#baelfire deserved better

[rumbelle-scream]

BAELFIRE DESERVED BETTER

You should've seen him. He overcame worlds.

[rumbelle-scream]

[SIGHS IN COMPLETE DISAPPOINTMENT]

Henry never had an actual dad. Emma never even had closure (even in the afterlife she still needed him.) Rumple couldn't even reconcile with his son.

Did Neal, who resurrected his father to go back to TLWM, ever reunite with his son and the woman he loves? No. <<Who did, however? Who the fuck did, in his place?>>

It's not like Baelfire is a character who despises magic and was tempted by it (in resurrecting Rumple) or anything. Not like that's the plot or any somesuch. It's not like Neal Cassidy is Baelfire who experienced what it's like to fight magic, and to live without it. It's not like he's comfortable with his cunning more than magic, or anything. It's definitely not like he taught Emma what a magic-escapist can do. It's not like he's the person who was Emma's most trusted until he betrayed her, and it's not like he didn't truly escape magic.

And it's not like that's his character arc, or that he and Emma are intertwined or whatever. It's not like we need a character arc, even. Just kill Neal off, put in Loverboy (because we won't actually deliver on that 'lOvE tRIanGLe'), then make it make sense. We need a cashgrab more than plot.

Ten years later, and I’m still upset that they killed Neal in ouat

[kaseyskat]

Okay if i was writing Once Upon A Time season three 3b you know what I would've done. I would've just killed Rumple LMAO! I think that Rumple's sacrifice at the end of s3a was pretty big and important and definitely more important than resolving a love triangle that didn't even need to BE a love triangle in the first place. You know what I would've done. I would've had Neal become the dark one in Rumple's stead. Like he and Belle still go to the vault but instead of resurrecting the previous dark one it turns Neal into the dark one instead. Zelena still gets the dagger, she's still going to use the dark one for her spell, but now it is Neal who has to learn how to handle what his father had gone through and fight to keep himself sane and not lose his character under the influence of dark magic and what Zelena is forcing him to do. It would've been fun!

Give Neal a platonic relationship with Emma, they can be besties who help raise Henry together it's fine. Let Belle be just as dedicated to helping free him because he's the last remnant of Rumple. It is so real in my head- Neal getting to develop relationships with the others, have a family that lasts longer than two seconds, be a secondary father to Henry while also putting him in his own father's shoes. There was so much potential for him to be given meaning outside of a love triangle with Emma and I wish the writers would've considered that

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Season 3 Rewatch Drabbles: 3x10 The New Neverland

(gif by just-be-magnificent.tumblr.com)

Summary:  A series of 100-500 word drabbles to accompany my    rewatch of season 3 of Once Upon a Time.  There will be a drabble–either a deleted scene, a “fix it” fic or a character musing for each episode of the season.  Focus will be on Emma, Henry, the Charmings and Killian–with an emphasis on Captain Swan’s epic love story.

Word Count: 736

Other Chapters: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) (21) (22) (23) (24) (25) (26) (27) (28)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Killian sat brooding on his bar stool at Granny’s diner nursing a mug of beer.  As he watched Emma converse with her lad, his heart sank.  He loved her, wanted her more than he’d wanted any woman in centuries.  He wanted to be with her, be the man she came home to at the end of the evening, the man she confided in, loved, gazed at adoringly, the man she allowed in her life and in her bed.

But more than anything, he wanted to see her happy.  They understood each other, that was true enough.  Though the circumstances couldn’t have been more different, their lives were similar in a heartbreaking way.  Like him, she’d seen too much pain, too much hurt, too much fighting just to survive.  He deserved the fate he had, but she didn’t.  She deserved everything, every happiness life had to offer.

Even if it wasn’t with him.

He’d had hopes when they were in Neverland that he could be a part of that happy future with her–especially after the earth-shattering kiss they’d shared.  He’d been quite serious about pursuing her, courting her, winning her heart honestly and with no trickery.

But it had all been a beautiful but unattainable dream–as odd as it was to have one of those on a land seemingly built on nightmares.

He’d seen that clearly as soon as the Roger had touched down upon the waters of Storybrooke and his passengers had disembarked.  He hadn’t expected a ceremony in his honor, effusive speeches of gratitude.  He hadn’t even really expected thanks, but he had hoped for…something.  Some acknowledgement, some camaraderie, some, any, sense of belonging in the group of triumphant heroes.

For a split second, he thought he’d get it.  The lady Snow had spoken of someone they needed to give credit, someone they needed to thank, and his heart had lept, thinking it was he of whom she spoke.

But he should have known better.  It was Regina who was the focus of her gratitude.

No, Killian could see it clearly at that moment.  Pan had been right.  He was, and would ever be in their eyes, nothing but a pirate, a villain, someone with whom they could make temporary alliances when the situation called for it, but someone to never truly trust or allow within their inner circle.

He couldn’t blame them, truly.  He’d spent centuries committing the vilest of acts in pursuit of his revenge.  There was far too much in his ledger that he could never wipe out.  Swan deserved someone worthy of her.  Henry deserved a better father figure.

Whether or not Neal fit the bill, he didn’t know.  Swan hadn’t given him details of how Baelfire had hurt her, but it was clear he had, deeply so.  Perhaps the wound would prove to be too deep to overcome, but Killian had to give the lad the opportunity to try.  He owed him that much at least.  He would not be the cause of another family breaking apart.

Maybe a miracle would happen.  Maybe in the end, Swan would choose him, but in the meantime, Killian knew what he had to do.  He had to back off for the sake of the boy–both the boy Baelfire had once been, the one Killian had betrayed, and Swan’s own lad.

Aye, perhaps a miracle would happen, but Killian didn’t trust to hope.  He’d long since lost the right to wish for miracles.

Note:  Grrr!  If there’s one thing (other than Neal just being…well…NEAL) that makes me crazy about 3x10, it’s the fact that the heroes just seem to dismiss Killian.  Look at what he did for them: He went back to Neverland, the place he’d spent centuries of the worst years of his life.  He chose to bury the hatchet and work with his sworn enemy.  He’d offered his ship and his services for as long as they needed them, and in exchange?  In exchange they took it all for granted, not even thanking him, barely even acknowledging his presence.  They’ll give Regina credit for the role she played in saving Henry, but they won’t even acknowledge the far greater role Killian played, and it just makes me both sad and angry for him.  Thus this fic.  We know Killian suffers from a good deal of self-loathing.  This is what I assume led to his decision to back off when it comes to Emma.

NEXT CHAPTER->

[tifadoesnotblog]

In my 2024 Baelfire/Neil Cassidy appreciation era

Neal explaining his family tree (probably):

Yeah well there’s my evil grandfather, Peter Pan… also my evil grandmother, the black fairy… then there’s my dad, the Dark One… oh yeah, my brother, the savior slayer…

…Belle’s okay, though. (Shrug)

[exhaustedpirate]

the most dangerous thing is to love

i listened to "achilles, come down" and i had thoughts so enjoy my take on "swan song" from killian's angsty pov! the banner was made by me (and how happy i am to finally use it)!

rated T | 1341 words

also on AO3

summary: The Darkness whispers in Killian's ears and he lets it, lets it play him like a puppet so he can get his revenge. But what if the strings are cut? Will he let it manipulate him until his worst nightmare comes true? Until he destroys his happy ending?

“What kind of man are you going to be?”

The man who takes his revenge, who finally avenges the death of his love, the loss of his hand. Who will bring the Dark Ones to life. Who will kill Rumplestilskin once and for all.

They all stand there by the lake. Awaiting their fate, pulled from their lives to be led to their death. The crocodile’s despondent presence makes the Darkness shriek in glee, a shiver of excitement running up his spine. There’s defeat in the eyes of everyone else, a hint of bravery still, unwilling to show weakness in their last moments. 

Brown eyes catch his attention. The eyes of a young boy, desperately begging for his attention, for his mercy. They reflect the brown eyes of the young boy who had delightedly been taught to sail in the Neverland waters, who had made him think having a home was possible.

Until he pushed you away. Until he rejected you and you sent him away.

“Mom! Dad! Henry!”

There is a tight hug full of tears. Tears he put there. She will be alone. She’s always been alone.

“It’s okay.”

It’s not okay. 

She did this to you. This is her punishment. She ignored your wishes. She must pay.

She must pay.

“So, you have to ask yourself the same question you did that night,” Regina’s voice cuts through the cacophony in his head and he feels her eyes on them. “What kind of man do you want to be?”

He craved to belong. He craved a family. For so long, all he wanted was to be a part of something. 

He’d had it with his brother, as a part of the Navy. He was a means to a greater cause, to a power bigger than himself. He was worthy, he was good. And he’d lost it, Liam dying in his arms, struggling to take his last breath, unheeding his pleas to stay, not to leave him. And yet, he did.

He’d had it with his first love. He’d craved the promise of a future where they would sail the seven seas and where they might bring her young boy aboard. And he’d lost it too, Milah dying in his arms, her last words, ones of love. He’d begged for it to stop, for her not to leave. And yet, she did.

He’d had it with the young boy who’d fallen from the skies. Baelfire with his big brown eyes who also wanted to belong, who also wanted a family. They would have belonged together, like she had wanted. And he’d lost it too, watching Bae’s eyes fill with anger and disappointment as the boy rejected his pleas. And this time, Killian destroyed it.

He’d wanted it with the father who’d abandoned him, saw the second chance at a family. After his revenge, he could find his father again, and belong again. It would include a boy, a boy who would have a better life than he did. A boy with the same scared brown eyes as the one in front of him now. Liam. And then the better life he would have wasn’t enough. And he’d lost it. Brennan pleaded with him, begged him. And yet, he didn’t. This time, Killian destroyed it.

Be done with this now, “It’s time.”

“No,” She is fierce, the fire in her eyes enticing him as it always did. “You’re not taking the people I love!”

She’s not looking at him. Her anger isn’t aimed at him. 

But it is. You are the Dark One.

Nimue holds out her hand and it’s as if it curls tight around Emma’s throat. “I might not be able to kill you, but I can stop you from interfering.”

Her gasping sounds fill the space, in tune with the Darkness’ laughter. She’s looking at him now.

Her eyes plead with him, still so full of love.

Love you don’t deserve. Love that she only reciprocates for your mercy.

She can’t die. 

He looks towards Rumplestilskin. His revenge is so close, so close he can almost grasp it. His hand flexes on the sword in his grip. He catches those big brown eyes instead, he is scared. 

He is scaring him. He is causing him pain.

She can’t die.

She can’t die. But she can suffer.

She will suffer. She has to suffer.

Her eyes.

She’d looked at him with love, when he found her in the woods after exiting the vault. She’d kissed him, she’d brought the light and snuffed out the darkness. She’d loved him. She’d descended into the darkness for him.

She turned you into the one thing you hated. She trapped you, she was selfish.

She’d held him, she’d kissed him. She was willing to risk her downfall to keep him alive. She believed in him, she believed they could fight the darkness together.

She’s not worth it, Hook, she’s not worth your love.

She believed in him. She still does. He can see it. Her belief, her hope, her love. 

She loves him. She trusts him.

Forget her, you’re so close to your revenge.

He was more than his revenge. She showed him that. She gave him the chance to be a hero.

“What kind of man are you going to be?”

The man who is a part of something. The man who gave up his ship for a woman. The man who can still be a hero. Who can still die a hero.

The man who will die for love. For a family he wished to belong to.

“You can’t stop us.” 

The Darkness shrieks in panic, in fear, in anger. Visions of Rumplestilskin’s death in various ways, a siren song failing to lure him back. Not when her love sings to him in a melodic tune, when her bravery and hope lures him into the light.

Silence settles in his head as the Dark Ones cease to exist. A sigh of relief halts in his throat. His body burns as he holds onto the sword with so much dark magic embedded in steel.

“Killian,” Her eyes are wide, she’s shocked, scared. She knows. “You can’t do this.”

But he can. It’s the only way, and he tells her so. He watches the tears fall down her cheeks and all he wants is to see her smile again. That smile she had sent his way, dressed in white, straight from his dreams. Or the hopeful, and dare he say lustful, smile he tasted in his lips when they’d kissed, her outfit black but her heart so bright. He hasn’t seen her smile in so long. 

“I don’t want to lose you.”

He won’t have her smile, her kiss, her touch, her love, her light. He won’t have her. Not if he goes through with his plan. 

“Let me die a hero.” 

But she won’t be alone. She’ll have her family, her son. His death means her freedom, her future. And he won’t cause her more pain.

Her touch is a balm to his wounds, fleeting as it may be. It’s the warmth of her love, of family, of a future.

“I love you.” And it sounds like her. But this time he can say it back.

Her eyes. They plead with him, beg him to stay, to be by her side. And yet, she knows he can’t.

“It’s okay.”

It’s not okay.

The sword runs through him, the pain leaving him gasping. And yet, he feels relief, he feels liberated. He holds her face, wanting to feel her warmth, her love again. Her tears stain her after and he wants to tell her not to cry, to give him one of her smiles, those he loves so much.

He wishes he could stay a moment longer. Wishes he could kiss her one more time. Wishes he could see one more smile. Wishes he could hear her laugh one more time. Just once more. 

But there’s no time. As his vision darkens on her mournful face, his only regret is to leave her.

[his-lost-one]

i have to rant abt ouat wendy again bc her life makes me SO SAD

like she is the antithesis to that whole message in ouat of “good always wins” or like “the heroes get happy endings” and stuff like

and like yes you can argue that she got a happy end at the end when she got out of neverland and reunited with her brothers but idk. her fate is so horrifying to me anyway

because like she always did her fucking best, like she took in baelfire just out of the kindness of her heart and she ended up captured by pan JUST because she wanted to save bae. she did the right things and yet she got punished so horribly for it.

like just what she went through in neverland is already bad enough- i mean, being in a cage for 200 years??? that’s doing irreparable damage no matter how you put it- and maybe she was let out sometimes, i don’t know, but it doesn’t seem like she was bc when pan let her out that one time in the show she immediately asked if she’s free now- that implies (imo) that it’s very unusual for him to let her out at all in canon.

that’s horrifying tbh. like i can’t imagine how she could live a normal life again after that- i mean ig it’d be possible with a lot of therapy and support and stuff but holy shit.

also this reminds me of this thing called ‘white room torture’- obviously she was not locked in a white room, but the effect of longterm sensory deprivation would probably still be a big problem- i mean, it can already impact people’s mental health if they just don’t deviate from their day to day routine for too long, compare that to being locked in the same tiny cage where she could barely even move and it gets depressing. literally.

but even if we ignore all that- the time she spent in neverland is just cruel too. i mean, she got taken out of her life that she did seem to like actually and she never got to go back. everyone she’s ever known before neverland (other than bae and her brothers) died without ever knowing what happened to her/why she disappeared. and since she was in neverland all that time, she didn’t even know when that happened. like time on neverland in relation to other realms is very confusing and since there seemingly isnt even a clear day and night cycle, she wouldn’t really have had any way to consistently keep track of time. i imagine eventually she just couldn’t have known if anyone she used to know is still alive. has she been there for a few years? a few decades? who knows. probably not her.

i doubt pan would’ve told her hskdbdkcndk

anyway

horrifying fate. horrible. she deserves SO MUCH better. she literally never did anything wrong at all other than lying like 2 times because she was intimidated by pan 😭🫶

[im-up-to-shenanigans]

tumblr really is getting me in my hookfire feels today. just made a (slightly incoherent) post about this very thing a couple hours ago only to find this on my dash?????

and like... everyone in the tags are so right but kazzy is literally killing me dead. she put into words things i have thought for YEARS

guys go read her tags (they are everything)

i'm crying rn

[martianbugsbunny]

Martian’s Masterlist!

Figured it was about time I collected all of my fics into one area, will ofc be updating it as I write more. It’s sorted by ship, including wherefrom they originate, with a brief description of what type (one-shot, chapter fic, same-universe if I’m feeling saucy) and a short summary of what happens. V proud of myself for figuring out how to link these tbh, but if any of the links isn’t working for the love of Pete please let me know. Fics with more than one chapter will be linked to the first chapter because...logic.

For the tags, I have chosen to only use the ship names, not __ x __ format, for the sake of trying to keep the tags somewhat in hand. I have, however, tried to use what I’m aware of being the most popular/common names for ships, as well as the alternate ones I’ve seen for more niche stuff. Also tagged are the shipped characters. If I add new ships, I'll have to reblog bc of the tag limit.

*Hands you the rabbit hole* Have fun going down!

CaptainCroc/GoldenHook (Rumplestiltskin x Killian Jones {Once Upon A Time}):

Is This Love Persevering? (It Feels More Like The End of the World): One-shot. Established CaptainCroc mourning the loss of Baelfire. Canon-divergent for the sake of Rumple actually getting to attend his son’s funeral.

Who Makes You See Color: Chapter fic, 14 total. CaptainCroc soulmates AU where one person sees color earlier than the other. Extends from pre-Dark One era to the First Curse being broken.

The Truth Echoes Darkly: Short series; part 1 for The Truth Echoes Darkly. Echo Caves AU where instead of Emma, Hook confesses that he loves Rumple for maximum awkward.

The Echo Goes On: Short series; part 2 for The Truth Echoes Darkly. Back in Storybrooke, Rumple finds himself obsessed with Hook and realizes that he’s fallen in love as well.

My North Star: One-shot. Established CaptainCroc vow renewal, featuring Hook’s inner thoughts about how much he loves Rumple.

Better Than Blood: One-shot. Pretty racy, but the point is thinking about the poeticism of having sex with your ex-nemesis.

Cherik (Charles Xavier x Erik Lehnsherr {X-Men Movies}):

Sweetheart Will You Sleep With Me: One-shot. The night before they fight Shaw, Charles and Erik make the most of the little time they know they have left together and sleep in Charles’ room. Fluff, don’t get too excited by the title lol.

Baby While You’re At It: One-shot. Based on a Jessie Murph song. Angst with a happy ending. Charles is furious when Erik crashes a party at the school, so they have it out in the kitchen and get more-or-less back together by the end.

Espionage Husbands (Talos x Nick Fury {Captain Marvel/Secret Invasion}):

Locked In This Embrace: One-shot. Focuses on the forehead-touching scene from Episode 1, plus an original scene or two afterwards. Mostly Talos pining for Nick with a happy ending.

If You Are Gilgamesh And Did These Things: One-shot. Angst without a happy ending because the author was very upset and sad when Talos died. Nick is grieving Talos; Sonya isn’t helping.

Frankenwolf (Ruby Lucas x Victor Frankenstein {Once Upon A Time}):

Den of Blankets: One-shot. Ruby’s wolf instincts kick in during pregnancy and she builds a blanket-fort den. V fluff.

She Deserves To Have Your Name: One-shot (possibly same-universe as Den of Blankets). Victor has doubts about whether or not their child should have the name Frankenstein, but Ruby wouldn’t hear of anything else.

It’s Just A Dream: One-shot. Ruby has a nightmare spawned from her fears of being a bad parent; Victor comforts her.

As The Storm Blows Through: One-shot. Victor has anxiety during a storm because of what happened with Gerhardt, and Ruby comforts him.

Secret Admirers Are For The Subtle: One-shot. Victor anonymously sends Ruby flowers at the diner so he can drop by, “notice” them, and stick around to sketch them, all so he can spend time with Ruby. She’s on to him the entire time.

Blue Skies Smiling At Me: One-shot. Utterly fluffy beach fic. Ruby is having a good day relaxing with her friends, and it only gets better when her handsome husband joins them.

Frankenberry And The Fruit Brute: One-shot. Fun little Halloween fic where Ruby and Victor discover the General Mills cereals that match their fairytale identities.

Precursor To A Love Song: One-shot. Hyperion Heights AU where Ruby and Victor meet and feel an instant connection, even though they don’t know why. She’s a fashion designer and he’s a piano player/freelance artist. Potential springboard for a full chapter fic if I feel like it.

HatterHare (Mad Hatter x March Hare {Adventures In Wonderland}):

The First Kiss: One-shot. Just a fluffy lil idea about what their first kiss might’ve been like.

Every Bit Of You: One-shot. Projection’n’stuff about food issues basically.

Kalluzeb (Garazeb Orrelios x Alexsandr Kallus {Star Wars Rebels}):

Don’t You Know It’s Because He Loves You?: One-shot. Kallus discovers that Zeb is in love with him via a Lasat Honor Guard tradition.

To Convince You That I Love You: Chapter fic. Kallus does risky things to prove he would do anything for love of Zeb, or that he’s worthy of him, and ends up getting hurt. Angst with a happy ending, hurt/comfort.

Lokius (Loki x Mobius {Loki}):

The Man Of My Dreams And He’s Just Out Of Reach: One-shot (with a very long name lol). Mobius stands there across the street from Don’s house and misses Loki. Author was having some Feelings™.

Outlaw Queen (Regina Mills x Robin Hood {Once Upon A Time}):

A Slice Of Life: One-shot. Regina spends the day with her boys and thinks about how awesome it is to have them. V fluffy because the OQ family didn’t get enough of that.

Paxe/AxePaz (Paz Vizsla x Axe Woves {The Mandalorian}):

We Are Mandalorians: Our Love Must Be Forged: Chapter fic, 11 total. Axe and Paz slowly fall in love as they engage in the battle to retake Mandalore, more or less a fix-it for Paz dying in S3 canon.

PloKit (Plo Koon x Kit Fisto {Star Wars: the Clone Wars}):

Reader, Plo Married Him: One-shot. Plo and Kit share some quiet time just after their wedding.

The Tender Daily Ritual: One-shot. Basically just fluff; Kit helps Plo with lotioning his skin because it dries out in oxygen atmospheres.

Scogan (Scott Summers x Logan Howlett {X-Men Movies}):

Torn Between Love And Fear: One-shot. Scott wants to stay after sex and sleep in Logan’s room, but Logan is terrified of hurting him during a nightmare. Angst with a happy (and sort of spicy) ending.

You Scratch My Back, I’ll Scratch Yours: One-shot. Logan and Scott discover they have a mutual pain kink and indulge in it together for the first time. Incredibly spicy, I'm so proud of myself.

Spones (Spock x Dr. McCoy {Star Trek TOS}):

I Could Drink A Case Of You (I Would Still Be On My Feet): One-shot. Based on a Joni Mitchell song; angsty with a happy ending.

[treatian]

The Chronicles of the Dark One: Domestic Battles

Chapter 9: The Hard Choice

He planned to make dancing a new pastime for them both. Just as he planned to make surprising her with feasts a new pastime they'd share. Just as he planned on making their lives something they'd share.

It was a perfect day. And she didn't even know half of it. Resisting the urge to go to the shop, the talk with Baelfire, giving the dagger back, all were things that she'd never know, or he at least hoped she wouldn't discover for quite some time. So far as she knew, the day consisted of this. Time together. Alone. They'd had a lazy morning, danced the afternoon away, then searched out a bedroom to set up shop in, and, when she'd disappeared into the bathroom, he'd left her to steal some of the food he'd gotten for the cabin cooked into a feast which he served with side by side place settings in the dining room so they could look out the windows as the sun went down. The look on her face when she discovered what he'd done made it all worth it. They didn't hardly need to say anything as they ate, they just enjoyed the peace and quiet that came from one another's company…company they'd enjoy for the rest of their lives.

"We should go to bed," she suggested once the sun had gone down and her head lay already on his shoulder. "It's getting late, and it's been a long day."

It had been a long day. But at least it had been a day. The day they'd dreamed about and truly deserved.

Belle commented about slipping into something more comfortable, and he was up and out of his seat like a rocket, unable to resist a temptation like that. They left their dishes where they were and climbed the stairs back up to the bedroom they'd chosen, which was just as clean and impersonal as the rest of the house—with the exception, of course, of what he suspected might be downstairs, which he had yet to investigate.

Belle was changing in the bathroom. He'd started the process but stopped when he saw that Belle had taken the dagger out of her bag and set it aside. The Dark Ones whispered possibilities into his head as he stared at it; they shared hopes of a life made free from that dagger, free from fear. If the object downstairs was what he thought it was, then there was a possibility that it would be his ticket to making that dagger wrapped in a scarf just a simple dagger, a fragment of a once great sword that bore his true name. It would still be useful for summoning other Dark Ones if he wished to converse with their memories, but otherwise, it would be scrap metal. What a life he might make with such a limitless power.

But Belle…she'd love nothing more than to see him free. But the power it might take if the cylinder was what he thought it was, the cost of that particular gift…she wouldn't see it as worth it. She'd want him to find another way without understanding that just because one wanted another way didn't mean that another way necessarily existed. He'd been wanting a solution to the problem Merlin had bound him to for hundreds of years, every Dark One wanted that too, if another solution existed, they'd never found it. There was only one. And the cost was significant, but for a Dark One it was but a drop in the bucket of sins.

Behind him, Belle cleared her throat, and the bathroom door closed less gracefully. These thoughts were better explored later. Once, she was asleep. Though the idea of doing something like this as she slept…that wasn't quite the fresh start he'd imagined for them.

"I think today was one of the best days of my life…"

Finally, he glanced over his shoulder at her and realized that she was in a lovely nightgown that provided him with an ample view of cleavage, even as she lay under the blankets. But her eyes…they were heavy, not with desire but rather with sleep. For as much time as they'd spent in bed in the last twenty-four hours, he supposed not much of it had been time spent sleeping. It was their honeymoon, after all.

He completed the scene by lighting a fire in the grate behind her. The quick flicker of his gaze must not have given her enough warning because she immediately jumped at the action before putting two and two together and calming.

"Good thinking. It was getting chilly," she commented, playing it off too easily.

"Well, we can't have that," he muttered, rolling his body so that he could lay on his side beside her, staring into her tired eyes. He wasn't ready for bed quite yet, but he knew it wouldn't matter. As far as sex went, there would be plenty in their lives. And as far as he went, after she went to sleep, he had something he wanted to retrieve, something that might change their lives, but something he was sure she'd hate if she knew about it.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, looking him over.

"No," he lied. "No, that's impossible right now."

"We finally got our one day," she smiled.

"Indeed we did," he agreed, moving his hand to her face and running a thumb over her cheek. "And we used it well."

Her small, sleepy smile suddenly grew into a wide grin. "We broke into a stranger's house for our honeymoon."

Her joy was almost childlike, and it was contagious. He would never have thought her capable of doing such a thing, yet here they were in a home he was confident was lived in by no one.

"It's not breaking in if it's unlocked and abandoned. And if breaking into an unclaimed, unlocked house is the worst thing we've done in our time together, then I think we're doing all right."

She laughed at his comment as a far more sinister laugh purred in his head.

And yet you are thinking of doing much worse already, are you not, Rumpelstiltskin?

Fucking Nimue and her fucking-

"We needed this," Belle muttered with laughter still in her tone as she settled.

"Marriage?"

"That too," she smirked.

The day, then. For as much as they'd needed marriage, they'd needed a day together. Not to be Belle the librarian and his love in the same day. Not to be the Dark One and a Pawnbroker, and a rent collector, and her Rumple in the same hour. But just to be this. Belle and Rumpelstiltskin. Mr. and Mrs. Gold…fuck, that was growing on him all too easily.

"Yes," he agreed with a nod. "We needed this as well as that."

She was beginning to drift. He wasn't even in bed, and he could already see that her eyes were beginning to drift shut, sleep threatening to claim her. And somewhere downstairs, that cylinder sat, tempting and calling. Calling him to it and away from her, away from her in so many ways.

It would be so easy just to let her fall asleep, to get up and give in to the murmurings in his head, the instructions. It would be good for him, they suggested.

"Hell, it would be good for you…both of you!" Zoso suggested, suddenly standing at the corner of the fireplace. "She doesn't like carrying that dagger any more than you like letting her carry it."

But the cost. She'd never agree to-

"Perhaps it's time to learn that old adage that men have learned in their married lives since the beginning of time. 'What the missus doesn't know, won't hurt her. Happy wife…happy life.'"

But he'd know. He'd have to deceive her and then eventually confess. And he'd just made a promise to Baelfire-

"Belle…" her body twitched as he called out to her, and she startled back to awareness. Her eyes were still tired, but she looked at him with curiosity. "Belle, will you do me a favor?" he begged, ignoring Zoso's presence over her shoulder.

"Of course."

"Tell me about him…about my son." That would help. Hearing about Baelfire, about the man he was, would help remind him about the vows he'd taken and committed himself to.

But he could hear the hitch in Belle's breath at the question, the pain and panic that flooded her eyes as he asked. It was raw for her. Whatever their relationship had been, the pain of losing him was fierce; he could see that now. Was it greater than his own?

"He was a good man, Rumple," she answered in a quiet voice. "He loved his family. Henry and Emma, me and you. He…he didn't like to admit, but he did love you. And he was like you, in a lot of ways-"

"How?" he interrupted. "How was he like me?"

Perhaps that was the secret. If Bae could be like him, then maybe he could find a way to be like Bae. Belle wouldn't like the cost of what he was considering. Perhaps he could find the strength to resist. He'd get through the morning, then maybe send Dove up here to retrieve it and hide it, bury it somewhere he didn't know. He could give the boy a memory potion so that he couldn't recover the information so that it would be lost, and he'd never be tempted again-

"He was protective," Belle answered with a smirk. "Too protective sometimes. He liked his solitude, liked to stick to himself, and didn't give his trust away easily. He was responsible and didn't take any responsibility lightly. He cared for me when he didn't have to, when we had no link, and I shouldn't have been his concern. He loved his family. He loved his family so much he was willing to do anything to see them again. And that made him brave and fearless, and sometimes…sometimes that wasn't always a good thing."

Protective, private, responsible, distrusting, brave, fearless, loving…

"There are things I recognize, things I remember, but…" Thinking back on the image of Bae as a teenager that he'd carried with him for so long. Loving, responsible, and brave, those words all fit the boy he'd known. But the others, the parts he recognized that were more like him, protective, private, distrusting…he recognized them in adult Neal, but sometimes they still didn't feel like they belonged to the same person. "It's like he's two people. The son I lost isn't the one you knew…"

"He grew up, Rumple. He changed from what you knew then, but he told me enough to know…he was still your son, still Baelfire, just…just different…older." More damaged. Damaged as he had been damaged. As most people he touched were damaged because of this curse.

"You should be proud of him," Belle insisted. "Of all that he is, because he'd be proud of you and all that you are now! He'd be happy about this!" She reached for his hand and ran her finger over the ring that now adorned his left hand. "He'd be very happy about all of it."

Shed told him that earlier. More than once now. Neal would be happy he had a family, happy he'd married Belle because Baelfire was a man who also loved his family. And would do anything for them…even if it wasn't always a good thing.

He put his free hand on her cheek, then moved closer to her so that he could share her pillow and press his forehead to hers as she fell asleep.

He was about to do something he shouldn't, something that he was positive Belle wouldn't ever call "good." And for that reason, he was about to go back on his promise and keep it secret from her. But maybe that only made him more like Bae than he thought he was. This wasn't just for him it was for his family. It was a hard choice to do the right thing in the end.

He hoped…

[sassyandclassy94]

I see you like Baelfire...let's talk about it🥰❤️(if you want to). I love Bae, I'm rewatching Once rn!!

Oh no, I don’t LIKE Baelfire… I LOVE Baelfire!!!!!

He deserved so much better than what the writers gave him

[swanfireprincessmydear]

Posting this again because it’s almost TEN YEARS and I’m still IN PHYSICAL PAIN over the loss

[lenific]

OUAT. Rumbelle + Baelfire. Impossible Things

@lotus0kid

Hello! It’s Santa finally arriving with her calendar made a mess, but hey. The story is here!

A bit of intro to this one with three questions: What if Rumpelstiltskin didn’t offer Belle a way out before she realized she was in love? What if, together, they thought of the realms that were available to search for Bae, and rescued him from Neverland? What if it was too late to change Regina’s mind? IMPOSSIBLE THINGS (for @rumbellesecretsanta)

In the Enchanted Forest

The light steps outside made him snap his eyes open. He had gotten used to the heavy thread of armed guards, whenever they decided he needed to be fed.

These steps, Rumpelstiltskin had learned after years together.

“Belle,” he whispered, even as he slipped out of the dark corner at the back of his cell, careful not to touch the spelled bars. After his second attempt to escape, Blue had finally landed on a spell capable of containing him.

It would fade eventually.

It would be too late.

“Darling, I told you not to come.”

Belle smiled back.

His first sight of her in weeks, and she was smiling. He really didn’t deserve her.

“Did you, really?” she said as she came close. “Your meaning must have gotten lost among the yelling.”

Had they been at home, he would already have made some huge gesture to get back in her good graces. Baelfire would either giggle or roll his eyes, depending on how silly it was, and Belle would laugh and forgive him.

Here, he gave a small shrug. “I’m sorry, Belle.”

“I know.” She stood before him, her hands against the invisible barrier. “What do we do now?”

That was easy.

The die had been cast from the moment Regina guessed at the last ingredient for the Dark Curse. And despite Blue’s suspicions, she had guessed. Because even though that smug fairy was right, and Rumpelstiltskin could have made a deal in exchange for a clue, he hadn’t.

Punishment enough to doubt his choice, and then doubt again.

He reminded himself that there was no choice. Not really. He had once chosen the easy path, and it had led him to lose his son.

Never again.

 Where Belle would one day understand why he had needed to break her trust in order to keep his family safe, he couldn’t gamble on Bae’s willingness to forgive him again.

“We wait,” he said quietly.

Belle swallowed, blinking the fear away. Brave woman, his Belle. “Regina might not—”

She broke herself off at his headshake.

“Don’t kid yourself, sweetheart.”

Belle couldn’t think of anyone harming their family. She still loved her own father, despite everything. She would protect Maurice even though the man wouldn’t as much as open one of her letters. 

To kill a father who had followed their child down the darkest paths?

No, Belle would never understand.

Even the Charmings, who knew intimately the depths Regina would go to, had decided to be optimistic. Bright-eyed and confident that love was the ultimate power, they couldn’t believe that even the Evil Queen would kill the last person who loved her.

Rumpelstilskin knew better.

Curses were meant to be cast.

Henry could be spirited away, tucked behind as many barriers as the fairies could hold, but Regina needed a happy ending more than a father’s love.

When the moment came, the old man would open up his own chest, if it made his little girl smile.

Fathers were foolish like that.

“We will be alright,” he reminded Belle, faking a smile. “It won’t be forever.”

Belle’s own smile said she was trying to believe him. She searched her pocket, bringing out the small talisman he had given her. “And we will be together.” She clutched the teacup to her chest. “I’m not letting go of this, so we will be together.”

Not even his power could twine more than two fates together. Bae and Belle were as safe as he could make them.

How Regina’s curse would entangle him was a worry for when the Savior arrived.

“Of course, sweetheart,” he lied.

He refused to place another burden on her, when it was all so hopeless. After the Savior had done her work, after he admitted that there had never been a choice, Belle would forgive him.

“In the meanwhile, you are coming back with us,” Belle told him, tucking the teacup out of sight, and bringing up a book instead. He let out an impressed whistle when he recognized the title.

“I thought there was only one copy.”

Blue had bragged about that, as she cast the barrier over his cell.

Belle’s eyes danced with mischief. “There is.”

Rumpelstiltskin laughed, wishing he could kiss her smile. “I trust you, love.”

Belle blushed. “I will find the counterspell,” she promised. “Then you’re coming home with us.”

As Regina was taking her time finding her father, Rumpelstiltskin let himself hope. Waiting out the Dark Curse in his castle would be infinitely better. “I’d love that.”

---

When the curse swept into the dungeons three weeks later, Rumpelstiltskin refused to be afraid.

Baelfire was safe with Belle.

Anything else, he could survive.

28 years later.

Over the threshold of the sheriff’s office, freedom started with a panicked gulp.

Lacey tugged at his arm, her usual determination overshadowed by dread. “Why tonight?” she muttered, visibly shaken. “Of all nights for this shit to happen….”

His first thought was to reassure her, but practicality dragged him forward. Away from trouble and toward - 

“Papa!”

After so many weeks apart, Gold felt the world realign. “Neal,” he breathed.

Why was his boy behind the wheel?

Lacey noticed at the same time. “Forget about it, shrimp. Backseat, now.”

Neal stuck his tongue out, but he squeezed between the front seats and waved at them from his new position.

Gold forgot the chaos of the moment, and let himself laugh. He walked faster to the car despite the dubious balance of the cane Lacey had just brought for him.

Beside him, she kept glancing around them, her smile nervous.

Despite the situation, Gold only had eyes for the fifteen-year-old in the car.

“I found him at my doorstep,” Lacey said, following his line of sight. “I know you wanted to keep him safe to the last minute, but when has the kid ever listened to you?” Her voice was less peeved than she probably meant. She wasn’t one to follow instructions either. “He said the nuns won’t check until morning, and after so many times he’s snuck out, I’m hoping they haven’t decided to wise up tonight. I wouldn’t count on Astrid giving me the heads-up. Not for this.”

Gold grunted. That Lacey had found a nun willing to give him the benefit of the doubt was miracle enough.

She must have taken the sound as a complaint, because she scowled back. “I told him to stay put. I swear I did.”

His boy could out-stubborn anyone.

“It’s all right, Lace,” he said, reaching for the passenger door.

“Best that he’s here, anyway. We can leave right away.”

Once inside the car, he pulled Neal into a tight hug.

Both chuckled when they realized neither would loosen their grasp.

“Missed you too, Papa,” Neal said, still holding on.

Gold laughed, surprised by the easy affection. Neal had once been a sweet kid, but high school had changed him. The moodiness of his early teens had grown into a wave of anger and disappointment that had driven them apart.

He had hit his lowest point the day Neal had run away.

The months spent looking for his son had been bleak. An endless ocean of darkness. He hated to remember the measures he’d taken in his search. The only bright spot had been crossing paths with Lacey, and even their relationship had taken a few bitter twists before Neal had finally resurfaced.

For a little while afterward, life had been bright for the three of them.

Until Spencer called for his arrest.

(Or rather, someone placed above Spencer did, as the district attorney wasn’t fool enough to bite the hand that had hidden so many of his sins.)

Gold bristled at the thought of this unseen enemy, but at the moment he chose to focus on Neal.

“I missed you too, son.”

“Yeah, yeah. We love you and you love us,” Lacey grumbled with a pronounced eyeroll as she dangled her keychain over their heads. “Can we hurry it up?”

Neal made a half-hearted attempt to reach the car key. “Am I driving this time?”

“No!” chorused Lacey and Gold.

Neal gave an impressive eyeroll of his own, and with a shrug, he settled back as Lacey started the car.

Gold was glad to see the ease between them.

His son and his girlfriend had little in common, but they had stuck together in the weeks since Gold had been brought up on charges. They had even shared an inside joke or two the last time they had come in together. After that, once Neal had been forbidden to come, Lacey had sounded fond of the boy. There had been no reluctance to recount stories about Neal, and she’d stopped being upset when he redirected the conversation to his boy.

Neal raised his hand for a high-five when they reached the main road. “Next stop: New York!” 

Neal’s enthusiasm made Gold smile. 

He glanced at Lacey, ready to share in the moment, but her expression revealed that her nerves had caught up with her.

“Lace?”

“It’s okay,” she said too quickly. “I’m okay, really.”

Gold tried for a reassuring smile. He would move to the front seat at their first stop. Maybe take over the driving when they were far enough. Lacey had taken a nasty shock in the sheriff’s office, but she would be back to normal after a nap.

(Hopefully. He had no idea how to help her otherwise.)

Neal didn’t know to wait. “Are you, really?” he pressed.

“Sure! Ready to get out of here yesterday. That’s all.”

Neal looked between the two of them. “What happened?” He frowned, then peered at Lacey’s reflection on the rearway mirror. “You are more stressed now than in the afternoon. Which makes no sense, because you didn’t really think this would work.”

“Of course I’m sure,” Lacey insisted, with the tone of a well-rehearsed phrase. “Always was.”

She was a poor liar, when faced with people that mattered to her.

Neal huffed with pointed disbelief. “And you,” he continued, turning to point at his father. “You should be grumbling at us  for altering your plan. Drive back to the convent and pick me up there, wasn’t it?”

“There was a chance we’d get caught,” Gold explained quickly.

Neal pressed his lips together. “So why aren’t getting grounded for risking being caught along, and why does Lacey look about to cry?”

Lacey shook her head. “Am not.”

Gold had promised not to lie ever again, so he volleyed with another question. “Do you want to get grounded, son?”

An unimpressed look said Neal wasn’t distracted. “What happened in there, then?”

His boy was smart, Gold consoled himself. 

“There was a hiccup,” he started, figuring out the balance between the truth Neal deserved and the innocence he was owed.

At the same time, Lacey laid it out without hesitation: “The sheriff decided to get murdered just before we left.”

The hard part over with, Gold made a helpless gesture at Neal’s shocked look. “It wasn’t me.”

Neal buried his head in his hands. “This is bad,” he muttered.

“It really wasn’t me, son,” Gold insisted.

“I know! But everyone else will think—”

“Neal, we’re leaving. Stop worrying about what they think.”

Storybrooke had been supposed to be a new start for them.

A new business for him, a new school for Neal, and a new home for Lacey. He had even toyed with the idea of presenting Lacey with a huge diamond ring, making their relationship as concrete in strangers’ eyes as in their own.

His reputation, however, had followed him.

He wasn’t ashamed of the monster he’d been. Tracing Neal’s flight had been more expensive than his modest business could be expected to afford. Gold had tried. He had. But money flowed more easily among darker waters, and he had plunged in as deep as he’d needed until he had recovered his son.

Gold had also been willing to leave it behind.

A promise he couldn’t keep.

In hindsight, it had been naive to think he had a chance.

He never lived up to his son’s expectations.

His past caught up with him, had him dragged him away from their house and stuck in jail.

Spencer had been hypocritical enough to deny him bail, and the judge had folded as if Gold didn’t hold secrets over both their heads.

Both attempts to call the fools to heel had failed, and somehow that had called the attention of the church.  The Mother Superior’s decision to meddle into his affairs still surprised him.

When he had been notified of Neal’s placement under the nuns’ supervision last week, Gold had despaired that he’d lose touch with his son. 

Even phone calls had been taken off the list.

In hindsight, threatening the nun hadn’t been his best idea. Taking the convent from under her feet would be easier without warning her beforehand.

With his bag of tricks out of reach, Lacey had stepped forward.

From what the Sheriff had told him, Lacey had badgered the head nun into allowing Neal’s visits. When Mother Superior had sneered even at the idea that father and son should at least exchange notes, Lacey had decided to bribe one of the younger nuns.

How that conversation had turned into friendship, Gold couldn’t explain.

Lacey had shrugged off his questions, saying only that she had more in common with Sister Astrid than she’d have expected.

Knowing what he did about Lacey’s past, he hadn’t delved further. 

Then Sister Astrid had come forward and admitted that Neal had been scheduled to leave for a foster house outside town.

That had been the last straw.

Within a few days, Gold had set this plan in motion.

A new life.

Modest, in comparison to their old one; but after months of his case being dragged into nowhere, Gold wasn’t ready to bet on the justice system being inclined to be bent to his satisfaction before Neal was lost to him.

There was someone stalling his more subtle attempts to throw off those tax fraud charges, even before they added that  idiotic murder.

As if a school teacher could have been a threat.

Soon he would discover their identity and make sure they understood who kept the upper hand across town. He knew too many secrets and had made too many deals with the foremost people in town, to stay behind bars. But right now… Right now he was a desperate father with a single goal in mind.

Said goal had a determined scowl on his face. “We are going back, Papa.”

“Neal….”

“If we don’t prove you’re innocent, we’ll never stop running.”

“The shrimp has a point,” Lacey muttered.

Gold glanced between the two of them. “A fine sentiment, thank you. But considering that I’m guilty, we might not count on that.”

“I don’t care about the money,” Neal said.

“I like that part, actually,” Lacey piped up, always unashamed of what had first drawn her to him. She was attracted to power, and Gold sometimes had to remind himself that she’d stayed even after he’d lost a chunk of it.

“Ew, stop looking at her like that.” Neal clicked his fingers in front of his father’s nose. “And Lacey, please keep your eyes on the road.”

Lacey winked before she focused back on the driving.

“As I was saying,” Neal continued, “I can understand that. But if we run from a murder charge, they’ll never even look for the real killer.”

“Oh, son. If I’m there, they won’t look further either.”

“It looks bad,” Lacey added. “I was there, and I would blame your father if I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes.”

Gold closed his own, trying to repress a full body shudder.

The sheriff had been a decent man, when he remembered to crawl from under Madam Mayor’s thumb.

Usually, they would be playing their usual charade where Graham reminded Lacey that visiting hours were over, and Lacey tried to tempt him into giving her the keyring…

But tonight Lacey already had a copy of the key.

Instead the sheriff’s office had been dark, as Graham prepared to leave.

Gold’s first clue that something was wrong was the thud of a body against the floor. One moment, he was breaking up with his girlfriend over the phone, and a minute later he was dead.

Lacey had looked for a pulse.

They had hesitated for so long that they should have heard the ambulance coming. If the girlfriend had called emergency services.

Which she hadn’t done.

“Papa, please,” Neal said. “Graham was okay.”

Gold never could live to his son’s expectations.

He still tried.

“Lace?”

Lacey wore a troubled look. “I just want us to be together,” she said, her longing almost tangible. Then she shrugged, and halted the car. “But good men deserve justice.”

Gold glanced out at the welcome sign by the road, thinking of the few yards that separated them from freedom.

He didn’t owe Graham any favors.

Dead sheriffs were even less useful.

“Fine,” he heard himself say, working out the details as fast as he could. “We stay.”

Neal’s proud eyes cemented that choice.

Lacey reached out for him, entangling their fingers together. “Okay. This still isn’t the worst decision I’ve made.”

Gold laughed, then set down a plan. “We go to the cabin and regroup there. You two will need to return to town, act surprised when I’m not at the sheriff’s office.” Lacey nodded, and though hesitant, Neal did too. “Graham had a girlfriend, so if whoever comes to investigate doesn’t pay attention to Graham’s love life, make sure to point them that way.”

It was Lacey’s turn to hesitate. “I thought they’d just started dating. Poison as a second date doesn’t seem likely.”

Gold shook his head. “No. This has been going on longer than that.” After a while, the sheriff had more or less considered him as part of the furniture. “I’ve overheard enough phone calls to know that.” 

Lacey raised an eyebrow. “Give me a bastard anyway,” she said, bringing their joined hands up for a quick kiss. “It’s the quiet ones who are trouble.”

Neal grimaced. “Ew. Again.” He made a show of rolling his eyes toward the roof, away from them. “And what do you mean?”

“That good, sweet Sheriff Graham had two girlfriends. Because that first date I was talking about? She arrived in town only a couple weeks ago.”

“Still a suspect.”

Lacey shrugged. “Maybe. But poison isn’t like her.”

“Too innocent?”

“Too tough,” Lacey said. “She is upfront about everything. She would have kicked the cheating prick where it hurt, and then maybe set a bullet through his heart. Wouldn’t blame her for it, too. If I found out—”

“A real charmer,” Gold cut in before Lacey could go into details. He preferred to admire her bloodthirsty ways without his son’s attentive ears taking every word. “But if you know this woman, that’s great. She’ll need a shoulder to cry on if she doesn’t know.”

“Or a free round of drinks when she finds out.”

Gold glanced at her. First Sister Astrid and now this newcomer. He’d forgotten how easily Lacey made friends. “Just make sure she doesn’t add anything to your drink.”

Lacey scoffed, turning the car around. “Nah. Don’t worry. Emma is okay, really.”

Gold blinked.

Rumpelstiltskin took a moment to consider the situation. His son was here. His true love was here.

The Savior was in town.

“Yes, sweetheart,” he said, throwing an arm around Baelfire despite the boy’s half-hearted protest. “I’m sure your new friend won’t disappoint.” The End 31/12/22

[themattress]

OUAT Observation

I want to conduct an experiment and list every major character (so important characters to the plot and/or characters whose actors had “Regular” status) who dropped out of the show, and then see how often they were referenced again or appeared again in any capacity.

Graham Humbert/The Hunstman: Wow. Following 1x08, the episode after his death, Graham was never mentioned again for the remainder of the season, and only showed up briefly in the finale as the Huntsman in a flashback. He fares no better in the later seasons, only getting one flashback appearance in 2x17 and one offhand mention from Emma in 4x03. I’m inclined to believe this is because of how awkward it would make Regina’s redemption if the circumstances behind his death were ever revealed, but it seems ridiculous given that Emma wouldn’t have her position as Sheriff of Storybrooke if not for him. He deserved better.

August W. Booth/Pinocchio: After Season 2, August received no mention in Season 3. He then showed up again and played an important role in Season 4B, only to go without mention once more in Season 5. He then appeared in back-to-back episodes 6x11 and 6x12, then disappeared for the remainder of the show. Maybe he should’ve stayed gone the first time...

Albert Spencer/King George: Following his arrest in 2x07, he received mention in the flashbacks of 2x10 and 2x20 and appeared in the flashback of 2x13. Otherwise, he only got mentioned in the Season 3 finale and briefly in 5x15, and only ever appeared again in 6x12.

Cora Mills/The Queen of Hearts: Cora died in 2x16, but was still constantly referenced by other characters for the remainder of the season. She then showed up in the flashback of OUATIW’s 11th episode, referenced throughout Season 3B and even appeared both in flashback form and as a ghost in 3x18, was mentioned occasionally throughout Seasons 4 through 6, showed up in the flashback of 4x20, and appeared in 5x12 and 5x19 where her character was definitively sent off. Despite all of this, Season 7 only referenced her twice, in 7x06 and 7x11, adding to the feeling of disconnect that season had to the rest of the show.

Ruby Lucas/Red Riding Hood: After just up and disappearing following 2x17, Ruby had mentions in 3x07 and 3x09, and then in 3x11 there was often an open slot in crowd shots where you swear she was meant to be digitally inserted in but wasn’t for some reason. Then in 3x12 she really was digitally inserted into a crowd shot, then had a brief cameo in 3x13. A waitress that was possibly her is seen from the backside in 3x17, then she played a major role in the two-part season finale. Following this, she disappeared again only to resurface in 5x09, which explained her disappearance and was later followed by her send-off in 5x18. Megan Ory is great, but her character was more important and should’ve just been recast.

Malcolm/Peter Pan: Pan was mentioned quite a lot following his demise in 3x11; coming up in 3x15, 3x16, 3x17, 3x20 and 3x21. He wasn’t mentioned much afterward in Season 4 and the first half of Season 5, only to then return in a major recurring role in 5B across 5x12, 5x14 (voice only), 5x17 (visual cue), 5x19 and 5x20, and given mention in 5x23. In Season 6, he was referenced in 6x11, 6x16 and 6x17, and appeared in his adult form in 6x19′s flashback. His Wish Realm counterpart appears in 7x21, mainly as fanservice since he does nothing.

Neal Cassady/Baelfire: Given that this character was a major driving force across the first three seasons of the show, it’s understandable he was referenced a lot afterward; in 4x01, 4x03, 4x04, 4x05, 4x08, 4x17, 4x20, 4x21, 4x22, 5x03, 5x05, 5x06, 5x08, 5x10, 5x11, 5x16, 5x20, 5x22, 5x23, 6x01, 6x06, 6x08, 6x09, 6x10, 6x11, 6x12, 6x17, 6x19 and 6x22. He also appeared in person in 5x12, and in the flashbacks of 5x14 and 6x13. In Season 7, however, he was only off-handedly mentioned in 7x04, 7x09 and 7x21. There’s that disconnect again!

Ingrid/The Snow Queen: Following Season 4A where she was the Big Bad, Ingrid is only mentioned in 4x12, 4x19, and 5x02. Ultimately, she didn’t really leave much of an impact.

Elsa: 4x15. That is the first and last time Elsa was mentioned beyond Season 4A.

Maleficent: Despite Season 4B building her up as a major permanent presence in Storybrooke going forward, Maleficent was never seen again afterward. She received mention in 5x02, 5x09, 6x21, and 7x16....and none of these refer to her directly by name.

Lily Page: In one of the most notorious instances of a character receiving a lot of build-up for being important and then just disappearing without closure, Lily was never seen again after Season 4, the season that introduced her and built her up, and she was only mentioned in the final episode, 7x22, with her dangling plot thread reduced to a joke. (Seriously? Zorro!?)

Will Scarlet: In another one of the most notorious instances of a character receiving a lot of build-up for being important and then just disappearing without closure, Will literally dropped off the face of the Earth without further mention after Season 4. As a result, everyone has come to agree that OUATIW takes place after Season 4 rather than before as was planned, as this perfectly explains his sudden disappearance without contradicting any hard facts.

Isaac Heller: While the position of the Author remained important, the prior Author himself wasn’t spoken of again following his arrest in the Season 4 finale and subsequent 5x01 until reappearing in 6x16 where he was let out of jail in exchange for revealing a major plot point. 

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Following his death in 5x01, we see him in 5x07′s flashback and in the Underworld in 5x15, plus hear references to him in 5x05, 5x06, 5x11 and 5x13. Additionally, his Wish Realm counterpart appears in 7x21 and gets to play a significant role.

Merlin: He dies in 5x10, and then is referenced in 5x13, 5x15, 5x17, 5x23, 6x08, 6x16, 6x18, 7x01 and 7x21. But here’s the thing: all but one of those (5x17) has him referenced as “the Sorcerer” rather than by name and is generally tying in with Henry’s position as the Author. This gets me asking...in the end, what was the point of the Sorcerer being Merlin? Why not just make the Apprentice the Sorcerer, given that he ends up with a more lasting presence? No wonder Elliot Knight was pissed off after leaving the show; his character got screwed!

Violet Morgan: Despite being Henry’s first girlfriend and a recurring character in Seasons 5 and 6 (and an adorable one, at that!), Violet only receives an offhanded mention in 7x20. 

Hades: The Big Bad of Season 5B only gets brought up in 6x01 and 6x18 afterward.

Robin Hood: While dying in 5x21, Robin still gets brought up in the two-part season finale, and then in 6x01, 6x09, 6x10, 6x11, 6x12, 6x13, 6x14, 6x18, 7x10, 7x11, and 7x14. His spirit makes an appearance in 7x21, while his Wish Realm counterpart appears in 6x10 through 6x14 and has a brief voiceover in 6x22. And so his legacy, however dubious, was honored.

Mr. Hyde: Remember in the Season 5 finale, where it looked like he was going to be a major villain going forward? Well, after dying in 6x04, he only gets mentioned in 6x05, 6x06 and 6x09. He ultimately ended up being as pointless as the Land of Untold Stories he came from.

Gideon: Despite so much of Seasons 5B and 6 being dedicated to this fucker, he only appears in 7x04 and is mentioned briefly in 7x18. The disconnect...it’s so disconnecting!

Fiona/The Black Fairy: She is never referenced in Season 7 at all. Yes, really. The villain that A&E hyped up as the Ultimate Evil, the creator of the Dark Curse who was thus billed as the one behind almost everything that went wrong in the show...and she is totally forgotten.

Belle: While she dies in 7x04, the show never lets you forget about her as she is now Rumple’s primary motivation and thus comes up in 7x06, 7x08, 7x09, 7x15, 7x17, 7x18, 7x20, 7x21 and 7x22, the last of which also having her appear one final time in spirit form. Given that she wasn’t initially meant to be a major character and the writers clearly gave up on making her interesting by the end, it’s bizarre that so much of the final season and Rumple’s characterization ends up being built around the memory of her. It just feels off.

Victoria Belfrey/Rapunzel Tremaine: After perishing in 7x11, she is brought up again in 7x12, 7x13, 7x14, 7x15 and 7x20...although all things considered, I wish that she wasn’t.

Ivy Belfrey/Drizella Tremaine: After she leaves in 7x15, she’s mentioned in 7x16 and 7x18.

Nick Branson/Jack/Hansel: He gets brought up again in the episodes following his death...and then isn’t at all in the two-part series finale, because really, who cares about this guy?

[emmaswcns]

Hi ho! August vs Baelfire? Ruby vs Mulan? The Enchanted Forest vs Arendelle? Season 2 vs Season 4? Cruella vs Maleficent?

hi becky! thanks for the ask! @intothewickedwood

august vs baelfire? - ooooof. honestly, i love august but neal is one of my top 5 favorite characters. i love them both for very different reasons. they both fucked emma over so i dislike them both for that, but they both redeemed themselves and tried to do right by her - i just feel neal's redemption arc was better/more deserving. & tbh i feel his character was taken away from us too soon and in a very idiotic way and he deserves to be alive and the father henry needed/deserved... so long story short, neal > august!

ruby vs mulan? - mulan just wasn't enough of a character for me to feel anything towards her so ruby, 100%!

enchanted forest vs arendelle? - i am such a huge frozen arc fan, but the enchanted forest trumps arendelle anyday! so many things happened in the enchanted forest and i just love the early seasons flashbacks and everything.

season 2 vs season 4? - season 2 a thousand percent. season 4a is everything to me, i loved the frozen arc sfm, but the whole queens of darkness and all that was just not my vibe. i loved emma's deterioration into darkness tbh but everything else... just no. season 2 was amazing! emma and snow being stuck in the ef, the introduction of neverland, NEAL! honestly, season 2 is probably my favorite season.

cruella vs maleficent? - i really didn't like cruella at all oops her story was boring and the queens of darkness did nothing for me. maleficent all day every day!

ask me this or that!

[caliburn-the-sword]

too many reposts so you know what?? i’m actually gonna explain myself on all counts except ruby and killian cause they already have their own posts because they deserved it <3 (i didn’t used to think too hard about it, only in the passing), and also will scarlet because that should be obvious

jefferson

i think it was MOSTLY because he freed her from regina. i could see belle getting along greatly with alice tho

baelfire

okay HEAR ME OUT WITH THIS it was MAINLY for laughs cause i thought it would be HILARIOUS if both a man and his son had the same type in women (and while we’re at it that she got with both a man and his son). so basically the season 5 joke that emma’s been with both milah’s ex and son but in a different font. BUT THEN i got to like season 3b flashbacks of the missing year i was like huh, these guys have BOTH been repeatedly fucked over by the same guy choosing magic over them and still fight for him anyway. so imagine they chose each other over magic. but i preferred their friendship chemistry

zelena

THEY FELL IN LOVE WITH THE SAME MAN IT JUST WOULD’VE BEEN REALLY FUNNY IF THEY STOPPED OBSESSING OVER HIM FOR EACH OTHER (zelena’s wasn’t love but i don’t have time to get into it). i think also season 5?? where they were supporting each other to some degree i was like ah sick. i was also like they would have a funky bitch gf/nice gf dynamic. but i think zelena is like a mini rumpelstiltskin so i never got serious about shipping them because then belle would have to be fixing someone AGAIN

milah

they were both done SO dirty by rumpelstiltskin so i think the only possible reparations they could have gotten is by dating EACH OTHER. i think that would take years of his life (very impressive given he’s immortal). would be really fucking embarrassing for him. plus both milah and belle are adventurous and have dreamt of exploring the world which rumple denied them BOTH of so i reckon milah would take great joy in showing belle the world. but again i think they would be better friends and that was robbed from us by milah’s death

august

mainly because belle would be going from lying bastard to guy that LITERALLY can’t lie. would be good for her. he’s kind of fucked so she still gets to exercise her i can fix him instinct. also not something i ship seriously i just think it would be interesting narratively

all characters i have irrationally (or rationally) shipped with belle who aren't rumpelstiltskin

except there's little to no explanation this time and you just have to deal with that. in order of when i started to ship them

ruby lucas

jefferson

killian jones

baelfire (yeah that was really embarrassing of me thank goodness it only lasted a hot minute)

zelena (yeah trust me i'm just as confused as you are)

will scarlet. he is just so silly goofy

milah (for what i hope is an obvious reason. the reason being lol korrasamicore)

august (yeah i don't remember them having any canon interactions either i'll see myself out)