Day 455: Quiet Minds

It is time for another Once Upon A Time blog post, and may I just say that this episode just about broke me. Before we get into the screenshots and such (which are honestly kind of interesting this week just because of what the episode was about versus what I took from it), I do have to say a couple things.

One: It's not a secret that I ship CaptainSwan. I do. Have for a long time. But that doesn't mean I am not incredibly, deeply saddened by Neal's passing. I have actually known for a couple months that someone was going to die, and as of about a month and a half ago, I was absolutely sure it was going to be Neal. That being said, I've had some time to prepare myself for this, but even so, I almost cried during the episode. I didn't, but I almost did. I think the only way I am ok with his death is because someone was going to die, and of the big eight (Emma, Snow, Charming, Henry, Regina, Neal, Belle & Hook), I felt that Neal would be the best choice. His storyline fit up and, of these characters, he is the one I will miss the least.

BUT that being said, I'm not HAPPY about it. I know that this next Sunday, when we have the funeral for Neal, I WILL cry. Because each and every one of these characters is so important to one another. And that's one of the most important things to remember about the love triangle that's been going on. They love one another. It's not a competition to see who's going to win, because ultimately they all care for one another. Just because I want Emma and Hook to end up together doesn't mean that I don't love and care about Neal, because I do. I may not always show it, but I do. Because he made Emma happy once, and he made her smile in this last episode like we haven't seen in a long time. If anything, Quiet Minds made me ship SwanFire more than I ever have before.

In other words, I do not, in any way, support any kind of hate from one ship to another at this moment or in any moment. I would NEVER send hate to a person who ships SwanFire just because I downright love CaptainSwan. That's not how the world works. These are real people out there, and this is just a fake reality on a television show. And I don't know about my fellow shipmates, but I am grieving over Neal just as much as anyone else.

As my best friend said earlier today, I ship NealAlive.

Two: Words can't express how much I loved that scene with Hook and Neal. Going along with my previous point, I'm so incredibly glad they included that in this episode because I think a lot of people do forget that Hook and Neal care about one another. Yes it makes for one awkward family tree, but this death is going to affect Hook too, and I absolutely cannot wait to see how they play that out in the next episode.

Three: Can I just say something? Jello. Green or Blue, I don't care. But Hook and Jello? Yeah, I ship that.

And so we come to the wonderful screenshots from this week's episode. For your convenience, I put all the ones that actually have to do with the storyline first, and then my CaptainSwan fangirl moments after them.

Sooo...in that scene in Gold's shop when Hook says he's gonna stay with Belle, I can't be the only one who noticed that look Emma gave him. That one that basically said "Killian..." Haha, I love these two. Meanwhile, Colin's face was just full of priceless expressions this episode. Just saying. Hence the reason that there are like 6 pictures just of his face. I have problems. 

As for what's coming next week, let's just say I'm going to bring my own box of kleenex to my friend's dorm room. 

And finally, this week's Disneybound is inspired by the one and only Rumpelstiltskin! This is by far one of my favorite Disneybounds thus far, and it's the first of three very exciting ones for me!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on April 2 due to a super crazy week!)

Day 454: Which Ears are my Ears?

Not long ago I took those quizes on Zimbio, but sometimes Disney has quizzes all their own. Today as I was scrolling through my Blogger feed of other various blogs for the first time in days, I came across a very recent post that was a quiz for "Which Disney Ear Hat Should You Wear?"

Now, being a long time Disney fan, I have always believed in the idea of everyone getting a pair of Mouse Ears. I kind of think it should happen on your first visit, because it's just kind of this right of passage if you ask me. But either way, you should just get a pair at some point. When I go in June with two of my closest friends who have never been to a Disney Park before, I have already told them that I will be buying them each a pair of mouse ears. Any pair they choose, and they can get their name on the back. I have a pair from when I was a kid with my name on the back too, and I actually had some of my senior pictures taken with mouse ears.

So when I saw this quiz, I was like "I AM SO TAKING THIS!" and then I did. You can take it right along with me by clicking HERE.

In the end though, after answering all the questions, my result wasn't surprising at all:

According to the quiz, "You're into the latest and greatest, but still appreciate the classics. The Glow with the Show Ear Hat is just right for you as it blends Disney magic and style together." 

What's so funny about this answer? Come June, I was already planning on buying a glow with the show hat. My friends will have Mickey Ears, so I feel like I should too! Of course, the prospect of having Glow with the Show Ears is just awesome, and while there's a slight chance I'll cave and get a different set of ears, I'm pretty sure these are the ones I'm getting. It's just pretty awesome that they light up with the show, right? Yeah, I think it is. 

What ears should you wear? 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on April 2 due to a super busy week!)

Day 453: Fastpass+ For Everyone

I guess I never really gave my thoughts on Fastpass+ from my recent trip. I mean, I talked about them a little bit, but never in great detail, and since I spent a good portion of yesterday talking about fastpass+ and the new system, I figured I would actually write a whole blog post on it. Plus, as of March 31, the advanced fastpass reservation system is ready for everyone to use, even just day guests. That's right, no matter if you're an annual passholder or staying on property, you can now use My Magic Plus and make your fastpass reservations 30 days in advance of your trip (those staying on property get 60 days).

Now, I think the new system is absolutely brilliant. Everything works very efficiently, especially when you do get to make those fastpass reservations well before you step foot on property. But coming from a person heading down to Disney World with Disney Performing Arts, I'm a bit concerned. There's a good chance that we won't get our tickets until we actually get to Florida, and that's really going to limit what we can and can't get for our fastpasses. And since it's really set up for families, in order to get the same times as one another, we'll have to have people in groups ahead of time, meaning that people will need to have some sort of an idea of who they want to spend their time with before we actually leave on the trip. That makes things kind of difficult. But I know we'll get through it. I have no doubt we will.

I think the hardest part about Fastpass Plus is that it's going to be a bit confusing for a while. There are a lot of rumors and tons of false information about the system out there, which doesn't help either. Personally, I feel like those who have used the fastpass system previous to this, so with the paper tickets, could be even more confused than those who haven't been to Disney with it at all. It's easy enough to grasp the idea of skipping the line, but this new system is completely different from the old one, and the prospect of planning out every minute of your day well in advance is kind of daunting.

I guess the only thing I really don't like about it is that fact: you have to have a pretty good plan of what you're going to be doing on each day before you go. I'm certainly more of a spontaneous person when it comes to Disney. So maybe someday when I go by myself or something I really will have dining reservations for one place, but I'll wake up that morning and randomly decide to go to Epcot. If my reservation for that night was for Magic Kingdom, I will ultimately end up there, but other than that, I'm just not really the type of person to plan ahead. Unless it comes to when I'll be going to Disney in the future. I know that stuff WAY in advance.

But then again, don't all of us crazy Disney fans?

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on April 2 due to a super crazy week!)

Day 452: FAF: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Time for the last Featured Attraction Friday of March, and let's take a look at the brand new, not even open yet, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train! I think this will be a bit of a different FAF post though, mostly me just talking about how excited I am for the whole thing while also being sad that I probably won't get to see it when I'm there in June because I'll be so busy doing other stuff that I won't have time to wait in a long line for such things, no matter how much I want to go on it. Plus, the day I have to march a parade is probably not the best time to test how well my motion sickness works.

I did get to see part of it with the walls down when I was at Disney a couple weeks ago, and this is about the fourth time I've been there to see it under construction. It reminds me of when Everest was being built, and we really did see it go up over a couple of years. It's just really interesting to see how things are built up. And now that some of the walls are down, you can really get some insight into what the ride will be like.

I remember the first time I saw the concept art for the Mine Train, along with the rest of New Fantasyland at the D23 Expo in 2011. It was a crazy thing to think about at the time, all these brand new things: a new castle, a Little Mermaid Attraction, a restaurant themed after Be Our Guest from Beauty and the Beast, a double Dumbo attraction AND A brand new thrill attraction? It was just too much to handle. Plus, at the time, Toontown Fair was still very much a part of what I knew as Magic Kingdom, and thinking back now, it's weird to think that that once stood where Storybook Circus now stands.

But I do remember seeing the virtual ride through of the Mine Train, and the thought of cars that rock and forth was kind of crazy too. This was brand new technology, and it was coming to Walt Disney World, the place I consider home. That's a big deal! And now we're so close to seeing it for real! I mean, they're doing drop tests pretty much daily, and soon we'll all be able to experience Snow White in a way we never have before. How exciting is that?

You can see the virtual ride through paired with some of the first onboard video of a drop test below. I can't wait to see it for real!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on April 2 because it's been a super busy week!)

Day 451: A Month of Blog

FINALLY!

Yes, finally, I am caught up with my blog posts. I have to write the one for today (well, tomorrow depending on how you're reading this) yet, but other than that, every blog post from the last month or so is made up. It took me probably about 6 hours to get it all done, but it's caught up! I have been working on it for most of my down time in the music lobby during the day, and it's the first piece of work I'm behind on that I have completely caught up on. Spring break really did a number on me when it comes to how far behind I am. It's worth it though.

So here we have a review post. Here's a selection of posts from the past month that you may or may not have read! You can skip them if you like, go back and read a couple, or read them all if you really have that much time. There's a variety of topics too, so that's fun!

Day 423: A Few of My Favorite Things V5

I haven't done one of these in a while and decided that we might as well have a new one! So here's the first of what will eventually be three posts on my favorite Disney characters. First we have Heroes and Heroines, including my all time favorite Disney character! (Hint: It's not Rapunzel).

Day 433: The Next Disney Princess

I asked my music theory class for random Disney topics. They gave me a bunch of random ideas, including this one: a closer look into Disney's next Princess, the Polynesia princess Moana! I honestly didn't really know much about the movie or the Princess until I did the research, but now I'm up to date again!

Day 434: Fish Tanks

My friends here at college are pretty awesome, as you should have already figured out considering they're willing to help me come up with blog topics. One of my friend's, Benny, loves The Little Mermaid, and when he got a fish he named her Ariel. So of course I had to write a blog post on it!

Day 435: Who Are You?

You know all those popular quizzes out there? There's stuff on zimbio and buzzfeed, and it provides hours of entertainment for everyone. Of course there's not lack of Disney quizzes out there too, of all kinds. So I take 7 different Disney quizzes, and you can take them with me!

Day 440: Pizza Planet Truck

Know all those different times when the Pizza Planet Truck appears in a Pixar movie? Yeah, that's what I was talking about on this particular day's blog post, thanks to my music theory people who suggested it. Actually, it turned out to be a pretty awesome topic, since I really do love the Easter Eggs that Pixar throws into all their films. It just makes it like a little game to spot things, even if you've seen the movie before!

Day 444: Magical People

While I have five blog posts that go along with my most recent trip to Disney, I think this is my favorite. It was awesome getting to meet so many different people while I was there, and it certainly made my little trip a memorable one! I'm still in awe at how awesome you all are!

Day 448: The Tower

I got a bit behind in my Once Upon A Time blog posts, so I caught back up as easily as possible: with one giant post that is mostly screen shots from the latest episodes! I'm doing a bit of a different format for each episode in this second half of the season, just to shorten things up a bit, but now that I have the episodes to watch as much as I want without Commercials, I'm pretty sure I'll have more screen shots than ever. Because more pictures of Hook are just terrible you know. ;)

And there's plenty of other new blog posts stuck in between, these were just a few of my favorites from everything that I made up. I say it time and time again, but I just absolutely hate getting behind on my blog, so I'm glad to be at least caught up for the moment. Now I just have to catch up in the rest of my work!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This Blog Post was written on March 28 due to Midterms and Travel).

Day 450: The First Three

I wrote up my blog post on the first three episodes of Season 3B of Once Upon A Time yesterday, but when I went back and looked at a OUAT Post from the first half of the season, it occurred to me that I forgot to include my Disneybounds on that last post, and since it was already finished and posted and so long, I decided to just make it it's own separate post. Seems like a good idea, right? Works for me!

If you remember correctly, I had a whole wealth of different Disneybounds in the first half of the season! Here's a quick recap: 

3x01: Heart of the Truest Believer: Emma Swan

3x02: Lost Girl: Mary Margaret

3x03: Quite a Common Fairy: David/Charming

3x04: Nasty Habits: Neal

3x05: Good Form: Captain Hook

3x06: Ariel: Belle

3x07: Dark Hallow: Ruby

3x08: Think Lovely Thoughts: Tinker Bell

3x09: Save Henry: Henry

3x10: The New Neverland: Regina

3x11: Going Home: Magic

3x12: New York City Serenade: Emma Swan

In an episode where largely all that's happening is us exploring what Emma's life has been like in the past year while Hook attempts to get her to remember, it felt pretty natural to just do another Emma Swan Disneybound, even though I try to do different characters every week. But this is basically a new season, with S3B, and I have my red leather jacket, so I think it counts, right? This is by far one of my favorites so far that I've done, just because I added so many little things that made it even more awesome than it already was with the jacket. 

3x13: Witch Hunt: Robin Hood

When I first heard that the second episode of S3B would feature a lot of Robin Hood, I instantly set out to create the perfect Robin Hood Disneybound for the night. Ok, so maybe there were a couple of things I would have changed, but for the most part, this is, again, one of my favorites I think I've done. My hair, as you can't totally see it, was a French braid, but my bangs were up and to the side to resemble Robin's hair. Plus I love the Green Scarf and am excited to see it making it's second Disneybound appearance for Once! (The first time was Tink). 

3x14: The Tower: David/Charming

My first Charming Disneybound was fun, but I didn't feel like it was 100% him. So I decided to try again, especially since I just got a new black leather jacket! Plus, this time my hair was just on top of things with matching his, so that made me pretty happy too. It's just really hard to mimic guy hair when your hair is literally like 10 times longer at least. Either way, since the entire episode was very much Charming-focused, it worked out pretty well, don't you think? 

3x15: Quiet Minds: ???

I posted this picture on my instagram as a hint for what my Disneybound is this week. Any guesses as to who I might be? If not, you'll just have to wait until Sunday to find out, since I'll be posting it on my Instagram, Tumblr AND Twitter. Plus my Facebook page will probably be updated as well! Either way, I'm very excited about the next THREE Disneybounds I have planned. They're all just very exciting and I can't wait to see how everything plays out. I'll be posting hints here and there on my instagram each week, so you can most certainly keep an eye out for those!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on March 28 due to midterms and travel).

Day 449: Sights, Sounds & Smells

If I thought I had Disney Deja Vu and Disney Depression BEFORE I left, gosh do I have it now. Like, I have to force myself to work on my blog or on editing vlogs just because it's like...I don't know. I guess I feel like I'm still in Disney mode...if that's a thing. I keep thinking I'm somewhere other than here. Things smell like Disney, or look like Disney, or sound like Disney. Things just FEEL like Disney, and I don't know what to do with it at all.

Like a few weeks ago I did talk about Disney Deja Vu, and listed stuff like Train Whistles and Air and Construction sounds as things that remind me of Disney, and yes, they still do. The stupid construction outside every morning has me thinking there's a bus stop right outside my window. But now we've got things simply like when I walk to get my coffee, I feel like I'm actually at Old Key West. I have friends that are like "How was your trip!" and then we end up having a long conversation about how much we miss Disney.

Oh yeah, it's most certainly getting bad. Plus, when you're stuck in Disney Depression right after your trip you just don't feel like doing anything. I was talking to Max just this morning about how you just don't want to work, despite the fact that you're really far behind and have so much to do. But like I said, it's just interesting to try and do stuff like edit videos from Florida, because you FEEL like you're there, and that just makes things really hard. Because you're not there, and all you want to do is go back.

On a similar note, I really have eaten so much BBQ sauce in the last week just because it smells like Spaceship Earth that it's literally ridiculous. Like why is that happening? And apparently I just can't listen to my Disney music at the moment because it drives me insane. No. I need to listen to either Once or Saving Mr. Banks or Jazz or something, because I JUST DON'T WANT TO HEAR MY PARKS MUSIC!

Life...without Disney...is a real struggle people. Now all I have to look forward to is Once Upon A Time on Sundays. That's about it. And the band trip I suppose. But mostly OUAT. Sigh.

Have a magical day!

Day 448: The Tower

Since I'm week's behind, that also means I'm really far behind on Once Upon A Time...or at least blogging about it. We're going to lighten things up though, and just talk a bit about my favorite part of each episode and then a brief summary of what I hope, or think is coming in the weeks ahead of us. And boy, is there a lot. So in this one blog post, we've got three episodes to talk about...three absolutely brilliant, wonderful episodes.

3x12: New York City Serenade

Wait...Hook is in all but one of these pictures? Oops. 

I LOVED New York City Serenade, although I think it was kind of hard to make it a favorite just because we have been waiting three episodes and it had a lot to live up to. I mean, since we have been waiting so long we had high expectations for it and what it included, so when we did finally see it is was going to be hard to capture everything fans wanted in one episode. I do feel a bit sorry for those that don't ship CaptainSwan though, since that's basically all this episode was. Not that I didn't enjoy it...because I did...but I am a bit sad that they cut the hug. Sigh. Soon Lizzie. Soon. 

Other than that I think my favorite part of the episode was totally Hook's one-liners. I mean, the line about "They force fed me something called Bologna," gosh, that one's been a joke within my Once group ever since. But let's not forget about that scene at the end when Henry was like "Why are you dressed like that?" and without missing a beat Hook is like "Why are you dressed like THAT?" HILARIOUS. 

Oh..and then there was that time and major freakout when she called him Killian...twice. And the flying Monkey thing. I totally saw it coming, but hey...it was still a SPECTACULAR scene. I LOVED it, and Chris did a great job in the part of Walsh. He was cast perfectly for that part if you ask me. 

3x13: Witch Hunt

I'd just like to say that as the first episode I really knew very little about spoiler-wise, I was really impressed. I mean, with New York City Serenade, I basically knew exactly what happened before I even saw the episode. I could have quote the characters before watching it! That all changes now that we're getting into S3B. Although there were totally a couple of things I figured out ahead of time. I was still surprised-ish when they revealed that Regina and Zelena are sisters, but I had kind of guessed that previously. I mean, I do follow the cast members, so I know who's on set when, and sometimes we get behind the scenes stuff that's like "Oh yeah...duh this is going to happen." 

Favorite parts of this week? ROLAND. THAT CHILD IS ADORABLE. Also, I loved the Charlie's Angels vibe we were getting from Charming, Hood & Hook. Like seriously those three are awesome. Also, Whale's comment about being a vet was hilarious. Other than that, I think the biggest surprise was most certainly Rumple. I mean, I knew the whole time that he wasn't dead. They just can't kill off a super favorite character, and an essential one at that, without causing some major damage to the show, so while I was surprised to see how he came back, him being there in general wasn't a big deal for me. 

My friend Jessica however, her new motto in life is "You Feed the Madness and it Feeds on You." 

3x14: The Tower

If it's any indication by the number of pictures for this third episode versus the previous two, I loved this last episode, The Tower. I heard about Rapunzel coming into play months ago, so I was excited for that, although I feel like they could have done a little bit more with her character than they did...although it does kind of remind me of how they would bring in the shorter storylines in Season 1. Like people always complain about Cinderella, and I guess to a point I'm not super happy about her not being around either, but it's the same concept. Either way, I enjoyed the Rapunzel storyline, considering I found it a great take on the original fairy tale. 

But let's get to the real point of this week: BALLGOWN! How many of you freaked out when Emma was standing there looking like a real Swan in that dress? Yeah, I know I did. I was NOT prepared for it. Although I do have to say that the entire scene really does give me the chills. I mean, it is a nightmare, so I suppose it should, but they wrote it brilliantly, making Emma just enough out of character to make it seem unrealistic, but just enough in character to make it seem real. Beautiful. Also, the part with the hooded figure and Charming and Rapunzel and stuff. THAT WAS WEIRD. As was the time when Zelena was talking to Rumple...and yet another new line around my Once fan group: "All the voices in my head, will be quiet when I'm dead." Foreshadowing to next week?? Hmmmm...

Other thoughts before we get to my final freakout: THE NEVENGERS ARE BACK! Charming and Hood are totally mates now, just like Charming and Hook. They can all be mates together. Best buds! It'd be adorable! Also ZELENA GET THE HECK AWAY FROM SNOW. I also felt that the farmhouse was a nice touch...and the bike. Haha that was great. 

And finally, CAPTAINSWAN! Yes, oh yes, there was plenty of that in this episode too, and I LOVE IT. So many great Hook and Emma moments this week. Like when they were standing in the office and he joked and she just gave him that look...actually, that whole scene was just pretty priceless. And then in the woods when he was all "Because if it can be broken, it means it still works." Just goodness gracious me, who writes this stuff? Also when they were at the farmhouse and he's all "Why are we whispering?" Yeah, that was great too. 

Theories for the Future:

Well, I can't say a lot without giving out spoilers, but I'm pretty sure I know who Zelena's father is...but I won't tell you (or anyone for that matter) who I think it is. Let's just say it might not be who you think. Next week we see the return of Neal, so that should be interesting...especially because I know other things. But no comment on those either. I am excited to see whatever is in store for Regina and Hood though. Those two are up there on my list of ships. But most of all, let's hope for some more wonderful Wicked! Gosh the Wicked Witch has to be one of my favorite characters, just because she is so darn evil. Like I can't handle it. I love to hate her! 

Until Sunday, Once Upon A Time. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on March 27 due to midterms and travel).