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 she was a spy. However, Alice escaped but was soon caught in another one of Robin's traps - a cage. Once trapped, Robin realized who Alice was, Alice nicknamed Robin, "Nobin" (new Robin), and Robin nicknamed Alice "Towergirl". Alice learned that Robin was chasing her troll-friend, who had recently attacked a village, and tried to stop her. Alice tried to explain to Robin that the troll was just scared and alone, but Robin was focused on killing the troll. Robin then ran from her and tried to lose her in the woods, but Alice was able to keep up with her which surprised Robin. The pair then entered a pub together to question the villagers about the troll. Alice angered the villagers when she tried to stand-up for the troll, and they deemed her a troll-sympathizer. They then arrested both Robin and Alice and put them in the dungeon together.

After being kidnapped, Robin and Alice were forced to share a dungeon whilst in chains. Robin sympathized with Alice, as she knew it must be hard for her to be locked up again after just escaping her tower. Alice opened up to Robin about how after she escaped it was a dream come true at first until she learned she couldn't break the curse on her and her father. Robin then opened up to Alice about her life back in Storybrook, and how she used to be self-centered and craved attention from others. She told her about the time she stole the Sheriff's yellow bug and tried to leave town, but was caught by the Sheriff before she could get out of town. Alice was surprised at the fact that she had ridden a bug, and Robin tried to explain that it was a type of car before showing her a picture on her phone. Alice was mesmerized by the phone, calling it magic and touching the phone in awe. The pair then bonded over their very different viewpoints of the world and Robin stroked Alice's hair.

They then bonded over their fathers, as Alice had a strong relationship with her father until he was cursed, while Robin never knew her father since her died when she was young. Robin escaped her chains then as she had stolen Alice's bobby pin when she touched her hair, but left Alice behind. She explained that killing the troll was her one shot at earning her fathers legacy, and she wasn't going to let Alice stop her. Robin was about to prove herself to the villagers by killing the troll when Alice tackled her to the ground. The villagers turned on the girls after Robin protected Alice, and it was then that the same yellow bug that Robin had shown Alice earlier arrived and scared the villagers.

The girls escaped to the woods in the car Alice thanked Robin for helping her, and the girls decided to team-up to find the troll before the villagers did. After being cornered by the troll, Robin told Alice that she had sensed her magic as soon as they met. Robin figured out that it was Alice, in her loneliness and desire to not be alone on her birthday, who had summoned the troll. Alice then said goodbye to the troll but was devastated by the loss of her friend, and sought 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.

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 was finally broken, Robin and Alice regained their memories from the Enchanted Forest. Alice called to Robin, and Robin responded 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.

BREADCRUMBS
 * Margot recognized Tilly's beignets were shaped like an actual heart, something that other characters hadn't noticed.
 * Tilly told Margot, who had recently confided in her, that she couldn't imagine having to keep a secret from her and how painful it must be.
 * Tilly told Rogers about meeting Margot, and how it was special for her since she felt like Margot actually saw her for once.

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 and their hand's touch.
 * The bracelet that Tilly is wearing is the same one that Robin gave Alice in the Enchanted Forest.

FLOWER CHILD
 * They played with each other's 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

TUMBLR

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.