All I've Ever Learned From Love
is a Once Upon a Time Fanfic in which Cora is the one to come through the wishing well and not Emma and Snow White changing the dynamics in Storybrooke.
Tropes:
- Adaptational Heroism: Peter Pan, who here is not The Sociopath who is plotting to steal a child's heart in order to obtain unlimited power. Here he truly believes he's helping people by forcebly bringing them to Neverland before the calous nobility harms them.
- Addictive Magic: Magic gives users a rush of power and a sense of invincibility.
- All Nations Are Superpowers:
- Deconstructed with Xavier's kingdom. Cora uses her magic to provide the kingdom with unlimited gold and while it makes the kingdom extremely powerful in short term, it strains its relationship with other kingdoms and an implied economic crisis, driven by agriculture, seemed to be bubbling before Cora's fall from power.
- Played straight with Stefan and Leah's kingdom, whom was self-suficient and thus were able to cut off trade from Xavier's kingdom without problems. Also when Leopold married Eva, he absorbed the Northern Kingdom and thus became the king of one of the largest nations in the Enchanted Forest.
- Alternate History: The point of divergence is the ending of Queen of Hearts episode where Cora is the one to come through the wishing well portal.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Played With. The royality is portrayed as petty and power-hungry and they seem more interested in taking over Storybrooke for power's sake than actually try to help the people.
- Played straight in that the fic shows the more negative connotatiosn of the Enchanted Forest's feudalism, such as the constant wars between kingdoms, the backstabbing and scheming in the royal courts, the use of Child Soldier.
- Armor-Piercing Question: In chapter 24, in midst of a "The Reason You Suck" Speech, Doctor Whale questions the legitimacy of Storybrooke royality to rule.Doctor Whale: What gives you the right to declare your authority and start imprisioning people? What gives you the right to do anything?Queen Leah: I am a queen. And it is my responsability...Doctor Whale: Not here. This isn't your land. This isn't any of our lands. This is the United States of America... and I'm sure we don't have royality.
- Author Tract: Discussed Trope
- Henry has based his entire view of the fairy tale world off of the book, and has become convinced from it that Regina was always the Evil Queen. He is then shocked learn of her own tragic past, and that she really was a good person once. He asks her why this wasn't included in the book, when every other villainous character was portrayed at least slightly sympathetically.Regina: The thing you have to realize, Henry, is that every author has an agenda. And most of the time, they want their point of view to be... obvious. They want the reader to agree with them, to see their heroes as heroes and their villains as villains.
Henry: But that only makes sense if the author is writing fiction and can just make up the story. These stories are histories. They're true. And, I mean... you are... a... a...
Regina: Villain? I'm not trying to justify everything I've done in the past. I know that some of the choices I made were wrong. But Henry... a good historian might not lie, per se, but the stories they choose to include still show their agenda. Maybe it is a subconscious decision, maybe they don't even realize they are doing it. But they are still only going to record events that they deem important -– and what they think is important is going to be a reflection of their own beliefs and prejudices. - The author manages to avoid doing this in the story itself however. Regina is well aware of the horrible things she has done, isn't very pleasant, and makes it clear she is working with the heroes to stop her mother, she doesn't care about any other challenges they are facing. The other characters aren't very fond of her, and no-one has yet commented that they misjudged/mistreated her.
- Henry has based his entire view of the fairy tale world off of the book, and has become convinced from it that Regina was always the Evil Queen. He is then shocked learn of her own tragic past, and that she really was a good person once. He asks her why this wasn't included in the book, when every other villainous character was portrayed at least slightly sympathetically.
- Black-and-White Insanity: Deconstructed with the Once Upon A Time book, which gives most villains (Rumpletiltskin, King George, even the ogres) a sympathetic description but utterly omits anything that could portray Regina as anything other than Always Chaotic Evil.
- Blood Knight: David, who very impuslive and eager to act especially when Mary Margaret is not around to counsel him.
- Both Sides Have a Point: Snow White claims that Ruby can't be held responsible for any actions done while transformed while King Stefen is corrected that no justice has been done to the victim of transformed werewolves.
- The Chessmaster: Deconstructed with Rumplestiltskin, whose centuries-long manipulations to ensure he would have perfect person, so broken and desperate, that would cast the Dark Curse necessary to bring him to the Land Without Magic horrifies nearly all characters when they find out and which leads to a disgusted Belle to leave him for good.
- The Cynic: Henry becomes this, to the point he acts bewildered when Regina suggests her plans might work.
- Deflector Shields: Regina raises a dome-shaped shield around her Big Fancy House that keeps everyone out except herself, Henry, Ruby Lucas and Widow Lucas.
- Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Regina as this reaction towards David after they learn that Rumplestiltskin manipulated Regina's life so she would become desperate enough to cast the Dark Curse.
- Engineered Public Confession: Rumplestiltskin makes a deal with Eva to grant her a truth potion (although she did not knew what the potion would actually do) to give to Cora. The young witch Motive Rant causes her downfall from power and triggers a family feud that would last all the way to Storybrooke.
- Fashion Dissonance: Emma is horrofied/amused at the Evil Queen's outrageous outfits when she stumbles upon Regina's castle.
- Fiery Redhead: Queen Leah, who is a redhead and one of the few people in Storybrooke willing to stand up against Regina.
- Flashback: To Cora's past. However the fic incorporates elements of canon (Eva tripping Cora, Cora learning magic and gaining the prince's hand due to King Xavier's greed) and expands it. After King Xavier dies, his son Francis becomes king and Cora continues to provide the kingdom with gold, ensuring that the nation quickly becomes the most powerful in the Enchanted Forest.
- Frameup: Cora frames Ruby for Moe French's murder.
- Functional Magic: Like in canon, there are many varieties of magic.
- Alchemy, which Regina uses to protect her house.
- Device magic in form of Magic Wand and Magic Mirror. The latter one is a speciality of Cora.
- Rules magic, because every world has its rules for magic. Played for Drama in that magic in Storybrooke is more raw and emotional and thus can result in Power Incontinence.
- The only constant is that magic always has a price.
- Grey-and-Grey Morality: The dominant ethics ethos in the fic, with a few exceptions such as Cora.
- Hostile Weather: Cora, using Magic Mirror, gathers all the wind of a single day and then releases in order to stop Hook, Mary Margaret and Emma from returning to Storybrooke. She succeeds in leaving Emma behind while Hoom and Mary Margaret return to the town.
- How Do I Shot Web?: Emma has initial problems harnessing her magic without outside help.
- In Spite of a Nail: Belle still loses her memory even though she broke off her relationship with Rumple
- Love Is a Weakness: Cora is a firm believer in this.
- Magic Mirror: Sidney is now free from his own wish in Storybrooke. However Regina calls upon his help in order to use his knowledge of mirror magic to track down Emma Swan, whom was stuck in the Enchanted Forest.
- The Woman Behind the Man: Cora, in Xavier's kingdom. With her ability to turn straw into gold, she made a previously bankrupt kingdom into a new powerhouse in the Enchanted Forest. To the point, during the coronation of Xavier's son, Francis and his wife Blanche, most guests only did the bare minimum courtesies and naturally gravitated towards Cora.
- Nothing Personal: Hook says this as he pushes Belle over the town line causing her memory loss.
- Older Than They Look: Anyone who stays too long on Neverland. However they will grow mentally, if not physically.
- Power at a Price: As in canon, magic comes with strings attached and sometimes the price for power is not worth it.
- Pragmatic Hero: David, who has no problem blackmailing Regina through Henry.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Doctor Frankenstein/Doctor Whale gives one to Leah/Storybrooke royality.Doctor Whale: Is that your motivation for all of this? Revenge? Mary Margaret abandons your daughter and so you arrange to have her thrown into jail? Is that all you are? Petty royals ruining lives to fight your petty fights?Stefan: They are not petty!Doctor Whale: Aren't they? It seems to me that you're engaged in an epic battle that is creating chaos and turning people against each other- and for what? Because your daughter was left behind? (looking at David) And yours, too? What about the rest of us? Do you think you are the only ones who were separated from your loved ones? Do you think you're the only ones who have suffered? What gives you the right to declare your authority and start imprisioning people? What gives you the right to do anything?
- Trapped in Another World: Your daughter gets stuck in another world which is devoid of all human life and is filled with ogres. This applies to both Snow White and Queen Leah.
- Wham Episode: Chapter 22 where Cora reveals that she framed Snow White for Daniel's death because she had long known about the stable boy's secret relationship with Regina.
- Wham Line: Nova informing about the Torches and Pitchforks crowd she accidently unleashed.Just a little while ago... someone burned down Stefan and Leah's house.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Cora leaves Hook stranded in the Enchanted Forest, and it backfires as he decides to help Emma and Snow White to get back to Storybrooke.
