[textbookone]

Thanks RG! That video came up on my FB feed last night and while I was watching it I kept sitting there going “Huh… a lot of this applies to OUaT, and is probably why I’m really annoyed at everything right now”. Really excellent video.

Hook sees her as a pirate, a like minded soul, but she’s really just a girl who happened to be born magical and doesn’t want to be the Savior. Continual rejection of archetype–that’s her. She claims she can make magic a way of life, but then the very next scene she talks about going away forever after defeating Zelena.

I kind of have to wonder what will happen if Zelena succeeds at taking away Emma’s magic through Hook’s kiss. Past Emma might not have cared so much to lose her magic, probably seeing it as a relief, but I get the feeling new Emma (and all her OOC-ness, or “character development”) might not react very well to that idea, especially if Hook does it without giving her the choice (which has also been one of Emma’s themes, having other people make important life choices for her). Not really on topic, but a question that came to mind.

[textbookone]

Hmm… I’m thinking of turning my last post into a larger meta. Would anyone be offended if I took some of your comments as further inspiration to expand upon? Now I have this meta rolling around in my head, as well as the Part 2 that discusses Swanfire.

Add to that a really interesting video I watched last night about HIMYM asking the critical question of “Did HIMYM EARN it’s finale?”, which I think it a really good question to bring to OUaT. How many moments, especially major ones in this show, has it really EARNED. How many key points have actually been something that we have worked towards and felt real and genuine, instead of being explained away as “Because PLOT”? Even with bizarre plot points or characters, how many of the moments we have seen with the characters have been consistent and purposeful to both the plot and the character? I’ll post the video tonight when I’m home from work (unless someone else has already seen it and knows the link). I have my own thoughts on the topic (and a page of notes already), but it’s going to take me awhile to collect my thoughts on that one, but in the meantime I thought I’d put it out there.

Co-Mayor of Sad Town | Twin of Co-Mayor of Sad Town | #HopeforRogueBison

[textbookone]

To me it still feels like Hook doesn’t really know Emma. He’s always making reference to her being The Savior, and a number of other superficial titles and things that are not Emma at her core. He is convinced that they are kindred spirits and that they understand each other on some deep, profound level, but I still feel like that’s just his observational skills skewing the information he’s gleaned in the direction that he wants it to go. He thinks he knows her struggles, but has he ever asked her about them? Have they ever actually had a deep conversation where they get to know the heart of each other? Yes, you can get a lot from people’s actions and body language, but how deep can you really get from just watching (and making lewd, suggestive comments every 5 minutes)?

I agree completely that Hook has an obsessive personality. I would assume that it’s likely the thing that’s driven him his entire life and quite possibly has kept him alive in more than one situation. Without having a driving force like that he wouldn’t have found a way to stay alive for so long, he wouldn’t have as much motivation to get himself out of Neverland and to make some of the deals he has. Without something to obsess over life probably has no meaning and he would be forced to actually look internally and ask “What have I done with my life? What was it all for?”. I feel like he started to do that ever so slightly at the end of season 2 and into the beginning of Neverland, but then Emma came in as a big shiny distraction, critical character analysis ceased completely, and obsession took over again. For without it, life has no meaning.

This whole thing reeks of the superficial nature of most fairytale romances. Girl sees boy from across a room/boy sees pretty girl sleeping under a curse, both are smitten, one kiss decided that they should be together forever. Romances in fairy tales has almost always been perfect examples of infatuation, obsession, and pedestal raising, but very rarely are they rooted in reality, with the idea of where does the couple go after the “Happily Ever After”. What I had always loved about OUaT was it’s drive to show us more depth to the stereotypical fairy tale relationships, to show us that depth the the original texts lack. Sometimes they have succeeded (Snow and Charming) and sometimes not so much (Cinderella and Thomas, though there was more depth shown to their SB tale than in EF).

With Hook and Emma I feel like they’re backtracking, showing us instead an obsessed pirate with an idealized version of who Emma is. I will admit that by now Hook and Emma have spent much more time together, so they probably at least know each other a lot better now than when this whole things started, but there are still too many secrets and lies to even consider this being a healthy, functional relationship. Perhaps the situation makes it impossible for a relationship like that to grow, and it needs to be unhealthy for each party to realize that this isn’t what they want, but that there’s enough substance here to work on making better, but I don’t know. If A&E want to convince me that there is reality to the things happening, and that it is the thread that hold everything together, they need to do a lot more work to convince me that Hook and Emma could ever be a real, functional, healthy relationship where each party gets enough of what they want and they need to balance each other out.

People are saying that Hook has changed for Emma, but that is an immediate hallmark of an unhealthy relationship. When people change for another person they are often denying who they actually are. It can breed resentment and anger when the other person is either unsatisfied (feeling like they’ve changed so much, but their partner still isn’t happy), or betrayed (when it seems like the partner hasn’t tried to accommodate for them at all). I’ve been in those kinds of relationships, and I’ve seen them happen to other people. No one is ever happy in the end. If change is going to occur it needs to be at someones own choice, because they want to be a better person themselves, and not because someone is trying to get another person’s attention, or to prove that they can be the mate that they think another person wants. Maybe that’s what Hook is actually doing, either consciously or subconsciously, but there is a certain dishonesty to it that bothers me, and I have a really hard time believing that anything True Love related could exist or be created with a foundation like that.

I have a whole separate thing related to this for Swanfire, but I’ve somehow been typing this for 15 minutes and I need to get ready for work. I’ll try and think through my points on the subway and give you the back half later today.

Co-Mayor of Sad Town | Twin of Co-Mayor of Sad Town | #HopeforRogueBison

[textbookone]

Anyways, tent is open, for those needing shelter under the table from the falling sky outside. We got space, if you don’t already have a room in Castle Tallahassee 🙂

Or the house boat? Regardless, I want to play in the table fort. I was most excellent at blanket and pillow forts as a child. Please pick me! I am a most excellent candidate!

Also, I think I’m finally halfway through my fic. I want this to be done so badly so I can share it will all of you. And thank you for all the pretty things today! It made packing and cleaning so much nicer!

Co-Mayor of Sad Town | Twin of Co-Mayor of Sad Town | #HopeforRogueBison

[textbookone]

@heatherc1275 Someone should show those diagrams to A&E! They obviously don’t know that a shark jumping has occurred.

Also, I just had a terrible, terrible idea of starting a letter writing campaign to A&E. It would consist entirely of postcards with sharks on them and the only message on the back would be “CONGRATULATIONS!” in giant marker. This is a terrible, terrible idea.

Co-Mayor of Sad Town | Twin of Co-Mayor of Sad Town | #HopeforRogueBison

[textbookone]

ouatrandothoughts wrote:

If Neal only gets one more flashback/whatever scene in the show…what would you all want it to be?

The full conversation between him and August and proving once and for all that Neal DID NOT call the cops. Adam says he didn’t but they need to show it.

Wasn’t there a rumour months and months ago that Eion Bailey was coming back to film something this season? I thought he said so himself during a convention in France? I think we all hoped it was that missing conversation, but I haven’t seen or heard any word that he did in fact film anything, and now with Neal dead there’s pretty much no point. 🙁 Just another one of those brilliant ideas A&E had that never went anywhere. *grumbles*

Co-Mayor of Sad Town | Twin of Co-Mayor of Sad Town | #HopeforRogueBison

[textbookone]

There is a well-documented cognitive bias known as the halo effect. Here’s an official definition:

“Also known as the physical attractiveness stereotype and the “what is beautiful is good” principle, the halo effect, at the most specific level, refers to the habitual tendency of people to rate attractive individuals more favorably for their personality traits or characteristics than those who are less attractive. Halo effect is also used in a more general sense to describe the global impact of likeable personality, or some specific desirable trait, in creating biased judgments of the target person on any dimension. Thus, feelings generally overcome cognitions when we appraise others.”
(Standing, L. G., in The SAGE Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods, Volume 1, 2004)

What we’re witnessing is a psychological phenomenon. This principle has been documented in studies done of employers favoring attractive candidates for job positions and teachers perceiving attractive students as more capable.

@Slurpeez108 I love your post. I have nothing to add to it, just wanted to let you know it was spot on and perfect. <3

Co-Mayor of Sad Town | Twin of Co-Mayor of Sad Town | #HopeforRogueBison

[textbookone]

I’m doing research by pulling up screencaps of The Evil Queen and Second Star to the Right. So many close ups of MRJ’s face. So many sads. 🙁

Co-Mayor of Sad Town | Twin of Co-Mayor of Sad Town | #HopeforRogueBison

[textbookone]

I really liked the first two episodes this half. 315 just really changed the way I view everything.

Me too! I was expecting so much from this back half. I’ve been disillusioned with the fairytale flashbacks since early on in season 2 (they started to feel kind of pointless, and instead of giving us useful information they were just tangents taking us away from the actual story). I was so so so hoping that with the mystery of Zelena and the new curse that the flashback would finally have meaning again, and while they do, I don’t like where they’ve gone. And it’s not just about Neal, but everything we’ve talked about (pacing, writing, plotty plot plot holes, OOC stuff, etc). I want to love this show. I want to love it as much as I did in the beginning, but I agree that 315 changed everything and now I can’t see the magic in it any more. Instead I see the man in the funny robe hiding behind the curtain trying to convince me that he can do magic.

I feel like a terrible friend for having convinced multiple people to watch the show recently, especially one who had given up after season 2. “Just hold out past Neverland!” I said. “There will be two compelling plots! It will finally feel like season 1 again!” I said. I should have just let her be a winner instead of dragging her back into this mess…

Co-Mayor of Sad Town | Twin of Co-Mayor of Sad Town | #HopeforRogueBison

[textbookone]

@astrawoid That’s so cute!!!

I was hoping to start working on my goldwork embroidery again so I could show everyone pictures, but then stuff… Now it’s sealed away until further notice. I just want to finish it!

Co-Mayor of Sad Town | Twin of Co-Mayor of Sad Town | #HopeforRogueBison

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