Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-26116863-20150512000952/@comment-25926288-20150513211455

I'll just put it like this. As Robert Carlyle said, there is no Rumbelle. There are two different characters that go through different things. While Snowing may share a brain and heart apparently, the characters are two individuals and their togetherness isn't and shouldn't be the highlight of their character.

I'm not a shipper, but I can see what tohers see in the couple, but I also see the many things against it.

Belle going back to Rumple shows how little self-respect she has, how little character she has, or how regressive the show is. I don't spout feminism and such, but the show started with the premise of also haveing strong female characters, even the female characters were the main characters (Snow, Regina, Emma, with a little of Rumple and David.) As the show progressed it was fine. They may have added more male characters, but most remained relatively weak or in the background.

Belle has only been shown as weak. Every moment of strength is overridden by her seemingly Stockholm Syndrome acceptance of Rumple time and time again. Tell me honestly shippers and anti-shippers why they love one another. They literally had spent a couple of months together in which he pushed her away. Then he betrays her trust. Then they get back together, she doesn't believe he killed his wife, then gets amnesia. Then he leaves for another land and then returns, dies, is enslaved. Then, wahoo! They are married based on a lie. Then more deceptions. Even before then and now, Rumple doesn't believe that Belle loves him and that Belle loves him.........because she sees something that is small and flickering but never around for more than a week.Has he ever been good for more than a week or two? She sees something that she thinks but rarely knows.

Rumple isn't redeemed through this blank slate heart and with all truth, fact, and fairness, he should make the same mistakes again. He, in every variation, has made the same mistake time and time again. An empty heart should make him all of a sudden good. The Dark One curse doesn't corrupt you. Can't just blame something because you want to. The person makes the decisions, not the dormant parasite within. He wasn't possessed, he was using something that harms his body and that power corrupts and he abused to et what he wanted.

Rumple has a habit of self-loathing and being fatalistic. He has a crutch which I doubt he'll be able to curb. Taking away his magic and immortality doesn't change much. Sure he will worry about his preservation again and won't go things being willy nilly, but give him that magic back and he's still the same person. What needs to change is internal. Even in his first redemptive step overcoming his self-preservation and even choosing his son over power, he did so with the idea that no one could love him and he was dooomed to this fate, which he has a point about fate. In the Once Universe, they are have fates and destinies but how they get there is different. Rumple was doomed to lose his son and he tried to resolve it. Okay.....but we also know that he views everything as his possession which is amplified when he is the Dark One. Pretty much all his dark traits are amplified and shown in every EF Dark One performance. He pretty much relives all his mistakes over and over. That is true most all villains and even Snow relives taking some one child away with both of her children being taken away from her.

In the case of Rumple and Belle having a relationship, no, unless it is a friendship. I can believe that David and Snow are friends. I can see Emma and Hook slowly befriending one another. Same with charming and Hook and Emma with Regina. What I can't see is Rumple and Belle (currently) as friends or even Regina and Robin. From a writing standpoint, thwere is no foundation for the (se) couple (s) to form naturally. Like I said before Cora and even Milah had more of a foundation or equal weight in the relationship. Milah actually married him regardless of his background and there are many parallels between Belle and Milah (blue dress, Rumple expects them to be in their typical woman-housekeeper role, raising his son, love for adventure, even a dashing young lad in leather). I can understand why rumple can see history literally repeat himself and he pushes himself away each time by doing more bad things. The most growth actually shown besides him overcoming self-preservation  is that he holds no major enmity towards Will and actually is willing to let Belle go to be with him, unlike with Milah, who he kept in a loveless trap of a marriage with him.

Rumbelle is a unique couple on this show and has the most tearful of scenes, but can not have the easiest of solutions.