Nowhere Plans For Nobody

Feb. 22, 2012 at 9:39pm with 15 notes

Reblogged from corseque

the three that died in the yellow of autumn grass: oldandnewfirm: corseque: gatheringbones said:I definitely see him as...

oldandnewfirm:

corseque:

gatheringbones said:

I definitely see him as a culmination- but I really don’t think his personality is being actively ALTERED by something. He’s just older. Older, less chronically angry, a little more in control of himself, a little less desperate. SCARIER for sure tho

I’ll explain why I think there’s been a very distinct change in personality caused by being cursed rather than natural growth/growing older, but this response got too long, so it’s being relegated to under the read more.

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I’m fairly certain that Gold’s known about the curse for the entire time he was in Storybrooke. He could’ve gotten any child in Maine, in Massachusetts, in, heck, the entire U.S. for Regina, yet he just happened to choose the son of the girl he’d predicted would grow up to be everyone’s savior. That’s too much of a coincidence.

On the topic of his personality, I’d actually be disappointed if the breaking of Rumple’s curse returned him to the man he was all those centuries ago. For better or worse he’s now had several lifetimes worth of experience, and that’s not going to leave him. If his personality reverted that far, it would be as though the time he’d spent as the Dark One never mattered. Like the characterization equivalent of “It was all a dream.”

I think Mr. Gold is what a curse-free Rumple would be like. He’s still calculating, still witty, still stingy with his mercy, but he’s also more subdued, more introspective, and even friendlier in his odd way. Mr. Gold is a Rumple who’s had time to reflect on his mistakes and his triumphs, and to decide he values in life. He even tries to pass his wisdom on to others, though they’re generally inclined not to listen. He’s basically Rumple in retirement.

OH YES you’re right, I forgot about the whole Henry thing. Thank you for reminding me, I suppose that means he’s remembered the whole 28 years.

Really interesting. I’ve been having a hard time understanding exactly what the change was between Rumplestiltskin(Dark One) » Mr. Gold. The Curse To End All Curses seemed to take away his first curse, and he has his limp back and everything.

So I do like that possibility a lot, that Mr. Gold is just what the fatherly textile-spinner became after going through hundreds of years of being the Dark One. Hardened, darker, manipulative, not at all timid, refuses to take crap from anyone. I could really buy that Mr. Gold is his original personality, just altered by experience.

But Rumplestiltskin (The Dark One version) is a fabricated personality. It seems like he’s being possessed by a demon. But like I said, it’s hard to tell with TV because they’re vague as hell about it.

(I’ve since changed my mind about Belle- no way she could ever spend a couple of months trapped in a castle with him and ever be able to ignore his hellmonkey self for the ~good man withiiiiin~ because she’s smarter than that and because I honestly believe she likes all of him. Even the scary parts. She thinks he’s worth saving, anyway. Even if she won’t do it because he’d just throw it back in her face and she has a spine.)

Mr. Gold is, I think, a culmination of all his experiences and nothing more. He’s a father who’s lost a son, a business mogul who lost and then regained his empire, and a man who knows full well the value of power- and even some of its pitfalls. He’s achieved the distance and the perspective he needs to become someone else.

For some reason, every time I see Rumplestiltskin back as he was in fairytale land with his leather and his talons and his freakish little voice, I’m always just sad in a way that’s really kind of confusing. Because he is sad. Carlyle said himself that he based his performance on commedia dell’arte, and all that made me think of was Pierrot. A big painted on grin, exaggerated, stilted gestures, and all with this awful edge of desperation. Mr. Gold still needles people, he still flaunts his power, and he’s still out to screw you to the wall, but you really get the sense that it’s because he enjoys doing it. Not, you know, because it’s either do that or fall apart screaming. :(

It’s fabricated. It’s a delightful, riveting, genius fabrication, but god it’s hard to watch sometimes.