MadArcher

"We'll always know each other. Even when we don't."

- Alice to Robin

MadArcher is the femslash ship between Alice Jones and Robin from the Once Upon A Time fandom.

Canon
After Robin left the mortal realm and traveled to the New Enchanted Forest, she met Alice, who was trying to spy on her father at the time. Robin was unaware of Alice's true identity and originally attacked her, threatening to shoot her with the arrow as she thought her a spy. However, Alice escaped but soon caught in another one of Robin's traps. It was here that the two befriended one another and Alice nicknamed Robin, "Nobin" (new Robin), and Robin nicknamed Alice "Towergirl". Robin was chasing a vicious giant that was also Alice's friend, which lead to the pair unwillingly traveling to a pub together to question villagers.

After being kidnapped Robin and Alice shared a moment in their dungeon, when Robin showed Alice technology for the first time, and the pair bonded over their viewpoints of the world. Robin stroked her hair and stole her bobby pin and used it to escape her cuffs and the cell, but left Alice behind as she wanted to stop her from killing the troll. Robin ended up in trouble with the same villagers who had kidnapped her and was about to prove herself to them by killing the troll when Alice stopped her from shooting the bow. The villagers turned on the girls, and it was then that the same yellow bug that Robin had shown Alice earlier arrived and scared off the villagers. The girls escaped to the woods in the car where Robin told Alice that she had felt her magic from as soon as she met her. The girls figured out that it was Alice, in her loneliness and desire to not be alone on her birthday, had summoned the troll. Alice then said goodbye to the troll but was devastated by the loss of her friend, seeking comfort in a waiting Robin. Robin then helped Alice celebrate her birthday by giving her a cupcake with a lighted candle, and the pair shared a soft gaze which leads to an instant connection.

Shortly after, Alice and Robin exchanged gifts from their respective lives, with Robin giving Alice a bracelet she had made and Alice giving Robin a pocket watch from Wonderland that moves backward instead of forwards. They soon fell in love and started a relationship, but learned that they would soon be separated by a curse that would alter their memories and identities. Alice wrote Robin a letter which her father delivered, and Robin hurried to her in the hope of seeing her before the curse struck. Alice was happy that she came, and the two shared a passionate kiss before Alice assured her that they would always know each other - even if they don't. They then held onto each other as the curse swept over the land, transporting them to a Land Without Magic.

In the new world, they found each other again after Robin's cursed persona, Margot, saved Alice's cursed persona, Tilly, from being hit by a truck whose driver didn't see her. Tilly expressed that the driver didn't see her, and Margot stated that she didn't know how that was possible as Tilly was pretty hard to miss. Margot then convinced Tilly, not to run away and to face her problems instead, before the two parted ways. After the two met again while Tilly was handing out beignet's, Tilly helped Margot to understand her mothers need to keep secrets. That night, Margot took Tilly's advice and then admitted to her mother that she might have met someone worth sticking around for, and hinted at being romantically interested in Tilly.

Eventually, Margot asked Tilly out and they spent a whole day doing things that each of them liked, and bonding over their unique views on the world. However, Tilly started to have one of her "bad days" in the midst of the date and ran away from Margot. She later admitted that she didn't want Margot to see her having a bad day yet, as it was often too much for people. Understanding her worry, Margot stated that the bad days wouldn't be too much for her, so she shouldn't worry about hiding her mental health from her.

After the curse is finally broken, Robin took off her glasses and smiled at Alice, who called her "Robin", and Robin responds by calling her, "Towergirl". They hurried to one another and reunited with a hug followed by a passionate kiss. Robin also supported Alice in her battle against Gothel, and her support gave Alice the strength she needed to defeat Gothel once and for all. In the aftermath of the battle, Robin comforted a distraught Alice, whose father was gravely injured during the battle.

Moments
THE EIGHTH WITCH
 * Robin expressed her concern for Alice when she heard about the curse, saying that she needed to warn her.
 * Alice asked Hook to deliver a letter she wrote to Robin, titled, "My Love".
 * They shared their first on-screen kiss and were introduced as a couple.

THE GIRL IN THE TOWER
 * Gave each other the nicknames "Nobin" (new Robin) and "Towergirl".
 * Held hands for the first time.
 * Went on their first adventure together.
 * Robin protected Alice from the villagers who suddenly turned on them after deeming them, "troll sympathizers".
 * Robin comforted Alice after she sent her troll away.

CHOSEN
 * Margot/Robin admitted to her mother that she might be interested in dating someone.

THE GUARDIAN
 * Margot and Tilly went on their first date, where they visited a library, had candy coated apples, and discussed their respective adventures.
 * Tilly took Margot to a Pop-and-Pop bookshop.
 * Tilly opens up to Margot about her mental health, and Margot supports her.
 * Margot puts Tilly's bracelet back on, which is the same one that Robin had given Alice in the Enchanted Forest.

FLOWER CHILD
 * They played with each others hands and giggled on the sidewalk in public.
 * Mother Gothel mentioned that Tilly/Alice wanted to spend the rest of her life with Margot/Robin.

IS THIS HENRY MILLS?
 * Margot was worried about Tilly when she found out she was having a "bad day" and needed her help.
 * Margot attempted to break-through to Tilly.
 * Tilly, who was under the influence of Mother Gothel, shrunk Margot.
 * Alice and Robin remembered their true-selves and shared a reunion kiss and hug.

Fanon
The ship quickly gained popularity after the two were shown to be together.

Like other new ships, there was a lot of discussion on what its ship name should be. Some fans dislike the idea of including "Mad" in the ship name, saying it should be used exclusively for ships involving Jefferson. Tags on Archive of Our Own tend to include "Curious Archer" as the ship name.

Behind the Scenes
"The second half of the season will lead up to a lot of these moments. For instance, we're going to see how Robin and Alice meet, fall in love and end up at that point."

- OUAT creator Adam Horowitz talks MadArcher

"Robin just doesn’t get it, she doesn’t really understand what she’s doing or why she’s saying certain things that she’s saying. It takes her a moment to appreciate all that Alice is, and once she does, the two definitely see eye-to-eye, and they help realize each other’s true potential, which is what I think is so beautiful."

- Tiera Scovbye (Robin/Margot) about Robin and Alice

"Robin is the first person Alice meets who really sees her. She's never experienced that before, and it deeply connects them. Suddenly, Alice is no longer invisible, talking to her ghosts, and that debt is profound."

- Rose Reynolds (Alice/Tilly) about Alice and Robin

"Yeah, I think that MadArcher is our 'ship name."

- Rose confirms MadArcher

Quotes
"You have a funny way of looking at the world don't you, Towergirl?"

- Robin to Alice

"My papa used to say all the best people are mad. He'd say, starfish, you meet loads of people in this world. But the best ones, they'll challenge you. Make you see the world through a whole new looking glass."

- Alice to Tilly

"I get that. But you don't have to worry because it won't be too much for me, no matter what kind of day it is."

- Margot to Tilly about her mental health

"I told you we would always know each other."

- Alice to Robin after the curse breaks

Fandom
AO3

Trivia

 * They are the second LGBT+ ship in Once Upon A Time, following the brief relationship of Ruby Slippers.
 * Rose and Tiera are best-friends off-screen and have been talking about moving in together.
 * The actresses who play Robin and Alice, were reluctant to name the ship, which resulted in a number of ship-names being used.
 * Many in the Fandom have compared MadArcher to Snowing, which the actresses find incredible since Snowing is so iconic.
 * Margot and Tilly both read the others real persona's novels, with Margot (Robin) reading Alice in Wonderland and Tilly (Alice) reading The Adventures of Robin Hood.