#stiltskins

[sentenceme-leni]

Monday. Minimum 1 sentence.

---

Silence came over the park as the Cadillac stopped and, instead of delivering only Belle to the family party, Rumpelstiltskin stepped down and escorted his wife to the group.

Emma and her parents stared at him for a long moment, before remembering their courtesies.

Privately, Rumpelstiltskin awarded the former shepherd with the least awkward smile.

"I'm sorry we're late," Belle chirped from his side, her arm threaded through his. "We had a last minute delay."

It would have taken a second to send the annoying wolf back to her grandmother, but Belle was fond of Ruby.

"It's all right." David's grin even seemed genuine. "Glad the two of you could make it this time!"

The shepherd's armed arched in suspicious camaraderie. The pinch near his elbow reminded Rumpelstiltskin to accept the gesture.

Similar intervention from Snow diverted the effusive slap on his shoulder into an offer for a hand shake.

Rumpelstiltskin even managed not to sneer as he shook back.

"Auntie Belle!" Henry's voice cut in as he ran across the park.

"Papa. You made it!"

Bae rushed closer, a football in hand and quickly passing his son.

Rumpelstiltskin felt himself relax. He had invested a whole world into their reunion. Of course he would spend a few hours if Baelfire requested his presence.

"Are you actually wearing that?" Henry interrupted his thoughts, taking him in with youthful horror. "This is a picnic!"

The adults chuckled, some more nervously than others.

Baelfire rolled his eyes and cuffed the boy's head playfully. "Just be glad he's here this time," he said. Rumpelstiltskin blinked, unaware he would have been welcomed to previous family meetings. Belle had tried to tell him so, but Baelfire hadn't brought it up until dinner last night.

While he mulled that over, Baelfire was coming into his personal space. "Glad you could make it." He moved in in for a quick hug. Him, Rumpelstiltskin gladly embraced back. Bae stepped away, and looked down at his son with an exasperated smile. "Sorry about that, Papa. Kid's had nowhere to learn subtlety. It's a miracle people still like him."

"Hey!" the boy complained.

The adults laughed a little, before Emma tugged Henry closer to her. "Don't mind your dad," she said loudly. "He once told a police officer he had an ugly face."

"Guilty." Bae shrugged, then put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Sorry, kid. You're doomed."

Rumpelstiltskin smiled at the picture of them. He had barely dared to dream that Baelfire would forgive him one day. To be allowed to see his son become a father...

Sadly, other people broke the moment.

"Henry is right, though." David was saying, eyeing him from collar to leather shoes. "You'll get that nice suit wrinkled, Gold."

Rumpelstiltskin hid a sigh. A glance to his side was no reprieve, as Belle was giving him a knowing look.

"Fine," he grumbled. "You win."

Everyone stepped back at the sudden cloud of magic that enveloped him.

Not Belle, of course. Never her. She only nodded in approval at the result.

If her cheeks flushed a little at his choice of attire, Rumpelstiltskin was smart enough to save that knowledge for later.

"Will this do?" He directed the question to his grandson.

Bae's boy gave him a thumbs up before latching onto his wrist and tugging him along.

Rumpelstiltskin allowed the manhandling in good humor. At his side, Belle was pulled along, already asking questions about Henry's plans.

Behind the trio, Neal stared at Emma. Emma managed to shake off the unexpected reaction to Gold's change of wardrobe in time to see Neal's look of horror.

"Never ever tell me what just crossed your mind," he begged.

Emma ruthlessly forced down a blush. She hadn't expected the result of a pair of jeans on the man, all right? "I have no idea what you're talking about," she grit out, glaring Neal into forgetting the whole thing.

Neal gladly complied.

Meanwhile, David put an arm around his wife's waist. "Remember how Belle used to act so mysterious when we asked why she stayed in the Dark Castle?"

Still a bit speechless, Snow nodded.

David chuckled. "Mystery solved, eh?"

Snow nodded again.

The End

13/05/24

[stabbyapologist]

✨️How Peter Pan was so ready to abandon Rumple as soon as he laid eyes on him ✨️

He still didn't want him.

[sentenceme-leni]

Sunday. Minimum 7 sentences.

---

Their guests gone, Belle stacked the plates and started her way to the kitchen. Rumpelstiltskin followed her with the glasses they had used for the so-called family dinner, humming distractedly as he helped load up the dishwasher.

The evening had started on a tense note, as Regina still took offense at the Darling brothers' actions while under Pan's thumb. However, the men were apologetic enough to soothe even the Evil Queen's anger.

It helped that Regina could certainly understand going to extremes to protect a beloved child.

"That went well," he said when his hands were free, and immediately reached for his wife. "Thank you for convincing me to invite Bae's friends. I'd have tossed the Charmings out before dessert, I'm sure."

Belle turned sideways, giving him an incredulous look. "That was a disaster, Rumple."

Rumpelstiltskin frowned. There had been no yelling, no threats, and no magic shooting around. "What are you talking about, sweetheart?"

"Henry is sweet on Wendy."

Well, yes. Anyone with sense could see that. His grandson had inherited his subtlety from Regina - to wit, he stared at the Darling girl with hearts in his eyes and monopolized her attention.

It was rather cute.

Belle appeared not to share that opinion. "Wendy isn't interested in Henry."

Rumpelstiltskin shrugged. In their family, a little prepubescent romantic disappointment wasn't a huge problem. "He'll get over it. Or maybe he'll change her mind." He chuckled, tightening his grasp enough to land a playful kiss on her cheek. "We are men of great charisma, I'm told."

Belle rolled her eyes.

"Maybe a little too much charisma. That girl is still stuck on your son."

That was also obvious.

"For all she's been alive for two centuries, she's twelve at heart. Puppy love passes soon."

Belle still frowned. "It's still weird."

Rumpelstiltskin laughed. "My son's best friend used to be his mom's lover. And though we all pretend otherwise, Miss Swan has taken an interest on the bastard." He took a deep breath, as he usually did when the pirate came up, and returned to the subject at hand. "Wendy's little crush doesn't even register on the weird scale to Bae."

"I guess..."

He twirled them around so they were face to face, and kissed her forehead. "You married into quite the unconventional family, sweetheart. But we make it work, don't we?"

Belle smiled. "It has been weeks since anyone tried to kill the other," she agreed.

"Best of all, we don't need to have them over for another couple of months at least."

"Want the house all to ourselves, don't you?"

Rumpelstiltskin tilted her head up and smiled. "Yes, indeed." He gave a quick kiss to her lips. "I'm happy when it's just the two of us."

The End

28/04/24

[gerwinning]

Did a show flyer for @huonpate for his band The Jins. This was hella fun! Thanks man! ✌👍✌👍✌ If you or anyone you know need a poster/flyer for a thing, I do em good and cheap! . . . . #show #flyer #Vancouver #nanaimo #thecambie #thejins #kidlucifer #stiltskins #indie #music #illustration #blackandwhite #lowbrow #lowbrowart #thumbsup #bandaids #yeah #dude #gnarly #coolguy #cigarette #tongue #smile

[bixisarusher]

S03 Review/Comments

What a crazy ride this season is! From Neverland to Oz and way deep in the past of this crazy family tree... I call this season “family’s black green sheeps” for a reason x ;)

I admire this season so much for all the family-meta it’s providing. We explore the Stiltskins and the Mills family quit explicit, but the Charmings aren’t scratched off the list. As odd and crazy the plotlines are, you really get to know these characters really well. (And, again, we’re thankful that there isn’t thanksgiving in their land, because that dinner just got even messier.)

3A has a great way of paralleling the generations. The abandonement theme throughout the Stilktskins chronology is interestingly explored and highlighted, and I love love the lines that are drawn between Emma and Snow in “Lost Girl” and “The New Neverland”. It isn’t right on the nose, but gives interesting insight.

In the second half the Mills family gets a deeper look and as much discussion there is about the “Snow parenting Regina situation”, I enjoyed these two women talking some stuff out, bonding and forming a careful friendship.

I think the actors are awesome this season, especially the guests. And I want to highlight Stephen Lorde (Malcolm), who did a so very good job in imitating Robbie (Peter)!

I am not familiar with the Oz-world, so I can’t comment on Once’s interpretation of it. I know the Pan stories more and I enjoyed the twists they introduced in this world. Where did the name come from, why did he keep looking for boys, ... (And let’s not forget OUaT!Hook fighting traditional!Hook aka Blackbeard in “The Jolly Roger”)

And, to get to some meta stuff: This season marks a turning point for almost every main character. The new faces force them to ponder on fundamental questions and work through it and decide who they want to be and how they want to act, the two-hour special really being the big finale of it, esp. for Emma. Some notes on that:

Rumple goes through quite a journey. He accepts his fate of Henry being his undoing, he sacrifices himself for his loved ones. Belle is right, the good man behind the beast truly finally breaks out. Sadly, the Beast is ressurected and driven mad, dissovling in him building a marriage on a massive betrayal.

Regina allows herself to open up to love, to accept her past and to be a hero. She reconciled with Snow over their history, she fought so much to be good - without Henry being there to reward her. I cheered so much for her scene in 3x20, when she is “changing” and taking this first step of being a hero “today”. This is a powerful message and it paced her path of redemption, and being the conflicted anti-hero we saw ever since.

Emma learns to accept her past and her present and starts to really, truly believe in herself and her family; in her place in this magical world. She learns to embrace this as her home, after years of running and being lost. I truly cherish how in 3x01 she brushes Snow’s and David’s advice to the side with a “yes, you are my parents but we have equal amounts of wisdom” and in 3x22 she delibaratly calls them mom and dad.

Killian tests out his ability to take care of others than himself. Given, he mostly starts to care for Emma and for the ones important to her.

Henry leanrs a lot about what it does and doesn’t look like to be a hero.

Snow and David both have arcs of their own, dealing with parenthood, Emma and the new child. (Remember Charming’s awesome moment battling his fear, where he decides that he can’t let this fear of failing his family stop him from giving his best. Awesome-sauce.)

Now about the pacing. I stated in my S02 overlook that I prefer the half-season arcs over at least S02, because the goal is much clearer. Rewatching it, that point was confirmed for me. The conflict is clear and in the half-season openers very nicely exposed (”You, and your heart are now mine!”); and the search of the solution is what drives both arcs forward.

I also like the forgetting trope - maybe because I enjoyed S01 so much, and because it gives so much mystery to the show and the flashbacks work as pieces to the puzzle.

Yet, both arcs leave some questions open and the timeline appears a little messed up (eg the Tink line - how did Hook meet her without magic, when Neal only knows her with, but her meeting with Regina was aprox 150 years later? And how did Tink return from Regina’s courtyard to Neverland without magic?)

But, overall, I like this season. The sassy Brits, some really deep moments for the mains, new worlds incorporated. And tbh, overthinking confusing plot-holes (like Tinks timeline or the meaing of Cora’s firstborn) is my guilty pleasure.

And last but not least, this season holds some of my very favourite episodes:

3x21 and 3x22, aka the CS movie. I love time-travelling stories and waited the whole season for it to finally happen. Aside of that, “Princess Leia” and “Prince Charles” navigating their path through this somehow familiar, somehow overwhelming world was a lovely tale to watch.

3x10, “The New Neverland” or “How Charming tried to get Snow in bed”. Literally, that is his sole motivation in the flashback. It is hilarious. And he succeeded, yay! :D Apart from that, the lesson Snow learns is really important and repeated in 4x01: There is always a crisis, and you should consider living your life during them. The episode is also an example on the well-drawn Snow/Emma parallels.

3x05 Good Form. What can I say. Killian backstory, Captain Charming. The “one-time-thing”. It’s great.

3x15, because it really marks the relations in this love triangle of Nealfire, Emma and Killian. What is stated in this episode is present in other episodes, too, but here it is presented very clearly and consciously by the characters themselves. Hookfire ended on a really good note despite their turmoils and that makes me happy.

[vickyvicarious]

geekalogian replied to your post:re: tick tock team--just thinky thoughts but not only did pan sic the crocodile on hook, but in ouat pan and the crocodile are RELATED so hook's primary two adversaries are father and son (add in that his primary two romantic rivals are father and son as well IN THE SAME FAMILY LINE and yeah) idk why this gives me killian feelings but it does.

I love that in the Stiltskin line, each son is progressively less evil too. (I mean we all know rumple’s nasty but he at least semi-desires redemption unlike his dad) the family connections are always SO important in OUAT so it’ll be interesting.

YES, it's really kinda fascinating as you go down the line, both in general and in regards to Killian, like the progress with each generation is so interesting:

Pan - Irredeemable, has no desire to be redeemed, manipulative and evil. Enemy to Killian.

Rumple - Has seriously difficulty with redemption, but at least wants it, manipulative and evil but sometimes good. Romantic rival and enemy to Killian.

Baelfire/Neal - Achieved redemption with his own death, never deliberately evil though he did bad things at times, rarely deliberately manipulative and generally for what he believes is the greater good. Romantic rival and surrogate son to Killian.

Henry - Doesn't need redemption, sometimes manipulative but always for what he believes is the greater good. Surrogate son to Killian.

It's like they go in pairs of two chronologically down the line. Pan/Rumple, Rumple/Neal, Neal/Henry. But they also made sure to establish connections between Pan/Neal and Pan/Henry as Lost Boys, and now Rumple/Henry is getting developed with Grandpa Gold, so there are more 'crosswise' links too.

And then there is the shared theme among all of them with eternal youth that also gets less and less strong the further down you go: it's literal for Pan; Rumple is immortal but only as an adult; Neal was a Lost Boy for hundreds of years but eventually grew up and rejected the chance to become young again; Henry was the only one growing up in a town of people frozen in time, and aside from the one temptation to go back to his false NYC memories, has always been an advocate of 'waking up' and growing to your true self.

Just everything about them seems like each generation is progressively more 'good'.

[13lesbianfangirl]

Dead is dead, unless you're a Stilskin boy.

me after seeing Heny's "death", Neal's "death" and now Rumple's "death"