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priscilla9993 · 12 days

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Chess Allusions: Pawn Parallels

Rogers: “So you can use [her info] as leverage against [Belfrey]?”

Weaver: “Well that’s how this game works, Detective.”

Talking in the park, Weaver and Rogers both want the information that Tilly knows, the kind that causes Victoria to feel threatened, enough to blackmail Weaver with Tilly’s imprisonment and some CCTV footage of his misdeeds. Although both detectives covet finding and questioning Tilly for what she knows, their motives differ.

Weaver has a “means to an end” approach, valuing Tilly only when she can be useful in his schemes. His selfish nature sides with his freedom and power over her wellbeing, and he’s okay with that. Tilly might be his informant with the ‘best eyes and ears in Hyperion Heights’, but at the end of the day, she’s replaceable, someone worth losing if it means he gains a stepping stone in the long game against taking down Victoria Belfrey.

Rogers: “Is that all this girl is to you and Belfrey? A pawn? Then why don’t we split up, since one of us actually wants to help her?”

But to Rogers, who doesn’t even know Tilly at this point, he sees Victoria and Weaver’s game as something where people win at the expense of somebody else and goes into full papa bear mode. Rogers wants to help Weaver as a partner and wage justice against Victoria, but not at the cost of using Tilly. He sees Tilly as a vulnerable person caught in the crossfire of a game they didn’t even know they were playing, rather than a soldier in a chess match, and wants to talk to her on equal terms.

His opinion of Tilly being a bit off kilter but innocent at heart only strengthens when Weaver, in the hospital, unexpectedly pardons her of assumed criminal charges, telling Rogers an obvious lie about a masked robber being the one who shot the gun. Upon meeting Tilly outside of the hospital room, Rogers sees a confused, distraught, and guilt ridden young woman playing a game of chess alone. He tells her the facts with a kind opinion, “Look, you weren’t in your right frame of mind. He doesn’t blame you.” They build up an acquaintance and the budding start of a camaraderie over chess.

However, this all changes when the monster that is Gothel/the fire nation arrives Eloise Gardener gets into the playing field. Victoria and Drizella play cat and mouse, Weaver uses Tilly in a game of lies, and Rogers tries to make sense of things, inadvertently rescuing Gothel, the big bad spider.

Rogers to Weaver: You lied! And you made Tilly lie. Why did you do that?!

Weaver: Because you don't know what's going on around here... But I did it for one reason: to protect you from your bloody self.

(gratuitous physical violence scene bc I love the dynamic)

What Rumple could mean by ‘bloody self’ could be that Rogers lets his temper cloud his judgment first before he goes seeking revenge on/fighting for justice for those who deserve it most. I think that's where Rumple sees the most Killian come out from the supposed "Eagle Scout" detective, stubborn and determined to stick to his guns until he gets to his desired conclusion, which in this case is finding Eloise Gardener (Gothel).

Rogers defends Tilly, despite only meeting her a few times, going so far as to bodyslam Weaver as he confronts him. However, he loses his respect for her after finding Eloise, where no explanation could outweigh the cost.

Rogers: What do you want?

Tilly: To say I’m sorry about the page. Weaver said it was for the best and I can’t always figure that out for myself.

Rogers: Take a look at what he was covering up. Now tell me, was that for the best? You know what? I understand. I’m just disappointed. You weren’t the person I thought you were.

Rogers is a man of many things, holding grudges being one of them and being rational in the other. The blonde informant had gone so far as to even lie to him about Eloise, dead of all things. As much as he wanted to forgive Tilly, he didn’t know if he could.

At the end of the day, in Rogers’s mind, Eloise needed help, rescue, and emergency aid, something that only happened because of his deep obsession with finding a missing girl from a cold case. And Tilly deterred him from saving a life, unintentional or not.

Roni: “Henry told me about how Weaver used that girl, Tilly.”

Rogers: “Well, it seems to me like she wanted to be a pawn.”

Rogers feels his trust was betrayed and remains disappointed in Tilly. He saw Weaver being a shady bastard from a mile away, but he didn’t expect her to be complicit in Weaver’s dirty schemes. He wanted to believe Tilly was the kind of person who questioned whatever she was told and made her own path on decisions like he did, not so easily roped into following plans, especially ones of slimy bastards like Weaver. If Rogers saw Tilly as an innocent victim of society before, moved around like a pawn, he feels wronged in his judgment and probably thinks she was content to be a sheep to Weaver’s mysterious whims.

Who was he to believe she could be more than a pawn when she chose to be one?

Luckily, Roni was there to whack the obviously menacing poisoned cake from his hands and knock some sense into him.

Regina as Roni: “You know, people only let themselves be used when they don’t have any other option. How about you give her one?”

Tilly, even if a marmalade sandwich was needed as incentive, had been willingly helpful to his case. The only moment she hadn’t been was when she was under Weaver’s thumb, someone she had known and trusted like a father figure, unlike him who was a stranger in her eyes. People came and went from the older detective’s team, knowledge of informants and detective partners leaving frequently unless they had a special skill set or blackmail hanging over them. If anything, she wasn’t fully to blame.

What Tilly and Rogers can't see until it's too late, being cursed and all, is that they are good natured people afraid of getting hurt, wanting to help others, but unfortunately victims of manipulation, of those with ulterior agendas that use them as playing pieces, making them no better than pawns.

Roni was right. People like Tilly wouldn’t let themselves be used like pawns if they didn’t have any other option. She had been brave enough to show up to the crime scene to apologize to him in person after what she did, not caring about being forgiven, and he hadn’t even given what she had said a second thought. Knowing Weaver, Rogers would have concluded that the old bastard probably didn’t even give her the entire picture and used her good intentions in an ill manner befitting the man’s deceitful ways, leading her to think it was for the best.

This leads to Rogers making a step in the right direction. It doesn’t take more than Roni’s small nudge of advice to get him to internally forgive Tilly and go in search of her, eventually offering a chess set to help pass the time with a weekly game and a friend who’d listen if she’d accept. From then on, Rogers and Tilly both grow and begin to trust again, trying to protect the other from getting harmed as the consequence of another’s scheme.

#chess allusions #ouat meta #knightrook #detective rogers #detective weaver #ouat tilly #ouat s7 #ouat 7x04 #ouat 7x07 #ouat 7x08 #this stayed unedited in my drafts for too long #I'm starting to think belief and intent are powerful things

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queenofglassbeliever · 9 months

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No risk no reward

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random-fandom-whump · 2 years

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Once Upon a Time S07E08 ↳ RFW's Favorite OUAT Whump Moments

"This isn't supposed to happen! We're cured!"

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lumadreamland · 2 years

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365 days of ouat ladies: day 191

#alicejonesedit #ouatedit #alice jones #once upon a time #ouat 7x08 #ouat s7 #atfw #365ol #mine #mine:ouat

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likehandlingroses · 8 months

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OUAT Rewatch 7x08 - Pretty In Blue

I promise that I will always fight for you, alright? And we will always find each other - no matter what.

#ouat #once upon a time #ouatedit #onceuponatimeedit #henry mills #lucy mills #cinderella #jacinda vidrio #alice jones #regina mills #rumplestiltskin #rumpelstiltskin #killian jones #drizella tremaine #ouat rewatch 2022

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intothewickedwood · 2 years

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Once Upon A Time Rewatch: Links to My Recaps

So, I finished 3 year long rewatch of ouat & ouatiw a few weeks ago and I thought I’d post links to my live reaction posts of each episode. If anyone’s interested in anything specific you can find it here. It’s also just to have them all in one place. I would love to see your comments about the episodes or in regards to any questions I raised, or anything really if you would like to add anything! I’d love to talk Ouat with you!

All Episodes Tag

Chronological Order | Last To First Order

Season One

Season Two

Season Three

Season Four

Season Five

Season Six

Season Seven

Once Upon A Time In Wonderland

#ouat #once upon a time #captain swan #rumbelle #snowing #emma swan #regina mills #killian jones #curious archer #knightrook #alice jones #mary margaret blanchard #david nolan #henry mills #ouatiw #ouat rewatch #ouat rewatch 2019

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piracytheorist · 3 years

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♘♜ TOP 10 KNIGHTROOK SCENES (as voted by my followers) ♘♜

#10 (Tie): 7x08: Rogers reconciles with Tilly

#KnightRook #knightrookedit #Killian Jones #Wish Hook #Detective Rogers #Alice Jones #killianjonesedit #wishhookedit #alicejonesedit #ouatedit #kr top ten #ouat #ouat 7x08 #mine #kr-top-ten

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anthonybrxdgerton · 3 years

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@dailyonce timestamp roulette event || 7.08 pretty in blue

#ouatedit #uderdailyonce #ouatdaily #dailyouat #fyeahouat #cinematv #dailyfilmtvgifs #tvfilmdaily #usersshay #tuserlawson #tusernovas #ouat #ouat 7x08 #mine

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callmepolaris · 6 years

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the devil is in the details…[S7a]

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leiandcharles · 6 years

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#knightrook #ouatedit #knightrookedit #aliceedit #killianjonesedit #rogersedit #alice jones #rogers #ouat 7x08 #7.08 #mine #this is random #but i was missing them and bored #and wanted to try out a different coloring #dont know how i feel about it #probably couldve played with it more #but eh whatever #its staying like this

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daeneryskairipa · 6 years

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“Not mattering to anyone.” - “It’s not a good feeling.” - “No.”

#ouatedit #hookedit #ouat spoilers #knightrook #rogers #tilly #killian jones #alice #ouat 7x08 #ouat #*#ouatalice*#knightrook*

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priscilla9993 · 8 months

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Chess Allusions: White Knight

Currently continuing a draft of some chess allusions in ouat season 7 and by god, the amount of times Gothel pulls an "always my white knight" as Eloise Gardener on Rogers (4-5 times but that's plenty). She knows about his history of wanting to protect loved ones and how he gave Alice a white knight chess piece to remind his daughter of how he'd do his best to save her. Gothel does her best to twist his good intentions into ones that suit hers, as if he can't do anything but be wrapped around her finger, but she's really the wolf in sheep's clothing. It sends chills down my spine as Rogers doesn't even know he's being misled, believing in her through the hazy connection he has for Alice, "her white knight".

Alice, on the other hand, never called her papa a white knight, as much as he wanted to represent that for her. If anything, when Killian and Alice reunited in the future, she gave back the white knight chess piece to him through Ella, implying that she's grown and claiming that she didn't need a reminder anymore because she knew they'd be together again someday, that he'd find a real cure in a way she couldn't.

I like the difference in how the same ideas are used, depending on the intentions of the one wanting to display something; i.e. a heartfelt promise, a gentle reminder of trust, or most blatantly, a manipulative deceit.

#chess allusions #ouat meta #knightrook #eloise gardener #ouat gothel #detective rogers #wish killian jones #alice jones #I love character dynamics #ouat s7 #ouat 7x07 #ouat 7x08

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queenofglassbeliever · 1 year

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Ella and Alice defeat Drizella and save Henry.

#ouat #alice jones #ouat s7 #alice of wonderland and other places #once upon a time #ella mills #ella avellano flores #ella flores mills #drizella tremaine #alicejonesgifs #ellamillsgifs #henry mills #ouat 7x08 #pretty in blue #ouat gifs #my gifs

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officerrogers · 6 years

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Captain Hook in 7x07 | 7x08

+ bonus

#ouatedit #hookedit #rogersedit #ouat spoilers #killian jones #ouat s7 #7x07 #7x08 #my gifs #detective rogers #wish!hook #feel free to request any rogers /wish hook gifs #ouat 7x07 #ouat 7x08

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lumadreamland · 2 years

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365 days of ouat ladies: day 183

#tianaedit #ouatedit #tiana #once upon a time #ouat s7 #ouat 7x08 #mspt #365ol #mine #mine:ouat

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wicked-chocolatine · 6 years

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Drizella Tremaine/Ivy Belfrey in 7x08 « I'm working on a Dark Curse, and I learned a bit from your mother's mistakes. Those pesky little kisses can break curses. »

#ouat spoilers #drizella tremaine #ivy belfrey #adelaide kane #ouat gifs #ouatedit #ouat 7x08 #drizellaedit #once upon a time #my edit

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