Player nickname: Dawn Player DW:unsurrendered Way to contact you: Email: cycloneswake[at]gmail[dot]com AIM: tangledgraces Plurk:tangledgraces Other: PMs to character or personal journal always work! Are you at least 15?: Y Current Characters: Phil Coulson, Peter Parker
Character: Mr. Gold (Rumplestiltskin) Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Character Notes: Mr. Gold is the Storybrooke identity that was given to Rumplestiltskin by the curse that brought everyone from their land to rural Maine and wiped their memories. However, Mr. Gold has always remembered who he is and was. Because his real world identity is a fabrication, there is not much backstory for it, so most of the history section will deal with his fairy-tale-land self and the events that occurred in Storybrooke after Emma arrived and set time to moving correctly.
Part of this application includes parts of a previous app I wrote for Rumplestiltskin at Star Kingdom (that application is visible here in his character journal)
History: Rumplestiltskin was born a mortal man. He lived in a rather humble village and worked as a spinner. Somewhere along the way he was married and had a single son, Baelfire. His wife was displeased at him for fleeing from a war and earning the reputation of a coward. She was eventually "stolen" away by pirates, and Rumple was too much of a coward to fight the pirate crew to save her. Believing his wife lost for good, Rumpelstiltskin raised his son alone as best he could. However, this was complicated by the rather dangerous and dire times that had engulfed the hamlet where he lived. War (against Ogres) had taken its toll on the land, and the army was so in need of soldiers that children were taken away from their families once they reached a certain age to fight on the front lines. Rumpelstiltskin's son was perilously close to this age, and he was terrified of losing him.
Years earlier, Rumpelstiltskin fled from a battle himself and earned a reputation of being a coward as a result. However, when his son was in danger, he planned to flee once more, this time with the boy, to protect Baelfire from having to fight (and likely die) in the war. However, before he could manage to flee, the soldiers found and threatened him, making a point to humiliate Rumpelstiltskin in front of his son. With nowhere else to turn, the old spinner was more than a bit distraught. On his way back to his village, however, he and his son met an old beggar who told them the source of the Duke's power -- a being called the Dark One. The leader of the soldiers called upon the Dark One to enforce his edicts with violence and magic. This terrifying being, the old man informed him, was controlled by a dagger in the Duke's possession. With this dagger, Rumpelstiltskin could control the Dark One and stop the reign of terror and -- most importantly -- save his son.
Armed with this knowledge and a desperation to keep Baelfire safe, Rumpelstiltskin broke into the Duke's castle and stole the dagger. He used it to summon the Dark One. However, the encounter went poorly, and Rumpelstiltskin was terrified of the creature, who taunted him about his cowardice and made insinuations that Rumpelstiltskin was not Baelfire's actual father. In a sudden fit of rage, Rumpelstiltskin stabbed the Dark One and was shocked to find that the creature was the same old beggar who told him of the dagger in the first place. The beggar was tired of living with this curse and tricked Rumpelstiltskin. In killing him with the cursed dagger, Rumpelstiltskin took the curse onto himself. It changed him -- in appearance and in personality. It gave him a sudden almost unimaginable power, which he used to destroy the soldiers, violently, much to the horror of his son. He also used this new found power to end the Ogre wars and save the children from the front lines, keeping Bae from having to fight.
But the darkness in him kept growing. His son began to despair about what his father had become. Bae made a wish and a deal with a faerie for a magical bean (the last of its kind) that would open a portal to a world without magic, where Rumplestiltskin would be free of his curse and the darkness it had brought over him. Rumplestiltskin agreed to go, but at the last moment his cowardice got the better of him and he hesitated too long. Baelfire was dragged to this other world and the portal closed with Rumple still on this side. He lost his son and immediately became frantic and regretful. But there was no way to reopen the portal.
Years later, Rumpelstiltskin had used his power to become a very well known and feared man. He was infamous for the deals that he made, promising (and delivering) people the things that they desperately wanted and needed -- at a price. Along the way he had had also met and mentored Regina, the woman who would become the Evil Queen, though it appeared that they had a falling out along the way. Through all his business, he had amassed quite a collection of interesting things and favors. He lived alone, however, and regularly spent his time spinning straw into gold, alone in a large estate.
This changed, however, when he was summoned to a kingdom that was overrun by ogres. They were desperately seeking a solution, and Rumpelstiltskin agreed to provide them with the protection they needed, but in exchange he demanded that the King's daughter, Belle, come and stay with him at his estate as its caretaker. Despite the protests of her father and fiance, Belle agreed and the deal was struck. Rumpelstiltskin took her back to his estate and she fell into her role as housekeeper. Slowly, the two became friendly with one another. Belle was not afraid of him, and they began talking and growing closer, something that Rumpelstiltskin was unsure how to deal with. More than that, an affection had begun to grow in him for Belle, a fact that he would not admit, likely even to himself. Finally, he told her to go to town -- her first time being allowed to leave his estate since the deal was struck -- to fetch him more straw to spin. He expected that she would not return, and in a way was choosing to grant her her freedom without explicitly saying it and breaking their deal.
He was surprised when she returned, and further surprised when she kissed him. This kiss, however, proved to be one of true love (one of the most powerful magics in existence) and it began to reverse the curse that he was under. He recoiled and pushed Belle away. In a fit of anger (and, in all honesty, fear) he locked her in the dungeon. He proclaimed that no one could ever love him, and that he didn't love her. He valued his power more. However, the sheer fact that the kiss was undoing his curse was proof enough that it was an action of true love, proving his feelings for her even if he denied them.
He sent Belle away, despite her warnings that he would spend the rest of his life alone with a heart full of regret. This proved to be very true, when not long after, the (evil) Queen arrived and cruelly informed Rumpelstiltskin that Belle's father had believed Belle to be corrupted by her time with Rumpelstiltskin, had locked her in a tower, had her cleansed by clerics and their scourges, the treatment eventually driving Belle to leap from the tower and to her death. Rumpelstiltskin sent the Queen away and was grief stricken, clinging to the sole memento of his time with Belle, a small teacup that she had chipped.
Life went on, however, and Rumpelstiltskin, feared monster that he was, continued making his deals. Many of these seemed to be interconnected. In particular, he became involved in the fate of Snow White and Prince Charming as well as the Evil Queen. His deals with Snow and Charming led to his ability to bottle the magic of true love. His dealing with the Queen led to the curse that plunged the fairytale world into mostly magicless real world of Storybrooke. (It was later revealed that Rumpelstiltskin's Storybrooke counterpart is one of the few who retained his memories of his life as Rumpelstiltskin, and had designed the curse as a way to get to the world where Bae had disappeared). He also provided Snow and Charming with the "solution" to the curse, telling them that their then-unborn child would be the savior who could break this curse. His price for this information was the baby's name -- Emma.
Once in Storybrooke, Rumplestiltskin's identity changed as everyone else's did. He became Mr. Gold, a wealthy and rather ruthless businessman. He ran a pawnshop, suspiciously full of trinkets from the other citizens of Storybrooke's lives. He also seemed to hold the lease to many of the properties in town, a fact that became apparent when he went about town looking for answers to questions and instead was met with repeated insistences of "the rent isn't due yet!" Later he reveleaed that he was also a lawyer and represented Mary Margaret when she was suspected of murder.
When Emma first arrived in Storybrooke, Mr. Gold encountered her and asked her name. At the answer, he seemed far too pleased. Bit by bit he revealed himself as both ally to Emma and a villain. He helped her win election as sheriff when running against the mayor's minion. But this help was rather twisted. He lit a fire that trapped the mayor so that Emma could save her. Emma found out he was behind it and turned him away and admitted the truth to the town, expecting to lose the election because of it. Instead, she won. This was what Gold had planned all along, in that standing up to him was one way that Emma could prove herself a capable and strong enough sheriff. Bit by bit he turned out to be a force of opposition to the Mayor (Regina, who was the evil queen who had cast the curse) and incurred her wrath.
In one instance, she went after him by prompting Moe (in his previous life, Belle's father) to steal from him. Though most of his property was recovered, one trinket was missing and it sent Gold into an absolute rage. It was the teacup that Belle had chipped in their lives in the fairytale world, his last remembrance of her. After beating Moe near to death to find out where it was, he landed himself in jail. Regina visited then and admitted she had the cup. Before she would give it back to him, she insisted that he tell her his name. And with barely contained rage he answered that his name was Rumplestiltskin, admitting that he had remembered his true memories. From then on he continued his machinations to ensure that the curse would be broken, sometimes seemingly allying with Regina, only to double cross her.
When Emma finally began believing in the magic and the truth of Storybrooke, he provided her with her father's sword to do battle with a dragon to recover a potion that could save Henry from a sleeping spell that was killing him. Shortly after, Belle walked into his shop. All this time in Storybrooke, she had been hidden and locked away by Regina. She had no memories of her previous life, but she had been set free and told to find Mr. Gold.
Shortly after this, the curse broke entirely and everyone regained their memories. Gold admitted to Belle that he loved her, and then insisted he had something important to do. Using the true love potion, he set a cloud of magic over the town to regain his power. Bit by bit his relationship with Belle began to grow strained. He tried to send her away because he realized that even if she hoped he would, he couldn't change from the monster that he was. But she insisted that was why she had to stay. Later she changed her mind after finding out that he was practicing magic more and more. Realizing that he was going to lose her for real this time, he felt that he at least owed her the truth. He explained how he had lost Baelfire and that he was a coward still, that he felt he needed the magic, the power. And that he was trying to find a way to his son -- tricky since he still couldn't leave Storybrooke without losing all memories of his true life.
Mr. Gold/Rumplestiltskin | Once Upon a Time | Reserved 1/2
Player DW:
Way to contact you:
Email: cycloneswake[at]gmail[dot]com
AIM: tangledgraces
Plurk:
Other: PMs to character or personal journal always work!
Are you at least 15?: Y
Current Characters: Phil Coulson, Peter Parker
Character: Mr. Gold (Rumplestiltskin)
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Character Notes:
Mr. Gold is the Storybrooke identity that was given to Rumplestiltskin by the curse that brought everyone from their land to rural Maine and wiped their memories. However, Mr. Gold has always remembered who he is and was. Because his real world identity is a fabrication, there is not much backstory for it, so most of the history section will deal with his fairy-tale-land self and the events that occurred in Storybrooke after Emma arrived and set time to moving correctly.
Part of this application includes parts of a previous app I wrote for Rumplestiltskin at Star Kingdom (that application is visible here in his character journal)
History:
Rumplestiltskin was born a mortal man. He lived in a rather humble village and worked as a spinner. Somewhere along the way he was married and had a single son, Baelfire. His wife was displeased at him for fleeing from a war and earning the reputation of a coward. She was eventually "stolen" away by pirates, and Rumple was too much of a coward to fight the pirate crew to save her. Believing his wife lost for good, Rumpelstiltskin raised his son alone as best he could. However, this was complicated by the rather dangerous and dire times that had engulfed the hamlet where he lived. War (against Ogres) had taken its toll on the land, and the army was so in need of soldiers that children were taken away from their families once they reached a certain age to fight on the front lines. Rumpelstiltskin's son was perilously close to this age, and he was terrified of losing him.
Years earlier, Rumpelstiltskin fled from a battle himself and earned a reputation of being a coward as a result. However, when his son was in danger, he planned to flee once more, this time with the boy, to protect Baelfire from having to fight (and likely die) in the war. However, before he could manage to flee, the soldiers found and threatened him, making a point to humiliate Rumpelstiltskin in front of his son. With nowhere else to turn, the old spinner was more than a bit distraught. On his way back to his village, however, he and his son met an old beggar who told them the source of the Duke's power -- a being called the Dark One. The leader of the soldiers called upon the Dark One to enforce his edicts with violence and magic. This terrifying being, the old man informed him, was controlled by a dagger in the Duke's possession. With this dagger, Rumpelstiltskin could control the Dark One and stop the reign of terror and -- most importantly -- save his son.
Armed with this knowledge and a desperation to keep Baelfire safe, Rumpelstiltskin broke into the Duke's castle and stole the dagger. He used it to summon the Dark One. However, the encounter went poorly, and Rumpelstiltskin was terrified of the creature, who taunted him about his cowardice and made insinuations that Rumpelstiltskin was not Baelfire's actual father. In a sudden fit of rage, Rumpelstiltskin stabbed the Dark One and was shocked to find that the creature was the same old beggar who told him of the dagger in the first place. The beggar was tired of living with this curse and tricked Rumpelstiltskin. In killing him with the cursed dagger, Rumpelstiltskin took the curse onto himself. It changed him -- in appearance and in personality. It gave him a sudden almost unimaginable power, which he used to destroy the soldiers, violently, much to the horror of his son. He also used this new found power to end the Ogre wars and save the children from the front lines, keeping Bae from having to fight.
But the darkness in him kept growing. His son began to despair about what his father had become. Bae made a wish and a deal with a faerie for a magical bean (the last of its kind) that would open a portal to a world without magic, where Rumplestiltskin would be free of his curse and the darkness it had brought over him. Rumplestiltskin agreed to go, but at the last moment his cowardice got the better of him and he hesitated too long. Baelfire was dragged to this other world and the portal closed with Rumple still on this side. He lost his son and immediately became frantic and regretful. But there was no way to reopen the portal.
Years later, Rumpelstiltskin had used his power to become a very well known and feared man. He was infamous for the deals that he made, promising (and delivering) people the things that they desperately wanted and needed -- at a price. Along the way he had had also met and mentored Regina, the woman who would become the Evil Queen, though it appeared that they had a falling out along the way. Through all his business, he had amassed quite a collection of interesting things and favors. He lived alone, however, and regularly spent his time spinning straw into gold, alone in a large estate.
This changed, however, when he was summoned to a kingdom that was overrun by ogres. They were desperately seeking a solution, and Rumpelstiltskin agreed to provide them with the protection they needed, but in exchange he demanded that the King's daughter, Belle, come and stay with him at his estate as its caretaker. Despite the protests of her father and fiance, Belle agreed and the deal was struck. Rumpelstiltskin took her back to his estate and she fell into her role as housekeeper. Slowly, the two became friendly with one another. Belle was not afraid of him, and they began talking and growing closer, something that Rumpelstiltskin was unsure how to deal with. More than that, an affection had begun to grow in him for Belle, a fact that he would not admit, likely even to himself. Finally, he told her to go to town -- her first time being allowed to leave his estate since the deal was struck -- to fetch him more straw to spin. He expected that she would not return, and in a way was choosing to grant her her freedom without explicitly saying it and breaking their deal.
He was surprised when she returned, and further surprised when she kissed him. This kiss, however, proved to be one of true love (one of the most powerful magics in existence) and it began to reverse the curse that he was under. He recoiled and pushed Belle away. In a fit of anger (and, in all honesty, fear) he locked her in the dungeon. He proclaimed that no one could ever love him, and that he didn't love her. He valued his power more. However, the sheer fact that the kiss was undoing his curse was proof enough that it was an action of true love, proving his feelings for her even if he denied them.
He sent Belle away, despite her warnings that he would spend the rest of his life alone with a heart full of regret. This proved to be very true, when not long after, the (evil) Queen arrived and cruelly informed Rumpelstiltskin that Belle's father had believed Belle to be corrupted by her time with Rumpelstiltskin, had locked her in a tower, had her cleansed by clerics and their scourges, the treatment eventually driving Belle to leap from the tower and to her death. Rumpelstiltskin sent the Queen away and was grief stricken, clinging to the sole memento of his time with Belle, a small teacup that she had chipped.
Life went on, however, and Rumpelstiltskin, feared monster that he was, continued making his deals. Many of these seemed to be interconnected. In particular, he became involved in the fate of Snow White and Prince Charming as well as the Evil Queen. His deals with Snow and Charming led to his ability to bottle the magic of true love. His dealing with the Queen led to the curse that plunged the fairytale world into mostly magicless real world of Storybrooke. (It was later revealed that Rumpelstiltskin's Storybrooke counterpart is one of the few who retained his memories of his life as Rumpelstiltskin, and had designed the curse as a way to get to the world where Bae had disappeared). He also provided Snow and Charming with the "solution" to the curse, telling them that their then-unborn child would be the savior who could break this curse. His price for this information was the baby's name -- Emma.
Once in Storybrooke, Rumplestiltskin's identity changed as everyone else's did. He became Mr. Gold, a wealthy and rather ruthless businessman. He ran a pawnshop, suspiciously full of trinkets from the other citizens of Storybrooke's lives. He also seemed to hold the lease to many of the properties in town, a fact that became apparent when he went about town looking for answers to questions and instead was met with repeated insistences of "the rent isn't due yet!" Later he reveleaed that he was also a lawyer and represented Mary Margaret when she was suspected of murder.
When Emma first arrived in Storybrooke, Mr. Gold encountered her and asked her name. At the answer, he seemed far too pleased. Bit by bit he revealed himself as both ally to Emma and a villain. He helped her win election as sheriff when running against the mayor's minion. But this help was rather twisted. He lit a fire that trapped the mayor so that Emma could save her. Emma found out he was behind it and turned him away and admitted the truth to the town, expecting to lose the election because of it. Instead, she won. This was what Gold had planned all along, in that standing up to him was one way that Emma could prove herself a capable and strong enough sheriff. Bit by bit he turned out to be a force of opposition to the Mayor (Regina, who was the evil queen who had cast the curse) and incurred her wrath.
In one instance, she went after him by prompting Moe (in his previous life, Belle's father) to steal from him. Though most of his property was recovered, one trinket was missing and it sent Gold into an absolute rage. It was the teacup that Belle had chipped in their lives in the fairytale world, his last remembrance of her. After beating Moe near to death to find out where it was, he landed himself in jail. Regina visited then and admitted she had the cup. Before she would give it back to him, she insisted that he tell her his name. And with barely contained rage he answered that his name was Rumplestiltskin, admitting that he had remembered his true memories. From then on he continued his machinations to ensure that the curse would be broken, sometimes seemingly allying with Regina, only to double cross her.
When Emma finally began believing in the magic and the truth of Storybrooke, he provided her with her father's sword to do battle with a dragon to recover a potion that could save Henry from a sleeping spell that was killing him. Shortly after, Belle walked into his shop. All this time in Storybrooke, she had been hidden and locked away by Regina. She had no memories of her previous life, but she had been set free and told to find Mr. Gold.
Shortly after this, the curse broke entirely and everyone regained their memories. Gold admitted to Belle that he loved her, and then insisted he had something important to do. Using the true love potion, he set a cloud of magic over the town to regain his power. Bit by bit his relationship with Belle began to grow strained. He tried to send her away because he realized that even if she hoped he would, he couldn't change from the monster that he was. But she insisted that was why she had to stay. Later she changed her mind after finding out that he was practicing magic more and more. Realizing that he was going to lose her for real this time, he felt that he at least owed her the truth. He explained how he had lost Baelfire and that he was a coward still, that he felt he needed the magic, the power. And that he was trying to find a way to his son -- tricky since he still couldn't leave Storybrooke without losing all memories of his true life.