Somewhere, someone must know the ending
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | somewhere, someone must know the ending |
| Author(s): | maleficently |
| Date(s): | 25 September 2012 |
| Length: | 133'256 |
| Genre(s): | femslash |
| Fandom(s): | Once Upon a Time (TV series) |
| Relationship(s): | Emma Swan/Regina Mills |
| External Links: | Archive of Our Own |
 Fic Cover created by onebluesky | |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
somewhere, someone must know the ending is a Swan Queen story written by maleficently. It is considered to be one of the first AUs in the fandom.
Synopsis
- “I’m here because... I think my kid is having some kind of delusional breakdown because he can’t cope with the fact that ... Mayor Mills and I split up.”
- Dr. Hopper pushes his glasses up his nose in a measured movement. “What makes you think that?”
- “Well, among other things, he thinks his mother is about to cut Mary Margaret Blanchard’s heart out of her chest, before pulverizing it and sending her into a coma that only her true love can rescue her from.”
- [AU; here, 'fairy tale land' is merely a product of Henry's imagination during a difficult time.]
Reactions and Reviews
I’m kind of late to the party when it comes to this fic. It was recc’d to me by stormqueen who usually knows what she’s talking about, so I gave it a whirl. I couldn’t stop reading.Aside from the tight characterisation and utterly believable relationship between Emma and Regina, the writer manages to convey some very complex emotions with a steady, assured hand on the narrative. For me, structure goes hand in hand with sentiment, and I thoroughly enjoyed the combination of both in this fic so far.
Also, we view the relationship from Emma’s POV for the most part, and I have to admit to being jealous of just how well Maleficently writes her. She’s a wonderful version of Emma Swan, with just the right amounts of snark and anger and compassion all rolled into some great dialogue and wonderful insights into just who she is in the world the author’s created.
You really should go and read this. Now.[1]
A really realistic portrayal of how Regina and Emma could have gotten together if there had been no curse. It’s like a real life story, with all the pains, headaches and troubles of the real world. If you enjoy Amycarey’s work, you will probably like this one and vice versa, although this has far more angst.[2]
The author has managed to create a non-magical AU that fully incorporates Henry's belief that his mother is the 'Evil Queen' and his birth-mother 'The Saviour' without blurring the lines between the real world and fantasy. Henry's beliefs are treated far more appropriately in the story than they ever were on the show, and even though I still felt like slapping him a few times, I could understand why they didn't. The story is slightly unusual in that it begins with Regina and Emma already married, but on the verge of breaking up, and then begins the complicated job of rebuilding their relationship. The characterisation is wonderful and the friendships, as well as central romance, are handled with a deft touch that really makes you care about those characters (I now have a special soft spot for Kathryn Nolan). This is a long story, so be prepared to burn the midnight oil, because you won't be able to stop until it's finished. [3]
someone hold me i remember reading this while it came out and aching all over[4]
This is a wonderful, nuanced take on Once Upon A Time that plays with S1 canon to reimagine the show’s relationships in interesting ways—it’s just really lovely. OUAT is a fandom I love but a show I hate because the show took these fascinating, complex relationships and decided to do monster of the week instead (at least before I stopped watching). This fic is the antidote for that.[5]
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ Recommendations
- ^ "January 6, 2022 Tumblr post". Archived from the original on 2022-06-14.
- ^ "The Rec Center #59". Archived from the original on 2024-07-21.