One of the arguments I’ve seen a few times is that Hook should step aside so that Bae, Emma and Henry can be a family. I’ve seen that enough times so that I already have my response memorized lol. First thing is Hook was prepared to do just that, but his heart aside to allow Bae to have his chance without him interfering. It just happened that Pan caused a curse forcing them to part and I dont see how anybody who loves anybody could just let them go when there’s a strong possibility they’ll never see that person again. Next thing is Neal and Emma being together isn’t the only way to have a legitimate family. They are all a family and an unconventional one at that. Neal and Emma will always love each other but that doesn’t mean they can never love again and that the new love they find is in any way inferior to the one they’ve moved on from. Henry, Emma and Neal are already a family but that doesn’t mean Emma and Neal have to be together in the romantic sense.
Yes, a thousand times this!
The few times people bring SF up, this is the number one argument they bring to the table…. My response is this, so are all the people who are divorced, with a child or children from said other relationship, no longer allowed to remarry or find new partners/relationships, because the 1st person they have a child with is it? So they still have to stay with said person if they emotionally abuse them (whether intentional or not)? What if they are abandoned… don’t get told their lover is leaving, they just leave & never contact you again? What if this person commits a crime, then allows a minor to be involved in said crime, then allows said minor to be sent to prison for their own crime? Are you saying you would go back to that, because it’s best for your child?
Not had a single person say they’d go back to someone if they did that stuff to them- because it’s easy to point out that then other major characters shouldn’t be allowed to have another love ie. Rumple & Regina.
I honestly feel Killian stepping aside was keeping with-in his honorable character, but he didnt “Have” to do that. Emma is not a piece of meat, she should be with whomever she wants & she’s already told Neal she doesnt want to be with him ‘like that’ anymore, she has NOT said anything even remotely similar to Killian. For the most part she has done NOTHING to dissuade Killian- despite him clearly laying out for her, what he feels & that he will win her heart eventually.
I think what the other side dont get, is that Emma has been severely hurt & damaged emotionally. She finds it hard to be vulnerable, even often around her own family still. She has massive problems with trust, She still has fears of being left/ abandoned. She still struggles with being loved- logically she can be rational about what happened to her & even understand the whys & hows of it all- being sent away as a baby etc, even what Neal did- twice, I guess; but that doesnt diminish decades of pain & emotional trauma, inflicted by him (whether he intended for that to happen or not). Her parents didn’t really have much of a choice in sending her away, Neal did, twice & thats not something that she can just ‘forget decades of trauma & pain, to ‘get over it”, which she would have to (IMO) do, for a healthy relationship with Neal to realistically work, Emma’s already told him that being around him hurts her (so it cant be argued that it ‘wasnt that bad’). There is a massive difference between accepting/ forgiving someone for past wrongs/wounds & being 100% vulnerable & trusting, in the most intimate ways possible, that a healthy relationship requires- for Emma’s sake, I think she needs someone who wont EVER do to her, what has already been done- someone who wont leave her, who will stand with her & Henry, fight for them above himself, no matter what may come- give his life if he must, someone whom she knows that if the worst should happen, he will have no doubts, no 2nd thoughts or hesitations about standing & fighting with her, for her. I dont think she will truly blossom into the her full potential, until she feels safe enough with someone to do drop her walls & just ‘be’. To me Killian has proven to be this person, Neal has not.
We (CS’ers) have been asked by SF shippers (on another site) more than once, if we would still ‘hate’ Neal if he was played by a ‘hotter’ actor, I always reply “No”, Neal could be the hottest guy on earth & I wouldn’t ship SF (as it stands, nothing Neal has done has ‘earned’ him is redemption with Emma IMO), but I may enjoy watching his scenes more if he was the hottest guy on earth lol 😉 . We have been asked if we’d ship CS if Colin wasnt Hook & I honestly answer, I don’t know (& I honestly dont!)- I don’t usually ‘like’ pirates, but Colin has me LOVING this version of Hook, so I dont know how much of that is how Hook is written & how much of it is the way in which Colin brings Hook to life & gives him layers etc.
CS for me is the same as Graham & Emma- I shipped them until he was killed & I didnt ship Emma with anyone until Killian came along (despite ‘knowing’ A&E would have her end up with Henry’s Dad/Bae), I’m glad they arent doing that with them, I want a modern day/ real world FT – the kind we all hope we get, but dont think that it could ever really happen.
Ekkkk- sorry for the rambling!