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ddd_news2012-01-01 12:59 pm
tripled_mods) wrote in ddd_news2012-01-01 12:59 pmAPPLICATIONS | 2012; 01
THIS APPLICATIONS POST IS CLOSED. Please direct your attention to the new one here!
tripled_mods) wrote in ddd_news2012-01-01 12:59 pm
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.
Mr. Gold/Rumplestiltskin | Once Upon a Time | Reserved 2/3 ...oops
The two sides of his identity, Mr. Gold and Rumplestiltskin are very very different. But the uniting factor in both is that both are largely masks that he wears to deflect the majority of the world. To hide. Gold is a coward and always has been, a fact that he eventually admits to himself (and to those closest to him), but that he has, as of yet, been unable to change. He cloaks himself in power and viciousness and is always grasping for more power, more strength.
Because his two personas are so different on the surface, it's important to understand both.
Rumplestiltskin
Rumpelstiltskin is an imp. At first glance, he seems largely mischievous. He is quick to laughter and tends to treat life a bit like a game that he is playing. However, this mischief is a thin veneer that does little to hide his much darker, more sinister self. He has become a much-feared monster for good reasons. His motivations are his own, and he does not hesitate in taking actions that would cause other people pain and suffering or death if it happens to be in his own best interest. He can be cruel and vicious, as shown in his treatment of the soldiers who had tormented him before he gained the Dark One's curse. He also has an intense hatred for fairies, and seems to genuinely enjoy killing them whenever possible. It's an odd hobby, but like most of the things that he does, it has a deeper reasoning to it.
One of the main things that Rumpelstiltskin is associated with are his deals -- many of which are double edged swords. His half of the deal always delivers, but sometimes with consequences that were not anticipated by the person who sought them out. For example, the memory potion he gave to Snow White so that she could forget her love for Charming did more than just remove the prince from her memory. It took all her capability to love from her, turning her into a cruel and hard person -- something that conveniently enough played into Rumpelstiltskin's later plans of having Charming save her and eventually using a small piece of the two lovers to finally bottle true love as a potion. This careful plotting that extends far out into the future is another of his main characteristics. He is a schemer who chooses his actions and his prices quite carefully. Even if he pretends to be an impish, manic creature, he does not make his decisions rashly. In fact, he has blatantly taken advantage of those who do not think things through quite so carefully. When Cinderella was desperate to leave behind the life of abuse at the hands of her stepmother, he makes her a deal about claiming his price at a later date, once she has become a princess. She agrees without asking further details, assuming he'll want money or jewels. In fact, his price turns out to be her first born child. His schemes are very carefully mapped out.
However, there is an exception to this. When he is angry, Rumpelstiltskin's judgment and careful planning seems to go straight out the window. He has shown himself to be prone to fits of temper -- though this does seem to be a rarity and is almost always connected to those he genuinely loves. First, his rash action in stabbing the original Dark One after goading about his son and later when he smashes and breaks so many things in his home after learning of Belle's fate from the Queen.
Despite his viciousness and violence, Rumpelstiltskin is capable of caring deeply for people, even after becoming the creature that he is. This is clearest in his relationship with Belle. The fact that her kiss was beginning to reverse his curse before he pushed her away is proof that the love between them was real, and in particular from his end of the equation. (We learn later when Charming tries to save the amnesiac Snow with true love's kiss, it fails at first because she no longer remembers her love for him, regardless of how much he still loves her.) Rumpelstiltskin was also willing to let Belle out of her deal, sending her into town with the expectation that she would not return to him -- quite surprised when she actually did.
Underneath Rumpelstiltskin's outward personality, there appears to be a deep sadness and loss -- all centered around the loss of his son. Bae has been taken from his life, however, he still keeps his son's clothes in a room at his estate, and when Belle asks, he refuses to speak about them. He seems unable to really confront his past, and he holds onto his pain like it is as much a shield as anything. But there is good reason for this. Getting Baelfire back is his primary mission in life.
Rumpelstiltskin seems nearly addicted to making his deals. At one point, it is his desire for making them that leads to his being captured and imprisoned. However, based on the way things unfold, this is part of his plans. He is not only addicted to dealing, he is also apparently addicted to power. Most of his decisions seem to be a way for him to obtain more or keep his current power. Even in turning Belle away, he was clinging to his curse and his power. Part of his is because, even with as powerful as he has become, Rumpelstiltskin is still a coward deep down. He is still the same frightened man he has always been. He fears being hurt -- physically as well as emotionally. He insists that no one could love him, but it seems more than he is too afraid to take the risk that letting love in could be. There may well be good reason for this. In the past, his wife left him to run off with pirates because she didn't love him anymore. Later, in a fit of anger, he kills her when he finds this out and lops the hand off her new lover. His anger is often suppressed, but it escapes in violent outbursts.
Also suppressed and hidden deep inside himself is a vulnerability that he does not want to let anyone see. Mostly it is centered around his son and later around Belle. When he finds out her fate from Regina, there's an almost hopeful moment when he asks if Belle needs a home, sounding like he's quite ready to offer her one, despite his turning her away in the first place. When Regina tells him that Belle is "dead" he turns her away. His anger is the first thing that shows itself, a fit of smashing and breaking. But he also finds the little tea cup that Belle chipped and sets it very delicately in a spot he can see it, where it will be safe. Later, when dealing with Charming, he mentions that he was in love once and when asked what happened to her is very plain to say that she died, and for that moment, there's a flash of this same vulnerability.
Mr. Gold
First and foremost, Mr. Gold is Rumplestiltskin. They are one in the same. He has never forgotten his former life, always retained each and every memory of the fairy tale world even as the rest of the town has forgotten who they truly are. But even if they are the same person, Mr. Gold acts quite differently from Rumplestiltskin in many ways. First of all, Mr. Gold is a calm and collected businessman. He seldom shows any emotion much more intense than annoyance. He's very level and acts like he is aware of the way things will transpire, and often times he is. He is the one who pulls the strings, who sets things in motion and then sits back to watch them unfurl. He seldom gets his own hands dirty, at least in any way that is traceable back to him without at least some wiggle room for deniability. This is also how he operated as Rumplestiltskin. But Gold is a much more subdued and soft-spoken man than Rumplestiltskin was. They tend to do the same things in many respects, but their demeanor is the difference.
Where Rumplestiltskin is the type for grand gestures and flourishes and a bit of prancing from time to time, Gold is very self-contained. He seldom reacts to anything, at least when he is prepared for it. He is not nearly so quick to laugh as he was as Rumplestiltskin. In fact, even his smiles a great deal more subdued. Physically, he moves a great deal differently too -- partially because once the curse is lifted, his injury comes back and he limps and requires a cane. Mr. Gold is usually polite, though there's certainly an edge to nearly everything that he says or does. Much like the entire fairy tale realm was, the entire town of Storybrooke is wary and a bit afraid of him. He uses this fact to his advantage, in many ways "ruling" over the populace just as much as Regina, if not more so. He holds the lease over most buildings and it seems that a number of people owe him things, including Emma who has promised him a favor that he has not yet collected on, and that he does not like to let her forget that she owes him.
Anger is not something that Gold shows very often, but when he does, it is violent and explosive, another trait that he shares entirely with Rumplestiltskin. Usually Gold levels out at vaguely annoyed and walks away from situations with a threat or a bit of coercion, but when something dear to him is involved, things change. When Moe stole the teacup from him, he exploded in a rage and nearly beat the man to death. His emotions are below the surface more often than not, but they are also roiling, just waiting for the opportunity to be let loose and boil over.
Even as Gold there is a vulnerability in him, one that comes out in unplanned moments. When Belle reappears, there's a moment where Gold is struck absolutely silent by the sight of her. Even if she doesn't remember him, he pulls her into a hug and looks like he's on the verge of something like tears. He also finally admits that he loves her when when she remembers who she is.
However this love is not enough to stop him from his usual ways, secretive and scheming. It causes a rift between him and Belle, one that he seems incapable of mending. He twists words and makes promises that he keeps only technically (for example, he promised Belle he wouldn't kill Regina, so instead he marks her with a symbol that will draw a wraith to her, and the wraith will be the one to kill her. He considers this a promise kept, though Belle begs to differ). He admits to her that though she may hope otherwise, he is a monster and likely always will be. But still, when she disappears, he seeks out Charming/David for help and is sincerely concerned about her, something that David picks up on. He's willing to do anything he can to find her and save her, but when he does and she decides to leave him anyway because of the secrets and lies and his thirst for power, he realizes that he's losing her again. This revelation awakens a fear in him, the idea of losing Belle completely without ever telling her the truth, it's enough to prompt him into actually opening up to her. He finally tells her about himself, admits his own cowardice and tells her about Baelfire and how he's trying to find a way back to him. Though they don't necessarily kiss and make up, this display of honesty, genuine honesty, earns him at least a chance. And he's visibly grateful for it.
Gold is mostly interested in his own plans and plots and seems to help those around him more as a means to an end than any desire to really change their lives one way or another. An exception to this is the genuine animosity that he harbors towards Regina, especially after finding out that she has kept Belle hidden and imprisoned all these years.
In conclusion, whatever you choose to call him, Gold is a man who hides his true self beneath one veneer or another. His motivations he keeps close to the chest, only barely opening up to the very few he trusts or to those he needs to because they are useful for what he needs to accomplish. There is a deep and dark anger in him (only some of which can be attributed to darkness of the curse that he is under) that is fed by fear. He is terrified of becoming the simpering, cowering man that he used to be. But more than that terror is the fear of losing the few things left in life that he genuinely cares for and loves, namely Belle and Baelfire.
He is a liar and he twists words like it's an art form, and his deals are never quite as fair as they seem. But he's not necessarily the villain. Sometimes certainly he plays that role, but at other times, he is an unlikely ally, and a strong one at that. He always seems to be a few steps ahead of the game, his plans far-reaching and complex and often interconnected, a bit like the strands of a spider's web. He is a man driven by purpose, though he sometimes gets caught up in his own thirst for power and his continuing cowardice. But bit by bit he is learning and changing, largely thanks to Belle and her influence on him.
Other:
Rumplestiltskin possesses a great deal of magic due to the curse that he is under. He can conjure any number of things, enchant objects, craft curses, brew potions. In Storybrooke however, magic has not existed until very recently in current canon. Once magic is brought back, Gold's magic is returned to him and he's quick to make use of it.
Additional Links:
Mr. Gold
Rumplestiltskin
Mr. Gold/Rumplestiltskin | Once Upon a Time | Reserved 3/3
[Gold's eyes are focused on something on the counter in front of him, invisible to the camera. But he's aware the video feed is on, even if he didn't necessarily plan it.] So then, this charming little network doesn't respect normal business hours, does it? No manners at all. But then it seems to me that I've been neglecting this useful little tool here anyway. That won't do, at all. When something so fascinating falls into your lap, it's a sin to let it languish unused.
So many people so many worlds. I'm sure you all have your stories. And I do love a good story. [A faint smile, twitch of his lips and little more.]
But no true deal can be solely one-sided, can it? So let's start with this. I'll share a story or two as as well, and you'll tell me a bit about you and the places you come from. What are they like? Is there technology or are things more... magical? [Don't mind the faint glint in his eyes at that word.]
It's not really too much to ask is it? Certainly you'll humor an old man his idle curiosities.
In the end, maybe we'll all learn a little something.
Third Person:
Gold's cane thumped against the floor loudly with each step. There was a clipped, sharp edge to each step he took, agitation plain in the tenseness of his posture, the thin line that his lips had pressed to. Frustration. He'd never been exceptionally good at dealing with being frustrated, with seeing his plans waylaid or thwarted. It made the anger in him swell, pushing him closer to that precarious little cliff, the other side of which tended to lead to a free fall of violence, of smashing and breaking, object and person, property and soul. For now though it was contained. But that couldn't last, not if he continued to come up short. Again and again.
He limped along the long back shelf of his store, eyes roaming over the trinkets that filled it. Bits and pieces of so many lives -- a doll, a wind chime, a pick axe, a well-worn book. Maybe it was strange that he had filled his store, filled this life with reminders and remembrances of a world he'd left behind, of a world they'd all left behind. After all, these weren't his keepsakes. They were pieces of other people's lives, forgotten and then remembered. But they were his. In this world, in this town, they belonged to him, these fragments of other's memories. He had little use for them, most of them. Some of them had come in quite handy: the magic book, the old sword. But he didn't keep them because of their use so much as what they represented.
This town. These people. That they were here at all was his doing, though the blame still fell to Regina. That, of course, had been by design. No sense taking the blame and facing the wrath of a population displaced and stripped of their true selves. No, that was far too much vitriol and anger to properly deal with. He had more important things to worry about. He had places to go.
Except now he was trapped. Trapped. He tapped the cane hard against the floor, frowning to himself as he looked to the small globe atop his counter. Twenty eight years he'd been unable to leave this town. Twenty eight years biding his time, waiting for the savior to finally show up. Longer still while the stubborn, willful thing refused to consider believing. But the curse was broken.
And still he was trapped. Fingers tightened at the handle of his cane, enough that his knuckles blanched from it. His free hand lifted a book from the shelf, a small almanac, a travel guide.
Years and years and years and he was kept from the one thing that mattered, unable to correct the one deal he hadn't kept, the worst mistake he'd made. There was a shift in his expression then, faint, barely visible. A furrowing of brows, a tighter press of his lips together. His eyes darkened, as though the sudden rise of rage were singeing them darker. No warning came before he moved. With a wordless sound, he hurled the book at the counter. Glass shattered, falling to a pile along with the bits and trinkets of jewelry that had been inside, shattered glass glittering like the silver and gold and gems that lay among it. Gold straightened up then, sighing. A deep breath, a moment to draw the rage back. No, this would do no good. It wasn't over yet. There were other options. He just had to find them. There were always other options, methods unused, routes as of yet unexplored.
The small bell at the top of the front door chimed out as the door was pushed open. Glancing from the broken glass towards it, stepped around the pile of shattered and jagged pieces. "What can I do for you? Please, mind the glass. There was a bit of an accident."
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