ROUND 15; ONCE UPON A TIME - RUMPLESTILTSKIN/BELLE
Fandom: Once Upon A Time
Subject: Rumplestiltskin/Belle
Title: A Flicker of Light (Amidst an Ocean of Darkness)
About: Once Upon a Time follows the stories of many different fairy tale characters that are brought to Storybrooke, Maine when the Evil Queen enacts a curse that makes them forget who they are. Rumplestiltskin is instrumental in creating the curse, as he is the Dark One. The show follows the present day fairy tale characters and also flashes back to their previous lives before they were cursed.
Notes: I wanted to explore what qualities makes someone a hero or a villain through the relationship of Rumplestiltskin and Belle. Rumplestiltskin often acts like a villain, yet can (and occasionally does) choose to do the right thing, while Belle is clearly a hero who is willing to sacrifice for what she believes in. Belle sees the brave and good qualities that Rumplestiltskin believes he is incapable of displaying, even though he hides them behind his pageantry and power. Belle attempts to persuade him to let it all go and be the good and brave man she knows he is, instead of a beast.
Warnings: Spoilers for the whole of Season 2 of OUAT and explicit language in one or two songs.
World on Fire ⚜ Sarah McLachlan
"He could be on his way right now, Papa." -B
World's on fire, it's more than I can handle
Tap into the water, try to bring my share
Try to bring more, more than I can handle
Bring it to the table, bring what I am able
If I Had You ☨ Adam Lambert
"My price is her." ~R
There's a thin line between the dark side and the light side
It's a struggle, gotta rumble trying to find it
But if I had you, that would be the only thing I'd ever need
If I had you, money, fame, and fortune never could compete
Steer (Triple J Acoustic Version) ⚜ Missy Higgins
"I will go with him. No one decides my fate but me." -B
It was always simple not hidden hard
You've been pulled at the strings playing puppeteer for kings and you've had enough
But the search ends here, where the night it totally clear
And your heart is fierce
Now you finally know you control where you go
You can steer
Spinning ☨ Jack's Mannequin
"I like to watch the wheel. It helps me forget." ~R
I can't remember when the earth turned slowly
So I just waited with the lights turned out again
I lost my place, but I can't stop this story
I've found my way, but until then I'm only spinning
The Battle ⚜ Missy Higgins
"I made my sacrifice for them, of course I miss them you beast!" -B
Can you pull your head out a moment and try to find a second just to breathe?
I was trying to be a picture, a pillar of solidity you see
But you weren't listening too hard, under every word's a jaded heart
Now give me your best and I'll take it, feel it, breathe it then watch me throw it back to you
Amazing ☨ Kanye West
"No, because he tried to steal from me, the Dark One.
You try that, you get skinned alive, everyone knows that!" ~R
I'm a monster, I'm a killer
I know I'm wrong
I'm a problem that'll never ever be solved
And no matter what, you'll never take that from me
My reign is as far as your eyes can see
It's amazing
Brave ⚜ Sara Barellies
"I think that you are not as dark as you want people to believe.
I think that deep down, there's love in your heart and for something more than power." -B
You can be amazing
You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug
You can be the outcast or be the backlash of somebody’s lack of love
Or you can start speaking up
I wonder what would happen if you say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave
Give It All Away ☨ Ben Jelen
"I'm not a man." ~R
And with demons sitting at my side
Another angel asks me why
And it doesn't take too much to say
To feel alive, I'd give it all away
All for Believing ⚜ Missy Higgins
"You're not a monster. You think you're uglier than you are." -B
I'm all for believing, if you can reveal, the true colors within
So if you're cold I will stay, maybe fate will guide the way
I believe in what I see and baby we were meant to be
Just believe
Trust in me
Sirens ☕ Jane Eyre Original Broadway Cast
" I knew this was a trick, I knew you could never care for me!
You're working for her, or is this all you?
Is this you being the hero and killing the beast?" ~R
Damn the passion, damn the skies
Damn the light that's in her eyes
I know too well where it has led before
She saves me but I can't be saved
Frees me but I'm still enslaved
Now I battle what I most adore
*
I cannot sleep, I cannot breathe, I cry his tears
I sense the secrets of his past, I feel his fears
And I believe the ghosts of shame that haunt his past
Will rest at last
The pain will cease, I'll bring him peace
Falling Down ☨ Ben Jelen
"I'm not a coward, dearie. It's quite simple, really.
My power means more to me than you." ~R
Then she says,
"Sit in front of me, turn around you'll see, I'm all you'd ever want, all you'd ever need
Come back into my world, you know I'm always yours"
And she makes so much sense, when she says "don't throw this away"
Over the Love ⚜ Florence + the Machine
"You just don't think I can love you.
Now you've made your choice and you're going to regret it, forever.
And all you'll have is an empty heart and a chipped cup." -B
Cause you’re a hard soul to save,
With an ocean in the way,
But I’ll get around it.
Now there’s green light in my eyes,
And my lover on my mind.
And I’ll sing from that piano, tear my yellow dress and,
Cry and cry and cry,
Over the love of you
Tonight, Not Again ☨ Jason Mraz
"I'm not dealing today." ~R
This time like every other time, I believe that I never find
Another sweet little girl with sequined sea foam eyes
Ocean lapping voice, smile coy as the brightest quiet span of sky
And I'm all alone again tonight not again, not again, not again
Going North ⚜ Missy Higgins
"It's called another language, one that I know how to translate.
The yaoguai prefers mountain habitats to all others." -B
So goodbye for a while, I'm off to explore
Every boundary and every door
Yeah I'm going north
Little Lion Man ☨ Mumford & Sons
"She died." ~R
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Warm Whispers (XM Session) ⚜ Missy Higgins
"You can't keep us apart forever!" -B
Your warm whispers
Out of the dark they carry my heart
Your warm whispers
Into the dawn they carry me through
And I'm weeping warm honey and milk
That you stay surrounding me, surrounding me
(But you're gone, you're gone
You're gone, you're gone)
Drive By ☨ Train
"Oh, yes. Yes, I'll protect you." ~R
Oh, but that one night
Is still the highlight
I didn't need you, until I came to
And I was overwhelmed and frankly scared as hell
Because I really fell for you
Oh I swear to you
I'll be there for you
This is not a drive by
King and Lionheart ⚜ Of Monsters and Men
"I'm not afraid of you and I'm not leaving without that." -B
Howling ghosts they reappear
In mountains that are stacked with fear
But you're a king and I'm a lionheart
And in the sea that's painted black,
Creatures lurk below the deck
But you're a king and I'm a lionheart
Crazy Love ☨ Michael Buble
"You'll find him and when you do, I'll be here waiting for you when you get back." -B
And when I'm returning from so far away
She gives me some sweet loving to brighten up my day
It'll make me feel righteous, make me feel whole
Make me feel mellow down into my soul
She gives me love, love, love, love, crazy love
No Light, No Light ☨ Florence + the Machine
"Who's Belle?" -B
No light, no light in your bright blue eyes
I never knew daylight could be so violent
A revelation in the light of day
You can't choose what stays and what fades away
And I'd do anything to make you stay
Beside You ☨ Marianas Trench
"I will do everything I can to bring you back. For you and for me." ~R
When you're overwhelmed and you've lost your breath
When the space between the things you know is blurry nonetheless
When you try to speak but you make no sound
And the words you want are out of reach but they've never been so loud
Scar ⚜ Missy Higgins
"I think I remember who I am." -B
So the next one came with a bag of treats
She smelled like sugar and spoke like the sea
And she told me don't trust them, trust me
Then she pulled at my stitches one by one, looked at my insides clicking
Her tongue and said "This will all have to come undone"
They Can't Take That Away From Me ☨ Frank Sinatra
"Thank you Lacey, I really needed to hear that, especially now." ~R
The way you hold your knife
The way we danced until three
The way you've changed my life
They can't take that away from me
The Wrong Girl ⚜ Missy Higgins
"This is still about Belle, isn't it?
I'm sorry, she may have loved you, but I am not her!" -B
Yet hold me against the light
And do you see any bullet inside?
Wouldn't find one if you magnified
Because you've got the wrong girl
If You Could Only See ☨ Tonic
"No, you're not." ~R
If you could only see the way she loves me
Then maybe you would understand
Why I feel this way about our love
And what I must do
If you could only see how blue her eyes can be when she says
When she says she loves me
No More Mister Nice Guy ☨ Alice Cooper
"You really are as dark as people say." -B
I got no friends cause they read the papers
They can't be seen with me
I'm getting real shot down and I'm feeling mean
No more mister nice guy, no more mister clean
No more mister nice guy, they say he's sick, he's obscene
Shake It Out ☨ Florence + the Machine
"The boy is my undoing, but he's also my grandson. I must save him.
I must do this to honor, Baelfire." ~R
And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't
So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road
And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope
It's a shot in the dark aimed right at my throat
Cause looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Well what the hell, I'm gonna let it happen to me
Hello Goodbye ⚜ Glee Cast
"The future isn't always what it seems. I will see you again." -B
You say goodbye and I say hello
Hello hello, I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello
☨ Bonus Track ⚜
Love Sex Magic ☕ Ciara feat. Justin Timberlake
I'll make sure it's just you in the crowd, doing tricks you never seen
And I bet that I can make you believe in love and sex and magic
So let me drive my body around you, I bet you know what I mean
Cause you know that I can make you believe in love and sex and magic
GrooveShark
Subject: Rumplestiltskin/Belle
Title: A Flicker of Light (Amidst an Ocean of Darkness)
About: Once Upon a Time follows the stories of many different fairy tale characters that are brought to Storybrooke, Maine when the Evil Queen enacts a curse that makes them forget who they are. Rumplestiltskin is instrumental in creating the curse, as he is the Dark One. The show follows the present day fairy tale characters and also flashes back to their previous lives before they were cursed.
Notes: I wanted to explore what qualities makes someone a hero or a villain through the relationship of Rumplestiltskin and Belle. Rumplestiltskin often acts like a villain, yet can (and occasionally does) choose to do the right thing, while Belle is clearly a hero who is willing to sacrifice for what she believes in. Belle sees the brave and good qualities that Rumplestiltskin believes he is incapable of displaying, even though he hides them behind his pageantry and power. Belle attempts to persuade him to let it all go and be the good and brave man she knows he is, instead of a beast.
Warnings: Spoilers for the whole of Season 2 of OUAT and explicit language in one or two songs.
World on Fire ⚜ Sarah McLachlan
"He could be on his way right now, Papa." -B
World's on fire, it's more than I can handle
Tap into the water, try to bring my share
Try to bring more, more than I can handle
Bring it to the table, bring what I am able
If I Had You ☨ Adam Lambert
"My price is her." ~R
There's a thin line between the dark side and the light side
It's a struggle, gotta rumble trying to find it
But if I had you, that would be the only thing I'd ever need
If I had you, money, fame, and fortune never could compete
Steer (Triple J Acoustic Version) ⚜ Missy Higgins
"I will go with him. No one decides my fate but me." -B
It was always simple not hidden hard
You've been pulled at the strings playing puppeteer for kings and you've had enough
But the search ends here, where the night it totally clear
And your heart is fierce
Now you finally know you control where you go
You can steer
Spinning ☨ Jack's Mannequin
"I like to watch the wheel. It helps me forget." ~R
I can't remember when the earth turned slowly
So I just waited with the lights turned out again
I lost my place, but I can't stop this story
I've found my way, but until then I'm only spinning
The Battle ⚜ Missy Higgins
"I made my sacrifice for them, of course I miss them you beast!" -B
Can you pull your head out a moment and try to find a second just to breathe?
I was trying to be a picture, a pillar of solidity you see
But you weren't listening too hard, under every word's a jaded heart
Now give me your best and I'll take it, feel it, breathe it then watch me throw it back to you
Amazing ☨ Kanye West
"No, because he tried to steal from me, the Dark One.
You try that, you get skinned alive, everyone knows that!" ~R
I'm a monster, I'm a killer
I know I'm wrong
I'm a problem that'll never ever be solved
And no matter what, you'll never take that from me
My reign is as far as your eyes can see
It's amazing
Brave ⚜ Sara Barellies
"I think that you are not as dark as you want people to believe.
I think that deep down, there's love in your heart and for something more than power." -B
You can be amazing
You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug
You can be the outcast or be the backlash of somebody’s lack of love
Or you can start speaking up
I wonder what would happen if you say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave
Give It All Away ☨ Ben Jelen
"I'm not a man." ~R
And with demons sitting at my side
Another angel asks me why
And it doesn't take too much to say
To feel alive, I'd give it all away
All for Believing ⚜ Missy Higgins
"You're not a monster. You think you're uglier than you are." -B
I'm all for believing, if you can reveal, the true colors within
So if you're cold I will stay, maybe fate will guide the way
I believe in what I see and baby we were meant to be
Just believe
Trust in me
Sirens ☕ Jane Eyre Original Broadway Cast
" I knew this was a trick, I knew you could never care for me!
You're working for her, or is this all you?
Is this you being the hero and killing the beast?" ~R
Damn the passion, damn the skies
Damn the light that's in her eyes
I know too well where it has led before
She saves me but I can't be saved
Frees me but I'm still enslaved
Now I battle what I most adore
*
I cannot sleep, I cannot breathe, I cry his tears
I sense the secrets of his past, I feel his fears
And I believe the ghosts of shame that haunt his past
Will rest at last
The pain will cease, I'll bring him peace
Falling Down ☨ Ben Jelen
"I'm not a coward, dearie. It's quite simple, really.
My power means more to me than you." ~R
Then she says,
"Sit in front of me, turn around you'll see, I'm all you'd ever want, all you'd ever need
Come back into my world, you know I'm always yours"
And she makes so much sense, when she says "don't throw this away"
Over the Love ⚜ Florence + the Machine
"You just don't think I can love you.
Now you've made your choice and you're going to regret it, forever.
And all you'll have is an empty heart and a chipped cup." -B
Cause you’re a hard soul to save,
With an ocean in the way,
But I’ll get around it.
Now there’s green light in my eyes,
And my lover on my mind.
And I’ll sing from that piano, tear my yellow dress and,
Cry and cry and cry,
Over the love of you
Tonight, Not Again ☨ Jason Mraz
"I'm not dealing today." ~R
This time like every other time, I believe that I never find
Another sweet little girl with sequined sea foam eyes
Ocean lapping voice, smile coy as the brightest quiet span of sky
And I'm all alone again tonight not again, not again, not again
Going North ⚜ Missy Higgins
"It's called another language, one that I know how to translate.
The yaoguai prefers mountain habitats to all others." -B
So goodbye for a while, I'm off to explore
Every boundary and every door
Yeah I'm going north
Little Lion Man ☨ Mumford & Sons
"She died." ~R
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Warm Whispers (XM Session) ⚜ Missy Higgins
"You can't keep us apart forever!" -B
Your warm whispers
Out of the dark they carry my heart
Your warm whispers
Into the dawn they carry me through
And I'm weeping warm honey and milk
That you stay surrounding me, surrounding me
(But you're gone, you're gone
You're gone, you're gone)
Drive By ☨ Train
"Oh, yes. Yes, I'll protect you." ~R
Oh, but that one night
Is still the highlight
I didn't need you, until I came to
And I was overwhelmed and frankly scared as hell
Because I really fell for you
Oh I swear to you
I'll be there for you
This is not a drive by
King and Lionheart ⚜ Of Monsters and Men
"I'm not afraid of you and I'm not leaving without that." -B
Howling ghosts they reappear
In mountains that are stacked with fear
But you're a king and I'm a lionheart
And in the sea that's painted black,
Creatures lurk below the deck
But you're a king and I'm a lionheart
Crazy Love ☨ Michael Buble
"You'll find him and when you do, I'll be here waiting for you when you get back." -B
And when I'm returning from so far away
She gives me some sweet loving to brighten up my day
It'll make me feel righteous, make me feel whole
Make me feel mellow down into my soul
She gives me love, love, love, love, crazy love
No Light, No Light ☨ Florence + the Machine
"Who's Belle?" -B
No light, no light in your bright blue eyes
I never knew daylight could be so violent
A revelation in the light of day
You can't choose what stays and what fades away
And I'd do anything to make you stay
Beside You ☨ Marianas Trench
"I will do everything I can to bring you back. For you and for me." ~R
When you're overwhelmed and you've lost your breath
When the space between the things you know is blurry nonetheless
When you try to speak but you make no sound
And the words you want are out of reach but they've never been so loud
Scar ⚜ Missy Higgins
"I think I remember who I am." -B
So the next one came with a bag of treats
She smelled like sugar and spoke like the sea
And she told me don't trust them, trust me
Then she pulled at my stitches one by one, looked at my insides clicking
Her tongue and said "This will all have to come undone"
They Can't Take That Away From Me ☨ Frank Sinatra
"Thank you Lacey, I really needed to hear that, especially now." ~R
The way you hold your knife
The way we danced until three
The way you've changed my life
They can't take that away from me
The Wrong Girl ⚜ Missy Higgins
"This is still about Belle, isn't it?
I'm sorry, she may have loved you, but I am not her!" -B
Yet hold me against the light
And do you see any bullet inside?
Wouldn't find one if you magnified
Because you've got the wrong girl
If You Could Only See ☨ Tonic
"No, you're not." ~R
If you could only see the way she loves me
Then maybe you would understand
Why I feel this way about our love
And what I must do
If you could only see how blue her eyes can be when she says
When she says she loves me
No More Mister Nice Guy ☨ Alice Cooper
"You really are as dark as people say." -B
I got no friends cause they read the papers
They can't be seen with me
I'm getting real shot down and I'm feeling mean
No more mister nice guy, no more mister clean
No more mister nice guy, they say he's sick, he's obscene
Shake It Out ☨ Florence + the Machine
"The boy is my undoing, but he's also my grandson. I must save him.
I must do this to honor, Baelfire." ~R
And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't
So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road
And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope
It's a shot in the dark aimed right at my throat
Cause looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Well what the hell, I'm gonna let it happen to me
Hello Goodbye ⚜ Glee Cast
"The future isn't always what it seems. I will see you again." -B
You say goodbye and I say hello
Hello hello, I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello
☨ Bonus Track ⚜
Love Sex Magic ☕ Ciara feat. Justin Timberlake
I'll make sure it's just you in the crowd, doing tricks you never seen
And I bet that I can make you believe in love and sex and magic
So let me drive my body around you, I bet you know what I mean
Cause you know that I can make you believe in love and sex and magic
GrooveShark