Rolf

His and Rumple’s relationship was one of the absolute BEST parts of the show, and his and Hooks relationship was BARELY touched on (would it have been super complicated? Yes, but we don’t watch ouat for its simplicity). The writers were sitting on a gold mine, and instead of digging they blew it up.

Imagine how interesting it would have been to see him, Emma, and Regina figuring out how to parent Henry, together. And how Rumples parenting would have had an effect on how Neal would parent.

And the emotional weight of a lot of the later seasons and arcs would have been much heavier! Like imagine if Neal had went to the underworld to help save Hook, just to meet with his mother again. That could have been peak! Especially since I feel a lot of Neal’s character was left so unfinished! We never see his real feelings towards his mother, or fully how he felt about Hook (even more so since I still think Emma would have ended up with Hook). Imagine what would have happened with the Dark Swan arc!! Neal’s history with the Dark one could have made for such an amazing story!

Omg and I haven’t even mentioned what his and Belle’s relationship could have been! Them being the only two people to love the Dark One, THE POSSIBILITIES WERE ENDLESS!

Him dying wasn’t really what I have an issue with, don’t get me wrong I love Neal and will defend him till the day I die, but it could have been more impactful if it was later. I think one of the reasons fans don’t like him/hate him is because of how little time we got to know him as an adult.

I need a fanfic about this stuff.

idk how anyone else imagines his arc went pre-canon but i imagine he went from trying to use the darkness for good when baelfire was around, to nearly losing himself to it when he lost bae, to wrangling it into some form of control so he can find bae again.

then somewhere along the way bae became his go-to reason even if he was already letting the darkness be a backseat driver. and rumplestiltskin was none the wiser. and by the time he meets belle or even emma, he had already become the perfect host for the power of the darkness.

isn't that crazy? how rumplestiltskin, an orphan and the son of a coward, and above all, a man, managed to somehow overpower an ancient power for long enough to bargain some control over it, all for his son?

ok so TawnyCrow is mutual, then.

i would scream if they said this when belle got her memories back