#rumple analysis

[wastingstarsss]

Just had a whole realisation about rumple and dust and idk if the writers MEANT for it to have a significant impact on his character YET HERE I AM.

So we all know the infamous “I will truly, truly become dust” line about Bae being drafted in the war. And what happens? He loses Bae. Now bear in mind- this is ultimately because of magic and what has magic done to rumple? Made him the dark one- and you could argue his skin looks like dust.

Moving forward to Belle who Rumple brings to the castle cause “the place was filthy”, a lousy excuse for company but it’s probably true in that all his relics collected dust cause why would rumple spend his time cleaning them? He had thousands. So belle was his maid, and with the castle she cleaned him too. She kissed him, the dust cleared away and he started to become ‘a man’ again. But then he pushes her away and the mask of the monster- that dust- is back. AND THEN when Weaver kills the dark one, the dark one literally becomes dust!!! And AND think of the implications of dust. It’s just dead stuff. Rumple views himself as a dead thing without Belle and Baelfire.

And of course we can’t forget the implications of pixie dust- fairy magic which does *not* work with what Rumple is. He could’ve been good dust- light magic. A saviour. But instead due to twisted fate he became the dark one. The dead thing he thought he was.

Plus also his whole thing with Cora who becomes the queen of hearts. And what does she do? Collect hearts, yes, but the whole thing about hearts in the show is crushing them to dust. Her dynamic with Rumple was just another link to dark dust, And in teaching Regina, her breakthrough with dark magic is crushing hearts to dust

All magic comes with a price indeed, you turned yourself into the very thing you had convinced yourself you were.

#and when you think about it dust is forgotten. we abandon it cause we don’t remember it. and how many times has rumple been abandoned? #he breaks my heart #rumple analysis #character analysis #get rumple some therapy pls #desperate souls #Rumplestiltskin #rumbelle #spinner rumple #rumplestiltskin x belle french #papastiltskin #baelfire #skin deep

[crowfromfoggyforest]

Oh my god. I just realized something. I think i'm onto something. This is wild. I finished watching s6 of ouat over a month ago, and i just saw a random rumbelle post, and something clicked in my brain.

Lacey liked Rumple's dark side, but he still wanted Belle. We already knew that.

Belle kept wanting Rumple to become someone else, she couldn't accept him the way he was. We knew that too.

Rumple says he loves Belle because she sees the good in him. But in later seasons, he realized that he felt unable to become who she wanted him to be. He accepted who he was, didn't want to change anymore, but still loved Belle for seeing him as a better man than he actually was. For putting hopes in him that would be dissapointed again and again.

That's not a positive thing. That's not "you make me believe in myself and in my ability to change." He's convinced he won't change. He knows he will only cause them both pain. And he loves that pain.

You can't convince me otherwise, Rumple has deep-rooted self-hatred. He thinks he deserves to suffer. His love for Belle isn't positive. It's masochistic. He unconsciously uses it to punish himself. He can tell himself he has accepted his dark side all he wants, deep down, he still hates himself for not being able to change. And he wants Belle to remind him of this. He gets a bitter satisfaction out of dissapointing her again and again. "See? I'm a failure. No one could ever love me for who i am."

#does this make sense #sorry if s7 completely contradicts this #as i said i haven't watched it yet #but i think it's gonna be unrealistic after everything that happened anyways #like why does rumple need a redemption arc when he just accepted his dark side #just for once let a character be morally grey for god's sake #ouat #rumbelle #rumplestiltskin #ouat rumple #mr gold #once upon a time #ouat belle #ouat lacey #character analysis #theory #character psychology

[a-rose-for-gold]

“The Crocodile”

Okay. I was typing a reblog and it somehow became a rant/spiel, so I’m making a whole post about it.

“The Crocodile” Episode? I know a this isn’t exactly an unpopular opinion, but I’mma say it anyway.

Hook and Milah. Had. It. COMING.

Granted - Hook became cool eventually. But I hated him for a LOT of the series on the grounds of his first impression alone.

Like it’s one thing to run off with a man’s wife. Rumple and Milah weren’t in love and the marriage wasn’t a good one. She put zero effort into their family and taking her off their hands may arguably have been better for everyone.

Seriously. Fuck Milah.

Spinner Rumple tried so hard to be a good husband and father, or at least to make their family work in a loveless marriage, and he deserved better.

But in spite of that, what Hook did to him on the ship crossed so many lines and he totally deserved to get owned for it.

Let’s review:

Concerned husband boards a pirate ship to beg for his wife back, thinking she’s been abducted. Right off the bat: That right there took courage. It always pisses me off when OUAT characters call Spinner Rumple a coward, because he really wasn’t. The world put him through it and he was doing his damn best. Just showing up to the ship of bloodthirsty pirates, knowing that literally all he could do was beg and hope for the best, took guts.

Back to Hook. So this poor guy shows up to ask for his wife back unharmed. And shy of actually hurting Rumple, Hook decides to do quite possibly the cruelest thing he could have done:

Keep letting the spinner think that his wife had been taken against her will and that she was being raped by the whole crew.

If Milah was in on the lie, then in my opinion SHE was the cowardly one here. Not Rumple. You want to abandon your disabled husband and son to run off and live the high life with a pirate? Own your shit.

But no. Instead they pushed the blame onto Rumple and gaslit this poor man into thinking it was somehow his fault.

Yeah - Rumple didn’t pick up the sword when Hook challenged him to a duel over Milah. But let’s think about that for a sec shall we?

We have Rumplestiltskin: An older wool spinner with a disability. Who can’t walk all that well WITH his walking stick - much less without it, on a boat, and during a fight with a sword. Which he’s barely held in his life unless you count the crash-course he got as fodder- I mean a new recruit, when he was drafted into the Ogres War.

Versus Captain Jones: A younger, taller, stronger pirate. An experienced swordsman, comfortable on a ship, and with two good legs. AND with a loyal crew of OTHER strapping pirates who would probably kill Rumple even if by some miracle he DID take Hook by surprise or something.

So really, Rumple had two options here.

Option A: Refuse to fight the bloodthirsty pirate, leave with your life but without your wife, and return home to your now motherless son.

Option B: Fight the bloodthirsty pirate, probably die or at least get badly injured (which could be death within a few days-weeks anyway given his financial situation and living conditions), the pirate takes your wife anyway, and your son is left an orphan who may or may not ever know what happened to you.

So there was no realistic scenario here where he fights off the pirates like a dashing hero and carries his wife home.

What else was he supposed to do?!

Rumplestiltskin is extremely smart. He always was. He knows when to pick his battles and he would have known all of that at a glance.

Refusing to fight wasn’t cowardice. It was common sense.

And yet Hook, this mothafucka, who must have realized all of this too and put Rumple in this situation in the first place, had the gall to act disgusted about it when Rumple refused to “fight like a man.” And then gaslit him into thinking that he was a coward and a fool for making what was obviously the more rational decision.

Now Hook is a pirate. I never would have expected much from him. But that’s no excuse. What he did was fucked. And karma is a bitch.

Stupid Game = Stupid Prize

And yes I know this is a pretty commonly held opinion so it shouldn’t be new to anyone but I rewatched that episode recently and needed to get this off my chest. 😤

#once upon a time #rumplestiltskin #mr. gold #robert carlyle #rumpelstiltskin #Captain Hook #killian jones #milah ouat #character analysis #show analysis #karma is a bitch #anyway 💅 #woobie #woobie rumple #spinner rumple #The Crocodile #stupid game #stupid prize #fucked around and found out

[themattress]

THE TOP 5 BEST AND WORST DEEDS OF ONCE UPON A TIME’S MAINSTAY VILLAINS

THE EVIL QUEEN (REGINA): 1. Confronting Tinker Bell - The first wholly altruistic, no-strings-attached deed Regina does in the show’s present-day narrative happens early into Season 3, where she splits from the rest of the “Nevengers” in Neverland in order to confront Tinker Bell, who plans to murder her. Regina risks her own life, fully accepting the fact that she might die and probably deserves to, in order to convince Tinker Bell to help the rest of her group save Henry. And afterwards, she even reconnects with Tinker Bell as a friend, in full honesty. It’s a legit great moment for her.

2. Atonement on the Town Line - In order to stop Peter Pan’s out-of-control Dark Curse from killing everyone, Regina reverses the effects of her original Dark Curse so that it cancels it out. This means that she and everyone else from the Enchanted Forest will return there, and she has to give up Henry, since he and Emma will stay behind and forget everything. She does so gracefully, and even gifts Emma and Henry with good memories of a life where Emma never gave Henry up for adoption. She even accepts that she was a villain and that this painful personal sacrifice is karma for her years of atrocities. Damn it, why couldn’t she have just stayed like this!? Her character regression did no-one any favors, least of all her.

3. Evil vs. Wicked - The writing for it may not have always been the best, but everything that Regina did in Season 3′s second story arc as she and the others struggled against Zelena was totally on the up and up. Splitting Snow White and Charming’s hearts so that the latter could survive, not succumbing to her obsession with Henry and being willing to forge a new type of relationship with him, training Emma in magic, opening herself up to a new romance with Robin Hood, defending Snow from Cora’s wrathful spirit, and ultimately saving the day while also sparing her half-sister’s life in order to give her the same kind of second chance she got....all of that was good and further showed a Regina that was capable of true nobility.

4. Saving “Maid Marian” - Yeah, I know she technically killed Marian in the original timeline. But in the present day, she saved her life three times: first from a snow monster, then from the freezing curse that Ingrid the Snow Queen put her over, and then insisting that Robin Hood take her across the town line when it looked like staying in Storybrooke was making her deathly ill. Being willing to give up the man she loved to save his other love interest is heroic no matter how you slice it. If only it really had been Marian and that last one not a total con...

5. Partaking in Operation Firebird - While this one certainly could have been better, with her taking an active role in confronting her dead victims and helping them move on, I will begrudgingly admit that her signing on to Operation Firebird in the Underworld and being in support of it at all shows some measure of decency, even if somewhat selfishly motivated. -----------

1. The Huntsman - She ripped the man’s heart out, used it to control him which included raping him, and when he finally defied her as Sheriff Graham in Storybrooke, she crushed his heart, murdering him. That she completely got away with this remains a sore spot for many.

2. Razing Villages - Men, women and children were murdered. Families were torn apart. Hearts were ripped out to create new slaves. And why did she do any of this? For the lolz.

3. Wedding Crasher - I don’t mean Snow and Charming’s wedding; no no, I’m talking about the time she encountered a random civilian wedding being held on her lands without her permission and when the groom tried to apologize for this, she ripped his heart out and crushed it. Killing him in front of his friends, family and now widowed bride. What. The. Hell!?

4. The Failsafe - In the case of the curse breaking and her losing her grip on Storybrooke, Regina prepared what amounts to a magical nuke that would wipe the town and its entire population off the face of the Earth. And she was fully ready and willing to use it, only helping to stop it once it was forcibly taken away from her and used in a way that endangered Henry.

5. Casting the Dark Curse - This one was a given. Killing her own father to enact a curse that would upend the lives of countless people and trap them in a never-ending day-to-day cycle of misery where she reigns supreme over them all, just to satisfy a petty grudge? It’s pretty damn heinous. The only thing worse would be enacting a curse that forcibly merged all realms together without their inhabitants’ consent and her getting to reign supreme over the whole magical universe. But no, that would be way too stupid, so I won’t bother considering it.

RUMPELSTILTSKIN (MR. GOLD): 1. His One Phone Call - When Gold is dying from Dreamshade poisoning inflicted by Hook in the middle of Season 2, he calls an amnesiac Belle on the phone and gives her a heartfelt speech about who she really is and what she meant to him, all for the purpose of providing her with comfort and the strength to carry on living a good life in spite of her memory loss.

2. Embracing his Father - In a deadly embrace. When Peter Pan is about to kill his loved ones, Gold makes the ultimate sacrifice, using his enchanted shadow to root his father to the spot while he thrusts the Dark One Dagger in his back. When Pan tries to tempt him to stop with promises of a happy ending, Gold simply replies that he’s a villain and that villains don’t get happy endings, right before literally twisting the knife and obliterating the both of them.

3. Choosing to Forget - When the Rumple of the past forces a time-traveling Emma to reveal that his son Baelfire dies in the future, he is tempted to alter time in order to prevent that from happening even though it could risk worse things occurring. But when Emma pleads with him to respect his son’s heroic sacrifice and not potentially condemn him all over again, Rumple gives in and drinks a memory potion to forget he ever heard anything of the future.

4. Doing the Right Thing - During the Final Battle, Gold is tempted by both his mother Fiona and the embodiment of the Darkness taking Rumple’s shape to do the wrong thing for the sake of power yet again. But finally realizing he can’t bypass the price of magic, Gold refuses to give in, doing the right thing and saving his son Gideon’s heart...and Emma’s life as well.

5. Unlikely Friendships - As Rumple and later as Weaver, he forges a tight bond of friendship with both Alice/Tilly and her father, Wish Realm Hook/Rogers, looking past the latter’s resemblance to his former nemesis. This friendship ultimately leads him to sacrifice his life to save Rogers from Wish Realm Rumple, even risking not reuniting with Belle in the afterlife because he now knows you do right for right’s sake, not for the sake of a reward. ----------- 1. Killing his wife twice - In a fit of entitled rage when he discovers his wife Mliah left him for a pirate, Rumple rips out her heart and crushes it.  Later, he actually reconciles with her in the Underworld as Gold, only to end up betraying her as part of a deal with Hades - throwing her into the River of Lost Souls which erases her individual personhood; basically re-killing her.

2. Abandoning his son - The act that drove Rumple into complete madness: letting go of his son’s hand and allowing him to fall through a portal to another world, all because he never got past childhood trauma and was too scared of the possibility of living without his power. So much pain and suffering followed for so many people, all because of this one cowardly deed.

3. The Sorcerer’s Hat - Everything that Rumple / Gold did in his quest to harness the power of the Sorcerer’s Hat in the first half of Season 4, both past and present, was an example of the great cruelty and selfishness he is capable of. It was particularly bad in the present, where Gold’s recent trauma at the hands of Zelena convinced him all he can ever be is a villain, and as a result there is no line he’s not willing to cross in his pursuit of absolute power.

4. Beauty and the Domestic Abuser - Yeah, from lying to her in his wedding proposal all the way to trying to force her pregnancy to speed up so that he can kidnap her baby, Gold was the definition of an emotionally and psychologically abusive husband to Belle. Then again, given what he did to his first wife, are we really all that surprised? Stopping short of killing Belle hardly lessens the myriad of other ways he harmed her throughout their marriage.

5  The Darkest Dark One - When there was a real chance to destroy the Darkness once and for all, Gold sabotaged it, betraying the heroes and re-absorbing the Darkness that was now fully charged by the souls of all past Dark Ones, becoming the most powerful Dark One ever. And he has no remorse for it, fully accepting it as proof of the kind of selfish man he truly is.

CAPTAIN HOOK (KILLIAN JONES): 1. Neverland - It was Hook that allowed the Nevengers to reach Neverland in order to save Henry by coming back with the magic bean in the Season 2 finale, Hook who provided the ship they sailed upon, Hook who guided them through the terrain he knew well, Hook who saved David’s life, Hook who was responsible for rescuing Neal, and Hook who followed Emma’s lead at all times to see the mission through to its success. He was excellent here.

2. Bringing Emma Home - Trading his beloved Jolly Roger and his career as a pirate for a magic bean, Hook travels to NYC to restore Emma’s memories so that she can return to Storybrooke and save her family, all for a love that he fully accepts may remain unrequited. 

3. Making Amends - Several times, Hook wrongs someone, only to later redeem himself by fixing his mistakes. Aurora, Belle, David, Neal, Ariel, Ursula, Nemo, Liam...the list goes on.

4. Sacrificing his life four times - First in the alternate reality that Isaac creates in order to buy Emma and Henry time to escape, then in Camelot in order to save Snow’s life, then as Dark Hook in order to vanquish the Darkness and save Emma and her family, and finally in the Underworld where he gives up on ever finding a way to return to the land of the living so that Emma can make it out on time. For Emma and her family, Hook will truly do anything.

5. Repairing the Broken Kingdom - In the Underworld, Hook teams up with the man who killed him, King Arthur, in order to help Emma. He shows Arthur his passionate dedication and nobility, making the king rethink how he lived his life. At one point, Hook even saves Arthur from being dragged into the River of Lost Souls. Together, the two of them play an pivotal role in Hades’ downfall, and because of Hook’s influence, King Arthur goes on to become the new ruler of the Underworld who restores all the lost souls and reshapes the whole despair-ridden realm into a place of hope and healing. Understandably, Zeus deems this proof that Hook is a True Hero, and thus restores him to life so that he may reunite with his True Love, Emma. ----------- 1. Taking Ursula’s Song - A meeting with the mermaid Ursula almost reforms Hook during his villainous years, but then in order to spite her father he steals her singing voice, the thing that brought her the most joy. This leads to Ursula finally snapping and becoming a villain.

2. Killing David’s Father - Hook killed David’s father....who was literally about to be killed anyway....so that he wouldn’t tell anyone he robbed a carriage belonging to King George and killed his soldiers...even though a pirate thrives off reputation and should want his crimes to be known. Yeah, I’m not sure what the Hell went on with this one. It was so fucking dumb.

3. Stealing Aurora’s Heart - In order to restore his alliance with Cora, Hook stole Aurora’s heart while she was sleeping then manipulated her into thinking he was on her side by setting her free. It was all a ruse so that he could give Cora her heart to control her with, allowing the two of them to set a trap for Emma, Snow and Mulan. His smug attitude about pulling it off and his vicious taunting of Emma once she fell into the trap only made this evil deed worse.

4. Shooting Belle - Aboard the deck of the Jolly Roger, Belle convinces Gold to spare Hook’s life, and how does he repay her for this? Shooting her in the back so that she falls across the town line, causing her to lose all her memories. To be fair, he did want to die...

5. Pawn of Darkness - When Emma turned Hook into a Dark One against his will and even attempted to control him with the Dagger, he regressed into his old depressed nihilism and became a willing servant to Nimue’s sinister agenda, crushing Merlin’s heart to enact the Dark Curse and, once back in Storybrooke, bringing the souls of Nimue and the other past Dark Ones to the land of the living in order to exact his revenge on both Gold and Emma.

THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST (ZELENA): 1. Aiding Belle - In the Underworld, Belle comes seeking Zelena’s aid when she wants to be put under a Sleeping Curse so that her baby isn’t born in the Underworld where Hades can take it. Zelena gives it to her out of an unexpected feeling of empathy toward the “bookworm”.

2. Killing Hades - After Hades kills Robin Hood, his Olympian Crystal winds up in Zelena’s hands. Defying his urges for her to kill her sister Regina so that they can “have everything”, Zelena stabs Hades with it, disintegrating him and finally putting an end to his reign of terror.

3. Giving Up Her Magic - When the Black Fairy tricks her into imbuing crystals with her magic that can then be used to produce the fairy dust needed to start the Final Battle, Zelena prevents this from happening by giving up her magic altogether. After having lived in her sister’s shadow for so long, she finally was able to do something Regina was never able to.

4. Crash Course - She hits the Black Fairy with a car. That is all.

5. Motherhood - Under the name of Kelly, Zelena ended up becoming a pretty great mother to Robin / Margot, putting her wicked ways behind her and raising her daughter to be a hero. --------- 1. Her Tyranny in Oz - An obvious one. She’s the Wicked Witch of the West. Duh.

2. The Death of Neal - Tricking Neal into signing his own death warrant in order to have Rumple resurrected was a truly nasty deed, one she never shows any kind of remorse for.

3. Caging Rumple - After killing Neal, Zelena used the Dark One Dagger to enslave the newly resurrected Rumple, keeping him locked up in a cage and doing everything she could to make him feel helpless and vulnerable out of pure sadistic spite, while also kind of forcing herself on him. The trauma this caused him directly led to Gold’s relapse into pure villainy.

4. The Maid Marian Switch - Traveling back in time, Zelena kills an unconscious Marina in order to absorb her appearance into a glamour charm, making herself appear to be her. Returning to the present with Emma and Hook, she then willfully kept Robin Hood and Regina apart and eventually getting herself impregnated by Robin....so, essentially, rape.

5. Helping to Create Dark Hook - In Camelot, Zelena betrayed the heroes and teamed up with King Arthur, which led to the scuffle where Arthur fatally wounded Hook, which led to Emma turning him into a Dark One. In Storybrooke, Zelena is the one who made Hook regain the lost memory of having become a Dark One in order to get back at Emma for kidnapping her and planning to kill her. She even takes advantage of the crisis Dark Hook creates to steal sole custody over her baby away from Regina and Robin Hood, who had previously been generous to allow her to even have a share of custody at all. It’s just all so...wicked.

#Once Upon a Time #ABC #Regina Mills #The Evil Queen #Rumpelstiltskin #Mr. Gold #Weaver #Captain Hook #Killian Jones #The Wicked Witch of the West #Zelena #Evil #Villains #Opinion #Analysis #Comparison #Anti-Regina #Anti-Regina Mills #Anti-Rumple #Anti-Rumpelstiltskin #Anti-Hook #Anti-Zelena #(Sort of) #This has been a PSA

[frogayyyy]

Jeeves & Wooster + Mirrors analysis

S1E01: Jeeves Takes Charge

under the cut because it got ridiculously long for just the first episode lol

We first meet Bertie as a dishevelled, hungover young gentleman currently being charged with petty theft. He stumbles home to a disordered house, with clothes all over the floor and cupboard doors wide open, then he immediately passes out on his bed. To put it lightly - he’s a mess.

Enter Jeeves.

Jeeves sweeps in and fixes the place up with what feels like a magic wave of his hand. He mixes a little restorative drink without so much as a word from Bertie (not for lack of trying). The drink doesn’t magically fix Bertie’s rumpled appearance like the flat, but the effect on his mind and spirit is clear.

Bertie stands in front of the large mirror in his living room, apparently inspecting himself and the effects of Jeeves’ drink.

Despite his still ruffled hair and crooked tie, Bertie is viewing a reflection of a restored, fresh, well put together gentleman. He’s seeing an echo of a future self, one that accepts Jeeves into his life.

He turns away from the mirror and immediately hires Jeeves.

This could indicate that Bertie sees what he wants to see in mirrors, the version of himself that he likes most. Or perhaps, rather than reflecting his outward appearance - the mask he displays to the world - the mirror reflects his inner mood and emotions.

After their first back and forth about Bertie’s outfit, in which Bertie asserts that he will wear the clothes he already has on, it cuts to Bertie on the station platform and we see through the steam that he is wearing the tweed suit Jeeves had suggested.

He inspects himself in the train window, seemingly coming to the conclusion that Jeeves was right and the tweed suit was indeed the better choice. This troubles him, not wanting Jeeves to get the wrong impression that just because he conceded on this occasion that he would continue to do so, and reasserts himself to Jeeves.

W: Jeeves, I have to make one thing crystal clear.

J: Yes, sir?

W: I am not one of those who become absolute slaves to their valets.

J: No, sir.

W: Very well. We understand each other.

J: Perfectly, sir.

The phrase ‘smoke and mirrors’ comes to mind. As we know, eventually Bertie does in essence become an “absolute slave” to his valet, albeit willingly. Jeeves seems to know this perfectly well. The steam from the train serves as the ‘smoke’ obscuring the deception: Jeeves happily allowing Bertie to believe that he is in complete control.

I mention this scene because it highlights the beginning of an important evolution in their relationship. At first, Bertie strongly resists being “moulded” (“I’m not a jelly” as he said to Aunt Agatha earlier in the episode, though referring to a possible future wife) and Jeeves (falsely) reassures him that he isn’t.

However, even by the end of the first episode, Bertie starts to realise that he doesn’t mind these changes as much as he imagined he would.

Another important part of Jeeves and Bertie’s relationship is music. Music is used throughout the series to show the change in familiarity and ‘feudal spirit’ between them and the relaxing of their positions as servant and master.

The first time we see Bertie at his piano playing a simple call and response song on his own. When he asks Jeeves to join in singing the responses, we see Bertie through the mirror and Jeeves continuing his tasks.

Jeeves obliges and joins in, but still adds the proper ‘sir’s at the end of every line.

Bertie is disappointed with this and asks Jeeves to sing it again but to drop the sirs. He pauses his task and moves forward closer to the piano, and now we no longer see them separated in the mirror but side by side.

Although he can’t fully let go of etiquette, he tries to acquiesce and Bertie seems delighted with this.

Afterwards, they both move back to the mirror this time, firmly returning to their roles as master and servant as they prepare for dinner with the Glossops.

This could suggest that the mirror is being used to show the barrier of propriety between them. Bertie being isolated in the mirror at first but inviting Jeeves closer and trying to get him to abandon his feudal spirit. Here, the only time Jeeves joins Bertie in the mirror is when he’s performing his duties.

(Bertie realising he might not mind being moulded (not a euphemism) a little bit by Jeeves)

At the end of the episode, after Bertie escapes the engagement to Honoria Glossop and avoids being sectioned by Rodrick Glossop, we find them in the bathroom.

As we view them both only through the mirror, Jeeves reveals that he did indeed ‘work the whole thing’.

J: Well, if you’ll pardon the liberty, sir, I doubt if the young lady would have been entirely suitable for you.

In contrast to his earlier remarks about not ‘becoming a slave to his valet’, Bertie now seems perfectly content to know that Jeeves was controlling the whole evening.

We no longer see them divided by the mirror - the barrier between master and servant. Although the mirror is still there, it’s not separating them anymore. Jeeves has revealed his plan and his intentions and has been allowed into Bertie’s space (in a private and intimate place as his bathroom, no less), almost elevated to his equal.

It’s also interesting to note that for Jeeves, the mirror is used when he confesses a truth - in this case his role in getting Bertie out of the soup and his reason for doing so. We see this again in future episodes 👀

#jeeves and wooster #jooster #bertie wooster #reginald jeeves #j&w #analysis #should i do more?

[follows-the-bees]

Stede's costume color analysis

Ed wore red and purple to symbolize his love for Stede in S1. Stede wears red (love), yellow/cream (light and the beach), and bluegreen (mermaid) to symbolize his love for Ed in S1.

The red starts around his neck in the same style as the black cravat while they are separated. It is reminiscent of Stede's style from last season, while the rest of the clothes are more piratey, and reflect his new position in society and piracy. They are also rumpled and soiled, just like the mindset of this couple while they are apart.

The red then moves to the stitching right before and during their reunion. It is now a part of and cemented into the fabric, and not around his neck, which resembled a noose (like the black cravat symbolism of last season.) His love is stitched into his heart.

Ultimately the red becomes a whole suit and shirt when the couple reunite. Ed no longer needs the small red silk to represent his love for Stede because it is right there in front of him, Stede is literally covered in their shared love.

Shades of tan/cream (sandy beach) and yellow are used to show how they are the light (lighthouse) in each other's lives. Stede wears this light cream color before reuniting with Ed and then once again while they are still a bit rocky during episode 4 and the beginning of 5.

Just like with the lantern shining on Ed's face when he wakes up from purgatory and the candle in the background shining on Ed's face during the "I love everything about you" scene, this light color symbolizes the beacon of light (love) Ed radiates toward Ed.

And last, we have the color blue - like the ocean. While on the Red Flag, their uniforms are blue (I love this because it shows Zheng using and knowing how important indigo is, reinforcing her buying it for cheap from Spanish Jackie.) He wears this the entire time Ed is in Purgatory and then when Stede steps into the water-logged cabin to say goodbye to what he thinks is Ed dead, the symbolism of blue is most prominent. This blue clothing, and stepping into the water, shows that Stede is meeting Ed - the mermaid - in the water and he helps as Ed chooses to live, chooses life, while Stede swims next to him and gives him hope.

And last, we have the blue shirt in the last three episodes of the show. It is the color of the sea, and also the color of the robe Ed wears the morning after. (Also the morning after, Stede is wrapped in blankets that make him look like a mermaid and Ed in a robe the color of the ocean.) This blue shirt is throughout the episodes: the lunch date, the break up, the getting back together on the beach, and in the last scene when they choose to slow down and figure themselves out.

All of these colors Stede wears ties back to Ed and his love for him. It is a visual symbolism of their deeper connection.

See also my analysis on how Stede's lowering neckline shows his descent into piracy.

Bonus: MerStede

He is a shiny goldfish, a bright beacon of hope and love.

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd s2 #ofmd season 2 #stede bonnet #ofmd stede #ofmd edward teach #gentlebeard #blackbonnet #rhys darby #taika waititi #costume meta #meta analysis

[historicity-was-already-taken]

Superman and Lois Lane leading civilians out of the Warsaw Ghetto to safety. From “The Warsaw Ghetto in American Art and Culture” by Samantha Baskind.

What fascinates me about this image, is that the people responsible for rescuing children and civilians, smuggling them out of the ghetto and into safe houses, were young Jewish women and girls. They did the smuggling, they did the emotional labor, they did the allocation of food and money. Take away Superman, and visualize instead young, college aged women dressed in respectable, if slightly out of date, two-piece suits, and clutching a rumpled, oversized bag. They were the true proverbial Supermen. And they would have ragebarfed on you if you’d dared call them heroes.

This is an attempt to neither critically engage with the depiction of the Holocaust in DC Comics, nor to add to Baskind’s analysis (which is excellent). Just my thoughts upon viewing the image.

[momotonescreaming]

I've cross posted some of my tumblr ficlets on AO3!

study buddy | 1379 words | Eddie & Nancy | Tumblr Post | Character Analysis, Relationship Dynamics, Studying

Eddie was really starting to regret everything that led him to this point. Hunched over books and flash cards at the Wheeler’s dining room table, Nancy trying to grill fact after fact into his brain.

there's no other | 1676 words | Steve/Barb | Tumblr Post | Established Relationship, Fluff, Domesticity

Despite everything, despite the monster with no face taking her from outside Steve’s house, it’s where Barb feels safest. Although, she concedes, it’s mostly because it’s Steve’s.  If he lived in Forest Hills, or on Cherry Lane— she’d feel safest there. 

Breakfast | 1957 words | Steve/Barb | Tumblr Post | Established Relationship, Domesticity, Flirting

Barb wakes up slowly, lazily, eased into it by the sun peeking through the curtains and not the blaring of her alarm clock. Rolling over, she blinks and finds Steve’s side of the bed empty. The sheets are cool, but they’re still rumpled in a vaguely Steve-like shape. Her glasses are neatly resting atop the bedside table, next to what looks like a yellow blur. Putting on her glasses, her vision clears, and Barb finds that it is in fact, a note. Steve’s left her a message in his familiar, scratchy, handwriting. Gone for a run, back by breakfast. Love you! <3

#My Writing #Stranger Things #Stranger Things Fic #Eddie Munson #Nancy Wheeler #Steve Harrington #Barb Holland #Starbara #Fic Dump #Hopefully they're easier to find now!

[booksteaandtoomuchtv]

I know that OUAT tober doesn't start until, well, October. And I am trying to participate in that through next month. But, I cannot wait. I cannot get this scene out of my mind. And, I have searched and searched for an analysis of this moment and there is none so far as I can tell. So, here is my attempt to start a conversation.

Okay, so at this point, Emma has noticed something is off. She has asked Killian about it and Rumple, speaking via Killian, has dismissed her. Emma tried to connect with a kiss to see if her feeling of off-ness (yeah, I am going with off-ness) should be something she is concerned about and he pulled away and cut it short. (Perhaps because the kiss felt too much like deception and he can only control so much of this interaction when Rumple has his heart?)

Okay, so now the gifset.

Killian speaks the words that Rumple has forced him and looks away immediately. He cannot hold Emma's gaze. You can see a moment of pained disgrace when he glances away. He seems seriously disgusted that he cannot fight the control Rumple has over him.

Emma, who is very sensitive to people she loves, is stunned by the entire show that Rumple has put on through Killian. She also seems to be a bit shaken that Killian would leave her to deal with this without her when he is typically a fight alongside her type. But then, the hand on the arm. The hand that is gripping Emma like a lifeline. THIS IS THE MOMENT THAT HAUNTS ME. I have lost sleep over this moment. It has shaken me to my core. It feels like he is begging her at this moment, pleading with the universe, screaming out for someone to notice him and to save him from drowning in this control that Rumple has over him. But, then, we get that camera pan to his face. And, we see him come into his own a bit. We see him collect himself and we see him refuse to add to Emma's burden. We see him stop begging to be saved and grab enough control over himself that he can and drop her arm, before brushing by her and leaving the diner. And, we are left looking at Emma who knows something is up. She's almost looking at the space he was in like "what the actual? Someone else saw that right?" She's concerned, but she also felt brushed off - as if Killian was telling her that he didn't need her to help.

...Can you imagine how much Captain Killian Jones hates being controlled by the Crocodile? The anguish. He must feel so angry because it is the effing Crocodile. And so, annoyed at himself for allowing the Crocodile to gain this huge advantage over him and to manipulate Emma through him. He must know that Rumple will kill him soon, for his usefulness is about at an end. He just started something with Emma. And, here it is being used for the Crocodile's plan and he will likely die before it can really become something.

And, this just haunts me.

Anyway... PLEASE, please, jump in with your thoughts. (You can send me anything OUAT to discuss and I will be here for you! )

#ouat #ouat s4 #killian jones #emma swan #killian x emma #captain swan #ouattober2022 #once upon a time #i know that i am early #but i am so excited #and i can't wait #my current hyperfixation #first gif set #ouat edit

[vladdyissues]

I'm glad you liked the concept of Vlad fleeing to the Ghost Zone. Thanks for answering about him having friends abd that analysis. However, I think Vlad could play his cards right even in canon. He has just tired of waiting love, plus, his emotional nature, and he lost it.

As addition to this concept, I want to share a hc that in first years in the Ghost Realm while Vlad was too weak as a ghost to do some evil plans, between training and attempts to cook blobs (c'mon he has to eat something; I don't think normal human can metabolise ectoplasm but who knows about halfa?) he could travel over the Ghost Zone and paint landscapes. That art therapy wouldn't be enough for Plasmius but it still can help to abstract his mind from his trauma.

Or perhaps he uses art as a way of expressing his trauma instead of trying to distract from it.

Tortured Artist Vlad is something that has been living in my head for almost a full year—ever since I heard Motionless in White's Masterpiece. It just struck me as such a "Vlad" song.

It's such a provocative image, this man possessed of such incredible power, helpless and suffering. Picture him: furious, weeping, clothes rumpled from sleeping in them, his long hair loose and unkempt, fanning from his shoulders as he slings bloody gouts of paint onto a canvas and then attacks it with brushes, feverishly trying to translate his agony into something he can see, that can be speared and dragged to the surface and then stabbed to death with a palette knife like some kind of Melvillian allegory. It's the only way he can excise his pain and heartache. It's a spell, really, binding his negative emotions. But each time he completes a work, the sooner he has to start a new one. It's as if the magical power of his expression is gradually weakening. What happens when it fails altogether? Will his demons finally consume him? Will he destroy himself trying to keep them at bay? Or will someone special step into the frame of his doomed portrait and help him paint a new picture?

#you bet. and his name is danny #asks #vlad masters #vlad plasmius #pompous pep #(implied) #i've been meaning to write a fic based on this song and concept but haven't yet found the time #maybe when i finish familiar #also anon: i agree with your earlier points #the biggest obstacle to vlad's success has always been vlad himself #either his arrogance or his ambition gets the better of him #''it was always me''

[crowfromfoggyforest]

Rumple is just the best kind of morally grey character.

He's feared by everyone but also everyone comes to him to make a deal when they desperately need help.

He will help you but he will also betray and deceive you the next day.

He will do anything to protect his loved ones. But he will also hurt people to get what he wants or because they've wronged him.

He has no side. He doesn't care about being good or evil. He does what he wants.

#i know he's not all of these all the time #but he is at different points #he has tried to be good so many times but imo his ultimate character development was to say “fuck this i am who i am” #i love him #rumplestiltskin #once upon a time #ouat #ouat rumple #mr gold #text post #character analysis #morally gray #loosely inspired by @thepunkmuppet

[no-phrogs-in-hats]

The way I could write an entire analysis on Rumple’s and Belle’s relationship and how toxic it is

#once upon a time #rumplestiltskin #belle #rumbelle #this man has no will power when it comes to the darkness #‘I want to be better for you’ #take a shot every time he promises to be a good man #and then breaks the promise

[themattress]

OUAT Observation

Like with so many things in OUAT, this idea could have worked if given the proper execution. Beyond the Wish Realm needing to be established and utilized in a much, much better way than it actually was, the issue holding this back is that “Good End” Rumple, before randomly deciding to stop and be good, had been on just as dark a trajectory as “Bad End” Rumple. He had been willing to let his mother destroy all magical realms so that he could finally have it all, which is just as vile as seeking to subjugate all magical realms and confine their inhabitants in Hellish realities concocted by the Author. So him earning himself a Good End feeling justified requires that the audience just collectively forgets all that villainy ever happened.

For this to work, original Rumple needed to either not relapse into villainy following his seeming turnaround in Season 3 (which IMO would be troublesome since it doesn’t feel true to his character for him to do that), not relapse into villainy following his seeming turnaround in Season 5A (ditto), feel immediate remorse for what he did at the end of Season 5A and struggle to be better and resist his dark impulses as best as he can afterward (I guess it’s possible, since he ended up doing that in Season 7), or simply not joined his mother at all in Season 6 (this; this is the one I think they should’ve gone with if they were intent on bringing Robert Carlyle aboard for Season 7. Unless they were absolutely set on Rumple dying in the Final Battle, then he shouldn’t have joined his mother in helping to engineer it, because otherwise the only logical outcome for him is death as a penance for that grave mistake and it feels insulting for him to live and get a “happy ending” afterward instead. With Rumple not joining her, then he basically repents for good at the exact point the Wish Realm and its version of Rumple is created, which would make their outcomes all the more symmetrical.)

#Once Upon a Time #ABC #Rumpelstiltskin #Mr. Gold #Weaver #Opinion #Analysis #Comparison #What Could Have Been #How It Should Have Ended #This has been a PSA #They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot #They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character #Anti-OUAT #Anti-A&E #Anti-Rumple #Anti-Rumpelstiltskin #(Sort of)

[green-socks]

Who You Are

Pairing: Adrian Chase/Vigilante x gn!reader

Summary: You take Adrian to a work event, but the night causes some insecurities to rise for him. You assure him that he's perfect just as he is.

Words: 1.4k

Warnings: None, really. Some insecurity and some misunderstanding I guess but nothing major.

Notes: My first time writing Adrian, eek! This is super self-indulgent, as might be obvious lol, but what is fic writing if not self-indulgence, so I just let it out. Maybe someone else can relate, and if not, hope you enjoy anyway! Thank you to @a-reader-and-a-writer and @yespolkadotkitty for looking this over and assuring me it's not crap <3 And a general thank you to @mandocrasis for the constant thotting&plotting. The spark to write this came from you.

MASTERLIST

You thought you’d seen everything when your boyfriend showed you his Vigilante costume.

You have seen him at his most dangerous, almost unrecognizable from the adorable dork he usually is. You have seen him at his most natural, stripped naked both from clothes as well as any pretenses. You know Vigilante, but you know the regular Adrian best. Better than anyone else, you dare say.

You know the Adrian with rumpled hair, in a slightly torn t-shirt and those faded sweatpants, playing games on his computer. You know the Adrian who gives you a deep analysis on his morning cereal like it’s fine wine. The Adrian who blushes endearingly when you tell him he’s doing a good job. The Adrian who will literally bend over backwards or jump over hurdles (such as the couch) to help you in any way he can.

That Adrian you know.

“Babe, are you ready to go? I know you don’t like being late so I really think we should leave now,” he says as he appears in the bathroom door frame.

This Adrian? Him you’ve never seen before.

“Oh my god, Adrian,” you gasp at a loss for any more words.

“What?” He stops in his tracks. “Oh man, is the suit wrong? Chris said the color was unusual, I should have listened, he always knows more about these things! I guess I could find another real quick somewhere, or maybe it’ll be dark there and no one will see–”

“Baby, no, you look amazing!” you rush to reassure him, still gaping at the transformation. “I’ve just never seen you in a suit before. You look like fucking Prince Charming or something!”

“Really? You think it’s okay?” The relief is clear in his voice.

“Yes! Now let’s go so we won’t be late, I’d feel bad for not getting to show you off,” you wink at him.

-

To be completely honest, you had been a little bit nervous about taking Adrian to this work event since this wasn’t his usual style or scene at all, afraid he wouldn’t enjoy himself. You’d even told him he doesn’t have to wear a suit, but damn he had cleaned up well. It’s clear you’re not the only one impressed by his looks tonight with the way your boyfriend is turning heads left and right. The old lady brigade of your office is giggling in increasing volume at everything he says, and you decide it's best to go save him from their claws before it’s too late. You’ve seen what they get like when there’s tequila. Even so, you take a weird satisfaction in knowing that you’re the only one who actually gets to call him pretty and watch how his legs tremble just a little bit when you do.

At one point you notice him squinting at a menu a lot, and you realize something.

“Wait, Adrian, why aren’t you wearing your glasses? You know you can’t see as well with your contacts.”

“Well, I thought I’d look more sophisticated and serious without them,” Adrian explains thoughtfully.

“Honey, no work event is worth getting a headache over, at least not like that. Besides, I think your glasses look both sexy and cute. There’s nothing wrong with them!”

“You really think so?” Adrian looks very pleased.

This is now the second time tonight Adrian has been surprised at you finding him good-looking and assuring him he’s perfect, and that makes your stomach twist painfully. Do you really not tell him that enough? Does he really worry about you not liking how he looks or how he is? It makes you feel absolutely awful to think that he has felt like that, that you haven’t been there enough for him. Maybe you should remember to be even more vocal about how much you appreciate him? Adrian does seem to appreciate hearing you praise him.

You make a vow then and there to remember to say out loud how much you adore and appreciate him, but it still puts a damper on your mood for the rest of the night. The last thing you want is to make Adrian feel less than, when he always makes you feel so good about yourself, and the guilt is making it hard to enjoy the festivities.

-

An hour and a half later Adrian quietly suggests you two head out, and you agree instantly. On the ride home you’re both much, much more quiet and subdued than usual, and you wonder if there’s something weighing on Adrian’s mind too. Maybe the party had been too overwhelming for him, and you hadn’t supported him enough.

When you get home, the weird silence lingers, and you don’t really know how to break it. Adrian is usually the one to lighten the air just by being.. well, himself, but again, for the second time tonight you find you’re not really familiar with this version of Adrian. He looks tired, but it’s more than that. It’s like he’s preparing for a blow even while being too tired to do anything but collapse on your couch.

You’re convinced you have done something to hurt him, and it’s eating your insides to see him like this.

“Adrian, baby, is– is everything okay? Did I do something? Was the party horrible? Does your head hurt again?”

He lifts his head and visibly tenses. “No, of course you didn’t do anything wrong, why would you think that?”

“Well you seem really quiet, and sort of.. not like yourself,” you say tentatively. “Not that you always have to be full of energy, but you kind of seem like you’re avoiding something, like maybe.. me.”

“I just didn’t wanna embarrass you,” Adrian mumbles.

“What? How–”

“At the party. I didn’t want to embarrass you by being annoying and loud and behaving badly, like I always do, because it was really important and your work is really important and you’re so smart and professional and I’m so proud of you, and so I tried to stay quiet and not annoy anyone, I really tried babe, but then you seemed a little sad and I thought you must be upset with me because I didn’t know how to act there, and I get really tired focusing on not being annoying even when I don’t always know why I’m annoying, and that’s why I’m just super tired right now, I’m sorry babe.”

Adrian explains the issue with his usual fast pace, and you try to hang on as best you can, feeling like a bucket of cold water has been poured on your head the longer he speaks.

“Adrian, honey, I am so so sorry if I have ever made you feel like I’m embarrassed by you,” you speak through the lump in your throat. “I am not embarrassed by you – in fact I am proud to be with you. I appreciate you coming with me tonight and trying to fit in like that, but you don’t have to do that. I would rather you feel comfortable than care what anyone else thinks.”

“You mean you don’t have a list of things I did wrong that you want to go over with me now?” Adrian asks, still unsure.

“No, I absolutely do not,” you assure him with conviction. “If anything, I could make a list of all the things you did right, because I really enjoy being with you baby. I don’t think you behave badly, I thought you were very polite and charming!”

You’re starting to realize that maybe you really do need to pay attention to affirming and praising him – and not just about his looks – because it hits you that what you are saying right now is the complete opposite of what Adrian has been told all his life. Even his friends tell him he’s too much, and yeah, maybe sometimes you can see that, but you’ve never felt like it or that he would need to rein himself in in some way. And you’ve certainly never been embarrassed to be his.

“I would never want you to change who you are, baby, because I love who you are,” you whisper, reaching out to cup his cheek to make sure he understands you mean it.

For once it seems Adrian is speechless, but what he can’t say in words he conveys in fierce hugs and kisses, and you have no trouble understanding he returns the three words even without him saying them. Very quickly he returns to his usual self, the exhaustion apparently all forgotten now.

----------------------------------------------

#adrian chase x reader #vigilante x reader #adrian chase x you #peacemaker fanfic #i still don't know what i'm doing #i accidentally wrote something

[gritsandbrits]

Self care is designing outfits for your ship through dollmaker sites

Because i want more shrek fandom that aren't just ironic memes or shitty sex jokes, I decided to create outfits based on the romantic subplot between Charming and my OC Gwynn. I found this cute little site on Doll Divine which fits their dynamic perfectly!

Analysis down below!

First Meeting: Gwynn works at the villains' pub when ex rich kid comes waltzing in with a proposal she hastily refused. She wears a muted blue hinting at her future *wink wink nudge*

One potential scene is Charming (when he was still wealthy) encountering the mysterious thief "Black Swan" they don't know each other yet. Gwynn wears a lot of dark greys as pure black would've been too expensive at the time. Charming's costume is based on what he wore in Shrek 2

Argument scene where Gwynn tells Charming he is taking things way too far after he threatens to harm innocent kids. He says some harsh words to her so she ends up leaving. Charming's fit is loosely based on the movie version. In this context it's ironic: What he feels as the highest point of his life is actually his lowest bcuz now he's totally under his father's control & losing the only real friend he ever had. Two more wobbly steps towards his canon fate. Gwynn's dress is gray to reflect on the sorrowful mood.

Happier Ending (aka MY CANON NOW) this is whwre I say "screw you Dreamworks for fucking over Charming!" After reinstating Fiona to the throne & throwing deadbeat daddy in jail, Gwynn becomes the new Witch Godmother. Charming becomes a fashion guru. He's back to wearing blue symbolizing how he's no longer controlled by Uther, & sticking true to himself. Gwynn wears purple bc it's a mix of blue&red but also true to herself (& of she can finally afford to purple dye)

Shrek 4 ever after (4 yrs after 3) Charming & Gwynn are still dating and so not rushing into marriage yet! Also she has a new hairstyle. They're at the Golden Apple to celebrate the triplets' fourth birthday. I did play around with the idea of Gwynn being pregnant but I decided they should wait a few more years. Not every couple needed kids!

AU Gwynn where Rumple borks things up! She is one of the key figures in the resistance. Didn't have time to make Charming. Since they never met Charming ended up as a puppet king. LITERALLY. Gwynn still has her magic but it is VERY limited. Her dress is symbolic of yin-yang fitting the goal to restore balance

Post (my) Canon: Wedding Bells! They get married quickly after the events of Shrek 4. Gwynn wears blue, and Charming white and gold. It's a decent ceremony.

However there may be a scene where Gwynn stays anyways and does the play. Her gown is blue as a reminder that Charming still has time to make the right choices.

Bonus: the two other play dresses one to match with Charming's outfit the other is also based on Rapunzel since technically Gwynn fills her role as his love interest (only she's actually relevant) I think maybe as a meta joke she ends up wearing a wig to emphasize her playing a damsel in distress when she's the kinda damsel who causes distress! 😂😂😂

I know Charming looks like France from APH but it was as close as I can get it (kinda dig the waves) & the dollmaker didn't have 5 o clock shadow.

Gwynn canonically has scarring thay she sometimes wear makeup over. I felt that for her, she learned to embrace her flaws, so that helps Charming learn to embrace his.

Link to maker here!

#oc x canon #shrek #shrek charming #shrek oc #fanart #dolldivine #fanfiction #shrek the third #shrek forever after #dollmaker #dreamworks animation #oc: gwynn #black oc

[tastygoldentaters]

1 and/or 16

I went through your blog to find fandoms we have in common so the answer would be relevant to you, so I'm going with OUAT

the character everyone gets wrong

Belle! I know people love the contrast between her and Rumple, but I've seen a lot of people overdo it and paint her as pure and innocent and naïve. She's kind, yes, and looks for the best in people, but she's also sassy and brave and curious, and most of all, she takes initiative to take control of her own destiny instead of being passive! And like... That's not even a deep analysis of her throughout the whole show, those are characteristics shown and emphasised in her intro episode! I love her, and I love rumbelle, so having her character diminished annoys me a lot

you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

Modern!AU (meaning real life and without magic)

Like... The whole premise of the show is "what if fairytales were real", so why not just set the whole thing in Storybrook sans magic? It's? Already a thing in the show?

gimme a fandom and 🔥choose violence🔥

#wark #ouat #once upon a time #dorotheashome #ask games #answered asks