stahlop

[stahlop]

Please welcome @beckettj to the CSSNS!

How long have you been in the CS/OUAT fandom?

3 years

When did you start shipping Captain Swan?

Pretty much from episode 2.05. My friend responsible for introducing me to the show had already told me about CS and I jumped on board from their first interaction.

What drew you to this event?

I had a ghost fic I started and then abandoned a few years back. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring it back to life.

What inspired your topic?

Been playing about with a few fics about ghosts for a few years now, none of which have ever seen the light of day - not sure of the original inspiration for it, but it's certainly a story which has been begging to be told in one form or another. Also inspired by lots of trapped in an elevator prompts throughout the years.

If you would like to share a snippet/sneak peek/summary of your fic or artwork, please use the space below.

Working Summary: Killian Jones is constantly moving but getting nowhere, trapped. Then a woman comes into his world, a woman who might just change everything if only he could get her attention; a feat easier said than done. Emma Swan quickly learns to loathe the elevator in her apartment block. It increasingly feels like the thing is out to mess with her life. But during a brush with death, Emma catches a glimpse of love in the least expected of places; the very elevator meddling with her life. Snippet: “There’s always a ghost in here, there has been for years, trapped against his will, anchored to this very elevator. That’s what the flickering lights are, spectral energy interference. Everything else? The music and the control interference, even this supposed breakdown - that’s all him, crying out to be heard.” “Alright, I’ll bite. I’ve seen your show. It’s all about telling the ghost’s story in hopes of helping them move on. So go on then, what’s this ghost’s story?” A glint of mystery appeared in his blue eyes and he responded enigmatically, “It’s not my story to tell, but who knows? One day, it may be yours.” The elevator whirred, lurching abruptly as it kicked back into motion. There was enough time for one run through of the newly selected song snippet, ‘If there’s something strange, in your neighbourhood, who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters!’ before the elevator reached its scheduled stop. Ping!

What are you looking forward to most about participating in this event?*

Reading all the fics and seeing all the artwork that comes from this event!

Ghost stories are the best! @beckettj will be starting off the CSSNS event by dropping her fic on 7/1! Make sure to say hi to her on Tumblr or Discord.

[stahlop]

Please give a warm welcome to @theartofdreaming1 to the CSSNS!

Please welcome @theartofdreaming1 to CSSNS!

How long have you been in the CS/OUAT fandom?

I've been into OUAT since it started airing in Germany in 2012 - but since I preferred watching it in English, I kinda had to wait until I could buy the DVDs for my viewing pleasure... So I've been more of a passive fan, dipping in and out of the fandom whenever the mood struck... And these past few months, the OUAT/CS mood has been thoroughly rekindled ;)

When did you start shipping Captain Swan?

With the beginning of season 3, I think (definitely was intrigued by the idea of CS early on in season 2, but I think I only fully committed to CS when the Neverland arc began)

What drew you to this event?*

It's been a while since I've had the time to participate in a fandom event, so it's been really serendipitious that this event coincided with me catching another bout of OUAT-fever and having finally handed in my BA thesis :)

What inspired your topic?

Mermaids are some of my favorite supernatural/mythological beings and I haven't gotten around to drawing mermaids in a while, soo... (plus, I think it fits nicely with the nautical theme Killian's got going on, lol)

If you would like to share a snippet/sneak peek/summary of your fic or artwork, please use the space below.

It's still in the early stages... I'm still deciding whether I want to go for an Enchanted Forest setting or a modern setting (kinda Shape of Water-vibes; maybe with Killian as a marine biologist?)

For our artists: What kind of art do you like to do? Picsets, painting, digital, etc? Feel free to give as much info as you like.

Digital art/illustration

What are you looking forward to most about participating in this event?

Getting to know some more fellow OUAT/CS fans, collaborating on a bigger project... and getting to draw some Captain Swan, of course! ;)

@theartofdreaming1 will be doing artwork for @beckettj dropping on 7/1 and her own original artwork drops on 7/15. Make sure to say hi to her on Tumblr and on Discord!

[stahlop]

It's Time to Get to Know Your Mods!!

And we're back to welcome @winterbaby89 back to the mod team!!!

Name

Laura

How long have you been a part of the CS fandom?

Officially since 2016

What is your favorite part about fandom?

The camaraderie and content.

What drew you to this event?

K, and her "Strong arm" techniques ;P ... She wrangled me to help on the inaugural season and I've been here since.

Will you be participating either as a writer or artist? If so, what will you be doing?

I will be writing in Multiple capacities. I am still working on my 2018 CSSNS MC - The Fate of The Medjai, as well as writing a Phantom/Ghost OS for the event's final year.

What do you do in your "real life?"

I now work as a Accounts Payable Specialist for a global corporation, when I'm not on medical leave (too many surgeries), and a Dog Mom of 4 ornery puppers (I'll happily talk about my babies any time).

What are you most looking forward to in this event?

All of the amazing new content to come.

Hehehehehehe, Laura...

Couldn’t have done this without you!!! Love you, babe!!! Laura's new fic will close out the event on Aug 30!

[stahlop]

It's Time to Get to Know Your Mods!!!

We are back to welcome @ultraluckycatnd to the mod team!!!

Name

Cathy

How long have you been a part of the CS fandom?

I dabbled starting at the beginning of season 3, but fully jumped in by the end of 3A.

What is your favorite part about fandom?

I love that the fandom encompasses people from all around the globe, and that even this many years later, we're all still so passionate about our favorite couple.

What drew you to this event?

I've done beta work for many years and have been involved in some way or other since the beginning.

What do you do in your "real life?"

My day job finds me teaching general music and band to elementary kiddos.

What are you most looking forward to in this event?

I'm looking forward to all the amazing stories and art work that is going to be produced this summer!

It is going to be an AMAZING summer, Cat!!! Welcome back! It's so good to have you back on the team for our final year!!!

[stahlop]

It's Time to Get to Know Your Mods!!!

Everyone please help me welcome one last time to the mod team, @jrob64!!

Name

Joni

How long have you been a part of the CS fandom?

I’ve been active in the fandom since 2018

What is your favorite part about fandom?

The ability to talk openly about my OTP with other people who feel the same way about them. The friendships I’ve made. Being able to use my talents for writing and art to express my love for Captain Swan.

What drew you to this event?

Krystal is so passionate about it that I kinda got sucked in

Will you be participating either as a writer or artist? If so, what will you be doing?

Hopefully both. I enjoy doing pic sets and, even though my muse has so far been very quiet, I’m hoping to come up with a story to write, also.

What do you do in your "real life?"

Retired teacher, part time associate librarian, tutor, volunteer, mom to 2 grown children, dog mom.

What are you most looking forward to in this event?

Seeing how, once again, people come up with creative ways to depict our favorite couple in supernatural settings and situations.

It's good to have you back for one last go round, Joni!!! And *spoiler alert* she has come up with a fantastic story idea and it will be dropping on July 9!

[stahlop]

It's Time to Get to Know Your Mods!

Please give a warm welcome to one of the creators (and the biggest cheerleader) of this event @kmomof4!

Name

Krystal

How long have you been a part of the CS fandom?

I joined fandom summer of ‘16 after bingeing all 4 1/2 seasons the summer and fall of ‘15. I watched 5b week to week and couldn’t get enough of CS when the season was over, so after a Google search, I found a Facebook page dedicated to them and joined it, followed by making my Tumblr account in August.

What is your favorite part about fandom?

The relationships. My very best friends in the world were met through fandom and I can’t imagine my life without them!

What drew you to this event?

It’s my baby!!! After a discussion with @snowbellewells in the fall of ‘17 about the WOEFUL lack of werewolf Killian fics out there, the idea was born. After a series of discussions with @winterbaby89 and @hollyethecurious, I gauged interest in a supernatural themed event and was BLOWN AWAY by the response!!! Summer of ‘18 was our inaugural year, and it has been a FANTASTIC run!! I’m very excited to see what everyone involved comes up with this summer for our final year!

Will you be participating either as a writer or artist? If so, what will you be doing?

Both!!! I have two OS's written- the first very loosely inspired by Dracula and the other a werewolf fic. I figured since it was the last year, it was appropriate to write fics featuring the original inspirations for the event!!! I'll also be doing art for Joni!

What do you do in your "real life?"

I’m a retired homeschool mom, but I haven’t worked outside the home since my first child was born 26yrs ago. Now, with my kids all grown, I’m more of a life coach than anything.

What are you most looking forward to in this event?

All the new supernatural content, of course!!!

This has been a spectacular event for many years Krystal, and we're looking forward to both of your stories on July 3 and Aug 22 and your art!

[stahlop]

It's Time to Get To Know Your Mods!!!

Here we go, y'all!!! Please help me welcome @stahlop to the mod team one last time!!!

Name

Lisa

How long have you been a part of the CS fandom?

Since 2018

What is your favorite part about fandom?

All the fanfic to read!

What drew you to this event?

I love reading new fic.

Will you be participating either as a writer or artist? If so, what will you be doing?

Just a mod this year, but I’m hoping to get my final chapter of my CSSNS fic from 2022 out.

What do you do in your "real life?"

HR generalist, former junior high drama teacher, and mom to 3 kids and a dog.

What are you most looking forward to in this event?

All the new fic!!!

Welcome back, Lisa!!! Really looking forward to more of A Chance to Fly!!!

[stahlop]

“If we were meant to see them [Neal and Emma] as endgame, we would’ve gotten little scenes here and there about the day they met, a date they went on, a moment they argued, etc. We would’ve gotten interaction. They chose to wait until they could get Hook to tell both stories together. They chose to present the man who hurt Emma, and the man who’d heal her simultaneously.”

—

exquisitelyfortunate (x)

BECAUSE THIS QUOTE DESERVES ITS OWN POST

(via hookedoncaptswan)

[stahlop]

One of my IG followers showed me the Hook haters comment where they said something like “The only Hook’s loss was Milah, and he was the bad guy in this story”.

Meanwhile Killian’s losses:

– Being abandoned by his father he loved and respected. And he was just a child.

– Years of pirate slavery.

– Death of his brother he loved and respected too.

– Death of the love of his life.

– The discovery that his father had replaced them by his new son.

Yeah, just Milan’s death.

And even the story about Milah isn’t the story about black and white. She was unhappy in that marriage and asked him to take her with them. And he really loved her. And since when we should justify the murder of women by their ex?

Tag people who may be interested: @killianxswan @teamhook @booksteaandtoomuchtv @exhaustedpirate @anmylica @hollyethecurious @kmomof4 @winterbaby89 @undercaffinatednightmare @resident-of-storybrooke @caught-in-the-filter @tiganasummertree @stahlords @lfh1226-linda @darkshadow7 @fleurdepetite @motherkatereloyshipper @soniccat @jrob64 @beckettj @whimsicallyenchantedrose @jonesfandomfanatic @zaharadessert @bluewildcatfanatic @once-upon-a-happy-end @ultraluckycatnd

[stahlop]

He was so hot in season 7. Like how does he get better looking the older he gets?

Arrest me, please, detective 😏

Tag people who may be interested: @killianxswan @teamhook @booksteaandtoomuchtv @exhaustedpirate @anmylica @hollyethecurious @kmomof4 @winterbaby89 @undercaffinatednightmare @resident-of-storybrooke @caught-in-the-filter @tiganasummertree @stahlords @lfh1226-linda @darkshadow7 @fleurdepetite @motherkatereloyshipper @soniccat @jrob64 @beckettj @whimsicallyenchantedrose @jonesfandomfanatic @zaharadessert @bluewildcatfanatic @once-upon-a-happy-end @ultraluckycatnd

[stahlop]

Attention all CSSNS participants!!!

Don’t forget your Get to Know Me forms!!! They are due Thursday the 28th!!! The link was in your pairing and drop date email. If you deleted it or otherwise can’t find it, let a mod know and we’ll get you a new link. Thank you to all those who’ve already turned theirs in!!!

[stahlop]

It’s almost here!!!

All the pairing and drop date emails are sent out. If you don’t see yours, check your spam folder first, and if you still don’t see it, contact a mod and we’ll double check the email address we have for you.

Please fill out and submit your Get to Know Me forms by March 28, 2024. The link was in your email.

It’s time to get excited for the very last CSSNS event!

[stahlop]

Pub news 😍

So thrilled to finally share this news! The Irresistible Urge will be out in July 2025 (Orbit UK & Berkley (Ace)). More details on my Instagram (brigitteknightley).

My authorial blibbityblurbbity:

THE IRRESISTIBLE URGE is my love letter to slow burn romantasy, with a STEM twist. I can't wait for readers to meet Osric the gentleman assassin (favourite colour: morally grey) and Aurienne, the healer who Doesn't Do Love. This is enemies to lovers in its purest form, featuring forced collaboration, a masochistic slow burn, crime as a bonding experience, reluctant attraction, and graphic violence, as a little treat. 

PS. This is a whole new story. The Mortifying Ordeal will continue to pspsps on AO3

[stahlop]

Signups are now closed!!

Everyone who signed up, pairings and date assignments will be made in the next few weeks, so keep an eye out for the email towards the end of the month. Then it’ll be time for the Get To Know Me’s and it’ll be July before we know it!!!

Sooooooo…

[stahlop]

It’s TIME!!!!

Time for signups for the FINAL YEAR of the CSSNS!!!!

Come one, come all!!! We need beta readers, authors, and artists -we REALLY need artists-!!!

Sorry, no AI generated fics or art will be accepted in the event.

Signups will be open until 11:59 pm Central time, February 29.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to send us an ask, or you can reach out to one of our FABULOUS mods- @kmomof4 @winterbaby89 @stahlop @jrob64 and @ultraluckycatnd !!!

Please click on the link below to sign up. If you are interested in participating in more than one area, then please fill out each individual sign up form as there will be info requested specific to each role on the forms.

Artist signup

Author signup

Beta signup

Keep spreading the word, y’all!!! Let’s finish this event with a BANG!!!

[stahlop]

Once Upon a Time 4x06 "Family Business" Review

We learn a little more about the Snow Queen’s plans and about her past with Emma. And apparently Belle and Anna knew each other but Belle has kept it a secret from Elsa because she’s ashamed that she wanted her memories more than saving a girl she’d just met. So apparently shame is a big deterrent in not helping save Anna this time too. 

Summary: The Snow Queen leads our heroes on a chase so they can see that she actually cared for Emma at one point. In the past, Belle can’t remember how her mother died in an Ogre attack, so she goes to Arendelle to visit the Rock Trolls and meets Princess Anna who is looking for information on her Aunt Ingrid.

Opening: Ice Cream Truck

New Characters:

Belle’s Mother (Colette): First off, I really thought Belle’s mother would get more air time in this episode, considering she’s played by Frances O’Connor (known for Mansfield Park, AI, The Importance of Being Earnest), but alas, she’s killed off pretty quickly. We do see where Belle gets her love of reading from, as they both try to get priceless books out of the library before the Ogre attacks them. They end up hiding under a table, and I’m confused about how he finds them. Does he hear them, because it was established that Ogres were blind back in Lady of the Lake. However he figured out where they were, Colette does not end up making it through the attack.

Character Observations:

Belle: In the past, Belle and her mother are attacked in their library by an Ogre. I get that there are priceless books in there (or in Belle’s case, the book that she remembers her mother first reading to her), but Ogres are attacking. You can come back for the books once they leave! Belle and her mother get trapped under a table and the last thing Belle remembers is the Ogre lifting the table off them and yelling in their faces. Belle awakens to find her mother is dead and she can’t remember how she died (I’m guessing an Ogre killed her). Belle is insistent in trying to recover her memories, but her father doesn’t think that’s a good idea. She tells him about magical beings who can restore memories, but he brings up the whole ‘All magic comes with a price’ line and tells her she is not to leave. Belle makes up her mind to go to Arendelle anyway, where she meets Anna at Oaken’s. Anna also happens to be going to see the Rock Trolls, so they decide to go together. They discuss the fact that they both lost their mothers, and when Anna slips trying to get up the mountain, Belle discovers the hat box (that she stole from Rumple in The Apprentice). Anna won’t give much away to Belle about the evil wizard she stole it from, just tells her she hopes she never meets him. Well, Anna, maybe if you’d given Belle a hint, she wouldn’t be married to him now! Somehow, despite the fact that they could barely make it up the first rock, they get to the top to the Rock Trolls. Grand Pabbie pulls the memory from Belle’s consciousness and puts it in a stone which he tells her to brew in tea at the place where she lost her memory (nice plot point so she can’t brew it right away), and when she drinks the tea she’ll remember what happened to her mother. On the way back down the mountain they get caught up in a storm. Anna is convinced it’s her Aunt Ingrid. When Belle asks what she’s going to do about it, Anna pulls out the hat box again and says she’s going to take her aunt’s magic. And that’s when a big gust of wind comes, knocking the memory stone out of Belle’s hand, and knocking Anna off the trail so she’s hanging off the edge of the mountain. Belle tries to go for the stone first, but it’s knocked off the edge and shatters. Then she tries to get Anna, but Anna falls. Belle witnesses the Snow Queen poof Anna away. Belle returns home and tells her father she didn’t find what she was looking for and her trip was a huge mistake. Maurice finally tells Belle what happened. That her mother stood in the path of the Ogre while the guards pulled Belle to safety, and her mother was killed before the guards could get back. Maurice tells her the war isn’t going well, and Belle suggests calling upon a powerful wizard she read about (not putting together that this might be the same wizard Anna was warning her about). Maurice knows who she is talking about and doesn’t want to call him, but Belle thinks it’s their only choice so they can win the war and so she can be a hero like her mother.

Meanwhile, in Storybrooke, Belle is keeping a secret that she knew Anna back in their realm. Elsa wants to research Arendelle in the library with Belle, which is making her very uncomfortable. Elsa starts having a crisis of faith about finding Anna, but Belle tells her she will find Anna, but she looks very guilty about the whole thing. Belle decides the best thing to do is go to the Snow Queen’s hideout, and ‘commands’ Rumple to take her to her lair using the dagger. When they get there, Rumple tells Belle that the Snow Queen isn’t there, but she’s okay with that. She’s looking for the hat to strip someone of their powers! Too bad she doesn’t know Rumple hid it away at the shop, would’ve saved her a trip. Rumple wonders why Belle is helping a stranger. She gives him the excuse that a hero always helps people. She makes Rumple keep watch while she goes inside to look for the hat box. Instead, she hears someone calling for her from behind a covered mirror. When she takes the sheet off, it’s her reflection, but it tells her things she doesn’t want to hear. Basically, all her insecurities, like that Rumple doesn’t really trust her and he didn’t give her the real dagger (listen to the mirror, Belle). Rumple comes in, warning Bell they have to leave since the Snow Queen is coming. She lashes out and cuts him with the dagger before he poofs them back to the shop. Belle starts to believe what mirror Belle said about the dagger, since she had commanded Rumple to stay outside. He gets around that by saying she said to keep watch, and since the Snow Queen was coming back, he was allowed to go in and get her. Belle breaks down when she sees she has cut him and tells him all the awful things the mirror told her. Rumple assures her none of it is true. Belle confesses that Anna is missing because of her and feels guilty for using the dagger on Rumple. She doesn’t think she’s worthy of his love. Oh, lord, if only Belle knew how it’s Rumple who isn’t worthy of her love with all of his lies, manipulation, and deceit. She then spreads on the guilt even thicker by apologizing for keeping this secret, since she knows Rumple would never keep a secret from her. UGH! Belle finally confesses to Elsa about knowing Anna and how the Snow Queen captured her. Belle tells Emma, Elsa, and Killian about the mirror. Rumple has told her that it will be used for the Spell of Shattered Sight, turning the whole town on one another.

Emma: She shows everyone the video of the Snow Queen as her foster mother. Henry suggests looking for her ice cream truck to either find her or find clues. They end up finding it out by the Merry Men’s camp. Robin wants to talk to Regina, but she rebuffs him. Emma tells her she could have been nicer, but Regina tells her to stay out of it and is upset she has to deal with her and Killian making eyes at each other. Emma protests this, but then Killian definitely makes eyes at her. Once inside the truck, neither Regina nor Killian notice the lock on the freezer (how did these two last so long as villains when they don’t even notice details?). Killian uses his hook to break the lock and they find a file on Emma inside, starting from the article on how she was found on the side of the road. Emma looks through the file and discovers she stayed with the Snow Queen for six months, the longest she’d ever stayed anywhere. Killian asks if she’s okay, but she just tells him it was a long time ago, prompting a conversation about the fact that Killian was once a child about 200 years ago. Emma realizes that the Snow Queen has kept old art projects and essays and a card Emma wrote to her, and that someone doesn’t do that unless they care about you. They also discover a scroll with Arendelle writing on it. Back at the sheriff’s station, Elsa has discovered that the Snow Queen is her aunt. She and Emma look at the family tree and discover another sister that Killian thinks looks just like Emma (I really don’t see that except for the fact that she is blonde). Elsa sees the scroll and translates it. It basically says that Emma is the Savior and will become Ingrid’s (the Snow Queen) sister. Belle comes in letting them know about the mirror and the Shattered Sight spell, and Emma and Elsa figure out that they’ll be the only two left that aren’t affected so the Snow Queen can have her family.

Ingrid/The Snow Queen: Anna is introduced to Ingrid who let’s Anna know that the reason she doesn’t know her is because she was put in an urn by people who didn’t understand her. She shows Anna that she also has the same powers as Elsa and that it runs in the family. We don’t see Ingrid again until Anna is on her way back from the Rock Trolls. Ingrid creates a storm that results in Anna falling off a mountain. Ingrid steals the hat box from Anna before poofing them back to the castle. Ingrid has Anna locked in a cell in the dungeons of the castle. She accuses Anna of wanting to strip Elsa of her powers with the hat. Anna claims she wasn’t going to use it on Elsa, but that their parents were. Anna then reveals that the Rock Trolls told her she had another sister and Ingrid gets very angry. Anna asks what Ingrid wants. Ingrid says she wanted a family that would embrace her for who she was, but she doesn’t think Anna can be part of that family since she has nothing in common with her and Elsa. She will have to find someone else to take Anna’s place.

Rumple seeks out the Snow Queen and lets her know Emma is on to her. The Snow Queen tells him that Emma didn’t discover anything she didn’t want her to discover. She goes head to head with Rumple which is pretty fantastic. He doesn’t scare her like he does most others. She tells him to stay out of her way, Later, after Belle has glimpsed the mirror, Rumple comes back to confront the Snow Queen about it. They posture and threaten each other again: Rumple telling her she better now hurt anyone he loves with her plans and the Snow Queen claiming she can’t make any guarantees. Rumple shows her that he has the hat and the Snow Queen shows fear for the first time.

Anna: She comes back from Misthaven and lies to Elsa about what she’s found out. She notices there are no flurries or any of Elsa’s normal icy behaviors happening. Elsa excitedly introduces Anna to their Aunt Ingrid and Anna immediately goes into disbelieving mode. She immediately goes to Kristoff and tells him that she doesn’t trust Ingrid. She claims to be a good judge of character, but Kristoff calls her out on that as she almost married Hans after 10 minutes. Anna doesn’t understand why there isn’t any record of Ingrid anywhere, so she wants to visit the Rock Trolls to find out about her. She also tells Kristoff that she didn’t tell Elsa what she found out on her trip. Unfortunately, Ingrid has been listening to their conversation. Anna runs into Belle at Oaken’s and since they are going to the same place, invites her to come with her to visit the Rock Trolls. Anna asks Grand Pabbie about Ingrid and he tells her that her mother actually had two sisters, and they were quite close. But then one day Ingrid and their other sister, Helga, vanished, so the royal family asked the Rock Trolls to make everyone forget them. This makes Anna think Ingrid is a liar because she didn’t tell them about this (um, wasn’t she trapped in an urn until recently), and needs to get back to the castle fast. Ingrid causes a storm and imprisons Anna, telling her she can’t be part of their family because she is the outsider.

Questions:

Why are they wondering how the Snow Queen got to our world? My first thought would be a magic bean since we’ve seen them several times at this point. I know they were supposed to be gone, but that obviously wasn’t true.

What is up with Belle’s traveling outfit? It’s a short skirt that has that caveman-like cut and knee-high stockings! And it’s white! Plus she’s in full make up. 

Can someone please explain why Emma was moved around in foster care so much that six months was the longest she was anywhere? Isn’t the point of foster care to find a family to take them in so their life isn’t disrupted so much? No wonder Emma is the way she is if she was moved from family to family so much she couldn’t ever form any bonds.

Once again, what is up with Belle’s Storybrooke outfit? She’s going to infiltrate the Snow Queen’s lair in a short skirt and knee high boots (I mean, they are fur lined, but still)?

Ingrid told Anna she’d been trapped in an urn, so why would Anna think she knew anything about her family erasing everyone’s memories?

Who’s voice is coming from the mirror before Belle takes the cover off. It’s not speaking in Belle’s normal accent.

So, did Colette and Belle somehow get up when the Ogre pulled the table off of them? Maurice says her mother stood up to the Ogre, but they’d been lying under a table. 

Why was Belle so worried about the Ogres reaching the road? They’d already been to the castle.

Where did this prophecy come from? Most prophecies aren’t so literal.

Observations:

The first book Belle’s mother ever read to her was called Her Handsome Hero.

Belle is wearing her blue movie dress. We saw her wear this in Rumple’s castle in Skin Deep. I had assumed that it had been something Rumple had given her since she didn’t bring anything with her, but maybe Rumple magicked her belongings to the castle at some point.

If this were real life, Anna would be so dead, or at least have multiple broken bones after falling off the mountain.

Rumple looks into the Snow Queen’s mirror and nothing happens.

The Snow Queen’s plan to use a mirror for the Spell of Shattered Sight comes directly from the Hans Christian Anderson story The Snow Queen. Although it is not her mirror that shatters, but the devil’s mirror. Read the tale here.

The false eyelashes on Belle are over the top this episode.

Timeline Issues:

Emma says she’s 13, maybe 14 in the video, but it’s supposed to be 1998, and in the fall. Emma was born in 1983, so that would make her 15, maybe 14 if it’s still the beginning of October.

If Anna met Belle before Belle met Rumple, then how old must she be now? Belle lived with Rumple, probably for at least a year (despite the short time we saw in Skin Deep and Lacey), and then she went on the adventure with Mulan to find the Yaoguai in The Outsider, and then she was captured by the Evil Queen and imprisoned for about 2 ½ years according to the hash marks in her cell in that we saw in Queen of Hearts. We know Elsa was trapped in the urn (although we don’t know how), but it had to have happened before Snow and Charming met, as it came through the time portal with Emma and Killian during There’s No Place Like Home, and as we saw, Belle was still Rumplestiltskin’s maid at this time. Assuming Arendelle wasn’t part of the curse (which, it shouldn’t be since it wasn’t part of the Enchanted Forest), at least 35 years must have passed from what we just saw.

So the Snow Queen apparently cared about Emma, but what happened for Emma to leave and the Snow Queen make her forget? How did she get to our land if not by my theory of a magic bean? The Snow Queen is planning to tear the town apart just so she can get Emma and Elsa to become her sisters, and Rumple is being a conniving ass as usual.

Reviews 1x01 1x02 1x03 1x04 1x05 1x06 1x07 1x08 1x09 1x10 1x11 1x12 1x13 1x14 1x15 1x16 1x17 1x18 1x19 1x20 1x21 1x22 2x01 2x02 2x03 2x04 2x05 2x06 2x07 2x08 2x09 2x10 2x11 2x12 2x13 2x14 2x15 2x16 2x17 2x18 2x19 2x20 2x21 2x22 3x01 3x02 3x03 3x04 3x05 3x06 3x07 3x08 3x09 3x10 3x11 3x12 3x13 3x14 3x15 3x16 3x17 3x18 3x19 3x20 3x21 3x22 4x01 4x02 4x03 4x04 4x05

Please leave comments and reblog! Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future reviews.

@searchingwardrobes @thisonesatellite @justbecauseyoubelievesomething @laschatzi @wistfulcynic​ @mariakov81 @lfh1226-linda

[stahlop]

Once Upon a Time 4x06 "Family Business" Review

We learn a little more about the Snow Queen’s plans and about her past with Emma. And apparently Belle and Anna knew each other but Belle has kept it a secret from Elsa because she’s ashamed that she wanted her memories more than saving a girl she’d just met. So apparently shame is a big deterrent in not helping save Anna this time too. 

Summary: The Snow Queen leads our heroes on a chase so they can see that she actually cared for Emma at one point. In the past, Belle can’t remember how her mother died in an Ogre attack, so she goes to Arendelle to visit the Rock Trolls and meets Princess Anna who is looking for information on her Aunt Ingrid.

Opening: Ice Cream Truck

New Characters:

Belle’s Mother (Colette): First off, I really thought Belle’s mother would get more air time in this episode, considering she’s played by Frances O’Connor (known for Mansfield Park, AI, The Importance of Being Earnest), but alas, she’s killed off pretty quickly. We do see where Belle gets her love of reading from, as they both try to get priceless books out of the library before the Ogre attacks them. They end up hiding under a table, and I’m confused about how he finds them. Does he hear them, because it was established that Ogres were blind back in Lady of the Lake. However he figured out where they were, Colette does not end up making it through the attack.

Character Observations:

Belle: In the past, Belle and her mother are attacked in their library by an Ogre. I get that there are priceless books in there (or in Belle’s case, the book that she remembers her mother first reading to her), but Ogres are attacking. You can come back for the books once they leave! Belle and her mother get trapped under a table and the last thing Belle remembers is the Ogre lifting the table off them and yelling in their faces. Belle awakens to find her mother is dead and she can’t remember how she died (I’m guessing an Ogre killed her). Belle is insistent in trying to recover her memories, but her father doesn’t think that’s a good idea. She tells him about magical beings who can restore memories, but he brings up the whole ‘All magic comes with a price’ line and tells her she is not to leave. Belle makes up her mind to go to Arendelle anyway, where she meets Anna at Oaken’s. Anna also happens to be going to see the Rock Trolls, so they decide to go together. They discuss the fact that they both lost their mothers, and when Anna slips trying to get up the mountain, Belle discovers the hat box (that she stole from Rumple in The Apprentice). Anna won’t give much away to Belle about the evil wizard she stole it from, just tells her she hopes she never meets him. Well, Anna, maybe if you’d given Belle a hint, she wouldn’t be married to him now! Somehow, despite the fact that they could barely make it up the first rock, they get to the top to the Rock Trolls. Grand Pabbie pulls the memory from Belle’s consciousness and puts it in a stone which he tells her to brew in tea at the place where she lost her memory (nice plot point so she can’t brew it right away), and when she drinks the tea she’ll remember what happened to her mother. On the way back down the mountain they get caught up in a storm. Anna is convinced it’s her Aunt Ingrid. When Belle asks what she’s going to do about it, Anna pulls out the hat box again and says she’s going to take her aunt’s magic. And that’s when a big gust of wind comes, knocking the memory stone out of Belle’s hand, and knocking Anna off the trail so she’s hanging off the edge of the mountain. Belle tries to go for the stone first, but it’s knocked off the edge and shatters. Then she tries to get Anna, but Anna falls. Belle witnesses the Snow Queen poof Anna away. Belle returns home and tells her father she didn’t find what she was looking for and her trip was a huge mistake. Maurice finally tells Belle what happened. That her mother stood in the path of the Ogre while the guards pulled Belle to safety, and her mother was killed before the guards could get back. Maurice tells her the war isn’t going well, and Belle suggests calling upon a powerful wizard she read about (not putting together that this might be the same wizard Anna was warning her about). Maurice knows who she is talking about and doesn’t want to call him, but Belle thinks it’s their only choice so they can win the war and so she can be a hero like her mother.

Meanwhile, in Storybrooke, Belle is keeping a secret that she knew Anna back in their realm. Elsa wants to research Arendelle in the library with Belle, which is making her very uncomfortable. Elsa starts having a crisis of faith about finding Anna, but Belle tells her she will find Anna, but she looks very guilty about the whole thing. Belle decides the best thing to do is go to the Snow Queen’s hideout, and ‘commands’ Rumple to take her to her lair using the dagger. When they get there, Rumple tells Belle that the Snow Queen isn’t there, but she’s okay with that. She’s looking for the hat to strip someone of their powers! Too bad she doesn’t know Rumple hid it away at the shop, would’ve saved her a trip. Rumple wonders why Belle is helping a stranger. She gives him the excuse that a hero always helps people. She makes Rumple keep watch while she goes inside to look for the hat box. Instead, she hears someone calling for her from behind a covered mirror. When she takes the sheet off, it’s her reflection, but it tells her things she doesn’t want to hear. Basically, all her insecurities, like that Rumple doesn’t really trust her and he didn’t give her the real dagger (listen to the mirror, Belle). Rumple comes in, warning Bell they have to leave since the Snow Queen is coming. She lashes out and cuts him with the dagger before he poofs them back to the shop. Belle starts to believe what mirror Belle said about the dagger, since she had commanded Rumple to stay outside. He gets around that by saying she said to keep watch, and since the Snow Queen was coming back, he was allowed to go in and get her. Belle breaks down when she sees she has cut him and tells him all the awful things the mirror told her. Rumple assures her none of it is true. Belle confesses that Anna is missing because of her and feels guilty for using the dagger on Rumple. She doesn’t think she’s worthy of his love. Oh, lord, if only Belle knew how it’s Rumple who isn’t worthy of her love with all of his lies, manipulation, and deceit. She then spreads on the guilt even thicker by apologizing for keeping this secret, since she knows Rumple would never keep a secret from her. UGH! Belle finally confesses to Elsa about knowing Anna and how the Snow Queen captured her. Belle tells Emma, Elsa, and Killian about the mirror. Rumple has told her that it will be used for the Spell of Shattered Sight, turning the whole town on one another.

Emma: She shows everyone the video of the Snow Queen as her foster mother. Henry suggests looking for her ice cream truck to either find her or find clues. They end up finding it out by the Merry Men’s camp. Robin wants to talk to Regina, but she rebuffs him. Emma tells her she could have been nicer, but Regina tells her to stay out of it and is upset she has to deal with her and Killian making eyes at each other. Emma protests this, but then Killian definitely makes eyes at her. Once inside the truck, neither Regina nor Killian notice the lock on the freezer (how did these two last so long as villains when they don’t even notice details?). Killian uses his hook to break the lock and they find a file on Emma inside, starting from the article on how she was found on the side of the road. Emma looks through the file and discovers she stayed with the Snow Queen for six months, the longest she’d ever stayed anywhere. Killian asks if she’s okay, but she just tells him it was a long time ago, prompting a conversation about the fact that Killian was once a child about 200 years ago. Emma realizes that the Snow Queen has kept old art projects and essays and a card Emma wrote to her, and that someone doesn’t do that unless they care about you. They also discover a scroll with Arendelle writing on it. Back at the sheriff’s station, Elsa has discovered that the Snow Queen is her aunt. She and Emma look at the family tree and discover another sister that Killian thinks looks just like Emma (I really don’t see that except for the fact that she is blonde). Elsa sees the scroll and translates it. It basically says that Emma is the Savior and will become Ingrid’s (the Snow Queen) sister. Belle comes in letting them know about the mirror and the Shattered Sight spell, and Emma and Elsa figure out that they’ll be the only two left that aren’t affected so the Snow Queen can have her family.

Ingrid/The Snow Queen: Anna is introduced to Ingrid who let’s Anna know that the reason she doesn’t know her is because she was put in an urn by people who didn’t understand her. She shows Anna that she also has the same powers as Elsa and that it runs in the family. We don’t see Ingrid again until Anna is on her way back from the Rock Trolls. Ingrid creates a storm that results in Anna falling off a mountain. Ingrid steals the hat box from Anna before poofing them back to the castle. Ingrid has Anna locked in a cell in the dungeons of the castle. She accuses Anna of wanting to strip Elsa of her powers with the hat. Anna claims she wasn’t going to use it on Elsa, but that their parents were. Anna then reveals that the Rock Trolls told her she had another sister and Ingrid gets very angry. Anna asks what Ingrid wants. Ingrid says she wanted a family that would embrace her for who she was, but she doesn’t think Anna can be part of that family since she has nothing in common with her and Elsa. She will have to find someone else to take Anna’s place.

Rumple seeks out the Snow Queen and lets her know Emma is on to her. The Snow Queen tells him that Emma didn’t discover anything she didn’t want her to discover. She goes head to head with Rumple which is pretty fantastic. He doesn’t scare her like he does most others. She tells him to stay out of her way, Later, after Belle has glimpsed the mirror, Rumple comes back to confront the Snow Queen about it. They posture and threaten each other again: Rumple telling her she better now hurt anyone he loves with her plans and the Snow Queen claiming she can’t make any guarantees. Rumple shows her that he has the hat and the Snow Queen shows fear for the first time.

Anna: She comes back from Misthaven and lies to Elsa about what she’s found out. She notices there are no flurries or any of Elsa’s normal icy behaviors happening. Elsa excitedly introduces Anna to their Aunt Ingrid and Anna immediately goes into disbelieving mode. She immediately goes to Kristoff and tells him that she doesn’t trust Ingrid. She claims to be a good judge of character, but Kristoff calls her out on that as she almost married Hans after 10 minutes. Anna doesn’t understand why there isn’t any record of Ingrid anywhere, so she wants to visit the Rock Trolls to find out about her. She also tells Kristoff that she didn’t tell Elsa what she found out on her trip. Unfortunately, Ingrid has been listening to their conversation. Anna runs into Belle at Oaken’s and since they are going to the same place, invites her to come with her to visit the Rock Trolls. Anna asks Grand Pabbie about Ingrid and he tells her that her mother actually had two sisters, and they were quite close. But then one day Ingrid and their other sister, Helga, vanished, so the royal family asked the Rock Trolls to make everyone forget them. This makes Anna think Ingrid is a liar because she didn’t tell them about this (um, wasn’t she trapped in an urn until recently), and needs to get back to the castle fast. Ingrid causes a storm and imprisons Anna, telling her she can’t be part of their family because she is the outsider.

Questions:

Why are they wondering how the Snow Queen got to our world? My first thought would be a magic bean since we’ve seen them several times at this point. I know they were supposed to be gone, but that obviously wasn’t true.

What is up with Belle’s traveling outfit? It’s a short skirt that has that caveman-like cut and knee-high stockings! And it’s white! Plus she’s in full make up. 

Can someone please explain why Emma was moved around in foster care so much that six months was the longest she was anywhere? Isn’t the point of foster care to find a family to take them in so their life isn’t disrupted so much? No wonder Emma is the way she is if she was moved from family to family so much she couldn’t ever form any bonds.

Once again, what is up with Belle’s Storybrooke outfit? She’s going to infiltrate the Snow Queen’s lair in a short skirt and knee high boots (I mean, they are fur lined, but still)?

Ingrid told Anna she’d been trapped in an urn, so why would Anna think she knew anything about her family erasing everyone’s memories?

Who’s voice is coming from the mirror before Belle takes the cover off. It’s not speaking in Belle’s normal accent.

So, did Colette and Belle somehow get up when the Ogre pulled the table off of them? Maurice says her mother stood up to the Ogre, but they’d been lying under a table. 

Why was Belle so worried about the Ogres reaching the road? They’d already been to the castle.

Where did this prophecy come from? Most prophecies aren’t so literal.

Observations:

The first book Belle’s mother ever read to her was called Her Handsome Hero.

Belle is wearing her blue movie dress. We saw her wear this in Rumple’s castle in Skin Deep. I had assumed that it had been something Rumple had given her since she didn’t bring anything with her, but maybe Rumple magicked her belongings to the castle at some point.

If this were real life, Anna would be so dead, or at least have multiple broken bones after falling off the mountain.

Rumple looks into the Snow Queen’s mirror and nothing happens.

The Snow Queen’s plan to use a mirror for the Spell of Shattered Sight comes directly from the Hans Christian Anderson story The Snow Queen. Although it is not her mirror that shatters, but the devil’s mirror. Read the tale here.

The false eyelashes on Belle are over the top this episode.

Timeline Issues:

Emma says she’s 13, maybe 14 in the video, but it’s supposed to be 1998, and in the fall. Emma was born in 1983, so that would make her 15, maybe 14 if it’s still the beginning of October.

If Anna met Belle before Belle met Rumple, then how old must she be now? Belle lived with Rumple, probably for at least a year (despite the short time we saw in Skin Deep and Lacey), and then she went on the adventure with Mulan to find the Yaoguai in The Outsider, and then she was captured by the Evil Queen and imprisoned for about 2 ½ years according to the hash marks in her cell in that we saw in Queen of Hearts. We know Elsa was trapped in the urn (although we don’t know how), but it had to have happened before Snow and Charming met, as it came through the time portal with Emma and Killian during There’s No Place Like Home, and as we saw, Belle was still Rumplestiltskin’s maid at this time. Assuming Arendelle wasn’t part of the curse (which, it shouldn’t be since it wasn’t part of the Enchanted Forest), at least 35 years must have passed from what we just saw.

So the Snow Queen apparently cared about Emma, but what happened for Emma to leave and the Snow Queen make her forget? How did she get to our land if not by my theory of a magic bean? The Snow Queen is planning to tear the town apart just so she can get Emma and Elsa to become her sisters, and Rumple is being a conniving ass as usual.

Reviews 1x01 1x02 1x03 1x04 1x05 1x06 1x07 1x08 1x09 1x10 1x11 1x12 1x13 1x14 1x15 1x16 1x17 1x18 1x19 1x20 1x21 1x22 2x01 2x02 2x03 2x04 2x05 2x06 2x07 2x08 2x09 2x10 2x11 2x12 2x13 2x14 2x15 2x16 2x17 2x18 2x19 2x20 2x21 2x22 3x01 3x02 3x03 3x04 3x05 3x06 3x07 3x08 3x09 3x10 3x11 3x12 3x13 3x14 3x15 3x16 3x17 3x18 3x19 3x20 3x21 3x22 4x01 4x02 4x03 4x04 4x05

Please leave comments and reblog! Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future reviews.

@searchingwardrobes @thisonesatellite @justbecauseyoubelievesomething @laschatzi @wistfulcynic​ @mariakov81 @lfh1226-linda

#once upon a time #once upon a time rewatch #once upon a time review #once upon a time 4x06 #once upon a time family business