#ouadt

[worryinglyinnocent]

Once Upon A Different Time notes

OK, it’s a long time since I posted anything Once Upon A Time related, but I’ve been pondering this for a while. 

Since it is very unlikely that I will be finishing my epic season 3 through 7 rewrite, Once Upon A Different Time, I was wondering if people would like to see the notes that I made for the forthcoming seasons 4-7, so that you could have a look at what changes I would have made to canon if I’d gone through with it. 

If there’s enough interest I’ll polish up the notes and post them. 

[worryinglyinnocent]

I consolidated all my notes for Once Upon A Different Time over the weekend; all the things for each of the seasons are finally in one place. 

I kept having ideas, going ‘that’s a great idea, I must write that down’, writing them down, and then turning over three pages in my notes and finding the the idea was so great I’d already had it and written it down four months ago. (Twice, sometimes.)

Anyway, now everything’s nice and neat, and I have come to several conclusions. 

1) I’m very obviously more invested in rumbelle than in any other characters, because I have their storylines planned out for pretty much all the seasons. You know, their story pans out so much differently when they just. fucking. talk. to. each. other.  

2) I keep forgetting that Snow and Charming exist. Is that bad?

3) Season 7 is obviously my favourite season after 1&2 (which I’m not rewriting) because I have more notes and investment in that one than any of the others.

4) I’ve got almost nothing for season 5, and the only bits I have for season 6 are rumbelle/Gideon related. 

5) I managed to introduce foreshadowing for season 7 in season 4 without even realising it. 

6) Had a great epiphany about how to get Margot in considering Zelena’s very definitely dead and not in a position to be having kids in the OUADT universe. 

7) I’m seriously lacking in villains. As a huge fan of Greek mythology and the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books, I’ve never liked the idea of Hades as a villain. I know that OUAT has a villainous Hades because of Disney’s villainous Hades, but I’ve always seen Hades as a neutral party, neither good or evil, so that’s what I’m angling towards with my take on the Underworld arc. 

8) I have a major aversion to non-villain characters dying. Neal, Robin and Merlin are all safe. I think the only non-villain character I’ve killed off in OUADT is Marian. 

9) I surprised myself with my ideas for the author’s AU at the end of season 4. I really need to get on and write this blessed thing so that I can share it with you, because I’m so excited about it!

10) I keep making the characters go on road trips. I have no idea why.

[worryinglyinnocent]

Last night I found a whole bunch of notes for Once Upon A Different Time that I had completely forgotten about. There’s a load of detailed stuff there for season 4A, season 4B, season 6 and season 7. 

There’s about three sentences for season 5, one of which is: “I need to have one of the 5B episodes called ‘Ghosts of Villains Past’, for no other reason than it sounds cool.”

So.. yeah. 

But the fact I have so much already down for 4B is very encouraging, and I found a whole new set of stuff that I’d completely blanked from memory about Gideon’s storyline in 6B. Minor spoiler alert, Rumpel is very definitely present for his birth. 

It gave me a new lease of life for it. There won’t be anything new posted in 2019, sadly, but I’m really hoping I can get back to it in 2020. If you want to ask anything about it in the meantime, please do feel free. It’ll help me get plot points straight in my head if nothing else. 

[worryinglyinnocent]

YAY!

I worked out how to get Tilly into OUADT. 

Not only that, I worked out how to keep the close relationship between her and Rumpel. 

Not only that, I worked out how to keep her as Hook’s daughter as well as the above. 

And not content with that, I also... 

... included some heartwrenching angst and made myself cry!

Now all I need to do is find her a Margot. 

[worryinglyinnocent]

The first five episodes of Once Upon A Different Time season 4A have been plotted out!

In these first five episodes I can promise: 

Archie being a therapist. 

Belle and Rumple actually communicating. 

The only cameo appearances by all Frozen characters who are not Elsa - they’re only in one episode for about an equivalent of ten minutes!

A hopefully neat new take on Elsa’s backstory, which was foreshadowed in 3B.

The Blue Fairy being shady as fuck. 

Henry playing matchmaker with varying degrees of success. 

An explanation for why Will Scarlet is randomly in Storybrooke again during 4A.

Little titbits of foreshadowing for 4B. 

Snow and Charming having an honest discussion about parenting.  

I’m aiming to have the first episode ready for the end of July. I hope you all enjoy it when it comes!

[worryinglyinnocent]

Whilst in the process of plotting out the next season of Once Upon A Different Time in detail, I have just realised that I forgot Henry existed for a moment there. 

Hmm. 

*Goes back trying to retroactively insert Henry into all the episodes.*

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - this show has too many characters!!!

[worryinglyinnocent]

Speaking of OUADT, though, I have hit an impasse with one of my plot threads so if anyone’s willing to be a sounding board and doesn’t mind getting spoilers (I prefer to call them sneak peeks lol), please hit me up.

[worryinglyinnocent]

The first few pages of Once Upon A Different Time Season 4A have been typed! Hopefully coming to a screen near you this summer. 

So far: Neal and Emma are despairing the fact that Storybrooke can’t stay free from magical shenanigans for longer than a week, Henry is attempting to match-make his parents, and Belle and Rumpel are doing all manner of honeymoon-y things that are stretching the limits of what can be shown on prime-time ABC...

Also, there’s a ghost.