I ship more than just Rumbelle but they are my main OTP. In fact this moment in Skin Deep is when I fell for them. When he caught her and she looked at him like he was a hero, and he looked at her like he couldn’t believe what he’d done. Then can we say flustered? With them both pretending it wasn’t a big deal. Yikes I was done for!
Now Rumbelle has a fair few AU’s built in as my bingocard shows e.g. knight!Rumple, GoldenLace etc. Now, judging by what I mostly write I could just say AU – Non-Magical but that’s a cop-out heh. Truthfully it’s hard to pick because what I love the most is a good story. I mean the Rumbelle fandom is so talented, I swear some of them could write a story about Rumbelle watching paint dry and I would be riveted.
Oooh I just saw it was trope/AU and picking a trope is easier than a setting! Heh. I mean I do have weaknesses for various settings. I’ve read every Regency Rumbelle fic I can find for instance. However, I wouldn’t say that was my favorite because to be honest it very much depends on the story. It could be an AU I enjoy like Regency but if the implementation/twist is something I’m not so keen on so I would give it a pass.
Right trope! I love so many, but my absolute favorite has to be mutual support/understanding/comforting one another etc. I hope that is actually a trope. I just love it when characters talk to one another, and help each other out. I’m a real sucker for fics where Rumbelle are already married/together and then they have to deal with an external problem.
I like it when they work as a team. Don’t get me wrong, most of what I write is Rumbelle getting together, and I do absolutely love reading those stories as well. It’s just the question was “pick a favorite” and so I had to pick just one.
It doesn’t matter if it’s inactive or not – it would be a lot more fun if someone was promoting it and reblogging our stuff and so on, but that doesn’t have to stop us from posting as much fluff as possible, and tagging it fluffapalooza, and keeping up the tradition. THIS IS THE HIGH HOLY DAY OF RUMBELLE FANDOM. IN THESE TIMES ESPECIALLY WE MUST PAY HOMAGE TO THE MAGICAL COUPLE THAT WAS CREATED IN SKIN DEEP. People that aren’t writers or artists or graphics makers can send fluffy prompts, or simply spread good feelings through asks of the sort that say ‘I’m glad you’re here’ or ‘Have a hug and pass it on’.
The only thing I wish, is that it was easier to spell. I keep getting the A’s and O’s in the wrong place heh 🙂
I was going to do a prompt-a-thon thing where people could sent the most angst-filled prompts they could imagine, and I would turn them fluffy, but I posted it and crickets which was kind of embarrassing. So I gave up on that idea and instead I’m going to post the final chapter of Counting Stars. It has a rumbelle dance in it, with bonus swanfire, and it’s very fluffy.
I wanted to do some art for a rumbelle dance, as a companion to the scene I wrote, but my graphics skills aren’t really up to it unfortunately. I wish I could plug my brain into the PC, because the image is up there, it just won’t go on the screen heh 🙂
*incoherent screaming* *flails* @woodelf68 just explained what Fluffapalooza is and wow how did I not know what that was before?
I only said this morning I fix things, I don’t break them. I have a list longer than my arm, I really need one of those Upgrades ^^ to get through it all, but but but turning angst into fluff. How can I say no to that?
Somebody talk me out of this or alternately shamelessly enable me … the choice is yours 🙂
by @still-searching47 (TUMBLR WHY THOUGH WITH THE LACK OF TAGGING PEOPLE)
….YOU GUYS. YOU GUYS!!!!!!!
THIS IS A HISTORIC DAY.
…..I GOT BIRTHDAY PORN.
*COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY SCREAMING*
I CAN’T EVEN RIGHT NOW
LIKE- *falls over* <3 <3 <3 <3
(which is also simultaneously SUUUUUPER convenient, cause i GROSSLY miscalculated how many fics to post per day to get to 25 fics posted by the end of today so i MIGHT have to make it overlap into February 1st a little bit XD)
I CANNOT GET OVER HOW AWESOME THIS FANDOM IS OMG *DIES*
….AND THIS FIC IS SMOKIN HOT.
DEAR LORD.
NO SRSLY GO READ MY BIRTHDAY PORN LIKE RIGHT NOW THOUGH.
DOOOOOOOOO IIIIIIIIIIIIIIT (and hey, if you do, you’ll get to see me freaking out even MORE in the AO3 comments of this fic as a bonus! XD)
EXISTENTIAL-CRISIS-LEVEL-FREAKING-OUT-OVER-HOW-AWESOME-THIS-IS OUT OF TEN
Haha, I’m glad you liked it! Thank you very much for the wonderful comment and I hope you have a brilliant birthday! 🙂
Oh wow, thank you so much anon. To be honest I’ve never really given much thought to the demographic of my readers, I’m still stunned and exceedingly grateful that I have readers at all. Personally I have no idea what fandoms feelings are towards Cora. I haven’t come across any Cora-hate myself, but then I do tend to steer clear of character hate altogether. To be honest I don’t really hate any character. I think they all have a lot of potential and would be interesting to explore via various storylines.
I find Cora particularly fascinating and there’s so much about her that they left unexplored. In many ways I wish they hadn’t killed her off. Imagine Cora left behind in Storybrooke, when the gang went to Neverland to save Henry. Imagine them returning to find Cora had taken over the place – “my daughter is the mayor, and you can’t leave a town without leadership.” – and due to Cora’s heart-taking ability, they wouldn’t be certain who was acting of their own volition or not.
Cora was awesome really. She had that understated class I love in an antagonist. She would work via manipulation, make people doubt that she was doing anything bad at all, sow seeds of doubt and dissent. Cora was smart. She changed her status from miller’s daughter to princess and in a class system that’s huge. I don’t know if you’ve seen Alias anon, but Cora reminds me a bit of one of the Derevko sisters. They were incredible characters.
Voting is now open! I did a complete list of my nominations here and I was going to leave it at that. I don’t have the confidence to do posts for individual fics. I’m beyond humbled, grateful and honored to have been nominated at all. Honestly, I’m utterly overwhelmed by the support, especially because I’m new this year.
Anyway, I’m now going to do something that’s probably incredibly bad form, I’m going to highlight a couple of my nominations in particular. I know I should treat all of the nominations equally, and please don’t misunderstand, they do all mean a lot to me, but some fics are a bit closer to my heart than others.
Special: Best Drama – Painting Layers of Love
Synopsis: Belle French lives alone and she likes it that way. She’s lived alone ever since the terrible car accident which killed her mother and claimed her eyesight. Belle spends her days painting, in complete solitude, until one day she wakes up and hears movement outside. Somebody has moved into the cottage next door. She had grown comfortable in her solitary existence until Mr Gold crashes into her life. Now her future is uncertain, like a blank canvas, waiting for her to apply the paint and decide what kind of story she is creating. [Tumblr, AO3]
Special: Best Season Rewrite – The War Within
Synopsis: Alternate Season Six. Storybrooke is visibly under threat once more from Hyde and the Evil Queen. However, not all threats are visible as an old forgotten foe has been manipulating events from behind the scenes. The very nature of darkness is revealed as everyone struggles with the most difficult beast of all – acceptance. [Tumblr, AO3]
Events: Best Revelry – The Beauty and the Tragedy
Synopsis: When Mr. Gold calls in Lord French’s marker, bankrupting his estate, it leaves Lady Belle with nowhere to go until Mr. Gold offers her a deal. She enters his service as a maid and true love blossoms between them. Belle dreams of forever but there is a room, which is permanently locked, that stands in the way. [NSFW] [Tumblr, AO3]
#sorry for the bad graphics on the war within and the beauty and the tragedy#I made them myself
Hey guys. I’m still bowled over by my nominations. Seriously I’m really honored, thank you so much. This is my first TEA experience, so I’ve been watching what other authors are doing for this stage. Self-promo is difficult for me, but I figured I’d do a masterlist of my nominations and maybe talk a little bit about each fic. I hope that’s alright.
I’m going to put a cut here so I don’t clutter up anyone’s dash 🙂
Smut: Comedy – Once Upon a Lifetime
Synopsis: Belle French’s life revolves around books. During the day she works as a librarian, and in the evenings she writes stories of her own. Everyday she watches Mr. Gold lock up his shop and everyday she swears that she’ll wave or do something, but she never does. If this were one of her stories then Mr. Gold would have noticed her watching him, and one day their eyes would meet and he would confess that he liked her as well. The problem was, life wasn’t a story. If it was, then Belle would have written herself a happy ending a long time ago.
About: I’m going to link to this review by the1ultimatefan first because it’s a very nice review. This fic was written as a oneshot but I’ve had a few requests for a sequel and it’s gone on my ‘to write’ list. What I’m looking forward to exploring further is how Belle has all these feelings, and fantasies, and she wants to do everything but she’s also not ready. So she’s caught in a battle of her own mind, trying to run before she can walk.
General: Best Post-Ep Fic – Right Kind of Wrong
Synopsis: Following on from the events of 6.07 – Heartless. Hope can be found in even the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. Storybrooke has faced many challenges, with good always beating evil but they did that together, and now they are split apart. The story must play out but the ending might not be what anyone expects.
About: Season six made for some difficult viewing. After 6.07 – Heartless I had to fix it and this fic just poured out of me. What I liked most was linking the world behind the mirror, to the nightmare realm of the sleeping curse. I thought that was interesting. I used all the filming spoilers we had at the time and, I have to be honest, I do like what I did them. I know that’s probably a bit egotistical to say. It explored a few different theories, brought in old canon like the author’s alternate world. I’m not sure what else to say.
General: Best Holiday Fic – All Hallow’s Fall
Synopsis: Belle and Gold have been together for a few months when Halloween approaches. After some pumpkin carving goes wrong, and Gold is injured, they work together to ensure that Bae’s spooky sleepover goes ahead as planned.
About: This is second in the Right Wrong Number series. It follows on from Transposing Digits, which was also nominated (see below), and it’s pure family fluff really. Kind of tooth-rotting sweet. I hope it made people smile 🙂
Special: Best Drama – Painting Layers of Love
Synopsis: Belle French lives alone and she likes it that way. She’s lived alone ever since the terrible car accident which killed her mother and claimed her eyesight. Belle spends her days painting, in complete solitude, until one day she wakes up and hears movement outside. Somebody has moved into the cottage next door. She had grown comfortable in her solitary existence until Mr Gold crashes into her life. Now her future is uncertain, like a blank canvas, waiting for her to apply the paint and decide what kind of story she is creating.
About: I have to be honest if any of my fics actually won their category, I would hope it would be this one. This is my biggest fic, not the longest (yet) but the hardest one to write. It’s the one that means the most to me. rowofstars made the cover art and they also made an aesthetic, posting an incredible review along with it. Also theoneandonlylittlebird wrote this stunning post recommending this fic for the TEA’s. I actually cried when I read it. The amount of support this fic has, is already overwhelming and I’m so grateful. I hope my masterlist has proven that I will finish things but I swear anyway, my solemn promise that I will finish this fic.
Special: Best Season Rewrite – The War Within
Synopsis: Alternate Season Six. Storybrooke is visibly under threat once more from Hyde and the Evil Queen. However, not all threats are visible as an old forgotten foe has been manipulating events from behind the scenes. The very nature of darkness is revealed as everyone struggles with the most difficult beast of all – acceptance.
About: This was my first completed multi-chapter fic. This fic itself is novel length at 70k but there’s a sequel and a couple of miscellaneous oneshots which take the series over the 100k mark. Alternate season six written before season six stared airing, picks up where season five left off. I really liked exploring the potential of the dangling plot threads and pushing the theme of acceptance – both of others and ourselves. It also gave Rumbelle a true loves kiss and a happy ending so that was nice.
Events: Best RSS – Conspiracy Afloat
Synopsis: When Mr. Gold buys Storybrooke marina, one of the marina’s few permanent residents, Belle French, swears he won’t get away with it. She sets sail and anchors in a remote cove and that night Belle witnesses a murder. At first light she returns to the marina to report it … but nobody believes her. Gold’s purchase of the marina now takes on even more sinister implications, and her growing attraction towards him only complicates matters. Vowing to investigate herself, if the sheriffs won’t, Belle soon starts to unravel a town-wide conspiracy.
About:rowofstars made the cover art for this. I had a couple of really nice reviews; my giftee little-inkstone wrote this lovely comment. However, I would like to link to the latest comment by woodelf68 because their reaction was everything I hoped when writing. Also, it was very flattering that to quote them “I was about to decide it wasn’t for me until I reached the last couple of sentences of the first chapter. Then I couldn’t have stopped for the world.” – which I think is the best comment an author could ever get.
Events: Best Revelry – The Beauty and the Tragedy
Synopsis: When Mr. Gold calls in Lord French’s marker, bankrupting his estate, it leaves Lady Belle with nowhere to go until Mr. Gold offers her a deal. She enters his service as a maid and true love blossoms between them. Belle dreams of forever but there is a room, which is permanently locked, that stands in the way. [NSFW]
About: I actually wrote two fics for Rumbelle Revelry this year. This fic was the one I pinch-hit for and I confess I’m quite proud of it. I enjoyed the other fic I wrote but I think this one came out much better. I don’t often feel proud of my own work but the imagery, and the tone, and how it flowed, I felt really worked. I know that’s quite egotistical to say, and I’m sorry for that. Yeah so basically I really liked this one. If somebody was new to my masterlist, this is one of the fics I would want them to read first.
Synopsis: The phone in the library had always been silent, until one day it started ringing. Belle French answers it and discovers that life really can turn on a dime – or in this case a wrong number.
About: This is the first in the Right Wrong Number series. I did a ‘for your consideration’ post about nominations, and I didn’t include this one on my list. I’m thrilled, and honored, that people liked it enough to remember it and nominate on their own. To be honest I only didn’t include it on my list because my list had 10 fics on it already, and I felt that was egotistical enough. This fic is basically pure family fluff. The sequel All Hallow’s Fall was also nominated (see above). Like I said with that one, I hope this made somebody smile 🙂
Events: Monthly Rumbelling (Non-Smut) – Under My Skin
Synopsis: When aspiring novelist Belle French rents a laborers apartment, at a peaceful picturesque Californian farm, she thinks she’s found the perfect writing retreat. She hopes for a few months free of distractions. However, what she didn’t count on was her neighbor – Lachlan MacAldonich.
About: Just like with Transposing Digits, this fic wasn’t on my ‘for your consideration’ post, and I’m absolutely stunned that this fic got nominated because I’ve only posted the first chapter. I’m thrilled and so grateful that people like it so much, and I do promise it will get finished. This is a Lachbelle fic and what I like exploring here is that it’s set within the California Solo movie but Belle isn’t Beau’s friend, and she doesn’t take Beau’s role. I’ve not read another fic that does that, though it’s certainly possible it’s out there (please feel free to send links, I love reading Lachbelle). I have another fic planned in the future for Lachacy and I look forward to exploring the differences in their relationship with Lachlan.
Character: Best Lacey – Fall All Over Again
Synopsis: Before the first Dark Curse the Evil Queen had a paranoid moment, which meant in cursed Storybrooke, Gold and Lacey were married. Therefore when Belle falls over the town line – Lacey returns. Everyone is shouting at her, and everything is wrong, so Lacey does something she never did once in 28 years of marriage, she turns to Gold for protection. In turn Rumplestiltskin does something that Gold never did in 28 years of marriage – he tells Lacey that he loves her. Belle loved him, so can Lacey fall for him all over again or will the curse mask true love forever? [NSFW]
About: This is my first Lacey fic but definitely not my last, I have so much fun writing Lacey. What I really liked exploring in this fic is how ‘we are both’ applies. Lacey is Belle, just with some parts of her personality suppressed and others exaggerated. At her core she’s the same person and believes in the same things, she just has a different backstory and different experiences. I think there’s two chapters left of this fic but I look forward to exploring the verse more in the future.
As a writer I’m supposed to have a good grasp of words. However, words fail me when I look at the TEA nominations. This is my first year in the fandom and to see my name on that list at all would be humbling. To see my name on that list *cough* ten times, is just quite frankly unbelievable. I am stunned and honored and I’m not at all convinced that this isn’t some kind of dream.
I’ve been trying to write this post all day and I really don’t know what to say. Saying thank you, just doesn’t seem enough. Thank you for thinking of my fics, and taking the time to nominate me. Seriously, thank you. When I put up my ‘for your consideration’ post I just hoped maybe I might find a couple of new readers, I really didn’t expect any nominations.
No matter what happens next, you guys have already made my year. Thank you so very much.
Ok. Here’s the deal. I want to do everything I can to make certain this fic gets noticed and ideally nominated, so I’m going to tell you why you should consider this.
1. Unique perspective: a challenge to write. Belle is blind so everything from her perspective has to be described in her OTHER senses. You guys, this is incredible and well done. Doing this is thinking outside the box. This alone would merit a campaign for this fic.
2. Richness of detail and imagery in spite of, and maybe BECAUSE of, number 1. Descriptive effort is found in this story, lovely prose.
3. Excellent treatment of mental illness: representation matters, folks and this story is exploratory and compassionate.
4. Excellent treatment of disability: TWO CHARACTERS are disabled and both grapple with it. Again, representation matters!!!!! A theme that got my attention is that everyone has to make their way in the way that they can. Not a direct quote and I’m not doing it justice, but these are the kind of works that really matter for representation because they get at the heart of what it’s like. You do what you can.
5. Lovely story and slow-burn style fumbling toward intimacy (I assume). This work has the emotional richness, with very realistic considerations and motivations, to match its other fine qualities. You won’t be disappointed.
In case you couldn’t tell, I want you to notice this fic and consider it. This story is a gem, it’s unique and I think it is TEA worthy. This fic is worth your time.
Also, I would love to see more posts like this. Tell me why you feel strongly about one of the fics you’ve nominated and I’m MUCH more likely to go read it if I haven’t already and perhaps nominate it if I agree. I haven’t cast my ballot yet and there are may spaces still. If you have a fic, even your own, that fits the bill, tell me WHY.
Reblogging this feels incredible egotistical but I want to be able to find this post again, and you just made me cry. Like ‘I had to take my glasses off’ level of crying. I have no words but the most sincere thank you in the world. I just wanted you to know how much this post means to me. Seriously, thank you.
#I am overwhelmed and touched and just wow#there are no words
I believe the criteria for the Newbie Spotlight is to have joined the fandom in the year since the last TEA’s, so yeah I am new enough. I joined in May. Thank you so much anon! You are so sweet!
