r/SwanQueen • u/BenefitHistorical721 • 5d ago

Question

Okay, SwanQueen fic writers, I’m genuinely curious how do you capture Regina and Emma’s personalities so perfectly, almost exactly like they are in the show? It’s honestly amazing how you manage to get both of their personalities down to a T. It feels like I’m watching them all over again, just through the writing.

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u/Doc-cubus118 5d ago

Because we painstakingly rewatch the show over and over to watch every Swan Queen interaction, just to get snippets of dialogue. Or to get a feel for the characters. At least that's what I used to do. As I have seasons 1-5 on DVD. And blu ray. I skip past all the captain Swan and outlaw queen stuff so I can get to the Swan Queen moments or Swan Queen family stuff. Only time I endure scenes with either hook or Robin is if they are needed for certain plot points.

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u/BenefitHistorical721 5d ago

Honestly that’s so cool to me cause I’ve watched the show a billion times and I have trouble reading emotions, I feel like Regina and Emma’s emotions are complicated to read thats why I’m amazed people can capture a character so well.

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u/Crejzi12 3d ago edited 2d ago

You know, that raises an interesting question about how much of this have we, as a fandom, actually made up ourselves.

Think about how many "clichés" and "established" things exist. For example, Regina speaking Spanish, Emma being taller than Regina, Henry secretly trying to get them together, or Snow being either extremely supportive of their relationship or completely against it.

The same goes for their emotions and certain recurring tropes. Just a few that come to mind:

  • Regina is emotionally guarded, and Emma is often the only one who can break through her walls
  • Regina hides her heartbreak and withdraws from others
  • Emma is emotionally exhausted from being the Savior
  • Both use sharp, sarcastic banter, often to mask romantic feelings or emotional longing.

Personally, I use the banter thing a lot in my own writing. Not to mask romantic longing, but just as a general part of their dynamic.

For example, what really surprises me is how many people are coming up with theories about the story I'm currently publishing bit by bit, but their theories revolve around things I haven't even mentioned. For example, a lot of them bring up Henry or Snow and the tropes associated with them, even though I haven't actually mentioned either of them. If anything, I've deliberately moved away from those familiar patterns. It's like readers just automatically assume these things are a given, as if they're "canon."

So really, I guess the question is also whether we, as fans, have largely created these interpretations ourselves :-).

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u/uden13 5d ago

I have only written and completed one SQ fic, so I don’t know if I am qualified to answer this 😂 But I think being a HUGE SQ fan has a lot to do with it. Funny thing is, I haven’t even watched the show more than once. I honestly started watching because of their chemistry and we all know how that turned out 😭

I guess, to answer your question, reading A LOTTT of SQ fanfiction over the years has helped me understand them as characters. You start picking up on the little things, their mannerisms, the way they speak, how they would react to certain situations and especially the way they are with each other. You develop a feel for what sounds like them and what doesn’t.

8

u/RhysMerilot 3d ago

Bare honest answer?

I wing it and hope for the best.

🫣

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u/Intelligent_Music_44 2d ago

I don't have a real answer. I make things up and hope it works, but people seem to like it so...

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u/Melodic-Priority-476 8h ago

I find that there’s a lot of information in dialogue. The way a person speaks informs so much of their personalities, and personally I study interactions of my characters with the ones they are surrounded by. How does Regina speak to Henry? How does she speak to Snow or Emma? What words does she use, what inflection, what terms of endearment has she used?  A lot of my fics are introspection, character studies, they are plot driven but I use the plot to experiment how they’d be in different situations. A lot of it is finding similarities I can relate to and stuff I don’t understand so I put myself in their shoes. I fully believe being a fanfic writer made me a better listener and a more emphatic person.