Some thoughts about Trees, True Love, and The Wish Your hati, tengah-tengah Makes When You’re Fast Asleep 

Some thoughts about Trees, True Love, and The Wish Your Heart Makes When You’re Fast Asleep:

In interviews, fans were promised full-season style arcs this year. The writers were hoping to regain their season 1 format and appeal. For that reason, although lately the super-plot feels a little shoved to the side, I don’t believe that the Land of Untold Stories is an over and done deal. 

My speculation began with the return of the wardrobe realm-jumping gimmick. We haven’t seen this used since season 1 (unless you count using the incinerated wardrobe ashes in season 2, but I don’t.) 

Please note the use of the True Love rainbow effect. It is used for both Pinocchio’s and Emma’s arrival. This tells us that the effect is tied to the magic of the tree, and not simply used to denote the arrival of Emma, who is the product of true love. 

True love is the only magic powerful enough to transcend realms. 

The tree used to make the wardrobe must be powered by True Love. 

Like…. a matured True Love sapling, perhaps? 

It’s uncanny, really. Similarly to when Snow and Charming touch the sapling, when Pinocchio touched the tree, he was blasted back by magic… that made him recall his family (his true love) and is reminded how he must look after Emma or he will never be able to reunite with his family. 

Wish-Realm Pinocchio even said that, away from the Queen’s tyranny, the magical tree was able to grow and flourish… Without the dark curse in place, is it possible that this tree was the one Snow and Charming “planted”? Frozen in time in Storybrook, it would have remained a sapling… but without the curse, it could have very easily grown into a tree. (yeah, I know, a tree that size would have taken hundreds of years to grow, but hey MAGIC.) 

The True Love rainbow effect is MISSING this time, though.

I have read how some have speculated that, despite the missing True Love rainbow burst, we actually did see the colors of true love (red and yellow).

(please note the true love bottle existing between essence of night and day…. yin and yang, anyone????)

really want to see it (and I can’t argue against the obvious yellow), I am a bit skeptical about the red. It is a little on the pale side… but it wouldn’t be the first time we saw the red and gold color combo in this wish realm: 

(Please also note, that when Emma’s love stopped Henry from hurting Regina, saving them both, she used Red magic. Red is not exclusive to the “freezing” spell, as evidenced. But it has traditionally been the color of Regina’s magic when she performs it with Emma. So, I can’t help but find it curious not to mention funny, that Emma used a True Love color to save Regina and Henry…. but not Hook. She force blasted Wish!Hook back with standard white savior magic, just like she did Gideon later in the episode. I’m just saying…. lol)

What bothered me most about the tree/wardrobe/portal, though, was the unnecessary wavy magical portal effect. When Emma was placed in the wardrobe as a child, there was no fancy expensive effect. They just closed the door on her and she vanished. Poof. Simple. So, why the need for the costly special effect when they could have simply had none? 

I’d seen this effect already this season… 

And, the first time we saw it, in a truly odd episode regarding Cinderella that, at one point, there was featured a key…  and a wardrobe portal… To the Land of Untold Stories.  

And then there was also this picture that JMo tweeted a while back. 

I want to think that it was supposed to be used to show her waking up in the Wish!Verse, before she finds the sword under her bed. Perhaps it will show up in a deleted scene, because the first shot we got of her in the wish realm, instead, was of her her blowing out her birthday candle. This whole wish!verse theme has meshed wishes and dreams together fluidly. And all I can hear is 

“A dream is a wish your heart makes when you’re fast asleep…” 

I don’t really believe that Emma and Regina are truly “home” yet. That battle with Gideon was far too easily won. And the fact that Wish!Robin still can exist outside of the wish-realm boggles me. Perhaps it is possible that Emma’s wish placed her in a dream realm? One where time seems to have no meaning? (I mean, seriously, it took Pinocchio 2 hours to make that wardrobe. Tops.) Perhaps this dream realm is really one of the many islands in The Land of untold stories??

Consider how Gideon literally broke a giant timepiece at the end of the episode. He had spent his entire “life” in a realm where time acted differently. Do you see the parallel? Even if Emma (and the rest) aren’t actually in a physical “land” of untold stories, that doesn’t discredit that fact that they are certainly participating in a metaphorical untold story. And, despite wish!Robin’s inclusion, the fact that Emma and Regina went through that wardrobe together could mean that this their untold story.

Oh, speculations abound! I can’t wait for the rest of this season. 

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“Henry brought me to Storybrooke to bring back the happy endings. My job’s not done until I do that for everyone. Including you……”

“Knowing you believe in me… means I’m not alone.”

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Is Love. True Love, in particular. Duh. It is known. 

It can break any curse, open portals, yadda yadda yadda…. 

But, if all magic comes with a price…. ever wonder who the debt collector for love is? Or, more indirectly, who oversees such potent magic? 

Consider the episode where we meet Grumpy, nee Dreamy, and his supposed true love Nova the fairy. We meet the bumbling darling as she tries to impress her mentor, Blue. She wants to be a fairy godmother… a quintessential marketer and purveyor of True Love. Blue laughs at her, entirely unconvinced that poor Nova has the chops (or the nuts) to employ such power. Because, as Blue says, “Fairy Dust it the most precious substance in all the land. It’s magic is what powers the world.”

Fairy Dust… is the most precious? It makes the world go ‘round? Not love? Oh. Or are we suggesting that the two are somehow…. oh, I dunno… linked? 

As the episode continues, Nova accidentally spills some Fairy Dust on a dwarf egg, causing it to hatch early. The first thing that Dreamy asks, after he is born, is where the pretty girl went… that he NEVER saw. But he REALLY wants to see her again. And, later when he does, he is awestruck with love at first sight, exclaiming “It’s YOU!” 

But, alas, Dwarves are not meant to fall in love. And Fairies have their obligations as well. 

And Blue is ADAMANT that the worlds not be mixed. Poor Nova… Poor, Poor Grumpy…. 

But that’s just the SURFACE of the story or, at least, one side. 

Rumpelstiltskin, in his eternal quest to find his son, is seeking to bottle true love…. Quite possibly maybe because he CAN’T get his hands on the precious guarded Fairy Dust? I find it hardly to be a coincidence that, once he mixes the hairs together they form a potion that looks quite like the color of the fairy dust… 

He and the fairies, Blue in particular, do NOT get along. He even tells Cinderella that Godmothers aren’t to be trusted and that he did her a favor by killing hers. He’s dark, they’re light… but they both orchestrate the lives of others. I find it ironic that he manipulates events for people who are DESTINED to meet and fall in love, so that he can collect their love…. yet Blue divides a loving couple in the name of preserving a status quo, even though she has all fairy dust in the world at her disposal. It’s almost like…. like she’s afraid that love would make the dwarf and the fairy, the essential guardians of true love magic, “weak” or “vulnerable” to the Dark One… thus placing the magic at risk for him to take. 

What’s even MORE interesting is how this applies to the “modern” story… by which, of course, I mean Swan Queen. 

We all have seen the Snowing/SwanQueen parallels. Notably the most recent one with the split screen… 

…wherein we saw a bit of true love magic that we had yet to see before. Yes, we’ve seen a touch create magic (see Swan Queen and Jefferson’s Hat in season 2) but NEVER have we seen it grow something…. Something that just

This episode really pulled the strings tightly together on the concept of True Love=Fairy Magic. At least it did for me. 

But there’s still one MAJOR layer as to how this all comes around to Swan Queen… And that is the color

Purple is the color of the Fairy Dust, of the True Love potion, of Regina’s Magic… and of the Magic cloud that descends upon Storybrooke at the end of Season One. 

In terms of flowers (which we have known to be a rather big deal, symbolically, on the show… from the Shady King Arthur flower, to Snowbells…) a purple flower, or more specifically, a purple ROSE denotes

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT, ENCHANTMENT, AND REGAL MAJESTY.

Lavender roses also share some of the symbolism of the

fabled blue rose. Because blue roses do not occur naturally, they have come to represent the mysterious and unattainable. The goal of discovering the first blue rose has ignited many imaginations. While the quest for truly blue roses continues, many of the meanings associated with them have become tied to its nearest existing relative, the lavender rose. Thus, lavender roses can also represent wonder and impossibility, with a sense of the magical. (X) 

There is even a purple flower that, for CENTURIES, has been used to denote a Saphhic romance. The VIOLET. 

And while all of this may seem entirely “coincidental” (pfft. yeah right) I’m going to lose my ever-lovin mind if I see either Regina or Emma with a purple flower. 

Because the color is intrinsically tied to who they are, as a dynamic. 

There is a widely-used and iconic device/trope, attributed in origins to Japanese tradition, called the  —-> 

RED AND BLUE ONI <—-(read the whole page. Trust me. You’ll get a HUGE kick out of this)

We’ve seen it before, and it doesn’t have to be strictly romantic. It can be siblings, platonic friends… but, yeah, it’s typically romantic. Ruby and Sapphire from “Steven Universe” are PERFECT examples of the Oni relationship. 

There is also much to be said here about Yin and Yang and light and dark balance between Emma and Regina, but more on that later. HERE we’re talking about Red and Blue, not black and white…. 

The key thing to notice here is that Emma and Regina are neither strictly one Oni or the other. 

Emma could just as easily be the Red. I mean, look at her armor. And she’s DEFINITELY the “idiot hero”. But Regina wears just as much red, and certainly produces enough of her own fire… 

But Regina could also be the blue. Black is her signature color. She has said this outright, and it is a theme that repeats. Her Mercedes (and her warhorse) is even black. (although, it could be argued, that black is the color of the Evil Queen… and that Red is more Regina, and given the color combo of season six, this bears further scrutiny, but I’m getting off track.) 

Black exists on the cool (or blue) spectrum of color. (whereas white exists on the hot, or red, side… but again, more on that later). And traits like “ intellectual, proud, traditional, introverted, and cultured” certainly apply to Regina Mills. But… in season 4 Emma also was tied directly into the Frozen arc, and her walls of ice that literally surrounded her prove that she can just as easily fit the Blue bill of “the stoic” or “the aloof big brother.” 

Personally, I adhere to the idea that both Emma and Regina started as one Oni but then, as life took its toll, they had to develop armor to protect them… and consequently changed from blue to red and red to blue. Emma is the obvious one. As a baby princess, her room is filled with blue. Remember the unicorn mobile? The dress that she wears in Charming’s dream when they dance? Heck, when she is in the FTL au, she wears a blue warriors outfit. By choice. 

She’s getting to chose who she is in this world, without the need to acknowledge her real life. And, with a clean slate at her hands… she chooses blue.  But… after Cleo… *wink wink*… she dons RED leather armor. Trying to hide something, are we Emma? 

Regina, meanwhile, is in a pale blue riding coat when we first see her as a young child… but we quickly see how this is her mother’s influence. When Regina rebels and runs away (on her favorite RED horse, Rocinante) she’s dressed herself in Red. Dark red. Nearly brown… as if she is already being darkened to black.  

It’s Regina’s mask, her control and her dark power, that is her armor. She shields herself in coldness and contempt… in blue. 

THEY ARE BOTH. Emma and Regina are both Red and Blue. Perhaps one color more so than the other… like the spot of black in the white, and the white in the black, of the YinYang… but, again, more on that later.

SO. I see ZERO coincidence that the magic that pours from the well is purple. In fact, A&E did say it was initially going to be green and purple, like the dark curse, but switched to simply purple… to be “more enchanting.” (I know this exists somewhere, I think on Twitter, but I couldn’t find the link. Anyone?). 

Moreover, since that purple magic cloud is QUINTESSENTIALLY Emma’s DNA (the two hairs that made it even formed a double-helix shape) and thus makes the magic cloud a TRUE LOVE cloud. (fast forward to the end of season 5… Regina smashes the Olympian Crystal shard, that Rumple imbued with the magic of Storybrooke, aka EMMA’s magic…. and smashing the shard releases a TRUE LOVE RAINBOW.) 

Ever thought it funny that, in the VERY same day that Emma threw Regina against a supply closet, she chose to save her life from a town mob? Did ya find it curious how SUDDENLY, in the same day, Emma insists that Regina isn’t dying from the wraiths curse? Odd isn’t it how Regina was willing to go against all her evil instincts and ALLOW Emma to help her? and THEEEEN their touch activates the hat portal??

I REFUSE to think it’s coincidence that the VERY next episode shows how Regina started as a red and then was transformed by external powers into her blue mask of power, magic, and control. I mean, Cora is wearing a blue dress when Regina banishes her through the mirror, but then Regina’s wearing a BLUE shirt in Storybrooke. In this episode where we see Mother Superior (blue fairy), Ruby (a red, and NOW openly bi), aaaaand MULAN?

To wrap things up, I want to throw a quick couple of color trifectas at you. Take it for what you will. 

The three primary colors are Yellow, Red, and Blue. Red and Blue represent, as we see now, both Emma and Regina. YELLOW, on the other hand, is a color STRICTLY for Emma. It is her signature, and the color of her steed! (erm… bug) Makes sense, though, that she gets her own primary color. She’s rather the primary character, wouldn’t you say? 

But the three secondary colors? Green, Orange, and (you guessed it) Purple. There are only a few instances where we get green as a significant color in this show, but they are typically associated with Regina. Her sister, Zelena, for instance. But, then there is the green ring that Ruth gives David, right? Well, I’m sure we’ve all seen the mysterious green ring that Regina wears so often… 

Orange is even LESS common a color, which makes it stand out BOLDLY when it does appear…..

(also…. NOT a coincidence that young Greg Mendel gave Regina a green and red cord…. especially since he mentions Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader while making it….)

But, though Purple is everywhere on this show, it is undeniably Regina’s signature color. After all, Regina in Latin means Queen, and purple is the color of royalty. And, if you look back at the OG Evil Queen…. 

Want to know something cool? Purple… and Yellow… are complimentary colors. 

Gosh. It’s almost like… like someone

planned this. Like, it’s fate or something. 

Makes me wonder if the Blue Fairy, who insisted Emma be sent through the tree portal… didn’t want her to meet Regina at all. For the good of the realm, of course. Just like with Dreamy and Nova… 

And Rumpelstiltskin… who has the gift of foresight… just so happened to unleash the magic that would bring Emma and Regina closer together… but he was surely only thinking of his own personal gain. Right…? I mean, it’s not like he… oh, I dunno, fears the unpaid magical debt of having created True Love?

This show, you guys… This show…. It ain’t over yet. And I swear, Swan Queen is still endgame.  

**NOTE** I have yet to see tonight’s episode “Changelings”… and I hear that we have the Black Fairy as a key player… as portrayed by none other than lesbian-media icon Jaime Murray. So, as I am actively avoiding spoilers, I have NO idea if this episode totally invalidates my theory…. or lends credence. *shrugs* Fairies or no, the Red and Blue color theory still stands without them. 

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Why do many people believe that the GA needs an extensive explanation in order to make romantic Swan Queen canon?!? They might not remember every single look they have shared like we do, but they do remember the basic things of the show.

True love is magic; Swan Queen have been making magic together time and time again on their screens since Season 2.

True Love is sacrifice; how many times those two have sacrificed themselves for the sake of the other?

I think the GA might not be hardcore shippers or be aware of the potential, but if Swan Queen would happen to kiss tomorrow, I think they’ll just connect the dots and go “ooooh! It was just right there in front of my eyes.” Or something like that.

Not to mention that it’s really not hard to do little flashes/montage. Let’s hypothetically say that they kiss. And then:

Like, these gif makers basically have done it for them.

Yes, as was pointed out to me, they’ve introduced the narrative device for the flashback already.

Emma and Regina just need their own true love sapling, cue all their significant moments… 

You know, I made a post on this, but I wonder if the Sorcerer’s apprentice’s wand wasn’t originally a true love sapling. It can be used to transcend realms, like true love does. Like it was used by Regina to get to Emma in Camelot. And it kind of looks like a plant that has lost its leaves.

I’m not saying it’s Swan Queen’s since it’s been around since the time of Merlin…but

I wonder if a true love match needs to be touching their own sapling to make it work for them.

What’s also interesting is that the wand was forged by a combination of light and dark magic. Which is a description of Emma and Regina’s magic put together. 

Just like Henry. He comes from light and dark. His birth mother comes from a lineage of light/heroes and wields light magic and his birth father comes from a lineage of dark/villains, with a grandfather who is the Dark One (the ultimate darkness). Not to mention that Henry’s adoptive mother also wields dark magic although she can now wield both.

The top part also looks like a brain, but then it’s many tiny figurines carved into the wood. I definitely expect it to come back into play.

It implies Emma and Regina have a moment like Snow and Charming where they’ve met before we think they’ve met… which may be linked to this theory.

I, too, am anxious to see how the TL sapling mcguffin comes back into play….

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honestly, hook feels so out of place in this show, more like a side character that wrested control from the writers and forced himself to emma’s side because it’s so so so clear how little they fit as a couple.

even as a staunch swan queen supporter, neal and emma would have been so good together. they had chemistry, they supported each other, and uh most importantly they loved each other??? this show has very weird ideas about death and romance and fate and idk man, killing neal and resurrecting rumple was one of the show’s biggest mistakes

Neal and Emma made sense! C$ does the opposite.

I’d pick the love of Neal and Emma over C$ any day. I know it’s bananas, but there you have it! 

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Here. Right here is where the story of true love will be written. 

The first gay Disney princess, and the first Disney queen. 

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I know this has been debated before… but after applying my color theory, and all the other evident proof from later seasons, I can only conclude that the YELLOW object underneath the RED apple tree on the Storybrooke town sign is Emma’s yellow bug.

That’s the plot of Once; Emma and Regina meet. Swendgame.

Tallahassee equals home for Emma, so Storybrooke is home. But wait for it…

And this, a dreamcatcher, which Emma didn’t know where to hang because she didn’t have a home. 

Oh, look, a dreamcatcher necklace hanging around Regina’s neck. Which she wears while sitting on Emma’s desk.

and, what do we have here? Earrings to match. Which she wears when Emma decides to stay in Storybrooke, I believe.

Conclusion: Regina equals home for Emma, which even Emma basically admitted to in the season 3 finale.

And let’s not forget, when Emma jumps into the past, she does it while thinking of home and how her parents met. And where does she end up? Near Regina, around the time her parents met, at a moment where past Regina is getting yelled at about being the way she is because of not having a family. Regina, is in fact the first person she encounters in the past and that exchange is one of the first things she sees. 

AND, to top it off… let’s talk about green, shall we? Like Snow’s wedding ring from David’s mother?

Ruth says “True love follows this ring wherever it goes.”

Rumpelstiltskin later even enchants it to find Snow.

And Regina has a green ring that looks awfully familiar.  

And while it may not be the same ring as Snow’s…. it’s still the same color as the green beads on Emma’s dreamcatcher…. 

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Blue Fairy is NOTHING but trouble. Sneaky Sneaky. Shady Shady. 

@anothershadeofgreen you are so right, you’ve always been right.  

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