The Fandom Friday is a weekly feature, with each blog post written by a new contributor.

This is the weekly post where either myself, or a guest blogger, talks about a new fandom. See, I’ve had the experience in my life where I’ve been made fun or put down about my particular fandoms. And that has made me feel pretty crappy. But I’ve also put down other fandoms as well.

So I’ve decided to change that. I’m opening my world up to new fandoms, and the best way to do that is to bring people in to write about various fandoms. I’m very excited about this segment.

If you guys are interested in becoming a guest blogger for the Fandom Friday, feel free to email me at whatanerdgirlsays at gmail.com or contact me HERE

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This week’s guest blogger is Cher, and she’ll tell you more about herself later. Now, let’s take the time to dive into one of her favorite shows (and definitely one of mine):

Once Upon a Time

Tagline: 

There are two sides to every story.

Premiere Date: 

October 23, 2011

Network: 

ABC

Genre: 

Fantasy

And they lived happily ever after…or so everyone was led to believe. Emma Swan knows how to take care of herself. She’s a 28 year old bondsperson who’s been on her own ever since she was abandoned as a baby. But when Henry-the son she gave up years ago-finds her, everything changes. Henry is now ten years old and in desperate need of Emma’s help. He believes that Emma actually comes from an alternate world, and she’s Snow White and Prince Charming’s missing daughter. According to his book of fairy tales, they sent her away to protect her from the evil queen’s curse, which trapped the characters of fairy tale world forever, frozen in time, and brought them into our modern world.

Of course, Emma doesn’t believe a word, but when she brings Henry back to Storybrooke, she finds herself drawn to this unusual boy and his strange New England town. Concerned for him, she decides to stay for awhile, but she soon suspects that Storybrooke is more than it seems. Its a place where magic has been forgotten-but is still powerfully close-where fairy tale characters are alive, even though they don’t remember who they once were, and where the Evil Queen, known as Regina, is now Henry’s foster mother. 

In order to understand where the fairy tale world’s former inhabitants came from, and what ultimately led to the Evil Queen’s wrath, you’ll need a glimpse into their previous lives to learn their origins. But it might just turn everything you’ve ever believed about these characters upside-down. 

Meanwhile, the epic battle for the future of all worlds is about to begin. For good to win, Emma will have to accept her destiny and fight like hell. 

Good day, dearies! My name is Cher, but my pen name is belovedbeauty (and you can find me at Tumblr here), and I’ve been writing and creating graphics since I was about thirteen. I’ve always been a Disney girl, even at twenty years old, Disney fairytales will always be my favorite thing-and the one thing I turn to when my day hasn’t been the greatest. Knowingly, most Disney stories are based off of the Grimm tellings, and re-worked to have happy endings. When I first saw the commercial for Once Upon a Time, I was utterly hooked. Not just because of the fairy tale plot, but because the creators (Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis) were writers for Lost (and let me tell you, Lost was probably one of the most mind-blowing addictive shows there ever was).

Going into the show, and watching the first episode, I immediately became more obsessed than I had imagined. The protagonist of the story, Emma Swan, was easily relatable, her son Henry was the icing on the cake, and the inhabitants of Storybrooke were a shroud of mystery. It didn’t take me long before I was counting down the days until a new episode aired, reading fan’s theories and thoughts, and joining in on avid discussion.

The great thing about Once Upon a Time is that it doesn’t follow Disney’s or The Grimms Brother’s stories. It creates a path all on it’s own, which leaves the fan in a constant state of curiosity as to what they’re going to change next. Each character is lovable in their own way (Even the Evil Queen Regina, and our dear Rumpelstiltskin). As the first season came to a close, and everything that had happened finally settled in my brain, I was irrevocably addicted.

The fans of ONce Upon a Time go by Oncers, and though we have a ship that we’re on board with (Snowing, Rumbelle, Swan Queen, etc), we come together together in our absolute adoration for the show. Each time something insane happens, we easily fall together to grieve, plot, theorize, and explain.

We’re a dysfunctional family of fans, but I think that makes the dynamic so much more interesting. You can sit there thinking you’ve gotten everything right as fan, chosen the rightful ship, figured out the next plot device, and then you read another fan’s thoughts, be they against your own or not, and you began to question your own reasoning.

 Once Upon a Time is in it’s third season now, with more questions than ever before. The writers have introduced a new land, new characters and villains, and continue to delve into the lives of the fairy tale folk in flashbacks.

You never really know how one character’s full life has been. Each flashback creates a new layer, and even as you watch that character in the present, you’re still wondering, “What has happened to you?” 

One line that has stuck with me is this: “Evil isn’t born, dearie, it’s made.”

But the one thing that is always streaming through each story, that the writers always make sure you remember, is that there’s always hope. There’s always a chance for you to find your happy ending, or your true love. No one is clearly good, or bad. Each character has made choices that took them down another road, and forces them to try and make it right. Emma Swan isn’t a perfect guy, and Rumpelstiltskin hasn’t always stayed on the path of evil. Just those little things make a viewer see that, “Hey, I may make a mistake but that doesn’t have to define me. I can change the path I’m on.”

As Emma Swan said in Season one, Episode Four: “People are gonna tell you who you are your whole life. You just gotta punch back and say, “no, this is who I am.” You want people to look at you differently? Make them! You want to change things, you’re gonna have to go out there and change them yourself, because there are no fairy godmothers in this world.” 

This show isn’t just about fairy tale characters in the modern world, but about choices made and how they face them. It’s about correcting wrongs, and working with the skills you have. Each character relies on one thing or two to make it through each challenge they face. And you, as the viewer, are along on each journey with them.

And hey, it helps that the entire cast is extremely attractive. Each character has a memorable line. They’re all very realistic, with sassy one-liners, to perfect eyebrow raises and dubious looks. Once Upon a Time is a well-rounded, beautifully written show, that hooks you from one episode to the next. And each actor brings their character to life perfectly.

I can’t tell you exactly why I love this show. Whether it’s the characters, the storyline, the lands, or the undercurrent of constant hope, I can tell you that as long as it’s on air for my viewing pleasure, I’ll be sitting on my couch watching ever single minute of it (a couple of times over during those long hiatuses).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15__iA1MTqc

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I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Fandom Friday! Once Upon a Time is one of my absolute favorite shows!

I hope you are all able to give the show a chance. The first two seasons are on Netflix, so definitely check it out!

They could totally bring back Sheriff Graham though, I would NOT say no to that haha!

Happy Friday!