response.js

{  
    version:0,
    id:26,
    value:"bah",
    name:"bahaha",
    links:[  
        {  
            rel:"self",
            href:"http://localhost:8078/api/twilio/steps/26{?projection}"
        }
    ],
    content:[  
        {  
            rel:"children",
            value:[  
                {  
                    name:"step2",
                    id:2,
                    version:0,
                    order:2,
                    links:[  
                        {  
                            rel:"self",
                            href:"http://localhost:8078/api/twilio/stepChildren/2{?projection}"
                        }
                    ]
                },
                {  
                    name:"step1",
                    id:1,
                    version:1,
                    order:1,
                    links:[  
                        {  
                            rel:"self",
                            href:"http://localhost:8078/api/twilio/stepChildren/1{?projection}"
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ],
            collectionValue:true,
            relTargetType:"com.zrware.twilio.domain.StepChild"
        }
    ]
}

So I may just be thinking of this wrong. Is the content where all embedded associations are persisted?

A) This definitely looks like the legacy format. I'm aware there are bugs in that format, but we have been investing most of our effort in HAL, which doesn't, for example, show two copies of "_links" at the same level, compared to an existing bug of this format showing two versions of "links", one empty, one with real links.
B) I'm not highly fluent in the legacy format, because I started working for @olivergierke after moving to HAL. I can't visualize the domain structure behind this.
C) What version are you using, and what is your customized configuration, because if you're using anything recent, it will default to HAL without plugging in overrides.