#underbrooke

[unapologetically-horrible]

James and Cruella are my guilty ship 🫦✨😏 unf.

The mommy kink is too good imo 🙃🫠

just woke up in cold sweat because i remembered that David's brother i don't remember his name, at some point had an affair with Cruelle DeVil and was kind of ruling Hell with her

[irenerose21]

This just crossed my brain and I’m wondering if you have any thoughts on this - in S5 in underbrooke/underworld - there’s the telephone box. Do you think that before Hades turned it into underbrooke for Zelena, there was still a way of the dead communicating with the living (probably wasn’t a telephone box)

And if so, do you think it would transcend any realm? Like Neverland… where time doesn’t move so idk if it would work 🤔

I do believe there was. I am not quite sure what it would have been before the telephone, but something to that similar concept. And I do believe it would have worked in any of the realms.

[bookholichany]

Can someone please write a ouat au for payneland? Like Charles goes to rescue edwin from hell but it goes sth like when Emma went to underbrook to save Hook?

[wastingstarsss]

What's your favorite part/element of Rumple's story arc?

SHSKSHS HOW DO I NARROW IT DOWN??? THERES SO MANY ELEMENTS I LOVE. Okay I’m gonna put this as a few points here.

My top favourite element, the first thing I thought of, is his relentless battle with himself for goodness. He is half and half, half himself and half the dark one. And he’s been this way for centuries, so of course it’s an ongoing battle that’s not easy to drop. He continues to fight it, continues to try to be good, even when he has moments of weakness. He picks himself up again and continues. Whether it’s for Belle or Neal, he doesn’t stop trying to be good. Isn’t that so human of him? Rumple believes himself a coward, but it’s so brave to continue to try to be good when you have a dark curse latched to your soul and the world is seemingly saying “hey, goodness is impossible.”

My second thought is how STRONG his capacity for love is. He takes the curse of the dark one for it. He battles against the curse because of it. When he becomes the dark one, one of the first things he does is end the ogres war and free all the children. He didn’t have to do that. Baelfire was not on that field, yet he did it anyway. He dies for love. He lives again for love. He continues to fight to keep his loved ones safe, even if that means he risks himself. He spends what, 300 years (?), living alone because of his love for Baelfire, because he’s so determined to find his son. And sure it causes some problems. He loses Belle because it’s either her or his magic, and his magic will lead him to Bae. He causes people to hurt because his capacity for love is so fucking strong, it’s never going to be a mild thing. It’s everything or nothing. He dies TWICE for love. And we can’t forget, before Rum became the dark one he gave what little he had to beggars and took care of his emotionally abusive wife, even when he could barely stand with aid. He crippled himself and ruined his reputation for love. His capacity for love fills him to the brim and I adore it.

Final point is: you mentioned his story arc, and he has many? It twists and turns a LOT. So far I’ve focused on elements but I think my favourite arc (and it’s HARD to pin down) is the bits with him and August in s1. And you might be thinking “Bella, that is a weird fucking choice” but hear me out. With August he faces what he’s feared for so long: that his son hates him enough to try and murder him. And he takes that wholeheartedly, actually goes to therapy for it, and approaches who he thinks is his son and delivers a heartbreakingly emotional speech. And even when he realises August isn’t Bae, after their little dispute, he reunites August with his father cause at the end of the day, Rumple is always going to be papa and he can’t stand to see lost children screaming out for their parents, whether that’s actually screaming out or a haunting look in their eyes. That moment of kindness? In the shop when he invites August in and Marco is there? He didn’t have to do that, but he did it anyway. Why? Because Rumple is a good man. He saw a lost child and it reminded him of his son, and isn’t that the point? Neal is his driving point. He is what makes Rumple good.

(Bonus arcs for your consideration: ALL of Skin Deep, the Neverland arc is hauntingly beautiful. And we get Goldstiltskin. Beauty in s7, oh- and that one moment where Rumple says to Emma “please, he’s my son” in s6 about Gideon. Heart wrenching. When he faces his mother and says the world is dangerous because of villains like her and himself- the tone in his voice and the look on his face!! I die inside. And finally, and this is more of a funny bit than a ‘deep’ bit, but that one scene in Underbrooke where he introduces Milah and Emma to each other always cracks me up.)

@martianbugsbunny thank you so much for the ask!! What are your fave elements in rumples story arcs?

[snowbellewells]

Self Promo Sunday: "And All the Trimmings"

These next couple of weeks, I'm going to highlight the Thanksgiving fics I have written over the years. I've always loved the holiday, and there aren't enough fics for it (in my humble opinion) so I've tried to create a few at various times along the way. This one is some Thanksgiving fluff written during 5B as I anxiously hoped for them to return from the Underworld with their hero party still intact and a pirate in tow. Nods to CS, Snowing, and OQ in here; Thanksgiving is a whole family holiday after all! ;p  Anyway, I think that’s it, other than it obviously being canon divergent now, since things did not pan out nearly so happily upon their return from Underbrooke.  Still, enjoy – and please let me know what you think if you’re so inclined!

**Also available on ff.net or AO3, as a part of my one shots collection "Of Swans and Swords and Hopeful Hearts**

by: @snowbellewells

“Charming?” his lovely wife’s voice rings brightly from the loft’s small kitchen right into the erstwhile Prince of the Enchanted Forest’s ears as he bustles through the door of their apartment, arms full of groceries and cheeks red from the first deep chill and frost of the year. “Is that you?”

“Yes, Snow, I’m back!” he calls, bemused smile quirking up one side of his mouth. A chuckle escapes David Nolan’s throat at how happy and excited his Princess sounds. Setting his purchases on the table until he can hang his coat back on its peg, he shakes his head with affectionate good humor and goes to meet her in the kitchen.

If he’s honest with himself, David is nearly as anxious and thrilled as Snow. After all, their entire family, with all its odd, extended members, will soon be gathered here with them for the first Thanksgiving holiday they have celebrated together. His heart swells at the very idea – even if at the same time he has to simply hope the whole thing will really manage to go off without a hitch…or any bloodshed.

“Looking for these?” he asks with happy teasing in his voice as he enters the kitchen, sets the several plastic bags from the market on the counter, and leans over the center island to plant a kiss on Snow’s upturned lips.

“Yep,” she chirps, beaming at him as they part and reaching in to begin unpacking, “I was.”

Charming moves back into the front dining area, preparing the table and making sure they have enough chairs, seeing that the candles and centerpieces Snows wants are out, and letting her get back to her cooking in the meantime. Between the homemade noodles, green beans, and the mashed potatoes and gravy his wife has simmering all at once, Charming is impressed she can keep everything going without setting anything on fire, much less have the whole apartment smelling good enough to make him drool, and he certainly doesn’t want to distract her from it. No matter how long they have been married, or what realm they find themselves in, it doesn’t take long for Snow to prove that she will never cease to surprise and amaze him.

He has just stepped back to survey his handiwork proudly when the doorbell rings. Swiftly moving forward to answer it before Snow comes running, Charming’s smile grows even wider as Henry bursts into the room, greeting him enthusiastically and launching right into a story of their hectic morning. He is followed by Roland, who is practically bouncing up and down, vibrating with rambunctious energy, his deep dimples cracking wide across his face. After their two boys come Robin and Regina, each laden with items that Charming attempts to help take off their hands.

Robin hands over the delectably scented and delicious-looking turkey, beaming proudly as he gives a nod toward the perfectly crisped and golden brown bird on the platter, which has clearly been charmed in some way by Regina to stay warm and ready to place on the table. “Caught it myself, Mate,” Robin says. “Should be a good one.”

Charming sets the turkey on the long dining table he has just finished with, then claps his friend on the shoulder and ushers him in. “I’m sure it will be. Thanks,” he answers.

Robin slings an insulated bag off his shoulder and holds it forward as well. “Regina’s apple tarts,” he explains with both a mischievous smile and a shrug of feigned innocence. The former thief knows the rest of the family’s understandable aversion to the fruit, but he also somewhat adores his beloved’s rather twisted sense of humor and refusal to shy away from her past by making a dish that highlights the difference in her now and just how far she has come. With a wink, he tacks on, “Taste tested them myself, and they’re irresistible.”

The archer moves past, on into the loft to greet Snow and to catch and corral his young son. Regina raises a sculpted brow at David as she enters after Robin, their new little girl sleeping cradled in her arms and a diaper bag slung over her shoulder. Though David knows all too well that having a newborn in the home can be harrying, the formerly evil Queen looks as completely polished and put together as always – not a hair out of place. “Charming,” she greets with a wry nod, somehow managing to inject even the simplest hello with her trademark dry sarcasm. They may be on the same side now, fumbling towards being a truly non-dysfunctional family, but he somehow feels that her half-mocking way of using the name Snow gave him will never change, and perhaps – in Regina’s own way – it is meant as an endearment.

Peeking into the layers of lavender blanket bundled around Robin and Regina’s little daughter to shield her from the biting wind outside, Charming can’t help a soft grin at the sweet, perfect infant sleeping peacefully, the softest wisps of russet curls on her little head and her soft, pale pink skin. “She’s lovely, Regina,” he murmurs in quiet awe, not wanting to rouse little Mariana, and feeling a flood of affection for this woman who once hunted he and Snow, wanting both of their heads, but who also saved Snow’s life as a child, and has clawed her way back from the bottom to right her wrongs.

Before he can close the door behind her, Emma and Killian come tramping up the hall stairs, cheeks flushed and both laughing at some unknown joke between them, but greeting him heartily as they see that he is standing there watching. Emma reaches David first, falling into her dad’s arms and returning his hug exuberantly before reaching back to pull Killian in as well when he hesitates, effectively sandwiching herself between the two of them in a three-way hug. The laugh that rings from his daughter’s throat, light and open and at last free of the guilt and pain she had been saddled with for too long, is all David needs to be as grateful this Thanksgiving as at any he can remember.

“Thanks Dad,” Emma mumbles almost bashfully when she does ease back and both she and her pirate boyfriend pull away. They follow him into the house, their food contributions in hand.

“Aye, thank you for having us, Mate,” Killian adds with a dip of his chin as they all step through the door and he shuts it behind himself. He offers his love’s father a genuine smile when their gazes meet, Emma having busied herself with hanging up their jackets and removing her boots. For a moment, David is frozen in place, forcibly reminded of how Killian had looked just a few weeks before, when they had found him in the black depths of the Underworld. As long as any of them live, David fears the sight of Killian Jones which had greeted them beyond the Veil would be hauntingly branded on their souls. Chained to a dank stone wall in the furthest recesses of Hades’ domain, the shade of a pirate that they’d found was not the dashing rapscallion they knew. Though bearing his torment in stoic silence, he had been emaciated and shivering, the dark rings under his eyes clearly showing that Killian had known no sleep nor peace since he left their world. The rest of the rescue party had stood horrified as Emma fell to her knees before him, tears pouring down her face while she reached out to cup his bearded cheeks in her hands. Worse than all that though had been the blank, almost unseeing despair in blue eyes that had always been so full of life; the vacancy in their depths no longer seemed like Killian at all and had truly made their blood run cold.

To see that spark back in Jones’ smiling gaze, and the dark bruises beneath his eyes fading, reminds David forcibly just how much they do have to celebrate before he clears his throat to respond with hoarse emotion. “Of course. We’re glad to have everyone. Snow’s really trying to outdo herself.”

Without further ado, David soon finds his family gathered around the table, talking, laughing and reveling in the warmth and happiness of the occasion. There is good natured ribbing at Emma’s continued inability to cook and a playful debate over whether or not the bottoms of several of the butter horn rolls she had made were more burnt than a nice golden brown. Mariana wakes from her nap and begins to gurgle and coo at everyone she can see gathered around her. Snow gushes over the pecan pie that Emma grudgingly admits Killian had made, complete with perfectly crimped edges of crust and an ornate little ‘KJ’ carved into the crunchy sugared top. “Figures,” Charming hears his daughter grumble with teasing chagrin, “He can cook circles around me with only one hand.”

Snow is quick to assure her daughter that she will get better with practice, but Killian only smirks at Emma, looking entirely as though he wants her to either smack or kiss the grin off his face. “Well, I had to sign such artwork, Swan,” he counters playfully. “You might have tried to take credit for it otherwise.”

The whole table laughs and carries on, but is quickly more absorbed in eating than talking, just comfortable in each other’s presence and enjoying a quiet moment. David looks to the other end of the long table and catches Snow’s eye, perfectly understanding the misty look he finds there. This was all either of them had ever wanted: a family, all together, happy and safe. It is what they had sacrificed so much for their best chance at preserving. He smiles at his True Love, marveling that two other pairs of True Loves sit in this very room with them, and tucks into his own meal at last. Now that they have all found each other, this family has every blessing it could possibly need.

Tagging a few who might enjoy: @searchingwardrobes @kmomof4 @jennjenn615 @whimsicallyenchantedrose @laschatzi @jrob64 @apiratewhopines @teamhook @revanmeetra87 @xsajx @spartanguard @therooksshiningknight @optomisticgirl @tiganasummertree @kazoosandfannypacks @booksteaandtoomuchtv @sotangledupinit @anmylica @stahlop @xarandomdreamx @bluewildcatfanatic @winterbaby89 @gingerchangeling @gingerpolyglot @scientificapricot

[crowfromfoggyforest]

Wait omg i just realized something: Pan not only owning the Underbrooke version of Rumple's pawnshop, but also wearing a fucking suit that looks identical to the ones Rumple always wears??? (+ The Peter Pan doll and Rumple's teacup on pedestrals?? Yes, it's Rumple's shop, but Pan was responsible for the decor.) You can't tell me otherwise - he was trying to hold onto something from his son. Idk if he regretted what he did in the living world - probably not. In my opinion, he always told Rumple the truth, even back in Neverland: He cared about his son in his own twisted way, and never stopped caring. But he would still always put himself first.

I still hate him for what he did to Rumple - but his character is also kinda tragic. I'm mostly sad for Rumple tho. But also, do you see the parallel? Deeply caring about your loved ones, but still putting your own needs and desires first, while telling yourself you're doing the right thing (but never really believing it.) It took Rumple centuries to break that pattern.

[lovecanbesostrange]

I was already sleeping last night and you went to pull up the actual paperwork! When did I even sign this?

I am so sorry for the lasting damage I inflicted. Especially because there is no making up for it, no mending the friendship. Because it never was one to begin with. I broke the holy bond. Drove right past codependence and trampled on UNintentional harm.

At least I can sleep peacefully though. Not even gonna ponder who is worse. Me for writing or you for obsessing over it. Let’s be judged together.

@lovecanbesostrange

[piraterefrigerator]

do you ever think about how since Liam spent a lot of time in underBrooke he is like, normally acquainted with modern technology unlike Killian? oh the implications....

THATS A GOOD POINT

[prismatica-the-strange]

Evan spends a lot of her time, once the Gang go to the underworld, at the Convent. She is in no state to deal with the whole mess that is her parents being stuck in Storybrooke, so she hides away, taking care of baby Hood and the others with Blue.

She's there the day Hades has Rumple open the portal. She's the first to realize Blue isn't Blue, and she get's sucked down to UnderBrooke with Belle, Zelena and the baby.

While she's in UnderBrooke, she runs into various characters from Derek and Odette's past, mainly King William and Rothbart.

At first, she doesn't know the kindly old man she's speaking to is her grandfather, be he does. He can see his daughter in this girl's eyes and smile.

But Rothbart, he's very aware who Evan is. He bides his time, watching the Heroes. Then, just before they leave, he uses a bloodmagic of his own creation to tether his soul to Felix's feathers that Evan had been wearing the day she was brought to the Underworld, to make an escape of his own.

But his spirit is weak once they make it top side so it takes him a long time to gain the strength to wreak havoc on the living. So long, in fact, he has to summon Derek and Odette back to Storybrooke for his revenge.

[ask-ouat-neverland]

Oh, they're not there. My friends don't live in your side of the Underworld. But who knows, maybe you'll meet them. If you ever get out of UnderBrooke, that is.

- ✨️

Ah, well- it’s unlikely then. But I would’ve been curious.

-Felix

[shipping1addict]

Emma's vision in 5x17 of a monster arriving in Underbrook and killing Snow always bothered me, because for such an impactful thing to happen it was only the B plot of the episode. So there was no real danger at any time.

I never thought much of it, truly. But now I wonder if this was chosen to ease Emma's vision of her own death in season 6 into the story.

[poptart-cat-78]

Would that make Milah the new Persephone? 👀 Queen of UnderBrooke/ The New Camelot?

Have I ever told you guys about my Milah X Arthur crack ship 🫣

[disney15ish]

Just realized something familiar about Superman and Lois...

red filter on same sets as main town for different world/universe... where have I seen this before...

Superman and Lois / Once Upon A Time

[lemuelthelemmy]

At least 5 of this dead children on UnderBrooke are the Afton Victims for sure.

The rest are the Fazbear Frights books victims.

They’re on the Underworld in the Day and where the clocks mark the 12AM, they’re going to the Pizzeria to Kill the Guard.

[allaboutjmo]

Jen as Emma Swan from episode 5x13 “Labor Of Love” ‬

[teamcaptainswan]

"I will always find you." - Emma and Killian. https://www.instagram.com/team_captainswan/