RogueBelle

theresthasbeenbraggadocio:

officerparker:

doctor-brennan:

A pointless, self-indulgent, I-had-a-thought-I-must-share Graham/Emma post at that.  It’s not connected to the finale or anything.  So.  If you don’t want to read it, move along.

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Ok I’m totally going to add my own thoughts to this, because no matter what happens, no matter who Emma ends up with (if she ever ends up with anyone), my heart will always belong to Emma/Graham. 

First of all, no matter how much chemistry there was between Emma/Hatter, the writers still didn’t go down the romantic route and I really doubt they will. Of course there wasn’t much time to develop them on any level of relationship and the fact that Jefferson is portrayed as “mad” even in SB puts a damper on any romantic pursue, specially because Jefferson’s focus is on getting Grace back and taking Regina down. Of course Jefferson kidnapping and drugging Emma didn’t do much to her trust and it probably shot her walls high up. She didn’t believe Jefferson, but after August and Graham and Henry she finally started cracking, but her reaction was still that: you’re crazy, I’m going to indulge you only long enough to get out of her. She still thought he was psychotic.

Then August. He comes like a mysterious stranger, which now that we know who he is and what happened to him, makes sense. He hits on Emma at first opportunity because that’s who he grew up to be, because he was used to having girls fall at his feet, and August flirting with Red is an indication of it IMO. He wasn’t innocent and naive Pinocchio anymore, but a man who gave into life’s pleasures and forgot a promise he had once made to his father and to a baby. Emma immediatelly shut him down, with reason of course, since he simply arrived into town when nobody ever come or went, but she didn’t trust him and it took August a while to earn her trust, to become friends. And it’s another characters the writers had no intention if going romantic with. After that initial “let’s have drinks” request that didn’t work, they never hinted at anything romantic at all. Maybe it’s the actors’ fault for not having any sexual chemistry (unlike Jen and Sebastian), but to me, specially after we learned he was Pinocchio, their relationship was very heavy on the big brother/little sister angle. 

Something I have always loved from the very beginning of the show was how Graham was always making dumb jokes to amuse her. Stupid, unfunny jokes that only a guy with a crush would risk making to make the girl he likes laugh. And i have always loved Emma’s reaction, that even when she didn’t know him, even when she wondered if the police was in Regina’s pocket, she still smirked and rolled her eyes amused. She never made a face at him, she never looked at him with distrust, she never lashed out at him or shut him down. She actually let him in, and Mary Margaret (bless her heart) was right all along. Emma wanted him.

In the end of the day, the only man in Emma’s life that we have seen so far to have altruistic intentions towards her was Graham. He didn’t want anything from her, he didn’t need anything from her. He wanted her because of how she made him feel, not because she was important or because she was supposed to do something for him, simply because she was Emma, not the savior, but the woman who made him feel alive for the first time in years.

Remembering was simply a consequence of their relationship growth and their connection. In the end, Graham remembered after sharing a very pure and honest kiss with Emma, while both Jefferson and August tried to get something from her and didn’t succeed.

(and if I’m allowed to be a total fangirl, this will ALWAYS be relevant)

because even though I love MadSwan, I totally agree with all of this and everyone should read it. 

I don’t fundamentally disagree with the main point of this — and I’m a cheerful multi-shipper, so while I’ve got my Mad Swan dog in the fight, I’m happy to play with the other puppies as well. Emma/August never got to me, though — I’m not against it, it just never pushed my buttons, and I definitely see that as more of a brother/sister relationship. I did like Emma/Graham, though, and if they can find a way around him being, well, dead, I could hop on board. (And honestly, because I’m masochistic, I’d sort of like them to drag out Mad Swan as long as humanly possible to let the tension mount to unendurable levels). So all of that is fine and makes sense.

What I have a problem with is this:

and the fact that Jefferson is portrayed as “mad” even in SB puts a damper on any romantic pursue

I’m uncomfortable with the implication that a character being “mad” is the automatic and insurmountable obstacle there. I’m not someone who throws around the “ableist” term (largely because I think it’s overused and often misapplied), but in this instance, it seems appropriate. I think it would actually be super-interesting for a major network show to try to take that on the idea of a love interest who’s recovering from mental illness, rather than treating it as toxic. Drugging, kidnapping, violence — yeah, those are the things I would point to as the difficulties. The mental illness itself? No. (And the Grace issue I think actually works in his favour, since there are certainly parallels there to Emma and Henry that could be a bonding opportunity).

Plus, y’know, “tremendous romantic potential,” so we know we have at least one writer on our side. ;)

(Source: alanawill, via fuckyeahonceuponatime)