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martianbugsbunny · 2 years ago

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More OUAT S4 Salt (Still Constructively) (Still With An Alternate Solution)

I have taken umbrage. I took it, it’s in a jar on my shelf, the jar has a pretty glittery ribbon on it, and I’m gonna be buried with it someday. The contents of this particular umbrage jar is the writing of Rumple, and to some extent Belle, but mostly Rumple, in season 4, because I could do better than the actual writers did. This post is maybe a little bit scrambly-bambly than my Snowing-Maleficent post, but the points are (you know, in my humble opinion) pretty decent, so go ahead. Give the umbrage jar a shake and read on.

The writing behind Rumple during the Sorcerer’s Hat arc was bogus. He was trying to separate himself from the dagger, and what did the writers pick as his reason? ‘Oh, he just wants power—’ Girl no. He isn’t given a proper motivation. He doesn’t even have a frickin plan for what to do with the real world. Like, at least show me why the hell I should buy that Rumple wants to rule over our world. What could he possibly want with it? How is he planning to take it over?

He was basically fresh from being locked in Zelena’s basement at that point. As a motivation, it makes sense. It connects with a previous storyline. And it’s not half so flimsy as the canon approach. They should’ve leaned hard into that.

Now, I think I can understand why they didn’t want to. If Rumple had actually needed to process that trauma for plot reasons, it would’ve dethroned him from the weird pedestal the writers tend to keep him on, where he gets tiny bits of emotion every now and then but nothing that really affects him. Nothing that really sticks with him and simmers in his brain and makes him vulnerable. Because if it’s vulnerable and sympathetic, then it’s really hard to just keep him in the writers’ back pocket for when they need a bridge villain between other storylines.

Also, if he was trying to ditch the dagger because he didn’t want anyone to ever have the kind of power Zelena had over him again, then that bit with Belle at the end of the episode doesn’t play quite the same. If we know that Rumple is freshly scarred and in pain, doing the wrong thing for a legitimate reason, then we might be a bit angry at Belle.

But, see, I think that would really have worked. Rumple being Rumple, he still probably would not have explained to other people the reasons behind what he was doing, as he would’ve been sneaking around regardless, but he also wouldn’t have explained the mental/emotional trauma that led to his decision. So Belle wouldn’t have known why Rumple was trying to kill Hook and detach himself from the dagger, and she would’ve assumed it was for a selfish reason. At the town line, she would shut him down if he tried to explain, not believing that she could trust anything he said, and he still would’ve been forced out of Storybrooke. Then we see Rumple feeling betrayed, beaten down, and even though we’re glad he didn’t kill Hook, we understand that he was desperate and mentally unhealthy and trying to do the only thing he thought could keep him safe from another person’s control.

Also, in this angle, Rumple’s trauma from the Zelena stuff is played into early, maybe in the form of nightmares or comments to other people that, separately and to those people make no sense, but us with all the information connect to show us his mental state. He still swaps the daggers when he marries Belle, but it’s clear that he does it because he’s having trust issues because of what Zelena did to him. He has some doubts about whether or not he should really go through with his plan, because married life is the kind of good he never thought he could have, and he doesn’t want to hurt Belle, but then she uses the dagger on him when she searches the Snow Queen’s cave, and even though it’s not the real dagger, he decides that he was right and even Belle shouldn’t have that kind of power over him. (Bc let’s be real, Rumple was probably thanking his lucky stars he’d swapped the daggers in canon right then, because Belle is the one person he trusted to never use it on him. That’s like a core idea behind his giving it to her, it’s the main thing he tells her to get her to not use it, and there’s no way he wasn’t reeling a bit at the idea that she would’ve used the dagger’s power on him if it were the real thing.)

Then he tries to take Emma’s power, and does take the fairies’ power, and instead of being like “Rumple you sh*thead,” we’re watching him fall into this spiral of darkness because he’s terrified and he’s not dealing with his issues, and we’re still mad at him for the murder/attempted murder, but we also see that he feels trapped and we feel for him a little bit. Maybe in a moment of overload, he snaps at Hook and tells him more than he planned to, and he kind of just sits down with his head in his hands and Hook almost convinces him not to give in to the darkness. Then Rumple goes all steely-eyed and commands Hook not to say a single word about what he heard, and bc he’s got Hook’s heart he has to obey. But there’s a new sort of push-and-pull in their following interactions, where Hook is both desperately terrified for his own life and trying to talk Rumple down from his proverbial ledge.

This also makes Rumple’s run-in with Zelena in New York a bit more impactful. Yes, in the canon he’s furious that she survived, and he wants to kill her, but it means more if her disgusting behavior towards him while she had the dagger is really acknowledged. If it’s at the forefront of the Sorcerer’s Hat arc, then it’s more present in this interaction, too, and we’re mad as hell that Rumple has to make a deal with the person who used him so deplorably in order to survive.

Then, when he’s dying because there’s so much darkness in his heart, maybe it’s Hook who advocates for trying to save him. I like that idea because it would show off very neatly the growth Hook has gone through, if we see him being obsessed with nothing but killing Rumple, and then later being able to forgive him and even empathize with him. That would just encapsulate the amount of work he’s done on himself. (Although, disclaimer, it also works fine if he’s fighting for Rumple incredibly reluctantly, maybe bc he wants the heroes to do the right thing for their own sakes, because there is something to be said for the fact that his distrust of Rumple never quite goes away in canon.) Also, when he wakes up, Rumple is all irritated that Hook is the one responsible for saving him, but he��s grateful and there’s probably a scene where Rumple reluctantly thanks him for it.

So the main point is, I think it’s a bit peculiar of the writers to have made Rumple regress so hard that shortly after he swore an oath at the grave of his Most Important Person™ to not do that? And also, largely ignoring the profound impact of being resurrected from the dead, losing his son, and being controlled by Zelena was ridiculous. Multiple times throughout the Zelena arc, she commanded him to attack the heroes and he said “I don’t want to do this” to show us explicitly how much he was suffering. Just in case there was anybody who was tempted to go “Yeah, she has the dagger, but he’s probably enjoying being evil/using her control of the dagger as an excuse to be evil and not deal with the consequences.” And Belle was the only one of our heroes who seemed to give a damn about rescuing him from Zelena, never mind the fact that as far as they remembered, Rumple had literally just sacrificed himself to save them all. How could that not make him bitter? How could that not have some lasting effect on his psyche? How could that not be the reason he wanted to split himself from the dagger?

....Maybe I’m the one who’s bitter :|....

BUT ALSO this would have the nifty-galifty effect of shifting the balance in Rumple and Belle’s relationship. Referring back to my earlier points, her banishing Rumple because she misunderstood his motivations and didn’t listen to his explanation is an interesting tactic. Belle isn’t just banishing him to be a jerk; she has reasons for not trusting him, but also as his wife and as the one person who’s always seen good in him, maybe she should’ve at least listened. Rumple shouldn’t have tried murder, but also he has some valid reasons for wanting to ditch the dagger, but he also should’ve talked to Belle about it. (Or Archie. He could’ve gone to talk to Archie, I like it when he does that. That was one of my top ten scenes from the whole show, I swear.) The best part is that they’re both at fault to some degree within their relationship. It’s no longer “The Dark One x The Golden Girl.” It would level the playing field slightly, and it would also make things a bit more interesting because then it wouldn’t just be sunshiny, lovely, beautiful Belle putting up with more than she should for love’s sake, which is not hexactly the dynamic I prefer. It would also make it harder for her to get on her high horse, which I will admit she does every now and then, which is strange to me because she fell in love with Rumple at his darkest. It would tip the scales just far enough towards Rumple that their relationship would be a little bit more reasonable, and a little bit easier to root for in the rocky patches. And it doesn’t attack Belle’s character, because it’s an understandable misunderstanding, but it also has us legitimately on Rumple’s side—not against Belle, but just in general.

So in conclusion, I should turn this part of the show into a fic, because I adore a lot of the ideas I’ve come up with, but if you like parts of this and not the others, feel free to ignore what you dislike and adopt what you do.

#ouat #once upon a time #ouat S4 #rumplestiltskin #belle #belle French #my loves #rumbelle #S4 salt #Captain Hook #zelena #martianbugsbunny opines

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goosin-around · 8 months ago

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only snow could kill a pet rock

Emma: *Reading a letter* Regina: Well, what does it say? Emma: It’s a confession letter. It turns out Snow killed Billy. Regina: ... Regina: Who? Emma: *tearing up* My pet rock.

#ouat #emma swan #snow white #regina mills #swan queen #incorrect quotes #regina carried out her vengance ofc #(she put sugar in the charmings salt shaker)

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jackiequick · 7 months ago

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Joshua Nolan - As sweet as honey but forgetful as a wish 🍯

= Note: He is also considered an Disney/OUAT OC

-> Christoper Robin — Joshua C. Nolan

-> How lucky I am to have something, that makes saying goodbye so hard

~~~~

Full name: Joshua Christopher Nolan-Morozov

Character titles: Christopher Robin, Daring Charming, The Knight, Lost Boy

Nicknames: Josh, Col, Colten, Robin, Charming Jr, Monkey, Silly Ol’ Bear, Sweet Boy

Age: 16-22

Height: 5’9

Birthplace: The Enchanted Forest

Job: Peacekeeper, Knight, Prince

~~~

Parents: Snow White & Prince Charming — Amelia Parker & Nikolai Morozov

Uncles: Alexander Morozov (The Dark Prince), Cole Lensherr (Rumple), Captain Hook (Jeremy)

Aunts: Cinderella (Rochelle Romanoff) , Michelle Danvers (Charming) , Mal (Liane Felton)

Best Friends: Belladonna St. James — Golden Believer, Author, Black Swan

Sexuality: Into guy, girl or both?

Face claims: Jacob Tremblay (young), Alexander Calvert (older)

~~~

— Personality 🧩

He teenager with a heart of gold, yet his journey through life has been marked by shadows of loneliness and uncertainty. Despite his innate kindness and compassion, Joshua often finds himself navigating the world with a sense of hesitancy and clumsiness.

He tends to be shy in unfamiliar situations, his steps cautious and his words often tinged with a hint of passive-aggressiveness as a shield against his own insecurities. Joshua's tendency to act before he thinks often leads to moments of forgetfulness and clumsiness, with questions arising either too late or too early in conversations.

Despite these challenges, Joshua possesses an unwavering determination to put his best foot forward, even if it means following someone else's lead. However, this inclination to defer to others sometimes lands him in trouble, as he struggles to assert himself in moments of uncertainty. Nevertheless, Joshua perseveres, his resolve unshaken as he strives to overcome obstacles and find his place in a world that often feels overwhelming and unfamiliar.

In addition, he is an invitation of light with a mere sense of darkness within due to be alone for so long and fear of being shut down for being an orphan. But he has an ability you can say, he can see people’s heart sometime’s before their action.

~~~

Skills:

Swordsmanship

Marksmanship (with guns)

Archery (Bow & Arrow)

Negotiation

Quick Thinking

Light Magic?

Favorite Things:

Music

Reading & Writing (he has a knack for taking down notes and references to his latest research)

Movies (comedic and acclaimed action movies)

His silly old bear

His blanket with a monkey imprint

Blueberry pie

Honey with a dash of salt (or any other favorite snacks)

~~~~

—Playlist 🎶

—Yellow - Coldplay, ‘For you, I’d bleed myself dry’

—Somewhere Only We Know - Keane, ‘And if you have a minute, why don’t we go talk about it somewhere only we know’

—Slipping Through My Fingers - ABBA, ‘What happened to the wonderful adventures, the places I had planned for us to go?’

—It’s Time - Imagine Dragons, ‘Now, don’t you understand that I’m never changing who I am?’

—You Are My Sunshine - Johnny Cash, ‘You'll never know, dear. How much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away.’

—Dear Theodosia - HAMILTON, ‘Pride is not the word I'm looking for. There is so much more inside me now.’

—Lost Boy - Ruth B, ‘There was a time when I was alone. Nowhere to go and no place to call home’

—Fight Song - Rachel Platten, ‘Take back my life song. Prove I'm alright song.’

—Stand By You - Rachel Platten, 'Cause I'm gonna stand by you. Even if we're breaking down. We can find a way to break through’

~~~~

—Background 🎞️

Growing up in the real world, he just a newborn when he came. The only thing he has of his bio parents are a blanket with his name 'Joshua C.' that had a tiny little monkey imprinted next to his name. He kept it over the years and never let it go hoping to find his parents one day and understand what happened. Growing up, he was put in the system being raised by families here and there, he found people who cared for him and others who didn't.

He was close to be adopted once by it didn't go how he might've wanted due to a few legal mix-ups that happened. He was fine with it. He stayed with a couple of good friends who's parents were more than happy to have him live with them.

There he would read comic books like marvel & dc, watch a a lot of movies like Peter Pan, Tangled, Real Steel, The Dark Knight, Avengers, Star Wars. He would grow up mixing himself with ways to escape reality by watching shows, hanging out with friends and always trying to be a good person by the end of the day. Despite it being hard, he sometimes stole from stores to survive which caused him to be treated badly for his crimes.

He wasn't the best at Math or Science to a certain extent, but he was rather good with English and History for some reason. He did trouble reading for a while, a teacher told him it’s problem with ADHD that he would have to work on later in life.

He liked art too, always doodling in his notebook. Over the years he did trying searching for his parents and wondered about his name but never got a clear answer. His last name was given by the first ever family that took him called 'Nolan' and it kinda stick with him. He liked it but he always went with the flow of it all, feeling a little numb by the world around him watching everyone pass by as he stayed in the same spot wondering what’s wrong with him.

Did he screw up somehow?

—Despite the goodness he has gotten, being lucky with things. He did have his harsh moments like shaped him into keeping a guard up every once in a while. Poor kid has had his ass handed to him more than once.

Some families that took him one just wanted the money, he tend to get bullied at school for not knowing he was, he was shy so he didn't always stick up for himself so he ended up a little bruised growing up, but he had a mouth on him for sure. He was a kid, so he may act like a baby when he's hurt or something.

Joshua may be shy, kind, a little bitter like a lemon and like to maintain a positive outlook on life but he is strong willing, doesn't like to listen at times and destroy orders if allowed to survive, he will talk back in his own way and have his mind tinkering with other ideas. He has a small drive within him to go with the flow but keep his head up and make sure to things turn out alright.

He was a trooper!

———

—Little flashbacks 🌌

In the enchanted forest, when the land found out about Amelia’s pregnancy, people were overjoyed and curious. Gifts were brought by friends, polls were made on names, some of their friends went overboard with designs on the nursery and so much more.

The parents were most excited of all. With the plenty of things that happened in their world, they thought children were out of the question but fate stepped in to say otherwise. Plenty of names were made in the polls, adding middle names for good measure.

When it came to gifts, a certain women in purple couldn’t help the urge but to go shopping in the very markets for stuffed animals and clothes of all kind.

Prince Nikolai Charming walks into the nursery one afternoon as his jaw dropped finding stuffed animals of different kinds all wrapped with a bow. A bear, a tiger, a small pig, a rabbit, and plenty of others. For a moment he thought his wife went overboard when a sweet cloud of purple smoke came popping in beside him as the women inside it grinned.

“You love it?” She said picking up one of the stuffed creatures playing with it’s jaw and said, “This one is Eeyore! Isn’t he cute?”

“You spoiling my child, they haven’t even arrived yet.” He replied with a chuckle reaching for a silly ol’ yellow bear, “Aww.”

“But aren’t they darling?”

“They are. Very are more than welcome to stay in this castle.”

“Wonderful! I also have a stuffed owl being brought up soon.”

The lady of the home walked in to see her husband and friend playing with the toys as if they are were children. She smiled asking, “Did you buy the whole market?”

“Hey! When you marry a prince, you understand the life of shopping for glory items.” Said Mal with a grin, “You love it?”

“I do. Cole will have a say about this, thinking you’re doing this to have your name on the poll.”

“Oh please, we would never..I like Liana as a name.”

“I knew it.” Responded her husband with a cheeky grin, looking over at the blanket laying over the crib the the stuffed bear in hand having an idea for later. He smirked to himself.

Charming moved behind his wife, using the paws of the bear to play the drums softly of her belly hoping it would get a kick out of their son or daughter. And to their surprise, a small kick came in return that startled his wife but got a laugh out of him. Liane laughed too.

Charming laughed, “Our kid seems to like the bear. Hmm, how about Winnie..?”

“..Pooh bear..” She added running her fingers across the stuff toy.

That same night as the two parents were crawling into bed, Charming hasn’t let go of that bear since, using it to tap over his wife’s belly as she laughed telling him to stop.

But he didn’t listen as he said, “Shh we are having father and baby playtime.”

“You’re a menace to society.” She repiled in between giggles.

“I know. I was thinking, for names..Joshua?”

“Joshua? I like it—no, I love it. Our little Josh and for a girl..Nadia?”

“Oooh Nadia..how about Robin? Nadia Robin”

“Pretty works for both!”

The two of them thought name list for a moment as their child kicked their mother again. Charming laugh finding it silly how his baby thinks it funny to frighten their mother as she glared at him not finding it so funny.

She spoke up this time holding up the list as she said, “Joshua..Christopher or Colton, as a middle name?”

He thought about it and snort pretending for a moment a scenario, “Joshua Christopher go to your room, young man..yeah I like it.”

“And Colton?”

“Hmm..Colton Robin, come downstairs for dinner we’re serving chicken!”

“Oooh Robin this time?”

As the parents talked issuing out names and combinations, their son or daughter kicked every once in a while. He was like their little monkey inside their mother’s belly.

~~~~

It was a late night, Amara Snow sat in the rocking chair of the nursery sewing together fabric to craft the blanket for their newly announced son.

She hummed a little tune instead of sleeping being careful with the needle saying, “You are gonna love it out here, bubba. You can jump around, learn how to read and write, have picnics outside theses walls, go to balls where you can dance past your bedtime..oh and you can hear your father sing.”

As if on cue, the man of the house walked in carrying designs he had for the blanket hearing the last part of her words.

He joked, “I don’t sing, my son.”

“Yes you do.” She replied noticing the papers in his hand, “What’s that?”

“Drawings I made for the blanket to put right next to his name.”

“Oh let me see.”

He reaches down to sit beside her, holding out the drawings to be made into patches for the blanket. One of a monkey, the other of a bear, a bird, a leaf, a crescent moon and a lovely sun.

The two of them choose the monkey to fit their little man best, deciding to place the right next to Joshua’s name in a sweet stylish handwriting. Cole wanted a settle for a stylish font for the name which was a darling choice.

“Our little monkey.” Nikolai joked resting a hand on her belly as a little punch was given in return causing him to gasp, “I thought you were asleep. Go to sleep!”

It was as if their son refuse to listen and kicked his father’s hand again. It was Snow’s turn to laugh at his reaction hearing that their son would be ground til he’s 2, if he doesn’t go to sleep. Her husband sent her a playful glare asking if she found it funny as she nodded.

“Then again, we aren’t much sleepers either hon.” Amelia added mid laugh.

“Not helping.” He respond trying to hide his smirk but failed.

~~~~

They had their good times and they’re bad with little Joshua despite not being born yet. Times Amelia would feel tired, other moments across during her pregnancy having gotten into some delicate cravings and or not fitting into her old dresses.

It kinda actually kinda cute sometimes, with their friends laughing. Cole would walk into her craving salted caramel cookies in the kitchen stealing one out of her hand taking a large bite as she pouts and glares at him. Charming would admit his one of his favorite moments were the fact that she had theses cravings, which meant he can buy as many treats as he liked. She would sometimes find his stuffing his face with leftovers in the middle of the night instead of resting and he would just give her a witty comeback in return.

Rochelle sometimes find her trying to sew a dress that would actually fit as she giggled wondering, if she’s alright and needed any help as the brunette would only nod.

“Your son is killing me.”

“Don’t talk about my child that way.”

“Joshua is trying to use my body as a punching bag resulting in my sore back and the other times, I’m carving something like pie or pasta.”

“Atta’ boy, he’s going to grow up and have an amazing taste in food like his father.”

Nik would hold back a laugh at his wife’s glare knowing she means well, just tired. Other days she was rather relaxed and chilling like nothing happened, enjoying her time. Other time he would get a glare from her that was rather hilarious to him.

“Are you serious?” She added with a half smile.

He cup her face and smile, “I’m kidding, love. I know you tired but think of this as his way of entertaining you while I’m gone.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry..I’m being a whiny wife to you.”

“It’s not your fault, love. You have every right to be this way.”

“But, I sound like a little bitch..I love our son, I’m just tired..”

“It’s okay. You need to rest.”

“So do you! You have been riding your horse, watching over our friends and practicing you’re fighting with Marlene for weeks now.”

“I’m fine.”

“Nicholas. You need to sleep, I’m worried about you.”

He smiled at how his wife was able to create life and worry about him all the same time despite her tiredness amazed him sometimes. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then one to her belly promising to draw himself a bath then get some rest later that night after dinner.

~~~~~

The day Joshua was born was an unexpected one. Within their friend group—found family—nothing is ever normal. Despite the circumstances of his birth and having only a few mere moments with him, a promise stayed true. Their son is a trooper no matter what and even if he felt alone in life, he never was due to his parents being there in spirt even if he didn’t know it.

Heck his dad was fighting knights with him in the hallways, holding a sword in one hand and his son perfectly safe in the other. He wiggled a bit didn’t cry, only whimpered softly at the sudden movements. Nik grinned to himself as his gaze fell to his boy.

It also helped that before closing the door to protect their son from danger, Nik reaches for his stuffed bear gently placing it right next to him, as he kissed his forehead. He smiled softly at his son sweet little face, remembering the framed photos of himself as a child at his old home when he just born.

His beautiful boy.

——

— Christopher Robin Era 🧸

The years when Joshua grew into his teenage-hood, he became more angsty and spiteful than ever before. Yes he was kind, humble enough and honest to everyone he spoke to. But he never felt truly valued or part of his pack. Despite being told time and time again by his father and mother, he was loved. He couldn’t fully comprehend the fact that he was meant to be home, safe and secure with them.

Especially with having an uncle so villainous as Alexander, and his adventures to different parts of the universe.

He decided to have faith in the possibility that he would get there someday and become worthy of the title, a part of the family. Because behind the awkward charm, clumsy tendencies, witty humor and gentle sarcasm held a lost boy from Neverland who was searching for comfort. And he found that comfort in old stuffed bear, Winnie The Pooh, who was there with him since day one of coming into this world as he never let go of him. He will forever be grateful for his father, Nikolai, for placing Pooh in the wardrobe that day, as that bear stayed with since birth.

-> He named Pooh bear, Winnie The Pooh, after the first kind person who treated him fair when he was only five. His kindergarten teacher Winnifred Robinson, as she was known to be a sweetheart towards him and his small set of classmates.

She could see a lot in someone by just the slightest hint of affection in her eyes. It instantly made Joshua smile and want to see the world instead of staying silent, allowing himself to explore creative ideas such as drawing and writing.

Due to spending so much time in her classroom, he would ask him about her thoughts on life and she would respond by saying whatever was on her mind in the most profound positive voice. Her voice was like honey.

Pooh brought support, reassurance and encouragement for him. Sometimes he would cuddle up with Pooh, looking up at the ceiling and just staring down at his chocolate brown buttons as the bear listened to him. It was like Pooh understood him in more ways than one.

Growing up, Pooh became his friend, as the two were going everywhere together. Hell, Joshua would eat his honey salted caramel cookies and play pretend that Pooh’s favorite treat was honey. When he was younger, he lost his silly old bear a couple of time in foster homes, as kids would throw the bear around and try to keep him away in the backyard to be dug up later. Which resulted in him having to wash the stuffed bear later on carefully and then put him on his bed for safety reasons.

-> When he was 14, Pooh ended up with a small cut on his chest and despite all of Joshua’s efforts, his sewing skills weren’t the best. He knew Pooh deserved a chance to look good and dapper in the eyes of his peers. So he found some cherry red fabric from the store across the street and kindly asked a friend, his caregiver at the time, to help him sew a shirt for the stuffed animals.

A few days later, Pooh was given a gift for his efforts, being a little cherry red shirt that covered his chest but left his belly open in the cutest way possible.

Joshua would muttered with a smile, “..silly old bear.”

As Joshua grew older, he became a bit colder than he expected to be but underneath that toughness, he was just as kind and loving as he used to be.

It just takes time for someone to see it, to listen and appreciate him for who he is. However to make sure he didn’t have his feelings hurt, he kept his guard up and watch his surroundings as much as possible. Which resulted in creating personas and short term alias with people he came across.

Some of alias came and went, but others stayed.

It’s how he met his first crush, Ginny Sullivan and her friends. Joshua was unsure of the girl and her two friends, so he decided to make himself an uneasy target and lie about himself.

He remembered he was rushing out of a store after stealing a small toy train, when he bumped into Ginny as she asked, “Woah, watch where you’re going, dummy.”

“So-sorry.” He said picking up his phone that fell on the ground.

“It’s cool. You’re in a rush?”

“More or less..”

“Where you headed?”

“Home.”

He left her on the streets alone until she crossed paths with the blonde girl again at the same spot. The second time, she stopped him, wanting to invite him out for a quick slice of pizza. He was 14 years old, he has nowhere else to be, no harm done right?

Wrong.

After that afternoon with Ginny, he grew to have a small crush on her. He never admitted it because he wasn’t interested in any relationship or anything, but he did regardless. She realized mid conversation she never asked him about his name, as Joshua blinked and said his name was Tim Robins.

And she surprisingly brought it.

Little did he know, Ginny was just using him to get something from the store across the street from the pizzeria. She wanted a pretty little bracelet from the back of the store. Because two weeks later of seeing each other, after a small date at McDonald’s, Ginny wanted to go to the store to buy some extra lipstick and Joshua shrugged deciding it would be a quick trip. He knew he wanted to sneak into that park on the other side of town later on, and she agreed to his request. Ginny grabbed her lipstick, an extra pair of sunglasses, a keychain and that cute little bracelet.

They were out of the store within a few minutes flat, sometime later the two of them were sitting lazily on the swings at the park, chatting and laughing. The two shared a small connection, with his parents always being busy and not having time for them (again, another lie on Joshua’s part), how they wished they could stop time and get a moment to breathe. Ginny smiled holding up the bracelet with a small chain of a flower on it, talking about how everyone is a flower and they just needed time to bloom.

Joshua felt that piece to his core and leaned in to kiss her cheek, taking Ginny by surprise as she pressed a small kiss to his cheek back.

However the moment was cut short, as two police officers found them, taking both teens to jail to be held overnight. Ginny lied saying it wasn’t her fault, that her “boyfriend wanted to treat her nice” as Joshua scoffed telling the officer the truth about what happened. That he had no idea that she stole the bracelet…

Let’s just say the next morning, Ginny didn’t talk to Joshua again and left the guy alone to take the blame. Once he got back to his foster parents, Joshua got a stern talking to and slapped for his actions, grounding him for a long period of time. Thankfully they didn’t press charges on the boy per say.

He climbed into his bed that day, laying down holding up Pooh and said, “Winnie, never fall for some dumb girl..she will just play you.”

He sighed to himself muttered, “..what am I doing? I barely go to school, don’t even bother to have friends..hell, I talk to my old stuff bear, no offense intended Pooh, I’m pathetic..”

“What does pathetic mean?” Said a tiny voice, who open the door to his bedroom with mousy brown hair, green eyes and wearing a blue dress.

His foster sister Darby, only 7 years old, who entered the room, allowing herself to sit on the bed without his permission to do so. Joshua just sighed and rolled his eyes at her explaining what the word meant as she nodded. She asked if he was in trouble and he just nodded.

“How long?” She asked pushing her bangs out of her face.

“No idea..” He answered with a sigh.

“..wh-so what are you gonna do now?”

“I don’t know. I’m screwed here..and I lied a lot about who I am..”

“Maybe you can find someone to tell you who you are?”

He scoffed, “Yeah right. The papers aren’t easy to find, Darb, I tried.”

“Well um…how about you make up a story?” She asked again digging her fingers into Pooh’s belly, “..like the drawings..”

“Like my drawings? Darb, I can’t just do that.”

“Yes you can! Like when you created those characters in your story like..um..Piglet, Tigger..and-and..”

“And Roo? The ones with Pooh I tell you about?”

She beamed and nodded, “Yes! Yes! Like the one where Pooh has a tea party with his friends and you invite me!”

He chuckled at that remebering that story, “I remember that. Pooh got his head stuck in a hole and his friends had to pull him out afterwards.”

“Yeah! You can do that!”

“..okay. Okay, I’ll bite, what would my name be?”

“I don’t know..”

Eventually he did figure it out. It took him a while, especially after his time with Darby’s parents were up, but he did. Joshua would spend time with his friends and the foster care workers, crafting little details of stories to tell one day in his book. He would sent the little drawings to the girl as she would write back in letter in appreciation for his stories.

He even wrote himself into the story as Carter Robins.

Of course, over the years after turning 15 and meeting his family, being his parents, aunts and uncles. Essentially spending some time Belladonna, finding his faith in people and understanding the truth to his history, he grew into changing the name.

He learned small details about his past experiences and hidden memories he had no idea about. Such as his full name, his skill set, his role in the world as peacekeeper among his friends and challenging his own thoughts on who he was meant to be.

It was nice yet difficult as his thoughts, opinions and feelings ate him away in confusion. He was always comparing himself to everyone else and wondered if he did belong there.

And he did. Because like anytime in Joshua’s life, it took time and patience to get to that point of acceptance in order to appreciate that account in his existence. As during an accidental encounter with Belladonna’s discoveries, two of them were sent back in time to the Enchanted Forest, before they were ever even considered ideas in their parent’s minds.

In order to get back and restore the small damage they done, the pair of friends had to go undercover as royals themselves. Thanks to Cole! Bella was not up for the challenge of disguising herself in some snarky little outfit in the beginning but as time passed she began to accept the plan.

Joshua took the lead during beginning of their trip, entering a Royal Ball (Princess Michelle’s party to where she would meet Rochelle for the first time) with Belladonna using fake names.

He announced them as Princess Leia Swan and used his middle name to refer to himself as Prince Christoper Robin.

——————

— The Eye Are Windows To The Soul 💫

Joshua's ability to perceive discern the intentions of others through his eyes is indeed a remarkable skill, one that sets him apart and adds depth to his character. His eyes serve as a mirror to the souls of those around him, reflecting their true nature and motivations with uncanny accuracy. Despite this extraordinary ability, Joshua remains humble and compassionate, using his gift for the greater good rather than personal gain.

His keen insight into human nature allows him to navigate complex social dynamics with ease, as he can see beyond surface appearances to uncover the underlying truths. Whether it's detecting deception or sensing genuine sincerity, Joshua's eyes serve as a guide in his interactions with others, offering him a unique perspective on the world.

One look into his eyes and you might as well served yourself a chance at being his friend or foe. It’s a pool of curiosity his eyes carry, that might even make the other wish they looked the opposite direction.

This skill not only enhances Joshua's ability to connect with people on a deeper level but also underscores his innate sense of empathy and understanding. By recognizing the complexities of human behavior, he is able to offer genuine compassion and support to those in need, making him a trusted confidant and ally to many.

In a world where words can often be misleading, Joshua's eyes stand as a beacon of honesty and authenticity, shining light on the darkness and illuminating the path towards truth and understanding.

————

— Overall Tale 📖

Joshua never thought himself as wanted, valued or respected enough to be cared for. As his journey from childhood to adolescence is marked by a profound sense of longing and displacement, coupled with moments of resilience and self-discovery.

Despite growing up in various foster homes and experiencing the transient nature of relationships, he finds solace in the companionship of his cherished stuffed bear, Winnie the Pooh. Pooh becomes more than just a toy; he is a constant source of comfort and a silent confidant in Joshua's tumultuous world.

Throughout his teenage years, Joshua grapples with a sense of identity and belonging, often feeling like an outsider looking in. He struggles to reconcile his desire for connection with his fear of rejection, leading him to adopt personas and aliases as a form of self-preservation. Despite his attempts to shield himself from hurt, he remains inherently kind-hearted and compassionate, traits that define his character amidst the chaos of adolescence.

Joshua's journey is also marked by pivotal encounters and moments of self-reflection. His brief but meaningful connection with Ginny Sullivan offers a glimpse of vulnerability and yearning beneath his guarded exterior. However, it also serves as a reminder of the complexities of human relationships and the importance of trust and authenticity.

As he navigates the challenges of adolescence, Joshua discovers the power of storytelling and creativity as a means of self-expression and healing. His alter ego, Christopher Robin, becomes a conduit for his imagination and a way to explore his own identity in a safe and nurturing environment.

Yes it will take time, however he is willing to take a step forward and make himself known to the people around him that he’s here to stay.

———

Ahh wow that was a lot! Sorry if it was long (i might add more stuff later you knows?)

Anyways please let me know what you think in the comments bellow, let’s chat!

Tags: @gaminggirlsstuff @gcthvile @missstrawbs2001 @haleripley @starkleila @cherrysft @mandylove1000 @yetanotherwells @topgun-imagines @buckysteveloki-me @sherloquestea @nakiaswg @carellmcu @ximehs and etc

#disney oc #ouat ocs #child oc #oc x oc #oc x oc rp #oc intro #fantasy au #ouat au #christopher robin #winnie the pooh #oc: winnie #pooh bear #once upon a time

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ooo-yeah-baby · 2 years ago

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HOME

Yandere OUAT Pan x GN Reader

Feel free to send requests, I only write SFW, cw kidnapping

You squat down at the edge of the vast Neverland sea. Your breath is ragged as you try to catch it. You had been running for God knows how long. The dark shadow had been following you but you think you lost it somewhere back in the forest.

You look around for a place to hide. Down a ways was a tattered dock with just enough room for you to slide under.

The smell of salt and seaweed along with the sound of waves crashing against land was calming.

How many years had you been waiting to get out of here? And now all you have to do is avoid him for a few hours. You feel free. You feel relaxed for the first time in years. You could finally rest.

You feel your eyes begin to close as you drift closer to unconsciousness. Your breathing becomes more steady. You're so relaxed that you don't hear the sound of the 2 feet of a lanky boy land on the sand, only a few yards from your hiding spot.

You don't notice anything until you hear a recognizable voice calling for you.

"Y/n?" The sickening sweet voice calls out, jolting you from your momentary peace.

Your stomach drops as you hear the foot steps come closer and closer.

He has found you. He is going to get you.

A pair of feet can be seen from your point of view, just a few feet from your head.

"This game is getting rather boring, y/n." He says. His foot swings, kicking sand to your face. "Haven't you learned that Pan never fails?" The boy leans down to the ground to look at you. His sly smirk plasters his face.

Tears flood from your eyes as you realize the gravity of the situation. You're trapped.

Pans hand reaches in and grabs your wrist, pulling you from your "safe" hiding place and catching you on his chest.

Your whole body is shaking as a hand begins brushing the sand from your hair.

"It's okay, we're going home now." He says, laying a kiss on the top of your head.

"N-no..." you sputter out.

"What?" He cocks and eyebrow and pulls you out a bit, staring at your face.

"No, Pan..!" You choke back a sob. "I don't want to go back there." You start to struggle your way out of his grip on your wrist but it only tightens.

"This isn't a funny joke, y/n."

"It's not a joke, Pan! I want to go to MY home!"

"This is your home." You can tell he's getting angrier but you keep pushing.

"No, it's not, Pan." You wipe your face with your free arm. "I hate it her-!" Your mouth is covered by his hand.

"Shut up!" He yells. "I decide when you leave! And I've decided you can never leave!" He takes a deep breath, removes his hand from your mouth and rubs the bridge of his nose. "That's final, y/n. End of discussion."

He starts walking back towards the forest, switching his grasp to your free hand.

"We're going to go back to our home and I will forget this ever happened. Just this once."

You pull and struggle but he doesn't turn back. He just keeps walking, dragging you along.

"You're my lost (girl/boy). Forever."

#ouat #ouat peter pan #once upon a time #once upon a time peter pan #yandere peter pan #yandere pan #peter pan #yandere concept #yandere sfw #yandere x reader #yandere

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folkloristico · 2 years ago

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Please because this is actually a great analogy? Cora was to Regina exactly what Audrey is to Chloé, though ironically you could say that Cora cared, albeit in a twisted, sick and unhealthy way. Audrey straight up abandoned her daughter.

I wasn’t always sympathetic towards King Henry in the flashbacks of Regina’s past, but you can actually see the man cares deeply for his daughter and there’s a perfect valid reason as to why he never tried to stop Cora. Her magic made him powerless. That was the whole point of Cora’s abusive mannerism; Regina couldn’t fight back emotionally nor physically.

André doesn’t have a single reason for not standing up to Audrey except for the fact that he’s a spineless, coward piece of garbage. I’m sorry but I don’t feel the tiniest hint of sympathy towards a man who lets his own daughter being abused over and over by her mother. King Henry stood beside Regina no matter what she did. He knew that what Regina was doing was wrong and was always trying to persuade her to change.

Meanwhile Miraculous didn’t even try showing André fighting back, you can’t even make up excuses about him or paint him as another of Audrey’s victims because he just didn’t care. The fact that he raised Chloé to be a spoiled brat who could get away with everything by calling daddy is proof enough that he has failed at his job. I cannot stand how this show seemed to imply that André was Chloé’s victim as if he weren’t a grown man facing a 14-years-old whose only power was the one André himself enabled her.

“Chloé was mean to her father” yeah well, maybe her father should’ve raised her better.

watching ouat rn, regina and king henry reminds me of andre bourgeois and chloé except king henry is better than the mayor

king henry tried everything he could to stop regina from making mistakes and he’s always there for her. and like,, he told her to stop believing and to disobey cora like hello?? andre ‘yes audrey my dear’ bourgeois could never

#ml salt #chloé bourgeois #ouat #regina mills

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pirateswhore · 1 year ago

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I'm 100% projecting my own paganism onto my beloved characters but I just think there should've been more pagan magic practice in OUAT.

you're telling me that killian, a man that spent all his life out on the sea, DOESN'T worship the Moon Goddess ? when she has been a protector of sailors for THOUSANDS of years (and is partly why we call ships "she" in her honour)

you're telling me Emma wouldn't have spell jars all over the house, wouldn't sprinkle salt on the doorstep, or leave offerings for the deities ??

we already know Greek mythos is real. why wouldn't other deities be too ? Norse, Slavic, Celtic, Egyptian, Persian, Chinese, Japanese, etc.

I wish magic and spells took more after paganism and witchcraft. sygils carved into wood or written on paper for protection. enchanted jars and crystals that fit in pockets. stirring their hot cocoa clockwise so it makes the headache go away quicker. whispering enchantations into their food before eating.

I have too many thoughts on this

#my own paganism is showing but i LOVE the idea of emma leaning more into witchcraft n traditional magic #reading into the history of magic n paganism and all that #and there is NO reason that the people in the EF should be christian or any modern religion we have #3am thoughts #ouat #killian jones #emma swan

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priscilla9993 · 4 months ago

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What your favourite episode of OUAT (and why if you want)

If you were to describe your personality as a flavour how would you taste?

Describe your perfect outfit x

Has to forever be 7x14 because my precious beans, Alice and Robin, took center stage in it and it's solid in terms of character plot and feels. The CS movie being a long time runner up bc rom com magic.

Also, how could you not love this cute cinnamon roll?

My personality flavor would be like a bite of a cookie, unsuspecting and comforting at first, then you get hit with the chunk of salt and melty dark chocolate, maybe a walnut or two. Idk, I'm mercurial and am not to everyone's taste but will show love if there's nothing to fear.

The perfect outfit would be something comfy and flowy, can easily pair with a jacket or sweater, and a pair of well loved shoes to walk around in. Love that you have a calling card and thanks for the ask!

#pris speaks #ask me anything #anon ask #clear who this is but love that

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kazoosandfannypacks · 2 years ago

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"Road Less Traveled" by kazoosandfannypacks

Chapter 1/12: Second First Impressions Pairing: Beauty and the Puppet (Belle/August) [with hints of CaptainSwan] Rating: General Word Count: (734/8K) Summary: [Mid Season 4 Canon Divergence.] After becoming a man again to help the heroes track down the author, August stops by the library- only to realize he now has a crush on the librarian, who's working through some complicated feelings of her own. Chapter Summary: August goes to the library to focus on writing, only to find himself even more distracted Tags: season 4, canon divergent, fluff, beauty and the puppet, captain swan, anti-rumbelle, Author's notes: This pairing came to me the way most crackships do, except I quickly realized that no, this one actually makes sense? I was disappointed to find out there's no fics out there for them, so this is my first attempt to remedy that! Taglist: [a lot of you guys are on my regular captainswan taglist, but if you'd like to be removed from the lists for august and belle fics, just let me know! This one does contain a lot of captainswan reference though, so that's worth sticking around for I suppose 😅] @zahara @kmomof4 @jonesfandomfanatic @booksteaandtoomuchtv @jrob64 @tiganasummertree @anmylica @teamhook @undercaffinatednightmare @gingerchangeling @lonelyspectator @caught-in-the-filter @ultraluckycatnd @silver-the-phoenix @cs-rylie @kanerallels @accidental-spice @poptart-cat-78 [if you’d like to be added to or removed from this list, hmu in my dms or askbox!] Also on AO3!

August hadn't been to the library since he was a kid- which was actually only a few days ago, but considering he'd been such a regular visitor at the library before his transformation, it felt like ages. It was a weird feeling, really, being an adult again after more than a year as a kid again- but either of those options were better than still being a puppet.

He walked through the doors of the library, remembering how often he'd come in to work on homework- he was thankful he didn't have to worry about that anymore- and spend his time surrounded by books. Really, the only person who appreciates being surrounded by books more than a reader is an author. Maybe that's why August came to the library today to find some inspiration for the roadblock he'd hit in his latest project.

"Good morning, miss Belle," August said, not even looking up at his friendly neighborhood librarian as he made his way to the back of the library where the historical fiction section was.

"Good morning- do I know you?"

He'd almost forgotten that he hadn't seen her since his transformation.

"You don't recognize your favorite patron, Miss Belle?" August asked. He turned back around to look at her, but quickly realized something was different: that something being himself.

When he was a boy, he hadn't noticed how the sun in the window behind her shone on her hair like fall leaves changing color. He hadn't noticed the blue of her eyes, or the red of her lips, or her almost perfect complexion. He hadn't heard anything special in her voice, not like the melody he heard in it now as it echoed in his ears.

"Pinocchio?" She asked.

"August." He stammered. "I used to be…"

"Killian told me all about it." Belle said, blinking a few times. "He said you became a man again to help Regina find the author."

"Not that he proved to be much help." August said. "But I did what I could."

"So what brings you to the library?" Belle asked. "I assume you don't have a homework project to work on."

"More like a novel." August said. "Just came here looking for inspiration."

"So you're a writer?"

"I think all of us are, deep down." August said. "Will my typewriter be too loud for the library?"

"Typewriter?" Belle asked.

August held up his briefcase.

"Of course not." She shook her head. "Most people in this land prefer a computer."

"And most from our world prefer a quill." August replied. "But any writer worth his words is willing to stray off the beaten path a bit."

"Of course." Belle said. "Let me know if you need anything."

He nodded and left for the back of the library, suddenly unsure what to say.

He sat down at a desk in the corner of the historical fiction section and pulled out his typewriter, but still didn't pick up on his familiar muse.

He glanced over his shoulder, then leaned the chair back a little, to see if he could catch a glimpse of Belle around the twist of the hallway he'd walked down. He could just barely see a sliver of her as she typed something onto her computer, but he thought he saw her look in his direction, so he quickly turned back forward and stood his chair upright.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed a bit. He'd come here to write, and to focus on his writing, but he found himself even more distracted here. Even as he finally got himself writing, finally put one word in front of the other and kept that momentum, he found himself thinking about how lovely Belle had looked when he had walked in.

After three hours of unproductive writing, he decided it was time to head home- papa would certainly have dinner ready and he'd missed so many family dinners in his first childhood; he'd hate to miss them now.

He tried to walk back through the lobby as inconspicuously as possible. Should he say goodbye or just walk out or wave as he walks by?

"Leaving so soon?" Belle asked.

"Dad's probably got dinner waiting for me." August said. "I don't want to keep him waiting."

"Ah." Belle smiled. "Well, I'll see you soon?"

"I'm sure." August nodded, and quickly left.

August blinked a couple times in the Storybrooke sunlight as he left the library and got on his motorcycle. Maybe the adrenaline of the bike ride could take away the nervous energy that had been coursing his veins since he laid his eyes on Belle again.

#once upon a time #once upon a time fanfic #beauty and the puppet #august booth #belle french #ouat #belle x august #beautiful liar #once upon a time season 4 #kazzy writes #anti rumbelle #captain swan #salt and light #road less traveled #otp: road less traveled #kazzy writes road less traveled

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gameguy20100 · 2 years ago

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Basically, salters want Miraculous Ladybug to be like Once Upon a Time. OUaT was essentially a dream come true for the salter mindset, and now that's what they want every show to be like. In OUaT, nasty and horrible people were rewarded for minor good deeds, while heroes were raked over the coals for minor slights. That show had a severely messed up moral compass, rewarding abusers and murderers and punishing actual victims, but OUaT is what salters want every single show to be.

I've never actually watched OUaT. But honestly, I don't want to. It sounds awful.

I'm really starting to hate the obsession with making excuses for awful people the Internet seems to have now.

Not every villain is Zuko. ATLA never tried to redeem Ozai.

#miraculous ladybug #ml fandom salt #fandom salt #anti ouat #redemption #anonymous #ask and answer

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martianbugsbunny · 2 years ago

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OUAT S4 Salt (But Constructively) (With Alternative Solutions)

That whole plot line in S4 of OUAT where the Charmings yeeted Maleficent’s baby is so stupid. Easily top 3 worst decisions the writers ever made.

If they wanted the interweaving between Lilly and Emma, then here’s a nifty lil solution: every time a Savior is born, a person of equal darkness has to be born as well, in order to keep balance in the universe. A Savior existing is an incredibly extraordinary thing to happen, so it’s logical that an extraordinary darkness might also have to exist. The show occasionally acts like light is the norm and darkness doesn’t belong in the same world in it, but that’s factually incorrect, as both dark and light magic do belong in the Enchanted Forest, it’s just that the heroes, through whom we see a lot of the story, have more of a taste for one than the other.

There are also ways to keep the tension between the Charmings and Maleficent without going against the Charmings’ previous characterization. Because, to be frank, this just doesn’t fit. They’re allowed to do some less-than-perfect things, but ruining the life of Maleficent’s infant is beyond the realm of plausibility.

Maybe there was a battle between Maleficent and the Charmings. Maleficent wanted to escape from the Enchanted Forest with Lilly before the Dark Curse was enacted, so she opened a portal but didn’t specify where to, and it opened to the Land Without Magic. The Charmings didn’t know if there was magic in the world she was trying to get to, so they wanted to keep her from leaving and potentially destroying another realm, but the egg fell through the portal on accident and Maleficent wasn’t able to follow.

Or, conversely, maybe Snow and Charming felt under threat by Maleficent, so they decided to send her specifically to the Land Without Magic, because she wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone there, and because they needed their energy free to focus on Regina. So they tried to send her through a portal, but the egg was sent through instead.

I just think it makes more sense to have the Charmings involved in the transportation of Lilly from the EF to the LWM, but in such a way that Mal blames them because she’s A) angry and B) as a villain likes to blame heroes for the things that go wrong in her life; and the Charmings blame themselves even though it’s not directly/entirely their fault because they are good people and they feel guilty about it. So then they’re still trying to keep what happened a secret, because they’re convinced that Emma will see things the same way they do, and Mal is still out to get them because she holds them responsible.

(Like, for Pete’s sake, the point of the Charmings isn’t that they’re heroes and everybody else are villains, the point is that they are good people, which just happens to lead to them being heroes because heroes are people who do good things. And also, villains are labelled villains not because they oppose heroes, but because they do bad things. Another issue with S4.)

Anyway, I really like the idea that Emma and Lilly are connected by magic, just not in the way the writers came up with. I think they were terribly uncreative, and I don’t understand the reasoning that says “Hey, these two characters are beloved, because they’re flawed but ultimately choose good and hope over everything else, so let’s make them do an incredibly terrible thing! That makes sense!”

Thank you for coming to my Theodore Talk. Don’t be surprised if you see more S4 salt from me in the future, because although I adore OUAT I think S4 is the weirdest-written part of the show as a whole (S7 aside, because it’s a horse of a different color).

#once upon a time #ouat #ouat S4 #snowing #the charmings #Snow White #prince David charming #maleficent #lillith #Lilly #Emma Swan #martianbugsbunny opines

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eah-exchange · 2 years ago

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Darling’s Author-Blessed Christmas Adventure

To: @eah-royal-ouat

From: @claws-of-fame

Hi penny! Apologies for lateness, but I just HAD to make sure your gift was right. Happy Holidays!

SUMMARY: Darling runs into many snags in her quest to get Chase something sweet for the holidays.

RATING: T for swears

SHIPS: Darling/Chase (main), OC ships are mentioned

Darling was absolutely, positively, INSANELY stumped. She was standing outside a bustling market that was held in a warehouse building, in the heavy snow currently blanketing Ever After and the Village of Book End.

Her fur platform boots crunched the snow underneath as she shifted back and forth on both feet, nervously waiting on her map app to load on her MirrorPhone (which was getting absolutely pelted with snow.) She was SUPPOSED to shop for a gift for her boyfriend, Chase, but nothing was quite hitting the mark on what she had in mind. Chase mentioned he wanted something “dark and sweet and a little bit creepy”, and at first, it was chocolate in her mind. She instantly thought of her favorite: Antoinette’s Beach Day. A dark chocolate and sea salt bark with rose water and tea, made by a specific chocolatier in the D’Aulnoy District (which was, admittedly, the rich girl district. Don’t blame Darling, she has expensive taste.) Her friend Tia worked at that chocolatier, but the lines were SO long, owing to the rush, and when Tia saw her, all she could do was shrug apologetically and promise her some of it reserved for the day after Christmas. Darling could do nothing but sigh and smile apologetically as well, before she walked out the door and tried to find another store. The next one was a book. It was a gothic romance novel that she had recommended to her by an acquaintance she met in an all grades class of Heroics (was her name Lala? Darling forgets, but she had very good form with a traditional Filipino sword, and fought in a blazer. Her kind of girl.) It was about a vampire and a werewolf, set in the misty mountains of Romania, in the 1800s. “Very cheesy goth romance,” Lala had said, but she recommended it for a nice couple’s gift, so Darling set out for the bookstore in Poe Street. Unfortunately for her, that bookstore has magically moved, as she found a cafe instead; the cafe had a poster that said; “Greetings Nevermore Ink Customers; we have magically moved this week to the Midnight Bazaar in the Enchanted Forest for our Holiday Week. Try out the newest drinks at our sister store Lenore’s Cores, and Quoth The Ravenne; ‘The Velvet Dark Latte is dee-lish.’” At that point, Darling sighed to herself… but treated herself to some coffee since it was colder than the Ice Queen’s domain in Book End. A welcome change of pace from her sugary sweet drinks. (And frankly? That Velvet Dark Latte was absolutely delicious. If not a bit too dark for her tastes. She hated strong coffee.) Her search led her to seek out Fabled Freaks, a record store tucked into the Industrial District. She barely found it, only being beckoned in by a tall girl with jade green streaks in her pigtails and an intimidating aura. Getting inside, she was greeted by gorgeously grungy interiors, with neon signs and racks on racks on racks on racks of vinyl records, CDs, and cassette tapes, arranged by genre and by alphabetical order. The girl (Yaling, she said, and she suddenly remembered she was one of the Jade Emperor’s kids in Ever After High; she didn’t even work at the store but essentially knew everything in the store at that point) listened as Darling mentioned Chase’s favorite genres, and looked through the racks to find some music that fit, but

unfortunately for Darling, she couldn’t play any of these with her own setups AND it didn’t click as a proper gift. But she got Chase a bunch of cassettes anyway, as she was sure he had a cassette tape player tucked in his messy dorm room. Yaling smiled at her and led her to the cashier, and as Darling paid, she gave her a tip that she was very thankful for. “You’re Chase’s girlfriend, right? I know that lil’ guy, he’s been getting into darker goth stuff recently, but he’s still a sweet baby. You should get him a DVD and stuffed toy set of Nightmare Before Christmas. Heard the goth store at Market District has it, but you gotta move quickly, those sell out pretty fast. Good luck out there, Darling.” In the present moment, Darling smiled as she remembered the tip, and looked back at her phone. The map app showed that the store Yaling mentioned was way at the back of the market building, on another level of the rather bustling warehouse, so she decided to ask around the market to figure out where the store was. Problem one: she didn’t know what it was called. Problem two: Yaling never actually gave any info about the shop other than “goth shop.” Problem three: this marketplace is BIG. …Well, a Charming never backs down from a challenge. And Mama Charming never raised a quitter. So Darling went in search of the store. She raked through the aisles for any information, with a little tip in tow; none of them knew much about it, because it was such a new store. A girl in pink said to go over there, while a guy in sparkles told her to go over here, and Darling was finding it to be such a chore. As she weaves through the stalls with a practiced ease, she couldn’t help but notice the trinkets (and the stall selling…cheese?) A gift for Dex, a thing for Daring, something for the Wonderlandians that she knows would keep them staring. Something with a snow globe for one of her tropical friends, in this marketplace with delights to no end. She clambered up and down with all the time to spare, but she looked at her phone and said “oh Authors, he’s almost there!” For Chase and her agreed to meet at a friend’s place, which meant that Darling’s gift hunting had no time to waste. She ran through the warehouse with a surprising speed, but the store wasn’t found, and neither was the DeeV(D). Excuse the bad pun, for the author is cheesy, but Daring’s mind was making her queasy. Afraid to come back empty handed, she was ready to give up and leave with nothing branded, until…

“Author. Shut up.” Who said that? Who was that? What creature goes there— “I’m giving you 10 seconds before I reach through the document to smack you.” Oh, it’s the son of the Duchess, little sir Archie, with— “Shut up. Hey, Darling!” [CONNECTION LOST… REESTABLISHING…] [RECONNECTED. AUTHOR KESTREL IS NOW IN SESSION.] Replacing the previous author. They had a bad case of the Holidays. Archie, son of the Duchess (and her incredibly piquant treats) called Darling over from her spot near the stairwell. She turned her head to look at him beckoning at her, and she rushed to him, glad to find a familiar face in the crowd. “Hey Archie! Gosh, so nice to see someone I know! I’m looking for the goth store that this girl Yaling told me about. Had a Nightmare Before Christmas DVD I was planning to watch with Chasey.” Archie laughed and gesticulated dramatically to show the store. Now that Darling was closer, she saw a store befitting Raven’s style sensibilities, but with Cupid’s signature romantic flair. She gasped and smacked her head, laughing a little at the Christmas miracle that was brought in. “Welcome to Shelley’s Selling! Kinda heard you asking about the goth store here and I had to come to your rescue. My boyfriends love shopping here. It’s a new branch! The old one is all the way in the Butcher’s District. I think they have the DVD set… but,” Darling sighed. She knew where this was going. “You’re buying it for Huego and Tate. Aw, shucks.” Darling smiled sadly, thinking that she wouldn’t get the perfect gift for Chase. “It’s alright, Arch. You can have it. Are you gonna have a movie date with them?” Archie pouted a bit before smiling again, clearly rather apologetic about everything.

“Thanks for being so kind, babes. And yeah, we’re having one! It’s just not at our dorm, I was just headed out to get this and head back to Kathryn’s apartment here—“ “Kathryn? Pilar? The caterpillar girl?” “Well, yeah, her!” “No way, we’re meeting there too!” Give thanks to your author. “Well, it’s an authors blessed miracle. Let’s grab this and head out? Really couldn’t have come at a better time, Darl.” “Thanks, Arch. Come on, let’s grab it and go, it’s cold here!” The two laughed as they purchased the DVD from Shelley’s Selling, and as they walked out of the marketplace into the windy cold, they were kept warm by the chats that they were having, and the laughs that they shared. And later that evening, as all the couples were bundled up on the couch watching Nightmare Before Christmas, as Kathryn prepared hot chocolate for everyone, Darling smiled and giggled to herself, earning an amused look from her boyfriend, Chase. She actually forgot that it was a Wonderlandian party. And that Huego mentioned he wanted to see Nightmare Before Christmas at the party. She should’ve just texted Archie. But, she decided, the adventure was worth it. Christmas was all well and good for Darling. Especially when she was wrapped in Chase’s arms on a couch with all their friends. It really is worth it.

#gifts 2k22 #eah royal ouat #claws of fame

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