Goodbye Zelena

[schaendlich]

To RumplesGirl

I have a question, having read the newest responses. If Belle is being naive in what she’s asking of Rumple, then what could she have asked that would be fair to the grief and trauma Rumple is going through but also not murder?

Alright, here comes another super long, and detailed post. (Forgive me, all).

Just to be clear, I will say now that I don’t Rumpel tricking Belle is not Belle’s fault, and it’s not really her responsibility make sure that what Rumpel does is on the straight and narrow. I am just presenting  a scenario that would build Belle’s character higher than cheerleader status, and be something they could have both done. But, hey. Plot it plot. Rumpel is Rumpel. Belle is Belle. So, it didn’t happen (*is unexpectedly very sad about the lack of permanent development from either of them*)

The biggest issue with their relationship has always been their skewed views of each other. Rumpel views Belle as a naive butterfly, when we’ve seen that she can be quite strong and clever. Belle sees Rumpel to be a broken saint, incapable of turning completely to evil, when we’ve seen that he can be the cruelest being in existence. Ironically, it’s these misconceptions of each other that cause Rumpel and Belle to present themselves in ways that fuel their misconceptions of each other! XD

So, honestly, the only thing that Belle and Rumpel could have done from the start was sit down and talk to each other (immediately after Rumpel betrayed Belle’s trust with the Wraith, and before they were separated again and again) and gain clear views of who they both are, and deal with it.  Haha. 😀

However what they could have immediately done is this.

1. Comfort Rumpel. I kind of hated that there was no comfort from Belle, after all was said and done, only a moral (which is such a heavy flaw in the writing that limits Belle to nothing more than Rumpel’s flimsy conscience, but that’s another story).  There was no “I’m sorry that your son died” like when Bae wasn’t actually dead. There was only “Don’t do evil. I trust you”.  Belle should have first encouraged Rumpel to stay with her, and speak about what’s occurred, and show/tell him that he’s not crazy or evil for feeling the way that he does.  Let the dude grieve a little, but do not let him leave.

2. Think about what needs to be done next. Rumbelle tends to waste precious time, instead of helping things when there is a chance. She can’t just let him roam the streets. Belle is smart. She should have thought of a plan to calm him (because Belle is way too intelligent to completely fall for his lies about being fine after all that’s happened).

3. Only after allowing a bit of silence, comfort and grief, they should have spoken to each before about important things before the passing of the dagger. 

They should have discussed:

• What is okay to feel, but should not be done for the sake of peace.
• The meaning of Neal’s sacrifice, and how killing Zelena would affect the remaining aspects that Neal truly loved about his papa.
• What Rumpel believes is right.
• Why he believes this is right.
• What his plans are. She should plainly ask him. Rumpel speaks in loopholes, but doesn’t usually outright lie to Belle. She can read between the lines.
• Whether he hints at killing Zelena or not, she should ask him how killing her would be honoring Bae.
• Most importantly: Ask him if Bae would feel honored by her murder. It makes it harder for him to shrug it off.
• Belle should not tell Rumpel that the evil “isn’t him” as she usually does. That’ll just send off a light in his head that tells him that once again Belle is only seeing him as what she wants to see him as. It’s not comforting, nor productive. Rather, she should tell him that this person is what he doesn’t have to be. That there is always a choice, and in choosing a darker path he could very well get what he wants for now, but would likely end up losing further things that he loves. (i.e. Belle, herself)
• Belle should discuss her own discomfort with Rumpel having more blood on his hands, and take a firm stand about it. No bending. She should make it clear and present that she doesn’t agree with murder, and will not be fooled.
• In conclusion, the bulk of the conversation has to circle back, always, to where his mindset is. Whatever talk of goodness she has with him has to be incorporated into the reason for his grief, and must always come across as understanding not condoning.

There would probably be lots yelling and opposition from Rumpel, but that conversation would need to occur before Belle even allowed him to touch the dagger.

5. Finally, Belle could give him the dagger, not anymore hinting at her expectation when he has it, no longer implying a promise. After the entire session of crying/discussing/arguing/etcetera, she should give it to him with a simple “I love you.” and a meaningful look. That’s that.  It would hurt like a mother, but she’d have to trust him silently, thus not feeding much into his view of a naive girl that doesn’t understand true pain or struggle. She would show that she does understand him, and make it much more difficult for him to simply swat her opinion away (as he often has).

Belle would have done all that she could do while allowing Rumpel to make his own decisions. Rumpel does what he does, mostly when he fools himself into thinking that it is for the best. Many times it’s implied that he also lies or kills when he doesn’t think that Bae or Belle know or understand what they want. However, that perception of Bae ended when he became a man and stood firm in his convictions. If Belle shrugged off her role as a fortune cookie of  “do good” advice, it would be just what the doctor ordered. She would do this, while also agreeing to the fact that his grief and anger is completely real.

It might not have stopped Rumpel from killing Zelena, but it would have made the chances just slightly slimmer. Nothing short of wielding the dagger would completely stop him. However, it would make it difficult for him to betray her, Bae and himself. 

[PriceofMagic]

•What is okay to feel, but should not be done for the sake of peace with Regina, the others and in Storybrooke.

I don’t agree with this because it makes it seem like the most important thing is not upsetting Regina rather than letting Rumple express his emotions in a way that doesn’t involve murder.

All magic comes with a price!

Keeper of Felix

[schaendlich]

To PriceofMagic:

I don’t agree with this because it makes it seem like the most important thing is not upsetting Regina rather than letting Rumple express his emotions in a way that doesn’t involve murder.

Oh no, ma’am! 😀 If you’ve seen my other posts, you will know that I care nothing about upsetting Regina. In fact, I was one of the first to bring that type of thing up after Cora’s death.

I put that there from the point of view of Belle. Though she doesn’t like Regina, the Mayor Mills would possibly start an all out feud with Rumpel if he murdered Zelena. That is not my opinion, but a statement I could see Belle making out of want for less fighting. Nevertheless, Regina is not the focus of the post or even that sentence. She was merely an add on in to that sentence, because I was trying to think of things Belle could say (without completely breaking character) while making a list of why her opinion was viable (naming off who all it would effect). I could omit Regina’s name from the sentence and it will still have the same meaning. Furthermore, the points are not listed in order of importance. They are just as what I said they were to be in my post: Things to discuss. Notice that I even bolded what was most important to discuss which was in the middle of the list, and had to do with Baelfire.

So, I encourage you to not even dwell on that sentence, or have it skew your view of my post, because her name is literally .05% of the conversation that I’d planned out, and it’s purpose combined.

But you are completely right in one respect. Regina shouldn’t be mentioned. That’s a big flaw, and mentioning her would probably upset him more, I realize. I’ve omitted those last few words from the sentence, to make a more congruent argument. Thanks a bunch.

[Gaultheria]

PriceofMagic wrote:

Regina shouldn’t have been the one to give the “heroes don’t kill” speech. Had it been Snow or Emma, it would’ve been more acceptable, but Regina taking the moral high ground was the last thing Rumple needed in that moment. Belle handled it better but at that point Rumple was determined to exact his revenge on Zelena. Also it’s possible Regina telling him not to kill Zelena made Rumple even more determined. Regina would have definitely murdered Zelena if she had killed Henry which is why she came across as so hypocritical.

It sounds as if Regina wanted an alibi. Who’s to say Regina gave Belle the real dagger?

Gaultheria's fanvids: http://youtube.com/sagethrasher

[PriceofMagic]

It sounds as if Regina wanted an alibi. Who’s to say Regina gave Belle the real dagger?

Interesting theory, or Belle knew exactly what she was doing when she gave Rumple the dagger lol.

In all seriousness though, when Regina put Zelena’s locket in her vault, the Evil Queen theme played. Could it possibly be hinting at something?

All magic comes with a price!

Keeper of Felix

[Gaultheria]

PriceofMagic wrote:

In all seriousness though, when Regina put Zelena’s locket in her vault, the Evil Queen theme played. Could it possibly be hinting at something?

Mind swap? Zelena wanted the life that Regina got.

Gaultheria's fanvids: http://youtube.com/sagethrasher

[schaendlich]

It sounds as if Regina wanted an alibi. Who’s to say Regina gave Belle the real dagger?

 

Oooh. I like you. You think of crazy things that get my brain going. >:D

Hmm. Brainstorming time. What reason do you think Regina would want to keep the dagger for? Maybe she knew Rumpel would try something, and so made a fake Zelena, and kept his dagger to maintain control. That’s why Zelena shattered like glass. Regina could be pulling the strings like some crazy Godfather! I don’t want evil Regina again (please, no. It’s too much). But if we have to have it, this would be awesome.

[Gaultheria]

Thanks, schaendlich!

Yeah, I don’t think Regina will turn back to self-serving evil, but she could be just as much of a threat “for the greater good”. I think her thoughts would go something like this: Results are what matter, and “The Evil Queen” was a convenient label for maintaining order. Henry almost died again, so keeping control of the Dark One’s power would be effective protection. Rumpel needs a restraining hand, anyway, for his own good. Law enforcement in town needs strong leadership to counter all these threats that keep appearing.

Huh; I didn’t mean for that to turn into a metaphor.

Gaultheria's fanvids: http://youtube.com/sagethrasher

[schaendlich]

Interesting. That’d be a new way to go about things. Regina becoming good to the point that she uses questionable means to exercise her newfound “goodness”.

Even if we’re both wrong, I feel that something is up that we all are going to either be extremely pleased, or extremely p-o’ed to see.

I just can’t wait; I’m so giddy! Honestly, I just enjoy when Once really surprises me in any way. I feel like it’s coming. Something bigger than a simple resurrection of  Zelena. I want to be shocked. My body is ready. XD

[WickedRegal]

I just found this…interesting….

"If you go as far as you can see...you will then see enough to go even further." - Finn Balor

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