Swanfire is such a beautiful ship. These days I do not obsess over it as much as I used to, but you cannot deny that Emma and Neal’s relationship was a heart-wrenching, emotional and meant-to-be. Had the writers not chosen to go down the path of fanservice and ‘only pleasing the majority’, I believe that Swanfire family moments would have been a lovely and heartwarming thing to see on our screens. Honestly, what endears me is the fact that these two were lost souls who fell in love. When they met, they were not perfect people. They were flawed and scarred. They were young and carefree to an extent. But they were in love. The way Emma smiled widely from ear to ear in the Tallahassee flashbacks like we’d never seen her smile before as her 28 year old self, they way the Neal’s dimples and cheeky grin outshone his dark past and his sad stories, the way Neal looked so nervous as he quietly waited for Emma’s reaction to his gift (the keychain), the way Emma looked completely comfortable and at home with Neal as she plonked down onto the motel room bed before examining the day’s haul; these are all the little things that make me all the more interested in Swanfire. I believe that more viewers can relate to Emma and Neal’s relationship because it is realistic. If their relationship had worked out (which it should have, but unfortunately did not), it would have symbolised that not only fairy tale characters get happy endings, but real people do as well. It symbolises hope and second chances. Adult Emma and Neal were absolutely amazing. My heart was ripped to shreds and then put back together again but soon bulldozed over every episode after Manhattan. The combination of angst and drama created this great atmosphere that made me want to cry half the time. The fact that they not only had their own feelings to consider, but now their son’s also, lifted the ship up to an entirely new dimension.. The way Neal would do anything for Emma and the way Emma was insecure about having her heartbroken again. The way Neal was never demanding or pushy about his feelings and the way Emma kept him at a safe distance but also genuinely cared about him, even when she was afraid of loving him. I think, if these areas of their relationship were explored into, it would have made way for an incredible love story that would actually have ended happily. To me, swanfire is a whole range of different colours. Sometimes i think of green, for portals, or Emma’s eyes. Maybe it’s brown, for young Baelfire’s clothes and his eyes. Sometimes it’s a yellow Volkswagen. Often it’s a dark blue or grey, just symbolising the mood or Neal’s clothes. Light blue for Neal’s shirt in Neverland, dark brown for the infamous coconut. Black for Emma’s sweater/ top, silver for Baelfire’s sword that Hook then gave to Emma. All these tinges and taints and touches and tones add up to create this amazing ship (or is it a submarine? Maybe even a rowboat?) I really do wish that Swanfire would have been endgame, however I am so happy to be part of this ship. The amazing fanart I see and the gorgeous fans and fellow shippers i admire make even the sad ending of Neal’s death bearable and worthwhile. LONG LIVE THE SWANFIRE SHIP
http://the-lion-sleeps-2night.tumblr.com/post/95185002209/swanfire-is-such-a-beautiful-ship-these-days-i-do
I thought this was rather sweet.
I agree with most of this–just not that Neal’s death is bearable. They’ll never get me to accept that.