TEAs 2020 For Your Consideration: Wandering_Willow
Hello again all!
I’m writing this on behalf of the lovely Wandering_Willow on AO3. As she’s not on Tumblr she kindly agreed to let me write this so you can bear her wonderful works in mind when making your nominations.
I’m putting a few suggested categories that I think these works could fit in but you are of course by no means limited to my suggestions.
The Contract: Best Rumbelle Fic, Best Novel Length Fic, Best AU When Gaston leaves her for another woman, Belle moves back to Storybrooke to live with her best friend. Strapped for money, Ruby sets Belle up on a website to find a man who can help her financially until she graduates, even though she doesn’t think it’ll work. Until she meets the mysterious Mr. Gold. This is the biggie, I know a lot of you read and followed this one too so please don’t forget it this TEAs season. I could wax lyrical about this fic all day, I’ve read tons of Rumbelle fic this past year and this is absolutely one of my favourites and can stand with the best. It’s just a wonderfully well told story that handles the complexities of the deal and evolving relationship between Gold and Belle so deftly. The regular Sunday updates were often the highlight of my week as they never disapponted. If you haven’t read it you should certainly remedy that because you really won’t regret it.
Changing Realities: Best Holiday Fic, Best Family Fluff Robert Gold is drinking to forget on Christmas Eve, until he is visited by a ghost. This ghost isn’t like the ones in movies—this one allows Gold to change his life forever… if he makes the right choice. This is a great Christmas fic, with Jefferson taking the role of Gold’s ghostly guide through his past/future. This is mostly just a lovely sweet and fluffy Christmas one-shot.
The Attorneys Paralegal: Best Courtship, Best Date (Overall) Rumford Gold is a demanding attorney for Mills & Mills, constantly terrorizing his paralegals until they quit. He meets Belle, hoping to make her his next victim. What he didn’t plan on was befriending her instead. I love the dates these two go on (quite something coming from me) and how these two build their relationship in this fic. It doesn’t take them too long but watching these two open up to each other and realize there can be love for them again is simply a joy.
Also, if you were so inclined to nominate Wandering_Willow for any of the author awards, they would be thoroughly deserved. I don’t know if there’s an exact cutoff date for Best New Author, Attorneys Paralegal was published on AO3 at the tad end of 2018, but as she’s not on Tumblr she was never listed for either that or the Newbie Spotlight last year so ought to still count as new in my books.