Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-27934866-20160817023544/@comment-24674051-20160817174630

I would agree that the premise is overthinking on steroids. But then again, we're all prone to that "Nasty Habit" on this board. XD

I think a simpler explanation is in order, though. Before Malcolm went to Neverland, it was simply a dream realm, it didn't "exist" as a realm in the same way that the EF or the LWM. the EF and LWM seem to run on normal time. The alternate realms (VE, 20's England, LWC) also seem to run on normal time, and just happen to be stuck with their particular setting. Neverland, though, did not experience time, until Malcolm.

When Neverland became a realm with the arrival of Malcolm, time began passing normally. It was simply a magical property of Neverland that those that inhabit the realm do not age with the passage of time. Which explains not only Malcolm/Pan, but also Hook and the Lost Boys (most of whom were probably the same ones that Pan 'recruited' in Hamelin).

As added proof, look at the time passage in SB and NL during 3A. The way that it was presented, the same amount of time that Snow and Co experienced in NL is what was experienced by Belle and co in SB. so it would seem that current NL is now on a 1:1 ratio as far as time passage is concerned.

Now, where my understanding falls a little flat is when Pan told Rumple that he could not see the future in a land where time stood still. But there could be another explantion for that as well.