a certain dashing rapscallion who managed to win Emma’s heart… 😏)
OT3: This isn’t really a category I give lots of thought. I have read some amazing fic though with Liam/Killian/Emma as an OT3. The one that I’d call my favorite though is what I’ve sometimes seen called Irish Swan Trio: Killian/Graham/Emma. (That I would happily read more of, if it was more commonly written. 🤭)
NOTP: I have (very rarely, thankfully) stumbled upon mostly modern au fics that have Regina and Graham hooking up, or friends with benefits, or friendly exes. I absolutely cannot handle that; it is so far from what that situation truly was and it’s just upsetting to his memory. I’m also not at all a fan or HookedQueen or SwanQueen. Neither of those make much sense to me, nor does Regina even seem to like either of them much or treat them at all well. Why would they be in a relationship?
favorite storyline: It’s probably, honestly, season one. Where we first see Emma coming to Storybrooke, getting to know her son, discovering magic and fairytales are real, figuring out who all the townspeople were in the storybook, all of that. The magic is so enchanting in that first season, and it seems the most tightly well-written to me. I often say the first season’s only real flaws are Graham’s death and Killian not being there yet!
If that’s too huge a chunk to be a favorite storyline, then I’d probably say the Save Henry trip to Neverland.
least favorite storyline: I am not a fan of the second half of Season 2. It gets all convoluted and disjointed to me, and Greg and Tamara were so pointless and annoying. I don’t know if that’s so much a storyline as a least favorite segment because there doesn’t seem to be as clear a storyline, but there you are all the same. 🤷🏼♀️
what I wish had happened but didn't: I’m never going to stop wishing that Emma and Killian had gotten a rainbow blast True Love’s Kiss like all the other True Love couples. I know their True Love was proven in another way, but still, come on!!! 🤨
Even more than that though, I wish
1) that Emma and Killian would have had a secret small, private wedding in the Underworld with Liam performing it so he could be there, which would be an excellent callback to Snow and Charming’s first private wedding performed by Lancelot so Charming’s mother could be there.
And 2) that when we learned about the meanings behind the gravestones in the Underworld they would have gone and found Graham’s and at least learned that he had passed on and was at peace.
**Maybe I should have mentioned 5b as a not-so-favored storyline - so much potential wasted!
what happened that I wish hadn't: I would have loved them to do so much more with Jekyll and Hyde (and Jafar, for that matter) rather than split Queenie and the Black Fairy in Season 6 😝 I also would not have had Ruby run off with Dorothy.
#fandom faves ask game#ask game answers#snowbellewells answers asks#answers for @cosette141#answers for @itsfabianadocarmo
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Christmas Reruns: Day 33—New Year New Town
Rating: G
Word Count: 1868
Other chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
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A/N: Taking place sometime not long before grown up Henry calls for Hook, Regina and Emma to come to his aid in the alternate Enchanted Forest in 7x2, the residents of Storybrooke are living out their Happy Beginnings. With New Years approaching, Regina and Snow decide it’s time for a new town wide initiative. Emma and Killian use the occasion to make a special announcement of their own.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Good morning, Beautiful. How was your night?” Killian crooned softly as he leaned down to kiss Emma’s cheek, his hand softly caressing her shoulder.
Emma smiled as she slowly opened her eyes and turned over to meet her husband’s adoring gaze. She’d introduced him to the song a few months ago, and ever since then, he’d woken her up to it nearly every morning.
They’d been married for five years now, and yet Killian could still make her stomach swoop like a teenager with her first crush. It should be illegal for someone to be so romantic.
Emma sat up, ran a hand through her riotous curls, and then pulled Killian down for a long, slow kiss. Life was good. Life was really good.
Killian pulled away with a reluctant groan. “I’ll never complain about a good morning greeting like that, my love, but if we continue on in this manner, we’ll never make the city council meeting on time.”
Emma groaned. “You sure we can’t just skip it? It’s New Year’s Eve; I’d much rather just stay here in bed with you.”
“Likewise darling,” Killian said with one more smacking kiss to her lips before he threw back the covers and got to his feet, “but you know neither Regina nor your mother would ever let us get away with that given their New Year, New Town initiative.”
Emma groaned again. “Oh yeah, that. Can’t wait”
About a month ago, just after Thanksgiving, Regina and Snow had called a special town council meeting.
“We’ve been Big Bad free for five years now,” Regain began without preamble, staring down each of the members of the council, “and you’d think that would mean our town would be nearly perfect, by now, but that is not the case. I’ve still had to deal with the same petty squabbles as I’ve always had to, and I think it’s high time we do something about it.”
“Just what kind of squabbles we talking about ‘your majesty’?” Leroy asked, scowling fiercely
“Well, for one thing, I think we would all appreciate it if you’d lay off the threats of a lawsuit everytime someone eats the last of Granny’s bacon before you get there.”
“I have always tried to get as much bacon as I possibly could, and my brothers all know it”, Leroy argued. “They double cross me at the diner counter, they know what to expect.”
Regina rolled her eyes and looked on the point of retorting back, which Snow quickly stepped in.
“The point is not to point fingers at any one person,” she said. “The point is that I think we all have things about ourselves that we could change in order to become the best versions of ourselves.”
“So, Lady Snow, what particularly are you and the queen proposing?” Killian asked.
“As you all well know, the holiday season is just now ramping up, and before you know it, it will be Christmas and then New Years,” Snow explained. “Regina and I were talking over tea one day, and we had a thought. New Years is the time for resolutions. What if we–all of us–the whole town–made new year’s resolutions to make our town a better, friendlier town?”
“We’ll call it the ‘New Year, New Town’ initiative,” Regina said in her typical no nonsense tone. “It will, of course, be compulsory for all residents of Storybrooke.”
There was a general groan among the council as everyone began talking at once. Regina banged her gavel, finally restoring quiet to the council room.
“While I personally don’t think New Year’s resolutions are a bad thing,” Archie said, “I do have questions about how it would work practically, though. Surely you can see that forcing the town to make New Year’s resolutions is a bit heavy-handed, even for you.”
“Not happening, Sister,” Leroy tossed in.
“For once, I have to agree with the dwarf,” Killian tossed in. “No bloody way in Hades you will get the town–or even most on this committee–to go along with such an authoritarian scheme.”
Regina sighed in exasperation. “Listen Captain Guyliner…”
Snow stepped in again before things could further devolve. “Okay, maybe we can’t make it compulsory, but I was thinking, we could have incentives. You know, get pledges from various businesses for prizes for anyone who makes and keeps their resolutions until the end of the year. Make it a fun, citywide competition. That sort of thing.”
After a fair bit more debate, the council finally voted six to five–with Regina, Snow, David, Archie, Whale and Marco voting aye and Zelena, Emma, Killian, Leroy and Granny voting nay–to implement the initiative. Emma had been on the fence about the whole thing, but what finally tipped her to the “nay” side, was Regina’s final decree.
“There is one thing I must insist upon,” Regina said. “If we can’t force the entire town to comply with the initiative, we must at least stand in solidarity in our efforts to encourage full participation. To that end, I move that the initiative be compulsory for the members of the council.”
Another groan around the room.
“What’s stopping everyone from just making self-serving resolutions?” Whale asked.
“Well….” Snow began slowly. “Now just hear me out!”
No statement that started like that could ever end well.
“Regina and I discussed that, and we came up with a plan that we think is fair for everyone,” she said. “We, the council, have a say in each other’s resolutions. Everyone is free to submit resolution ideas for each other, and then on New Year’s Eve, we hold a vote to determine what each person will focus on next year.”
That suggestion got more than a little pushback, but in the end, it was reluctantly adopted.
And so here they were, New Year’s Eve morning, making their way to town hall to decide upon and commit to their resolutions for the coming year.
Emma took a deep, calming breath, as she and Killian took their seats at the council table. Killian took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze offering her his support and strength. She couldn’t care less what the council had decided for her resolution; the whole thing was ridiculous anyway. What did have her nervous and excited and a little freaked out was the plan she and Killian had come up with just before Christmas when they learned the news. Fact was, it was a big deal, a really, really big deal.
Regina, dressed in her customary power suit, banged her gavel against the table to quiet the gathered council and call the meeting to order.
“Okay, as it’s New Year’s Eve, and I’m sure we all have better places to be, let’s go ahead and get to it,” she said.
“Here’s how it will work,” Snow said eagerly. “Everyone will vote on the proposed resolutions via secret ballot. The ballots will be tabulated, and then each one of you will be given an envelope with the list of suggested resolutions the council proposed. The one picked for you will be listed at the top in red.”
“And if we refuse to go along with that one?” Leroy asked, crossing his arms and scowling fiercely.
“We aren’t unreasonable,” Snow said in answer. “If you can’t go along with your top choice, you have the option to choose one of the other selections on your list.”
Voting and tabulation were rather quick affairs, and within fifteen minutes the results were in.
“Just to get you all to stop bitching about this and see that it’s not that big of a deal, I’ll go first,” Regina said, taking her own envelope. Taking her letter opener, she neatly slit the top of the envelope and pulled the single sheet of paper free. Taking a moment to read through it, Regina scoffed. “‘Cut back on snarkiness and insulting nicknames’? Really? I don’t–”
“Oh yes you do, your majesty,” Killian said. “I’ve lost count of the number of times you’ve called me some variation of ‘Handless Wonder’ or ‘Captain Guyliner’.”
“Oh, did I hurt your little feelings?” Regina snapped.
“Aaaannd there’s the snark,” Emma commented.
“Fine!” Regina said, “just to prove to all of you that I’m serious about making this initiative work, I’ll accept your stupid resolution.”
With the first resolution reveal out of the way, the rest went rather smoothly. Snow resolved to refrain from revealing secrets (although Emma personally preferred the resolution Killian had submitted for her mom: Call before coming over to your daughter and son-in-law’s house). David resolved to make time for his mates now that his farm was taking up so much of his time. Zelena resolved to cut out envy from her life. Leroy resolved to stop running through the town yelling “terrible news!” about anything less than a full blown emergency. Whale resolved to stop drinking while on duty. Archie resolved to actually get a medical degree not given to him from a curse. Granny resolved to replace the uncomfortable mattresses in her inn. And Marco resolved to take classes to bring his woodworking business into the twenty-first century.
Finally, it was down to just Emma and Killian. The moment of truth.
Emma stood up, and without even looking at what was written on her envelope said, “I resolve to be the best mother I can possibly be and to learn all I can about how to care for a newborn.”
She was met with blank, confused stares as she sat down and Killian rose to make his announcement.
“And I’d like to address my resolution directly to Dave,” he said with a cheeky grin. “Mate, my resolution for next year is to not get your daughter pregnant….again.”
For a moment the blank stares continued until suddenly Snow gasped. “Emma….Killian? Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
Emma stood, and laced her fingers with Killian’s as her smile bloomed and a tear fell from the corner of her eye. “If you think we’re saying you’re about to be a grandma again, then yes. We found out on Christmas Eve. It finally happened! I’m pregnant!”
Later that night, after the ball dropped and the new year came in amid fireworks and cheers, Emma settled in bed in Killian’s embrace.
“How are you feeling, love?” he asked, holding her to him and nuzzling her neck. “Is the little one causing any distress?”
“At the moment all is well,” Emma said. “Now in the morning when the nausea hits like a ton of bricks I might have a different answer, but for right now, everything feels just about perfect.”
Killian placed his hand on her belly and rubbed gently, his attempt, she knew, to caress their growing child. “Something tells me this new year is going to be our best one yet.”
“Something tells me the same thing, babe,” Emma said.
They fell silent for another moment before Emma broke the silence with a chuckle. “How long do you think it will take for the council to realize we totally blew off their resolutions for us?”
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Priya Patil Character Intro
Character Name: Priya Rajani Patil nee Avasarala
Age & Birthday: 21; August 12, 1960
Gender & Pronouns: She/Her
Blood status: Pureblood
Sided: Order of the Phoenix
Occupation: Ambassador; Department of Foreign Relations
Face Claim: Amita Suman
School
Hogwarts, Class of 1978
Gryffindor
Charms, Enchanting, Divination Club
Bio
GROWING UP
Priya was the only child born to Rajesh and Tuviksha Avasarala who were overjoyed to have a beautiful daughter. Her father worked hard, helping her country find its feet after it gained its independence. It was this absorption in government that saw her family arranging her marriage to Henri Patil when she was only three years old–it also helped that everyone involved was magical. She was often found with her family at formal functions, or out amongst the populace with her mother. Her family and the Patils were close while they were growing up, with Priya and Henri becoming thick as thieves.
Both children were often found studying, or playing casual games of ludo. Their marriage arrangement proving quite convenient when Henri was also found to be a first-generation wizard. As her 11th birthday approached, the two spoke about their plans, and their family expectations. Both Priya and Henri received several invitations to multiple schools, and in a communal decision, it was decided that Priya would attend Hogwarts whereas Henri attended Mahoutokoro.
START OF THE WAR
Priya was sorted into Gryffindor where she found several long-time friendships. She wrote Henri daily, though it had slowly become more and more clear to the both of them that their relationship would never grow beyond that of a close friendship. She was close to all of her dormmates, often choosing harmony instead of creating issues there. But that same mentality didn’t apply to the rest of her housemates when they were being idiotic.
She excelled in school, and wrote Henri often, the two keeping each other in the loop about everything. She was equally close with her family throughout her schooling, though everyone willfully overlooked her clandestine romances with some of her female peers. She graduated Hogwarts with honors, and was quickly married to Henri once she returned home. Both of them worked closely together in the Indian Ministry before a unique opportunity was offered and she returned to Britain after a couple of years as the Indian Ambassador working closely with Henri in his role as the Foreign Relations Minister in the Indian Ministry. In her free time, she was able to pursue her passion of charms and enchanting by gaining her mastery.
Her parents died shortly after her twin daughters were born, having been overjoyed at having grandchildren to carry on the legacy of their family.
PRESENT TIME
Priya wasn’t often busy in her role as Ambassador, though she pretended she was busier than she often was, due to the British Ministry’s lack of desire to accept help. But she could occupy her free time working on enchantments, or making people think she was barmier than they originally thought by harping on about divination magics and astrology, a tactic she learned made people believe her to be insane in Hogwarts.
Other
Priya often reads tea leaves before major decisions/events. She herself isn’t a seer, though she does have a healthy belief in the art.
She’s not the biggest fan of quidditch, and outside of saying that she supports x or y team, she doesn’t tend to tolerate too much long discussion. She usually finishes the conversation with what she learns was a disgusting statement to quidditch fans…”I like Quadpot better.”
Priya speaks English, Hindi, and Bengali
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OUAT Rewatch: Season 2
Possible spoilers for future seasons are noted in parentheses.
Episode 2x01 “Broken”
~ The first time I saw this episode, I had not realized that the opening scene was part of it, because it starts in such an ordinary, mundane setting outside of Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest. It is only when the bird shows up with the Storybrooke postcard that it becomes clear that this is that story.
~ I’m quite confused about the timeline of Maleficent and Aurora’s relationship, given what they say about each other and what is shown in later seasons.
~ Although a tearful reunion might have been expected, Emma’s reaction to her parents makes complete sense. It’s weird and awkward because she has been carrying mixed feelings about her parents her whole life, and they’ve turned out to people she has already spent time with, and even considered friends/family.
~ Snow/Mary Margaret is right that they have lot to talk about, but she could have at least waited until they were alone before trying to initiate that catching-up conversation.
~ Dr. Frankenstein being the one to lead an angry mob is quite ironic!
~ Why/how does Gold have a selection of women’s clothing in his shop? Does he sell secondhand clothes too? That’s a funny scenario to imagine, if people come to his shop like it’s a boutique!
~ Mary Margaret improvising a blowtorch = badass!
~ Why does Regina play ignorant when Jefferson is mentioned?
~ How/when did Gold learn that the wraith was gone and Regina survived? Did anyone tell him?
~ Mary Margaret did the opposite of Gold when her child was being sucked into a portal to another world. He clung to the world he was comfortable in, whereas she leapt in to follow her daughter into the unknown.
~ While it is sad to see them separated from Emma and Snow/Mary Margaret, it is really nice to see David and Henry finally spend time together during this half of the season.
~ This episode is pretty confusing as far as the flashbacks/flashforwards go. Did the Land Without Magic storyline happen before the Enchanted Forest storyline?
Episode 2x02 “We Are Both”
~ Considering Emma and Snow/Mary Margaret have been kind of the main protagonists of the first season, it’s interesting to see an episode where they are absent for the most part.
~ Flashback Regina has a tree-shaped pendant, probably an homage to her apple trees!
~ Gold says that portals are outside his purview, but he knew how to get his hands on the looking-glass in this episode.
~ Gold uses “love” as a term of endearment before Hook ever does!
~ It looks like Henry has been prepared for a quick getaway for a while; or maybe he used the same method to sneak out on past occasions.
~ The cycle of a child becoming like the parent they hate is on full display in this episode. Regina stops Henry from running away the same way Cora stopped her from running away.
~ It’s amusing to see Sebastian Stan and Josh Dallas in scenes together, knowing they are very different types of characters in their respective Marvel movies!
~ I wonder what David would have done if he knew what Jefferson did to Mary Margaret and Emma last season.
~ I hope Ruby or some other townsperson eventually told Snow/Mary Margaret’s about David’s speech. She would have been so proud!
~ Where did Emma leave David’s sword after fighting Maleficent, and how did he get it back?
~ David and Henry sipping their drinks in unison is adorable, and the shot of them sitting together at the counter looks like a Norman Rockwell painting!
~ Introducing present-day Cora at the end after seeing all the flashbacks is excellent. The audience spends the episode thinking that the flashback storyline was simply illustrating Regina’s past, but it was actually setting up for the future.
~ This is the first of three episodes that shows one of the main characters fighting a villain in the past, and then revealing that villain as a present contender at the end of the episode. First it’s Cora, then King George, then Hook.
Episode 2x03 “Lady of the Lake”
~ Parent-child relationships are a focal point of this show, but this episode really zones in on mothers: Snow most of all, as she gets to act as a mother to Emma for the first time; Ruth, as she meets her daughter-in-law and sacrifices for her family’s future; and Cora as she plots to reunite with her daughter.
~ Cora uses an apple idiom to describe Regina! It’s such an ordinary phrase, it’s easy to miss, but with Regina’s connection to apples, it is kind of hilarious!
~ King George using a potion to sterilize an enemy is really horrendous.
~ It’s beautiful to see that Ruth and Snow had a meaningful and positive relationship despite only having a short time to be together. Unlike in many other meet-the-parents stories, they love each other right away. That really only makes sense given that one of them raised Charming and the other fell in love with him.
~ It’s amusing to see Snow White and Princess Aurora, two classic Disney princesses, fighting hand to hand.
~ Did the group camp for the night as they originally said they would, or did they press on to reach the castle that night?
~ Henry is kind of like Emma in this episode: he has been so used to operating alone that he continues to do so when he wants to check out Regina’s vault.
~ This is the first time Henry reveals the more selfish desire underlying his original goal of getting Emma to believe: he wants to be part of the fairy-tale world and be a hero.
~ A possible clue to my question about the other worlds’ religions: most of the Enchanted Forest characters say “gods” as an interjection, but Lancelot refers to “God in His mercy.” Of course, it would make sense for Camelot to be a Christian land, since the Knights of the Round Table famously seek the Holy Grail, which Lancelot alludes to during the wedding ceremony.
~ I hope Snow tells Emma at some point about how she’s indebted to Ruth and Lancelot for her life.
~ Snow and Charming’s music motif sounds so sad as Snow leaves the nursery!
~ Cora does what Rumplestiltskin does, bottling magic.
~ The final scene uses the same cinematography device twice, having a character watch other characters interact from a distance while sitting in a car.
~ Henry moves as though he has already done some sword-fighting!
Episode 2x04 “The Crocodile”
~ This may be the first episode in which Emma, Snow, and/or Regina are completely absent.
~ Evidence of Milah’s drawing ability can be seen throughout. When Rumplestiltskin enters his family’s home, a drawing of a desert island can be seen pinned on a wooden beam. When they return, a sheaf of them can be seen on a table. Looks like Milah had been daydreaming about her getaway for a while. (I initially wondered if she drew them, or if her pirate friends drew them for her.) Finally, near the end, a portrait of Baelfire is shown.
~ Killian Jones (not yet Hook)’s first scene is wonderfully understated. If you’re not actively looking for and watching him, he could be overlooked as an ordinary crowd extra; he only has a couple lines and doesn’t get any closeups.
~ Is Rumple trying to nurse Milah’s hangover when they talk at home? That would explain why she’s in bed and he’s making her a warm drink; but she seems lucid at that point.
~ The way Milah talks, it sounds like she was thinking she, Rumple, and Baelfire could travel with the pirates, or at least get passage to another place to make their home. I wonder if Killian would have let Rumple and Baelfire come with her if she’d asked?
~ Prince Charming mining with the dwarves seems oddly fitting, like a rite of passage for him to be part of Snow’s adoptive family. And Ruby/Red Riding Hood bringing them meals is just perfect!
~ Rumple does the same thing in both storylines of this episode: he is looking for his love interest, who he thinks is in danger from another man, not knowing whether she left voluntarily or was kidnapped and held captive.
~ “A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets.” That’s almost like Killian’s thesis statement, a motto that he lives by. He fights hard for what he wants, whether it’s revenge or love. (Spoiler:) I wonder if his thoughts on this change over the course of the series, as he ends up being a recipient of grace, receiving much better than he deserves.
~ Killian’s devil-may-care attitude vanishes when he recognizes Rumple. He becomes dead serious when he realizes the danger he is in, and he tries to protect Milah by saying she died.
~ David and Gold’s conversation doesn’t make much sense, because David and Mary Margaret’s relationship didn’t work in Storybrooke. Rumple should have asked how Charming and Snow made it work.
~ Rumple foreshadows what he’ll later do to Milah when he says he wants Killian to feel as helpless as he did when Killian took Milah.
~ Rumple seems to project his own regrets onto Milah: they both abandoned Baelfire in a sense.
~ Milah and Belle are very different in that Milah puts her own desires first and Belle puts others’ needs first. But they have one thing in common: they both want to see the world and have adventures. It seems odd, but could be a sign of learning, that Rumple does something to grant this wish for Belle by giving her the library.
~ Killian is shown to be a true scoundrel, given the way he treats Rumple; but his defining moments in the final scenes, as he becomes Captain Hook, are just awesome!
Episode 2x05 “The Doctor”
~ Although the present-day Enchanted Forest storyline doesn’t relate much to the rest of the episode, the first scene helps to establish the horror-genre tone.
~ Emma is the one who finds Hook! I guess finding people is still what she does, but it’s also fun foreshadowing if you know how things go for them later in the show!
~ Rumple really is like Palpatine and Snoke, urging his “apprentice” Regina to go further down the path of darkness on the pretense of training.
~ “So long as you live in your past, you’ll never find your future.” Not the most original line, but significant in a show that’s all about time and the relationship between past and future.
~ (Spoiler:) It’s not surprising that it takes Emma such a long time to trust Hook, considering their first-ever conversation was full of him lying, and even lying about not lying. Also, he talks about survival from the very beginning!
~ I’m surprised that Cora amassed so many hearts even before she became a queen. What reputation did she have before Regina sent her to Wonderland? Did people outside her family know about her and her abilities? I’m guessing those hearts were of people still living, since they were still pulsing, which would mean that she had a lot of people under her control.
~ If Jefferson had seen Cora’s heart collection, did he know, when he ended up in Wonderland, that she was the Queen of Hearts?
~ Rumplestiltskin, Dr. Frankenstein, and the Mad Hatter: three different varieties of insanity. They only share the screen for one scene, but I would have loved to see more!
Episode 2x06 “Tallahassee”
~ This is the first episode with flashbacks taking place in the Land Without Magic, and the first to show part of Emma’s past.
~ (Spoiler:) The way Neal first speaks to and looks at Emma kind of sounds and looks the way Hook would. I wonder how much of Hook’s personality or mannerisms might have rubbed off on Neal during their time together.
~ Emma basically does the same thing in both past and present timelines: trying to steal something with her love interest. Given how things went with Neal, it’s no wonder she doesn’t want to give Hook the chance to betray her.
~ Emma and Hook have to dress/equip each other before climbing up the beanstalk! He gives her jewelry/armor, and she gives him his prosthetic/weapon. Kind of intimate if you think about it.
~ The name “Henry” is visible among the keychains when Neal is talking to the cashier!
~ Neal likes the Apollo candy bars, just like Henry!
~ Bad dreams are discussed in both timelines: Emma teaches Neal about dreamcatchers, and Snow tells Aurora about David lighting a candle.
~ “You’d make a hell of a pirate.” Hook is more right than he knows: Emma kind of was a pirate in her old life.
~ Emma’s jacket in the flashbacks looks sort of like Snow’s old outfits.
~ It’s interesting to see Snow acting as a mother to Aurora since Emma is reluctant to let her fill that role for her.
~ How can August say that Neal was just “caught in the crossfire”? Does he think it mere coincidence that he and Emma met?
~ When August came to Storybrooke and found out Emma had a son, he must have known that it was Neal’s. So August knew, before anyone else did, that Baelfire, son of Rumplestiltskin, was Henry’s father.
~ The giants’ home couldn’t be very well-constructed if one giant could make the stones from the roof fall just by running.
Episode 2x07 “Child of the Moon”
~ “Once one controls something, one no longer need fear it.” A fitting quote for this episode, and very in-character for Gold.
~ It’s interesting that Gold does a favor for Henry, as if he has a special care or interest for him. Does he already suspect, at this point, that Henry is the boy prophesied to lead him to his son, and then be his undoing?
~ David says that it’s been “a few months” since Mary Margaret was framed for murder. That seems longer than what’s been shown or suggested: the last few episodes of Season 1 and the first few episodes of Season 2 only looked like a few days or weeks each.
~ Interesting stuff going on psychologically with Red/Ruby in this episode, and the werewolves in general. Not sure how much I agree with the way they describe it, but it sounds similar to the concept of “eating your shadow,” confronting and integrating the parts of yourself you don’t like.
~ (Spoiler:) Belle saying “I’m sort of an expert when it comes to rehabilitation” is funny, but not really true in terms of her overall relationship with Rumple, since he has ups and downs and she is still capable of being manipulated by him.
~ I don’t like Ruby’s emotionally-driven decisions. The last one especially, deciding to put herself in the mob’s way, doesn’t make sense because she could end up hurting them in wolf form.
~ This is a really emotional episode for David, and reveals a lot about his character—his bravery, his loyalty, his faith—but I feel like it didn’t go deep into his point of view.
~ As much as I love Red/Ruby’s friendship with Snow and Charming, I wonder if another character could have played David’s role in calling her back. That showed the kind of brave, selfless love that spouses, parents, or siblings show.
~ I wish the series showed Red and Granny reconciling after she finds out the truth about her mother.
Episode 2x08 “Into the Deep”
~ I think this is the first episode that does not have any flashbacks. I’m glad, because they aren’t really needed, since the action cuts between multiple parties in both realms in the present day.
~ I had forgotten about Cora controlling the dead with the hearts she’s taken. I’m surprised that wasn’t used more.
~ Looks like there are some autumnal decorations in Granny’s diner, suggesting that it could be sometime in the fall.
~ Do Belle and Gold ever have a proper, uninterrupted date? They didn’t even get a bite of their hamburgers before Regina showed up with a crisis!
~ Henry gets a scene with three of his grandparents: his two biological grandfathers, and his step-grandmother Regina.
~ “I was born to do this.” = a nod to Joan of Arc?
~ “Sometimes being a hero means knowing when not to run into the fire.” Sounds like a bit of Mufasa wisdom.
~ Aurora finally shows some backbone and integrity in this episode. Her scene with Cora is interesting; I hadn’t realized that she was thinking about starting a new life in Storybrooke.
~ The music during Hook’s scene with Aurora sounds noble, like he’s doing a good thing and genuinely hopeful of renewing his alliance with Emma. What I’m wondering is, had he already taken Aurora’s heart by that point?
~ I like Emma and Mary Margaret’s conversation about who is to blame for everything that has happened.
~ Cora’s bird companion and Regina’s laboratory setup both look like nods to Disney’s Snow White
~ Regina and Henry’s scene may be the first time we’ve seen them have an honest and positive conversation. It’s not exactly a bonding moment, but it’s a nice change!
~ Henry and David’s moment is lovely, and feels earned now that they’ve spent time together.
~ David’s journey to find the burning room could be symbolic of the journey to the subconscious.
~ It’s nice how Emma and Mary Margaret take turns encouraging each other.
~ (Spoiler:) “You must have a death wish” is a funny line to have addressed to Hook, considering how many times he’s going to die in the show!
~ Hook really is sleazy and slippery, kind of like Rumple—or, for a Marvel comparison, Loki. You’re never quite sure when he’s sincere and when he’s manipulative, or both at once.
~ That last scene with the princesses is intense! There’s a moment when it really seems like Snow is going to kill Mulan, and Emma is already shocked. How would things have played out if Aurora hadn’t arrived?
Episode 2x09 “Queen of Hearts”
~ It’s interesting to see Hook and Evil Queen Regina meet. They’re both characters who play up their attractiveness and try to use it to their advantage when they want to entice or intimidate.
~ Good on Regina for trying to continue her upward redemption arc! And boo to Rumple for trying to twist her motivation.
~ Apparently this is when Emma finds out that Rumple/Gold knew she was the Savior all along. Did she not get that when she talked with Regina and Gold about the creation of the Dark Curse in the Season 1 finale?
~ The scroll with Emma’s name fits with both Rumple’s descent into madness and his penchant for names.
~ Henry reads the storybook to David, just as Mary Margaret did for each of them when they were in comas!
~ Rumple has said that fairy magic doesn’t mix well with him, yet he harnesses the power of the fairy dust here.
~ Why would someone as smart and ruthless as Cora leave the princesses alive in the cell? They had no further usefulness to her. It’s the same thing that happens in superhero stories when the villain leaves the hero detained or on their way to death while they go off to complete their evil plot. The only possible explanation I can think of is that Hook may have requested that she let them live, and they would probably have died of starvation in the cell.
~ The way Regina’s theme plays, so light and gentle, over Henry’s lines twice in this episode is so sad.
~ If Regina didn’t want to have any weakness, why didn’t she just rip out her own heart, like Cora did?
~ Hook did a random act of kindness! And in the middle of a battle! Repairing the wrong that he did to Aurora! In spite of all his selfishness and switching sides, he still has a shred of compassion. Also, the way he saves the satchel from falling is like Flynn Rider in Tangled.
~ Not very subtle sexual imagery when Hook pins Emma down—not only in his words, but in the way he moves his weapons down over hers.
~ All the dwarves watch over David under the sleeping curse, the way they watched over Snow!
~ Gold says that Emma needed to find the scroll so everything could occur; but he didn’t seem to know she would be able to use it to get back to Storybrooke.
~ “Maybe one day, they’ll even invite you to dinner.” Emma does, in fact, invite Regina in the next episode; and (spoiler!) Season 6 ends with everyone having dinner together!
~ How did the Jolly Roger get through the portal? In fact, where has it been all this time? Was it inside Cora’s protective bubble, shielded against the curse? Did they restore the bean’s magic at Lake Nostos and then bring it to the ship to make the portal?
~ What happened to the enchanted compass? Do they ever use it again? (Spoiler: My headcanon is that Hook later got it and used it to find Emma in New York.)
Episode 2x10 “The Cricket Game”
~ The opening shots of Hook are just him acting fabulous and slightly Byronic.
~ There are swans near the docks when Hook and Cora disembark!
~ It’s odd to cut from a Charming family scene to a flashback of the Evil Queen. Usually at least the first flashback is related in some way to the present scene—either the same character is in them, or a common item or similar situation. It would have made more sense to cut between Mary Margaret in bed and Snow White running through the forest.
~ They reused the “Welcome home Mary Margaret” banner from Episode 1x19, and added “and Emma”! I’d like to know who among their friends was so practical.
~ Emma and Regina’s conversation feels very real, like divorced parents trying to get along for their child’s sake. Regina’s music theme sounds so sad and wistful at the end.
~ This is a question I had from the pilot episode: who are the nameless soldiers who sit with Snow, Charming, and their more iconic friends at the round table?
~ When she’s looking out her tower window, Regina’s theme sounds a little more like usual, but still sadder.
~ The door between the interrogation room and the mirror room remains ajar when David and Emma go through.
~ What did Rumplestiltskin receive in exchange for giving Snow a way to test Regina?
Episode 2x11 “The Outsider”
~ Why is this episode called “The Outsider”? To whom does that refer? Greg Mendel seems the most likely candidate, but he only shows up in the last seconds.
~ It’s pretty messed up that no one notices the death of the person Cora actually killed. When the local conscience/therapist dies, everyone takes notice, but when some random guy without a famous story dies, no one comments? Do they take him out of Archie’s grave after learning it was someone else?
~ Belle is present at Archie’s funeral, even though she didn’t know him as long as the others. She really must have gotten to know everyone in the short time she’s been out of the asylum.
~ Marco/Geppetto must feel so alone thinking that both Pinocchio and Jiminy are gone!
~ Belle wears brown, for the first time, in both storylines of this episode. Her outfit in Storybrooke is my favorite of them all.
~ I love the concepts behind Belle’s flashback adventure, but they’re not super well executed in terms of dialogue.
~ Belle reminds me a little of Desdemona in Othello: she has so much love and faith, she doesn’t seem capable of imagining what horrible things the man she loves might do.
~ Smee must have gone to Hook and told him about the way to cross the town line; but Hook must have been spying on Gold if he was able to find out about the shawl and where it was hidden.
~ It’s brief and only visible through the window, but Gold’s reaction to realizing the shawl is gone is to cover his mouth, just devastated.
~ The first thing Gold smashes is a model ship! Clever.
~ Belle carries the gun so casually as she searches for the Jolly Roger.
~ Belle is extremely book-smart, but not very street-smart, and she’s rather reckless when she tries to do things on her own. The safe, smart thing would have been to tell Gold her hunch, or at the latest, when she had found the ship. But I wonder if she kept it from him because she did not want him to confront Hook himself.
~ Did Hook see Archie leaving? Did he simply let him escape?
~ Emma finally shows a desire to be with her parents!
~ It’s strange that Belle isn’t more disturbed by Hook’s revelation that Rumple killed Milah.
~ “Why do you think anyone who’s gotten close to him has either run away or been killed?” It sounds as though Hook believes Baelfire ran away from Rumple.
~ “Your [heart] is rotten.” / “You’ve no idea.” Does that mean Hook believes his heart is more rotten than she thinks, or not as much?
~ Does Hook have an actual death wish? Twice, he tries to goad Gold into attacking him, knowing that he can’t defend himself against magic.
~ How did Hook get to the town line so quickly, if he was walking and Gold was driving?
Episode 2x12 “In the Name of the Brother”
~ Who called Emma and her parents to the scene of the accident? Are all three of them on night patrol?
~ Emma is very sensitive to Hook’s circumstances: she notices him after the accident, diagnoses his injury, and has the presence of mind to tell the hospital staff to hide him so Gold can’t get to him. When she sums up the situation to him, there’s a note of genuine concern in her voice.
~ “If I had to pick dead guy of the year, I’d pick you.” Foreshadowing on multiple fronts!
~ Emma and Hook give each other such nasty smirks!
~ Greg Mendel’s ringtone is Star Wars music! I guess that was allowed after Disney purchased Lucasfilm.
~ “We don’t let go of people.” Interesting line, especially for Frankenstein!
~ Cora snooping around Regina’s house is actually such a mom thing to do! Did she need to see a picture of Henry so she could impersonate him?
~ I did not notice until now that Henry’s bedroom is full of clocks!
~ Cora knows exactly what Regina has always wanted to hear from her. But she stops short of an apology for killing Daniel, and she doesn’t exactly apologize for forcing Regina into a loveless marriage, just says she shouldn’t have done it.
~ I laughed at Regina referring to “Emma and Henry and the two idiots”
~ Cora says they see Regina as a snake, but Cora is really the one acting like Satan, sowing doubt and convincing her that she can’t make things right with the others.
~ What became of Gerhardt Frankenstein? Did he die at some point before the Dark Curse?
~ That high tinkling music sounds eerily like “Rock-a-Bye Baby”
~ Even in hospital, Belle still wears yellow and blue!
~ Belle smashing the cup is heartbreaking! You can see how much that crushes Gold, like shattering his hope.
~ It’s odd that Ruby and Belle both have several scenes but don’t interact with each other in this episode. Ruby is later shown to be aware of Belle’s situation. Did she not try to check on her when she arrived?
~ Gold seems to be looking at Henry when he threatens to kill the whole family!
Episode 2x13 “Tiny”
~ Hook seems to be done being a “gentleman,” as he said he always is. Is it because he’s no longer with just women, as he was in the Enchanted Forest for a while? Does he start making innuendoes about Mary Margaret just to irritate David and Grumpy? Is that his way of making himself feel powerful?
~ How was Cora able to abduct Anton? Did he come down the beanstalk, or did she go up?
~ Hook seems to slip away when Anton attacks David. Did the others simply forget about him? Shouldn’t he be in either the hospital or the jail?
~ Ruby continues to play the role of delivery girl for the sick!
~ James is dressed like an attractive villain, similar to Hook: black clothes, low V neckline, necklace.
~ The Jack introduced in this episode seems to be a different character than the one Hook described to Emma when they went up the beanstalk.
~ Jack slayed the Jabberwock!
~ Emma really does act like a daughter, or daughter-in-law, toward Gold during the airport security scene. In that moment, he’s not a wizard or the local miser, he’s just an old man who needs reassurance.
~ Cora must have had the mushrooms to make Tiny small, and then big again, because she brought some from her time in Wonderland.
~ The way Emma and Henry look at each other after Gold leaves clearly says, “What are we going to do with him?”
~ Why is Tiny’s small size the one he now reverts to? Does it not wear off the way the growing mushroom does?
~ How did David manage to hold Anton’s weight? And how does Anton come up before him?
~ The dwarves seem to accept Tiny as one of them, with an axe and everything. So why didn’t he accompany them for the rest of the series? Did the actor lose interest, or did the writers not know how to include him?
~ The sound of the plane taking off is an effective way to show Gold’s increasing anxiety!
Episode 2x14 “Manhattan”
~ Milah is sewing Baelfire’s shawl in the first scene, and later he’s wrapped in it as a baby!
~ I appreciate that Hook is still moving like a man who was injured in a car accident.
~ Gold seems to think that Henry has already fulfilled his role as the boy who would lead him to his son, since Henry brought Emma to Storybrooke.
~ The Seer could have overheard the soldiers call the saddles “cows,” so it’s not much of a confirmation of her clairvoyance.
~ Neal and Snow both have lines, addressed to their significant others, about never having to see each other’s face again.
~ If Emma thought she could still bring Neal to Gold, how did she think she could keep him from meeting Henry? Did she think they could be introduced without them realizing the truth?
~ Why does Gold think who his son loves is pertinent information? Would he have used that against him?
~ Does Gold really think he could beat Emma in a physical fight? He’s shown that he can be brutal even without magic, but he still has a bad leg, and she’s much younger than him.
~ The fact that Neal came back to defend Emma, after spending his life hiding from his father, speaks to how much he cares about her.
~ Having the scene where Rumple meets his son right before the scene where Neal meets his son is brilliant.
~ The Greg Mendel scene should have been at the end. It feels like a random interruption in the midst of so much drama.
Episode 2x15 “The Queen is Dead”
~ How are they not suspicious of the package arriving on Snow’s birthday? Cora is one of the few people who would know that date.
~ Having Hook emerge from hiding and reclaim his hook is a great way to end the teaser!
~ Why couldn’t Regina and Cora just use magic to dig, instead of a shovel? And that conversation was way too convenient—were they trying to be overheard, so Snow would look for the dagger?
~ Emma, Henry, and Gold must have stayed somewhere in New York overnight and met up with Neal again the next day or two.
~ I’d forgotten how violent Hook and Emma are to each other: he pushes her aside to attack Gold, and she hits him in the head with a fire extinguisher. And she locks him up again, this time in a storage closet.
~ Why did Cora impersonate the Blue Fairy to talk to Snow White? Why did she want to give her that candle? What did she expect Snow to do? Did she want to darken Snow’s heart, or cause a particular person’s death?
~ Snow losing her mother as a child is even more tragic knowing that she was the one with her mother when she died.
~ King Leopold’s absence in this episode feels off—not that it mattered to the story, but that it’s out of character for him not to be present and involved at his wife’s death and funeral.
~ There might be an inconsistency about how much time passed between Queen Eva’s death and Snow’s first meeting with Regina. It wouldn’t make much sense for Cora to wait long to arrange the meeting after the queen’s death, but in Episode 1x18 King Leopold says it’s been years and that he’s searched the land for a new wife.
Episode 2x16 “The Miller’s Daughter”
~ Mary Margaret is holding an apple during her first scene. Why is that, when their family, in general, does not like apples, and she has a negative association with them due to Regina?
~ How and when did Regina and Cora tap Mary Margaret and David’s phones? Must have been after Emma gave Mary Margaret the news about Gold’s son, since they don’t know about that.
~ Regina says Henry would never forgive Cora; does she mean for killing Gold? But Regina doesn’t yet know that Gold is Henry’s grandfather.
~ Cora speaking to Regina about never bowing is first time she actually comes across somewhat sympathetic.
~ Past Cora adds a rose to her hair—a nice nod to her future as the Queen of Hearts!
~ This episode kind of ruins the timeline that was described in Episode 2x02. Prince Henry said that Cora knew Rumplestiltskin long before he met her, and it sounds as though Cora’s relationship with Rumplestiltskin lasted a fairly long time for him to teach her magic, to the point of her calling him “master,” and eventually meeting newborn Regina.
~ “You’re selling off your own flesh and blood” is a strange line to give Cora, who basically sold Regina into a loveless marriage for status and revenge (and did more, as season 3 reveals).
~ I like how the ridiculous boast about turning straw to gold comes about, starting as a jest in their verbal sparring.
~ The look that David gives Neal after being introduced!
~ I don’t like the way David talks to Mary Margaret, saying she has to “stay” pure of heart, as if she doesn’t get to choose for herself.
~ It’s nice to see that Henry is still optimistic and encouraging toward Emma, despite being angry and distant with her after finding out she lied to him.
~ Cutting from “You won’t let her get away” to Cora being trapped in the tower is pretty effective.
~ (Spoiler:) Cora questioning the “firstborn child” clause is more significant knowing that she had already given birth to her first child by now. Did she think Rumple would want Zelena?
~ Gold and Emma have a mentor-student moment, probably their first real one—and it ends with him praising her!
~ It’s cool to see Regina and Cora using magic in sync. But what did Emma, Neal, and David expect to accomplish against them with just swords?
~ Rumple encouraging Cora to use her bloodlust to fuel her magic explains a lot about her.
~ When he shows his face, you can see they did a good job of casting young Prince Henry; he does look very similar to the old man.
~ Cora and Rumple’s relationship is so twisted and toxic … and yet, it rings true because of their similar motivations. It’s completely based on their tendency toward darkness, a sharp contrast against his relationships with Milah and Belle.
~ How was Mary Margaret able to get into Regina’s vault? Does she not have any locks or protection, even after living in hiding there?
~ Emma’s theme music is played twice over Mary Margaret’s scenes; it sounds so eerie and ominous when she takes out Cora’s heart!
~ Interesting that Cora took to heart (no pun intended) the advice of the king she hated.
~ Rumple’s three greatest loves are on display in this episode to compare and contrast: his destructive love with Cora, his wounded relationship with Baelfire/Neal, and his pure love for Belle.
~ Emma and Neal both struggle—particularly in this season—with forgiving their long-lost parents for giving them up.
~ Neal and Rumple’s scene after the phone call is wonderfully realistic: there is still anger, but also love on both sides, and it’s as close to a reconciliation as they can expect to have at that point.
~ The worst thing Mary Margaret does in this episode isn’t using the candle; it’s tricking Regina into being the instrument of Cora’s death. That whole conversation in the vault, Mary Margaret manipulates Regina, weaponizing her desire for her mother’s love.
~ How powerful can protection spells be if Cora and Regina are able to break through them so easily?
~ Cora actually seems regretful when she says that any baby she has will not be Rumple’s.
~ Did no one in the royal court have any issue with Cora, a princess by marriage far down the line of succession, declaring that her daughter would one day be a queen?
~ Cora’s last moments are so tragic, because all at once she feels the love that she should have had all along for Regina, and she realizes that love “would have been enough.”
Episode 2x17 “Welcome to Storybrooke”
~ The orange car is such an appropriately vivid contrast against the dark title card!
~ This episode is a fascinating exploration of Regina’s psychology in both the past and present.
~ Did Mary Margaret give her students the exact same lesson about birds every day for 28 years?
~ Is Gold being genuine when he talks to Regina, asking her to give up her feud? Does he really care about her happiness or Mary Margaret’s life?
~ Regina’s reaction to Owen is so sweet—it’s probably the first time anyone has shown her unsolicited kindness.
~ When did Regina get Kurt’s phone number?
~ Regina tearing her mother’s clothes is powerful.
~ Gold and David, too, can apparently just walk right into the vault. But Gold makes more sense because his magic is so powerful.
~ Gold’s take on Cora and Regina’s different reasons for being dangerous is interesting. Which is more dangerous, being too led by your heart, or not letting your heart lead you at all?
~ Henry is acting in the role of a prophet again, calling everyone out and reminding them who they are (supposed to be).
~ Neal can understand exactly how Henry feels about his evil magic-wielding parent. Henry’s idea to get rid of magic is strikingly similar to Baelfire’s original goal to rid his father of his power.
~ “He’s your son!” In that moment, Neal realizes exactly what that means: Henry can be just as deceptive and conniving as he.
~ Greg Mendel crossing paths with Henry is more ironic when you know that Greg’s goal is to destroy magic, which is exactly what Henry is trying to do in that moment.
~ You can hear Greg’s phone camera go off as he picks up Henry’s bag. That must have been when he figured out Henry was Regina’s son.
~ Regina actually let Owen go in the end, rather than trying to use his father as leverage or have Graham restrain him. Maybe, on some level, she did care about him. At the very least, she realized she could not force him to love her—and she has the same realization about Henry in the present day.
~ Why was Storybrooke visible to Kurt and Owen at the beginning, but not later? Did Regina do something to change that, like a cloaking spell?
~ I know Regina had a lot on her mind in both episodes, but she must have wondered who Neal was and why he was so protective of Gold and Henry.
~ Mary Margaret’s bookcase has clocks lined up across it, like in Henry’s bedroom!
~ Gold’s advice to Mary Margaret is phrased in such a way that it sounds as though it hasn’t worked yet for him.
~ They did a good job of casting two actors for Greg/Owen. They have very similar faces.
Episode 2x18 “Selfless, Brave and True”
~ Neal wears his coat and scarf like Henry!
~ One minute Emma is bemoaning the fact that outsiders are coming to Storybrooke, as though Tamara is a threat; the next, she urges Neal to tell Tamara the truth about where he comes from.
~ Snow White listening to “Reputation” while doing archery … is one form of self-care.
~ Where did the abandoned trailer come from? Was it always there as part of the curse?
~ Neal and the Blue Fairy/Mother Superior don’t interact, but their scene with August/Pinocchio may have been the first time they saw each other since she gave him the magic bean.
~ The scenes that connect this episode with ones before and after don’t have much setup/payoff within the episode. For instance, Henry hasn’t been shown pulling away from Emma the last few episodes, but she decides to talk to him after seeing Geppetto/Marco and Pinocchio/August reconcile. And we don’t see any of Regina’s thought process prior to her conversations with Greg Mendel.
~ Greg and Tamara are each separately shown using their phones a lot—and there is one time Neal looks at his caller ID and says “It’s her,” like she’s labeled on Greg’s phone!
Episode 2x19 “Lacey”
~ Neal is so into his swordfight with Henry! He may not have much practice, but he really throws himself into being a dad when he finds out he is one.
~ At first, Gold seems to respond the same way everyone else does to Belle’s claim that she saw magic, like he’s gaslighting her; but he’s not. He acknowledges that she’s been through a lot and been under the influence of drugs, but he doesn’t say that what she saw wasn’t real, he just assures her that it will become clear when she remembers.
~ The flashbacks of this episode show just how horrible Rumplestiltskin was to Belle when she lived with him. That period of time was mostly glossed over in “Skin Deep.”
~ I don’t know what’s funnier: David making a pun of Dark One and Don Juan, or Gold’s claim that “Don Juan was nothing before he made his deal with me.”
~ It makes sense that the first thing Emma does after learning about the beans is to read Henry’s book. (Spoiler:) The sentiments she expresses in this episode are fleshed out more fully in the second half of Season 3, particularly in the season finale.
~ Gold wears a blue pocket hanky on his date! And while it’s painful to watch Lacey’s behavior, he is so adorably happy when she acts like the Belle he knew!
~ Rumple takes the Sheriff’s tongue so effortlessly. Was that a nod to the BBC Robin Hood episode, “Sheriff Got Your Tongue”? Can Rumple do that with any part of a person’s body? That’s terrifying.
~ I’m surprised Rumplestiltskin didn’t already know Robin Hood’s name.
~ Belle basically plays the angel on Rumplestiltskin’s shoulder. It’s heartbreaking to see Lacey become the devil on his shoulder.
~ “You are not the kind of man to leave a child fatherless.” Ooh!!! He has probably wanted to hear that for centuries.
~ David driving all the dwarves in the back of his truck is so familial!
~ Emma and Neal seem to do pretty well with co-parenting.
~ I wish we got to see Henry becoming friends with young August/Pinocchio!
~ Neal says one of Emma’s characteristics is, “You don’t stop till you find what you’re looking for.” What Emma is really looking for—now and throughout the series—is a happy ending, only she doesn’t know what that would look like. (Spoiler:) Perhaps it's intentional that the next scene brings back Hook!
Episode 3x20 “The Evil Queen”
~ Why are David and Mary Margaret talking about something so sensitive in a public place?
~ I knew that fisherman was … well, fishy, given the way the camera focused on him.
~ Funny that Emma bumps into Tamara, kind of like Tamara did Neal. Did Emma do it on purpose?
~ Regina seems to have such a warped perception of herself and her capacity for good or evil. Does she truly not recognize how she has earned the name “Evil Queen”? Does she really believe all her actions are justified? Does she truly think Snow is evil, after living with her for at least a decade?
~ Rumple was the one who caused King George’s kingdom to go bankrupt!?
~ I’m not a fan of when shows wipe characters’ memories so they can have interactions without any consequences. In this episode, it happens in a single scene!
~ Is Hook being sincere when he talks to Regina about Cora? Does he actually feel bad for her and want to help her win?
~ It’s interesting that Hook shows an understanding that revenge is an end, not a beginning, and that he’ll be empty without the pursuit of that goal. In that sense, he may be more mature than Regina, who has always put her revenge first and was angry that it did not satisfy her.
~ Did Hook ever meet Maleficent, or did he just piece together what Regina had said?
~ Did Regina saving Snow really have such a profound impact on her faith in people’s goodness? That’s rather ironic, and if true, Regina’s descent into evil should have shaken some of Snow’s faith, because it would have been an upending of her understanding of people in general and Regina in particular.
~ Emma and Henry doing a stakeout together is great to see, harkening back to Season 1. But she’s not setting a very good example for him by breaking into hotel rooms and teaching him how to give a warning signal.
~ This is the first time Henry has seen his parents argue, and you can see how awkward it is for him, but it’s also kind of sweet that he finally gets to experience that.
~ It’s significant for Henry to tell Emma that he believes her. For one thing, no one believed him about his fairy tale theory, so he knows the feeling. For another, he now trusts her not to lie to him again. (Spoiler:) Sharing that ice cream is the last peaceful, happy moment they have together for a long time.
~ Giving a stranger a weapon and the instruction to stay behind her isn’t really smart of Snow.
~ Such a strange interaction between Regina and Snow at the end … Regina leaves her alive, which is good, but how can she insist upon her own goodness when they’re standing in front of the village she slaughtered?
~ (Spoiler:) “The one thing I excel at is surviving.” Hook saw this as a characteristic of his all along!
~ Hook takes no pleasure in the way Greg and Tamara taunt Regina, and he actually looks kind of concerned at the end.
Episode 3x21 “Second Star to the Right”
~ Pulling in the story of the Darling family is a great way to transition to Neverland, which so far has been mentioned but not explored.
~ This show chooses odd moments to use title cards to establish time and/or place. There’s no need for “London, England” when they just showed Kensington Gardens and Big Ben.
~ It seems Baelfire/Neal began his thieving career at the Darlings’ house!
~ Wendy is one to talk about “unusual” names: there were hardly any Wendys before the publication of Peter Pan.
~ Odd to have Hook, the one-handed guy, be the one to restrain Regina. She may not be able to use magic, but she’s not afraid to use physical violence, as seen the time she hit Emma. Did he threaten her with his hook to make her comply?
~ Mrs. Darling deciding to take Baelfire in without even knowing his name … is fast, but fits with how the Darlings adopt the Lost Boys at the end of Peter Pan.
~ “Never underestimate the power of a guilty conscience.” Interesting words coming from Gold!
~ Mary Margaret’s emotional state must be really bad if she can summon a tear so easily.
~ Emma tells Tamara that Regina is missing, as if Tamara knows Regina, but as far as Emma is aware they haven’t met yet. She would only have been a name on Tamara’s list.
~ The music at the end of Emma and Neal’s scene is so pretty and sweet—such a contrast from the usual emotional tone of the show. The music usually evokes wistfulness or suspense.
~ Interesting that Greg and Tamara’s feelings about magic are similar to Baelfire/Neal’s, except that they want to destroy it while he just wants to stay away from it.
~ It’s nice to see that Baelfire/Neal got to be part of a decent family for a while. He’s experienced parental love in the past, but his time with Wendy, John and Michael is his first experience of sibling love, and he proves himself a wonderful big brother.
~ The way the lights go out is like when Tinker Bell arrives in stage productions of Peter Pan.
~ Wendy and Emma both experience losing Baelfire/Neal in this episode. But it’s different than when Rumplestiltskin lost him through a portal, because now Neal is urging them to let him go, sacrificing himself so no more families will be broken. Only he doesn’t see that they will be broken because he won’t be there.
~ Regina wakes up the same way she did in the flashback in the previous episode, startled by Snow/Mary Margaret pressing a compress to her face.
Episode 2x22 “And Straight On ‘til Morning”
~ This is the most Hook-centric episode so far. Up to this point, he’s been seen mostly through the eyes of other characters (Rumple, Belle, and Emma). In this episode, he has multiple people, at multiple points in time, asking him about who he is and what motivates him.
~ “Well aren’t you quite the hero?” Hook doesn’t know how true that will be!
~ Even with Lacey influencing him to do evil, Gold deciding to kill Henry makes no sense with Neal back in his life. Why would he inflict that pain on his son?
~ Hook says, “The things we do for our children,” so knowingly, like a father!
~ I love that Grumpy cares so much about Belle!
~ I wish we got to see Sneezy getting his memories back. His brothers must have missed him over the last several weeks, while they’ve been working in the fairy dust mines and beanfields.
~ There are soooo many layers to Hook and Baelfire’s conversation at the helm! Hook must be thinking and feeling so much—obviously calculating about his revenge, but also thinking about how Rumple and Milah both abandoned Bae in some sense, and how he had a hand in Milah’s actions.
~ Hook has to watch the Charmings’ family discussions twice, and you can tell he’s uncomfortable.
~ The idea of sending the wraith and the failsafe through portals to other dimensions actually isn’t all that selfless. They don’t know where they are sending those dangers. The wraith attacked Philip when they sent it through. They are basically passing their problems on to strangers.
~ Hook’s theme music sounds so sad and reflective when he’s contemplating his choice.
~ (Spoiler:) Was “I’ll track them down in Hell if I have to” foreshadowing the Underworld arc?!
~ Hook looks at Gold so icily when he realizes they’re going to be working together.
~ Once the six of them are on the Jolly Roger, the heroes and villains automatically congregate to opposite sides.
~ Hook’s expression when he says they’re going to Neverland = he knows better than any of the others what kinds of trials they’re in for.
~ Are they actually helping to steer the ship, or just hanging on to parts of it for the ride?
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3 and 5 for the obscure literary gems book ask!
Thanks for asking!
3-A book published within the last ten years you wish more people would read.
This might be more based on what I wish the people around me would read, because at least one of these was pretty popular online. But I don’t have anyone to talk to about it!
Katharine Arden’s “The Bear and the Nightingale” has a beautiful atmosphere. An interesting look at the life of rural Russian people and their folklore just as Christianity starts sweeping through (it’s not a Christian series, but the exploration of it seems to be something it’s setting up to explore later in the series. What form that will take I have no idea). I felt the characters were extremely believable, and the author’s description mastered tone. At the moment I’ve only read the first book, though I keep meaning to continue.
Emily Henry’s “A Million Junes” was a good read, though I have no interest in reading her adult romance books. This YA magical realism romance was a really interesting Romeo & Juliet retelling that realls gets at the destruction of a generations-long feud and the way the curse starts to be healed—not through the death of two teenagers.
5-An obscure book from your childhood.
This one took a little thinking (and researching), and there are a couple I think may qualify.
Not sure how actually obscure it is (it didn’t take much searching to find), but there was a series called “Avalon: Web of Magic” by Rachel Roberts, that I read over and over (I had a collection of about four books, as far as I remember, though there seem to be 12 now!). A middle-grade fantasy series about a trio of magical girls, this instantly drew me, a 10-year old horse girl. The book I remember most clearly was all about the cool girl, Ariadne, and her weather-affecting (?) semi-telepathic horse as they solve a dangerous maze after being transported to the fae realm of Avalon. I remember there being a surprisingly deep exploration of grief, although I was 10 at the time, so who knows. I do know I have a wonderful nostalgia towards these books and should probably dig them up again to reread.
Another is Gail Carson Levine’s “Fairest”, actually a spin-off/companion of her much more well-known book “Ella Enchanted”! This one follows Aza, the older sister of a character in the original book, as she learns to mimic voices and become an illusionist. She catches the attention of a noblewoman and travels with her to the court, where she gets into adventures I don’t remember quite well enough to describe. There was turning to stone, magic potions, assassination attempts, and, finally, being enchanted by trolls. The parts I do remember were very good, and there was a good message of beauty not being everything. And I remember admiring Aza a lot; she was a very active and flawed character, and went through character development in that understated way Levine always liked doing.
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I really hope you eventually do decide to write that OUAT fic because it sounds AMAZING!!!
Emma gets Jefferson's hat working in S1 in a single fleeting moment of belief, but she and he both fall through the portal it makes, and the hat itself is left behind. The fic then alternates between the Enchanted Forest and Storybrooke. In the EF, Emma and Jefferson become reluctant (at least on her part) allies in trying to find a new way back home to their kids. Eventually, they link up with Hook and wind up working together against Cora. In Storybrooke, Henry is the main character as he tries to figure out what happened to Emma. At first Mary-Margaret in particular helps him, but the more time passes the more the curse begins reasserting its hold over everyone and all the changes that have come about since Emma arrived in town begin to reverse themselves/people forget about her. It takes longer for those who were closer to her, but it is gradually happening to everyone but Henry (and maybe Gold? or at least, it takes an especially long time for him as well).
^ the fic premise (in a little more detail than the tags you saw it in, even) for reference.
I really don't think I'm ever gonna write it. It's way too involved for me, long and plotty and everything. But it's absolutely one of the ultimate "fics I wanna read myself" pet ideas, and I've been thinking wistfully of it for years and years. Good early OUAT vibes, Emma+Jefferson becoming best friends (or, I've thought sometimes about it ending up Emma/Jefferson/Hook poly even), intrigue and creepy storyline on one side with adventure and growing trust on the other... Cora as a big bad, chances to play around with the EF mid-curse/introduce other fairytales, obviously Captain Swan, also I would definitely have background Mulan/Aurora/Phillip. Just. A lot of stuff I would love so much to read (and think a lot of people would enjoy too), but find far too intimidating to write.
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