#rumplestiltskin

[fioredimarzoo]

I honestly think Rumplestiltskin wouldn’t recognize AI. To be fair, I think he doesn't find a sense in smartphones either. He's like "A phone is for calling... why should I play to... Hay Day?"

Nealfire and Gideon are too stressed.

[thatfanfictiongirl76]

Once Upon a Time-- Swanfire Rec

I know that Swanfire isn’t that popular of a pairing. Back when I was watching the show as it was coming out, it was the most popular ship, then CaptainSwan took over. I actually stopped watching the show for years when they killed Neal off. Back then I really liked the idea of one big happy family and was heartbroken when it happened. Now that I’m older I see a lot of the issues with the ship. But I’m still upset that they killed Neal off, rather than showing a complicated family where the parents aren’t together. Also I feel like Baelfire/Neal has so much potential, with all the character dynamics. So in honor of that I decided to make a rec list of Swanfire pairings. Hope you enjoy it.

Home is Whenever I’m With You

By: Mysticalflute

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24426403

Summary: Neal refuses August’s deal and escapes into Canada with Emma. They know as long as they’re together, everything will be fine… even if that means running into the past they both tried so hard to escape. 

My Comments: This is a really great fic about what if Neal/Baelfire had stayed with Emma. I’ve read quite a few of these types of fics and this is by far my favorite. I love the bonding between Rumple and Bae/Neal, and the Swanfire romance. Highly recommend giving this one a read.

Status: Incomplete

Last Update: 6/4/25

Length: 45,265 words

Wishing Series

By: Dragonbat

https://archiveofourown.org/series/4409587

Summary: Neal doesn't abandon Emma in "Tallahassee". Years later, the son, which Emma was pressured to put up for adoption, tracks them down... but breaking the curse will mean forcing Neal  to confront the father he never wants to see again. 

My Comments: This is an ongoing two part series that I absolutely love. I love the character dynamics, and the Swanfire romance is just incredible. Both fics in this series put such an interesting spin on things, and I can’t wait to see where the author takes us.

Status: Incomplete

Last Update: 7/6/26

Length: 386,729 words

A Second Chance

By: Swanfireprincessmydear

https://archiveofourown.org/works/37969570

Summary: In which, instead of moving to Boston before the pilot episode, Emma moves to New York. 

My Comments: I can’t recommend this fic enough. I love the way this fic addresses what Neal did to Emma and how they slowly move past what happened. Most of the swanfire fics I’ve read just avoid it entirely. So it was so refreshing to see a fic that addresses the issue head on. The slowburn forgiveness is just incredible. Sadly this fic was last updated almost 2 years ago. So I doubt the author is coming back to this. Which is a shame but it is still definitely worth your time.

Status: Incomplete

Last Update: 10/13/24

Length: 35,697 words

Courage of the Stars

By: Takada_Saiko 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3224507

Summary: If there's one trait Baelfire shares with his late father, it's that he's willing to do anything to get back to his family, even dabble in some of the darkest of spells and bending the laws of magic. 

My Comments: This is a time travel fic, in which Baelfire/Neal travels back from halfway through season 3 to the middle of season 2. Time travel is an old favorite rec of mine, so it’s refreshing to see one that focuses on Baelfire. I love the slowburn romance, and the Rumple and Bae bonding. Do recommend this fic, it is definitely worth your time. 

Status: Complete

Length: 200,041 words

[likeafantasy]

[astra-lun]

"You're the help"

"And you're rude"

"Well, I could be much worse"

[prissyhalliwell]

Back to the Enchanted Forest: Chapter Two

Summary: What if Zelena’s time travel spell had worked? Belle wakes up in a version of the Enchanted Forest that she doesn’t recognize. Can she use her memories of the past to win back Rumple and defeat Zelena? Season 3 AU

Story is fully written and new chapters will be posted every Wednesday on AO3.

_____________________________________________

Chapter Two

A soft knock at her door awoke Belle. She blinked blearily, memories of the day rushing back to her as she sat up on the bed. 

Her mother’s voice reached her through the door. “Belle, are you awake?” 

“Yes, mother,” Belle said, still not able to believe that Colette was alive. 

The door opened and her mother took a step into the room. “Are you feeling better?”

Belle hesitated. How many times since Colette’s death had she wished she could talk to her mother about her problems? There had been many sleepless nights when she wished she could have asked her mother’s advice about Rumplestiltskin or her strained relationship with her father. 

Yet telling her mother the truth wouldn’t help either of them. While Colette was certainly more understanding than Maurice, even her mother would find the idea of time travel a bit hard to believe. 

“I think my nap helped,” she said, settling for a small truth. 

Colette nodded. “Your father would like to call your fairy godmother, just to make sure you are alright.” 

She’d almost forgotten about her fairy godmother. If she couldn’t reach Rumple, perhaps this was her best chance at help. Fairy magic could help her track down Zelena and rescue Rumple if he was still captive. Her godmother might even help her defeat Zelena... 

Read the rest on AO3

[midnightella-mass]

yknow I really hate how rumbelle became a scapegoat for Plot Drama in the later seasons bc realistically speaking they should have worked out all of their issues by mid-season 4 at the LATEST. Like the showrunners just made them have the same fight over and over again every season because they ran out of characters to give interesting conflict to. Snow and Charming were doing great, Emma and Hook were working it out, Regina was alone, Zelena was alone, no background relationship was developed enough to give conflict to, and so rumbelle became THE couple to make fight when the plot got stale. Which literally makes no sense, bc we SAW how much they loved each other over and over again, to the point that he literally became a hero for her. Idk I just feel like there were so many more interesting dynamics to explore than “this married couple but dysfunctional”

[annoyinglysparklygalaxy]

[annoyinglysparklygalaxy]