Day 1362: Which Three?

The latest craze to sweep across social media led me to more than a few nights on intense pondering. Describe yourself in three fictional characters? Only three? How are I expected to sum up a lifetime of identification with television, film, and literature characters by picking only three? Plus, platforms like Twitter and Facebook don't really give me the space to go on and on about why these characters are obviously me. 

Luckily I have a blog and readers here to ramble on to, right? 

Emma Swan of Once Upon A Time

This probably doesn't come as a surprise to anyone, although I must say that over the years it's probably more of me becoming Emma Swan than Emma Swan ever embodying who I was. Regardless, today Emma Swan and I share a number of characteristics beyond our wardrobe of leather jackets. We're absolutely both confident, but are haunted by inner demons, and that's something that has really proven true this year. We tend to want to run in tense situations, but often stay because we know it's the right thing to do. Also, Emma tends to claim she's not sentimental when in every reality we know she totally is, and while I probably don't want to admit it, my room probably speaks the same for me. 

Leslie Knope of Parks & Recreation

Of the three characters on this list, Leslie Knope is probably the character that embodies me the most. My friends comment that I'm no where near as obnoxious as Leslie is on a daily basis, and they're right. I'm usually not that obnoxious...on the outside. Truth be told, I regularly have ridiculous ideas and schemes and words that, unlike Leslie, just don't come out. But that doesn't mean I don't think them. And it also doesn't mean that Leslie's upbeat, high-spirited, dedicated personality doesn't mirror my own. 

Rapunzel from Tangled

This character trio certainly wouldn't be complete without a Disney character thrown in there too, and while there are tons to choose from, I just kept coming back to Rapunzel. Tangled spoke to me in a way no Disney film ever has before, and Rapunzel had a lot to do with that. The way she so eagerly follows her dream, is a bit naive while pursing it, and is just a bit over-dramatic about everything is pretty much an embodiment of me. Plus, the fact that her hobbies so directly line up with mine probably isn't a coincidence either - baking, cooking, reading, painting, playing guitar, and the list goes on! 

So there you have it, the three fictional characters that best describe me, as according to me. There were more than a few runners up, including Tiana for her hard work and love of cooking, Kathy Selden from Singin' in the Rain because on stage we're pretty much the same, Hamilton from Hamilton because we both write like we're running out of time, and also a bit of Monica from Friends because as much as we'd both like to deny it, we have OCD tendencies. 

Now, if I could just find Captain Hook or Flynn Rider or, better yet, Ben Wyatt...

Have a magical day!

Day 1161: Welcome Back

It's been a long time in coming, but we finally have an official poster for Once Upon A Time that features none other than our favorite pirate captain! I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for that to happen, and while the flaming apple is a bit weird, I do suppose it fits with the underworld theme that's prominent in the second half of Season 5.

All in all, the story here is that Hook sacrificed himself for Emma and for Storybrooke, but in reality Gold just sort of screwed him over and now Emma, along with half the town apparently, is on a mission to get him back. It's funny because usually when a character dies on a show, they tend to stay dead. That's not always the case on Once, especially with all the flashbacks, but it seems that even after 300 years, Hook will still be making his way back to the world of the living, or at least that's the hope.

The first episode introduced us to the entire new arc for this second half, including a new realm: The Underworld. The red was an interesting choice, although the fact that it's literally just another Storybrooke is sort of weird. It is nice to see characters we haven't seen in a while, and to be introduced to some new ones as well. It seems many of the former inhabitants of Storybrooke have made quite the little home down there.

Oh, and I should probably say something about it being the 100th episode of the show, which is a huge milestone for something like this! While I wasn't entirely impressed with this particular episode (the writing of Regina's birthday to fit the occasion seemed a bit forced to me), I think we should definitely still be celebrating. After all, Once Upon a Time was a show that no one expected to last the first season. In fact, most expected it to be canceled early on. And yet, something worked, and now it's one of the biggest shows on TV with a huge fanbase, myself included. The fact that there's been way more than 100 Sunday nights since I watched that first episode back in 2011 is a little terrifying, but it's still a cause for some cake!

Cardboard Colin and I celebrated simply by watching with our friends, like we're so used to doing, and live tweeting the episode! You can follow our cardboard friend on Twitter if you haven't already!

Let me know what you thought of the Mid-Season Premiere of Once Upon A Time!

Have a magical day!

Day 1070: Killian, Killian Jones

I take some comfort in the fact that I'm writing this so long after the initial mid-season finale of Once Upon A Time that I no longer have to worry about spoilers getting out. I mean, after all, I'm pretty sure we all know by now who dies. 

But just in case you don't, you probably shouldn't read any more. 

Regardless, the end of another half season of my favorite show calls for a roundup of the DisneyBounds that helped make Season 5 so interesting! I went back to a few old favorite characters here, but for the most part it was all about the new and original characters that were brought into the storyline this season! 

Since #DarkSwan seemed to be the theme this season, we had to begin with a DisneyBound inspired by our favorite hero turned dark! I actually LOVED putting this one together, and the shoes are to die for. I still call them my "Dark Swan Heels," and ironically enough, that's just about all I bought to put this outfit together! Everything else was already in my closet! 

King Arthur, oh King Arthur. To be honest, I love Liam, but I could do without this supposedly "noble" king. Either way, this DisneyBound brought some interesting additions into my closet, like the cardigan that I now wear all the time or a pair of bright silver shoes!

Lancelot has been one of my favorite characters since we saw him in Season Two, and I was thrilled to see him back on the screen again (and not dead)! For this one I reused those shoes I found for Arthur and added a bright blue shirt and red belt to go along with his crest and colors, as well as my grey leather jacket to symbolize his armor!

I've only ever done a Rumpelstiltskin bound one other time, and this time I had the perfect pants to go along with it! Reusing the Dark Swan Heels and pairing it with a black vest and golden shirt really made this one work out pretty well!

When I saw Emma in her dress in Camelot I knew immediately that a DisneyBound had to be in the works. All it took was locating a flower crown to make this one work, and it offered the perfect contrast between Light and Dark Swan for this season!

Merida was actually my first ever DisneyBound way back in the day, so to be able to revisit her character for a DisneyBound for the show was an opportunity I was certainly excited about! The only problem is her color scheme is pretty hard to be creative with, but at the same time, I love her hair, and I already had the accessories pulled together to make this one work!

Merlin quickly became a favorite character, and ironically enough, I bought the perfect shirt for his DisneyBound years ago. It's been in my closet ever since, and I actually almost got rid of it once. Still, something told me to keep it, and now I'm really glad I did!

An entire episode dedicated to Brave definitely called for another DisneyBound from the characters! After a bit of debating, I just knew it had to be her mother, especially since I already had the perfect green dress to make it work!

It's kind of hard to pick favorites when you love DisneyBounding OUAT so much, but this one may just be my favorite of all time. I may or may not have picked my glasses a few months ago so they'd match Emma's from the show, and when I came across the plaid dress at the store a few months ago, I knew it had to come home. Pretty sure I'll be wearing this one again, preferably to a fan event of some sort! 

And to round out this half of the season, it just had to be Papa Hook! We've been waiting for so long to meet Killian's father, and when we found out we'd be meeting him in the midseason finale I had to make the decision between a Dark Hook DisneyBound and Papa Hook. As you can see, the later won, allowing for me to reuse the shirt from Rumple as well as an old pair of pants I also got for OUAT DisneyBounds! 

But honestly, DisneyBounds aside, I cried a lot, and I'm definitely ready to head to the underworld so we can get Killian back. In the meantime, I'll just be over here eagerly awaiting his return, because really, how long can any of us live without a bit of Hook in our lives? 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 23).

Day 1047: Little Hook, Little Emma

My Once Upon A Time collection continues to grow, and this time, I actually made the addition myself! So much of my OUAT Merchandise has been gifted to me, but when I saw the Once Upon A Time Funko Pops, I knew I had to have the Little Hook, and when there's Little Hook there has to be Little Emma!

Actually, there are a lot of really great Funko Pops out there, and in a short span of time, I've gathered a few of my own. In addition to Little Hook, I also now have the Little Killian Jones special order Funko, which looks exactly the same aside from a hand instead of a hook. I also have the little BB-8 Funko, which I love to death, and I've gifted a few this holiday season as well! 

But can we just talk for a minute about how adorable these two are? Definitely a great reward for getting through a couple of hard weeks at college, and now I have them to keep me company over J-Term! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 30).

Day 1001: Dark Swan

Just a note that if you've yet to watch the first episode of Once Upon A Time Season 5, there will likely be spoilers ahead!

In an odd turn of events, the 1000th day of Everyday Disney actually landed on another important day in my life: the Season 5 premiere of my favorite TV Show, Once Upon A Time. To be honest, I was kind of distracted during the episode itself, but that's what happens when you live tweet on two twitter accounts, are fangirling, and trying to actually watch the episode and make connections. Luckily, I've somehow managed to determine a few favorite moments from the premiere:

While I may have missed this spectacular shot while watching live (I happened to be sending the below tweet, which ended up being favorited by Liam (Arthur) himself, so I guess it isn't a total loss, I rewatched the scene this afternoon in the only 5 minute break I've really had all day, and I have to say that it makes WAY more sense now why my friends all went "Woahhhhh" last night. I'm honestly curious to see how this all connects, but in my opinion, it's one of the most clever integrations of another story line ever on this show. I was a bit cautious as to Camelot coming on and how they would fit with everything that's happened, but the dagger being part of Excalibur absolutely restored my faith in this new Arc.

Aside from the fact that this was clearly a CaptainSwan moment, this speech from Hook was beautifully written, and took me right back to the Season 3 premiere where Emma gave a similar speech to the people now there for her as they attempted to save Henry. Even better? This time it was a former villain turned hero giving the speech to a hero turning into a villain. As backwards as that sounds, this moment for Emma was so important. For the first time in her life, here is this person really willing to stand up for her and fight for her no matter how terrible she fears she will become. Killian isn't afraid of her, and he's not going to give up on her, and that's exactly what Emma Swan needs. 

So maybe the above moment is included simply because I missed it in the episode and needed to make up for that fact by having it forever repeating on my blog. Bonus for you though! Enjoy your wink from Hook! 

Sneezy dressed up as Emma was definitely a highlight of the episode for me. I love Gabe (Sneezy), and he's a wonderful person, so to see him get a hilarious moment in the spotlight was great. The fact that he was turned to stone by the new Dark One, on the other hand, was not. I may have screamed out "NOOOO" longer than was probably acceptable.

As the first official footage any of us saw of Season 5, I remember sitting in the D23 Expo OUAT Panel room with my hand over my mouth as we watched this scene. Even last night, as I watched it again, I had the same reaction. I've never been quiet about the fact that I'm a huge fan of Colin O'Donoghue, but if you don't recognize how spectauclar his acting is in this scene, then I think you need to get your eyes checked. He so perfectly portrays the underlying hurt beneath the hard exterior we've come to expect from Hook. And yet, bits of it slip out: his lashing out at Robin, his stunned silence before he ventures to the dagger, and not even the pure want for Emma to return, but the need for her to return. It's a theme we continue to see throughout the episode, and I'm so thankful for the writing for his character so far this season. We all knew Hook would be central to Emma's Dark Storyline, but his pursuit to find his Swan is brilliant on paper, and even more spectacular when O'Donoghue brings it to life. Well done, Sir! 

Of course, I think a huge moment for all of us was the conclusion of the episode, where the Dark Swan finally appeared. There's definitely a lot left to be revealed this season, and I'm excited to see it all unwravel before our eyes. What did they do to Emma that caused her to curse them all back to Storybrooke? Where's Arthur? What happened in the last six weeks? What happens next? WE ALL NEED TO KNOW THE ANSWERS! On a side note, let's take a moment to appreicate two things: the OUAT Costume Department and Jennifer Morrison's acting. So much of the acting in this episode was so well done, and while I know I just ended with the Colin O'Donoghue praise, I think we need to think about just how different this is from the Emma we've seen in the last four seasons. In a matter of seconds, Morrison managed to send a shiver up my spine, and I had already prepared myself. Truth be told, I'm so ready to see where Dark Swan goes next, and I, as always, eagerly await the next episode.

Other honorable mentions: 

- The Wookiee Gag Mention. Just yes Hook. 

- CHIEF! As an English Major who actually really enjoyed reading Cuckoo's Nest in High School, the references to the novel whenever they enter the basement of the hospital astonish me. Cheif's presense will forever be my favorite reference in all of Once Upon A Time! 

- Zelena's storyline is sure to get interesting as we move forward, that's for sure. I definitely found compassion for her in this episode I haven't felt in some time, and I have to applaud Bex for her acting as well! 

- Pretty much everything Merida related! The poor brothers! Hopefully we'll find them! 

- King Arthur. Just King Arthur. I knew weeks before the premiere that he would be on my favorite character list, and while he only spoke a few words, I'm definitely loving Liam in the role! 

And finally, as usual, I DisneyBounded for the episode! Not surprisingly, my premiere outfit was inspired by Dark Swan, and I'm excited to share some of the other DisneyBounds I have coming up later this season! 

If you watched the premiere, share your comments below! This Oncer would love to hear them! 

Have a magical day!

Day 995: Getting Closer...

You have to admit that I've been pretty calm about waiting for OUAT over this entire Hiatus. I suppose it has something to do with how much I traveled, and especially lately, how busy I've been, but that doesn't mean I haven't been completely ready for the premiere this Sunday, September 27. All summer long we've slowly been getting new information about this season, and especially about Dark Swan, which I'm super interested to see on screen!

In fact, here's a few things I'm excited for this Season on OUAT:

Merida: 

Brave was a pretty great movie, and while she's not my favorite princess, it's going to be interesting to see how she plays into the storyline. I know a sneak peek that was already shown feautred Emma needing the Whisps to get rid of the darkness inside of her, but something tells me it can't be that easy. Regardless, it looks already like Merida will have a ton of adventures during Season 5, so get ready for some real bravery!

Camelot: 

About halfway through Season 4 I have this gut feeling that we were going to Camelot. A lot of Oncers have talked about it for years, wondering just when they'd finally incorporate Merlin, Arthur, and the entire gang. After all, Lancelot was in Season 2 (and I'm absolutely ready to see him back!), so it was only a matter of time. Specifically, I'm really excited for King Arthur...even if I am kind of skeptical about this "bromance" that he'll have with Charming. No one messes with my BrOTP of CaptainCharming!

Hook (and Emma too!): 

Speaking of Captains, OF COURSE I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment in the love story that is CaptainSwan. I have some pretty high expectations for this season in that department, and from the sounds of it, we won't be let down in the premiere. There's tons of articles out there if you really want to go read one and find out more, but I won't share anything! I've shared too much already!

Dark Swan: 

Of course, as I mentioned before, the big news this season is Dark Swan. I know Jennifer Morrison spent a lot of her time off from filming working with Adam and Eddy doing research on how to develop Emma as the Dark One, and I, for one, am very ready to see that hard work pay off. As a lover of fairy tales, I'm sure I'll have my work cut out for me as we learn new information and new references are added into the tale, but it will be oh so worth it!

DisneyBounding: 

And finally, I have to mention that my OUAT DisneyBounds continue this season, and while I'm a bit behind on what I'm going to do, I am excited for, especially, my first outfit! Here's a sneak peek, just to give you an idea:

Dark Swan is coming everyone! Get ready! Once Upon A Time returns to ABC this Sunday, September 27, at 8/7 central! Will you be watching?

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 26 due to a tight schedule).

Day 910: Another Time Around

Some people probably think it's ridiculous that I watch all of Once Upon A Time every summer, but at this point it's basically a tradition. A tradition that just so happens to lead me right up to the premiere of the next season, making time go much, much faster. So I figured that, in honor of my rewatch, I would share my top five favorite episodes of Once Upon A Time. Trust me, this was a hard choice...a really, really hard choice, because I have so many favorites, but there are definitely a few episodes that stand out to me as favorites overall in comparison to favorite scenes.

In  order of apperance in the series, here are my top five:

1x01: Pilot

You honestly can't beat the Pilot of Once Upon A Time. I remember 2011, sitting in front of my televison as I started the series and reading those ever popular words, "Once Upon A Time." For a pilot, this show certainly did it right, and I think there were many of us ready to stick with this show from day one. From the Enchanted Forest with all its wonders, true love's kiss as shared by Snow and Charming in the opening scene, to Emma Swan with her red leather jacket and little yellow bug, I know I was stuck from day one, and watching the pilot is always one of my favorite things to do.

1x04: The Price of Gold

Oddly enough, one of my all time favorite episodes actually occurred very early on. At this point in the series we knew so little about Rumpelstiltskina and the deals he struck, so this was really one of the first moments we had a chance to see his true self, not to mention we got to watch OUAT's version of Cinderella, whom I adore and always love to see back on the show! I think what I really love about this episode was just the way it twisted and turned the original fairytale. I came back to it time and time again while working on my thesis for my Fairy Tale paper and it's definitely just stuck with me.

3x05: Good Form

Now we skip ahead to Season 3, not to say that there weren't spectacular episodes stuck in there, but Good Form was just one of those episodes that you never forget...at least not if you're a CaptainSwan shipper. Good Form held the moment our ship became canon, but for me, as a huge fan of Hook, it was really the first time we got to see some of his pre-pirate backstory. I adore Captain Hook and I adore Killian Jones, so getting to catch a glimpse into that past was a treasure, pun intended.

3z21&3x22: Snow Drifts & There's No Place Like Home

So technically this might be six episodes by the time we get done, but you can't say half of a season finale and call it good. OUAT has done the two hour season finale "movie" for two seasons now, and I've loved every second of each of them. However, the Season 3 finale will always hold a special place in my heart. Maybe it was the fact that it was a CaptainSwan movie and Hook was definitely in 75% of the episodes, or maybe because it was just simply brilliant, who knows. Actually, it's probably because we got two Hooks at once. Can't say you punched yourself in the face every day...or ever hopefully.

Also, can someone make me that dress?

4x16: Poor Unfortunate Soul 

This was one of those episodes where I had no idea going into it just how much I'd end up loving it, but this episode is by far my favorite of Season 4. Again, Hook is all over the place, but there was something extra magical about Ursula's story and how it wove in with the others. Plus we had one of the most meaningful CaptainSwan moments in the series...so that definitely helps. But I'm not joking, the CaptainSwan was just bonus. I loved it long before that "Happy Ending" scene.

Now, for those who may not be caught up, I won't give any spoilers away further, but I know for a fact that this next season is going to be an absolutely crazy one. With everything they've explored so far, I couldn't be more excited to see where things go next. Of course, maybe my ship has seen better days, but she'll weather the storm, and by the end, I certainly know everyone will live Happily Ever After.

Well..I hope so. With Adam and Eddy you can never really predict these things.

Have a magical day!

Day 863: 2048

It's only taken a year, but I finally beat 2048.

I should explain a bit. A year ago 2048 was all the rage, if you remember. It was the new Flappy Bird. Everyone was playing it...except for me. That is, until I found THIS version right here. That's right, someone went and made a CaptainSwan version of 2048, and that was the end of it for me. It didn't take long for me to be obsessed with beating the game because, let's be honest, CaptainSwan needs to get their happy ending (even if this was made at the end of Season 3 instead of Season 4 and a happy ending seems to be out of the cards at least for quite some time) and once you start the game, there's no stopping you.

Except for terrible internet.

A year ago, after finals ended, I ended up spending quite a bit of my time (and phone battery) trying to beat the game and find out what the last scene was for the CaptainSwan version. I never actually got there, and when I came home for the summer I had to abandon it because the internet wasn't fast enough to keep up with the GIFs. The internet still isn't esepcailly quick around here, but now I could easily play the game if I wanted to...as long as it's on a computer.

But when I came across the game this finals week it occurred to me that I still didn't know the final scene, and I became determined to solve the puzzle, and this time I had a secret weapon: My roommate, Ashley. She's figured out how to beat the game, and while it took a while, you can bet that before we went home for the summer I finished the game. Yep, I FINALLY WON!

Just for the record, I tried playing it again just now and can't seem to win. I've gotten close, but haven't won. The struggle...it's real. And for those of you wonderful, the final GIF is that one in the corner: The Dance from the first half of the Season 3 Finale! 

All the CaptainSwan feels. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on May 23 due to finals).

Day 853: One True Pairing

I've spent some time this evening trying to determine what to do to makeup this extra blog post, although I've known from the start that I wanted it to be Star Wars themed. After all, May is definitely Star Wars month! But I didn't want to just do a post I've done before and then, through a collection of old blog posts, it hit me!

It started out when I came across this post from only a few weeks ago, which you'll see again in the next blog post as one of my favorite Star Wars themed Everyday Disney posts. The post included a graphic that helped explain my love of Han Solo in comparison to Captain Hook, which you can see below. Then I stumbled back across the first post on the Love Triangle Theory, and realized that there's something I think about quite often but have never actually blogged about, and that's my OTP'S.

For those that aren't fluent in fangirl, there's this thing called shipping, a completely ironic word when it comes to the fact that my two all-time favorite characters both own a ship. Either way, shipping is where you want two characters to form a relationship, whether it be canon or not (real in the plot of the show). So for example, Han and Leia are certainly an example of a canon-ship, while Leia and Lando would be a Non-canon pairing (who even ships that?) So then you have ships, but there are some ships that are just way more important than all of the other ships, and those ships are your OTPs, or rather, "One True Pairings." The concept sounds as though you really only have one, but I definitely like to believe we can have plenty. For me, I have two, and it just so happens that they are pretty closely connected!

And so I give the list: A Few Reasons why Hook and Emma are actually Han and Leia!

Uhh...Princess Leia? 

Scoundrel? Scoundrel? I like the sound of that. 

Get in the way? Never! 

Space Pirate and Pirate are obviously the same. After all, they do both fly. 

Of course, there are plenty of other reasons as to why Hook is Han and Emma is Leia, such as the complete female power that exists anytime Emma or Leia are around, the whole force use thing (definitely like Emma's magic), the constant hand holding that occurs all the time, and the list just goes on and on and on.

Now...let's just hope this doesn't go down in the Season 4 finale!

Have a magical day!

(Note: Due to finals, this post was written on May 4, 2015).