#rumbelle deserved so much better!

[couragehopelovefaith]

Still to this day, I can't understand why the writers of OUAT and some fans believe that Belle got her happy ending. She deserved so much better. Also, continuing to be bitter about the fact that a such a toxic couple like Rumbelle got any kind of Carl and Ellie-parallels.

[the-chipped-cup-awards]

The Chipped Cup Awards 2025!

Dear Rumbelle Community,

The time is (almost) upon us when we shall consider our wonderful body of fanfics and fan art, and decide which among them will be our favorite awarded in the year 2025.

Even though fandom as a whole has been slowing of late, we are very fortunate that even so, so many years after the ending of our beloved Once Upon A Time, new writers, artists and others are still showing up in our little community. Because of this, as admin, I wanted to take a moment to introduce our event to those who may not be sure of what the Chipped Cup Awards entail, as well as what they are NOT.

In much the same way that the Oscars and Emmy awards are voted upon by the members of the Academy, so, too, are the CCAs decided by our community members. That means YOU!

Each year, toward the end of December or beginning of January, Rumbellers are invited to nominate their favorite fics for consideration in the Chipped Cup awards. The list of nominees is compiled from the gathered data, and a ballot form is made available to community members for their vote.

We (the admin and dedicated group of moderators) use the tools available in Google Workspace to compile the data, and winners are decided on the strength of the community vote during the event, and not on any outside data such as comments and/or hierarchy of kudos on AO3 or elsewhere. In the case of a tie, we still look to our current data, taking into account the number of nominations each fic received in order to achieve a place on the ballot. If these data fail to produce a clear winner, only then do we look outside of our community vote to make the determination, in which instance the decision of the admin and mods is final.

Basically, YOUR VOTE is paramount, and we truly decide the course of this event as a COMMUNITY.

That said, unfortunately, in the past couple of years we have had some truly ugly messages sent both to the event blog, and to our writer and artist participants as well. It is for that reason that we have disallowed, and will continue to disallow, anonymous asks to the CCA blog, and sadly, would encourage our creator participants - after the ending of this year's Rumbelle Secret Santa event - to also turn off anonymous asks for their blog. We do not want this small minority of posters, hiding behind anonymity, to spoil the event for anyone in the Rumbelle community. It is cowardly, upsetting, and honestly, Rumbellers are better than that.

This is an event for celebration of one of the longest lived fandoms on the internet; an event that rewards the creativity of its members with the recognition they deserve. We would like for it to remain a happy, joyous, and anticipatory occurrence for everyone involved.

We have seen some fabulous works of art and fiction through the years that continue to be created even now, and we are truly looking forward to finding out what our Rumbelle community is excited to celebrate on Skin Deep Day in 2025.

You can find the full schedule for the event here, and the complete updated rules for the 2025 Chipped Cup awards right here.

Let the fun (soon) begin!

[tomeandflickcorner]

not a mutual, just stumbled on your blog because you rb'd one of my posts, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on Belle!

(also is it okay to reblog your post asking people to send you characters to give opinions on?)

Sure, no problem!

For the most part, I did like Belle. She was pretty much based on one of my favorite Disney princesses, after all. She was a strong, smart and clever woman. It was cool how she seemed to make friends with everyone she met, too. (Grumpy, Anna, Ariel, Mulan, Merida etc.). And the friendship she developed with Killian was particularly wonderful, considering their rocky start. It spoke volumes about Belle’s ability to forgive people.

Of course, you could say she sometimes took this ability to forgive a little too far. For instance, with her on-and-off-again husband. If you still ship those two, more power to you. But for me, the fact that Belle kept going back to him again and again was nothing short of terrifying. I’m not saying it was wrong of Belle to not want to give up on Rumpelstiltskin/Gold. Because, yes, you should always try to give someone another chance. But the problem with this is that Gold didn’t WANT to be saved. Every time he was given a chance to change, even to the point where he got the Dark One’s power siphoned out of him, complete with a bleached out heart, he still chose to take that power back. He never once chose his love for her over his love of power and control. Which tells me that Belle was never his first priority. So having Belle ultimately return to being his happy little housewife was heartbreaking, and it really felt like the whole Stockholm Syndrome story that some people claim the fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast is.

I apologize for going into an anti Rumbelle tangent, but it’s hard not to discuss that when talking about Belle. Because whenever Belle was with Gold, her storyline seemed to revolve exclusively around him. It’s not hard to notice that Belle only ever interacted with the other heroes whenever she and Gold were split up. That, to me, suggests that she only had a chance to truly shine when she wasn’t with Gold. The only time Belle actually had a chance to BE Belle was when she was free from Gold’s influence. (So I probably won’t ever forgive the writing team for fridging her to benefit Gold’s season 7 storyline. Belle deserved so much better.)

Send me a character

[myrsinemezzo]

Tag game #3 (man, I am cranking these out today). I was tagged by the amazing @rebelrebelwrites. We had so many of the same choices! This was a fun one to realize what I rewatch on a regular basis plus thinking about the ones that really hit home for me. The comfort shows and the masterpieces may actually be in order of favorite 🥰

#1. Current Hyperfixation - The Rings of Power: Was there any doubt that this would be on here?

#2. Comfort Show - Once Upon a Time: Ok, so I never finished this one, but seasons 1 & 2 were pretty amazing. Plus Rumbelle.

#3. Comfort Show - The Vampire Diaries: Delena forever, friends. Those later seasons eventually got better!

#4. Comfort Show - She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: I know this was technically “meant” for kids, but the themes of friendship and for what it means to have the possibility of change were really powerful. The LGBTQ+ rep was stellar, as well, with the found family characterization off the charts.

#5. Masterpiece - Fleabag - The way this show hits is incredible. So funny and emotional, and the writing is some of the best I’ve ever seen.

#6. Masterpiece - Avatar: The Last Airbender: What more can be said of this true masterpiece. The story development, character development, pacing, etc. It’s all incredible. And Zuko - one of the best character arcs of all time.

#7. Masterpiece - Ted Lasso: The major themes of forgiveness and the transformative power of belief and community make me cry while it’s still one of the funniest shows I’ve seen in ages. I have literally watched the first season 8 times.

#8. Masterpiece - Our Flag Means Death: I don’t even know what to say to express how much I love this show. The absolute lack of queer baiting, the emotional arcs, the musical cues and choices, etc. etc. This show is everything to me and deserves to finish in all its glory (come on HBO…don’t fuck this up…)

I’ll continue to be a pest because I am genuinely curious what you all would say! @scriberated @demonscantgothere @thrillofhope @pursuitseternal

[peacehopeandrats]

I just made a whole bunch of super cool people sing.

And with that, some of you are really confused. Sorry. Here's a treat for you to enjoy:

Without getting too "woe is me" ....

2023 was a shit year that put me inside a really thick shell.

2024 hasn't been better.

When I get stressed I make myself super busy and/or shut down completely.

I avoid socials, I avoid the things I love, I quit writing anything - fics, novels, even notes to self

Even though I've avoided it, I MISS being a part of this community!

I see all the new comments and kudos on my fics and it warms my heart.

When I'm away I want to get back, but life is just too overpowering.

I haven't forgotten ANYTHING that I wanted to accomplish with my storytelling.

I want to break this spell because the fandoms I support deserve new content and I have so much unfinished still to give.

This morning I was thinking about ways to get back in the groove and I've decided to try a Saturday (or Sunday) Shorts post. I'm going to grab content from somewhere (either Monthly Rumbelling or some other Rumbelle prompter or just something I pull on my own) and ramble write for a short time on it. First impressions, nothing more.

Questions are:

Do I share it here?

Would anyone from the Rumbelle discord want to join in those time challenge writing things on occasion?

Who has favorite prompt sites to share?

Can I keep it up to shake off some of this weight on me right now?

Is anyone willing to keep me honest with this and poke me into posting when I miss a Saturday?

This is going to be raw, unedited nonsense that may or may not be included in upcoming fics. That said, if I use a Monthly Rumbelling prompt, I'll try and beef it up later to post on AO3.

I just miss my people.

It'll be good to be "home" again.

[demi-full]

I’m rewatching ouat for my kid self (on season 3 rn) and I realised that,

No matter what happens I will always love both swanfire and captain swan. I literally cannot pick. I love them both so much ugh. Like yes give me that second chance love of Neil and Emma but also give me sassy pirate who will always put put her first.

I am still not over Neils death after all these years. Like yea way to fix a ship problem but I hate you for this ouat.

I totally forgot that there was ACTUAL RAPE IN SEASON 1?! Like I remember that Regina gets better with seasons but omg. I don’t think I actually can stand fully behind her now like, Graham deserved way better. I love her character still but. Yea no just no for me. The way it gets never brought up again gets me actually mad lol

And ofc how I love rumbelle. I can’t not love them.

[terrainofheartfelt]

Rumbelle the Chair of OUAT! You’re right and you should say it! Genuinely hate that fandom slotted them into the “true love brigade” or whatever it was called as if they were any way similar to Captain Swan, Outlaw Queen, or god forbid Snowing!

*screams into the abyss* BELLE DESERVED BETTER

how fucking dare rumplestiltskin get a "happy ending" with a "true love" and Regina lost Robin in such a traumatic, tragic way. How. Dare. It's 2021 and I'm still mad about it. and you're right, def not on the same level as the ships above.

[gch1995]

It really is not all that difficult to see why Belle fell in love with this self-proclaimed EVOL, anxious, passionately loving, loyal, self-sacrificing, and self-loathing Dork One, even if he has committed some serial murders in the past:

It really is not that difficult to see why Rumple fell in love with this brainy, compassionate, intuitive, and badass cinnamon roll:

You know, when they are both being written fully in-character on screen and awake at the same time, rather than being systematically destroyed by A&E and their team of hacks for stupid plot fuckery twists that make no sense, and trashed for Hook/CS and Zelena propping. But whatever...I pretend that the real show ended with 3x11, anyway, and only acknowledge fanon Rumbelle and the little snippets of in-character moments here and there in the awful crack!fic on screen from 3B-S7, but this is MY Rumbelle! This is the Rumbelle I signed up for:

@sarashouldbestudying

@takingbackouat

@ellen729

@grace52373

@glindatthegood

@missielynne

@done-with-ouat

@wicked-chocolatine

@wizzygold

@bookwormchocaholic

@boushh2187

@a-tardis-at-downton

Rumple: “Who could ever love me?” Me:

[deliriumsdelight7]

I'd love a snippet of both! But if that's too greedy, I'll let you decide which snippet you want to give.

Not greedy! I did just post a snippet of the Rumbelle one, so I’ll give you the Hellcheer one. This mmmmight not make much sense without context, but we’ll see.

“Yeah, I do,” he agreed. “My name’s Eddie Munson. Your sister called you monster. That your name? Monster Cunningham?”

The little girl giggled, delighted. “No, it’s not!” she said with the gravity only a child correcting an adult could muster. “My name’s Sophie Cunningham.”

Eddie froze, careful not to move a muscle lest the ground splinter under his feet like a patch of thin ice on a lake. One wrong move would send him plummeting to the cold, darkened depths below.

Sophie. Sophie Cunningham. Eddie’s mind went back, traveling effortlessly through time to eight years ago: lying in bed with Chrissy in his arms, heart in his throat as he brought up the idea of having kids. The name wasn’t the important part. He’d asked if she liked the name Sophie, sure, but he’d be happy to name their kid anything. He would’ve named the kid after Chrissy’s bitch of a mom, so long as it meant they were *together*.

But no - instead, Laura fucking Cunningham had taken everything from him. His happiness. His dreams. His girl. And now, the name of the child he’d hoped to one day have with Chrissy. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t gonna use the name (after all, there was no point in having kids if it was with anybody but Chrissy). It was the fucking principle. The name would be forever tainted for him, knowing that that evil woman had stolen it from him and given it to her young daughter.

His hands clenched into tight fists, his rings digging painfully into his fingers. He prayed to God and Satan and Ronnie James Dio that he didn’t run into Chrissy’s mom. If he did… well, it wasn’t that he’d do something he’d regret. Anything he could dish out to Laura Cunningham was better than she deserved. But the jail sentence wouldn’t be worth it.

[eirian-houpe]

Congrats for getting back to a WIP after so long! Have you found that your time writing in the Rumbelle fandom has colored your writing in other fandoms (LotR, Foundation) at all? If so, how, and how do you deal with it?

Hello my dear friend!!! Thank you so much for this ask... Let me see if I can do the question the justice it deserves.

First of all - what a WILD ride it was coming back to to the Tolkien fandom after like, three and a half years or so. I always promised that I wouldn't abandon the fic, and I didn't, I was just... first of all stuck, and then on top of that, Lee moved on to Halt and Catch Fire, and that fandom was just like... rabid, honestly. You want to talk ship wars, you ain't seen NOTHING like the war between the Cam/Joe vs Sara/Joe... OMG! Anyway, I digress. I did keep chipping away at Laer o Faen right through to 2019, but the intervals between chapters got longer and then I hit the block (the exorcism).

Still from 2017 through very recently, Rumbelle became the main focus for my fics, though I dipped my toe into a couple of Star Trek: Discovery fics as well.

I think the best way I can describe how writing in the Rumbelle fandom may or may not have colored my writing in other fandoms is maybe an awareness thing more than what I write or the way I write. I'm aware, for example that the Pacers in the Foundation fandom are still in the 'lusty maiden' phase of the fandom experience. The show is new, the hype and the excitement is still high, and then, lets face is, Lee Pace... who has quite simply knocked it out of the park with Cleon, so you put all of that together and though a relatively /small/ fandom (Foundation not the Pacers themselves), it's also fairly active and responsive. That makes a big difference in the willingness factor, to make an example... I started writing Foundation around mid July of this year, and have posted a chapter every week so far without fail. Admittedly they're relatively short chapters, but still, there's a desire and an urgency to write because I know there are folk out there waiting to read it, and who are letting me know - and I don't mean that in a pushy way, or bordering on rude, like your experience recently. I mean, they're just... there. Present.

I get a kind of crossover effect there with the Tolkien too. Although that's a much much much much MUCH older fandom - and seriously 'political' (yes with a small p) or maybe 'factional' would be a better word, it's still very active in that solid kind of way that a spine might be on a person... but bearing in mind that the fic I focus on in that fandom is Thranduil-centric, I get the Pacers reading it also, so I have that branch of folks engaging too.

The awareness does kind of bleed through into the way I write I guess, as well... the language I use, the sentence structures, even sometimes grammatical structures I'll be deliberately different for in Foundation vs Rumbelle, vs Tolkien. Chapter length too maybe - and of course... how can I forget the smut. If there's one thing Rumbelle has colored, it's definitely been the smut - which I mean in a good way.

How do I deal with it...? Badly. Admittedly badly. I shouldn't look at a WIP list and think... well, I want to write that because I know I'm going to get more involvement from that, more feedback, more energy once it's posted because the engagement is there in any one fandom over another, but that's what's happening.

Listen, I know, okay, I know that Rumbelle fandom is slowing down. The show's been off the air like... well feels like forever and that's a travesty! I also know that has an effect on how people interact with their fandom. I also know that a writer is not 'entitled' to engagement/feedback, but really... when I look at other platforms in which Rumbellers are engaging, and see the activity, the support, the fun that's being shared, and then I look across the group of Rumbelle writers that I know, and see how little that love, support, fun is being extended to people who are, essentially, giving of their time and energy, giving of their love and all of that to other people...? Where's the reciprocity?

This wasn't meant to end up as a call out post or anything but, I just don't understand it, and that frustrates me. When I was out and out told, in so many words, "I don't have time for that," in a discussion about engagement, I honestly almost lost my mind with the frustration of not being able to understand that response.

It kind of hurts to be honest.

So, I guess that dealing with it well, is a case of me reminding myself that while comments and kudos and engagement and fun and sharing and support is nice and all, I'm writing for the sheer love and joy of writing.

What has been /your/ experience?

[gch1995]

Yeah, that’s how I felt about the writing for Rumple and Belle’s characters in 6A, too, which is exactly why I didn’t bother watching any of it. I was worried that they were going to bring Rumbelle to an overdramatically OOC, convoluted. toxic, and stupid new low that I couldn’t forgive the writers for this time around after what they did to CS in 5A because Rumbelle was their only competition, and they had just made Emma and Hook treat each other way worse than Rumple had ever treated Belle as a Dark One.

Kitsis was a petty bastard who wouldn’t let that stand, even though 5A CS was still objectively far worse than 6A Rumbelle, anyway, but I can guarantee you that was why we got the OOC melodrama of the systematic character destruction of season season sucks for Rumbelle.

But yeah, from the spoilers I read I really didn’t like the way either Rumple or Belle were treating each other, nor did I recognize them, or take sides in 6A,

I didn’t really hate either of the characters for it, or blame them for any of it because it wasn’t who they were, and it didn’t make any sense. It was nonsensically OOC character destroying bad writing angst. It was just wildly OOC mindless systematic destruction of both of the individual characters and their relationship together in favor of creating contrived Drama™️ for a stupid plot that made absolutely no fucking sense. It honestly had gotten to the point where it was laughable how desperate Eddy was to vilify Rumple to prop up Hook and Zelena, and turn Rumple and Belle against each other.

I’ll always love Rumple, I’ll always love Belle, and I’ll always love Rumbelle. I’ll always ship them from “Skin Deep” to the end of S3, and in canon-divergent/AU fanon scenarios. But as far as I’m concerned, the real show ended with 3x11, and the mess that we saw on screen from 3B-S7 was an awful crack!fic on screen on ABC every Sunday night at 8:00PM that most of us stopped taking seriously after 5A when we realized that the show was all about H00k now, while all our faves got thrown under the bus for him.

I didn’t watch the episode last night, but I have gone through tumblr to see what happened. And I’m not seeing any ‘game changers’ that happened for Rumbelle. Oh yes, things changed but nothing happened to change my opinion on their dynamic for this season. They are who they are. They did what they did. And they were themselves being and doing. Just two desperate people doing increasingly desperate things until they smashed everything to pieces.

And so I have to say I don’t like either one of them anymore. I don’t recognize them and I don’t really care if they get back together or not. *sigh* I could go into more, but I doubt anyone cares what I think and I don’t want to contribute to nastiness in the fandom.

Maybe with a little time and space from the episodes (since we are apparently done with the smashing phase) I will be able to excise these episodes from my brain and enjoy future episodes. We’ll see.

I hope that people who are feeling good about the show or at least better about Rumbelle get what they want. And I hope they block whatever portions of the fandom they need to so they can continue feeling good and holding hope.

While I don’t like the current versions of either character, I’m not interested in any hate for them. No Belle hate. No Rumple hate. No Rumbelle hate.

[violetfaust]

I'm interested in hearing more about why you think Margot should've been Rumbelle's daughter. Sounds interesting, but what would that mean for her enchanted forest life? I think her being Robin Hood's daughter would've been fine if not for Zelena

Okay, Nonny, since you sent this a few days before Mother's Day, I'm gonna finally take the opportunity to try to sum up and speed-run the Belle's Daughter Margot feelings that have haunted me for THREE YEARS. Buckle in; this will be more than you or anyone asked for.

Disclaimer 1: It's been, well, three years, so my memory of Curious Archer and their story is not perfect; could be off on some details here. And Disclaimer 2: I really loved Tiera Skovbye as Robin/Margot; she did a lot with not much screen time, and she and Rose had fabulous chemistry. So although she was well cast as Robin Sr.'s kid, Tiera would be perfectly believable as a Rumbelle daughter, too--maybe give her some low-lights and call it a day. We keep Tiera as Margot in this rewrite. Okay: onward.

(Since one of the few things that would have to change about Robin if she were Rumbelle’s daughter is her name, I’ll just mostly use her Hyperion Heights name “Margot” throughout this post for simplicity.)

First and foremost, the foundation of everything: Margot is so like Belle! She is so like her. They have the same love of adventure, a similar sense of humor. She took Alice on a date to a bookstore. Most of all, she has Belle’s ability to see past “the mask of the monster” to a person’s heart. There was a great scene where Tilly explained that she didn’t want Margot to see her “bad days” because she thought it would be “too much,” and Margot said words to the effect that she was there for the bad as well as the good.

Obviously, people don't have to grow up to be exactly like their parents (Belle and Rumple sure didn't)...BUT. In fiction, one of the fun parts of next-gen stories is for the audience to see how their favorites' personalities are passed down. It's just more fun to see a Henry who has parts of Regina/Emma/Neal than one who doesn't; it's fun to see Lucy resemble little Henry. And it would be fun to see Margot be like her parents (she is very like Robin Sr; not so much Zee). Seeing a character who has so many of Belle's traits becomes just more...fun...when she learned them FROM Belle.

The family feud Rumple/Hook angle turns Alice and Margot’s relationship up another roman tic notch. A classic trope! It’s about reconciliation and love remaking and erasing those old grudges. Which is even more important when we’re supposed to believe that the evidence of Rumple’s final redemption is his saving Rook.

On a more macro level: the entire claim that OUAT is "a show about hope" COLLAPSES because it ends with the annihilation of the Stiltskin family. Rumple, Belle, and Neal are all dead; Henry doesn’t acknowledge them as his family; and Gideon is a friendless and forgotten orphan in another world. I did my rants about this three years ago, but long story short: the show’s not about hope unless it’s hopeful for EVERYONE. And having at least one of Rumbelle’s children alive and happy at the end (with her True Love and friends and acknowledged as part of the family) would fix that. My objection has never been that Rumple (and even Belle) die, but the way it happened.

And of course, Rumbelle needed to have at least one other child because Kitsowitz managed to deny them even one single shared happy moment surrounding Belle’s pregnancy with Gideon and his birth. Even if the audience didn’t get to see it (and we could have gotten a glimpse in Beauty), we deserved to know it happened.

Finally: Zelena did not belong in S7, period. I know it was fun for her fans! (Although apparently there weren't enough of them to positively affect the ratings, meow.) I do know! But it was bad storytelling. She served no point in the larger season arc, and the serial witch killer plot that was invented to serve her was one of the worst and most stupid things Kitsowitz came up with in seven years, and ate up time that could/should have gone to develop other characters. (Driz and Ana come immediately to mind, instead of having them shunted off to another universe, but also Henry/Cinda/Lucy and of course Rumple since his plot was coming to a close.) Zelena didn’t even get any significant growth herself, or develop her relationships with Regina or Robin. She still didn’t express regret for the horrible things she did to characters we love (Rumple, Neal, and Robin Sr.); the only result of all that screentime was to give an unrepentant rapist a love story with a person--we barely see and have zero investment in. And even that was ultimately negated at the end of the season, because in the finale Zee’s back in Storybrooke sans Boo Bear.

So, all that said: what would have to change about Margot’s, and Curious Archer’s, FTL storyline to give us Margot Gold?

Her name—but actually very little else. (And frankly it would have been more respectful to have Belle name her daughter after Robin Sr., who was actually her friend, than for Zee to name her kid after the man she raped, manipulated, and ultimately got killed—but that ship had sailed.)

Belle and Rumple could have given their daughter any number of fairytale names after people they know, aka fresh take on a Disney character. My favorite possibilities are Aurora (and then Curious Archer could have been Curious Beauty, and done a riff on the Sleeping Beauty story as part of their FTL backstory, with a built-in TLK) and Merlin (very pretty for a girl, I’ve always thought).

But the character herself would have been very much the same: she could be Rumbelle’s jock daughter, trained in archery and swordsmanship by family friends (Merida/Mulan/Charming), but always feeling out of place in her family of scholars/sorcerers/nerds.

I am SO sorry for the length of this--there's even more under this cut!

Robin/Margot felt insecure about trying to live up to her father’s name; Rory/Merlin/Margot could have similar anxieties trying to live down her father’s Dark One rep. There could even be a similar story where she was born with magic (like Robin was) but loses it or chooses to give it up—something that would estrange her further from her family. Or, if she was Merlin, she could keep her magic but be reluctant to use it, and part of Curious Archer’s Hyperion Heights arc would be both Margot and Tilly discovering and accepting their magic. (Sapphic sorceresses for the win.)

Now, one of the cutest things about Alice/Robin’s FTL dynamic was Robin being a girl from the Land Without Magic finding her feet in an enchanted forest, with Alice’s help. But it would only take a little finessing of S7 Rumbelle’s story to get that for Rory as well. (Of course, any decent story would have a LOT of finessing of Rumbelle’s plot so that Belle didn’t die and put Rumple on a suicide mission, but again—assuming the ship has sailed…)

Say that Rory is five to six years younger than Gideon. The Rumbelle family spend a dozen years or so traveling the realms, but then Rumbelle decide that they want Gideon and Rory to be comfortable in the LWoM with their extended Charming family, so they settle back into the Pink Palace so the kids can get a LWoM education. They still take occasional journeys, often Rumbelle going to save some hapless souls, but Rory grows up primarily in SB with very few, vague memories of all the fascinating places they visited when she was a small child. This feeds her hunger for adventure along with some envy of Gideon for having so many more fairytale experiences—another thing that makes her feel like a misfit in her family. So, presto, when she moves to FTL she and Alice have pretty much the same meeting/adventures.

One of the key notes of Rumple and Alice/Tilly's relationship, showing his growth and making it so special, was how he chose to set her free of being the Guardian or whatever, allowing her to be free and get what he never had, the chance to grow old with the woman she loves. And that would be weakened if Rumple knew that by choosing Alice's happiness over his own, he was also choosing his own daughter's happiness (because we know Rumple picks his kids over himself ever time). But--he doesn't have to know WHO Alice's True Love is when he makes that choice. He could just know that there is someone, or simply realize that Alice deserves her freedom for her own sake. (Rumple's daughter also getting happiness would be a side benefit that he didn't learn about till later, and have the added perk of Rumple actually getting a narrative reward for doing something good. Which almost NEVER happened! Bonus.)

Finally: I do understand that Robin's presence on the canvas was important to fans of Robin Sr.--getting to know he's remembered and having someone carry on his legacy. Of course I get it--Rumbelle and their family not having that is my biggest complaint (of so so many).

But we don't need a grown-up Robin Jr. to be Robin's legacy. Let her stay a cute background kid with perennially baby Prince Neal. There's already a character, one we're invested in, to carry on for the Hoods: Roland. And again, it would be satisfying for the audience to learn that a five-year-old orphan wasn't shunted off from what family he had left (Regina and Henry) into another universe and never heard from again. If Kitsowitz didn't waste time with Zelena, they wouldn't have needed the idiotic Jack-is-Hansel-the-serial-killer twist, and we could have have had Roland filling the role of Henry's best friend/little brother (and therefore Lucy's fake HH dad--God, that plot was bad all the way back in season 1; why Kitsowitz why?). We'd see Roland onscreen, part of the family, at the end of the show, perhaps with his own True Love (Drizella, maybe, or better yet Gideon) and happy future.

So, that's it: the combination of Margot Stiltskin-Gold and Roland Hood tightens and heightens the storytelling throughout S7, closes some plot holes, and actually fulfills some of the show's stated themes. Who knew!

Anyone else want three years of OUAT theory vomit? ��� Shoot me an ask!

(I actually have another one, god help us all, but I might save it till Father's Day...)

[thestraggletag]

Virtual Session, A Rumbelle Zoom Fic

Rating: Explicit.

Summary: Town meetings were usually drab, boring events, and having them over Zoom hadn't improved them much. Or so Mr Gold thought, until he forgot to log out of the meeting after it ended, only to discover a half-naked Belle French had also forgotten to do so.

SOMEONE PLEASE COMMENT WITH A BETTER SUMMARY I HATE IT.

Based on this prompt.

“We will review your presentation and hold a virtual vote before the month is up, Miss French. Thank you very much for your time.”

The mayor adjusted her suit jacket, her shirt riding up as she did so and unknowingly displaying the telltale white check of her Adidas yoga pants. Royce snickered, taking advantage of the fact he was muted.

“As there are no other pending topics on today’s agenda this virtual session is adjourned.”

He half-expected her to produce a gable out of thin air and bang it against her marble countertop. All around him people began to say their goodbyes and log out of Zoom, lest Regina decide to spring a surprise motion at the last minute. There was no need to flee, however, as Regina herself was one of the first to log off. Given the amount of smoke he had spotted coming from behind her right before she exited he did not need to guess what had caused her sudden departure.

“I guess no apple turnover for dessert at Madame Mayor’s.”

He heard an adorable chuckle and did not need to glance at the screen again to guess who it was. Very few people found his brand of dark humour palatable, but the librarian seemed to love it. It was nice, he soon found out, to have someone appreciate his often ill-received quips. It was one of the things he had first noticed about her. Well, other than her stunning eyes. And perhaps her hair, which was a lovely shade of reddish-brown. Her legs too, he acknowledged reluctantly, so nicely-displayed by her short skirts and high heels. And her-

He stopped himself. That way lay madness and he knew it. It was one thing to admire in an unattached way, from a distance. He was a connoisseur of beautiful things, after all, and Belle French was certainly beautiful. Unfortunately she also happened to have a lovely personality. Kind, generous, open, but also bold, defiant and the littlest bit dark. She flaunted the rules of smalltown society by wearing what the matrons around town considered “inappropriate clothing” for a librarian, and speaking to anyone and everyone, including those that polite society would urge her to shun. Drank beer with the miners, for example, men deemed “too coarse” for genteel women, and stocked the library with altogether undesirable books, be it because they dealt with unseemly issues or because they were from traditional authors. Which, he was sure, was code for “white men”, even if Mother Superior never quite spelled it out in such terms.

She was altogether dangerous for him, with her mix of light and dark, so he was always on his guard, lest his thoughts veer too far into dangerous territory. He didn’t fear scorn or derision if his feelings became too obvious for her to ignore. Belle was altogether too kind for that. But to be gently yet firmly rebuffed, and have their subsequent interactions laced by the barest hint of pity from her, would be unbearable. 

“I’m pretty sure that at least Mr Spencer didn’t hear a word I said. His camera was off during the whole of my presentation.” The librarian huffed, clearly bothered that her proposal to increase the library’s budget to repair the East Wing’s leaky ceiling wouldn’t get a fair shot. The wing was currently closed, and had been since she had taken the post of librarian, but with the newfound need of social-distancing, particularly in enclosed spaces, she hoped she could change that, make the town council see the need for more space in the library. “Though perhaps he didn’t want to be yelled at again for not being in a three-piece suit for a virtual town meeting.”

He briefly paused to remember Spencer’s red face when Regina had chastised him for wearing a white polo shirt instead of a shirt and tie during the last meeting.

“Kinda hypocritical of Madame Mayor, given she was a couple of clothing articles shy of a full tracksuit tonight.”

They shared a conspiratorial laugh, and he hoped the camera somehow toned down the stupid look on his face. He tried to avoid direct eye contact, looking instead mildly-interested in her living-room. Her laptop seemed to be perched somewhere on her dining-room table, giving him a great view of the rest of her flat, which was a loft, so it was open space, with exposed brick and tall ceilings. Though small it was tastefully-decorated, and with enough bookcases to make it seem like it was a part of the library he had never been to, if it weren’t for the kitchen area and the- and he told himself to stop looking at it- queen-size bed.

“Well, Miss French, at the risk of getting ahead of myself I can confidently state that things are looking good for your project. It was an excellent presentation and I could see Midas and Hopper were clearly in favour. That leaves the Mayor and Spencer outnumbered. Hell, I think even Regina will vote yes on this one. I know she’s keen on finding a place for students with connectivity issues to go do their homework and attend some classes. Fingers crossed the voting goes your way.”

He smiled at her, trying to look reassuring instead of besotted, and they exchanged their goodbyes. He closed his laptop, deciding that he needed a stiff drink first and a cold shower later, and went over to his wet bar, where after some debate he picked up a bottle of Ardberg and poured himself three fingers of Scotch, opting to forgo the ice and drink it straight. The alcohol burned pleasantly on its way down, making him loosen up almost immediately. He went over to the window, undoing the buttons of his vest and slipping it off as he did, feeling warmed by the whiskey. He chanced a glance outside, where the night remained crisp and clear, thankfully devoid of snow. It was still bitterly cold, though, and he hoped the library’s heating system, which was in need of maintenance as well, would not fail. The money for its maintenance had already been allocated and the budget for the work set, but perhaps he could email the person in charge of the job and… persuade them to make it a priority. The work should’ve already been done, but the pandemic had put a temporary stop on jobs like that with the exception of emergencies. Now that things were slowly returning to normal he was confident he could get the people working on the library by the end of the week with three sentences or less.

He went back to his laptop, determined to send the email as soon as possible. He opened it up and noticed, at first, that his camera light was still on. Almost as soon as his brain connected the dots and realised that he had forgotten to log off Zoom he noticed something else: so had Belle French. She was walking around her house, seemingly tidying things up and humming as she went along. It was a lovely, domestic little display, and though he knew he needed to log off fucking Zoom and stop intruding on what Miss French clearly thought was the privacy of her own home, he didn’t move the mouse. Surely there was no harm in indulging a bit. He was a lonely man, partly by design and partly by circumstance, and though he often told himself he wasn’t missing out on anything, he had to admit it was nice to- albeit accidentally- share an intimate moment with someone he had an affinity with. He imagined, for a moment, that instead of her living-room he was seeing her in his, picking up discarded books or perhaps the remnants of a tea they had shared together. He quickly shook himself out of that fantasy, alarm bells ringing in his mind, and refocused in the present, where Belle was taking off her cardigan. Well, surely, that meant the heating system was holding, which was a good thing. Which reminded him of his idea to write-

He glanced at the monitor again, where Belle French was now shimming out of her skirt.

He blinked, idiotically-confused for a second, as if the thought of a woman undressing was news for him. After the initial shock he took in all the details, fixsting on the black stripe on the back of her sheer black stockings, which she rolled down with painstaking care, the gesture almost painfully erotic. She started on the buttons of her sheer maroon shirt, undoing them with ease and shrugging out of the garment. The black camisole she wore underneath did nothing to conceal her lacy black culotte, which hugged her perfect ass like it was made for her. She went to unpin her hair next, letting the bobby pins that kept it off her sides of her face drop into a little ceramic bowl on her vanity. He was surprised at how much seeing her walk around her house with bare feet, shaking her hair out and stretching her limbs affected him. There was nothing inherently sensual about her movements, yet he was transfixed, unable to look away. Any hope of containing his attraction or attachment to the librarian vanished into thin air at that moment, leaving him equal parts scared and turned on.

It was then that his mostly-unused sense of decency decided to let itself be known, a wave of shame washing through him at the notion of what he was doing. Miss French had every right to her privacy, and here he was, violating it in the worst possible way. He should log out immediately and stay away from the librarian for a rather long time, enough for-

“Royce?”

His heart lurched painfully in his chest at the sound of her voice. Slowly, reluctantly, he turned his head towards the screen, telling himself that he deserved the scorn and disgust he was sure to see in the librarian’s face. But whatever hasty apologies and half-formed excuses he was about to blurt out died on his lips the moment he saw her: she was standing in profile, arms crossed in front of her chest and hands grasping the hem of her camisole, prepared to take it off, and her head was turned to the side, her eyes on her laptop screen. She didn’t look accusatory, or disgusted. She didn’t even look embarrassed. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes shone, but it looked more like… like... 

Arousal.

“I’m here, sweetheart.”

He could hardly recognise the low, growly burr as his voice. It sounded uncouth and harsh, like the way he used to speak back in Glasgow. He had worked for years on toning down his accent, letting only the barest hint of it show when he was trying to intimidate someone. Never enough to sound too much like he did back in his youth, and yet he hadn’t managed to quite rid himself of it. 

On screen Belle lifted the hem of her camisole a few inches, exposing supple, creamy skin. Royce tried hard not to swallow his own tongue. She bit her lip, suddenly hesitant, and fuck him if that sliver of vulnerability wasn’t the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. 

“Is this… Is this okay?” 

It took him an embarrassingly-long time to understand that Belle fucking French was asking him if it was alright for her to strip in front of him, presumably for their mutual enjoyment. He reminded himself that he had had only one glass of Scotch, not enough to dismiss whatever was happening as a drunken daydream. Which he might have had, from time to time. About Belle. Maybe.

“It’s perfect, sweetheart.” 

Her lips curled into a coy smile, the growl in his voice making her shiver, and in one swift motion removed her camisole, revealing a lacy black bandeau bra with delicate details done in leavers lace. It matched her knickers, he noticed idly, and the black contrasted amazingly with her pale, softly-blushed skin. His keen eye noticed the exquisite craftsmanship right away. It was an expensive set, no doubt, and given how she was wearing during a commonplace day where she planned to stay home it led him to the conclusion that Belle French simply owned a lot of fancy lingerie, to the point that she wore it as an everyday sort of garment. He was very sure he would never again be able to look at her and not think about that.

“You’re gorgeous.”

In any other situation he would’ve been embarrassed to sound so… Reverent. So incredibly not in control of the situation. He might be fully-dressed, a man of means with a position of political power in their little hamlet and she might be a half-naked small-town librarian but he was absolutely powerless at the moment. And what was worse, he enjoyed it. 

“Thank you, Mr Gold.”

Though he loved the way she said “Gold”, with enough irreverence to turn her tone teasing, he desperately wanted her to say his name.

“Call me Royce, sweetheart.”

She walked over to the table, flipped the chair and sat down, draping her arms loosely around the backrest, the position loose and cocky. There was no doubt in her now, no hesitance. She had assumed control of the situation, for which he was grateful. She tilted her head to a side, sizing him up.

“You’re wearing a lot of clothes, Royce. I feel at a disadvantage.”

She smiled, looking supremely unconcerned, but there was a glint in her eyes he recognised quite easily. Greed. And not the kind he was used to seeing in people who frequented his shop to strike one of his infamous deals. It was different. It certainly felt different to him, hit him right beneath his gut in a way that felt both uncomfortable and pleasant. Without quite thinking his fingers went to the knot of his tie, already loosened, and tugged expertly, untying it in seconds. The silk made a soft, hissing sound as it slipped off his neck, which sounded loud in the otherwise dead silence of the room. Belle followed his movements avidly from the screen, and the look of utter absorption on her face gave him the surge of bravery he needed to tackle the buttons of his shirt till he could shimmy out of it. He was wearing a white undershirt beneath, but his arms and throat were bare, making him feel ridiculously exposed. 

“You have many layers. I like that about you.” Belle dropped her gaze, looking coy and vulnerable at the same time. “I like a lot of things about you.”

“Me too.” He tried to stop himself, but it was easier said than done. “Too many things, actually. But I’ve always understood that it would be foolish to expect anything to come of that.” He looked at Belle, draped over her chair and in her underwear. “Well, perhaps I was wrong.”

Belle smiled.

“You’re finally getting it. Good boy.”

He forced himself not to react visibly to those words, even though the moment he heard them it was like being struck by lightning. Thankfully the camera caught him from the waist up, hiding the embarrassing way his cock had perked up a second earlier. He could not hide his flushed face, however, or the way his eyes glazed over the slightest bit. 

“Tell you what. I’ll take off my bra if you lose the t-shirt. It’s a fair deal.”

It wasn’t. As far as he was concerned he was getting the far better end of the deal but he would never dream of telling her that. Tipping his hand was not his style. 

“Deal.”

He said it in the pleased, soft burr he usually reserved for his less savoury business arrangements, the kind that needed to be sealed in the cloak of night in some remote, deserted location. Belle shivered, and he enjoyed the thought that his voice made her react so. Feeling bold he grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked it off,      baring himself from the waist up. He saw and felt the librarian’s eyes roam over his torso. It wasn’t a pretty sight. He had scars from his dodgy upbringing in Glasgow, and some from his learning days restoring antiques. He was fond of the sun so at least he was not pasty white, or overly hairy, but he didn’t have much in the way of muscles. Belle, however, seemed to appreciate his more lean physique, if the heat of her gaze was any indication. After she seemed to have her fill of staring she leaned back and deftly unhooked her bra, letting the straps slide down her arms till the garment was on the floor. 

He stared. Couldn’t help himself really. Belle French’s tits were perfect. Fucking perfect. Just the right size, incredibly soft-looking and with the loveliest nipples he had ever seen, a rosy-pink that he would never be able to get out of his head. The kind of breasts that would ruin a man for other women. He certainly felt like no other breasts could ever tempt him again. 

“Royce, are you okay?”

Her voice sounded a delightful mix of amused and slightly worried, so he forced himself to nod, still unable to look away.

“Fucking perfect.”

Fuck, was that his voice? He sounded… dazed. He fought the instinct to slap some sense into himself. Belle draped herself across the back of the chair again, and though the position hid her breasts somewhat it didn’t do so completely. 

“I love how soft you are. Underneath the hardass pawnbroker exterior, I mean. Soft, and kind and funny. So funny. It’s one of your most attractive qualities.”

Most people wouldn’t think so. His brand of humour was dark, sometimes too much. And yet Belle always laughed, always caught on to his quips and seemed to appreciate them in a consporatory way. She could also dish it out, but in a far more subtle way that he was sure most people didn’t catch on to. Softly-spoken sarcasm delivered in a lilting accent. 

What was not to love?

He told her so. Unburdened himself completely, caught up in his own physical vulnerability and hers. It felt safe to tell her of his feelings, of how days where he knew he would see her were brighter, and how he liked when they shared a smile or exchanged a comment on a book. How his heart fluttered when he watched her read to the children, and how another part of his anatomy altogether reacted when she strutted around town with her short skirts and devil-may-care attitude. Liked how she thumbed her nose at the pearl-clutchers in town, doing things her way. Completely unsuited for boring, conventional small-town life, and yet wholly at home in Storybrooke, to the point where he could not imagine the town without her.

He shut up after that, noticing how she seemed to have changed, her mood going from loose and flirty to… anxious? No, that wasn’t the right word. Unsettled, perhaps.

“I can’t do this.” The sudden sentence felt like a slap in the face, but the moment his face dropped she seemed to backpedal. “No, no, not like that! I mean… I wanna touch you. I want to be in the same room. With even less clothes on. This… It suddenly doesn’t feel like enough.”

She was fucking right, he realised. He felt itchy all of a sudden. Unfulfilled. Empty.

“Come over.”

“What?”

Belle seemed genuinely surprised, but the way her skin flushed and her eyes got big let him know she was very open to the idea.

“Come the fuck over. It’s fucking cold anyway and the heating system at the library is shite at the moment. Come over and I’ll keep you warm, sweetheart.”

He was rather impressed with his blunt bit of bravery, born out of a consuming need more than anything, and even more impressed when it looked like it worked. Belle scrambled out of the chair, throwing a lovely little nightie on before getting her coat and scarf. 

“Be there in a few. See you!”

She disconnected before he could tell her to bundle up. It was fucking freezing outside and that nightie and her stockings and shoes would do nothing against the cold, coat or no coat. A moment later he realised he was sitting down in his pants, socks and shoes and nothing else while Belle fucking French was coming over to... 

Fuck.

He scrambled up, fishing for his cane in a hurry and having just enough presence of mind to disconnect from Zoom. He went upstairs to his room, deciding that it would be awkward for him to still be wearing pants. And socks. And shoes. So he chucked all that off, throwing a dressing gown over his boxers, pausing to put on his house slippers, glad beyond words he had recently bought new ones. After that he went downstairs to the kitchen and popped a bottle of champagne, looking into his pantry for the box of chocolate truffles from Kreuther, a treat he had gotten himself after visiting a state sale in Midtown Manhattan a week ago. He arranged the impromptu offerings on the dining room table, and when the bell rang he told himself he was ready. He opened the door, finding a rosy-cheeked and clearly shivering Belle on the other side, hair windswept, as if she had run there. Taking into account her heels it was rather impressive.

Belatedly he thought about the scene she had walked into. He in his dressing gown, with champagne flutes and truffles on the table and a fire roaring in the living-room, a scenario ripe for debauching. But perhaps she wished to talk more, to explore their emotional intimacy. Perhaps the trek there had killed her ardour and all she wanted and needed was to get warm and comfortable. He didn’t want to come off as… expecting anything.

Belle, however, seemed to not share his concerns. She took one look at him, one look at the softly-lit space behind him and the food laid out and smiled.

“You brilliant, wonderful man.”

A second late she was in his arms. Cold, but soft and smelling of orange blossoms and frost. She tilted her head up, slanting her lips across before he could blink and it was… wonderful. The coolness of her lips contrasted with the searing heat of her mouth, making for a rather delicious contrast of sensations. He used the hand not clutching his cane for dear life to find the buttons of her coat, undoing them one by one with barely-contained impatience. Finally he had the coat opened and could snake his arm around her waist. The silk of her small camisole was soft to the touch, and let him feel the warmth of her skin beneath.

He needed to feel more. Now that she was safe in the warmth of his house she didn’t need her coat or scarves and went about the business of removing both without separating himself from her. It took a lot of tugging and pulling and a couple of missteps that landed her up against the wall, to his utter delight, but she was finally rid of both. Her skin, despite the toasty temperature inside the house, was still chilly from the outside.

“Come close to the fire, sweetheart.”

They managed to stumble across the hallway and into the living room, where they seemed to come to the mutual conclusion that remaining standing was not conducive to their current situation. The rug near the fireplace, thankfully, was thick and soft, and the couple of throw blankets he quickly spread over it made it more so. Once he was satisfied she would be comfortable he let her tackle him to the ground, enjoying having her above him. She was small, especially once she wrestled her heeled boots off. A tiny slip of a woman, shorter than him even, but there was a presence to her, a strength, that he couldn't help but surrender to. Beautiful, terrifying Belle.

“I’ve dreamed of this.” Her voice was low, husky. “You weren’t wearing a dressing gown in my dreams, though.”

“And you weren’t wearing anything in mine.” His accent was so thick he feared she might not be able to understand me. “Tit for tat, dearie.”

She ground herself against him, causing him to hiss and arc. Enough pressure to elicit a response, but not nearly enough to satisfy him.

“Don’t call me that. That’s how you call everyone else, and I’m not everyone else, am I?”

Her confidence slipped for a second, exposing a hint of uncertainty that he was quick to dispel.

“No, sweetheart. Of course not.”

He untied the belt of his dressing gown, managing to slip it off while still pinned by Belle. He didn’t imagine it was a very sexy spectacle but she seemed to appreciate it nevertheless. To reward him she yanked her nightie off, revealing her glorious breasts once again to his hungry stare. She was absolutely perfect, made even better by the way the fire lit her skin and hair, and turned her eyes a deeper blue. She looked fierce yet soft, a magnanimous mistress looking down fondly at a favoured pet. Idly she traced a scar near his right shoulder with the tip of her index finger, frowning the slightest bit.

“I want to know the story behind this. I want to know… more. About you. All there is to know that you wish to tell me.”

“Yes.” Usually he’d balk at the idea of such intimacy, of being so bare. Yet it felt like something he could do with Belle, something he wanted to do. “Yes, of course, sweetheart. And I want to know everything about you.”

She smiled, the gesture slowly turning sultry as she crossed her elbows over his chest.

“We’ll talk… later.”

She kissed him then, slowly and thoroughly, sinking one hand into his hair so she could tilt his head just so. Her fingernails felt delicious against the sensitive skin of his scalp and were a welcome distraction from the uncomfortable pressure of her ass against his groin. He wanted to last, desperately, but she was every wet dream he’d ever had come true. He needed to redirect his attention to anywhere but his aching cock. So he forced himself to focus on anything else. The soft, silky feeling of her skin against the rough pads of his fingers, and the taste of her, faintly sweet. She kissed like it was an art, managing to somehow find every spot that made him want to rip her panties off and just bury himself in her, foreplay be damned.

He startled when he felt her hands trail down his body and grasp the elastic of his underwear, tugging on it to hint at what she wanted. He obliged her before he could talk himself out of it, raising his hips so she could slide the boxers off his legs while still kissing. He felt her touch his mangled ankle and forced himself not to flinch or pull back. Blessedly she seemed to notice his discomfort, tugging his boxers off completely and reaching out to place his hands on the sides of her hips, against the scratchy fabric of her underwear. The message was clear, especially when she propped herself against the floor with her hands so she could raise her hips. He gently tugged her pantied down, with slow, careful movements to avoid accidentally ripping the delicate lace and not simply to watch in aroused amusement as Belle fidgeted above him. 

“Patience, sweetheart.”

She whined, kicking her panties off when they reached her ankles and pushing him back a second later, her expression demanding.

“No more delays. We’ve had months of foreplay.”

He found himself agreeing with her. It certainly felt like they had been teasing each other for months, with the shared jokes, the furtive glances, bitten lips and coy smiles. Not that he had even dared dream of it before that night. Belle was too good in every way for a bitter old cripple like himself. Her hands on his cock chased his self-deprecation away, leaving his mind in a blissful state of blankness. Slowly, torturously so, she took him in, her hot, wet cunt enveloping him with the right amount of pressure. It was almost too good a feeling, leaving his nerve-endings too excited to register much else. She was fucking perfect, the feel of her the weight of her above him. Like she was made for him, only he wasn’t that lucky. 

He needed to somehow make it up to her, make it so good she would not regret it. So he focused on establishing a rhythm, steady enough to build up their pleasure, but not too perfect to make it boring. He concentrated on the sounds she made, the perfect little gasps and the occasional, shivery whine that let him know she was enjoying herself. Soon enough, however, coordination and any form of higher thinking went out the window, the pleasure getting to be too much to focus on anything else other than driving himself as deep into her as he possibly could. He had enough presence of mind to sneak a hand between their bodies, slipping it across her wet fold to stimulate her further, determined not to come before she did. When he finally felt it, the blissful fluttering of her inner walls accompanied by a triumphant cry, he let go of his last shreds of self-control, letting his body seek out its needed release, the feeling travelling up his spine and leaving his whole body boneless with satisfaction. 

He grunted when she practically fell on top of him, though he welcomed the reassuring weight of her and the heat from her body. He thought about the champagne and the truffles waiting for them on the dining room table and decided they could wait. As soon as he was able to move he would wrap his dressing gown around Belle and take her and the food and drinks to the bedroom, where they could recoup their energy and talk. And perhaps much later, if he was good, Belle would let him drink champagne from her navel. 

Thank Regina and her fucking Zoom twon halls. He would never complain about them again.

[gch1995]

Yeah, that’s why I quit after S5. They totally trashed Rumple, Belle, and Rumbelle in 6A to “make up” for what happened in 5A with CS. Why else was Rumple suddenly being a wildly OOC, borderline manipulative, controlling, restrictive, and threatening dick to Belle who was going off the deep end when he still treated her like a lovesick puppy in the Underworld and New York eight weeks ago in the timeline prior to 6A after taking back the curse, and had never been cruel to her before, so much as considered physically harming Belle with magic, or trapped her, even when his heart was almost pure black and the Dark One had almost taken over in 4B?

Why else was Belle being an OOC petty, cruel, delusional, and stupid bitch, who hung out on Hook’s ship trash talking Rumple, and who attempted to kidnap the unborn baby with Zelena, even before he actually did anything to directly threaten her physical safety?

Why else did the Rumbaby hate Rumple before even being fucking born? Why else were Rumple and Belle being so stupid as to trust a dream?

This shit was all just too sad and too fucking stupid to even believe anymore in 6A that it may as well have just been a Rumbelle crack!fic on screen.

Confession

So I’ve watched OUAT pretty religiously since I first started watching it around season 3. Last nights ep seemed so freaking boring in the promo that I didn’t even bother and decided to get an early nights sleep. Thanks Adam and Eddy.

Though from what I hear from others I wasn’t really missing out on much save for the Rumbellers getting dumped on for Captain Asshat

[moothemotherfucker]

For the ask game: August, Emma, Neal, Robin Hood and Belle

AUGUST

Character: THEY ARE MY PRECIOUS

Ship with: I definitely see potential for Wooden Swan but tbh I’d rather just marry August myself

Friendship them with: I loved August’s friendship with Henry, especially in the first season. I also think August and Ruby would make good friends.

General opinions: August’s just a really cool dude who had wasted main character potential. I wish he had been on the show more. But if I’m thinking about the time he was on the show, he was definitely my favorite character. I mean come on, he’s an author who rides a motorcycle. Pinnochio had absolutely no right to be that hot. In all seriousness though, August was a really awesome character who deserved better.

EMMA

Character: like them

Ship with: Swan Queen 10000000% Ik Regina was technically Emma’s step-grandmother or whatever, but technically Hook was like 200 years older than Emma so…

Friendship them with: Emma’s friendship with August in the first season was cute of course. Honestly Emma didn’t really have a whole lot of friends (if I’m not including her family). I did love Emma and Elsa’s friendship though, and I wish they’d gotten the chance to grow as friends more.

General opinions: I really liked Emma a lot in the first season. As time went on, I honestly think I grew a little bored of her. I still like her, but no where near as much. I think she really just needs a friend because the only people in her life are her family and her boyfriend. Don’t get me wrong, they clearly all love her, but I really think she just needs someone outside of the family that she can talk to. Also I think she needs a day off. She’s always so busy either trying to fix problems or causing new ones.

NEAL

Character: like them

Ship with: I think it’d be weird if I shipped him with Hook but I kinda see potential there lol. Really though, I don’t have a ship for Neal.

Friendship them with: Belle, definitely Belle. They would be such good friends. I think it would be like at first the only reason they hung out was because of Rumple, but eventually, they became pretty good friends on their own.

General opinions: I don’t know if I liked Neal all that much while he was on the show, but looking back, I really miss him. My opinions on him have definitely changed, and since Hook became some lovesick puppy dog, I’m beginning to think Emma would have been better off with Neal. Either way, Neal was a good character, and I’m sad about what Zelena did to him.

ROBIN

Character: LOVE them

Ship with: Ehhh… I want to say Regina but I don’t really know. I feel like they could have a nice family together.

Friendship then with: I feel like saying Will Scarlet is kinda stupid, but I haven’t got a whole lot of options. Maybe Zelena. Maybe they could actually become really good friends when they talk during her visits to the baby.

General opinions: Robin’s just really great. Not a whole lot to say about it, but he’s amazing. I think I’d trust him with my life. Plus, he’s a really good boyfriend to Regina and a really good father to his son. Although he made a poor decision being with “Marian” after they had to leave Storybrooke.

BELLE

Character: like them

Ship with: Either Will or Merida.

Friendship them with: Neal (obviously). Also I could totally see her having a girls night with Ruby or something. And I really liked Belle’s brief friendship with Hook.

General opinions: I totally shipped Rumbelle early on, but eventually the relationship totally fell apart. Rumple kept on betraying her trust and expecting forgiveness. And then when he finally did change, when his heart was finally pure, when he was finally the man Belle always wanted him to be, she decided she couldn’t be with him?? I just really don’t like or understand their relationship anymore. I think Belle’s a beautiful, lovely character who definitely needs some introspection. But I really like her a lot. The reason she’s in the like category rather than love is the fact that it seems like with Rumple, she was only in it for the chase. I don’t honestly know if she ever really loved him or if she just wanted to be the hero who ‘fixed’ the dark one. Anyway, I still like her. Belle’s always been my favorite Disney princess so…

[ginger-grimm]

once upon a time for the fandom ask?

The first character I first fell in love with: Belle or Snow, I can't really remember

The character I never expected to love as much as I do now: Probably Regina

The character everyone else loves that I don’t: Honestly, IDK, maybe Dr. Whale, he's so funny for no reason and David Anders is a snacc (hi, I just saw that I misread the question but this still stands, it just belongs a row up lol)

The character I love that everyone else hates: Snow seems to be hated a lot, also I heard some Frozen characters slander back in the day, also Henry

The character I used to love but don’t any longer: Maybe love is a strong word, but most likely Emma

The character I would totally smooch: Ruby/Red

The character I’d want to be like: Belle or Anna

The character I’d slap: Rumple

A pairing that I love: Snowing, Red Beauty, Outlaw Queen

A pairing that I despise: Again, despise is a strong word, but I'm not a big advocate for Swan Queen which I know is sacrilege in this fandom but I find it weird because Regina is technically Emma's grandmother, also I don't like Rumbelle - Belle deserved better and that's that, also I wasn't a giant fan of Henry and Cinderella, their relationship simply wasn't set up well and it came entirely out of the blue, it dragged down the entire final season