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 1085: Look Who's Home!

This Winter Break is going to be a bit different from those previous, and in fact, I already sort of feel like it's over. With so much going on and my days booking up faster than I could possibly imagine, it's hard to think about taking time off when it already feels like school is going to start again next week (actually we don't start until the end of January, but that feels like next week). Regardless, because I have a 9 month lease on a townhouse on campus, I'm going to be spending significantly more time at SNC, but that didn't stop me from bringing my favorite Cardboard Pirate home for Christmas!

And since I spent most of the day cleaning, I also happened to find a sign I bought ages ago and just haven't put up. I debated for a little while about where to put it, but eventually I realized that there was only one correct place for it to go:

I actually, due to roommate issues, had to sneak into my house and pack a bag about a week and a half ago and had to leave him behind, which was a pretty terrible experience, so I knew that he had to come home so he could celebrate his first Christmas with everyone, not just an empty dorm room! 

I also managed to decorate my Christmas tree yesterday, and as you can see, I spent a lot of time on the theme of "Disney Accessories:" 

I needed somewhere to put the hats and I also needed Christmas tree decorations, so I solved two problems at once! 

Let me know how you decorated your Christmas tree with Disney in the comments below! 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 22).

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 1067: Finding Neverland

Not completely a Disney thing this time, but I still felt it was worth mentioning. A few weeks back one of my friends at school had me listening to the soundtrack for the Broadway Musical Finding Neverland, which I followed on Twitter some time beforehand because it sounded interesting. That was about it though, and I didn't think much else of it until I actually heard the soundtrack. Because I have Spotify now, it's more than easy to find just about any album I want. 

Honestly, there's several reasons that I'm probably in love with this soundtrack and musical. First, the fact that it's Peter Pan inspired really gets to me. That's just awesome (from a Disney perspective, but especially a fairy tale perspective), especially since it's about the creation of Peter Pan. I like all things Hook, so that helps too, and then you throw in a little Matthew Morrison and some inspirational music and you've got me, well, Hooked. 

Personally, I'm completely in love with the song "Stronger," but I regularly listen to the entire soundtrack. In fact, for a couple of weeks I ended up listening to "Stronger" just about every morning on my way to class as motivation for my day (considering the fact that I'm still alive, I assume it worked well). 

So now Finding Neverland is on my list of shows that I just really, really want to see, although I do wish Matthew Morrison wasn't leaving in the near future. It sort of puts a damper on things, but it's still a brilliant musical and maybe someday, just maybe, I'll be able to catch a performance of it. 

If you haven't listened to it, you can find the Album from the original Broadway cast HERE on Spotify! 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 25).

Day 1063: We Put Him In the Corner

As I'm sure you're aware, we love Cardboard Colin dearly. He's a great roommate actually, always quiet and he never moves. In fact, the most he does is scare you a little bit if you forget that he's there! But when his alter ego Captain Hook on Once Upon A Time does something that he probably shouldn't have done, we have no choice but to put our wonderful roommate in the corner.

Actually, Cardboard Colin has all sorts of adventures with us at college, and you can keep up with him on his own personal twitter, @CardboardColin! Since the episode of OUAT that forced us to put him in a time out, he's turned back around and has become a part of our everyday lives again, but that could change at any time! To find out if he behaves, give him a follow on Twitter! 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 25).

Day 1049: Fandom Life

As a member of the internet and social media, I'm always seeing posts that note "what a time to be alive," and it's occurred to me recently that now, right now, is a wonderful time to be alive, at least in regards to the live of being a fan. Suddenly it's become kind of "cool" to be a part of a fandom, whether it be Star Wars, Disney, a television show, or something else entirely. In fact, it's gotten to the point where I think most of us wonder what people without a fandom do with their freetime.

Honestly, picking a fandom to be a part of isn't even that hard, unless you're trying to stay away from all negativity. There's plenty of that on the internet wherever you go, and while some fandoms are worse than others, every one of them has a few rotten eggs. But seriously, all you have to do to become a part of a fandom is like something, and usually that means becoming absolutely obsessed with something.

It starts out relatively simple, like when I began watching Star Wars. You watch the movie with the smallest amount of interest and enjoyment, and then suddenly something clicks. For me, it was the moment a certain space scoundrel came on screen and I realized that it was indeed Indiana Jones. Boy, I'd been missing out on an entire childhood of Harrison Ford and I had no idea.

And so, you begin to watch (and rewatch) the movie over and over again. With a TV show you end up buying a season pass on iTunes so you can watch the film immediately the next day and every day after that until another episode appears. Maybe you start DisneyBounding your favorite characters, and tweeting the cast and crew. You join internet groups, maybe you create a fan page (or a giant blog dedicated to your fandom), and eventually things just start to get a bit out of control. 

You attend a fan convention, maybe something as big as Comic Con or D23 Expo, or something smaller that simply embodies your fandom. And when you can't go to the conventions because you spent too much money on fan merchandise, you stalk the internet waiting for any possible news. And speaking of fan merchandise, things just sort of start to pop up in your room, especially after people figure out that a gift featuring your favorite character would work perfectly for an occasion. 

And before you know what happened, you're a part of a fandom. You've made friends and learned everything you possibly can about the show or movie: all the head-cannons and real plotlines and accepted truths. You spend the majority of your day thinking about the fandom, and drawings in the columns of your notebooks relate your love of the scoundrel that stole your heart.  

Previously, at this point you'd try to hide your love of the fandom. Kept it completely under wraps for fear of someone finding out you actually have a shrine to a character in your bedroom. But that's a world that exists no more. Now you can be proud of your fandom and the happiness it brings you! 

What fandoms are you a part of!?! Let me know in the comments! 

Have a magical day! 

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

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 1026: Pumpkin Carving

Believe it or not, I'm 20 years old and I've never carved a pumpkin.

My roommates seems to find this an abomination, so when they decided we were going to carve pumpkins this year, I couldn't really say no. Lucky for you, I filmed the carving of my pumpkin...which sort of set the theme for the whole weekend.

To be honest, I started out really debating what design I would do...the fact that it was Hook just had to happen though, because this wonderful night of pumpkins was the evening before we headed out to see Colin O'Donoghue's new film, The Dust Storm, which you can read all about in the following two blog posts. Trust me, you'll want to read it.

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 1...because college).

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 998: At the Top

Since it's the Friday before Once Upon A Time returns and I needed a video topic that wouldn't take me an eternity to film (I had an extremely busy week), I thought it would be fun to do a quick video on some of my favorite episodes of my favorite TV show. It actually ended up being really fun, and even Cardboard Colin got in on the action:

Initially, my list had 10 episodes (if you include both that make up the Season 3 finale), but I narrowed it down to the few you can see in the video. I wanted to keep it short and sweet, definitely something difficult for a Once Upon A Time fangirl to do. I have so many favorite episodes that it was hard to pick 10, much less narrow it down to even less! So here, as an exclusive here on Everyday Disney, are a few of the episodes that didn't make the cut: 

1x04: The Price of Gold

1x07: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

3x17: The Jolly Roger

4x02: White Out

4x04: The Apprentice

I do believe there were even more than that, but off the top of my head (which is getting pretty fuzzy as I finish catching up the blog before a big occasion on Sunday!), those are the ones that I could remember debating for the list! 

If you watch OUAT, let me know what your favorite episodes are in the comments below! And...in case I didn't remind you enough in the video, Once Upon A Time returns this Sunday, September 27 at 8/7c on ABC. There's also a special on the hour before the premiere that will catch you up on everything Once if you're a bit behind! 

Have a magical day!

Day 992: Arrrrrrrrr

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day from Cardboard Colin and I!

Talk Like a Pirate Day is absolutely one of my favorite days of the year, although it might have something to do with the fact that I live with a cardboard pirate and eagerly await the return of my favorite pirate on TV. Regardless, we have a good time every year on TLAPD, and this year Cardboard Colin and I thought it might be fun to share some Priate themed jokes with you: 

"Why does it take pirates so long to learn the alphabet?" 

Because they can spend years at C!

"What do you get when you cross a pirate with a librarian?"

Cap'n Book!

"Why is pirating addictive?" 

They say once ye lose yer first hand, ye get hooked!

"What goes thump-thump Arr!, thump-thump Arr!?"

A pirate falling down the stairs. 

"Where is the ocean the deepest?" 

On the bottom. 

"What's a pirate's favorite kind of cookie?" 

Ships Ahoy. 

Oh, and Cardboard Colin has one for you too:

In case you were wondering, yes, you can now follow my cardboard friend on Twitter! Just search for him @CardboardColin!

Have a magical talk like a pirate day mates! 

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

Day 954: Character Mania

If there was one thing I loved about Disneyland more than pretty much anything else, it was the characters. Alright, so that's a half-truth, because you just can't beat World of Color and Paint the Night (among other things), but the character selection in California is VERY different from the ones we have back at Walt Disney World. So of course I set out to meet as many of them as possible in my short time there, and the results were definitely rewarding.

It took me all of about two hours to spot my first character of the trip, the one and only Queen. When I noticed her meeting in the shadow of the Matterhorn, my inner Evil Regal kicked in and I just had to stop. To be completely honest, between the chilling sounds of the Matterhorn behind us and her rather...cold...attitude, I got a bit of shiver on my spine. I wouldn't call her evil though...just misunderstood. Once a Oncer, always a Oncer. 

Then it was off with my friend Laura to meet a couple of the greates heroes our world has ever known, Thor and Captain America! Thor was a bit put off by the fact that I had my Cap shirt on and wasn't wearing a shirt that had him on it, but I managed to convince him that it was alright and that he should come to visit Florida sometime. After all, it's closer to New York, right? 

Then, over by Cap, I was completely heart eyes. Think Captain America is charming in the movies? You should meet him in person. Greatest three minutes of my life...well...until I met my next character. 

I personally think it's ridiculous that this guy doesn't meet in Florida, so when I saw him after getting off the Carrousel Laura was like "Go, Live your Dream" and I ran over to meet him. Having him sign my autograph book was basically the highlight of my afternoon, especially since because he only has one hand you have to like hold the book for him while he signs. It was a Hooker's dream. 

Now, I'm still not caught up on all the Tinkerbell movies, but heading to Pixie Hollow was pretty amazing. In Florida we can obviously still meet Tink, but the expansion of Fantasyland took away her fairy friends! Rosetta was the cutest little honey-bunch and I just wanted to take her home to be honest.

Of all the characters in California, Oswald was the one I knew I just had to meet. This guy is a huge historical figure when it comes to the Disney company, and the fact that he's finally in the parks and back in our lives is absolutely wonderful. He was SOOOO Cute, especially in relation to the vlog and the camera. Which brings me to my next question...when can we get him in Florida? 

And last but certainly not least, I headed on a 45 minute mission to meet our favorite snowman, Olaf! One of my best friends is a huge Olaf fan, so because she can't meet him in Florida, I figured the least I could do was go and get his autograph for her! He actually doesn't sign regular autographs yet, and instead does a little self-portrait, and Olaf was kind enough to sign one for me and one for my friend! Plus look at how happy we were! Warm Hugs indeed! 

Not bad for five days in the parks though, right? I wanted to see if I could catch Cruella and the Fairy Godmother as well but time just wasn't on my side, so I'll have to save them for the next time! And who knows, by then ALL the Avengers might be there! 

Which character would you most want to meet at Disneyland? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a magical day!

(This blog post was written on September 2 due to the Disney Trip and College Move-In).

Day 934: Fairy Tale Superheroes

It seems that with each week there's another reason Everyday Disney gets a bit behind, whether it be technical difficulties or just a complete lack of time due to the number of projects I'm working on over the summer, but this week's excuse comes in the form of a presentation on fairy tales.

Every summer my local library has a themed reading program, and this year's theme happens to be superheroes. After a converstaion a while back, I somehow ended up giving a presentation on fairy tales for this program, and despite the fact that it's fair week in our little town, there were actually a few people who showed up to hear me talk about Rumpelstiltskin, Captain America and Once Upon A Time.

It's pretty aparent if you go back here on Everyday Disney just how much I've come to love fairy tales. Honestly, stories like these are another thing that I could have never imagined as a part of my life a few years ago, even back when Everyday Disney started. Gosh, even when I started watching Once Upon A Time I could never have imagined giving a presentation on them and how fairy tale characters can indeed be just as super as Batman or Captain America.

In the process of creating this presentation though, I decided that, of course, we were going to have to watch something from OUAT, and it ended up being the original series trailer that appeared on ABC back in 2011. Don't remember what I'm talking about? Here you go:

Watching this trailer brought several thoughts to mind for me: 

1. This is the trailer that got me to watch this show. Weird. 

2. We've come so far. Back when Emma was the hero and Regina was the villain and now we have Captain Hook trying to bring Emma back from the dark side. What even happened. 

3. 2011 was a long time ago. 

4. I want to watch Once Upon A Time. 

It's awesome that even after 4 years, this trailer still makes me want to go back and start from the beginning...which I generally do every summer but I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to watch an episode in a while. Bad Lizzie. Bad. 

But now, waiting for another trailer for Season 5, I can't help but think about the way that OUAT has inspired me to keep hope in my own life, the same way stories like fairy tales and superheroes do for us every time we read a few lines, and that's really what I tried to get across through my presentation. "It's about hope," Eddy Kitsis once said, "and it's always been about hope. It's about the belief that no matter how bad things are, no matter how bad things seem, if you just keep that faith, and you keep that belief, someday they'll get better." 

After all, as my quote canvas says...

Have a magical day!