Speculation/General Question

[wily-one24.livejournal.com]

Okay, so I have a question/s about the future of Storybrooke and its inhabitants.

Answers and comments will obviously have speculation, but please no confirmed spoilers.



So... exactly what is the desired outcome of breaking the curse? What's going to happen here?

The way I see it, there are a few options, neither of which are all that great, actually.

1. Everyone returns to the Enchanted Forest, back to the second in which the curse took hold. Which, on the surface, would kind of seem like the fairest option, because then everyone gets to lead the lives they *should* have had. But... if that happens, what happens to Emma and Henry? Henry would be completely obliterated. Unless they find out/Emma reveals who Henry's father is... and then Snow and Charming orchestrate to get them together... but that smacks of Regina's parents and Snow would never do that. So... uh... goodbye Henry. Congrats to everyone else, and at least Emma would have a happy childhood.

2. They return to the Enchanted Forest as they are now, memories intact, grown Emma and child Henry. But... uh... so where does everyone live? Snow and Charming in the castle all happily ever after? THAT's a comfortable dinner conversation. "So, yeah, THANKS for believing I killed a woman and deserting me in the jail cell, dick. Pass the salt." Emma's suddenly a princess, living the life of luxury with a bunch of pretty dresses, the same age as her parents, and the knowledge that her life was stolen and she grew up in a shoddy foster situation lonely and vulnerable when she should have had the life every little girl dreams of (and she probably did most of all, in the darkest hours, sitting alone neglected in foster care). And Henry? Henry has to live with the fact that his mother was, in fact, the evil Queen who stole everyone's happiness. Yes, he believes it, but that's not the same as facing the reality of it.

And what does everyone DO with their Storybrooke memories? What happens to those personas? "I really do love this little hovel, Granny, and wearing this red cape ALL THE FREAKIN' TIME, but... god, I would kill for some cappacino and an episode of Desperate Housewives right now."

I mean, how do the Fairy Tale personas come to terms with their Storybrooke selves? The curse was specifically designed so that (at least the main characters like David and Mary Margaret) have opposing personalities. Snow is driven and forceful, she bow hunts and sword fights and doesn't take crap from anyone and lives in the forest and occasionally tries to murder bluebirds, yet Mary is submissive and timid and simpers over a married man, letting everyone walk all over her. Charming is brave and honorable and does everything he can for the people he loves, always doing the right thing, and yet David is spineless and weak and can generally be counted on to do/say the worst thing possible at any given time. How can Charming live with the fact of exactly HOW he treated both Kathryn and Mary Margaret/Snow?

How bitter do Snow and Charming get over their stolen child? Obviously, she came back to be the saviour, but at the cost of her happiness. Emma's life sucked beyond the telling of it. And they know this.

And what do they DO with Regina? Kill her (would be the obvious option), but what about Henry? Imprison her? At what cost/danger she would return with greater powers? Strip her of her powers and let her live in a broken down hovel/prison to be visited by prince Henry on occasion?

3. Return to the Enchanted Forest as they are, grown Emma and child Henry, but their Storybrooke memories erased. Which... this is the most problematic. Poof, suddenly Emma is grown with a child? And Snow has these inexplicable urges to slap Prince Charming silly.

4. They stay in Storybrooke, but knowing and aware of their true personalities. Which... I don't see happening.

NO MATTER WHICH OPTION YOU CHOOSE, it ends badly.

In this, Regina has won. All their happy endings have been stolen and they won't return. I don't actually see any way in which this ends on a good note.

So, uh, happy ever after everyone... you're screwed.



What does everyone think?

Comments

[dreamfairytales.livejournal.com]

I really see it being the first one, at least that's my head canon. I think Emma goes back to being a newborn and when she grows up she has Henry or Regina's father's soul is in young Henry and it goes back to him and he becomes not so dead when the curse is broken and they return to their own time. I also believe their Storybrooke memories will be wiped and anybody who died in Storybrooke will be alive again since Storybrooke would never have existed. I somehow see Regina dying, I don't know how though. Maybe Rumpelstiltskin kills her. I don't see her getting off scot free with him if he finds out about Belle. Do not mess with the Dark One's twu wuv.

[earthspirits.livejournal.com]

These are all very interesting questions and speculations.

To me, the ideal solution would be for each person in Storybrooke to have their full Enchanted Forest memories returned (and yet also retaining their memories of life in Storybrooke). They then would be given the choice to either stay in Storybrooke (with the option to be able to finally safely leave and go to other places in our world), or to go back to the EF.

With memories intact, each character would then need to come to terms with what she or he did / acted like while in Storybooke under the curse. They would also need to come to terms with poor choices they made while living in the EF prior to the curse. All of this could make for very compelling viewing, as everyone struggles to re-invent their lives.

I don't want to see Henry "wiped out" (I like the little guy!) nor do I want to see Emma turned into a mere princess or be magically sent back to babyhood, that would invalidate her struggles and growth as a character and as a person. Better that Henry and Emma are given a choice as to where they want to live, and with memories and personalities intact.

Also...I prefer NOT to see Regina or Rumple killed or destroyed. I vastly prefer that the series writers would redeem these characters from evil. Especially since neither Regina nor Rumple started life out as evil. Circumstances overtook both of them (although they both made very, very bad choices along the way, of course).

We'll all have to just wait and see how things play out.

[detafo.livejournal.com]

"So, yeah, THANKS for believing I killed a woman and deserting me in the jail cell, dick. Pass the salt."

You have no idea how much this made me giggle... especially when I imagined it being said in Mary Margaret's voice

:-D

[lovedbyahero.livejournal.com]

There is going to be a second season and I assume they would still do the same formula of fairy tale world flashbacks and real world scenes so I'm actually not sure if they will be restored. I have no idea how this show is going to end and to be honest, I love that :D

[wily-one24.livejournal.com]

I don't know as if they'd go so far as to outright kill Regina. I think she'll be punished in some way and I think leaving her powerless and vulnerable and alone might just about do it.

I don't know if I like sending Emma back to being newborn. I mean, yeah, she deserves a great, happy life as a princess, but the fact remains that she didn't get that growing up. Emma is still a person in her own right and her experiences/choices have made her who she is. She deserves acknowledgement of her strength and the beauty of who she has become despite the horrors of her childhood.

[wily-one24.livejournal.com]

I actually like that idea. Giving everyone the choice, it's probably the best solution they have, but that leads to lots of complications... like... is the choice always there? Would they be allowed to change their mind if they come to realise they're not happy with their first choice?

When I said Emma becomes a princess, I didn't mean by wiping out her memories or changing who she is. I just think it's an amusing though to suddenly put Emma (as she is, intact) in a castle with all these pretty dresses. I can just imagine the raised eyebrow and all "oh, hell no" attitude as she goes around in much the same attire as Snow White did. Do they have leather jackets in the Enchanted Forest? I can't imagine the one she has would last forever.

And, yes, we need to keep Henry, because wiping him out would be completely unfair. He's the main instigator here.

When it comes to both Rumplestiltskin and Regina... that's a difficult question and one the characters are going to have to face sooner or later.

Personally, I don't think Regina is capable of or even deserves redemption at this point. Yes, she started out good and circumstances beyond her control conspired to ruin her chance at happiness, but that doesn't give her carte blanche to ruin everyone else's lives. To play at death and killing like it was nothing. All those children she killed without a thought. All those hearts she stole. The persecution of an innocent girl.

And then the ultimate betrayal, the dark curse.

We are talking about a mass murderer here, no matter how you look at it. And it is unforgivable. She needs to be held accountable for her actions.

Lots of people, even fairy tale characters, have shitty lives that suck beyond the telling of it. They don't all try to destroy the world.

Same said for Rumplestiltskin, he may have started out good, may even have grown a heart with Belle, but neither of those actions change the direction his life went in. He preyed upon the weak and the defenseless and delighted in causing the most pain he could. He fed off other peoples' suffering.

Wow, this just got serious. Sorry.

[wily-one24.livejournal.com]

Heee. Glad you liked.

[wily-one24.livejournal.com]

Oh, definitely they will stretch the premise out as long as they can. I don't think it needs to be resolved this season.

But the entire premise of the show is that the curse can be broken... and will be broken by Emma.

Which begs the question... broken for what? What will happen WHEN it's broken? What are they fighting for?

I love show that make you think. :D

[earthspirits.livejournal.com]

No problem. : )

And I agree with you, the series writers have made these 2 characters very, very dark indeed. In real life, the acts they've committed would be unforgivable.

[dreamfairytales.livejournal.com]

Whatever happens I do believe Emma and Henry are gonna get the raw end of the deal.

[borg-princess.livejournal.com]

I do think life in Storybrooke is actually preferable to life in FTL for some characters. (see: the dwarves who are pretty much slave labor, plus Red, with her wolfiness, and anyone who didn't get a happy ending in FTL but found it in Storybrooke) But the thing is, Storybrooke isn't a real place, right? It was created by the curse, so it stands to reason that once the curse was broken, it would vanish.

The best outcome might actually to only partially break the curse, as I saw in one fanfic, so that the way back home was available, but those who wish to could remain. (the fic had some characters like Archie, who enjoyed being a man instead of a cricket, and so on pointing out the advantages of modern life and deciding it was better than life back where they were from)

IA with not wanting Emma to go back to being a baby. That'd be horrible. I mean, I know she'd get to have a happy life, but...not at the cost of the person she is!

I know this'd never happen, but I'm thinking of those sci-fi shows where timelines get fudged with and then we end up with two of one person. That'd be weird and cool, if the curse is broken and everything is restored- including bb!Emma, while grown-up!Emma still exists! It could be like a merging of the timelines with what should have happened, but because the curse could never have been broken without the Savior, she's outside of all the changes and remains as she is.I do think life in Storybrooke is actually preferable to life in FTL for some characters. (see: the dwarves who are pretty much slave labor, plus Red, with her wolfiness, and anyone who didn't get a happy ending in FTL but found it in Storybrooke) But the thing is, Storybrooke isn't a real place, right? It was created by the curse, so it stands to reason that once the curse was broken, it would vanish.

The best outcome might actually to only partially break the curse, as I saw in one fanfic, so that the way back home was available, but those who wish to could remain. (the fic had some characters like Archie, who enjoyed being a man instead of a cricket, and so on pointing out the advantages of modern life and deciding it was better than life back where they were from)

IA with not wanting Emma to go back to being a baby. That'd be horrible. I mean, I know she'd get to have a happy life, but...not at the cost of the person she is!

I know this'd never happen, but I'm thinking of those sci-fi shows where timelines get fudged with and then we end up with two of one person. That'd be weird and cool, if the curse is broken and everything is restored- including bb!Emma, while grown-up!Emma still exists! It could be like a merging of the timelines with what should have happened, but because the curse could never have been broken without the Savior, she's outside of all the changes and remains as she is. Trippy. (as long as entropic cascade failure doesn't happen, that'd be neat)

[lyana rodriguez (from livejournal.com)]

I wouldn't say he delighted off of people's pain (although he does make fun of everyone and everything, but I think that's more a side effect of living for centuries). Rather he manipulates both sides for his own agenda. Does he use "desperate souls"? Yes. But to be fair, he does warn them firsthand about the consequences of their decisions. That does not make his prices fair at all, but just because they're not does not mean that the other characters shouldn't assume responsibility for their choices.

[lyana rodriguez (from livejournal.com)]

I agree with the others. They should be given a choice about whether they want to go back or not. I don't think Regina should be killed. I'd go with the powerless option. And I would die if Henry disappeared.

[goddessastra.livejournal.com]

I am going with a sailro moon theory. Sailor moon's past life was as a princess. Graceful, poise...and her present self is clumsy and lazy...

I think they continue their current lives but like Sailor moon, they become aware of their past...but live in the present. They are aware of how they lived back then but it doesn't alter who they are now...

like my personal quote says: Do not fret about the past because it has already happened and cannot change it. Do not fret the future because it is not here yet...instead...live for the here and now because THATS what we CAN change and thats what matters.

[enigmasphinx66.livejournal.com]

I was reviewing the first ep and had a flash of thought that made me cringe: What if Emma is Sleeping Beauty? What if Emma was hit/seriously hurt while pursuing the skip in the beginning? Even if that's not the case, Emma meets Henry after going home and blowing out the candle on her cupcake. She takes him back to Storyrooke and leaves, only to crash her car and get knocked unconscious.

She wakes up in a cell.

Now, what respondent to a motor vehicle crash would not have tests done on the victim to rule out brain damage? Graham comments that the mayor's drinks are quite strong; was Emma tested for her blood alcohol level? Certainly a breathalyzer wasn't used. Why wasn't Henry's storybook in evidence? How did he get it back?

Everyone automatically accepts that Emma is Henry's mother because....why? A ten yr old boy can search out closed adoption records with 100% accuracy? Neither Emma nor Regina feel the need for a DNA test? Not even a simple blood test?

If Emma were Sleeping Beauty, then only true love's kiss would wake her. Her first option is quite conveniently killed by the EQ. What if Regina's revenge was to make everyone a figment of Emma's unconscious? Emma's subconscious is the engine that drives the ups and downs of Storybrooke, she's caught up in the dream herself and can't escape. It's all a head game and it's unlikely to end anytime soon as there is no one to end her sleep.

I'd feel cheated if this were the case but the theory made me wonder. Opinions?

[missbreese.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'm friending you because you live inside my head! Every single time you post you're either hitting all my kinks (OMG your Jefferson/Emma fic!) or I'm agreeing 100% with what you're saying (meta!). And I see you make vids, which I must run over to watch, right now!

[missbreese.livejournal.com]

he does warn them firsthand about the consequences of their decisions. - Last night a friend of mine said something that you've reminded me of (and which made me laugh, so I thought I'd share): "I do crack up at how Rumple keeps warning all his clients. "Don't do it. No, seriously. It's gonna end badly. Still wanna sign it? Then let Darwinism take its course, Dearie.""

[lyana rodriguez (from livejournal.com)]

XD That is awesome! And so true. That comment reminds me of the face he pulled when Mary Margaret incriminated herself in front of the prosecutor. "Ye Gods, and you people wonder how you get screwed over in my deals."

[wily-one24.livejournal.com]

And friended back.

Hey, I recced you without knowing it! In my ouat vid rec post. Will change that now.

And, *lesigh*, no-one else was writing dub-con Emma/Jefferson, I was practically forced to write it! ;)

[wily-one24.livejournal.com]

I have wondered if she was Sleeping Beauty as well, given that she was (at least her fairytale persona) in a form of stasis for several years...

I've also been wondering along the same vein if she is perhaps Rapunzel... locked away in an isolated tower (of a foster system) by an evil witch who wanted to harness her energy. Because, let's face it, that woman has amazing hair. Always, omg, with the hair.

[missbreese.livejournal.com]

Aww! Thank you for the rec. I didn't notice before or I would have immediately thanked you then!

::innocently:: No one seems to be writing Rumple/Queen either... ::smiles?::

[wily-one24.livejournal.com]

Also, yes, if they DO go the whole "it was all but a dream!" route, I will NOT be happy. It would definitely be a cheat.

Mainly, because they have so carefully structured and keep reassuring us that the premise is that the Enchanted Forest is the REAL WORLD and that Storybrooke is the CONSTRUCT.

[bloodysuicide69.livejournal.com]

So, what if Enchanted Forest is forever gone. What if even if the curse is broken and they remember everything from the Enchanted Forest and their personalities come back, they can't go to the Enchanted Forest because it's gone. Enveloped and torn away by the curse. So they have to stay in Storybrooke.

Would that be a plausible ending?