Maze of Darkness

[RedPiggy]

Interestingly enough, it also seemed like Katrina's flood waters magically stopped at Canal street.

I wanted a flashback story that served to inspire Dorothy to go to Oz. For this little girl used to Dust Bowl-Era Kansas, New Orleans was a magical place, despite her uptight mother (I was going to use Aunt Em for this scene, but I couldn't shake the idea that Em would actually have stood up for Tiana).

The door was stand-alone, not in a tree. It had a white or cream-colored doorframe and a reddish door, with ivy that looked half dead going up each side of the doorframe. Snow and Charming went through what looked like a simple cloaking spell as they walked through the door, but Regina just went through and ... nothing. It was hilarious.

 

[The Count]

Oh... A free-standing door, well, that makes more sense then Brain.

Yeah, Em would have definitely stepped in to help Tiana before Lotti stepped in. Also, I like that you have Dorothy's little childhood foray taking place in NOLA... It makes her keep that notion of magicality and a world full of color as something cherished when she's an older teenager in the drab grays of the Kansas farmlands.

One other thing that was funny in the timewarp... When it came to sneaking into the formal ball for Charming and Abigail's announcement at Midas's castle, Rumple had an invitation for Emma and Hook. At the introductions, Emma presented themselves as Prince Charles and Princess Leia.

 

[RedPiggy]

The season finale gave me inspiration on how to wrap this up. Not with this post, but sooner or later.


Jareth grabbed the girl Tamara by summoning rock hands that thrust from the stone ground and dragged her somehow to him. He glared at her. “You want to destroy magic? Destroy me.”

Tamara struggled against the rock hands, her arms and legs bleeding. “I’m going to,” she managed to growl.

However, the rock hands suddenly shuddered and shattered into millions of pieces, leaving Tamara to fall unceremoniously to the ground. She and Jareth both glanced around to find the little courtyard teeming with an ever-growing number of black-clad soldiers with red hearts accenting their armor.

Jareth looked up and saw a tower of vines grow up into the sky, only to swerve in the atmosphere and barrel down towards him. He tried to teleport, but vines quickly shot out of the ground and held him tight.

An elderly woman strolled past the guards. She had a white blouse and a red velvet dress that draped off her hips. Her crown was a heart-shaped ruby set in sterling silver. She had the aged brunette hair of an old field mouse. Her lips nearly burst from her face in a provocative blood-red color.

She glanced at the girl and frowned, nodding, watching the guards envelope the girl and drag her forwards. She turned to look at Jareth, scoffing. “Did Moraine suit you ill, or did you find yourself yearning to play in the dirt again?”

Jareth struggled but could not break free. He managed a smile, though. “I take it you’re still mad about Zelena.”

“You have no right to speak her name!” the woman hissed, forcing the vines to nearly rip Jareth apart. “Every waking moment I spend remembering what you did to me!”

He gagged. “You’re Queen, Cora,” he told her, gasping for air. “Have not all your dreams come true?”

Cora smirked. “Not all of them,” she replied more calmly. “I have yet to see you bow before your superior.”

Tamara was dumped at the Queen’s feet. “Your Majesty, I --.”

Cora lifted the girl with magic, paralyzing her in purple smoke tendrils. “I don’t believe I gave you permission to address me.” She glanced at Jareth as she used her power to choke the girl. “Perhaps you prefer such garbage. No wonder Mizumi has been so irritable lately.” She flung Tamara at Jareth, causing them both to land in a heap. “A broken king and his queen of trash,” she noted, laughing maliciously for a few moments before becoming serious again. “Off with their heads.”

In the Kingdom of Moraine, Mizumi stared wistfully in a pool as Esker approached.

“Does the Royal Guard bring the child?” Mizumi asked.

Esker bowed. “He has been kidnapped by the Queen of Hearts, Milady.” He paused, shifting his weight uncomfortably. “As has --.”

“—my husband and the kidnapper,” Mizumi interrupted, waving him away. “Leave me.”

Esker took the Queen by the hands and gently lifted her up to her feet. “Your Majesty, the king betrays you.” He nodded toward the pool. “Does he not seek the comfort of a former lover?”

Mizumi broke free and slapped him.

Esker rubbed his bony cheek. “The facts remain, Your Highness. The waters of time are quite clear – you will never keep him in your heart.”

Mizumi felt her blood boil. She planted her lips on his stretched face forcefully. He was taken aback, but he grinned as much as he could, and returned the kiss with equal tenacity. After several moments, he shrieked and stumbled backwards, his skin steaming. Mizumi wiped her lips in disgust. “Did you think my kiss was a promise of what you could have?” She chuckled. “No, my Pompous One – it was a promise of what you will not have.” She watched as he screamed in agony, billowing steam coming from every pore. “I can never love you – but know, my dear friend, that I love you enough to honor you with a death by my very own lips.”

She called for a carriage as she stormed out of the room, the blistered and broken form of Esker twitching slightly.

The driver bowed and asked where she was going.

“To Rumplestilskin,” she replied, entering the mother-of-pearl vehicle. “We have a deal to be struck.”

 

[The Count]

Yesh!

BTW: Doing some Wiki walks and I know who Jonathan is now... As well as what was inside that capsule from Rumple's vault that got dragged back into our present time. Boy, they sure want to pump as much icy water out of that movie as they can; becoming their next Disney on Ice stageshow and battling with Iron Man 3 for post-release rake-ins.

As for the chappy... Oh, Cora! Again, nice intro, and I fully do expect that Once Season 4 moves into Wonderland once more. *Chuckles at Cora's remarks after her captives are knocked down and out.
Kind of saw Esker's fate coming. Think man. She's a full-on water elemental. And she just slapped you, showing she's boiling mad. Don't you think she'd use that to seal your doom, Mr. Ice? Then again, he'll probably form into his old self if you put his body in the freezer.

Thanks for posting, rully enjoy each new installment.

 

[The Count]

Funny how this thread has become both a fic and a "Your Thoughts" on Once Upon a Time as well.

Haven't watched the full movie version of Frozen, so I'm interested in how someone who may have seen it already—and has far better working eyesight than myself—would compare the characters from the animated film to their live-action counterparts.

One line I found funny was when Kristoff lies to Elsa about Anna having to go get more frosting for the wedding cake. "I told her we had enough, but what can I do about it. Brides... They're perfectionists."

Okay... Now it's for sure that Rumple and Belle are the counterparts to both Disney's Beauty and The Beast... They had the music to "Tale As Old As Time" playing when they danced their first dance as a married couple.

Oh! They brought back Sydney Glass as Regina's spy/informant. She turned him into the Magic Mirror once again? "Don't worry, it's only temporary."
Regina wants to kill Maid Marian, typical.
Wait, she wants to do what? Find the writer of Henry's storybook? You mean the Brothers Grimm? *Sweatdrops. Even I as an Underlord or master of monsters know it's not a good idea to mess around with the magic embewing(SP?) a magical object, especially one as powerful as the storybook that makes it a magical object. You're headed into extremely deep waters there Regina, and I'm not sure Ursula would appreciate it, not may Mizumi be able to pull you back out.

We're under attack by a snowman monster! Olaf, noooooo! Quick, someone call Heatmiser! No wait, that's a completely different franchise... I know, call Hades, he'll make it hot as heck! *Hopes Hades does eventually make it given OUAT's Greek myth details from last season.

And now we have the Enchanted Forest alternately named Misthaven to the people of the Frozen king/queendom.
Hope to read when you're able to post. *Hugs.

 

[RedPiggy]

Ah, on abc.com, I have to wait until next Sunday ...

I've been daydreaming a lot about how Hades would end up on OUAT. Thinking maybe he could hide out as the mortician in the hospital or something. He can only be James Woods, in my opinion, and would wear black scrubs with a blue surgical mask on. When ready to reveal his true nature, then he becomes a swirling black cloud of smoke with blue flame features.

Man, it's been months since I lasted posted. I'll have to remember what I wanted.... LOL.

*light bulb*

Oh, yeah, now I remember ...

 

[The Count]

Hmm... For some reason I see Hades as a black-suited businessman executive. He'd have knowledge of everything going on in town on apar with Rumple. Yes, Rumple may be the most powerful sorceror of all in their universe, but hey, Hadesis an immortal god. And yes, James Woods loves the character so much he'd probably not even have to be led by a trail of candy to get him on OUAT.

BTW: I'm also on a kick from my new shows that have another episode tomorrow, Gotham and Sleepy Hollow. Man how I love SH. The key from Ben Franklin's kite with the discovery of electricity? The electricity was incidental... He was hoping for lightning to destroy the key as it was able to open a loophole gate into Purgatory. Can't wait for new episode tomorrow.

 

[The Count]

As stated in another thread, there's the theory that Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold could be compared to Jareth, as they are both of their respective franchises' master mages. By the same token, would Ingrid, The Snow Queen (Elsa and Ana's aunt) be compared as the Mizumi of OUAT? She seems just as coldly driven to reign over a world of her own making with only those she views as her equals at her side as the family that once denied her when originally growing up in the Erindale of the past.

 

[RedPiggy]

While the Snow Queen plot seems very interesting, at least for my fic, because of the loss of my grandfather, I just haven't been able to watch. I'm reduced to watching cooking shows on Netflix because at least there's little to no drama. The last few months have just been so stressful and I just have problems staying emotionally stable during the day and night. One day I hope to continue this story, but for now, I just lack the motivation.

 

[The Count]

Sorry to hear about that Kelly. My family's certainly dealing with a whole lot of things these last few months, what with my sister and her fiancee coming back to live here permanently now, Mom searching for a new car to replace her busted up Volvo, and errands for my sister's wedding next year. That, plus having to put our last remaining grandparent in an assisted living home for his own good and cleaning out the entire house where my sister's currently living. So yeah, I understand losing the drive in personal pet projects. Just know we're here and hope you can find something to keep that smile from day to day.