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Belle And her Books

@belle-and-her-books / belle-and-her-books.tumblr.com

~ON SEMI-HIATUS~ An independent Once Upon a Time Roleplay blog for the character of Belle. Will RP in Storybrooke, the Enchanted Forest, or anywhere the story takes us. ********************************************* I track the tag #Belleandherbooks ********************************************* Muse and Mun are both 21+ but NSFW, etc. will be considered carefully before consenting. ********************************************* NOTE: No gifs used are mine.
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Oh Hai.

So I popped in just to say I LOVED last night’s Once Upon a Time (6x12 Murder Most Foul) and I think it is the best show OUAT has had in YEARS. I even teared up at David’s breakdown. I think it may have zoomed up the list to my 3rd favorite episode (behind Skin Deep and Desperate Souls).

I loved the twist with Killian (how many of our characters parents has he killed now? lol).  I’ve always felt Colin is underutilized (as is Josh).  I hope this will give Hook more depth than just “eye candy”.  Oh! And it looks like Gideon has a better hairstyle next episode.  So.... yeah... BYEEEEEEEE. 

PS: The Pleasure Island stuff was kind of lazy in terms of design.  They could have used gaslighting, etc. instead of obvious electricity, but whatevs.  Small detail that can be explained away like so many other things on OUAT.... “#BECAUSEMAGIC”

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Anonymous asked:

While I get what Rumple is saying to Belle about her falling in love with both the man and the beast, for almost five years we've been under the belief that Rumple loves Belle more than power, but now it's almost like he's saying he won't give it up for her. I think we have to find out why he still wants power. I don't think it's loving power more than Belle or just as much her, it's about personal identity and wanting to protect family. Hopefully, we'll get that answer in the next episode.

I don’t think that’s the message he’s trying to send at all.  I think that what he’s saying is that the power is part of him.  It’s part of the man he has been for centuries, and it’s integral to his sense of self and self image.  Should Belle have to give up books just because Rumplestiltskin might ask her to?  Now, that’s kind of a crap analogy, but that’s the best I have at the moment, because we haven’t had enough Belle development to show something else she loves and considers part of herself.

I think the message here is that Rumplestiltskin - the man she knows - is both.  We all know that he hated the man he was before becoming the Dark One, but we didn’t see much of the man he was afterwards.  Yes, he became something of a hero, but he also found himself in a position where he couldn’t actually defend the woman he loved.  When Hook was sending them all to the Underworld and bringing the Dark One collective to Storybrooke, the best defense Rumplestiltskin could give Belle was to send her away.  Yes, it was an act of selfless love, but wouldn’t you prefer to be able to actively defend those you love instead of having no choice but to hole up in your shop and wait for the worst?  

He’s a man who is accustomed to having power and who–with the exception of the time that the darkness was clearly taking him over–has always used said power wisely.  He knows that he can balance the two; he fell in love with her and she with him when he was the Dark One.  Why should have have to become powerless simply because Belle says so?  He has a right to tell her “This is what I am.  I love you, but you don’t have a right to demand I change just so I can be with you.”

That last point is very important, because he did change for her, and she still left him.  Rumplestiltskin has to be happy with who he is for himself.  Only then can he be someone who can love another in a healthy way.

Belle doesn’t have to be his only love.  He is allowed to love power, too.  Power is only as good as the one who wields it, and as long as he can wield it wisely, as long as he can make good choices and be honest, why should he not have it?

TLDR: It doesn’t have to be a contest.  Why should Rumplestiltskin have to choose one or the other?  I don’t have to choose between my well paying job and my marriage.  Why should he?  He doesn’t have to choose love over power - he just needs to use that power right.

That said, if Belle can’t live with who he is, she should make her choice and walk away.  He’s left it in her hands, having been honest and straightforward, which is what she has said more than once she wants.  There is no reason why he can’t have love and power, so long as he remains honest.

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I get that hearing Rumple say he loves the dagger was upsetting and sounded like a slap in the face to Belle.

But he has just done the single best thing for their relationship he has EVER done. He was brutally, absolutely, and lovingly honest. Belle said in the S4 finale, “I knew what I was getting, Rumple. I wasn’t going to pull back.” But she did. Because of the deceit that ate its way between them. And why? Because she DIDN’T know what she was getting. Not really.

Look, I wanted to believe that Rumple wanted the power for more noble reasons. And maybe he still does. But let’s say that’s not true. Can Belle still love him?

I say yes.

Belle wants to deny it, but she loves Rumple because the power is a part of who he is. Fundamentally. That need for power is in his DNA. She knows it. And if he cannot be who he is, he will destroy himself and Belle, and their child.

Rumple loving power has NEVER been the problem. Rumple doing evil with his power has been the problem. Rumple having to hide his need for the power has been the problem. Rumple trying so desperately to be what Belle wants has been the problem.

But if Rumple can be the Dark One without being a lying, evil, manipulator, I don’t see a problem. If he can use his power for good and with honesty, I don’t see a problem. If he can own up to his mistakes and continue to make good choices, I don’t see a problem. If he can love Belle with honesty and courage, I don’t see a problem. And that conversation? That honesty? That required a lot of love and a lot of courage. I am so proud of both of them–of Rumple for being honest and of Belle for listening. Really listening.

Yes, it’s a simplistic comparison and it’s not exactly the same, but would Rumple ask Belle to give up books, curiosity, her desire to be a hero–for him? Would he ask her to deny who she is for him? No. He hasn’t and he wouldn’t.

He’s telling her who he is. He’s giving her a choice. A real choice. No lies, no strings. He’s asking her, “Belle, can you love me for who I am, not who you want me to be?”

I’m seeing some comments about tone of voice and the way Rumple said he loves Belle versus the way he said he loves the dagger. That he was harsh to her. Maybe so, but I think that’s what Belle needed. Honest talk. Not more pretty words.

I think Rumple was purposely stoic in that conversation with Belle. It would have been unfair and wrong of him to USE his love for her to convince her of the truth of what he was saying. It would have escalated that very important, face-value honesty to an emotional exchange that, if done more tenderly, would have left Belle feeling guilty. Like she HAD to choose him. For the first time ever, Rumple was honest about his desires. And he wants her to be honest about hers. Belle can live without Rumple–she’s proven that. So now Rumple is proving he can live without Belle. That is relationship growth AND character growth. Rumple loves Belle and he loves their baby, but he’s also ready to accept that Belle may not want him now that she knows who he really is.

They were on even footing. So many times we have been saying that Belle should have as much power in the relationship as Rumple. Well to this point I think she has actually had more power. A move or a word from her in the past had destroyed him, whereas Belle has always been able to walk away. Maybe she’s hobbled away. Maybe she’s been sick with pain and regret. But she has been able to walk away. And she still can. If she doesn’t love him for who he is, she has the choice to leave.

And saying he loved the dagger one time–it’s a drop in an ocean of times he has professed his love for Belle.

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betsypaige22

I’m totally fine if Rumbelle just walk away from each other, but I admit I’m having a huge problem seeing how much he loves her…… All I see in that scene is Rumple saying he loves his dagger - and yes, I do have a issue with the way he said it as opposed to how he just said that he loves her too, as if it’s no big deal.    I don’t get how we always said he had to make a choice between power and love and if he couldn’t choose love it would be a problem and now that he essentially said that he loves power as much as he loves her that it’s not a problem.  I do appreciate his honest and I do appreciate (and am really happy) that Rumple has accepted himself, but I watched that scene so many times trying to see this deep love there and I didn’t…….and it’s killing me. I’m not saying he doesn’t love Belle, but as much as power? I’ve lost faith in his love for her and it’s shattered me; I don’t want to feel this way.  He wants Belle to choose him and accept that she’ll never be first in his life, that power will always be. 

What was up with his attitude at the end? Was he saying that he knows her and she knows he loved him for both sides of him? What was up with his saying “you’ll see……”. Is he expecting her to come back to him?

I keep seeing him say that he’ll never give power up - which means he’s immortal, which to me is just a terribly sad thing..  If he wants power to protect himself, her, etc.., why not at least say it?  All he said was that he craves power…….for what? Just to have it?  

I’m sorry, I’m venting I know, but I want so much to be happy with this scene and I don’t know how to be.  

Maybe they’re not meant to be; maybe I was wrong for all of these years..

Anyway, thanks for your thoughts, Marie; they’re much appreciated

He doesn’t have to make a choice between power and love, he has to make a choice between evil and love. There’s a difference. And he’s doing that. He is choosing love. In a world where enemies seek and destroy, he is choosing Belle and the baby’s well being and survival. He is not the same Dark One he once was. We’ve seen no evidence of those evil twisted voices in his head. Maybe they are gone. But he’s also choosing reality. And a real man is honest about who he is and what he needs–to himself and the most important person in his life. And that’s Belle. He didn’t share any of this self-disclosure with anyone else, just Belle.

Belle and the baby are everything to Rumple, but he has to be able to be himself or he’s not loving them with courage and honesty. Belle fell in love with him while he was the Dark One. She told Neal “I love him. ALL of him. Even the parts that belong to the darkness.” I think Belle is far more concerned right now with how this LOOKS than how it actually is. She’s afraid of what it says about her. As long as Rumple was trying to change, she could keep fooling herself. Now she’s wondering if maybe she’s not the perfect little good girl because she loves a man who loves power. Because she loves a flawed man. If she doesn’t have Rumple to reform, what is her purpose in life? That’s the heart of what is frightening her.

But Belle is so much more than she realizes. She’s always been uniquely able to distinguish right from wrong. She’s always been an unconventional hero. Shes always been remarkably forgiving. She’s always transcended what’s expected to solve challenges in unique ways. And girl gets shit done. Now she’s faced with an identify crisis of sorts. Now that Rumple knows who he is and is standing firm, Belle’s not quite so sure she knows who she is. But we do. Belle is more than the woman who loves the Dark One. She’s powerful in her own right. And it’s her ability to see and discern and cut through to the heart of matters and what people want and need that makes her so powerful.

^^^^ All of this.

I’d like to add a couple of things… The whole “You’ll see” thing threw me off a little bit too, but when I thought about it, it made sense. Rumple knows that Belle loves him. She’s said it countless times, and their first kiss in the Enchanted Forest proves that. I mean, damn, his curse was almost eradicated because of their love for each other. It’s real, and it’s strong. To me, it was just Rumple saying that, even thought he’s giving her a choice in the matter, he believes that they can work this out together and come out stronger for it.

And Belle herself. Just piggybacking off of what you said, @mariequitecontrarie, I also think part of it has to do with this heavily romanticized idea that “love redeems” and “love changes people (for the better)”. I mean, you have this “ideal” model of love with Snowing, and how they overcame all of these impossible odds and obstacles to be together; why can’t she and Rumple do/be the same? This comes a bit back to my idea that, despite Belle’s level-headedness and practicality, she has a bit of a romantic view of the world. I think part of it came from some naivety, but that’s just how I’ve always seen her. 

Couple that with being surrounded with “ideal models of love” and you have someone who is perhaps slightly insecure about her place in Rumple’s list of priorities. If her love for him can’t “redeem” Rumple ie choose her over power, than maybe she doesn’t love him enough? Maybe he can’t be redeemed? All of these things come together and I think that’s part of what brings this apprehension and doubt on Belle’s part.

Think about it. They’re constantly being told that power = evil. Wanting power = evil. When you constantly have the “heroes” making claims like this and thinking this is absolute, it’s hard for some of that black-and-white ideology to not rub off on Belle. We all know she’s smarter than that, but don’t underestimate the power of peer-group-pressure.

Just thought I’d add to this great discussion. Hope it made sense.

Absolutely. I agree with every word of this.

I’ve got nothing to add. This is all spot on!

//I’m so happy that <most> of the rest of the fandom agrees that this is the BEST thing to happen to Rumple and Belle. I was so pleased by this scene.

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Anonymous asked:

Your a woman, right? And you advocate taking away another woman's agency and ability to choose? You're disgusting.

I am a woman, yes.  And I look at it like this: Rumplestiltskin took away his own agency.  There’s nothing that says Milah can’t have another child - just that Rumplestiltskin can’t.  If Milah wanted another child - which there is no evidence of, canonically speaking, otherwise she probably would have already had one (Bae appears to be somewhere between 5 and 7 years old) - she had other choices.  She proves herself willing enough to leave her marriage not long after this, so adultery clearly isn’t that big of a hurdle for her.  Milah still had plenty of choices, including walking away.  Which she did.What would you prefer to have happened, Anon?  That Rumplestiltskin commit murder?  I certainly don’t condone murder, though Milah did.  Even putting aside the specific situation, (which is really so germane to the conversation that you can’t, but let’s assume you can), Rumplestiltskin didn’t take away Milah’s agency at all.  And let’s get this straight right now: I’m not advocating that anyone take away any woman’s agency in anything.Rumplestiltskin made a deal for his second born child.  He took away no one’s agency but his own.  Yes, he took away Milah’s opportunity to have a second child with him, but that doesn’t remove her ability to have a second child with someone else.Call me disgusting if you want for saying that I think Rumplestiltskin made the best choice he could in the situation he was in.  It was a no-win situation.  The other option to save Bae’s life was murder, and if you want to call me disgusting for not advocating murder, well, have at it, Anon.  Or, oh, wait, not being willing to sacrifice a living child.  Particularly since Rumplestiltskin’s explicitly choice took away his opportunity to have another child, and not Milah’s.Oh, and before someone tries to send me more hate saying that a medieval woman would be a social outcast for having a child outside her own marriage, remember that a woman in any age would be an outcast for advocating murder.  I’m not saying that Milah is in a pleasant situation, but she does have choices.I stopped feeling sorry for Milah in that situation when she bought the knife and gave it to the cripple instead of having the stones to step up and do the murder herself.

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That was legit like out of a fanfic, tbh. Rumple is himself, angsty and doing what’s best for Belle and she finds out and gets pissed and then bam. Smut.

I wonder if they’re writing Em’s pregnancy in…

I feel like they are. I don’t think they’d have showed them in bed if not. Usually that scene would have ended on a kiss. It feels like they added that because she’s going to be pregnant. And won’t that be angsty when she finds out he’s the Dark One again?

//Exactly what I'm thinking. I think that's why she won't leave this time... Even though NOW I think she should. She's going to be pregnant and feel the need to stay... Cop out, really, but seems like what the writers would do in order to have their cake and eat it too ... Being that we get Dark One Rumple but they don't have to spend time "fixing" Rumbelle.

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Away to Me, Chapter Index

Lovely cover art by @midstorm

Summary: Gold lives on a sheep farm on the outskirts of Storybrooke, Maine. He has always managed the farm on his own until his ankle is crushed in a terrible accident. Fellow sheep farmer David Nolan sets out to find someone to help Gold around the farm and stumbles across Belle French, desperate to find a job to help out her ailing father. She starts just doing odd jobs around the farm, but takes a keen interest in his relationship with his sheepdogs and so he takes her under his wing and teaches her the art of herding.

Rating: NC-17

Word count: 106,748

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Besides Tumblr, you can also find the work on AO3 and Fanfiction.net

I’m so sorry this one is over! Read it if you haven’t!! I hope @spottytonguedog has something else cooked up to assuage the sense of loss.

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xhartbigx

Reblog if you’re over 20 and still read/write fan fiction.

I’m curious!

i’d probably be 90 and still write fanfic. lol

fangirls don’t stop being fangirls because they get older… you still love what you love

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grace52373

I don’t write it but I read it!

Heck yeah.

Yup. Fangirl to the end. And really, you just get BETTER at writing fanfic if you keep doing it!

//I have a stepdaughter whose almost 20. So...

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rumbelleroleplay
“This weekend is for us,” he insisted, giving her a slightly stern look because she seemed to think he would spend most of his time working this weekend. “My time will be focused solely on you and not my work. This is our honeymoon and I would like it to be enjoyable-I told you, despite what you may believe I want you to be happy.”

“That isn’t it,” Belle explained. “I meant today…. or later on.” She shook her head to keep from stammering so she could explain. “If we don’t go shopping today, when you’ve planned it, I don’t want to have to take away from your work later.” Gold seemed sincere in all that he’d said, and again Belle was reminded that she and Rumple shared True Love. It may have been muted, but she didn’t think even Regina could stamp out the most powerful magic. That meant that what he felt for her was probably sincere, and not just what the curse told him to do.

Gold was growing a little frustrated, but he managed not to let any of those feelings show through.  “I told you.  You shouldn’t worry about those things.  You are my wife and I plan to take care of you and give you anything your heart desires.  I will not let my work take away from your well being.”

“And what sort of wife would I be if I didn’t worry about your well being?” Belle shot back. After all Gold’s body was Rumple’s body and she couldn’t let it get too worn down. The direction her thoughts took after that made her blush, but she managed to hold in a giggle, lest Gold think she was laughing at him. 

Belle knew it would be easy to allow herself to simply be content with Gold and allow the curse to play out as Rumple intended, whatever end that may be. She knew he must have known about Regina’s plans and that he’d never allow something so big to happen without being prepared. However, she couldn’t be passive anymore.

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//Replies

//Hi Friends,

Sorry I’ve been gone for, like, 2 weeks. Work has been very busy and I got roped into playing the lead in a show I didn’t even audition for. I hope I can get some stuff out soon.

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