"Once Upon A Time" there was a gay fairytale, kinda.
***
Once upon a time there was an Evil Queen. She was more evil than you could imagine, she was also a lot more broken than you would imagine. Then there was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, a little bundle of joy that embodied hope and happiness but grew up to feel as if her life lacked both and turned hard because of it.
You see, even if these two characters are born in the land of fairytales and even if we know them both and think we understand what drives them, there is always complexity to us all, protagonists as well as antagonists. And sometimes life isn’t as straightforward as the tales might have us think. Sometimes there are nuances, moral dilemmas and good and bad intent masquerading as each other. Sometimes there are also lesbians. Which is awesome.
***
Fairytales are seldom queer, more often than not they are about reaffirming accepted norms and highlighting unspoken rules until they almost become tangible through analogies. They are used to facilitate our concept of morality, to teach us right from wrong and serve as fictional warnings of what's considered to be vices in our culture. So yeah, in the society we live in, few if any fairytales are actually queer, or even offer us the possibility of interpreting them in a queer way, because that would currently contradict their very reason for existing. Queer is still queer and not something to be encouraged. But suddenly we are handed this retelling of classical fairytales that look a little different and is linked to contemporary society rather than conservative ideals, which means we suddenly have the opportunity to reinvent the stories. A rare opportunity I gladly grab hold of and shove my fingers down its throat until it gags gay all over our ruby slippers.
***
Obviously the show is set up so that Regina and Emma are supposed to hate each other, that tension we feel between them is supposed to be competition, resent and hatred. Fortunately these two actresses have enough chemistry to turn something classical and kinda boring into something sexual. It sizzles, it sparkles, it makes you punch your crotch, because you are suddenly full of naughty thoughts about angry hate!sex involving people slammed up against doors and taken hard until the hinges creak and threaten to give.
Where was I? Oh yes, naughty, naughty, filthy, filthy gorgeous lesbian sex. Mmmm.
But it’s more than that, not that you necessarily need more than that, but I feel sorta obliged to mention it anyhow. Their stories fit together, seamlessly, balancing out the other in that way that begs you to ship them and ship them hard. The Evil Queen wants to destroy the world as she knows it, in an attempt to find happiness. Emma is born and prophesised to be the end to the Queen’s maleficent rule and dark heart. As the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, Emma symbolises the hope of a happy ending, for all. But because of the Queen, Emma is robbed of her parents, of the happy childhood she should have had. Left with a gaping hole inside her chest she too looks for love, for a family of her own. Basically they are both looking for what they think the other stole from them, something that they can also only find in each other.
Something fate, or perhaps it is someone else’s influence, helps to emphasize by making sure they have a child together. Not kidding, they actually have a child together. Emma gave birth and Regina (aka the Evil Queen) adopted him, making sure Henry (named after Regina’s father) will always have two mommies who both love him in their own way. You see, it’s not all chemistry, but it’s actually pretty damn gay even on paper.
Then it’s the taboo of it all. The Evil Queen hates Snow White, like not just a little bit. She hates Snow and blames her for everything that is wrong with her life and as a result she wants to kill and destroy everything that brings joy to Snow’s life, such as her daughter. Then there’s Emma who might not know it yet, but was robbed of her family by the Queen’s lust for vengeance. Their predestined purpose in life seem to be to hate and despise each other. Which is why it would be so gorgeous if the irony of love and attraction struck and rocked them both to their very cores by forcing them together. Warping their minds by showering them in hormones and that indefinable thing called lust. It would be so wrong that you can’t even begin to comprehend how right it is. Is there any greater curse than to fall in love and lust with the person you consider to be your enemy?
Oh, I know how this will play out, I know. I’ve been here before, I’ve done this numerous times. By episode five male love interests will be made solid for both these characters and their interactions will have been reigned back and their scenes will contain more space and less “in your face” angry eye!sexing. But the seed has been sown and what has been seen, cannot be unseen. So now all I want is for a good quality fic writer to take those little seeds and write something ridiculously smutty, ridiculously angsty, ridiculously gay and for them to then give it all a happily ever after where the lesbians live long and prosperous, together, with their son.
Can I haz it nows? Please?
No, but seriously, they make sparks so I suggest you give it a watch, or two.
Once upon a time there was an Evil Queen. She was more evil than you could imagine, she was also a lot more broken than you would imagine. Then there was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, a little bundle of joy that embodied hope and happiness but grew up to feel as if her life lacked both and turned hard because of it.
You see, even if these two characters are born in the land of fairytales and even if we know them both and think we understand what drives them, there is always complexity to us all, protagonists as well as antagonists. And sometimes life isn’t as straightforward as the tales might have us think. Sometimes there are nuances, moral dilemmas and good and bad intent masquerading as each other. Sometimes there are also lesbians. Which is awesome.
***
Fairytales are seldom queer, more often than not they are about reaffirming accepted norms and highlighting unspoken rules until they almost become tangible through analogies. They are used to facilitate our concept of morality, to teach us right from wrong and serve as fictional warnings of what's considered to be vices in our culture. So yeah, in the society we live in, few if any fairytales are actually queer, or even offer us the possibility of interpreting them in a queer way, because that would currently contradict their very reason for existing. Queer is still queer and not something to be encouraged. But suddenly we are handed this retelling of classical fairytales that look a little different and is linked to contemporary society rather than conservative ideals, which means we suddenly have the opportunity to reinvent the stories. A rare opportunity I gladly grab hold of and shove my fingers down its throat until it gags gay all over our ruby slippers.
***
Obviously the show is set up so that Regina and Emma are supposed to hate each other, that tension we feel between them is supposed to be competition, resent and hatred. Fortunately these two actresses have enough chemistry to turn something classical and kinda boring into something sexual. It sizzles, it sparkles, it makes you punch your crotch, because you are suddenly full of naughty thoughts about angry hate!sex involving people slammed up against doors and taken hard until the hinges creak and threaten to give.
Where was I? Oh yes, naughty, naughty, filthy, filthy gorgeous lesbian sex. Mmmm.
But it’s more than that, not that you necessarily need more than that, but I feel sorta obliged to mention it anyhow. Their stories fit together, seamlessly, balancing out the other in that way that begs you to ship them and ship them hard. The Evil Queen wants to destroy the world as she knows it, in an attempt to find happiness. Emma is born and prophesised to be the end to the Queen’s maleficent rule and dark heart. As the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, Emma symbolises the hope of a happy ending, for all. But because of the Queen, Emma is robbed of her parents, of the happy childhood she should have had. Left with a gaping hole inside her chest she too looks for love, for a family of her own. Basically they are both looking for what they think the other stole from them, something that they can also only find in each other.
Something fate, or perhaps it is someone else’s influence, helps to emphasize by making sure they have a child together. Not kidding, they actually have a child together. Emma gave birth and Regina (aka the Evil Queen) adopted him, making sure Henry (named after Regina’s father) will always have two mommies who both love him in their own way. You see, it’s not all chemistry, but it’s actually pretty damn gay even on paper.
Then it’s the taboo of it all. The Evil Queen hates Snow White, like not just a little bit. She hates Snow and blames her for everything that is wrong with her life and as a result she wants to kill and destroy everything that brings joy to Snow’s life, such as her daughter. Then there’s Emma who might not know it yet, but was robbed of her family by the Queen’s lust for vengeance. Their predestined purpose in life seem to be to hate and despise each other. Which is why it would be so gorgeous if the irony of love and attraction struck and rocked them both to their very cores by forcing them together. Warping their minds by showering them in hormones and that indefinable thing called lust. It would be so wrong that you can’t even begin to comprehend how right it is. Is there any greater curse than to fall in love and lust with the person you consider to be your enemy?
Oh, I know how this will play out, I know. I’ve been here before, I’ve done this numerous times. By episode five male love interests will be made solid for both these characters and their interactions will have been reigned back and their scenes will contain more space and less “in your face” angry eye!sexing. But the seed has been sown and what has been seen, cannot be unseen. So now all I want is for a good quality fic writer to take those little seeds and write something ridiculously smutty, ridiculously angsty, ridiculously gay and for them to then give it all a happily ever after where the lesbians live long and prosperous, together, with their son.
Can I haz it nows? Please?
No, but seriously, they make sparks so I suggest you give it a watch, or two.