#A Monthly Rumbelling

[a-monthly-rumbelling]

March Prompts

Moodboard:

Non-smut: relation, painter, hiccup

Smut: Choosing to do nothing is still a choice after all.

Random: (song lyric): "I'd rather be a hammer than a nail." Simon and Garfunkel - El Condor Pasa

gif:

A reminder for all:

If the prompts are 3-5 words you don’t have to include all of them. Imaginary bonus points if you do :) but zero stress they just have to include a couple in some fashion so it fits the prompt.

If the prompt is a quote you can include it at any point, it doesn’t have to be the opening line.

If the prompt is the image moodboard (multiple images) you can be inspired by one of them, be inspired by two, be inspired by the lot, get a feeling from the thing and not one of the images specifically - it’s all good. There is no wrong way to approach this.

If the images on the moodboard are of Robert or Emilie’s non-rumbelle characters (eg Rush, Macavoy, Claire, Heiro…), don’t feel you have to use that character. They’re just there for a bit of variety.

Anyelle and anyem are welcome if you do want to use them, though!

if you are inspired by the gif prompt, similarly, your creativity is your only limit. It’ll be a real treat to see you might come up with.

Happy Rumbelling!

#a monthly rumbelling #march prompts #amr prompts #rumbelle fic

[peacehopeandrats]

Monster in the Storm - Chapter 6

Fandom: Once Upon a Time (TV)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold

Characters: Belle (Once Upon a Time), Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Gideon (Once Upon a Time), Original Characters

Additional Tags: Angst, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, casual nudity, A Monthly Rumbelling (Once Upon a Time), A Monthly Rumbelling March 2020 (Once Upon a Time), Missing Years, Travel, Family

Series: Part 2 of Rumbelling Shorts, Part 5 of Growing Up

Summary: Inspired by the March Monthly Rumbelling. The Golds have moved into a new town home and Gideon meets a young girl who convinces him that their fathers are more alike than he could ever have imagined. The problem is, only one of them is the real “monster” and Gideon needs help to see the truth. An eventual chapter of Growing Up.

This is complete to a point, but will be expanded on as the next parts of the Growing Up series are worked on. For now, it is only the very beginning, though there WILL be resolution for Gideon’s new friend.

Please note warnings for implication of domestic violence (NOT related to the Golds) and casual nudity (which IS related to the Golds).

Read previous chapters on AO3

Monster in the Storm - Chapter 6

“Surprised you didn’t break anything falling down those steps the way you did." The medic's voice was soft in Rumple’s ear, contrasting the sharp sting of antiseptic that was being used on his cheek.

Rumple released a disinterested snort, one he hadn't used since before the final battle. “Maybe I’m immortal.”

"Immortals can still break bones," the man said. "At least in most of the stuff I've seen. But who knows? Maybe that's the stuff of Hollywood legends." He winked before removing his hands from the wound, leaving Rumple free to turn back to the house and take in the chaos around him.

Only three police cars had arrived, along with this ambulance, but it seemed as if ten men had come in each vehicle. Officers were everywhere; on the porch with their assailant, in the house with Belle and the others, even standing around in the rain. Everyone was talking to someone except for the two standing guard over John. That pair, a man and a woman, had been looming over the drunk since he’d been pulled from the bush and deposited on one of the porch chairs. Like gargoyles at night, they looked out from the corner of the Golds' porch, as if expecting some sort of rescue operation to be attempted.

Read more on AO3

#rumbelle #angst #Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence #casual nudity #missing years #family #travel #a monthly rumbelling march 2020 #a monthly rumbelling

[eirian-houpe]

TMI Tuesday

I'm still here, kicking and screaming - and counting the days (count them, 13 working days) until Winter Break.

Here are some thing that have been on my radar, to relative degrees this week:

An upcoming reboot of prompts for A Monthly Rumbelling. Stargate Atlantis Rumbelle Secret Santa Grammar - Relative pronouns/relative clauses.

A Monthly Rumbelling: The astute and observant of you may have noticed that I haven't posted new prompts for AMR for a while now. Not for want of doing so, but - brutal truth moment - only ONE person (rumplesrose) was posting anything regularly, just as the year or so before, @peacehopeandrats was practically keeping the site alive, and when their account went away, and time became a premium for me, something had to give. Sadly that was one of the casualties, and you know what...? No one even voiced a concern either.

Now, I know that fandoms have slowed down, and especially older fandoms like Rumbelle, but that was disappointing. However, I refuse to give up on Rumbelle as long as even ONE person is still writing for the fandom, and I know there are folks out there that are, I will provide prompts, and so - with December - AMR will reboot.

Stargate Atlantis: When the show was still on air, and because I knew I wouldn't like what they did with certain characters in what turned out to be their final season, I set out to write my own season 5, and for years the resulting fics sat, first on a fic website that shall not be named, and then a personal website. Now I've started the mammoth endeavor to post them to AO3.

The other day I posted the first part of the second 'episode' - Chain of Command. Feel free to ask about that fic, episode 1 (Harm's Way), the series, or anything you want to know about it.

Rumbelle Secret Santa: We are in the writing period of this fandom event. I can't wait until the reveal stage where the whole fandom will benefit from the glorious gift of new Rumbelle fics. If you're participating, don't forget to enable anonymous asks, so that your Santa can contact you, and please remember to answer your Santa's ask. They may be waiting on you before they start to write for you.

Grammar: Relative pronouns/clauses: No, honestly, no link to this, (unless you really, really want one). It's just what we were teaching in class today. It does bring to mind a recent writing question though, and turning TMI Tuesday on its head, here is my question to you all: By what criteria do you categorize a fic?

#tmi tuesday #asks #send asks #send me asks #ask me anything #ama #RSS #rumbelle secret santa 2020 #amr #a monthly rumbelling october 2020 #sga #stargate atlantis #harm's way #chain of command #stargate atlantis VS5

[woodelf68]

When your brain says it could probably do something smutty with the non-smut prompt.

#rumbelle fic #a-monthly-rumbelling #i've been eyeing this from the beginning of the month #can i do something with it in one week is the question #procrastinating doing real life things by trying to write something

[the-chipped-cup-awards]

2024 Chipped Cup Awards - Masterlist

Here, once again, are the winners of the 2024 Chipped Cup Awards

FLUFF:

Family: Tea and Roses by @thatravenclawbitch

Comfort: Struck By a Golden Arrow by @avatoh

Fix-it: Ritual by @peacehopeandrats

Reunion: A Dream is a Wish by @rowofstars

SMUT:

Kink/BDSM: On The House by @kelyon

Romance: Brandy, Apples, and Spice by @rufeepeach

Comedy: Accidents by @peacehopeandrats

Threesome: Fulfilling a Fantasy by @thescholarlystrumpet

First Time: Queen Takes Knight by @emospritelet

PWP: In the Dark and Wicked Hours by @rowofstars

ANGST:

Death: Strong for Belle by @desperatemurph

Hurts So Good: To Have and To Hold by @thatravenclawbitch

Misunderstanding: Unexpected But Not Unwelcome by @tickletorso

ROMANCE:

Date (overall) Lost and Found by @peacehopeandrats

Courtship: The Sweetest Dream by @threepwoodmarley

First Meeting: Portrait of the Heart by @chippedcupwrites

GENERAL:

One Shot: Pages of Reverie by @chippedcupwrites

Series: Lover’s Leap by @eirian-houpe

Novel Length: Mountains, Streams, and Magical Things by @peacehopeandrats

Short Fic: Babysitting by @timelordthirteen

Holiday Centric: Brandy, Apples, and Spice by @rufeepeach

Remix: Our Masks by @lotus0kid

Crossover: A Blade for Belfrey by @eirian-houpe

Dark Castle: Marble by @peacehopeandrats

Storybrooke: Leaving Storybrooke by @peacehopeandrats

"Missing Years": The Tent of Infinite Adventure by @peacehopeandrats

Wish!Verse: Deception by @eirian-houpe

SPECIAL CATEGORIES:

Golden Lace: The Storybrooke Whisky Appreciation Society by @threepwoodmarley

Woven Beauty: Undefined Desires by @worryinglyinnocent

Background Swanfire: To Have and to Hold by @thatravenclawbitch

Afterlife: Granted by @peacehopeandrats

Drama: Love Me Before the Last Petal Falls by @deliriumsdelight7

Supernatural/Sci-fi/Horror: The Cunning by @mareyshelley

Comedy: Lacey and the Tramp by @chippedcupwrites

AU-Original: Wretched Beginnings by @poorobscureplainandlittle

AU- OUAT: Tales of Gold by @JurisLadyAnna

AU-Other Media: The Black Swan by @deliriumsdelight7

Creature: The Finfolk’s Bride by @chippedcupwrites

Unexpected Twist: Contract by @kelyon

Bobby Squared: A Blade for Belfrey by @eirian-houpe

Trope: Love Me Before the Last Petal Falls by @deliriumsdelight7

English Language: To Nurse by @charon53

EVENTS

RSS: If You Will Be My Queen by @eirian-houpe

Fluffapalooza (Fic): The Tea Shop by @peacehopeandrats

Fluffapalooza (Art): Kiss Me Again, It’s Working by @milaeryn

Monthly Rumbelling: The Landlord and the Princess by @Rumplerose (AO3)

CHARACTER AWARDS

Belle: The Not So Dark One by @charlotteashmore13

Dark One!Belle: Rags to Riches by @alphashley14

Lacey: Sore Hearted Souls by @nerdrumple

Spinner!Rumple: Witch and Spinner by @Strummer_Pinks

Dark One!Rumple: Gilded by @eirian-houpe

Wish!Rumple: Once There Was a Wish by @peacehopeandrats

Mr. Gold: The Caretaker by @thestraggletag

Detective Weaver: Forgery by @peacehopeandrats

Baelfire/Neal: A House Built With Love by @of-princes-and-savages

Gideon: Finding You by @clarahue

OC Rumbelle Child: The Zoo by @peacehopeandrats

Villain: Cora in On the House by @kelyon

BFF/Wingman: Mountains, Streams, and Magical Things by @peacehopeandrats

ART

Fan Art: Kiss Me Again, It’s Working by @milaeryn

Graphic Art: And Love is When Someone Who Even KNows Your Scars Stays To Kiss You by @chippedcupwrites

AU In Art: Belle Isn’t Fascinated by the Idea of Marrying Gaston by @notonlymice

Fluff Art: Belle French and the Dork One by @chippedcupwrites

Angsty Art: In My Memory It Doesn’t End by @ace-cf-cups

Comic/Graphic Novel: Wearing Each Other’s Clothes by @angelqueen13art

Use of Color: Kiss Me Again, It’s Working by @milaeryn

Video: Your Beauty Never Ever Scared Me by @chippedcupwrites

SUPERLATIVES:

Best Artist: @chippedcupwrites

Best Author: @kelyon

Best New Author: @ace-cf-cups

Best Rumbelle Fic: The Language of Flowers by @deliriumsdelight7

Best Anyelle Fic: Let’s Spend the Night Together by @ifishouldvanish

Best Anyem Fic: Tyger Tyger by @shakespeareanhoneybadgers

Rumbelle Lifetime Achievement: @jackabelle73

#the chipped cup awards #cca 2024 #award ceremony

[wastingstarsss]

So, if you haven’t seen on discord, we’ve decided to start a new lil hobby in this wonderful community. Welcome to Rumbelle Weekly Drabbles!! Oo I’m excited 🥳 . The task is as followed: send in your prompts, and then we’ll use those prompts to write a 100 word Drabble each week. I’m not entirely sure how this is done in other fandoms, but I’m taking the reins for this in this one. So I’m thinking, if you guys send in your prompts through the ask box, I’ll shuffle them up and make a list, and then that can be our prompt list for the month! And once this list has been completed, I’ll post it here on my account so it’s an easy find for anyone who wants to join in. We’ll use the tag: #rumbelleweeklydrabbles -and be sure to let me know if you want me to tag you in any posts! When people post their drabbles, I’ll share them on here and add them to the tag, so they’re all in one place- and that goes for if you post them on tumblr or ao3.

Prompts can be anything btw- a word, a phrase, a song, an image, a theme. Go nuts ❤️

Have fun! Write, write, write. And send in your prompts!! I’m going to set the deadline as the 8th January, to give you all a week for the prompts to be given in. Once they’re given in, there will not be a deadline for drabbles to be written, so just have fun with it ❤️ I’ll be joining in too.

Not to be confused with @a-monthly-rumbelling which is still up and running!!! And I fully support the account, and would love to join in if I could. Real life gets in the way of doing fics these days, and I personally find drabbles easier to do when I’ve got a lot going on. Hence why I’m excited about this project. BUT AMR is not stopping at all, and I fully encourage you to go join it ❤️

(Also just to let you guys know, I’m doing this all on mobile cause I fucking hate tumblr on desktop. Idk if this will get in the way of any formatting or what, but it’s just something to keep in mind.)

#rumbelleweeklydrabbles #rumbelle #rumbelle gif #belle french #Rumplestiltskin

[deliriumsdelight7]

Rumbelle: The Great American Baking Show AU

Oh man this would be so much fun to watch!

1.) Instead of Great American Baking Show, because I feel like a big American version would ruin the feel-good tone of the original, let’s go with the Great Storybrooke Bake-Off. It’s time for the mayoral election, and Regina, wanting to clinch more votes, comes up with the idea for a fundraiser event after seeing her adopted son, Henry, enjoy the show.

2.) Contestants are: Belle French, Sister Astrid, Leroy (who found himself signing up when he found out Astrid was partipating), Granny Lucas, Ashley Boyd, and David Nolan. Archie Hopper hosts and provides emotional support. Judging is done by Mr. Gold and Emma Swan. Winner gets a free month’s rent.

3.) Astrid and Leroy are eliminated the first round - Leroy because he’s never baked in his life and accidentally substituted salt for sugar, Astrid because she tripped and dropped her entry on the floor moments after she finished decorating. Leroy considers the entire thing a worthwhile experience when he gets the nerve to ask the pretty nun to dinner. Seeing Gold’s face pucker when he took a bite of the salty confection Leroy made was just an added bonus.

4.) Ashley and Granny are eliminated the following round. Both are decent bakers, but nobody counted on David being a whizz in the kitchen. Soon, it’s just Belle and David. During an intermission, Gold eavesdrops on a conversation between Belle and Archie, and discovers that Belle plans on using the money she saves on a month of rent to help fund the public library where she works. Having a long unspoken crush on Belle, and being the manipulative little shit he is, Gold resolves to judge her final bake the winner before he ever even tastes it. But his plan falls apart when Belle forgets to preheat the oven, resulting in her serving a gloopy, undercooked mess. Gold is forced to (fairly) declare David the winner, feeling something curdle in his stomach when Belle offers a teary yet heartfelt congratulations to the man.

5.) A week later, Belle is going over the books in the library. When she checks the library’s account balance, it’s higher than she expected - by the exact same amount as her monthly rent payment. Confused (and honest to a fault), she cuts a check for Mr. Gold and brings it to his shop. After some fumbling back-and-forth, during which time they both confess their mutual feelings, Gold asks Belle out to dinner. She agrees, under one condition: they go back to her place for dessert.

#headcanon ask game #Rumbelle

[kelyon]

I love reading all the rumbelle secret Santa fics but have always been scared at getting a random prompt. Since the prompts are not your own idea how do you even start building a story on a random prompt?

Okay, you should definitely enter Rumbelle Secret Santa BECAUSE you're afraid of it. This is one of the most low-risk fears you will ever face. All of us will be happy to receive new Rumbelle content! Like all fanfic, it does not have to be good to be lovable! And with an RSS fic, it doesn't have to be long or thought out or anything. Just do your best!

On to the actual question.

I think prompts can be divided into two basic categories. They are either A) broad enough that you can wrap your own story around the prompt, or B) specific enough that you pretty much know what kind of story the other person wants. Either way, it's a framework. It's a tree that you get to put lights on.

My writing process is always about questions. So prompts are kind of fantastic for me. For example, last year my giftee had the prompt "begging on his bended knees," which I turned into a fic Begging On His Bended Knees.

Now, because I'm a smut writer (and the RSS form lets you chose if you want to write and/or receive smut), my mind when to exactly one place: Femdom. Because this is the Rumbelle Secret Santa (and my giftee hadn't asked for a non-Rumple and Belle pairing, which is also an option), I had a pretty good idea of who was begging on their bended knees.

Of the main writing questions (Who, What, When, Where, Why and How), I now had some of the major ones covered. Rumple was going to be begging Belle for something sexy.

In a fandom as AU-heavy as Rumbelle, the When and Where are very important. A common question you'll see Santa's asking their giftees is if they want the fic to be set in Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest. This also brings up the question of where the characters are in their relationship. It's equally valid to write Belle and Rumple as married for years, dating but not living together, "platonic" friends or co-workers, flirty acquaintances, sniping enemies(to lovers), cordial strangers/neighbors, or people who are meeting for the first time and may have wildly inappropriate first impressions of each other.

All of these scenarios are good! Every one of them has potential to be a great story! No matter what you pick, it will be somebody's jam.

In my case, I knew that I had Dark Mistress coming up, so that freed me to write the type of femdom that would never happen in that fic. (Another reason I love RSS, it gives you an excuse to work on some smaller ideas or elements that I've had to cut from other fics. Another gift exchange fic, Presents uses some concepts that I had toyed around with for Golden Cuffs.) So now I knew that my RSS fic would be a Storybrooke/real world AU.

Having done all of that mental work, I could focus on the meatiest questions of them all, Why and How. In this case, Why would go back to Who. Why is Gold begging Belle for something sexy? Who are they in this fic that they have that dynamic? Why does Belle have sexual power over Gold? Why would he give her that power? In a femdom story, punishment is fairly expected. Why does Gold want to be punished? How is Belle going to respond to his begging?

Focus on these sorts of questions and you have a Gold and a Belle that are specific to this fic. They both want something from this situation they're in--can they get it? How? What's stopping them?

And never forget the most important question to any story: What happens next?

There are a million prompt lists floating around Tumblr and the greater internet. Try to find one of those and just practice telling yourself a story. You could also look up the moodboards and prompts for @a-monthly-rumbelling. Just be free, be loose, know that you're going to make mistakes but it's better than not making anything.

Best of luck with prompts. Hope to see you at the RSS.

#tmi tuesday #rumbelle secret santa #rss

[worryinglyinnocent]

Fic: Sweet Talking

Summary: Rumpelstiltskin does not often leave the Dark Castle, but there are some things that magic simply can’t make correctly – things that he needs to purchase in person.

In which Rumpelstiltskin, Dreaded Dark One, has the world’s biggest sweet-tooth, and a standing arrangement with a blue-eyed confectioner…

Written for the @a-monthly-rumbelling February moodboard prompt, available here.

Rated: G

Sweet Talking

Miss Belle, purveyor of sweets, toffees, and other sugar-filled comestibles to the denizens of the Enchanted Forest at large, knew that she was due a visit from her best customer, and she knew, from the person hanging around attempting and failing to look inconspicuous, that her best customer had indeed arrived, right on schedule.

She kept glancing over at the hooded figure feigning extreme interest in the candy apples whilst she served the other customers in her little shop. He really wasn’t doing much to be unobtrusive. If her mother was here serving with her, there was little doubt that she’d be shooing him out of the shop with a broom, believing him to be a thief hiding all their peppermint candy canes in his cloak and intending to leave without purchase.

As it was, Belle knew that he was just waiting for everyone else to leave so that he could perform his transactions in peace.

Who would have thought that Rumpelstiltskin, of all people, would have had such a fierce and almost unquenchable craving for sweets?

Belle took her time in serving the other customers. She would admit that there was a little bit of a thrill in making the dreaded Dark One wait. She wondered if he realised that in spite of everything about his reputation that she had heard, she wasn’t the slightest bit scared of him. No one could be scared of anyone who was so incredibly enthusiastic about candy.

At length, though, her other customers finished buying their sweets and left the shop, leaving her alone with her mysterious client. He had garnered a few odd looks from the others as they left, and Belle had to smile.

“It’s all right, they’ve all gone.” She laughed as he came over to the counter, still moving furtively and wrapped up in his cloak. “You know, for all you’re trying to hide away in there, you’re drawing even more attention to yourself than you realise.”

Rumpelstiltskin pushed the hood back a little way so that she could see his face. 

“Who’s to say that wasn’t my intention?” he quipped. “The darker and more mysterious, the scarier I am, and the less likely people are to want to try and interfere with my extremely important business.”

“Extremely important,” Belle agreed. “Will you be wanting your usual order, then?”

“Yes please.”

He had come into her shop so many times over the last year since she had opened up that she knew exactly what he wanted down by heart. She’d asked several times if it wouldn’t be easier for her to just get everything measured out and bagged up in advance for him, and then he would only need to come into the shop for a moment in order to receive it, but he had refused. He had not given any reason for his refusal, but as Belle began to shake the sweets out of their heavy glass jars and into paper bags, she thought she knew why. There was a dreamy kind of hunger in his eyes as he watched and listened to them rattling in the scale basin, and it was the same kind of dreaminess that Belle herself had always felt when watching the cascade of dainty eatables. This experience was all part of the sweet-buying process; it just wasn’t the same if the sweets were already bagged and waiting. It lacked some of the magic. 

Truth be told, Belle was actually rather happy that Rumpelstiltskin had decided against a pre-order system. Although she would never admit it to anyone, and least of all to him, she always looked forward to the time that he spent in her shop, however brief it might be, and she really didn’t want it to be any briefer. There was something about him that intrigued her, perhaps in place of the fear that she did not feel of him. They didn’t exactly share much conversation, but it was always fun when they did. 

She finished measuring out his sweets and began to fasten the bags with ribbon. There wasn’t much point to it except idle fancy; just twisting the tops would have done well enough to seal them and she knew that he would probably dive straight in as soon as he was out of the shop, but it gave them more time together, and Rumpelstiltskin didn’t seem to mind the delay. 

“You know, I’ve been wondering.” Belle didn’t know what had possessed her to give voice to the thought that had been rattling around at the back of her mind for as long as Rumpelstiltskin had been buying confectionary from her. She’d always been wondering it, and there was nothing particularly special about today that should lend itself to such conversation starters. 

“You’ve been wondering?” Rumpelstiltskin prompted, picking a strawberry bonbon out of one of the unsealed bags and making to pop it in his mouth. On instinct, Belle reached out and batted his hand. 

“You haven’t paid for those yet!”

For a moment, Belle remembered that he was indeed the Dark One and she had just batted at him. He didn’t seem particularly angry by the action, more affronted at the suggestion that he wasn’t going to pay. To make matters worse, Belle realised that her fingers were still resting on the back of his hand, and she snatched back as if she’d been stung. 

“Sorry. I, erm…”

Rumpelstiltskin gave an explosive giggle. It had made Belle jump out of her skin the first time that she had heard it and it was no different now. 

“It’s all right, dearie, no harm done.” He produced a couple of silver coins out of nowhere and presented them to Belle with a flourish before snaffling the bonbon. “There you are. Payment tendered.”

Belle gave an inward sigh of relief and put the money in the cashbox before returning to her ribbons. 

“You were saying something,” Rumpelstiltskin said. “You were wondering.”

“Oh. Yes.” The little incident had interrupted her train of thought. “Yes. I was wondering why you come here to buy your sweets. I mean, surely someone like you has magic enough to make your own, a never ending supply.”

“I spin straw into gold, not candy canes, dearie.”

Belle rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

“I suppose I do.” Rumpelstiltskin didn’t answer her for a long time, seeming to be lost in his own thoughts. 

“I think it’s because there are some things that magic just can’t get quite as right as the real thing. I’m sure that any facsimiles of your delectable confections would taste just as sweet, but there would be something missing. Something about them wouldn’t be quite… real.”

Belle finished tying off the last bow and smiled. “Well, I’m glad to hear that my sweets are incomparable to magic. Maybe I ought to use that as a selling point.” She paused as she handed over the bags and Rumpelstiltskin began to stow them in the many pockets of his cloak. “And I’m glad that you keep coming back for more. It’s always nice to see you in here.”

Rumpelstiltskin looked up then, startled, and he opened and closed his mouth a couple of times like a fish. 

“I… It’s nice to see you too,” he mumbled, before vanishing from in front of the counter in a puff of smoke. That was unusual. Normally he waited until he was outside before disappearing, just as he never materialised in the shop itself. 

Belle smiled to herself again. Maybe there was nothing there, but perhaps something could come of this strange little friendship.

#rumbelle fic #rumbelle #A Monthly Rumbelling #Belle French #Rumpelstiltskin #Enchanted Forest #Fic: Sweet Talking

[rumpledgoldenweaver]

The Gold Boys

Written for the @a-monthly-rumbelling  November prompt “Like Father, Like Son” this is a Storybrooke based AU that has been rattling around in my head for a while. When Rumple stabs Peter Pan he doesn’t die instead he turns back into Malcolm and stays that way. Since Bae/Neal and Henry are in town too, Rumple finds himself with more family than he knows what to do with.

He wasn’t hiding. Not really. Anyone could walk through the door of the shop, the little bell jangling their arrival and find him leaning on the counter. There was a cloth spread out over the glass top, a small bottle of silver polish and a second cloth that he was using to buff up every single piece he could find. Mindless, repetitive work. His spinning wheel stood motionless, he couldn’t face that. Far too many memories of times far too long ago that he didn’t want to think about for now. No, he could retreat back into his Mr Gold persona. Pawnbroker, landlord and loan shark. Mr Gold didn’t need to concern himself with the return of errant fathers, long lost sons, new found grandsons and a girlfriend. Mr Gold didn’t need family and the complications that came with it.

And for as long as he could get away with pretending that suited Rumpelstiltskin just fine.

Neal Cassidy wasn’t hiding either. No Ma’am, he was seated at the counter of Granny’s Diner nursing a cup of coffee in full view of anyone passing by. He opened up the Angry Birds app on his phone, firing pissed off birds at smug looking pigs. You wouldn’t know to look at him that he was the son of the Dark One, father of the boy with the Heart of the Truest Believer (don’t forget the capital letters) and grandson of Peter Pan – Malcolm as he was now known. It sounded ordinary in comparison. But then so did Neal when you stood it next to Balefire.

A pixalated pig exploded when a cartoon piece of timber fell on it’s head, he smiled in satisfaction. Bae would have been fascinated by the game. But Bae wasn’t there. Neal Cassidy was and for now he too could pretend that his real personality didn’t exist.  

Malcolm had no choice but to hide. After his disastrous defeat at the hands of his son, being unceremoniously turned back into an adult and finding that blaming his alter ego for everything wasn’t going to work, he’d holed up in a room at the inn called Granny’s – what kind of name for an establishment was that anyway? - and there he had stayed. There wasn’t a cursed or invented persona to provide him with knowledge as to how this land without magic worked. He lay on the bed and sighed. Most of the basics seemed the same, a bed was a bed, a table was a table, water was water. The bathroom had been a revelation. Instead of an iron tub in front of the fire, there was some fancy looking contraption called a shower – it reminded him of a waterfall and a thing called a toilet that he really didn’t trust. What was wrong with a good old fashioned hole in the ground or a nearby tree?

He did know he couldn’t avoid his son forever. Or his grandson. Or his great grandson. People he’d traded away in exchange for eternal youth. If he was very honest he’d admit that it hadn’t all been a barrel of laughs and that he was, very deep down, relieved to be himself again. Malcolm wasn’t given to honesty though.

Henry was beside himself with excitement. He had a father, a grandpa and a great grandpa! None of their stories were fully complete in his book and now a golden opportunity had presented itself for him to find out all the facts. He reckoned his mothers would be fine with him talking to his dad and his grandpa but Peter.. Malcolm.. not so much. Frowning he began tapping his pen on the notebook that lay open on his bed. This was an operation and as such it needed a name. There were so many names involved – Gold, Cassidy, Swan, Mills and whatever Malcolm’s surname was.. Pan? Henry crossed his mothers names off. He knew about them. Staring at the list one name stood out to him above all the others. He smiled.

Operation Gold Boys.

“Henry for the tenth time I am absolutely positive your Grandpa won’t mind you asking him questions. In fact I’m sure it’ll make his day. Talk to him really nicely and he might show you some of the old Dark One razzle dazzle”

Henry snorted a laugh as his dad made a weird looking gesture with his arms

“I’m a little out of practice” Bae pushed open the door to his father’s shop and ushered his own son inside “Hi Papa”

Rumple’s smile could have illuminated the entire town “Hello Bae! Hi Henry. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure”

“Henry has questions for you. About your life” Bae winced slightly as the same smile froze but carried on anyway “I said you’d be okay with it and that he should talk to Belle too since she knew you after I….left…”

That earned him an eye roll from Henry. Seriously grown ups. Little wonder everyone still clung to their old scores and rivalries. How could anyone move on when they couldn’t even have a simple conversation.

“What Dad means is…”

“It’s okay Henry, I know what he means and no I don’t mind you asking providing that depending on the question I might choose not to answer”

“Deal” grinned Henry pulling a notebook from his coat pocket and setting it down on the counter “Now then…”

Despite his misgivings Rumple answered all of his grandson’s questions, he particularly enjoyed reminiscing about his days back in village with Bae and making his son squirm by regaling tales of his youthful misdeeds. Henry listened in wonderment, his father’s childhood different to his own although he could sympathise completely with having a vilified practitioner of dark magic for a parent.

Some of the memories perhaps should have stayed put, however Henry listened without judgement. It seemed as if it all happened to someone else, Rumple merely the narrator, like reading from a book or interpreting a dream. All a long long time ago, in a place far far away.

Bae stayed quiet for the most part both amazed and amused at how his papa opened up to the young boy. The one he’d been convinced would be his downfall. There were stories that he had never heard before, like the real reason his father had needed a walking staff. It made his heart clench  as well as his stomach to think the man had dropped an enormous mallet on his foot and then walked home, branded a coward so that he could be there for the son he’d never even met at that point. The same son he’d taken a dark curse to save from the same battlefields fighting the same enemy. The same son he’d torn realms apart to search for just so he could apologise and tell him he loved him. Me. He did all that for me. Maybe Belle was right. Maybe he wasn’t beyond hope. Bae levelled his gaze at the floor, casually wiping at his eyes.

After they’d gone Rumple retreated into the back room, he gave the spinning wheel a push, it turned a couple of circles before slowing to a stop.  He sat down, picked up a bundle of straw and began threading it through the machine, losing himself in the spin of the wheel.

“I could never get that hang of that”

Rumple turned to see his father standing just inside the curtain that divided the back room from the shop.

“You didn’t have the patience”

“Couldn’t sit still for long enough”

“Indeed”

They lapsed into heavy silence that lasted maybe a couple of minutes but seemed more like hours.

It was Malcolm who spoke first

“So laddie, do you have anything decent to drink?”

Rumple paused for a whole minute before getting up from the wheel, going over to his desk, pulling a bottle of single cask whiskey and two glasses from the bottom drawer. Pouring two measures, his own slightly smaller, being tipsy around his father would not be a good idea.

“What do you want Papa?” there was a sarcastic tinge to the last word.

“To spend some time with my son”

Thankfully Rumple’s glass remained safely on the desk because if he’d been holding it he would have either smashed it into his fathers face or dropped on the floor.

“Ha! Well it took you bloody long enough but what’s almost three hundred years between family eh? Now that I’m not such a drain on your time and money you’ve decided to be one on mine is that it?”

“There’s no need for that laddie…”

“My name” Rumple spat “is not laddie. It’s Rumple Bloody Stiltskin, the longest, most ungodly name anyone has ever been saddled with” his eyes blazed making Malcolm take a couple of steps backwards.

“I was angry” he spluttered

“I was a child and you abandoned me”

“I left you with those spinster women. They looked after you. Kept you fed. You turned out alright besides you can’t talk about being abandoned. You did the same to Bae. Like father like son eh laddie”

Suddenly Malcolm felt the air rush from his lungs, his body propelled backwards by an unseen force, slamming into the wall. He tried to protest but forming words was impossible. He clawed at his throat desperately trying to find a breath.

“Don’t you dare” snarled Rumple advancing on the prone figure “Don’t you BLOODY DARE. I am nothing like you. NOTHING. I took the dagger to save my son from a war. You took your curse to avoid your responsibilities. Because you didn’t like being a grown up. BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T WANT ME!!”

“Papa that’s enough” Bae’s voice cut through the room but Rumple didn’t seem to hear him. He laid a hand on his father’s shoulder “I said that’s enough”

Malcolm dropped unceremoniously to floor. Rumple staggered backwards, Bae guided him to a chair “I’m sorry son. I lost my temper. I…”

“Shh. Papa it’s okay. It’s okay”

Malcolm groaned, trying to push himself up “A little help here eh”

Balefire and Rumple exchanged a look. The younger man went to assist his grandfather whilst Rumple tried to get his composure back. He knew he shouldn’t have lashed out, it’s probably the reaction his father was looking for. Always pushing to see how many lines could be crossed. He wiped his hand over his face “I apologise papa. I shouldn’t have done that”

Malcolm looked flustered, that wasn’t what he’d expected, his son was the Dark One and not known for showing remorse. He nodded “No harm done lad…son”

Bae smiled his approval.

“Stay still Papa and I’ll send you home” Rumple made to wave his hand.

“Wait! Can I come and see you tomorrow? I er I have know idea how this world works and I think I need new clothes. The only other person here dressed anything like me is that bloody pirate”

“I suppose we can’t have that now can we” Rumple almost smiled “We’ll organise you something more appropriate in the morning”

Malcolm was engulfed in a cloud of red smoke and disappeared. Bae was still smiling at him “I’m proud of you Pop”

Perhaps Rumple mused in his case it wasn’t like father like son but more a father trying to be more like his son.

 Read it on my blog here https://earlyrisingwriting.home.blog/2020/12/02/the-gold-boys/

#a monthly rumbelling #november #gold family fic #papafire

[38blueroses]

Chapters: 3/3 Fandom: Once Upon a Time (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold Characters: Belle (Once Upon a Time), Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard, Red Riding Hood | Ruby Summary:

After escaping from the Evil Queen's tower, Belle is determined to be reunited with Rumplestilskin. Even if it means making a new deal.

For January's 'a-monthly-Rumbelling'

I hope you all enjoy! 

#@a-monthly-rumbelling #rumbelle #once upon a time #belle #rumplestilskin #a monthly rumbelling

[a-monthly-rumbelling]

February Prompts

Yay, we survived January - Let's make February a good month for fics!

Moodboard:

Non-smut: Game night with friends

Smut: Battle, berry, sports, hypnotize

Random: (Movie quote): "The key to a woman's heart is an unexpected gift at an unexpected time." - Finding Forrester (2000)

gif:

A reminder for all:

If the prompts are 3-5 words you don’t have to include all of them. Imaginary bonus points if you do :) but zero stress they just have to include a couple in some fashion so it fits the prompt.

If the prompt is a quote you can include it at any point, it doesn’t have to be the opening line.

If the prompt is the image moodboard (multiple images) you can be inspired by one of them, be inspired by two, be inspired by the lot, get a feeling from the thing and not one of the images specifically - it’s all good. There is no wrong way to approach this.

If the images on the moodboard are of Robert or Emilie’s non-rumbelle characters (eg Rush, Macavoy, Claire, Heiro…), don’t feel you have to use that character. They’re just there for a bit of variety.

Anyelle and anyem are welcome if you do want to use them, though!

if you are inspired by the gif prompt, similarly, your creativity is your only limit. It’ll be a real treat to see you might come up with.

Happy Rumbelling!

#a monthly rumbelling #amr prompts #february prompts #rumbelle fic

[peacehopeandrats]

Monster in the Storm - Chapter 5

Fandom: Once Upon a Time (TV)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold

Characters: Belle (Once Upon a Time), Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Gideon (Once Upon a Time), Original Characters

Additional Tags: Angst, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, casual nudity, A Monthly Rumbelling (Once Upon a Time), A Monthly Rumbelling March 2020 (Once Upon a Time), Missing Years, Travel, Family

Series: Part 2 of Rumbelling Shorts, Part 5 of Growing Up

Summary: Inspired by the March Monthly Rumbelling. The Golds have moved into a new town home and Gideon meets a young girl who convinces him that their fathers are more alike than he could ever have imagined. The problem is, only one of them is the real “monster” and Gideon needs help to see the truth. An eventual chapter of Growing Up.

This is complete to a point, but will be expanded on as the next parts of the Growing Up series are worked on. For now, it is only the very beginning, though there WILL be resolution for Gideon’s new friend.

Please note warnings for implication of domestic violence (NOT related to the Golds) and casual nudity (which IS related to the Golds).

Read previous chapters on AO3

The Monster in the Storm - Chapter 5

Rumplestiltskin knew what was coming. He’d seen the anger of drunken men too many times in his life to ignore what came with harboring the victims of their aggression. Addictions of any kind altered even the most tender of hearts, shifting their intentions. That lesson he knew all too well. Darkness, drugs, alcohol, each vice had the same overall effect on a person. Eventually it turned them into a hideous beast, even around the people they loved.

So he and Belle made quick work of cleaning and bandaging Vivienne’s wound. Neither of them had to speak about what the other needed to do, they simply took up the tasks as if they were trained surgeons, anticipating each other’s movements until the job was complete. The teamwork went beyond gauze and tape, though. Rumple already knew what plan Belle was concocting, just as she already knew his. It had been a long time since he’d had to piece together so many lies to cover his tracks or keep his family safe, but after seeing what this madman had done to a woman he supposedly cared for, Rumple took pleasure in piling on as many falsehoods as he could muster.

Gideon wouldn’t be safe here, neither would Belle, though Rumple didn’t doubt she would hold her own against the tyrant who was on his way. The man was armed though, and clearly not afraid to harm members of his own family. There would be nothing stopping him from cutting or killing any strangers who held him back. Rumple glanced up from his work to watch Gideon faithfully closing blinds and locking doors. He was a good boy, with a pure heart, but he couldn’t be here for this. Damn the storm outside. If it weren’t for the lightning and rain, Rumple would have sent him down to the corner store with a cell phone and had him wait there until it was safe.

Read more on AO3

#rumbelle #angst #Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence #casual nudity #missing years #family #travel #a monthly rumbelling march 2020 #a monthly rumbelling

[eirian-houpe]

TMI Tuesday

Welcome to November!

Phew, it’s been a while, right back at the beginning of October to be precise.  Honestly, work has been kicking my arse, and I’ve been too mentally exhausted to do more than come home and play mindless video games. Well, not quite mindless, but...

Anyway, with a new month (and a new year for me), I’m going to see what I can do to change that.  I have my new office furniture (and it helps me feel like a grown up at work), and of course it’s November, and we all know what that means, right...?

NANOWRIMO!

I’m going to participate again this year, like every year, but I’m not going to - or try not to anyway - get bent out of shape if I don’t keep up. The link above will take you to the site in case you feel like signing up to join me.  I will be making my daily progress posts - going to try and be creative about it this year.

With that, I’m also going to try and shake things up a bit here, so that I don’t keep repeating myself day after day. So TMI Tuesday will be a bit of a ‘behind the scenes of Eirian’ kind of thing.

Like I said, work has been kicking my arse. I work as a special education teacher in high school, and as you can imagine the beginning of ANY school year is busy, but considering that I am the only member of a new team that was at my school last year, the other team members are looking to me for guidance a lot of the time.  I don’t mind that, and it’s a great time, but it does mean there’s a lot, a lot, a lot to do.

In other news, and probably related tbh, the twin orcs of depression and anxiety have also been doing their fair share of arse-kicking. Now though, I’m kicking back. Does it mean that I am (grudgingly) embracing ‘the list’ - you bet it does. I’m just hoping there are folks who are willing to remind me to be kind to myself on the days I don’t get to the end of the list. Full disclosure - the monster in my head that gets on my case when I DON’T get to the bottom of a list is why I am super resistant to list-making.

Those I guess are the negatives.  So the positives...

I recently officially took over stewardship (and I like to put it that way) of A Monthly Rumbelling. I have learned to make moodboards - and I love it! 

I have an amazing husband, and my Tumblr family are awesome as well. (You know who you are!)

Writing wise, I want to be working on Disparate Pathways, and after that, I am not sure which fic I will go to for focus, and of course, just because I have a focus fic, doesn’t mean I don’t also work on other fics as well - or at least that’s my intention, so... why not drop me an ask and let me know what you’d like to see updated.  If you drop me an ask like that, I’ll give you a tidbit for the named fic.  How’s that for a fair exchange?

Otherwise, here are some other suggestions for you...

Ask suggestions

Ask something about any of my fics (full list is below the cut). If you want specifics from some fics that are already outlined, you can ask about:

Disparate Pathways, Chapters 46 through 56 All Our Past Mistakes, Chapters 11 through 44 Lover’s Leap Series, Stories 15 through 31 Time’s Curse, Chapters 4 through 10 Laer o Faen, Chapter 27 & 28 Stargate: Atlantis, Harms Way or any of the 20 fics in the series.

Ask something of any of my characters in general or you can get really specific if you like - for example you might want to ask Gold from Pawn Shop a question about a chapter, a thought, a feeling… (the world is your oyster really)

Ask about my process as a writer, what makes me tick,, or even ask about me personally. Almost nothing is off limits.

Also, if you want to see a specific character or fic featured in Three Things Thursday, or Saturday Secret, feel free to send in prompts, if no one does, then either the choice will be random or they just won’t happen at all. I made an analogy for why that might be in a different post about a car stuck in the mud with spinning wheels. Those wheels are still spinning!

Please remember: if you read a fic you enjoyed on AO3 or on Tumblr (not just mine), please take the time to comment and/or leave kudos, and to reach out on TMI Tuesday. It means a lot to the writers and artists.

You can find all my fics currently on AO3 here, and there is a full list under this cut.

Storybrooke’s Best Kept Secret - Rumbelle

Darkness In Hyperion Heights - Woven Beauty au

Seven Tastes - Rumbelle

Tuesday - Rushbelle AU

The Language of Flowers Series - Rumbelle

Disparate Pathways - Rumbelle AU

Scattered - Rumbelle AU

All Our Past Mistakes - Rumbelle AU

What the Actual Fuck! - Sutherelle

Breathe - Rushbelle

The Lover’s Leap Series - Rumbelle

Awakening - Rumbelle

War Is Coming To Storybrooke - Rumbelle

Given No Choice - Rush

Thoughts On A Happy Ending Series - Rumbelle

Darker Hearts Series - Wish!Rumbelle

Modern Wonders - a OUAT/Alice crossover

Time’s Curse - Rumbelle

The Pawn Shop On Main Street - Rumbelle

The Mansion On the Edge of Town - Rumbelle with a side of Jefferson

Cobra: In Your Prayers - Cobra/FatWS/UC:Undercover et al

To See Series - Rumbelle

Nobody Knew (Bingo) - Rumbelle

Secret of the Seas - Rumbelle AU

Butterfly and Phoenix - ST:DSC

Laer o Faen - Tolkien

Ship’s Rats - ST: DCS

I Amar Boe Men Heb - Tolkien

Coming Down - Halt and Catch Fire

Armor of Ice - Halt and Catch Fire

Duath i-Achas Eriol - Tolkien

Balance of Terror - Sleeper Cell

What To Believe - UC: Undercover

If: In The End - UC Undercover

Precious - The Mummy Series

Forbidden - The Mummy Series

Power Is - The Mummy Series

Angel of the Heart - The Mummy Series

Star of the Morning - The Mummy Series

Not Yours To Keep - Foundation (TV)

No Saving Throw - Stranger Things

Here are fics that haven’t yet been started, but are in the Muse’s bucket.

The Miner’s Day Festival - Rumbelle

Aftermath - Rumbelle (with a side of madness)

Saving The Dark One (WT) A twist on a twist of Rumplestiltskin.

Brought To You By The Color… (Red)

Calcul(us)

(In)consistent equation

The Boston Storybrooke Line

Breaking the Waves (Movie AU)

ILP (or IEP) for Rumple.

One Last Wish

In Service to My Son

Playground Games

Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed

“Only Remembered For What We Have Done.”

Librarian: UC

Exquisite Harmonies

#rumbelle #TMI Tuesday #send asks #send me asks #ama #ask me anything #feel free to prompt me #nanowrimo2022

[mariequitecontrarie]

Pistachio

Summary: While secret newlyweds Belle and Leland Gold are on their Saturday hamburger date, Gold’s estranged mother pays an unexpected visit. Rating: T+  Notes: Secret marriage AU in which where Gold's mother is her horrible, extra self and Belle stands up to her on Gold's behalf. Written for the @a-monthly-rumbelling prompt: “We accept the love we think we deserve.” Thanks to @galactic-pirates and @maplesyrupao3 for the help.

On AO3

“Sweetheart, are you sure you don’t want to eat someplace different?” Leland Gold asked as they settled into their usual booth at their usual place.

Lunch at Granny’s Cafe was their Saturday ritual, but he couldn’t help but wonder how long it would be before Belle grew restless with him and his obsession with routine. His new wife was spunky, bright, and adventurous. He, on the other hand, would be more aptly described as a murky pond. Stagnant, dark, and stuck in his ways.

“It’s Saturday,” Belle replied, as he knew she would. “Do you want to eat somewhere else?”

His thoughts traveled back to the new Italian restaurant they’d spotted on their drive into town and he hesitated. Maybe next week.

“No,” he confessed, shaking his head. He unfolded his napkin and smoothed it across his lap. As long as he was with Belle, he could eat anywhere. Nothing else mattered.

In the eight weeks since they’d met, dated, and decided to marry, today wasn’t the first time he’d wondered if he could make her happy for a lifetime. Their courtship had been short, but he’d known since he first touched her icy fingers in the freezer aisle of the grocery store that Belle French was the perfect woman. To his utter amazement, she told him almost every day how lucky she was to have him for a husband. Yes, he had a brilliant, stunning wife who adored him beyond all reasonable comprehension.

Perhaps his worries were only newlywed jitters. He pushed them aside, declared himself a lucky bastard, and broke a hot biscuit open with his fingers. Since Ruby Lucas had taken over for her grandmother at the beginning of the year, the cafe had started serving complimentary biscuits to every table.

“Granny’s is my favorite. You know that!” Belle closed her menu with a grin and swatted his arm with it, teasing a snorting noise out of him. Reading the menu was a mere formality. They both knew what they were going to order.

“Was that a laugh I heard just now?” Belle asked, her eyes dancing with mirth at the running joke between them. “I’m writing this one down,” she said, pretending to rummage through her purse for paper and a pen.

The corner of his mouth turned up in an indulgent half-smile. “As you wish, my love.”

“Hey, lovebirds.” Ruby Lucas flipped open her order pad and pulled out the sharpened pencil tucked behind her ear. “Usual for you both? Extra pickles for Belle?”

Their usual was hamburgers all the way with fries and iced tea. Ruby knew the double order well after serving it every Saturday since Belle and Gold had met.

Gold nodded. “Thank you, Miss Lucas. I mean, Ruby,” he amended quickly with an embarrassed smile. Although he was new to marriage, he was not new to Storybrooke. After so many years of eating here and calling her Miss Lucas, it was hard to remember to drop the formalities. However, Ruby had not only attended their wedding, but she also happened to be Belle’s closest friend.

Marriage to her best friend made Gold her friend too, Ruby had informed him.

“Like it or not, you’re gonna get used to me, Gold,” Ruby had insisted at the wedding ceremony, then softened her sass by straightening his tie and kissing his cheek.

“How’s Granny enjoying retirement?” Belle asked. Everyone called Ruby’s grandmother Granny whether they’d known her all their lives or had only heard of the no-nonsense widow who’d founded the cafe.

“She’s great. Been into axe-throwing lately, believe it or not.” Ruby rolled her eyes and laughed. “What a hobby, right? I know she’d love for you guys to come for a visit, so I’ll set something up soon?”

“We’d like that, wouldn’t we Belle?” Gold said. His wife was nodding eagerly and he was proud of himself for accepting the unexpected invite with grace. He sat up a little taller in his seat.

“Great! So two burgers and two iced teas, extra lemon slices, and no seeds.” Ruby scribbled a note on her pad. “Should be up in a jiffy.”

“Actually, Rubes...” Belle flipped the menu open again before Ruby walked away. “I’m gonna go chicken parm and white wine. And make it the bottle, please.”

Gold furrowed his brow. Belle didn’t care for wine in general and never during the day. His face must have registered his surprise because she burst out laughing.

“Darling, I’m kidding,” she said. “The usual, please, Ruby.”

“Ruby, please bring us the usual, as well as the chicken parmesan to share. Also a bottle of white wine. The pinot grigio should do nicely with both, I think.” He winked at Belle, delighted by how the smallest concessions made her happy. “It’s Saturday. We should live it up.”

Ruby scribbled on the pad again. “Anything for one of my favorite couples.”

“We live it up all the time, Leland,” Belle said after Ruby left to put their order into the kitchen. “My idea of living it up is being with you.”

He rubbed his fingers together, an absent, nervous gesture he’d acquired sometime back in law school. “I meant doing something spontaneous.” Maybe he should have pushed for them to try the new Italian place after all.

“You planned us a two-month honeymoon in Europe beginning with Paris, my bucket list city,” she said. “That will give us plenty of opportunities to be spontaneous--in public and in private.”

She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and his face grew hot, his imagination running wild with all the ways they could get into trouble together if his wife had her way. Being arrested by the Paris police for sexy shenanigans at the Eiffel Tower wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.

“A proper honeymoon is the least I can do for you,” he countered. “Seeing as we didn’t have a proper wedding.”

“You being you is more than enough for me.” She caught his hand where it rested on the table and brought it to her mouth, placing a quick kiss at the juncture of his thumb and forefinger. “Besides, since when have we done anything the traditional way?”

The gentle reminder made him smile. It was true.

They’d been married in a quiet, candlelit ceremony out in the forest by the old, moss-covered well. Archie Hopper, the town psychiatrist who also happened to be an ordained minister, had officiated and Ruby had been a witness. Two weeks later, word hadn’t made it around town about their nuptials yet and he was secretly glad. They weren’t hiding the wedding or the marriage, but they weren’t publicizing it, either. Love shouldn’t be a spectator sport, Gold reasoned. People would find out in time, and the longer it took, the better. Small and intimate was what they both wanted. Rather, it had been what he wanted and Belle hadn’t argued. Although Belle had claimed to be fine with their quiet wedding, doubts tugged at him. What he knew about women could fit into a teacup, but the grandness of the wedding industry said otherwise. There had been no wedding cake, no reception, no confetti thrown at the blushing bride. Women liked to make a fuss, especially over happy occasions.

Two months ago, he’d met Belle on a Saturday evening in the freezer aisle at the Storybrooke Grocer. Both of them had opened up the ice cream case and put their hands on the last container of pistachio gelato. He could still feel the brush of Belle’s cold fingertips against his like an electric jolt. Awareness sparked in her eyes, an immediate connection forming between them. It was a memory he would never forget.

They tugged the carton back and forth in a playful tug-of-war, falling into a good-natured argument about whose day had been harder and therefore deserved a treat more. Belle, a librarian, argued that she’d completed and turned in two grant applications, and on a weekend. Gold, a shop owner, countered that small businesses worked every weekend. In addition, his shipment of jewelry for his antique shop had been delayed and wouldn’t be on time for an advertised sale.

“Sounds like what we both need is some company,” Gold had suggested in a rare moment of boldness with a woman. They collected their groceries and went back to his house to share the cold, nut-studded confection. Usually, he was terrible at talking to women and even worse at asking them out. With Belle, he never ran out of words to say.

They both loved books, listened to classic rock, and shared a fondness for Candy Crush. Both lived in Storybrooke alone with no family. Belle’s parents were back in Australia where she was from, and she saw them only once every two years. Gold’s father was reliving his teenage years by backpacking through Europe, while his mother lived in a New York City high-rise on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Fiona was too busy running the family commercial real estate business to make time for her son, but that was nothing new.

After talking long into the night on their first evening together, Belle and Gold had fallen asleep on the sofa with Belle’s head on his shoulder and the empty ice cream carton cradled between them. They became inseparable from that day forward. Pistachio gelato, preceded by lunch at Granny’s Cafe in the center of town, became their weekend ritual.

Melting into a life together seemed a natural next step. Six weeks to the day after their impromptu date in the freezer section, he brought Belle to the well at sunset. And in the serene glow of late afternoon light against the backdrop of a brilliant pink sky, he’d asked her to be his wife.

She leaned back in the booth and sipped her iced tea, the same serene look of contentment on her face today as when she’d said yes to his marriage proposal. Sometimes there were blessings like this, he mused. Two lonely people who found love and happiness on a trip to the grocer for a carton of ice cream.

Ruby delivered their food with her usual efficiency and a broad smile. He inhaled the comforting aromas and took a bite of his piping hot hamburger. Delicious as always.

“Mr. Gold,” Belle said with mock sternness, “we talked about the timing of our honeymoon. You had inventory at the shop to finish and I wrapped a writing workshop at the library. Alice is helping at the shop today and now that it’s May, she'll be finishing college for the term. Why doesn’t she run the store while we’re gone?”

He brightened at the suggestion. “Robin Mills might like to help. Give those two kids an excuse to spend some alone time together.”

Belle nodded in eager agreement. She’d been wanting to play matchmaker for Alice and Robin for months. “Think of it, Lee. Paris in the summer. The Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Élysées--there are so many places and landmarks I want to see.”

Her face was wreathed in joy, her travel dreams reflected in her bright blue eyes, and it tugged at his heart to see her so excited. “Anything you want, Mrs. Gold.”

He’d tasted the burger, now it was time to give the chicken parmesan a try. He cut into the juicy meat with gusto, forking it up with a twirl of spaghetti when disaster struck.

“Love, what is it?” Belle asked, her face draining of color. “You look like you’ve seen—”

“My mother.” He dropped the forkful of parmesan and it clattered onto the plate, splattering bits of sauce onto the tabletop.

“Your mother, what?” Belle mopped up the stains with her napkin.

“She’s here.” He gripped his cane with both hands to stop himself from shaking. There she was, wearing her usual sleek black trench coat, breezing through the front door of the cafe like she owned it.

“In Storybrooke?” Belle squeaked.

“At Granny’s.” He dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. Belle had yet to meet his mother and with good reason. Fiona Blackwell was a raging bitch. His preference, if given one, would be to keep her as far away from Belle as possible for the rest of their lives. It seemed he didn’t have that kind of luck.

Belle smoothed back a wayward lock of curly auburn hair and chanced a look toward the door. “Your mother is here right now?”

“Now, and coming this way.” Gold lurched to his feet, grabbing his cane and moving to Belle’s side of the table to stand beside her. He laid a protective hand on her shoulder and braced himself for the oncoming storm. When Fiona paid one of her rare visits, it was always unannounced and always with an agenda. What would it be this time? Must be desperate if she was seeking him out at Granny’s.

Belle tugged on his sleeve and bit her lip. She knew something of his lonely home life, of course, but his mother hadn’t been a major topic of conversation beyond Gold confessing they didn’t have a strong relationship. “What if she doesn’t like me?” Belle murmured, her eyes wide and worried.

“Don’t trouble yourself, my love.” He soothed her with a tender stroke of his fingers against the underside of her face. “She doesn’t like anyone.”

Helpless, that was how he felt. If only he’d had time to warn Belle, to prepare, but his mother’s heels clicked against the floor at record speed. Frankly, he’d never expected her to show up in his town anyway.

“Hello, Malcolm.”

He glared at the woman who’d given birth to him, rendered speechless by her rudeness within seconds of her arrival. According to his birth certificate, he was Malcolm Alexander Leland Gold III, but no one ever called him by his father’s name. It had always been Gold or Leland. Only his mother found calling him Malcolm to be some glorious joke.

When he didn’t respond, Fiona arched a black eyebrow. “I believe the greeting you’re looking for is ‘hello, Mother’.”

“Fiona.” He leaned stiffly into her light hug and air kisses without returning either. “What’s it been? Three years this time?” He shook his head at her supple, glowing skin. Here he was, 42 years old, and his mother appeared to be a solid ten years younger than him, making her look closer to Belle’s age than his. “Must be tough to find a moment to visit between facelifts.”

Annoyance marched across her face to wrinkle her perfect brow and he smirked, satisfied the barb had hit its mark. May as well enjoy getting his digs in while he could. “However did you manage to find me? I don’t think this place even appears on most state maps.”

She sniffed in disdain. “Well, it wasn’t easy. Dove dropped me off at that musty little store of yours and I walked here.” Dove was the chauffeur and the one person from his joyless upbringing that he missed.

“On your own two feet? Surprised you made the two-block hike down Main Street without stopping for a latte.” He sat down next to Belle and patted her knee under the table.

“I’m a New Yorker,” Fiona said archly. “I can handle anything this podunk town throws at me.”

“Not without your Peloton and one of those Mirrors,” he muttered into his iced tea.

“Now, now. Retract your claws, dear. We shouldn’t be arguing here in public in front of this…who is this?” She gave Belle a quizzical look as if finally noticing someone else was there.

Then again, why was he surprised? His mother always did believe she was the center of the universe.

“This is Belle French,” Gold said, his mouth tight at the corners. The moment he introduced her by her maiden name, he realized his mistake. Belle stiffened beside him but she didn’t falter.

“Mrs. Gold, a pleasure to meet you,” Belle said smoothly, offering her hand across the table.

Fiona frowned at Belle’s proffered hand like it was covered in dirt. “Mrs.Gold? Pet, no one’s called me that since the day in court when I took that bastard for every cent I could squeeze.” She tittered at her own cleverness. “The name’s Blackwell. Fiona Blackwell.”

“That’s her fourth ex-husband’s name, sweetheart,” Gold supplied.

His mother did a double-take at the endearment but didn’t comment.

“Mrs. Blackwell, then.” Belle smiled, always willing to give people a chance, even in the face of blatant mockery. Some called it naivete, but Gold knew Belle’s extraordinary patience came from a generous, loving heart. She gestured toward the empty side of the booth. “Won’t you sit down?”

“Charmed, pet.” Fiona tossed her long, dark brown hair and settled into the bench across from them. “But you should really scurry along now. My son and I have things to discuss.” She ran a finger over the Formica tabletop with a distasteful shrug and looked at him. “Unless you have someplace more upscale where we can have a decent meal?”

“Perhaps Granny’s isn’t much to look at,” Belle said, “but I never judge a book by its cover. These are the best burgers in town.” She took a large bite for emphasis, making it clear she had no plans to go anywhere.

“I’m vegetarian.” Fiona exhaled sharply through her nose, regarding their hamburgers and shared chicken with disgust. “This indulgent display of animal fat is most unwelcome.”

Gold ground his back teeth. “Speaking of unwelcome, Belle and I were in the middle of a pleasant lunch. Why don’t you head back to the city, Mother?”

“Oh, dear.” Fiona’s mouth puckered. “I thought perhaps she worked in your little shop. I had no idea this was a date.”

It was a shameless fish for information and he wasn’t allowing it. He squeezed Belle’s hand under the table in a wordless apology.

“There is zero shame in working in Leland’s antique store,” Belle said crisply. She lifted her chin, daring his mother to contradict her. “It’s a charming place filled with treasures. I, however, am a librarian.”

“How quaint to play with books all day for a job,” Fiona said in a saccharine voice. “Can’t be much of a moneymaker, though.”

Gold fisted his free hand under the table, the insinuation that Belle’s profession was a waste of time making him see red. And God forbid anyone would work for the sheer joy of pursuing a passion. His refusal to work in Fiona’s commercial real estate business in favor of  ‘tinkering with his toys’ was a sore point for her. With his mother, all of life came down to dollar signs.

“Belle is brilliant,” he gritted out. “And universally adored. Children wait weeks to join her reading groups and every book she recommends is in immediate demand.”

“I’m sure she’s very talented.” Fiona’s tone was cool and appraising.

“Everything okay over here with my newlyweds?” Ruby rushed over, her arm covered with steaming plates from shoulder to wrist. “Oh! You have a guest,” she said, her alarmed gaze settling on his mother. “I’ll be right with you, ma’am.”

Fiona gasped. “Did that girl just call you newlyweds?”

“That’s right.” Not caring for the attention his mother was drawing, Gold glanced around the restaurant and lowered his voice. “Belle is my wife.”

Although after today, Belle would probably demand a divorce.

His mother picked up his wine glass and quaffed the contents in one gulp.

“God, I needed that.” She set the glass down with a thump and upended the half-full bottle until the glass was filled to the top, then she drained it, too. “You’re married?” she demanded, her voice loud and shrill. “You’re married and you didn’t tell me.”

“What’s to tell?” he shrugged at her wounded expression.

“I’ve never heard of the name French.” Deciding she would get no information from him, Fiona set her shrewd sights on Belle. “Do your parents get out into New York society much? Surely they expect a reception. At the very least an announcement in the Times. ”

“My father is a florist and my mother is in market research,” Belle replied in an even voice. “But they’re back in Australia. No galas at the Met, I’m afraid.”

Fiona leaned back against the back of the banquette looking crestfallen. Her attempts to bait Belle weren’t working, so she turned back to him. “What about Milah? I always thought you and she would--”

“Mother, you are positively delusional.”

Belle crossed her arms. “Excuse me, who is Milah?”

“She was my prom date.” He threw his mother a level look and turned to Belle. “Back in prep school. Last I heard, she married another one of our classmates, Killian Jones. There’s nothing between Milah and me and hasn’t been for a long, long time. I couldn’t even tell you where she is.”

“Back to the point at hand, you’ve yet to explain why you’re here.” He glanced around the cafe again, hating the idea that they were on display. This wasn’t the way he intended to announce his marriage to Belle, in the middle of a crowded restaurant with his estranged mother wailing and rending her garments. However, he refused to give Fiona the satisfaction of more privacy. He had nothing to hide.

“What is it you’re after this time?” He pretended to study his nails. “Money? Surely you haven’t run through my father’s entire estate?”

“Really, Leland.” His mother cast Belle a shriveled sideways glance. “This is a family matter.”

“What do you know of being a family?” he bit out.

From the moment he’d seen her enter the cafe, he’d sworn to himself he wouldn’t overreact or walk into her traps. Yet her very presence sank beneath his skin and rotted like a disease. “Unless you count the headmasters at the boarding schools you sent me to, I never had a family. Until Belle. She is my family, and anything you have to say can be said in front of her. We have no secrets between us.”

“Fine.” “Fiona pouted, wringing her hands. “I want you to come back to New York, son. I need your help with the business. Lily and Blue have left me and I can’t run things without you. I would make you General Council and we would share control of the firm.”

Lily Kaplan and Marianne “Blue” Azure were his mother’s business partners. Tough, calculating, and smart--the three of them had dominated the Manhattan real estate landscape for the last fifteen years. The only difference was Lily and Blue had scruples, and Gold had known it would only be a matter of time before they tired of his mother’s duplicitousness and insatiable thirst for power.

“Hell will freeze before I ever come to work for you,” he snarled. “I knew you wanted something but I never figured you would stoop to guilting me into returning to the city. To run your company? Utter madness. As I’ve told you on many occasions, I am a simple shop owner.”

“It’s your birthright, son. Your legacy. Everything I’ve created has been for you and someday it will all be yours. If you don’t want my company for yourself, think of your wife.” She turned to Belle, attempting to plead her case. “And now that you have a wife, your future children. You owe them--”

“Love is what I owe them, Mother. Which is far more important than anything money can buy, and more than you were capable of giving me.” He wrapped a protective arm around Belle’s shoulders. “Since I’m well aware you thrive on the possibility of scandal, let me save you the trouble of speculation. Belle is not pregnant, so don’t run off at the mouth telling people that’s why I married her.”  

Panic flashed across Fiona’s face. “If you have no secrets, why are you so worried about our conversation being overheard?” Her look turned craven as she tossed his words back in his face. “Yes, I’ve seen you looking around the cafe like you’re being hunted. Don’t bother to deny it. Are you ashamed of your wife, Leland? Or is she ashamed of you?”

“Enough!” Belle said.

He’d felt her seething beside him while they’d confronted his mother, fierceness mounting with every harsh word, but until this moment he’d never seen her furious. Now her eyes were cold with rage and her lips were pinched. It was satisfying to see that his mother looked cowed, and maybe even a bit afraid.

“The only person who should feel shame here is you, Mrs. Blackwell,” Belle spat. “You have already spoiled our lunch, which has now gone cold. How dare you come here and try to spoil our happiness as well? Leland is a good, kind man and a wonderful husband. I love him, and I don’t care who knows it!”

He was awed by Belle’s courage. Awed and humbled. No one had ever come to his defense like this before. Pride and admiration made his heart swell and he put an encouraging hand on the small of Belle’s back, supporting her while she supported him.

“Despite what little acceptance you’ve shown my husband, he deserves love, and I intend to be the one to give it to him. You’ve missed your chance. There’s nothing here for you now, so please, tuck yourself back into your stretch limousine and return to where you came from. Leland Gold is too good for you.”

He wasn’t sure how long his mother sat there with her mouth open before she gathered her belongings and swept out the door in silent fury.

xoxo

Dinner that evening was a tense, pensive affair.

Too tired to attempt cooking after the emotional acrobatics of lunch with Gold’s mother, Belle had ordered pizza for early delivery. She wanted to eat and go to sleep--anything to bring this awful day to an end. There was a fresh carton of pistachio gelato in the freezer, the usual capstone to their Saturday evenings, but she doubted it would come out tonight.

After they ate, Belle curled up on the living room sofa under a blanket, the remnants of their makeshift dinner still littering the coffee table. She’d been trying to lose herself in a re-reading of Persuasion , but when she felt Gold hovering in the doorway she realized she’d read the same page five times. Abandoning the effort, she tossed the book on top of the pizza box and turned.

Having the mother-in-law from hell was reason enough to feel sorry for herself, but she was far more concerned about Gold. He looked battle-weary and drawn from his mother’s unexpected visit. Belle had lost count of the number of times he’d apologized.

“Sweetheart, I’m so sorry.”

There it was again.

“No more!” she demanded, harsher than she intended. She threw off the blanket and went to him, lifting her hands to cradle his haggard face. “I won’t listen to you apologize for her behavior anymore.”

“The way she treated you was unforgivable.” His shoulders were slumped in defeat and he shook his head, as though he couldn’t quite distill what had happened.

“Come and sit, Lee.” She took his hand and led him to the sofa. She laid her head against his chest and tucked the blanket around them both. “She did what bullies do, love. She bullied us. But you are the one who has been hurt by her time and again all these years, so please stop worrying about me. I’m fine.”

It was no wonder that when they’d swapped stories about their upbringings, he’d been so tight-lipped about his mother. Her parents lived far from her now, all the way across the world, and she missed them. But his parents had been absent even in childhood, too busy building a legacy of money and power to give their son what he needed most--love and attention.  

“We didn’t finish lunch. You barely touched your dinner.” Gold nodded toward the coffee table at the plate still holding her untouched pizza. “If you’re not upset about her, what is it? I can tell something’s bothering you. Is it me?”

Unsure of how to answer, Belle tucked her face into the nook between his neck and shoulder and closed her eyes. His cool, masculine scent gave her the most wonderful butterflies in her stomach and she sighed against his warm throat. Who wouldn’t want to feel this way every moment of every day? When they met a couple of months ago, she could hardly believe her good fortune--a handsome, charming, considerate man showed interest in her. Not only in her pretty face but in her ideas, what she had to say. In her experience, boyfriends were interested only in droning on about themselves and taking her to bed. Leland was her whole world, but she’d somehow failed to make him recognize how much she loved him.

When he’d proposed the idea of a quiet wedding, she’d readily agreed. He loathed gossip and she wanted to honor his wishes. Now she felt she’d allowed the secrecy to go too far. The presents, the fancy food, and the floor-length gown were pretty, empty nothings. Only Leland mattered. But a wedding should be an announcement, a celebration of mutual commitment.

After the way he’d behaved at the cafe earlier, though, whispering and craning his neck to see who might be watching and listening, she feared his mother’s barbs had hit too close to the truth.

Did Gold believe she was ashamed of him?

“Belle,” he said again, pulling back from their embrace to search her face. “Is it me? Am I the problem?”

“Do you want it to be you?” she asked in a careful, quiet voice.

“What?” His caramel eyes darkened with despair. “No. I don’t understand.”

She tucked her fingers into the soft hair at the nape of his neck, holding him close so she could stare into his face. “When you asked me to marry you, I said I was fine with our private ceremony and I am, I was. But it’s been two weeks now.” She took a deep breath. “Without counting your lunatic mother, no one in town but Archie, Ruby, and Alice know we’re married. Why is that?”

Worry flitted across the angled planes of his face, and he looked away, drumming the top of the sofa with his fingers. “I thought we were having fun keeping our relationship quiet.”

She lifted his chin to give him a sad smile. “At first, yes. There’s something to be said for a little private delight. After today, though, I’m starting to wonder if you want to hide our marriage because you think I’m going to leave you, hurt you the way your mother did. And if I do make that choice, you’re safe. You’re safe because so few people know the truth.”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “No.” But the tremble in his lips gave him away.

“Have you ever heard the expression ‘we accept the love we think we deserve?’” she asked. “It means we only allow ourselves to receive as much love as we believe we’re worthy of. It’s silly, really, because it gives the impression that love is something to be earned, like a salary or a merit badge.” She shook her head. “You can’t do anything to deserve my love for you. It’s a gift, freely given. All you have to do is open your heart. Trust me when I say my feelings for you are real and true, and never going to fade. If anything, my love for you grows every day.”

He lifted her hand and kissed her fingers, his lips vibrating against her skin. “Belle, I’m so grateful to have your love. The day you said yes to marrying me was the highlight of my life. But I don’t want to trap you into forever if it’s not what you want.”

“It is what I want,” she said. “I love you. Today. Tomorrow. Always. And tomorrow, I’m calling the Storybrooke Mirror to announce our marriage in the newspaper.”

“Oh, Belle.” Light entered his tear-filled eyes. He took her mouth in a hot, desperate kiss that had her gasping and tearing at his clothes, needing to touch him and be touched in return.

“Belle.” He pressed her back into the sofa and gathered her to himself, cradling her close. “My sweetheart.” More kisses seared her throat, her shoulders, her breasts, their clothes melting off their bodies into puddles on the floor. “I love you,” he muttered between kisses. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

A long time later, he lifted his head from her chest. They were lying in a tangled heap on the floor, the room plunged into darkness. Belle guessed it was sometime in the middle of the night. They had spent hours making love, forgetting about his mother and other people’s opinions in favor of losing themselves in each other.

“There’s only one thing that could make this better,” Gold said, then pressed a kiss behind her ear.

Belle stretched beneath his body, feeling luxurious and sated. The nightlight from the adjacent kitchen illuminated his body, and his voice was raspy and thick with sex, making her want to pull down the blanket resting on his hips and shower him with love all over again.

“Gelato?” she guessed with a giggle.

“ Pistachio gelato.” He kissed her nose and groped in the dark for his boxer briefs. “Wait here, wife. I’ll be right back.”

“Leland?” Still sprawled on the floor in decadent laziness, Belle propped herself up on one elbow.

“Yes?” He paused in the doorway en route to the kitchen, his hair sticking up at ridiculous angles.

She was going to be able to wake up to that crazy hair and this beautiful man every day for the rest of her days. There was no more glorious way to spend a life.

“Don’t forget the spoon.”

###

#rumbelle #rumbelle fic #rumbelle au #mr. gold x belle french #secret marriage #the black fairy #a monthly rumbelling #rumbelle angst #rumbelle fluff #mqc writes

[the-chipped-cup-awards]

2024 Nominees Part 2

Here we continue to celebrate our wonderful writers and artist and share the next list of nominees under the cut

Best Dark Castle

Spy by @peacehopeandrats

Tea by @peacehopeandrats

Marble by @peacehopeandrats

Pages of Reverie by @chippedcupwrites

Shades of Blue by @ReyloAreHairGoals

His Little Wife by @Lady_Janes_Fics

The Weakness Inside Him by @Tickletorso

Best Storybrooke

Golden Thread by @enchantedflower

Symmetrical Simulations by @peacehopeandrats

War In Pieces by @peacehopeandrats

The Meeting by @peacehopeandrats

Leaving Storybrooke by @peacehopeandrats

Best Missing Years

Leaving Storybrooke by @peacehopeandrats

The Tent Of Infinite Adventure by @peacehopeandrats

Balloon by @peacehopeandrats

Unconventional by @Peacehopeandrats

Sacred Promise by @ace_cf_cups

The Storybrooke Whisky Appreciation Society by @threepwoodmarley

Best Wish!Verse

Once There Was A Wish by @peacehopeandrats

Deception by @eirian_houpe

Special Categories

Best Golden Lace

One Lover, Many Dreams by @peacehopeandrats

War In Pieces by @peacehopeandrats

Wax by @peacehopeandrats

The Storybrooke Whisky Appreciation Society by @ThreepwoodMarley

Weakness by @ThreepwoodMarley

Best Woven Beauty

Gift by Peacehopeandrats

Undefined Desires, by @worryinglyinnocent

Best Background Swanfire

To Have and to Hold - @ThatRavenclawBitch

Fragments of the Past, Glimpses of Tomorrow, by @wierdogal

Best Afterlife fic

Granted by @peacehopeandrats

Belle's Promise by @bellerina98

Awakening by @eirian_houpe

Best Drama

Time’s Curse by @eirian_houpe

Love Me Before The Last Petal Falls by deliriumsdelight7

Ad Luceum by @reolf

Best Supernatural/Sci-fi/horror

No Light Over London by @lotus0kid

The Cunning by @mareyshelley

Mortuus Loqueris Ad by @Jackabelle73

Best Comedy

The Third Wheel by @tickletorso

Lacey and the Tramp by @chippedcupwrites

Best AU (Original)

Wretched Beginnings by @poorobscureplainandlittle

Wild by @Peacehopeandrats

Two Could by @eirian_houpe

Secret of the Seas by @eirian_houpe

Scattered by @eirian_houpe

Best AU (Based on Once Upon a Time)

Tales of Gold by @JurisLadyAnna

A Knack for Losing Everything by @AntiKryptonite

Best AU (Based on Other Media)

Rumbelle’s ‘The Princess Bride’ by @Trash_000

Modern Wonders by @eirian_houpe

The Black Swan by @DeliriumsDelight7

Time’s Curse by @eirian_houpe

Best Creature

The Finfolk’s Bride by @chippedcupwrites

The Cunning by @mareyshelley

Fallen by @eirian_houpe

Before the Storm by @reolf

Best Unexpected Twist

Contract by @Kelyon

His Little Wife by @Lady_Janes_Fics

The Price by eirian_houpe

Best Bobby Squared

The Gold Motel by mrgoldsdearie

A Blade For Belfrey by eirian_houpe

Best Trope

Love Me Before The Last Petal Falls by @DeliriumsDelight7

Wounds and Scars by @Peacehopeandrats

Beauty Compelled by @eirian_houpe

Premonition by @ace_cf_cups

Before the Storm by @reolf

Best English Language

To Nurse by @Charon53

His Ray of Light by @ace_cf_cups

Events

Best Rumbelle Secret Santa

Wrapping Up Her Christmas Gift by @Kelyon

Gluttony, a RSS Fic by @thestraggletag

The Sweetest Dream by @threepwoodmarley

Christmas Secrets by @peacehopeandrats

If You Will Be My Queen by @eirian_houpe

Make Me Feel Alive Again by @cartoonjessie

Finding the Fun by @tickletorso

They Said it Was a Party by @of-princes-and-savages

There Can Only Ever Be by @notalwayslate

Mysterious by @reolf

Portrait of the Heart by @chippedcupwrites

Rumbelle Secret Santa by @99goosebumps

Already There by @Jackabelle73

Best Fluffapalooza Fic

The Tea Shop by @peacehopeandrats

Dragon Day by @importantgalaxyrimaway

Content Rumbelle #1 through #8 by @Jackabelle73

Best Fluffapalooza Art

Kiss Me Again, It's Working by @milaeryn 

Rumbelle (Something There) by @personinthepalace

Best Monthly Rumbelling

Encounter - Rumplerose (AO3)

The Landlord and the Princess - Rumplerose (AO3)

Honorable - Rumplerose (AO3)

Character Awards

Best Belle

The Not So Dark One by @CharlotteAshmore

Lady of the Lake by @rumplestiltskinsbulge

Beauty Enlightened by @eirian_houpe

Ingredients by @peacehopeandrats

Delivery by @peacehopeandratsThe Oldest Door by @peacehopeandrats

Best Dark One!Belle

Rags to Riches by @alphashley14

Fallen by @eirian_houpe

And onward to part 3!

#cca 2024 #the chipped cup awards #get your votes in!