History OnceUponATime / TropesUToZ

* YouSexyBeast: Despite (or because of?) his [[GlowingEyes weird eyes]], somewhat reptilian-like skin and manic quirks, Rumplestiltskin has his fair share of fangirls and fanfics. [[PowerIsSexy Possible]] [[EvilIsSexy explanations]] may include being portrayed by Creator/RobertCarlyle.

** [[RobinHood Maid Marian]] was often portrayed as a DamselInDistress in other works, but in this series, she tries to defend her comrades against a snow golem using a bow and arrow.

** The Season 3 finale is [[spoiler:an adaptation of ''Film/BackToTheFuture'', which is lampshaded by Emma, albeit only by referencing Marty [=McFly=], and ''before'' the event preventing her parents from meeting and falling in love happens]].

** In Hyperion Heights, Victoria Belfry also has this distinction, though her authority is much weaker since the good guys are active earlier and [[spoiler: she didn't cast the curse that created the town; her daughter did.]]

** HeroicNetural Emma was perfectly willing to leave her son Henry with his adoptive mother Regina ([[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs The Evil Queen]]), but Regina shows off her {{Genre Blind}}ness, her inability to simply keep her mouth shut, and this trope to convince Emma to stay by threatening to "destroy" her if she has designs on Henry. Emma ends up TheChosenOne that can break the curse that gave Regina her power in the first place.

** Emma was perfectly willing to leave her son Henry with his adoptive mother Regina ([[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs The Evil Queen]]), but Regina shows off her {{Genre Blind}}ness, her inability to simply keep her mouth shut, and this trope to convince Emma to stay by threatening to "destroy" her. Emma ends up TheChosenOne that can break the curse that gave Regina her power in the first place.
** Regina holds the ball several times during the first season. She believes Rumplestiltskin won't remember the deal he made with her to enact the curse, despite the fact that he ''created'' the curse so could easily make a loophole. She also attempts to frame Mary Margaret with his help, after he suggests something "tragic" should happen to Kathryn Nolan, and uses those ExactWords to simply have her disappear for a while than reappear at the last minute, and all the evidence leads to her.
** She holds it again in the penultimate episode and season finale, when she attempts to put [[TheChosenOne Emma]] under the sleeping curse and gloats about how she won. However, this backfires when Henry eats the turnover meant for Emma, and the chain of events results in the curse being broken. [[NiceJobFixingItVillain Say it with me]].

* YouALLShareMyStory: Many of the FairyTales overlap, or tie into one another. Snow White's arc ties into Little Red Riding Hood's. Hansel and Gretel are used by the Evil Queen to get the infamous apple. King Midas's daughter was set up with Prince Charming for an ArrangedMarriage, etc.

* YoyoPlotPoint: Rumple repeatedly redeeming himself [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor then going back to villainy]] becomes tedious as of season 5.

* WilliamTelling: [[Literature/PeterPan Peter]] pulls out an apple. Henry says he doesn't like apples. "[[Literature/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs It's a family thing.]]" Peter tells him that the apple's not for eating... it's for target practice.
* WinterRoyalLady: ''{{WesternAnimation/Frozen|2013}}'''s Elsa in sparkly ice-blue, plus Ingrid the Snow Queen in sparkly white.

* YourCheatingHeart:
** Emma's "date" in the pilot.
** In Episode 5, Emma hints that she had been involved with a married man.
** David's and Mary Margaret's affair from Episode 10 onward. It's complicated because in the Enchanted Forest, they ''are'' married, but in Storybrooke, they've forgotten and David ends up "married" to someone else.
** The Queen and the Genie (while the former is married to Snow White's father). The Genie solves this by [[MurderTheHypotenuse Murdering the Hypotenuse]]. [[spoiler:It turns out the Queen was never in love with him]].

* [[YoureNotMyFather You're Not My Mother]]:

* VillainsActHeroesReact: Filling in with FamilyUnfriendlyAesop; the heroes are, more often than not, totally ineffective. Even the villains, before they turned evil, were [[ButtMonkey having the universe dump on them]], and the "good" guys only "win" by taking the evil choice. But being the bad guy in this universe means you ''win'', even if the victory turns out hollow.

--->'''Rumpelstiltskin:''' You'll have to excuse me, [[spoiler: [[SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay please.]]]]

--->'''Emma:''' I wish you could see this the way I do.\\
'''Walsh:''' [[spoiler: And I wish you had never drank that potion]].

--->'''Gold:''' Why can't I crush your heart?\\

-->'''[[spoiler: August]]:''' [[spoiler: The Author was trapped inside the book.]]

-->'''Adoption Agent''': What are you going to name her?\\
'''Adoptive Parent:''' [[spoiler: Lily. We're going to name her Lily.]]

-->'''Rumpelstiltskin''': Oh, but I'm afraid it can...[[spoiler:''mother'']].

* UnscrupulousHero: [[Disney/{{Frozen}} Elsa]] once again has good intentions (in this case, she's looking for her sister Anna). However, she's perfectly willing to do anything to find her.

** Emma was perfectly willing to leave her son Henry with his adoptive mother Regina ([[Disney/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs The Evil Queen]]), but Regina shows off her {{Genre Blind}}ness, her inability to simply keep her mouth shut, and this trope to convince Emma to stay by threatening to "destroy" her. Emma ends up TheChosenOne that can break the curse that gave Regina her power in the first place.

** "There's No Place Like Home": [[spoiler:Emma and Hook succeed in re-orchestrating Snow and Charming's relationship, and they eventually return to the present, with a companion that Emma decided to save from Regina's castle, later revealed to be Maid Marian. Another object was unknowingly brought along to Storybrooke as well, a golden urn whose contents materialize into a woman: [[Disney/{{Frozen}} Elsa]]]].

** An urn brought from Rumplestiltskin's vault opens and releases [[spoiler: [[Disney/{{Frozen}} Elsa]]]] at the end of "There's No Place Like Home".
** Rumpelstiltskin opens the container in the mysterious house he and Belle find in "A Tale of Two Sisters". It contains [[spoiler: [[Disney/{{Fantasia}} Yen Sid's]] [[Franchise/KingdomHearts hat]].]].

* WinterRoyalLady: ''{{Disney/Frozen}}'''s Elsa in sparkly ice-blue, plus Ingrid the Snow Queen in sparkly white.

** Anna from ''{{Disney/Frozen}}'' also has been taught how to sword fight since she met Kristoff.

** Rumpelstiltskin opens the container in the mysterious house he and Belle find in "A Tale of Two Sisters". It contains [[spoiler: [[Disney/{{Fantasia}} Yen Sid's]] [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts hat]].]].

* TheVillainMakesThePlot: While heroes like Snow White and Charming are proactive in their own way, the entire plot would not be possible without the actions of villains.

* UncannyVillage: Storybrooke. In many ways, in fact, it resembles ''The'' Village from ''Series/ThePrisoner'' - an idyllic seaside community with a dark secret that residents cannot leave without dire consequences.

* WilliamTelling: [[PeterPan Peter]] pulls out an apple. Henry says he doesn't like apples. "[[Literature/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs It's a family thing.]]" Peter tells him that the apple's not for eating... it's for target practice.

** From "Poof Unfortunate Souls" which has two, one told to Gold's group and another to Henry, Emma, and Regina:

** [[HanselAndGretel Gretel]] is another mild example. While she doesn't do them much harm, she does attack the Queen's guards with a sling.

* YouSexyBeast: Despite (or because of?) his [[GlowingEyes weird eyes]], somewhat reptilian-like skin and manic quirks, Rumplestiltskin has his fair share of fangirls and fanfics. [[PowerIsSexy Possible]] [[EvilIsSexy explanations]] may include being portrayed by RobertCarlyle.

** "The Eighth Witch": [[spoiler: Lucy's in a coma and can't be wakened, both Tremaine and a depowered Drizella are imprisoned, and Gothel has Anastasia under her control and plans to use her to gather the Coven of Eight.]]

* UrbanFantasy: Storybrooke is this mixed with HeroicFantasy for the Enchanted Forest as well as many of the other lands except for [[spoiler:Dr. Frankenstein's]] world, which is counted as SteamPunk.