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 mistook her for a spy, and threatened to shoot her with an arrow. However, Alice escaped but was soon caught in a cage, another one of Robin's traps. Once trapped, Robin realized who Alice was, and they made their introductions. Alice nicknamed Robin, "Nobin" (new Robin), and Robin nicknamed Alice "Towergirl".

Alice than learned that Robin was chasing her troll-friend, who had recently attacked a village, and tried to explain to Robin that the troll was just scared and alone. However, Robin was focused on killing the troll and ran off into the woods. Robin tried to lose her in the woods, but Alice was able to keep up with her which surprised Robin who expressed that she ran track for years. However, Alice stated that she had to stay fit to outrun bandits and beings that tried to kill her. The pair then entered a pub together to question the villagers about the troll. Alice angered the men when she tried to stand-up for the troll, and they deemed her a troll-sympathizer. They 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 he 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. The couple attended the celebration ceremony of the curse being broken and came with beignets that they had made together. Later in the day, Robin looked for places that they could live in Hyperion Heights together. She showed her a picture of a place she found, but Alice remarked that she didn't need to see it - if Robin was there, that would be all she needed. Robin was touched by this and kissed her shoulder happily. Moments later, Alice was struck with the consequences of Wish Realm Henry obliterating her powers. She received a sharp pain in her chest, which scared Robin, who asked worriedly if she was okay. Alice informed her that something had changed in the Wish Realm and they needed to go and help them. Robin lept to her feet and the two ran out of Roni's hand-in-hand. They visited Tiana and asked for her help to find magic, which Tiana reluctantly agreed to do. After a townsman revealed that he had a magic bean, Robin and Alice borrowed the Rollin' Bayou truck and disappeared through a portal. On the other side, the girls rolled into Storybrooke to find friends that could help them save the day. The girls arrived in Storybrooke and attempted to convince the Dwarves, Jiminy Cricket, and Granny that they were telling the truth about the curse, and Henry needing their help. However, due to Robin and Alice being from a different timeline and the specifics of the curse, they didn't believe the women. Instead, the deemed them intruders and tried to kill them. Robin grabbed Alice's hand and they ran off and everyone chased them. They hid in an alleyway behind a wooden door, and Alice stated that when Robin told her about Storybrooke she had a different idea in mind. After they stumbled upon and convinced Zelena to help them, they headed to the Wish Realm and rescued everyone from the snow globe.

Robin teamed up with Hook to help rescue Regina, as they had to create a distraction in order for the others to enter and free Regina. Hook started to have pain from his poisoned heart, and he feared that he would die soon. He asked her to take care of Alice for him, and Robin promised that she would. She then told him she wanted to ask him something, and despite the poor timing, he told her to ask as he might die shortly. She then asked for his permission to marry Alice, which he happily granted to her. She then told him that he was wrong about dying and that he would be there to walk Alice down the aisle on their wedding day.

After Regina united the realms and everyone traveled back to Storybrooke, Alice and Robin were seen in attendance at Regina's coronation. Alice also wore a giant diamond ring, which could mean that Robin proposed to her during the time-skip.

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.

HOMECOMING
 * Hook asked Alice how Robin was, and she told him that she's doing great.
 * MadArcher brought beignets to Roni's to celebrate the breaking of the curse.
 * Robin placed her hand on Alice's shoulder twice. Once at the celebration party and once when they were about to leave Hyperion Heights.
 * Robin tried to find a place for the pair to live.
 * Robin kissed Alice's shoulder.
 * They went together and asked Tiana for to open a portal.
 * Robin helped Alice into the Rollin' Bayou and held her hand.
 * Alice and Robin traveled to Storybrooke by way of a portal in the Rollin' Bayou truck to save their friends.

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

"She's got a case of young love."

- Zelena about Robin's feelings for Alice

"Robin was the first person to see something special in me too. Not sure I would've seen it if she hadn't."

- Alice to Rumple about Robin

"You're gonna fall in love, grow old with someone, live a normal life. Free of towers."

- Rumple hinted at Alice's future

"Well, thanks for saving and uh... Giving me some excellent advice."

- Tilly (Alice) to Margot (Robin)

"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

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 Skovbye (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

"I like that they left it open-ended. I do really love that you know that Robin and Alice are together, and that that relationship is solid and happy."

- Tiera on MadArcher's ending

"I think the future is bright for them, but I do like the idea of it never stopping."

- Rose on MadArcher's ending

"It’s really funny, because I got to choose my ring the other day and of course I picked the biggest, most shiniest one. Tiera looks at me and she goes, "What are you doing?" We came up with this idea that the dwarfs mined for it; they mined for a massive stone."

- Rose on choosing her ring and the future of MadArcher

"What I will say is we loved those two and I see people on Twitter saying, “Spin-off!” and I’d watch that. I think those two are fantastic. So I do wish we could explore more."

- Edward Kitsis

"So now Robin and Alice belong to the Oncers and the fandom, and they’ll live on in fanfic and in everyone’s mind. We’re done telling our side of the story. Now the characters belong to Oncers and they should go out and play with them."

- Edward Kitsis

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 AO3 tend to include "Curious Archer" as the ship name.

On AO3, MadArcher is the most written ship for both characters.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Alice/Robin tag on FanFiction.net
 * Alice/Robin tag on FanFiction.net

TUMBLR

Trivia

 * They are the second canon LGBTQ+ ship in Once Upon A Time, following the brief relationship of Ruby Slippers.
 * Rose and Tiera are best-friends off-screen and talked 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 an iconic ship.
 * Rose Reynolds was able to pick out the engagement ring for Alice to wear in her final scene so she chose the biggest prop. Rose and Tiera came up with the idea that the dwarfs mined for the largest diamond they could find.
 * 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.