Fandom and Viewer Issues: "Fan" Is Short for "Fanatic"

[Curio]

6 hours ago, stealinghome said:

Back on TWOP, several posters would regularly foam at the mouth in 2B if you even hinted that maybe you thought Neal was okay, and kind of shipped Neal/Emma. I remember absolutely vitriolic screeds being posted on a regular basis. TWOP/this board panted over Hook, and Hook/Emma, from the very moment Hook was introduced.

I only remember this because I was one of the few people who even posted in the Hook thread back in Season 2, but people definitely weren't on board with him or the thought of Hook/Emma as a couple right away at TWoP. People certainly thought he was hot, but his character got criticism. It's kind of ironic now, but I was actually in the minority defending his character in Season 2 and the beginning of Season 3 because people were disappointed at how ineffectual of a villain he was. I had resigned myself to the fact that Emma/Neal was probably inevitable because TS;TW, especially after the random "I love you" in the Season 2 finale. It wasn't until Hook's flashback in 3x05 where the majority opinion started to come around on both Hook and Hook/Emma.

Edited October 4, 2016 by Curio

[Shanna Marie]

7 hours ago, Serena said:

I think generally in fandom, the kiss sneak peek was a tipping point.

Yeah, the sneak peek of the kiss from "Good Form" seemed to have been a tipping point, and then the episode itself had a lot to do with it. I know that's when I came around on Hook, since I usually don't like the "bad boy" types, and seeing that he wasn't always that way changed my view on Hook somewhat. I was a very reluctant Hook fan, but he eventually won me over (I found him entertaining, but wasn't thinking about him as a romantic option for anyone). Up to the kiss, I'd been pretty sure that they were going to put Emma with Neal. Even after the kiss, I worried that the kiss was just drama to create a triangle. I didn't let myself get at all invested until he showed up at Emma's door in the midseason finale cliffhanger.

I recall there being some debates, though not particularly heated, during season 2 about whether they were setting up Hook and Emma or Emma and Neal as endgame. There were a few people who were very invested on either side, but I think most of the discussion was more detached and analytical, without really taking sides. The people who were anti-Neal tended to be more anti-Neal than pro-Hook, just using the perceived chemistry with Hook as a point against Neal. Just like the anti-SwanQueen view started long before Hook was on the scene, merely on the basis that Regina tried to kill Emma at birth, was responsible for her miserable life as an orphan, and spent season one lying to and deceiving Emma in order to hurt Emma's parents, the anti-Neal sentiment was at that time less about Hook as a romantic option for Emma and more about what Neal had done to Emma. I recall the discussion of the season 2 finale "I love you" centering on how unearned it was and what a jerk Neal had been to her leading up to it, not about anything to do with Hook.

[Serena]

I wasn't posting on any forums, but I already disliked Regina in S1 (even though she was vastly better written then she currently is), before Hook or CS came into the picture. I hated Regina before it was cool! I'm an hipster Regina hater!

[Curio]

Ah, Season 1 memories. Back before I ever posted online, didn't care much for Emma, thought everyone online would despise Regina, liked Henry, and loved Snow. What in the world happened since then?

[YaddaYadda]

Does Regina hate really have anything to do with Hook/CS? 

I really liked Regina in season 1, but it was downhill in season 2. Then I liked her in in 3A and in some of 3B, but I loathed the TLK without the heart and the light magic farting. And this is mainly my issue with her writing. Emma TLKs Henry? Regina has to have that too. Emma has light magic? Regina needs to have a turn on that horse too. Emma is the Savior? Regina gets to be the Savior in the AU even though she technically has bandit!Snow's story. 

Regina was completely insufferable in season 4, but she was mostly okay in season 5. So I'm assuming she'll be insufferable this season.

With Regina, it's the writing. And season 1, she was a very new character, it was easier to enjoy her. The second they said that Regina is the character that suffered the most, it was over. No, she isn't the character that suffered the most. 

[KingOfHearts]

Quote

Does Regina hate really have anything to do with Hook/CS? 

CS and Regina are the two biggest elements of the show right now. Their stories dominate the screentime and where the main plot goes. Fans are usually watching for one of them. (Unless you're a Rumpbeller, but that's always off to the side.) The way the show is written, it's almost like viewing separate shows. From what I've noticed, CS fans often feel Regina takes up too much screentime, while Regina fans tend to feel the opposite. The writers set it up that way, imo.

Edited October 4, 2016 by KingOfHearts

[Rumsy4]

Graham's rape was the point of no return for me (I donno why rape seems worse than murder). But I still enjoyed watching Regina on-screen until the clusterfuck that was the second half of season 2. I think I pretty much was over most of the characters at that point--with the villains for flip flopping, and with the  heroes for being idiots. The season finale was the reason I came back to watch S3. 3A was pretty good overall, but 3B finished it for me with Regina, and S4 with Rumple.

I always liked Hook, but didn't start shipping CS until the kiss sneak peek. That's also when I started posting in forums. Until then, I listened to podcasts and discussed the show with friends on Twitter, but none of us were part of the serious fandom. I was surprised to see the variety of opinions and favorite characters in forums, but TWoP was pretty much the only place that had reasonable discussion and didn't encourage trolls and incendiary language. 

I do think the overall tone of PTV is more pro-CS, but I don't think there were ever many Regina fans either here or in TWoP. I think most CSers love Emma, and feel Regina doesn't act right by her. A lot of SQ and SF seems more about Regina and Neal. At least as far as I've seen. That's likely the connection. 

[InsertWordHere]

4 hours ago, Curio said:

 It's kind of ironic now, but I was actually in the minority defending his character in Season 2 and the beginning of Season 3 because people were disappointed at how ineffectual of a villain he was. 

I definitely remember this! Season 2 was the era of Captain Floor, not Captain Swan. 

Some people got into CS after he joined the Nevengers and went to Neverland, but it was definitely the kiss in Good Form that brought the majority on board. I still remember the TWoP spoiler thread's reaction to those EW kiss stills. 

[tennisgurl]

Personally, I would feel bad if someone felt like they couldn't post on this board because they dont hold the majority opinion. As long as people are all respectful and arent making things up (Hook is totally a rapist guys! I saw it in a fanfic once!), then I think its refreshing to have people who have differing opinions on the board. Debates and discussions are a lot more interesting that way. Even though I tend to fall in line with the Hook/CS fans here, I like to hear what other people have to say. And Regina has grown on me, especially last season. 

It is interesting to think about the old TWOP Boards. In season 1, I remember people mostly liking Regina as a villain, and people being very into Lana and her performance. Shipping was not really a huge thing, as others have said. I couldn't stand Captain Hook in season 2. I thought he was pretty, but basically an annoying asshole. Season 2, however, is the time I remember people getting annoyed with Regina. In season three was when things kind of formed the way they are now, with a lot of anti-Regina people who were sick of her screen time, and the rise of the Hook/CS fans on TWOP, that migrated over here after the shutdown. 

Personally, I feel like there is no reason to not like certain characters because you like other characters. Like I said, Regina has grown on me (even though I still think she gets too much screen time), but I still love Captain Swan. There is room for everyone, I would hope. 

[Curio]

3 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Personally, I would feel bad if someone felt like they couldn't post on this board because they dont hold the majority opinion. As long as people are all respectful and arent making things up (Hook is totally a rapist guys! I saw it in a fanfic once!), then I think its refreshing to have people who have differing opinions on the board. Debates and discussions are a lot more interesting that way.

100% agreed. The whole reason I come to these boards is for the analytical discussions and civil debates. Differing opinions are a good thing as long as they're based on the show's canon and not just made up tirades.

[Mathius]

55 minutes ago, KingOfHearts said:

CS and Regina are the two biggest elements of the show right now. Their stories dominate the screentime and where the main plot goes. Fans are usually watching for one of them. (Unless you're a Rumpbeller, but that's always off to the side.) The way the show is written, it's almost like viewing separate shows. From what I've noticed, CS fans often feel Regina takes up too much screentime, while Regina fans tend to feel the opposite. The writers set it up that way, imo.

This is a very good point.  Emma, Regina, Hook, Rumple, and sometimes Henry are the only ones expended effort on in the writing anymore.  People can't watch for Snowing anymore because of how shafted and butchered their characters became, people can't watch for Robin and OQ anymore because he's dead (and even before that, he was wasted), and Belle / Rumbelle fans are perpetually disappointed with how poorly Belle is treated.

And I highly doubt that there are many people who watch this show for Zelena.

And thus we get Emma/Hook/CS fans vs. Regina/SQ/"SwanMills Family" fans constantly, and sometimes Rumple/Rumbelle fans (who more often that not tend to be big Neal/SF fans) get in on it as well (usually on the side of the latter and against the former, given their mutual hatred for Hook.) 

Edited October 4, 2016 by Mathius

[KingOfHearts]

Basically, you've got Team Mystic (CS), Team Valor (Regina), and Team Instinct (Rumpbelle).

[Curio]

2 minutes ago, KingOfHearts said:

Basically, you've got Team Mystic (CS), Team Valor (Regina), and Team Instinct (Rumpbelle).

Google tells me this is a Pokemon Go reference... (I'm an out of touch millennial apparently.)

[DigitalCount]

I'm pretty sure the point when I started seeing red wrt Regina was when Snow heroically protected everyone and saved two worlds by stopping Cora from becoming the Dark One...only to be smacked down by the narrative for "murdering Regina's mother." That was when I realized the show would never be impartial toward her. It went downhill fast from there. My anti-Regina stance has little to do with ships.

Also, incidentally if I weren't already watching in S3 I'd be watching for Zelena, but that's more to do with the actress. 

[Mathius]

My liking for CS and dislike of Regina had nothing to do with each other, but they did begin at the same time: 3B.  That was the time when CS became a compelling relationship to me rather than just a sexy one, with both characters having to struggle and go through hardships...and it was also the time where Regina got absolutely everything positive handed to her with little effort on her part (ironically proving Zelena absolutely right) and her being treated as a fully-redeemed hero way too soon, and then she suffers a regression the moment one thing goes wrong in her life.

[KAOS Agent]

You guys do know that the TWoP boards were archived and available for viewing, right? You might want to watch where you cast stones is all I'm saying.

Basically though, 2B fandom wasn't discussing ships for Emma, it was mostly a bunch of disgust at how dumb the show was with its Taser of Doom, total lack of cohesiveness, refusal to deal with the fallout from Season 1 and almost universal hatred for Tamara and Greg. 

[Mari]

I do not regret the hatred for Tamara and Greg.  They deserved it.  

:)

[FormerMod-a1]

6 hours ago, KingOfHearts said:

Basically, you've got Team Mystic (CS), Team Valor (Regina), and Team Instinct (Rumpbelle).

There are more fans than the sum total of these three.  Some fans, like  me, like all the characters and stories on the show or at least enjoy watching them.   We can like more than one of these things at a time.  Yes, some Regina stories frustrate me, but some don't.  Sometimes Snow annoys me, sometimes she doesn't.  I do like Rumple and Hook, and so on.  I'm not the only one.  So I don't think we can be so absolute in defining fandom like these.  True, those that do fall into one of these camps often criticize the "other", whatever that other may be, but that doesn't mean they and their wars are all there is to this fandom.

ETA: Not meaning to single out KOH, this quote was just representative of a few I'd seen.

[KingOfHearts]

Quote

There are more fans than the sum total of these three.  Some fans, like  me, like all the characters and stories on the show or at least enjoy watching them.   We can like more than one of these things at a time.  

I definitely agree. I don't really fit into any "camp" either, though I tend to gravitate toward Regina. There's a lot more to the fandom than the faction wars, but if I were to pick the largest factions, those three would probably be it. Then there's rest of us.

I like CS and Regina both, in case anyone was wondering. But I don't enjoy when one gets a marginal amount of attention than the other for no good reason. I wouldn't enjoy the show as much if it were just Once Upon a Regina or Captain Swan: The Ongoing Saga. (If it were just The Young and the Rumpbelle, I would tune out completely.) The ensemble setup is one of the reasons I like to watch. I need variety.

Edited October 5, 2016 by KingOfHearts

[InsertWordHere]

58 minutes ago, KAOS Agent said:

You guys do know that the TWoP boards were archived and available for viewing, right? You might want to watch where you cast stones is all I'm saying.

Yep! It's fun to revisit. I was on there a couple months ago scrolling through the spoiler thread's reaction to Neal is Baelfire. Everyone was so not shocked. Good times. 

[KingOfHearts]

Quote

Yep! It's fun to revisit. I was on there a couple months ago scrolling through the spoiler thread's reaction to Neal is Baelfire. Everyone was so not shocked. Good times. 

Looking through the archive for fun. I lurked while it was shutting down, so I couldn't create an account until the move to PTV. I love the title for the Morality thread: "The Curse Made Me Do It".

Edited October 5, 2016 by KingOfHearts

[daxx]

Anyone have the link for the twop archives?

[Camera One]

Many pages weren't archived, but one way to see some of the threads is to use the WaybackMachine website: http://web.archive.org/, and search for forums.televisionwithoutpity.com.

[daxx]

This is funny. I don't remember guessing he'd trade it for s bean. I do remember thinking they'd use the Jolly's wood to make a portal.

From TWOP.

Posted Jan 28, 2014 @ 8:45 PM

I really have a feeling that 3-17 will have to do with Hook losing the Jolly to get to the land without magic. 
I don't see why Gepetto couldn't make another wardrobe from her timbers. 
Maybe Hook is able to trade her for a bean.  
I have a bad feeling that Hook has to make a lot of sacrifices to get to Emma. It did take a year after all. 

Edited by daxx04, Jan 28, 2014 @ 8:46 PM.

[Shanna Marie]

3 hours ago, KAOS Agent said:

Basically though, 2B fandom wasn't discussing ships for Emma, it was mostly a bunch of disgust at how dumb the show was with its Taser of Doom, total lack of cohesiveness, refusal to deal with the fallout from Season 1 and almost universal hatred for Tamara and Greg. 

And in 2A, while there may have been some drooling over Hook when he tied his scarf as a bandage on Emma's hand with his teeth, I recall that much of the discussion was disappointment that we didn't get to see any of the Charming family bonding because Emma and Snow were immediately sucked through a portal, and that after the "We Are Both" stuff we didn't get to see much of the mash-up of fairy tale characters living in modern America and figuring out how to blend the two identities. There was also some annoyance at the way that having the Team Princess stuff and the Storybrooke stuff, plus the flashbacks, meant that there wasn't a lot happening in any one storyline in each episode. Funny, because now that's one of my favorite arcs, and compared to the way things are so far this season, it was actually pretty focused.

[Mathius]

Many people have come around to 2A and admitted that their initial dislike of it was more due to disappointment at what it wasn't rather than focusing on what it was, and for what it was, it was pretty damn solid.  It, along with 3A and to a lesser extent 4A, are the only non-S1 parts of the show that the majority seem to have agree hold up well even now, and are possibly considered even better after time has passed.  2B, 3B, 4B, and all of S5 were divisive as they aired and they remain divisive now, and at just two episodes in it looks like S6 is going to be forever divisive as well.

Edited October 5, 2016 by Mathius

[daxx]

Aside from season one, 3a really is my favorite with 2a close behind.

[KAOS Agent]

Is it just me or does the fandom seem very muted this year? I don't mean the people who squee and flail over their favorites, but the people who generally enjoy the show and like to speculate and discuss. Even spoiler pics don't seem that prevalent or interesting to people anymore. I can't tell if it's a lack of interest or if there's just been so little to go on and very little momentum within the show itself to aid in the discussion. 

[Camera One]

We managed to get 5 pages for the Season 6 premiere.  Let's see if we can keep that up... we're currently at 3 pages for that bitter hour of TV we got yesterday.  

It looks like on average for Season 5, we had 4-6 pages for episode threads.  In Season 4, we regularly got to 7 pages.

[mjgchick]

I actually loved 2A well the Team Princesses part at least.

[Rumsy4]

On tumblr at least, the flailing has definitely been subdued thus far. Even die-hard bloggers haven't been as enthusiastic as previous seasons, and a couple of them haven't even watched the latest episode. I certainly haven't been reblogging all that many episode gifs. 

Edited October 5, 2016 by Rumsy4

[YaddaYadda]

Unlike previous seasons, they've been really good at hiding the more significant spoilers, I guess? Like there's nothing to chew on. 

Edited October 5, 2016 by YaddaYadda

[RadioGirl27]

6 hours ago, KAOS Agent said:

Is it just me or does the fandom seem very muted this year? I don't mean the people who squee and flail over their favorites, but the people who generally enjoy the show and like to speculate and discuss. Even spoiler pics don't seem that prevalent or interesting to people anymore. I can't tell if it's a lack of interest or if there's just been so little to go on and very little momentum within the show itself to aid in the discussion. 

I think it's a combination of both. Between the lack of interesting spoilers and the terrible finale and the lackluster premiere, a lot of people is really disappointed. 

[Curio]

7 hours ago, Camera One said:

We managed to get 5 pages for the Season 6 premiere.  Let's see if we can keep that up... we're currently at 3 pages for that bitter hour of TV we got yesterday.  

It looks like on average for Season 5, we had 4-6 pages for episode threads.  In Season 4, we regularly got to 7 pages.

I think that's going to be difficult to achieve this year because it seems like several active users who posted regularly have either quit the show or stopped posting as much. Maybe it wouldn't be a half bad idea to have the mods create an "Introduce Yourself" forum for all the lurker posters who are afraid to dip their toes in the water and start posting their thoughts more. Based on the page views, there seem to be plenty of lurkers out there. At least I know I was a bit intimidated when I first started posting at TWoP because there was already a solid group of regulars who seemed a lot more knowledgeable about the show than I was.

[sharky]

Fan fiction has definitely become more subdued as well. I can't think of a CS multi-chapter that has any kind of traction in the fandom right now compared to past seasons. And as a fanfic writer, I'm not getting the same number of hits and comments that I used to for a story. Sure, maybe my stories suck now. ;) But the enthusiasm of fanfic writers and readers seems to be a bit down since the beginning of the year. 

[Curio]

We were calling this decline in fandom enthusiasm way back when the Season 5 finale aired and Regina split herself in two. It's hard to muster up a lot of passion for a predictable plot that was voted the "Twist You Saw Coming a Mile Away" in an Entertainment Weekly poll, and everyone already knows what the outcome of this story will be. So that, on top of a plot line about Untold Stories that isn't very inspiring and the overall lack of joy, fun, and swashbuckling on screen makes for a more subdued fandom. 

[asabovesobelow]

2 minutes ago, Curio said:

We were calling this decline in fandom enthusiasm way back when the Season 5 finale aired and Regina split herself in two. It's hard to muster up a lot of passion for a predictable plot that was voted the "Twist You Saw Coming a Mile Away" in an Entertainment Weekly poll, and everyone already knows what the outcome of this story will be. So that, on top of a plot line about Untold Stories that isn't very inspiring and the overall lack of joy, fun, and swashbuckling on screen makes for a more subdued fandom. 

I love Regina with every fiber of my being. However, I agree, this plot with her splitting in two does absolutely nothing for me. It feels like a re-tread of Regina's inner battle, which we see...every season. I find the idea of Untold Stories pretty boring too. When they first cut away to the ballroom with the Count I think I dozed off for a minute. There has to be more they can do with the core characters.

With regards to fanfic, there are almost no SQ fics out there that are taking up this storyline. Aside from AU, I find the ones that build on Season 1 are still the most popular.

[Curio]

3 minutes ago, asabovesobelow said:

With regards to fanfic, there are almost no SQ fics out there that are taking up this storyline. 

I can't imagine too many SQ fics would want to include any canon references to Regina lusting after Rumple.

[asabovesobelow]

Just now, Curio said:

I can't imagine too many SQ fics would want to include any canon references to Regina lusting after Rumple.

I blocked it out. That was horrible on so many levels.

I just meant the Evil Queen split specifically. It doesn't seem to be sparking creativity or interest in too many fic writers.

[Curio]

4 minutes ago, asabovesobelow said:

I just meant the Evil Queen split specifically. It doesn't seem to be sparking creativity or interest in too many fic writers.

When fandom isn't even inspired to write threesome stories, you know the current plot is boring.

[Kktjones]

I think the show is in trouble when even it's most dedicated, online fans become indifferent. As mentioned above, so much of this season is a re-tread. Not just Regina battling with her evil side, but pretty much everyone's story is the same old, same old. Emma is putting up walls and trying to solve things alone, Hook is reminded of something terrible he did in the past and wondering how it will impact his relationship with Emma, Snow is battling the Evil Queen in the past and serving as a supporting character to Regina in the present, Henry has an Operation (they even picked a name that was used last season!) and wants to be involved, Rumbelle are dealing with major relationship issues, etc. etc. etc. 

People are getting bored and they may start to lose their loyal followers if they can't think of a way to make this season new, different, and interesting.

[Rumsy4]

Since they shoot several episodes in advance, viewer feedback may not be able to do much to help the Show in the initial run of episodes. The writers ought to have anticipated viewrer fatigue to angst and character regression. But I suppose they thought it best to stick to old plots rather than try new ideas. Anyway, it's still possible that the next couple of episodes, with the introduction of Aladdin and Jasmine, may be enough to turn things around. It's still too early to tell.

[Mari]

37 minutes ago, Curio said:

When fandom isn't even inspired to write threesome stories, you know the current plot is boring.

Why doesn't Bleachbit work on brains?  I'd try to get rid of this idea.

That was a horrible image to inflict on the universe!  I'm still ewwwing mentally from EQRegina's Rumple pass.  Did I imagine the crotch grab?  Please tell me the crotch grab was something I nightmared later?

:)

[Rumsy4]

Well...there are Dark Hook/Hook/Emma threesome fics. Why not Regina/EQ/Emma?

Thank goodness I'm never going to rewatch this episode, so I'll never know if there was a crotch grab or not (NO). 

On that lovely note, I wonder if there were ever any people who shipped Regina and Rumple.

Edited October 5, 2016 by Rumsy4

[asabovesobelow]

7 minutes ago, Rumsy4 said:

Well...there are Dark Hook/Hook/Emma threesome fics. Why not Regina/EQ/Emma?

Thank goodness I'm never going to rewatch this episode, so I'll never know if there was a crotch grab or not (NO). 

On that lovely note, I wonder if there were ever any people who shipped Regina and Rumple.

There actually are. Golden Queen. I honestly think I'd rather read about Regina and Archie getting it on than Regina and Rumple.

[Curio]

32 minutes ago, Kktjones said:

As mentioned above, so much of this season is a re-tread.

In 6x02 alone, we had:

• The Count of Monte Cristo replacing Percival's plot in 5x02
• Regina fighting herself, which has already been done before with Hook and David
• The Count of Monte Cristo basically being a carbon copy of Hook's backstory, complete with decades of revenge plotting, pretending to be the survivor of a Mills Village Massacre, giving up his revenge for a pretty blonde, and being hired by Regina to be an assassin
• Regina throwing the sword like Charming and Emma
• The Evil Queen stealing Hook's line "that's when the fun begins" with Rumple
• People attempting to leave the town line only to be thwarted
• Regina getting annoyed with someone for bringing up her past
• Operation Cobra Part II...which was a writing mistake
• Regina addressing a crowd of strangers from a new land as the "hero/savior" and getting applause
• Regina's past as the Evil Queen coming back to bite her in the ass, and the person seeking revenge gets killed even though he didn't have to
• Emma hiding a secret from her family
• David hiding a secret from his family
• Regina killing one of her castle friends in a flashback and not caring one bit

There's continuity and parallels, and then there's this. I know the writers wanted to stick around in Storybrooke this season because they wanted to recapture the magic of Season 1 again, but I think there's no going back to Season 1 at this point. They can't keep being nostalgic by trying to recreate an intangible spark of creativity that aired five years ago and hope that it's still fresh in 2016; they have to move forward and reinvent the show. They also need to listen to the fandom and give us moments to root for. Hook and Emma finally getting some action in the premiere was a good start, but 20 seconds of bliss isn't enough to carry 20 episodes of depression. Give us a 10 minute Charming family dinner where all they do is talk about their day, but weave some characterization and plot in there. Show Regina going on some blind dates and find the humor in it. Don't drag your feet and let Hook be a deputy already, and show David and Hook grabbing beers after work. If you're going to have Emma, Snow, and Regina be BFFs now, don't have them look all sad and depressed in Granny's booth, have them meet up with Ruby and Dorothy at the Rabbit Hole. Show that there's some life in Storybrooke. The writers are simply out of touch with what the fandom wants, and when Eddy says things like, "It would be boring to see these characters at the DMV," he has no clue that we actually want to see that.

[Mari]

3 minutes ago, Rumsy4 said:

Well...there are Dark Hook/Hook/Emma threesome fics. Why not Regina/EQ/Emma?

Ha!   . . Not my thing, but at least it isn't EQ/Emma/Rumple.  

[Mari]

22 minutes ago, asabovesobelow said:

There actually are. Golden Queen. I honestly think I'd rather read about Regina and Archie getting it on than Regina and Rumple.

I'm not much of a smut reader, but given those choices would have to agree with you.  Also, does anyone else think that Golden Queen is not a pleasant sounding ship name?

[KingOfHearts]

8 minutes ago, Mari said:

I'm not much of a smut reader, but given those choices would have to agree with you.  Also, does anyone else think that Golden Queen is not a pleasant sounding ship name?

I had to look it up because it didn't sound right. According to the Internet, that's the best it's got. (Regal Gold sounds better, imo.)

[asabovesobelow]

39 minutes ago, Curio said:

Show Regina going on some blind dates and find the humor in it. Don't drag your feet and let Hook be a deputy already, and show David and Hook grabbing beers after work. If you're going to have Emma, Snow, and Regina be BFFs now, don't have them look all sad and depressed in Granny's booth, have them meet up with Ruby and Dorothy at the Rabbit Hole. Show that there's some life in Storybrooke. The writers are simply out of touch with what the fandom wants, and when Eddy says things like, "It would be boring to see these characters at the DMV," he has no clue that we actually want to see that.

This actually sounds great. I think there is a goldmine of stories to be told with storybook characters reacting to things in the real world. Sure, throw in the fights and supernatural stuff, but ground it around the ties they have to each other. 

One of the main reasons I couldn't stand Robin Hood (aside from SQ, of course) is that his character was solely there to be Regina's love interest. There was nothing about him that felt natural or integrated. He always felt like odd man out to me, and that's not fun. To your point, I didn't find anything to root for with his character at all.