Once upon a time series seven

Having been a massive fan of Once upon a time I was unsure what this series would bring. 

A new series brings new talent, new idols and in this case even more stories retold in completely different ways. 

I can't say I loved it all for that would be a lie. I found certain characters and storylines hard to stick. A few of the newer additions'. didn't get enough screen time. Some were unfairly killed off with us knowing very little about them. 

If an eight-season had been commissioned these stories may have possibly been explored further. People have probably written their own theories on these things I've never eight ed, but it would be intriguing to read other points of view. 

Watching back I noticed the odd plot hole here and there, again something that could have been fixed given an eight-season. I am sceptical about having it return for the seventh without some of the characters I had grown to love.  Being a die-hard Captain Swan shipper I felt very happy on how the previous season had ended. 

My biggest issue with Eddy & Adam adding a new season was also down to captain Swan if Colin was supposedly in it then where was Emma? Were they separated? they'd be on such a journey that the possibility of them being apart made me nervous as to know what Hook's story could possibly be. 

I've never been sure why it got so much hate, especially after release. 

 I for one found thoroughly enjoyable. There were a few once arcs I struggled to get into and I will admit parts I didn't like as much but as a whole, it's one of my favourite seasons. 

 Eddy and Adam always have a really clever way of being able to shake up fairytales. In a way that really appeals to a modern-day audience.  

Upon first meeting Regina, it is not only clear she is a power-crazy mayor but that she is also enjoying the perks of being in charge. She's pretty well off with a reasonably large office & house. Whereas what we see with Jacinda is a struggling single mother who has little power over her situation struggling to battle Bills whilst taking care of her daughter. 

Another big difference is season seven's cursed world. We don't see anyone really tackling hardships in season one yet in season seven we have all these relatable complex characters with real-world problems. It's not just Jacinda but older Henry's cursed memories are of a fire that killed his wife & child who he is subconsciously grieving for. 

 Tilly gives us a story of a drugged-up, mentally ill street girl. Who's cursed backstory seems to reflect that of many homeless people suffering from poor mental health or addiction. 

One thing that becomes apparent 

 in both Tilly and Alice is that they experience deep-rooted self-esteem issues. Alice's from being locked up in a tower for many years, then upon escaping feeling lost and all alone.

 Whereas Tilly's are from living on the streets. It’s never disclosed why Tilly believes she ended up there. She never mentions memories of her cursed parents or a family. Which is one thing I wish we got to find out especially as no one seems to notice her? Despite her everyday presence.

Being the guardian means Alice's magic is stronger than the rest, being the second person we know of to wake up and realise the truth. As the episodes progress it seems Tilly has never been affected by the curse. Victoria Bellfrey must know her magic is more powerful as she puts her on medication to stop her remembering who she really is. 

It takes a while to see friendships formed in season one but with this, we are made aware of how close Sabina and Tiana are. This feels important because it shows how crucial friendship is especially in the hardest of times. 

 Tiana's completely different backstory was so refreshing. I loved how she went out to be saved by the prince, Giving him his happy ending, prior to gaining hers. 

Alice also saves herself, by wishing for an escape out of her tower she manages to subconsciously conjure up a troll and save herself. 

Jacinda also had some really good real lifelines about self-empowerment and the whole idea of allowing yourself to save yourself rather than waiting around for someone else to do it. 

I personally believe we should be allowed into the circulation of modern fairytales.

This season concentrated on very few love stories,  the big one being Jacinda and Henry along with Robyn & Alice, with other hinted relationships hinted that didn't lead to anything. 

Once was always excellent at acknowledging the importance of family and friendship. 

being a massive Hook fan already I grew to really love Rogers, his relationship with Tilly felt so real. And was absolutely adorable and one of my favourite parts of the whole season. It gets even better as you begin to join the dots to discover who they really are to each other. Roger's cursed self believes he once had a daughter so he finds comfort in taking the poor homeless girl under his wing. Even at one point offering her accommodation so she is safe. 

As time goes on Rogers becomes one of the few people Tilly feels sees, believes and has full faith in her.

Rogers appears to be Tilly's friend before becoming Roger's. He uses her street knowledge to help him out with various cases but at times his aims seem to be to manipulate her & use her as a weapon rather than a friend. 

Whilst lying partly unconscious in hospital after being shot by Tilly, then shown Belle's chipped cup, Weaver has a vision of him and Belle bringing him back to reality.

I never really shipped Rumbelle however I did love Belle as a character and found her death episode a really hard watch.

Weaver needed something to make him want to fight in order for a story to build up around him. So moving forward it was probably the best way to go in terms of giving him a decent backstory. 

Belle was the one to finally set him free, Having spent many years trying to rid himself of the dagger. 

Detective Weaver is all about discovering the truth very much like Rumple, he is suspicious of everything and everyone.

Usually choosing to work with wrong intentions or those of a vulnerable nature. Whether this is intentional or not I'm not exactly sure. Although he is seen manipulating a lot of them in order to gather evidence. 

 This, in my opinion, says an awful lot about how his cursed self shares characteristics of his true self. 

Despite all those happy years with Belle working and achieving becoming a better person deep down, when it comes to getting what he wants he's not afraid to do whatever it takes to achieve this. 

Regina's redemption story continues throughout this season you can even tell how Roni is a completely different person to Regina's once evil self. 

One example of this is when she begins to teach Drizilla how to control her magic. Hoping to stop her making the same mistakes she did. I think this is a really significant part of Regina's story and how far she has come as a person from where she started in season one. 

Drusilla is very much like young Regina, they are both clearly searching for some sort of acceptance that neither of them gets from their mother's. 

In order to gain this, they both seek the guidance of antiheroes. 

Gothel and Rumple exploit them both, in ways that make them feel wanted. Gothel even goes to extreme lengths to help Drizzella cast her curse, even enlisting a coven of witches to help. 

Gothel seems to have this way of finding children who feel neglected by their own mothers, stealing them and then proceeding to raise them as her own.

I found the whole witch-cult storyline a bit odd and at times hard to follow. Most villains seem likeable in one way or another much like the black Fairy, Gothel had no redeeming qualities at all making it hard for me to feel anything for her other than hatred which is possibly why I struggled as I'm not the best with emotional pain (which she caused a lot of) or violence. 

In saying that watching back "Flower child" I did feel sorry for her all she wanted was to fit in, she thought she had finally found some friends. Until they went off to kill her entire family in a wicked act of betrayal. I had completely forgotten about it until my re~watch but I wrote something similar a few months back which now I have remembered about I'm going to try to find and continue. 

Arriving home to a land disaster and destruction. A location where you grew up, have very fond memories of, now destroyed in an act of jealous cruelty is bound to make you feel hatred for that person or group of people. 

From experience, I know that pain either makes people bitter or it makes them better. I know so many people who struggle on a daily basis yet are lovely. Yet in support groups, you see so many bitter people I've noticed this with old people they seem to be the nicest people ever or extremely awful. 

Not sure if this connected to the past is a harder time to live in or not for some it most likely is. I'd like to think people are horrid for a reason. Whenever you watch prison documentaries most of them are also in there because they have acted upon instinct or tried to rebel against their awful situation. Some of them are plainly psychopaths but it proves that emotional pain can really take you one way or the other. 

Completely gone, off-topic there (so sorry about that) but back on the subject of Gothel, I speculate that if even one more of her family has survived maybe they could have worked it out together or she would have been stopped from injuring the innocent for a crime they did not commit. 

Still on the subject of the witches having Hansel & Gretel appear was a really interesting twist. I loved the whole Zelena element to that as well as the added addition of Ivy.

 Hansel's redemption plot was also very well thought out. You expect it to be a cult member causing all these deaths then suddenly out of the blue Zelena is targeted. 

One of my favourite forms of television is flashbacks as generally, they are really inventive, fun and a really clever way of adding more backstory. 

 Hansel & Gretel's flashbacks were some of my favourites as they deeply told their story. Although much like Hansel I wish we got to know more of Gretel's story.

I really wish that we were able to see more of Hansel/Jack before he was killed as I feel many more things could have been added to his story. The reinventing and becoming felt quite authentic as a lot of people seem to do that after experiencing trauma it also gave a whole other element to his story. 

One thing that did seem slightly off with this season and something  I've already briefly mentioned with plot holes is that we don't see Gideon in this new cursed realm. Even Margot who is off travelling has a cursed self who she believes to be true. So even if Gideon Is away presumably still studying, surely he would also have a cursed self? 

I've been trying for days to wrap this blog up, the last time I checked it was three pages long. Not surprising considering it has been in the process of being written since January. There are a few other things I want to mention though 

Starting off with 

DR. Facilier

and his voodoo this really added something new to the show.  I don't recall seeing any previous villains practice the art of voodoo. He was another character I wish we could have seen more of along with Prince Naveen. 

At the very start, I talked about how delighted I was that Hook and Emma got their happily ever after. I wasn't sure the true ending could top that. I got very emotional every time I sow an old character appear once more on my screen, especially when Robyn and Alice arrived back in StoryBrooke. Although I shipped outlaw queen, I wouldn't say I was a massive fan of them not like I was with CaptianSwan. Even, I got emotional when Robin's ghost appeared, Regina's story deserved a happy ending, the one she never seemed to get at the end of series six. Regina being crowned the good queen was the perfect ending note not only for her journey but the show's journey. 

It started with Regina and ended with her also. 

Questions I thought of after doing a rewatch:

Why does Lucy know they are under a curse? And how did Henry? Surely Regina and Ivy wouldn't want their curses to be broken. So they would not have created loopholes. Is it simply because they are children?. Then In saying that we see children in Storybrooke attending school with Henry who have no idea they are cursed. 

If anyone has any theories on this please message me to discuss them. I hope you have enjoyed this blog. Like I said it has taken since January to complete so I'm really hoping people read it & love it as much as I have loved writing it. 

Self isolation ideas

Self-isolation ideas: 

I  don't know who this will reach but I hope it is able to help at least one person. 

The media isn't helping people's anxiety right now and this whole situation seems to have been completely out of proportion. There's no need to over scare people. 

There's no need to post diagnosis or death articles as much as people are. 

Also, a lot of joking is going on I

I understand some of this I people trying to make themselves feel more at ease but some people keep qt it and it's getting stupid now. 

 panic buying loo roll is not needed either. All those poor old and vulnerable people who can now not get what they need because of selfish hoarders, if extremely desperate there's other things you can use that would work just as well as loo roll. 

What always amazes me is how the disabled community always rally around each other & make sure everyone is okay. It does make you feel better to know people care even if you haven't ever met them. 

home concerts~ Talking from the experience of someone who has actually done this. But only ever alone & mostly at night when I've woke up & for whatever reason had energy. simply just blast your favourite album, even better if you can find a live album. 

Create your cinema~ Again simple. Find a DVD or look at a streaming service for a decent film. Maybe one you missed whilst it was out at the cinema. Make your own snacks or eat whatever you can find. 

Futurelearn~ I suggested this yesterday and recommend it whenever someone seems in need. I've used this multiple times to find home projects, it has been a lifesaver especially in the winter when all the bugs are going around. 

Skype or facetime~ Any app that allows you to video call is always a good thing. This way you can still keep in touch with your family & friends and see their faces at the same time. 

~ Various museums are offering virtual tours for people stuck at home in isolation. Definitely worth a look especially if you enjoy history

Art~ Art calms the mind & is good for the soul. Even if you feel you are or will be terrible at it give it a go particularly if you are feeling anxious or worried. Art for therapy really does work. 

YouTube tutorials~ Another way of learning something new. Also, a better way of learning if you find it easier to learn through videos rather than reading.

Read a book~ Choose your favourite. One that's recommended, your favourite or one you haven't had the time to get around to reading. If you're not sure what to read, have no unread or loved books download a kindle version onto your phone or tablet & read that way.

Write that thing you've been wanting to write~ The title is unnecessarily long but covers it all. Whatever it is you've been putting off writing write it. If when you finish you find you want to share it and then gain interest or confidence in writing. Join Wattpad or any other writing platform & share your work with others. 

GET THAT PAPERWORK DONE ~ Such a boring one but you have the time so why not at least make a start?

Play a board or card game ~I love board games & card games. In this day & age, people seem to forget they exist but even the simplest of games can bring so much joy.

Create your own game ~ Make up a game as simple or as complicated as you like.

Start a youtube channel~ Talk about something you feel passionate about. You could even have a go at making your own film or show & post it online. 

from Monday, at 6 pm GMT / 2 pm EST / 11 am PST (If anyone knows the U.K times message me & I'll add them) Oliver Jeffers will be reading one of his books every weekday and talking about how it came about and the things that went into making it.

@macbarnett

will be doing the same with his books, an hour later.

@kaleidoscopeire

are doing a daily creative project online titled ‘Home Club’, starting Monday 

Also as a reminder, Shakespeare may have written "King Lear" whilst in quarantine from the plague. So it's worth trying something new or taking up a passion project. 

I hope you've all enjoyed this blog. I don't know who will read this but I hope it is able to help at least one person. 

The media isn't helping the situation at all although I know others who are. Especially those in the chronic illness community who continue to look out for each other whatever. A lot of people are getting unnecessarily scared & freaking others out when really there's no need. 

The Swan Princess

Based on the ballet Swan Lake. The original Swan princess begins its first part of the story through a five-minute song sequence, "This is my idea". Within this we see a young Princess and Prince, Derek and Odette being forced by their parents to spend every summer getting to know each other in the hope they will one day fall in love and marry. Merging two kingdoms together. 

Eventually, they both realise they are in love with dance and proposal. But when Derek freezes at Odette's question of why he loves her. She fleas from his mother's castle.

Unknown to everyone, evil sorcerer Rothbart plans to take over King William’s kingdom and Odette's escape on a cold, dark stormy night is perfect to put his plan into action. 

For he spent years mastering the Forbidden Arts only to fail, now he wants revenge, he acts upon this by his killing William, kidnapping Odette, and attempting to gain the kingdom by forcing Odette into marriage. 

Odette refuses this proposal so Rothbart casts a transformation spell. Meaning Odette remains a swan by day human by night, but only when there is a full moon. 

Luckily she gains some animal companions such as Speed the turtle, Puffin the puffin bird & Jean Bob the frog who do everything in their power to help her break the spell. 

Derek meanwhile spends the rest of the film trying to find then save Odette despite everyone believing Odette to be dead.

Whilst this is all going on Odette as a swan and Puffin go looking for Derek, discovering him searching for the Great Animal. They create a plan to give him the chance to speak with human Odette. 

She confides in him that the only thing to break the spell is an open declaration of true love. 

Knowing Queen Uberta is holding a ball at the place the very next night Derek tells Odette she needs to intend. For that is where he will make his vow. 

Rothbart overhears this plan, so has Odette thrown into a dungeon. Using his powers of transformation to turn a woman named Bridget into a copy of Odette. It is she who arrives at the castle. Although Odette's animal friends free her from the dungeon so she is able to fly to the castle, She is too late for Derek has already made his vow causing Rothbart's spell to start killing Odette. 

Derek after realising his mistake runs after Odette. Following her back to Swan Lake, where Odette transforms back into a princess just before dying in Derek's arms. 

 Furthermore, a battle rages amongst Rothbart and Derek. Odette's animal friends along with Derek's best friend Bromley assist him in his quest to destroy Rothbart. 

Derek, still heartbroken confesses to a dead Odette that Odette he loves her for her kindness and courage. Queen Uberta is thrilled when Derek's heartbroken conversion lifts the curse allowing her to finally put all her years of wedding planning to use. At the end of the film, Derek and Odette finally marry going onto later adopt a little girl named Elise after rescuing her 

from a fire. 

The Swan Princess has stolen the hearts of many hundreds of fans worldwide, but this wasn't always the case. 

Disney's held back Lion King release meant bad things for the swan Princess leaving it to only make around $9,771,658 against a $21 million budget.

Despite the odds, they then went on to win

 "The Film Advisory Board Award of Excellence", "the Parents' Choice Award", a "Golden Globe" for best original song and many more. Nest animations The Swan Princess took over four years to create having needed over 275 animators and artists bring thousands of cells to life. 

 Swan Princess's original creator & producer, Seldon O. Young is humbled by how many people have admitted handing down the lessons of the Swan Princess to their own children & believes this speaks volumes on how well the story has lived. 

Seldon also told me that when he began this journey there were dreams of having a "great theatrical run" but they never dreamed things would "go on so long," especially after the release of the original failed to make a profit during its time in the box office. 

Now 25 years on the swan princess is taking on a whole new generation. Having gone on to have a run of another seven films,

recently releasing a new 4K ultra version of the original. Whilst having a ninth film and live-action in the works. 

Creating a live-action allows for new talent to be showcased both behind & confront of camera. 

Along with friends Seldon's daughter, Laura Young produced the project.  

There is always a reason for us loving the stories we grew up with maybe even more so as we get older and begin to understand them from a different perspective. 

history has a tendency to repeat itself, especially when reaching milestones, this is when people begin to reflect upon how much something truly means to them. 

Seldon's daughter Laura who has worked as a Swan Princess producer for a number of years has been enthusiastic about the prospect of getting to develop a Swan Princess live action. As it has been a dream for the Swan Princess team for a number of years. She also told me she is "especially happy with how it is being received by audiences all over the world" 

Laura feels the importance of keeping all of the much loved Swan princess elements but modernising it for the modern audience. And says no music for a possible live-action has been confirmed yet but she would like all original music to be included if a live-action was to get the go-ahead. 

Dark fantasy, horror Director Colton Tran who has been working alongside Laura for ten years was also on hand to help with this ambitious project. 

Finding working on the live-action "a different challenge" but told me it was "cool" to be able to bring a story that is originally an animation to life. He also spoke of being "able to bring a darker side" to the project by adding mist within the end sequence. 

As with any project, especially a popular one it is always important to have someone shoot behind the scenes footage. For this works really well for social media campaigns and promotion. Filmmaker Beau Stine was on set to make this happen. 

Stine told me he enjoyed being apart of observing this well-loved tale coming to life and feels that it's special effects "looked amazing" with the final edit exceeding his expectations. However 

 felt his biggest challenge just like any shoot involving BTS footage was to be prepared enough to "capture every great moment but to do so in a non-invasive way.'' 

 keeping in mind that the actors, director and crew are doing their best. Stine believes that being "Mindful of the energy and production process is key". 

Portraying Prince Derek was Utah's very own.  actor, musician & stuntman James Gaisford is trained to ride horseback, regularly partakes in his own stunts & is up for any challenge. 

was the perfect fit for a young Prince Derek. 

As a child, he regularly played the role of Derek in his back garden. As well as being experienced at playing "Catch & fire" One game which resulted in an arrow to the leg. 

James's favourite part of the filming was getting to live out his nine-year-old childhood dream. Saying a close second would be London Kress's portrayal of Princess Odette saying "She is such a sweet person and really emulates her character" 

If a live-action was to go into works Gaisford plans to partake in all his own stunts and is interested in exploring more of the themes imitated by the Swan princess's extensive back catalogue. 

I have come to the end of my blog, I know it has been extremely long with an awful lot of text so If you have stayed with it a massive congratulations. This is one of the longest things i have posted on here or attempted to write since regaining the ability so thank you for sticking with me through this journey. 

Also, I would like to a massive thank you to Seldon Young, Eden Young, Laura Young, Colton Tran, James Gaisford and Beau Stine for their involvement. I always feel so apprehensive about asking people questions in case they get annoyed. But I've come to realise that if people don't want to answer they just simply won't respond. 

I've been friends with the youngs & Colton for a number of years, it's one thing asking your friends questions but a whole other asking for help for people who you don't know. Or in this case who you know from social media but don't actually know. But everyone was so nice and these turned out to be some of the most interesting insightful interviews I've had the pleasure of doing so far. 

So thank you again to all involved it means so much and a massive thank you to everyone who has read to the end. 

Links:

Concept trailer: https://youtu.be/8GbC5hVuS3s

Concept trailer BTS: https://youtu.be/hsYdalaHRxI 

Swan princess website: https://swanprincessseries.com/

Colton's website: https://www.coltontran.com

Beau's website: https://www.beaustine.com/

Jame's IMDB: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm4197678/ 

Charities

I originally wrote this after messaging Nick Knowles's P.A some questions for a blog. After not gaining a response for a number of months,I changed the blog to be about charities and charitable people. I had a whole paragraph on Nick already so it seemed like a good start only then I went to upload it to somehow cut the top half of the blog instead of copying it. I had over half of the work I already did along with the links to website from the top half,so have added the rest in. I'm not sure wrote I wrote in the beginning but I think what I have written continues to make sense. 

Number 1: The Abled Fables

The abled Fables aim is to create inclusive  apparel and children's books to promote disability inclusion. Their first book "Gary's gigantic dream" has just recently been published. Gary's gigantic dream follows a giraffe named Gary as he gets fitted for his first wheelchair. The abled fables also shares stories of children with disabilities. 

Number 2: The tiered girls society:

The tierd girls society have created a website to give women with chronic illnesses a break from their conditions.  The website includes clubs, courses, ebooks and even a shop. They have even created a facebook type app that allows you to communicate and make friends with others in the same situation whilst joining in with clubs and events. 

Number 3: The Cameron Boyce foundation 

The Cameron Boyce foundation was set up in memory of Cameron's after his death in the summer of this year. And strives to advocate for everything Cameron was passionate about during his life. Including getting clean water to those who desperately need it, raising awareness to epilepsy and finding an end to gun violence. 

Their first project is one on which is called "Welding peace" with the aim of ending gun violence through a social media campaign which asks people to hold up something they love (EG: a musical instrument,a piece of sports equipment ect..) the main aim of this is to show young people violence is not the answer and to give them creative outlets to Express themselves with. 

Number 4: Care packages 

There are many care package organisations around online. The aim of care package companies is to raise awareness for many disabilities whilst sending out small gift boxes to terminally/ chronically ill people. Receiving a little gift or pick me cam really help when you are going through a hard time and I really love this concept. 

Number 5: ME Action

M.E Actions aim is to make the world a better place for those living with M.E they have begun a campaign called "Millions Missing" 

Aiming to raise awareness of M.E it's causes and impacts to the general public in the hope that one day we will be able to access much better treatment. 

Number 6: Spoonie support network

Spoonie support network offers advice and support to anyone living with a chronic illness. Also allowing them to gain friendships with people who understand. 

Number 7: Positive about DS 

Positive about DS share positive stories about people with Down syndrome. 

Number 8: Sophia’s Voice, set up by Natalie Weaver after her daughter's Sophia's death. Sophia suffered from a rare extreme facial, hand and foot deformities and Rett syndrome

 In the last year alone Sophia's voice has worked with 50 families to help pay for medical equipment and supplies, even covering car and utility payments. After Natalie's 

announcement of Sophia’s death on social media, followers raised more than $40,000 for the non-profit in just a few days.

Number 9: Claire's Place Foundation 

The Claire's place foundation was set up by Claire Wineland who spent her life fighting cystic fibrosis but tragically passed away in September last year. Her foundation aims to provide emotional and financial support to those affected by cystic fibrosis. 

Number 10: The Annabelle Davies Center 

The Annabelle Davies Centre was set up by Annabelle Davies, with an aim to be there for families in need. Whilst also helping them build resilience and confidence. The centre works with multiple agencies and partners in order to offer the best possible. care. There is currently one centre set up with an additional two being built in the near future. 

Links: 

https://adaviscentre?igshid=1eniugm2cac70

https://linktr.ee/meactnet

https://linktr.ee/rainbow_packages

https://shinebrightbundles.wixsite.com/2019

https://www.thetiredgirlsocietyapp.com/

https://l.instagram.com/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fthecameronboycefoundation.org%2F&e=ATP3bUm4O9FJ7lcGiTYlj2S1oAQ0g_5B1AktBDwvksjuJft9uQgN9F9K2MFduVSUKDoG2ztZX-LV2TF3 

https://clairesplacefoundation.org/ 

https://positiveaboutdownsyndrome.co.uk/ 

https://people.com/health/parents-of-10-year-old-with-rare-condition-made-her-final-weeks-count-we-said-lets-have-fun/ 

https://m.facebook.com/SpoonieSupportNetwork/