Board Thread:Character Discussion/@comment-24055959-20131015233446/@comment-5834856-20140409090804

TNOandXadric wrote: Does anyone else find the pixie dust/perfect match/predestined one true love thing really skeevy?

Because prior to now, even with the obvious OTL ships (Snowing, Rumbelle), there's been an effort on the part of the writers to create a backstory that explains why these characters love each other so all-consumingly. And then even with Daniel, the emotional connection he and young Regina have is real and tangible and their backstory is, if not shown, at least heavily implied.

But now we have "oh follow the magical trail of pixie dust and it will take you to your perfect match" combined with "because you didn't meet your perfect match, you ruined his life and yours," which, I don't know, it just seems icky to combine love and predestination so explicitly. It sort of removes the element of choice—there's this either/or dichotomy, where Regina goes into the tavern and meets Robin and they live happily ever after OR Regina runs away and is miserable and broken and angry for the rest of her life, plus Robin gets screwed over in this scenario too

and just, the idea that Robin's life was ruined by a person he never met, never had any kind of interaction with, and never even knew existed in anything but abstract "she's the queen" terms...

I mean I assume they're going to meet later in this season and there'll be some demonstration that they have superawesome chemistry and instant passion a la Snowing, except because of what happened in this episode it's always going to feel like "because pixie dust said so" and not "because they're compatible people," especially since Regina will see the tattoo and for the majority of their relationship, she's going to be thinking about how he's her pixie-dust-guaranteed perfect match. __

If I remember it correctly Charming had this ring his mother gave to him when he decided to leave the farmhouse and took Midas' offer. The ring is supposed to lead you to your true love (EP The Shepherd). It did so in a Price of Magic. Leading Charming to Snow White under a sleeping Curse. So that ring is a sort of gurantee of True Love, too.

True love follows this ring whereever it goes, my son. (106)

Snow stole it from him (Snow falls) After their adventure with the trolls Charming wanted to give this ring to Snow White, however she didn't want to have it then. But still, it reunited them in the Price of Magic. Henry's book says the Troll Bridge was where their love began

The only difference right now is that Regina already knows something (and has to try to be open to it) that Robin Hood still has to figure out. Charming and Snow had to figure it out together.

At some point both 'couples' had some magical help.