The Shipping Harbour- A debate thread

[RumplesGirl]

I’ve never questioned that Rumple loved Cora. That seemed pretty obvious from the get-go. And I know that Jane and the others like A and E have said that Cora did love Rumple, and I accept them on that. I just don’t think she loved *all* of him. Even when he was the Dark One and making deals, Rumple maintained (has always maintained) that sort of desperate hopefulness of Spinner!Rumple and now what we’ve seen 308 of Baby!Rumple. He longs for a family and a place where he can belong and not be an outcast or shunned or neglected or abandoned or thought badly of. Now that we’ve seen 308, we understand his Dark One’s personality better: he became his father–his dress, his mannerisms with his hands, and even his laugh. And that part of Rumple, the sort of delightfully cruel man who pictured ripping throats out with teeth, is who Cora fell in love with. But when he shows himself to still be Spinner!Rumple, she flees because that version of Rumple is not as powerful and cannot offer her what being a Queen can. So when Cora in the second season came to SB, she was dealing with Rumple who was now the Dark One but still Spinner!Rumple who was also Post-Belle, Post-Insanity and Post-life-as -Mr-Gold, a whole new type of Rumple who has more of that desperate hope to belong while keeping his hold on his power, the one thing that he *thinks* gives him courage, but now has openly acknowledged is an act of cowardice (204). That’s what is so beautiful about Rumple (ok, I know. I’m biased) so it’s beautiful to me: he has more facets than any other character, second maybe to Regina. I don’t think Cora would love the Rumple he is now. That Rumple, with his cane and his mementos like the chipped cup as the thing in his shop that he truly cherishes, isn’t capable of being the power hungry man she craves. Think about their interaction in Name of the Brother: they start off very DarkHearts—banter and spitfire. But soon it progresses to where you see Rumple’s weakness: Belle. Cora can see that something has affected Rumple and changed him, namely finding his true love. She isn’t interested in tearing them apart, she’s interested in reinforcing that she is the true master, she is the one who still has all the power. She can make Rumple do what she wants: give up in son all those years ago, and seal a deal with a kiss.

 

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