#Gretel the gingerbread girl

[imyourbratzdoll]

𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏’𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒑𝒊𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕

🕊️a whore's fairytale masterlist🕊️

summary - being the granddaughter of the witch that tried to eat hansel and gretel wasn't fun, especially when they come back to seek revenge.

warning - smut, dubcon, swearing, spitting kink, spit roasted, threesome, kidnapping, mentions of death and eating children, mentions of attempted abandonment, oral sex, creampie.

18+ only please, the gif and headers I use aren't mine.

Warnings and Reminders - Please do not plagiarise, copy, repost/republish, adapt, or translate any of my work on any social media platforms, apps, or third-party sites. The only platforms I post my work on are: Tumblr and Wattpad. I do not own any character of any franchise (Marvel etc.) All my works are fiction and may be dark or triggering content: READ ALL WARNINGS BEFORE PROCEEDING.

Steve Hansel and Nick Gretel (their parents were hoping for a girl) made a pact years ago to never enter the woods again, not after that fateful day of crossing paths with the witch. When they were kids, their mother had unfortunately passed away, causing their father to find solace in the arms of another. They remembered the wedding clearly, how their hearts nearly beat out of their small chests as their father remarried the woman who would bring hell to their small family.

The hatred that leaked from their stepmother’s flesh could only be noticed by them; their father too blind with heartbreak to even notice. At their age, they were too young to understand why their father would remarry if he wasn’t in love with the woman. But as they grew older, bypassing the trauma they experienced. They began to realise their father was trying to fill a void with the first woman that passed. 

The one thing you should never do in a fairytale is trust the stepmother, the boys learnt this the hard way. Their family wasn’t the wealthiest, having to survive off the small crumbs that they could find or gather. They trusted the woman when she had said that she found some food they could harvest not too far from their home. Steve being the smartest out of the two, made sure to fill his pockets with some rocks, nodding toward his brother Nick before they followed, creating a small path along the way so they wouldn’t get lost. Their stepmother left after distracting them long enough, ensuring that she could finally get rid of the two extra mouths to feed. 

But the boys didn’t worry as the older of the two, gripped his brother’s hand and led him back home. Following the small rocks, and once they stepped foot out of the dreadful woods, they were greeted by their father who had been worried sick. As a small child, you’d think nothing of this, but as their father wrapped the two into a warm, loving hug. Steve looked over his shoulder, resting his chin on his father and smirked at the fuming woman, her lip sneered upwards as she realised her plan had failed. 

Her second attempt had somewhat succeeded; she lured the boys back out with the promise of more food. Steve having not collected any rocks that week, grabbed his leftover bread and decided to use that as their way back home. Yet, he had forgotten that they were not the only hungry creatures living in the woods. As a child when you get lost, you become scared and you don’t know what to do, you expect for an adult to come and save you because how could a child do that for themselves? They weren’t built to protect themselves, they had adults for that, adults to learn from so that they could carry on protecting when they got older. The boys were terrified, but Steve wouldn’t show it because it was then that he realised he would be the one protecting his brother from now. 

Hands gripped tight, they wondered through the woods hoping to find their way back home until a small shout came from Nick’s mouth, Steve’s head whips around and his eyes widen when he sees a house made completely of gingerbread, decorated with the finest lollies, he could feel his mouth water and before he could stop his brother. Nick dropped his hand and took off running toward the delicious looking house. His mouth already opened as he began to nibble on a pillar, his stomach filling immediately. Steve caught up with him and slowly begin to eat as well, what harm could this do? They were kids, living in a poor home with barely any food to keep their stomach from rumbling every five seconds. 

This was where the real horror began, an ugly old woman slammed open the door, screaming at them before she dragged the boys inside. Again, another promises them food, as if there were a giant sign on their head signalling, they needed it. Steve’s eyes darted around the home, connecting with those of a girl’s, her eyes wide and lips pouted. He wondered if the two were related or if she was also kept prisoner as the wicked old witch shoved the boys inside a small cell. She kept mumbling on about filling them up and eating them, causing the boys to try, and come up with a plan to get out of there. 

The witch called upon the youngest, telling him to help her with the oven door. The young girl watched from the corner, observing, and ignoring as the eldest boy tried to get her attention. Her grandmother wouldn’t like that, she wanted the young girl to continue studying their witchcraft, wanting her to continue their legacy if anything ever happened to her. She watched as the oven door managed to open, and her grandmother turned toward her, something that she shouldn’t have done as it distracted her from the boy beside her. 

“Y/–” The witch is cut off, a scream leaving her as Nick pushes her fat body into the oven. The girl too shocked to move, she felt her body freezing up instead of rushing over to help. Nick stumbles towards his older brother, yanking the cell open and running with him as they escape. Steve turns his head, eyes connecting with the young girls, he gulped as her face slowly morphed into an evil look, her eyes narrowed and dark, with a promise that she will one day become strong enough and find those that killed her grandmother. 

As the boys ran for their lives, twists, and turns, narrowly missing the trees and bushes. They somehow managed to exit the woods and head toward their home where their father was, again worried sick for them. He pulled the boys into his arms, holding them tight and listened as they went on about their stepmother and then the witch. None of the boys noticed that the stepmother never made it back, getting lost herself and the father was glad that his boys were home again. Steve and Nick looked at each other and that day they made a pact to never step foot in those woods again. 

That pact was broken as the now men wandered into the woods. “I thought we agreed that we wouldn’t step foot into these woods again?” Nick sneered, not being able to ignore the chills that spread through his body at the thought. He gripped the sword tight, one that matched his brothers. 

“Father is old, Nick. We are barely passing by as it is, and we need the food. You know that for us to be here again, it is our last resort.” Steve tried getting his brother to understand, he didn’t want to be in these woods either. Not after the look that young girl gave him, after that day he had managed to get the town in on searching for her, of course some believed there was a witch in the woods as their own children have gone missing. But they had all come up empty, which left him to think that they were related. It would explain the look she gave him as they ran out of there. 

After that day, the brothers became a bit darker, smarter. Their minds had twisted, no longer sweet and innocent. Nick grunted, kicking a rock that got in his way and watched as it flew across the ground. “I know, but. It feels…” He paused, not knowing what word to use to describe the feeling. 

“I feel it too.” Nick felt somewhat relieved that his brother could feel what he felt too, but he didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing. “Come on, we better get going before dark.” Steve ushered his brother forward, heading in a direction opposite the one that caused their trauma. They took cautious steps as they wandered through the woods, managing to gather some food and kill some animals.

Nick hit his brother’s arm; eyes wide as he gestures to a house in the middle of nowhere. A replica to the one many years ago. Steve can feel rage build inside him as he stares, wishing the place would burn down. “That can’t be the same one. We went another way!” Nick exclaims, horror filling his bones. 

Steve launches forward, his feet stomping against the dirt and leaves as he heads toward the house. Nick stumbles along, trying to stop his brother even though he feels the same rage deep inside. They both release a breath as they stop in front of the door, the sweet scent of gingerbread filling their senses. Before Steve can knock, the door flings open, and their mouth falls open.

You stand there, your hair perfectly wild and your long black dress falls gracefully while hugging your figure. Your eyes are sharp as you glare at the two men, it was as though they couldn’t breathe. You were so beautiful, practically glowing as you stared them down. “Who do you think you are trespassing onto my property?!” You growl, starring up at the men as they tower over you. You could feel it in your bones, they felt familiar, as if you knew them from somewhere. 

Steve’s eyes widen more than before, your eyes. He had seen those eyes before, his brows furrowed, and the rage continued to build as he connected the dots. You had grown, it wasn’t hard for him to remember those eyes. They had haunted him for years, striking fear deep inside him and his brother. “You! You’re the little girl!” He fumed, only to be held back by his brother as he tries to step forward. 

Your eyes widen slightly as you begin to remember who they are. The men that made you an orphan, causing you to watch as your grandmother cooked. “Oh!” And like that, ever so subtly. Your demeanour changes, a soft smile replacing the frown, your eyes lighten and your back straightens. “You’re the boys that saved me! Come in! Come in!” You usher them in, sneering and coiling on the inside as those words slip from your lips. This was the only way you could get revenge, a life for a life. “I’m just preparing myself some dinner if you two would like to join!” 

Steve and Nick cautiously follow you inside, looking around. “It’s not children, is it?” Nick lets out a small ‘ow’ while rubbing his head when Steve whacks him, giving him a ‘what the hell’ look. Your soft laugh causes them to slightly relax, thinking you might be different.

On the inside, your laugh is cruel, wicked. You couldn’t wait to watch the brothers burn, finally getting the satisfaction after all these years. “Of course not, why would I eat children?” You bat your lashes innocently at him, smirking inside as he blushes. It was now or never, you needed this. “Could you please help me?” You pout, knowing you have the youngest brother in your palm. “I–I’m too weak to open the door… And I usually end up hurting myself.” It was a long shot, maybe they’d connect the dots, maybe they wouldn’t but you were so close.

Nick nods, beginning to head over. A sense of Deja-vu hits him but he ignores it, you seemed so cute and innocent. What harm could someone as tiny as you do? Steve watches, his stomach twists, trying to tell him something and out of the two brothers he listens. You seemed distracted, only watching Nick so he decides to move slow, sneaking behind you. 

You noticed too late, a gasp falls from your lips as Steve grabs hold of you, locking your arms behind your back, pressing against his front. “Let go of me!” You struggle against his hold, sneering at them. “I swear to god if you don’t let me go, I’ll make you regret this!” You yelp as Steve tugs on your arms harshly, pushing you toward your large wooden table. 

Nick blinks, looking between you and the oven before letting out a gasp. “Oh my god! It was going to happen again?!” Steve rolls his eyes, gesturing his brother to come help. Nick quickly stumbles forward, taking over for his brother while Steve walks into your line of vision. He crouches down, looking into your eyes while he reaches forward and tucks a fall piece of hair behind your ear. 

“Did you really think we’d be stupid enough to fall for that a second time…” Steve looks at Nick before shaking his head, looking back down at you. “Okay, maybe one of us wasn’t stupid enough.” He ignores the small ‘hey’ as he gives you a smirk. “What should we do with you, huh?” 

“Let me go!” You sneer, glaring daggers at the man. Nick groans as you push back against him, accidentally grinding against his bulge. You gasp, eyes widening. “You pervert!” You thrash around, your movements not helping the man behind you. 

Steve grins as he realises what he’s going to do to you. He reaches forward and grips your chin, tilting your head back enough that it begins to strain your neck. He leans forward, keeping eye contact. “We’re going to have some fun with you, little witch.” The force of his hand causes your mouth to open slightly and your walls clench around nothing as Steve spits into it. Never once has a mere human made you react like this.

You must have zoned out because when you blink, the brothers had swapped positions. Maybe you could taunt one, distract him long enough. You breathe, focusing on the one before you, letting your magic swirl around and enter him. You let out a giggle, “Nick Gretel… Oh, your parents must have–” Your cut off and your eyes widen as a hard but soft object enters your mouth, causing you to choke and gag as it hits the back of your throat. Your eyes move down and widen more as you realise what has entered, you can feel yourself dampen at how big and thick he is. 

“Oops, what was that, little witch?” Nick groans, feeling your lips tighten around his throbbing member, your tongue flicking instinctively around his swollen tip. “Shit, I think she’s enjoying this, brother.” 

Steve hums, having rolled your dress above your hips while you were distracted and swiping a finger through your glistening folds. “Of course, she is, she’s a slut. Isn’t that right, little witch? You were just desperate for attention.” You whimper around Nick, causing him to let out a groan and jerk his hips. Thrusting deeper into your warm, wet mouth. “You just want to be stuffed, huh? Have us use both your holes, fuck you until you’re dumb. Fill you with our cum, making you want and beg for more.” His words cause your eyes to roll back, your thighs becoming slicker at the thought. Steve smiles, nodding. “Just like I thought.” 

He stands, palming his throbbing cock before he releases it. A groan falls from his lips and shoots through to your core as his strokes the thick base. The older brother guides his mushroom tip through your lips, gathering your juices before he pushes in. “Oh fuck… She’s so tight.” Steve grunts, his eyes fluttering as he thrusts deeper, his cock being hugged by your delicious walls. His hands grip your hips as you squeeze him, your moans vibrate around Nick’s cock, and he shouts.

“Fuck! I’m not going to last if she keeps doing that!” Nick holds the back of your head; his head falls forward as he slowly fucks your face. He watches as his cock slides in and out of your mouth, drool slipping out the sides of your mouth, only the whites of your eyes visible. “Such a good little witch, taking me so well.” 

Steve thrusts into you hard and fast, holding you down. He groans as his hands move from your hips to your plump cheeks that jiggle with each thrust, he grips them, pulling them apart and squeezing them. “Fuck, who knew a witch could be so pretty. Not like the other one we met.” Steve makes a dig at your dead grandmother, causing anger to build inside of you only to be replaced with pleasure. You tense before slowly relaxing in their hold, sucking desperately on Nick’s cock while his older brother splits you open. 

The feel of their pulsing veins, sliding in and out of your holes, their scents invading your senses cause you to become dizzy. You have never felt something so intense before and in response your walls clench and unclench around Steve like crazy, sucking him in deeper, allowing him to hit the spots that are far out of your reach. You moan, tingles erupt throughout your body as Nick buries his cock into the back of your throat and releases, filling your mouth with his cum. 

You swallow as he pulls out, slouching into the chair behind him as he watches his brother destroy you with hazy eyes. “O–oh!” You bury your face into the wooden table, hands flying forward and gripping the edge tightly, causing your knuckles to whiten. 

Steve growls, leaning forward and towering over you. His hand moves from your arse to the back of your head and pushes it harder into the surface. “You like that, slut? Such a weak fucking witch.” You whimper, tightening around him as your vision becomes white and your juices coat his thick member. Steve groans, continuing to thrust before coating your walls with his cum. Like his brother, he gently pulls out and sinks into the chair behind him, half-lidded eyes watch as your cunt clenches and unclenches around nothing and his cum leaks from your tight hole.

Your chest moves up and down as you breathe, trying to push away the left-over pleasure that runs through your body, you slowly move and fix your dress before lifting your hands. As magic begins to swirl around you and the room, you prepare to get rid of these men once and for all. “This is for my grandmother.” 

The brothers ignore the shivers that roll through their body at how chilling your voice is, they look at each other knowing that they will have to do something and fast before the magic can hit them completely. 

Steve being the closet decides to distract you while his brother grabs something from his pocket, while your attention remains on Steve, you don’t seem to notice the other sneaking up behind you. You’d think you would learn after last time, but of course, you thought you were strong enough. Your eyes widen when you are suddenly grabbed and before you can even think of using your magic, a cloth is placed on your mouth causing your eyes to become droopy. “You should’ve just been a good little witch…” You hear one of them before you go completely limp.

As they head back in the direction of their home, with you in their arms. You would later learn when you awoke that you should never wait to strike revenge, especially as a witch.

thank you for reading!

feedback and reblogs are greatly appreciated.

[poppletonink]

Books That Are Fairytale Retellings

The Sleeper and The Spindle by Neil Gaiman

A Court Of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maal

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

The Girl In Red by Christina Henry

Once Upon A Time: A Story Collection by Shannon Hale

Lost In The Never Woods by Aiden Thomas

The True Story Of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde

The Mermaid by Christina Henry

House Of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

Girls Made Of Snow And Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

The Storybook of Legends by Shannon Hale

The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

Forest Of A Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde

Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi

To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

[jesterafterdark]

Feedist Kinktober 2024 - Day 3

"Creepy Cookies🍪"

(prompts via @fatguarddog)

It had been a few months since you'd started dating the girl of your dreams. She was everything, tall, funny, unashamedly odd, and most important to you, she was a feeder. It had taken a few dates before she confessed that to you, and of course you couldn't stop yourself from blurting out that you'd always wanted to date a feeder. She eyed you like a lion staring down prey, her eyes drifting to your muffin-top, then darting to your soft, round face. She grinned at you with predatory glee. That night you ate more than you ever had in one sitting before, all the while she clung to you, coiling herself around you like a snake, whispering sweet things in your ear, making sure you knew that the sweetest thing of all was you.

That had been how it began, but now it was Halloween, or at least it had been a few hours ago. You both stumbled in the door to your apartment, more than a little tipsy. Your girlfriend had picked the costumes, her dressed as a witch and you as a chunky Oktoberfest beer girl. She insisted on getting you one that was a size too small, but you didn't complain. There were looks, of course, and a few people saw the two of you together and made the connection you hadn't. Gretel and a witch to fatten her up. You looked up at her and blushed hard when you realized what she'd done, she couldn't wipe the grin off her face.

"Sit," the witch commanded, shutting the door behind her, "and keep the costume on."

"Huh?" You tried to question her but she had already vanished into the kitchen. You settled onto the couch, eager to please.

A few minutes later she came back, hands behind her back, a smile spreading ear to ear. She'd reapplied her black lipstick. "I have a special treat for you, darling~" She chirped in a sing-songy voice. She dropped herself beside you, draping an arm across your shoulder. "I think you'll really like these."

A tray of cookies landed in your lap, all carefully decorated to fit the Halloween theme. The witch picked up an orange, pumpkin shaped treat decorated with the grin of a Jack O'Lantern, bringing it to your face with a smile on hers.

You don't need to be told, you obediently bit into the cookie. Chocolate chips melted in the warmth of your mouth. You licked crumbs from your lips before moving in for a second bite.

"Good girl," she cooed in your ear, "I love watching you eat for me."

The last of the pumpkin crumbled between your teeth, your girlfriend grabbed a ghost shaped cookie from the tray and put it to your lips. You devoured it without question. You'd never question her. Those eyes are almost hypnotic and you see them pulse with lust after every bite you take. You were so lost in her eyes that you hardly realized that you'd powered through three more cookies. She turned her back to you, keeping a hand gripped tight around your thigh.

"Unzip me," she said in that same commanding tone. Your fingers worked the zipper on her dress, giving her the space to slip out of it. The dress hit the floor as she rose to her feet and turned back around.

"Have you been wearing that all night?" You smiled, realizing that yes, she had that lingerie on under her costume all night.

"I've been planning this for weeks," she laughed, "I've always had this Hansel and Gretel fantasy. Plus you look really good spilling out of that dress."

She moves the tray off your lap and straddles you, cupping your chubby face and bringing another cookie to your lips. "Now c'mon, finish this tray and I'll get the gingerbread house out. We're just getting started."

[sundove88]

Introducing Anime Ever After!!

Ever wanted to experience classic fairytales but through the lens of legendary and lesser known anime?

Well, Anime Ever After is for you!!

Synopsis: An anthropology of famous stories from around the world retold through the lens of legendary and lesser known anime, with modern twists, turns, and lessons about. From the depths of the sea in DBZ: Waves of Freedom (The Little Mermaid) to the realm beyond the clouds in One Piece: Beyond The Sky (Jack and The Beanstalk), this ever expanding treasury of tales has something for everyone.

Framing Device: An anime loving teenager is telling classic fairytales to the kids they babysit as bedtime stories- with a twist!

Side Note: Nursery Rhymes being adapted is more for Shrek. So they won’t be here- sorry about that. But they do a good job at it. This anthology is meant for readers 12 and up, due to some of the themes in some of the stories.

Btw, look for the posts that have anime ever after on them as one of their tags. Here’s the list of tales (So Far):

Dragon Ball Z: Waves of Freedom (The Little Mermaid)

My Hero Academia: Heart of Glass (Cinderella)

Attack on Titan: Red Hood (Little Red Riding Hood)

One Piece: Beyond The Sky (Jack and The Beanstalk)

Naruto: Sleeping Shadow (Sleeping Beauty)

Sword Art Online: The Match Player (The Little Match Girl)

FullMetal Alchemist: Iron Wolves (The 3 Little Pigs)

Fairy Tail: Mirrors of Deceit (Snow White)

Inuyasha: Soul of The Beast (Beauty and The Beast)

Bleach: Brushes of Fate (The Magic Paintbrush)

Fruits Basket: The 12 Dancing Zodiacs (12 Dancing Princesses)

Black Clover: The Frog Knight (The Frog Prince)

Hunter X Hunter: Spreading Your Wings (The Ugly Duckling)

Demon Slayer: Demon of The Northern Wind (The Snow Queen)

Black Butler: Beyond The Tower (Rapunzel)

Yu Yu Hakusho: Sweet Temptation (Hansel and Gretel)

Doraemon; Fearless Feline (Puss in Boots)

Gintama: Peachy Keen (Momotaro)

Sailor Moon: Lady of The Waxing Moon (Princess Kaguya)

Haikyuu: Bear-ly Faltering (Snow White and Rose Red)

Railgun: Little Warriors, Big Impacts (Thumbelina)

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All That Glitters (Rumplestiltskin)

Yu Gi Oh: Diamond in The Rough (Aladdin)

Konosuba: The Royal Test (The Princess and The Pea)

Tokyo Ghoul: The Crimson Amulet (The Red Shoes)

Akame Ga Kill: Fashion Gambit (The Emperor’s New Clothes)

Ouran High School Host Club: Wings of Perseverance (The Wild Swans)

Rurouni Kenshin: The Ronin’s Trials (The Steadfast Tin Soldier)

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagan: Cage of Steel, Heart of Platinum (The Nightingale)

Cowboy Bebop: Written in The Stars (The Weaver Girl and The Cowherd)

Death Note: The Golden Pen (King Midas)

Neon Genesis Evangelion: No Strings Attached (Pinocchio)

Fate: The Chosen Sword (King Arthur)

BanG Dream!: Melody of Deceit (The Pied Piper)

Code Geass: The Princess and The Pig Man (The Swineherd)

Jujitsu Kaisen: The Light Within (The Buried Moon)

Blue Exorcist: Blazing Bonds (The Firebird)

Spy X Family: Secret of The Statue (The Happy Prince)

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic: The Enchanted Key (Alibaba and The 40 Thieves)

Re:Zero: Gilded Feathers (The Golden Goose)

Saint Seiya: Divine Trials and Godly Tribulations (The 12 Labors of Hercules)

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya: Claws of Gold, Hearts of Gold (Goldilocks and The 3 Bears)

One Punch Man: A Hero’s Humility (King Thrushbeard)

Future Diary: Wishful Obsession (The Fisherman and His Wife)

Sket Dance: A Tale of Three Tricksters (The 3 Billy Goats Gruff)

Precure (All seasons): The Sweetest Holiday Ever (The Nutcracker)

Food Wars: A Recipe For Courage (The Brave Little Tailor)

Spice and Wolf: Against All Odds (The Princess on The Glass Hill)

Noragami: Stolen Sun (Amaterasu and The Cave)

Monogatari: Secret Confidants (The Elves and The Shoemaker)

Steins;Gate: Azure Secrets (Bluebeard)

Tokyo Revengers: Neverlanding, Never Faltering (Peter Pan)

The Promised Neverland: Emerald Truths (The Wizard of Oz)

Toriko: Sweet Pursuit (The Gingerbread Man)

Kill La Kill: A Royal Mix Up (The Prince and The Pauper)

World Trigger: The Silent Springtime (The Selfish Giant)

The Seven Deadly Sins: Curse of Shade and Malice (The Shadow)

Cardcaptor Sakura: Salt and Sugar (The Salt Princess/Cap O Rushes)

Assassination Classroom: Honeyed Words (Diamonds and Toads)

Way of The House Husband: Out of The Cage (Jorinda and Joringel)

Danganronpa The Animation (It covers all the games): Makoto in Wonderland (Alice in Wonderland)

D Gray Man: Song of The Sparkling Swan (Swan Lake)

Persona 5 The Animation: Way Down We Go (Hades and Persephone)

Soul Eater: United We Stand (The Six Who Went Far)

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The 5 Magical Musketeers (The 3 Musketeers)

Aggretsuko: Four Man Band (The Bremen Town Musicians)

Tokyo Godfathers: A Holiday Journey (A Christmas Carol)

Revolutionary Girl Utena: Emotions Set Free (The Princess Who Never Smiled)

Sonic X: True, Blue, and Noble (Hans The Hedgehog)

Magiknight Rayearth: Noble Flame, Changing Tide, and Guiding Wind (The 3 Princesses of Whiteland)

A Silent Voice: Beyond All Boundaries (East of The Sun, West of The Moon)

A Whisker Away: A Feline Fairytale (The White Cat)

Your Name: A Little Bird Told Me (The Singing, Springing, Lark)

Love Live: A Fateful Adventure (Journey to The West)

Captain Tsubasa: Winging It (The Seven Ravens)

The Ancient Magus Bride: Entrapped Beauty (The Lindworm)

Overlord: Seeds of Trust (The Juniper Tree)

Delicious in Dungeon: Cooking Up Trouble (The Magic Porridge Pot)

Medaka Box: The Truth Above All (The Goose Girl)

Chainsaw Man: Demonic Assistance (The Golden Bird)

Taikobo: Legend of The Lost Kingdom (Urashima Taro)

Revue Starlight: Masked Secrets (Phantom of The Opera)

Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin: Path of The Canine (The Boy Who Cried Wolf)

Dr. Stone: Into The Wilderness (The Jungle Book)

Fire Force: The Flames of Charity (Robin Hood)

Shaman King: Mystery of The Marsh (The Marsh King’s Daughter)

Rave Master: Cloak of Secrets (Donkeyskin/Many Furs)

Ranma 1/2: Loyal, Brave, and True (Mulan)

Karakuri Circus: The House Within The Woods (Vasilisa The Brave and Beautiful)

Devilman Crybaby: Three Hairs of Gold (The Devil With 3 Golden Hairs)

The Irregular at Magic High School: Ring of Enchantments (The Bronze Ring)

Bobobo: One Hairy Tale (Prince Hyacinth)

Shakugan No Shana: Three Dogs, Three Heroes (The Tinderbox)

Nisekoi: Yellow With Affection (The Yellow Dwarf)

Kaiju No. 8: Don’t Get Salty (Why The Sea is Salty)

Kinnikuman: A Mission in Patience (The Tortoise and The Hare)

Oshi No Ko: The Price of Stardom (Little Brother and Little Sister)

Case Closed: Stolen Hearts and Stolen Fortunes (The Master Thief)

Pokemon The Series: An Electrifying Rescue (The Lion and The Mouse)

Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation: A Tale of a Thousand and One Nights (1,001 Arabian Nights)

Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai: A Ribbiting Adventure (The Frog Princess)

Dr. Slump: A Quacktastic Journey (Drakestail)

Katekyo Hitman Reborn: Windows to The Soul (One Eyes, Two Eyes, Three Eyes)

Kochikame: From Faux to Genuine (Don Quixote)

Yo-Kai Watch: Cat Artist Unknown (The Boy Who Drew Cats)

Kaguya-Sama: Love is War: To Love and To Be Loved (Turandot)

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Feathers of Joy (The Blue Bird)

DanMachi: Forgotten Evil Unleashed (Pandora’s Box)

Hellsing Ultimate: Blood Ties (Dracula)

Claymore: The Monster Unleashed (Frankenstein)

Thanks to @sam-rexian and @crystallinedreamsfinelypowdered for helping with some of these!

[ginger-grimm]

OC HALLOWEEN CHALLENGE 2024

Day 16: Fairytale AU

The Original The Outcasts Gang And Their Origins aka Their Parents

Petra Müller - Little Red Riding Hood (Red Riding Hood)

Willa Darling - Wendy Darling (Peter Pan)

Greer Grimm - Gretel Grimm (Hansel & Gretel)

Gunter "Tee" Wiley - Gingerbread Witch (Hansel & Gretel)

Arminta "Minty" Liddell - Alice Liddell (Alice in Wonderland)

Tabitha "Tabby" Andrews - Tiana Rogers & Prince Naveen of Maldonia (Princess and the Frog)

Falk White - Snow White and Prince Florian (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves)

Juniper "June" of Agrabah - Aladdin and Jasmine of Agrabah (Aladdin)

Collette Potts - Mrs. Potts (Beauty and the Beast)

Reese Hood - Robin Hood and Maid Marian (Robin Hood)

Prudence "Prue" Woods - Pinocchio (Pinnochio)

Rosalie Gardener - Rosetta (Tinker Bell)

x

TAGLIST: @eddysocs @ocs-supporting-ocs @foxesandmagic @veetlegeuse @decennia @hiddenqveendom @arrthurpendragon @luucypevensie @nikosasakis @noratilney @wordspin-shares @oneirataxia-girl @endless-oc-creations @stelstellakidd @andromedalestrange @far-shores @daughter-of-melpomene @bibaybe

[captain-jacks-coat]

my Once Upon A Time

Rumplestiltskin could predict the future. He didn't have to make the deal, but he chose to. He saw that the woman would become abusive towards her daughter, so he asked for her child so he could protect it.

The child was called Belle. Rumplestiltskin raised Belle as his own daughter and she was very happy.

Hansel and Gretel are orphans who can imagine things into existence. They run away from the orphanage, to find an exiled witch, who tries to feed them despite not having much herself. They imagine a gingerbread house into existence, and the witch adopts them.

One day, the witch disappears, and the villagers destroy the house. Without the witch to take care of them, Hansel and Gretel are alone and distraught. They attempt to imagine a world for them to live in, away from the people who want to hurt them. However, they imagine different worlds, and so the siblings are separated.

Hansel and Gretel's names are actually Peter and Alice. Peter imagines a world with pirates and mermaids and lost boys. Alice imagines a world with tea parties and talking caterpillars and painted roses.

The witch disappeared because she was trapped inside a mirror.

Aurora is forced to marry the prince of a neighbouring kingdom and turns to Maleficent for help.

Snow White loves Aurora. Snow's aunt, Maleficent, tries to help out by introducing the two. Aurora's fairy godmother, secretly an evil queen, doesn't approve and curses both girls into eternal sleep.

Prince Charming is childhood best friends with Snow. He kisses her forehead, which wakes her up. Snow attempts to kiss Aurora, but the nature of the curse means that she cannot go near Aurora. Aurora remains asleep.

Prince Charming doesn't go after the mystery princess and is forced to marry Snow after saving her. However, he rather likes newest servant girl - who is Cinderella, of course.

Ursula rescues the mermaid girls from their abusive father, Triton. They seek aid from above. The humans help them overthrow Triton, and the seas are divided so each of the princesses rule a different part. The sea and the land are now united.

Triton returns to his wife, the Evil Queen.

Goldilocks is homeless, and hides in the bears' house after being caught stealing food. When the bears return, they take pity on her and offer to take care of her. Goldilocks is raised by the bears.

Pinnochio was once a real boy who was cursed by the blue fairy (evil queen) after Gepetto refused to build the Magic Mirror for her. Gepetto builds a portal to send Pinnochio somewhere where a puppet can live. Pinnochio lands in Wonderland as a living puppet who can see through lies.

Alice, also known as The White Queen, falls in love with a madman who has an obsession with hats. Her adoptive sister, The Queen Of Hearts, is busy weaving a romance for a girl called Belle.

Belle, who lives with her inventor father Rumplestiltskin, gets sucked into one of her books. She falls in love with a character known as The Beast, and she becomes a fairy to free them from their curse. However, she can't stay with them, and she returns to the real world, and to her father.

Little Red Riding Hood is raised by the Werewolf, but she gets lost when she's little and the Werewolf thinks she intentionally ran away. The mother adopts her, and the Werewolf is really angry believing that the humans stole his child, and he swears revenge on the family.

Little Red Riding Hood meets a girl with golden hair who speaks Bear.

Rapunzel is a trans girl who is desperate to transition, but she is cursed to be stuck looking like a boy. Her adoptive mother is a sorceress who rescued her from an evil witch who wanted revenge on the vain royal family. She tells her mother that she is in fact a woman, and her mother searches for a spell to transition her.

Teenage Peter Pan flies to other worlds in search of his sister, but doesn't find her. However, he does find other girls and helps them. For example, a young princess called Rapunzel, who he brings back to Neverland for a little while and teaches her confidence, or Belle, who brings her father and chooses to stay with Peter, becoming the inventor fairy known as Tinkerbelle.

The Gingerbread House Witch is still trapped inside the Magic Mirror, which is unstable because it was made with dark magic. Maleficent employs Gepetto to study the Mirror, so she can free the Gingerbread House Witch, and hopefully find a way to wake up Aurora. She promises to restore Pinnochio if he helps, so he agrees.

The Werewolf finds Red Riding Hood and she remembers him. She takes him to meet her human family.

Peter Pan falls in love with a handsome teenage pirate captain.

Pinnochio lives with Hatter and Alice in Wonderland, and The Queen Of Hearts is now trying to fix things for Tinkerbelle.

Tinkerbelle falls in love with Peter's newest friend, Wendy, who can see dreams and stories.

Gepetto and Maleficent free the Gingerbread House Witch from the mirror, and they build another portal to Wonderland to try and find Pinnochio. Gepetto and Pinnochio reunite, as do the Gingerbread House Witch and Peter.

Maleficent stays behind to try and cure Aurora.

Charming, Cinderella and Snow go into the enchanted forest to try and find a cure for Aurora, and they find Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks, who help them survive in the forest. They meet the Dwarves who run an inn.

The Evil Queen and Triton discover Wonderland.

Charming, Cinderella and Snow leave the forest after finding nothing, to discover everyone else has gone to Wonderland and Maleficent is helping Aurora alone.

While the Queen of Hearts is trying to help Tinkerbelle, she spots Peter, and shows Alice, who tries to get to him but the Evil Queen smashes the Looking Glass.

Wendy begins to see the dreams of Aurora, and shows Tinkerbelle. Tinkerbelle makes the Captain's ship fly, and they ride Aurora's dreams into Aurora's world, where they meet Maleficent, Charming, Cinderella and Snow.

Peter trades his immortality, giving half his life to Aurora to wake her up.

Tinkerbelle, Peter, the Captain, Rumplestiltskin, Maleficent, Wendy, Aurora, Snow, Charming, Cinderella and the Lost Boys go through the portal to Wonderland.

Peter, Alice, and the Gingerbread House Witch reunite. Yay!

Pinnochio reveals that Cinderella is the mystery princess, and she confesses her love for Charming

BATTLE TIME

Triton sends his whole army of sea creatures and monsters.

Rumplestiltskin and Tinkerbelle build weapons for Alice's army

The Hatter and Cinderella make the armour

Wendy, Charming and the Lost Boys take care of the people

A crocodile tries to get to Peter, but the Captain takes his place. The crocodile bites off the Captain's hand.

There's a fair bit of fighting

Triton cuts off Maleficent's wings

Aurora and Snow raise an army of animals, the ravens supporting Maleficent and being her wings.

Triton becomes the Kraken, but he is defeated by the Gingerbread House Witch, who sends him god knows where.

The Evil Queen becomes the Jabberwocky, attacking Wonderland. The Queen Of Hearts fights her, cutting off the Jabberwocky's head and causing the Evil Queen to take her mortal form.

The Evil Queen makes one last desperate attempt, threatening to burn Pinnochio if they don't surrender

Geppeto becomes furious, sending the Evil Queen into a portal that causes her to fall to her death.

All curses are lifted.

The Captain takes a piece of Triton's trident and attaches it to a piece of metal, then attaches that to his hand. It looks like a hook, but it looks cool, so he keeps it.

Peter and Alice imagine hard enough that they manage to combine Neverland and Wonderland into one huge world. In the centre of it all, there is a Gingerbread Palace.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, October 16

BUFFY: What the hell is it? GILES: It appears to be paranormal in origin. WILLOW: How can you tell? GILES: Well, it's so shiny.

~~No Place Like Home~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

BtVS Double Drabble: Wanting by badly_knitted (Buffy/Angel, PG-15)

no night off on Halloween by howtowords (Buffy/Faith, T)

An Average Day in the Magic Box by Mimobtvs (Buffy/Spike, Willow/Tara, Xander/Anya, T)

Secrets In The Sheets by SubLevel28 (Buffy/Giles, E)

Not Have Her by MazalHaMidbar (Spike/Riley, M)

come love me like we're (never) gonna die by selkiemaidenfae (Buffy/Spike, T)

Dawn’s lament by Phoebes (Dawn, G)

Dancing with a Stranger by PrincessMadness (Buffy/Spike, Harry/Spike, Harry Potter xover, Not Rated)

HOME — SPIKE (BTVS) by iwritefandomimagines (Spike/reader, unrated)

2000 Lover, you were gone so long - Lover, I was lonesome by hiddenbysuccubi (Buffy/Spike, unrated)

Slayer!reader head canons by faithshouseofchaos

[Chaptered Fiction]

Buffy vs the Night of Ticklish Soles - part 3 - ch. 1 by FeathersTheDaemon (Buffy/Willow, Not Rated)

A Slayer Reborn - ch. 1-2 by Vicifer (Spike/Tav, Baldur's Gate 3 xover, E)

Stay - ch. 1-2 by MillennialCryBaby (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Laughing In The Sugar Bowl - ch. 1-3 by bunniesarebad (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only)

reciprocity - ch. 5 by HappyWhenItRains (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Mysterious Destinies - ch. 14 by EnchantedWillow (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Watcher - ch. 32 by In Mortal (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Love Can't Fix Us - ch. 5 by calikocat (Xander centered, Herbie and Teen Wolf xover, FR15)

The Guardians of Magic - ch. 19 by MarcusSLazarus (Angel-centered, multi-xover, FR13)

reciprocity - ch. 5 by HappyWhenItRains (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Oh My Goddess - ch. 7 by Maxine Eden (Buffy/Spike, R)

Champion Of War - ch. 7 by Desicat (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Watcher - ch. 32 by In Mortal (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Eyes Forward, Monster - ch. 7 by Desicat (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

What She Deserves - ch.1 by flootzavut (Buffy/William Pratt, E)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Manip / Wallpaper: Faith, Hope and Trick by revello-drive-1630 (Buffy, Faith, worksafe)

Artwork: I think he'll be ok with it by yarboyandy on Tumblr (Buffy, Willow, Giles, Jenny, worksafe)

Artwork: [untitled] by smoochiekissies (Buffy/Spike, worksafe)

Artwork: Eddie season 4 episode 1 of Buffy. For day 14 of #Pedrotober by missladym1981 (Eddie, worksafe)

Collage: Collage #204 by thedecadentraven (Buffy/Spike, worksafe)

Collage: Collage #203 by thedecadentraven (Buffy, worksafe)

Collage: Collage #202 by thedecadentraven (Buffy, Spike, worksafe)

Moodboard: moodboard: trans demigirl buffy summers by courtillyy (worksafe)

Gifset: what you got in the basket, little girl? weapons. by vinmauro (Buffy, Willow, Oz, Xander, Giles, Anya, worksafe)

Gifset: buffy + kissing angel by ptieuca (Buffy/Angel, worksafe but intense kissing)

Gifset: Dawn Summers + Outfits (Season 7) by clarkgriffon (Dawn, worksafe)

Gifset: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (1997-2003) by clarkgriffon (Buffy, worksafe)

Gifset: TJ MIKELOGAN’s HALLOWEEN 2024 EVENT DAY 13: Horror television by buffyscmmers (Buffy, Buffy/Angel, Willow, Dawn, Anya, Spike, worksafe)

Collage: Teenage Buffy collage by gamerrat_13 (Buffy, worksafe)

Digital: buffy oufits on dress to impress ! (Buffy, Willow, worksafe)

Figurine: Buffy and company by glr_82 (Buffy, Spike, Angel, worksafe)

Figurine: Buffy 1/6 graduation day by glr_82 (Buffy, worksafe)

[Reviews & Recaps]

PODCAST: Episode 45 - Regina, Hansel, and Gretel (Gingerbread) by The Sunnydale Diaries - A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Podcast

PODCAST: Episode 78: She by Gym Was Cancelled: A Buffy Podcast

[Recs & In Search Of]

Fanvid recs: BtVS Recs [multiple] recced by apachefirecat

Fic rec: countdown to iwry 2024 — iwry2023 most creative fic [with Buffy/Angel gifset] recced by iwillrememberyoumarathon

Fanvid recs: True glory is actually finding out that both Faith and Buffy were edited to the same song of Control by Halsey recced by fictiongods

[Community Announcements]

please support the actual artist [of fan-made Spuffy merchandise] by Elysian Fields Spuffy Fanworks Archive

[Fandom Discussions]

Resource: [script links] TJ MIKELOGAN's HALLOWEEN 2024 EVENT DAY 15: Halloween episodes [Halloween, Fear Itself, All the Way] by lets-steal-an-archive

POLL: [what sexuality do you view Willow as... ] by janerogan

POLL: Round 2 Poll 28 [The Body vs Bargaining Part 1, also other polls] by btvsepisodetournament

my peak Buffy AU is where Kendra- IDK, somehow gets the chance to come back from death by thornfield13713

As soon as I saw Rio pull the knife I pictured Faith and Buffy. [with Buffy/Faith gifset] by leanmeanpintobean

it's 2024 and Eliza's Faith Lehane is STILL the MVP! by juanabaloo

[what] if season 3 had a Buffy/Faith/Angel love triangle. Not the heteronormative one. by paperpuzzles

[Spike singing in OMWF and thinks Buffy is laughing at him] by mybloodyvampire

[I'm not a Spuffy shipper but Spike cared for Buffy] by mybloodyvampire

[I am] thinking even more about that Spike piece from six years ago by thornfield13713

Buffyverse Soul Logic by thedeathscar

[Tarot card reading for] Eddie - 8 of Wands [from The Freshman] by firsttarotreader

[from 2005] "Seeing Amber" interview with Amber Benson by Abbie Bernstein by cooolmonsterfighter

buffy's thoughts: i love giles so much but he's not my dad and ... by comradesummers

how Doomed 4.11 should have gone [Willow and Spike] by aphony-cree

If Buffy is rebooted and Willow is in the series, should she Dark Willow again at some point? by Kristine

Freeloading and the writers by garfan

A to Z of Buffy: Lounging with Larry updated by BibliophileAnn

Best & Worst Actors / Actresses by enrichyournerdpower

if they had more time what would’ve happened [Spike and Faith] by AndrewHeard

Angel's gift for Buffy - bad or good? by sadhungryandvirgin

"Death is Your Gift" byBladrak01

How Buffy shows it’s “old” by moses616

Full of Grace, S2 ending by moses616

What is the worst thing this character has ever done (Volume 7): Angel/Angelus by HereLiesMyFinalWor-

Over-hated Episodes That You Consider Gems by Expert_Frosting_8920

Sarah Michelle Gellar deserved Emmy for her performance in the episode “The Body”. by hatchbackkk

Happy 44th birthday to Tara! by Al_Bee

Your favorite metaphors in the Buffyverse by jdpm1991

Would slayers find pregnancy/childbirth easier compared to a regular woman? by LightBlueSky55

Joyce and Spike by RabbiRaccoon

The SECOND worst thing they did... [Amy and Willow and being a rat] by Technical_Juice_6959

You’re Welcome / Doyle by DonutDaniel

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[adarkrainbow]

Otona no Douwa: A French review (2)

OAV 1: Hansel and Gretel

OAV created by Hiroshi Takaya.

The plot: 

In a poor family, the parents find themselves unable to feed their two children, and so decide to abandon them in the forest. They do so, but the children manage to find back their way and go back home. The parents try to abandon their children several more times, but constantly fail, despite their attempts growing more desperate - sometimes the children are even back at the house before their parents return from the wood! 

Their mother, who was already scared of Hansel and Gretel due to their bizarre behavior, ends up completely panicking, and she decides to get rid of them forever by putting poisoned berries in their bread. The following day, the parents attempt one more time to leave them in the woods, the mother giving them the famous piece of bread - and the parents then quickly return home, terrified at the idea the siblings might return. However the children cannot find their way back - and they are careful not to eat the bread, knowing it was poisoned.

Wandering through the woods, they discover a gingerbread house that they start to eat. A friendly old woman comes from inside the house and welcomes them inside: other children live there, orphans that she took in her home. Hansel searches around the house and discovers that in the old woman’s furnitures there is a lot of riches and treasures. With the help of his sister, he pushes the kind old woman in her oven as she is cooking. They steal the old woman’s riches and leave - but not without leaving their poisoned bread among the cakes the old woman had prepared for the other orphans, resulting in all the other children dying. 

Hansel and Gretel manages to return home with bags full of riches and food. Hansel tells to his father, with a flat, emotionless tone, that he vanquished the “witch of the forest” - all while their mother looks at them in terror. She is so scared she runs out of the house, but she trips and falls into the well in the garden. At the bottom of it, she drowns in the water, while Hansel looks at her from above and asks “Mother, do you love me?”

The reviewer’s opinion:

This first OAV makes the viewer understand very fast what kind of world they are stepping in, with Hansel and Gretel designed to disturbingly lanky and slender, looking more like aliens than humans. Not only their appearance is strange, but their behavior is also weird: they speak very little, and when they do it is without emotion, in a flat tone. Their face also remains completely faceless, to reinforce their inhumanity - they notably clash with the other children in the gingerbread house, who are depicted as normal kids.

The reviewer notes that while it is a reinvention of the tale, it kept several details to stay true to the first versions of the story as collected by the Grimm: for example the woman who wants to abandon them is their mother, not their step-mother, and their father is not opposed at all to her plan. The other twist here is that the “witch” (only ever called such by Hansel) is a kind old granny who helps poor orphans and would have never harmed Hansel and Gretel. In return, the siblings express no remorse over killing her and poisoning the other children. It is even suggested that, while it looks like she tripped, the mother of the siblings might have been pushed in the well by Hansel himself... This OAV is stands out the most due to its unique visual style, its ambiance, but also the fact that its main characters are two young sociopaths.

OAV 2: Blue beard

Director: Sou Sotoyama. Design and animation: Toshiko Baba.

Plot: 

A young girl named Marianne has been promised against her will to an ugly and rich old man named Bluebeard, and she is taken to his castle. Alongside Johann, the servant of Bluebeard, she discovers the enormous house of her husband, and its mysterious doors - each of a different color. She has a hard time adapting herself to the presence of Bluebeard, but she tries her best to know more about him. 

One day, Bluebeard tells her he must leave for some times, and he leaves her the keys that open all the doors of his castle - he however asks her to never use the golden key that opens the door of the same color. After Bluebeard leaves, Marianne decides to visit the castle with Johann - getting near the mysterious golden door, she lets curiosity have the best of her and is about to open it... But she stops at the last minute. Some days later, her wedding with Bluebeard is announced, which greatly worries the girl. On the eve of her wedding, she goes to the room of Johann and begs him to spend one night with her - wanting to enjoy her last night of freedom. He accepts.

The following day, during the ceremony Bluebeard enters into a mad rage and strangles Marianne telling her she betrayed him. She stabs him with a dagger that Johann had gifted her the previous night, and she flees, screaming for help. But Bluebeard catches her... and is revealed to be none other than Johann himself, disguised as an old man. The two were one and the same, since the start. He kills her, and drags her corpse to the room behind the golden door: the room where the corpses of her previous to-be-wives are stored, alongside the body of his deceased mother.

The reviewer’ opinion: With a very different visual style, much more “classic”, this OAV is harder to understand in terms of story. The fairytale was heavily changed - no brothers to save the protagonist, the girl doesn’t even open the forbidden door - and that despite it being the main element of the original story. So here she is not punished for her curiosity, but rather for her unfaithfulness - even though the metaphor of the key soiled with blood is often read in a very similar way... 

What makes this OAV harder to understand is the lack of explanation for several details. For example, there is a little cat with eyes of two different colors that appears briefly, wears the same name as Marianne, and that is also killed by Bluebeard alongside his new wife at the end: what is his true role? Another mysterious detail: the mother of Bluebeard appears in a flashback at the beginnng of the OAV, and her corpse is revealed in the end. It is implied that she killed her husband, that she hated, but then what happened, did she kill herself, or did her son kill her? Her corpse is disfigured in a very peculair way - one of her eyes was removed, and the other was sawn. This strange eye mutilation is present on the other corpses of Bluebeard’s wives. But it stays unexplained... Overall the reviewer things that, despite it being a very obscure piece, this version of Bluebeard is very interesting - and the play on color and contrasts is greatly done.

OAV 3: Cinderella

Created by Soichi Masui.

The plot:

Helena is a young girl whose mother died. Her father re-married, with a woman who has two daughters, and all three of them are wicked. Helena’s half-sister treat the girl like a piece of trash, and nickname her Cinderella - and in return, Helena constantly searches for occasions to take her revenge against them. For example she hides bugs and insects in their bed as they sleep, and then enjoys their screams in the night.

One day, as she cries on her fate near the tree where her mother is buried, Cinderella discovers hidden on a part of the gravestone indications about a hidden treasure. Following the engraved text, she discover a small chest buried, in which there are numerous gold pieces - it is what her mother left to her as an inheritance. Happy with her new fortune, Helena goes into town, where she learns the prince will be organizing a ball. After paying a soldier of the castle to obtain more info, and learning that the prince has a fetish for legs, Cinderella decides to use her mother’s gold to buy herself a pretty dress, and golden shoes - she hatches a plan to become the princess of the realm. 

One night she enters discreetly inside the castle by climbing over a balcony, and she encounters the prince, while wearing her dress so that it reveals her legs as much as possible. The prince is charmed by Cinderella, and invites her to the ball. When said ball happens, Helena arrives with her most beautiful dress - her sisters do not recognize her, and the prince dance with her. They spend the night together, and Cinderella tells him she wants to take revenge on her half-sister. To enact her plan, she gives the prince one of her golden shoes and asks him to force all the women in the kingdom to try them.

The following day, all the soldiers of the kingdom go on a quest for the young girl able to fit in the shoe of gold - said girl sure to become the prince’s wife. When a soldier (actually the prince in disguise) arrives at Cinderella’s house, the two sisters try and fail to put on the shoe. Their mother, helped by Cinderella, takes an axe and cuts off the heel of one of the sister and the big toe of the other - but the soldiers notice the trick when they see blood coming from the shoe. Cinderella then takes out the other gold shoe, and claims that she is the one everybody is looking for. After that, her sisters end up in poverty, her father kills himself, and Cinderella marries the prince with a great smile.

The reviewer’s opinion: This last OAV based on the Grimm fairytales has yet again a different style - evoking papercut animation. The reviewer appreciated the strongness of Cinderella here, who is depicted as a determined protagonist who knows exactly what she wants and does everything she can to reach her goal. (The reviewer notably has a strong dislike of the Disney Cinderella apparently). Even though this Cinderella barely emotes, and the only true emotion she manifests is at the end, her great smile during her wedding, as her plan suceeded entirely. 

But, while she is a strong protagonist, she is also shown to have no remorse or regret for whoever stands in her way: it was her who got the idea of having the shoe being tried on by all the women of the kingdom, just so she could mutilate the feet of her half-sisters. Things get even worse when we hear that, as the prince asks her “What happens if another girl ends up ftting the shoe?”, she answers “You’ll just have to kill her”. The ending is however softer than the one of the Grimm fairytales, where the stepsisters had their eyes gouged out by birds at Cinderella’s wedding. The reviewer quite liked this version, despite the general design which (it is unclear here if the design creeped them out, or if it made them fear the worst for this episode).

EDIT: In the comments of the review, the reviewer added a detail they haven’t mentionned in the recap for the Cinderella episode (because the summaries are just... well summaries). The father of Cinderella, who kills himself in the end, isn’t entirely innocent either. There are hints throughout the story that he is just as manipulative and greedy as the rest of the family - most notably, it is very revealing that, after Cinderella had one last moment with her mother on her deathbed, the girl’s father promptly asks her if his wife didn’t mention anything about a possible heritage or inheritance... 

[maor-koren]

Every Disney’s Chibi Tiny Tales Episodes:

Making Popcorn (Big Hero 6: The Series)

Mochi No! (Big Hero 6: The Series)

Save Mochi (Big Hero 6: The Series)

Noodle Song (Big Hero 6: The Series)

Snoring (Big Hero 6: The Series)

Gumball Trouble (Big Hero 6: The Series)

Love Letters (Big Hero 6: The Series)

Super Charged (Big Hero 6: The Series)

Low Battery (Big Hero 6: The Series)

Road Trip (Big Hero 6: The Series)

Super Driver (Big Hero 6: The Series)

Brunch Rush (Big Hero 6: The Series)

Mantis Bowling (Amphibia)

Quit Bugging Me (Amphibia)

Bird Attack (Amphibia)

Bucket Blues (Amphibia)

Family Photo (Amphibia)

Quicksand (Amphibia)

Rollercoaster (Phineas and Ferb)

Freezinator (Phineas and Ferb)

Run, Candace, Run (Phineas and Ferb)

Halloweentown As Told By Chibi (Halloweentown)

Haircut (Halloweentown)

First Date Fright (Halloweentown)

Turkey Tussle (Big City Greens)

Christmas Crashers (Big City Greens)

Say It Ain't Snow (Big City Greens)

Mayan Mayhem (DuckTales)

Dime and Dash (DuckTales)

Burrito Bash (DuckTales)

Goatee Don't (Tangled: The Series)

Lunar Lunacy (Tangled: The Series)

Hairpocalypse (Tangled: The Series)

Descendants 3 As Told By Chibi (Descendants)

Date Night at the Museum (Descendants/The Black Cauldron)

Queen of Mean (Descendants)

Moana As Told By Chibi (Moana)

Zombies 2 As Told By Chibi (Zombies)

Cheer Tryouts (Big Hero 6: The Series/Amphibia/Phineas and Ferb/Big City Greens/DuckTales/Zombies)

Someday (Zombies)

Scratch Haunts (Amphibia/Phineas and Ferb/Big City Greens/DuckTales/The Ghost and Molly McGee)

Molly's Haunted Mansion (The Ghost and Molly McGee/Disney's Haunted Mansion)

Scratch's Sugar Rush (The Ghost and Molly McGee)

Breaking Free (High School Musical)

Chibi Tiny Tales Triple Date (Descendants/Zombies/High School Musical/Mickey Mouse & Friends)

Big City Greens Christmas Marathon (Big City Greens)

Coach Moana (Moana)

The Laid Back Kakamora (Moana)

Pua the Rooster Sitter (Moana)

Doof Falls for Gramma (Phineas and Ferb/Big City Greens)

Breakfastland! (Big City Greens)

Bedroom Battle (The Ghost and Molly McGee)

Selfie Safari (Amphibia)

Springtime for Mama Scratch (The Ghost and Molly McGee)

Frogs In Space (Amphibia)

The Bake Off! (The Owl House)

ZOMBIES 1+2+3: As Told By Chibi (Zombies)

Hooty the Palisman Sitter (The Owl House)

Lumity Date (The Owl House)

Ice Cream Rewind (Hamster & Gretel)

Museum Mayhem (Hamster & Gretel)

Tower of Terror (Big City Greens/Tower of Terror)

Rollercoaster Romance (Amphibia/Phineas and Ferb/Big City Greens/The Owl House/Hamster & Gretel)

Hocus Pocus As Told By Chibi (Hocus Pocus)

Pirates of the Caribbean x Amphibia (Amphibia/Pirates of the Caribbean)

Big Thunder Mountain x The Proud Family (The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder/Big Thunder Mountain)

Jungle Cruise x DuckTales (DuckTales/Jungle Cruise)

Snow Day (Mickey Mouse & Friends)

Bad Breath (Mickey Mouse & Friends)

Gingerbread Brat (Mickey Mouse & Friends)

Donald on Ice (Mickey Mouse & Friends)

The Amphibia House (Amphibia/The Owl House)

Game of Phones (The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder)

Twin Troubles (The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder)

Prune Wars (Big City Greens/The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder)

Laundry Day (Hamster & Gretel)

Happy Birthday, Disney Channel! (Amphibia/Phineas and Ferb/Halloweentown/Big City Greens/DuckTales/Descendants/Zombies/The Ghost and Molly McGee/High School Musical/The Owl House/Hamster & Gretel/The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder/American Dragon: Jake Long/Smart House/Hannah Montana/Goof Troop/Gravity Falls/The Cheetah Girls/Star vs. the Forces of Evil/Jessie/Gargoyles/Wizards of Waverly Place/Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur/Darkwing Duck/Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers/Camp Rock/K.C. Undercover/Kim Possible/Fish Hooks/Lizzie McGuire/That's So Raven/Milo Murphy's Law/The Suite Life of Zack & Cody/Wander over Yonder/TaleSpin/Bonkers/Kiff/Hailey's On It!)

Scratch, Molly’s Third Wheel (The Ghost and Molly McGee)

Lilo & Stitch: As Told By Chibi (Lilo & Stitch)

Ice Cream on the Run (Lilo & Stitch)

All Hail Pudge! (Lilo & Stitch)

Hot Dog! (Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur)

Happy Pride from Disney Channel! (Amphibia/Phineas and Ferb/Big City Greens/Descendants/Zombies/The Ghost and Molly McGee/The Owl House/The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder/Kim Possible/Kiff/Hailey's On It!)

Super Slide (Kiff)

Toilet Flood Pool Party (Kiff)

Perilous Parade (Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur)

Beauty and the Shark (Mickey Mouse & Friends)

Disney Chibis Play Baseball (Amphibia/Phineas and Ferb/Big City Greens/DuckTales/Zombies/The Owl House/The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder/Star vs. the Forces of Evil)

Tilly & Cricket Rescue Saxon (Big City Greens)

(I will update when new episodes are coming)

(Disneyland Ride, Disney Movie)

[dreamerwriternstargazer]

Okay so I decided to sleep in today since I haven't in forever and it felt good but can someone tell me why I had the very new nightmare of being the main character in a fairytale adaptation, couldn't identify which fairytale it was, in which a little girl goes into an old granny's house to help her with something Only in Star's Nightmare version, after I finished helping fish a student's backpack out of hell (yes this was random but it happened, though it looked like purgatory but if I stepped a foot inside I would be cursed to remain so more Purgatory I think, and instead I just used a crane to grab it and yank it out of the crack in the ground) I was then invited to this old lady's house whom I helped once in my fairytale youth. ....I'll finish telling this story but it just occurs to me now how this is excellent poetry fodder Anyway I'm wary because I KNOW she's one of the fae folk and to enter into her domain means tricks, and I know she wants me to stay. So I enter and help her, I think she wants help baking things and wants some children to test it on. Some friends of mine, I don't think they're real friends of mine just random people I imagined, came in with me. It was very Coraline-esque, we could walk about this massive mansion house but only I seemed to be on edge and aware of what's wrong, with flashes of the fairytale pages coming into my brain as I remember the last time. I know that I can't alarm her, I know that I can't act aggressive, I must catch her in the act. I explore and find my mum with.... younger me? They're fine moving in and out of this house, my mum's just wandering around. The rooms are odd, I think I go into a children's playroom with one girl but I have this memory of a large dark staircase on my own, then across the hall is the kitchen, like.... the kitchen of Hansel and Gretel's witch. It has a cute little table and tea set in the middle, the oven is all fairytale and vintage, with red heart print on the white door and you can look inside to see the flame and the baked goods. Suddenly the old lady appears behind me. "Don't rock the boat dear," she smiles at me "I was only going to take the tarts out to help."

I do, and they look very cute. Strawberry jam tarts and.... a gingerbread girl? No, a tart in shape of a girl, filled with strawberry jam but unlike the rest it has a pastry topping, so the jam is bursting out of the middle of the girl's chest. I stare at it and touch my chest. And then decide to find my friends. Two people followed me in, a girl and a boy, I don't really know who they are but they're having a fun time, exploring and they seem unaffected, they can't see the darkness around us creeping closer and closer. I tell them we should go downstairs, trying not to make it seem like we'll escape. I remember this from last time, the more you want to escape, the more you show it, the more you can't And the old lady's voice is whispering again "You can't leave" We go downstairs to... a supermarket? Interesting. This doesn't seem bad, we wander around some more, and I realise any time I go into an aisle, immediately it's dangerous, it has some element of torture. I stare down the bathroom aisle, seeing a guy shopping with his head down, black headphones on, and he doesn't seem to notice that the floor has turned into razors and sharp gears of machinery churning up through the floor, surrounded by a black frame. I have to walk through it, I can't, but I have shoes so thankfully it doesn't hurt me. I step on top of the whirring machinery and walk slowly. Don't rush But this is all the ammo I need, this is the proof, it's a death trap, but not for everything, just for me

I start to rush to the exit, the checking out terminals and the large glass turning doors behind them. Oh no. I rushed. I hear her voice in my head again, disapproving, "You are mine, you can't leave" I grit my teeth and start to run through the terminals, she can't touch me, I have proof against her, a memory crops up If you prove it's a fae trap you can't be trapped But this time she doesn't care, she stabs me, just below my left shoulder, or maybe it's her in a goblin form? Gargoyle form? I see this winged creature on my shoulder, claws digging in, and I fall back, right before the doors Shoppers around me staring at me in confusion.

And I shoot up in my own bed My shoulder still hurts.

(This didn't cover it all, but you know how dreams are, there was a more sinister aspect to it I'm sure of it but it's just out of reach, I'm sure wandering about the house was a longer sequence but I cannot remember all the eerie moments, it's quite frustrating, I know there was more than the playroom and I know I was there for a while but I can't... remember. It's like I really was caught in some trap...)

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 2/5

Book Blurb: After the Forest is a dark and enchanting fantasy debut from Kell Woods that explores the repercussions of a childhood filled with magic and a young woman contending with the truth of “happily ever after.”

Ginger. Honey. Cinnamon. Flour.

Twenty years after the witch in the gingerbread house, Greta and Hans are struggling to get by. Their mother and stepmother are long dead, Hans is deeply in debt from gambling, and the countryside lies in ruin, its people starving in the aftermath of a brutal war.

Greta has a secret, though: the witch's grimoire, hidden away and whispering in Greta's ear for the past two decades, and the recipe inside that makes the best gingerbread you've ever tasted. As long as she can bake, Greta can keep her small family afloat.

But in a village full of superstition, Greta and her mysteriously addictive gingerbread, not to mention the rumors about her childhood misadventures, is a source of gossip and suspicion.

And now, dark magic is returning to the woods and Greta's magic—magic she is still trying to understand—may be the only thing that can save her. If it doesn't kill her first.

Review:

A Hansel and Gretel mixed in with other classical fairytales such as Snow White, animal shifters, snow white/rose read, cinderella story about a girl who is thought to be a witch who must deal with a mysterious bear shifter who has come into her life and an evil magic that might be after her. Twenty years after the witch and the gingerbread house, Greta and Hans are struggling to get by, Hans constantly just gambling and going into debt and Greta struggling to avoid being accused as a witch and being burned at the stake while trying to make a money by baking magical gingerbread cookies to get her brother out of debt. Greta has kept the witch's grimoire and uses it to bake the best gingerbread anyone has ever tasted, yet when her brother's latest gambling debt grows too large, there is not enough cookies in the world that would be able to save her before the time is out. It doesn't help that dark magic resides in the woods and the towns people suspect Greta of being a witch, and when a new dark magic appears, along with a handsome stranger, Greta will have to figure out a way to save herself and her brother before its too late. This felt like a very young adult novel, and honestly I found myself so irritated by both Hans and Gretal, Han's has no real character except being selfish, a gambler, and really a useless person while Gretal acts naive and doesn't seem to realize there are easy solutions to her problems, like come on now. Honestly the story felt kind of messy and at the same time boring. I never found myself all that invested, it start out rough and does pick up by the end a bit but still, it really was a bit hard to get through. This is a mixture of a bunch of fairytales and yet I just felt like it was so cluttered. I wish I did like it more, I adore fairytale retellings and this being a "what happens after" mixed in with a bit of darker elements and witch trials and such, it had all the makings to be something really unique and fun, but in the end just didn't meet up to the expectations. While this wasn't for me, if you enjoy fairytale retellings/what happens afters, then give this a go!

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group, Tor Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[cfv-legend-rank]

Three Prompts/ Day; you may select any one of the three provided!

20th

1. Sleeping Beauty - a princess whose parents are told by a wicked fairy that their daughter will die when she pricks her finger on a particular item. The parents rid the kingdom of these items in the hopes of protecting their daughter, but the prophecy is fulfilled regardless. Instead of dying, as was foretold, the princess falls into a deep sleep. After some time, she is found by a prince and is awakened.

2. Beauty And The Beast - a village girl whose father gets lost in the forest and steals a rose from the beast whose castle he chanced upon and sheltered in. In order to repay her father’s debt, she goes to live with the Beast, whom is under a mysterious curse, and eventually ends up marrying him.

3. Pinocchio - Toymaker Gepetto creates a wooden puppet toy named Pinocchio and wishes on a star that he would be a real boy. A kindly Blue Fairy appears and grants his wish thus making Pinocchio come alive. Pinocchio learns that he must prove himself worthy in order to make his father's wish come true.

21th

4. Jasmine - Aladdin is a lovable street urchin who meets Princess Jasmine, the beautiful daughter of the sultan of Agrabah. While visiting her exotic palace, Aladdin stumbles upon a magic oil lamp that unleashes a powerful, wisecracking, larger-than-life genie. As Aladdin and the genie start to become friends, they must soon embark on a dangerous mission to stop the evil sorcerer Jafar from overthrowing young Jasmine's kingdom.

5. Snow White - Snow White is a princess who lives with her stepmother, who is a witch. The witch uses an enchanted mirror to tell her who is the most beautiful woman in the kingdom. When the mirror answers ‘Snow White’, her stepmother has her taken into the forest to be killed. The huntsman charged with the task takes pity on the girl, and sets Snow White free. She comes across a little house where seven dwarfs live, and makes her home with them. Her stepmother tries various ways to kill her when she realizes her huntsman’s betrayal, but the princess is saved from death by the kiss of a prince.

6. Hansel and Gretel - this story is about the siblings, Hansel and Gretel, who are abandoned in a forest and fall into the hands of a witch who lives in a gingerbread, cake, and candy house. The evil witch plans to fatten the children before eating them, but Gretel outwits her and kills her.

22th

7. The Goose Girl - A widowed queen sends her daughter to a faraway land to marry. Accompanying the princess are her magical horse Falada, who can speak, and a waiting maid. The queen gives the princess a special charm that will protect her as long as she wears it. Backstabbed by her maid, the princess becomes a goose girl but is saved by the curiosity of a fellow servant boy and the king.

8. The Six Swans - a princess comes to the rescue of her brothers who have been turned into six swans. A vow of silence leaves her unable to defend herself against the most terrible injustice. She has to contend with not only a wicked stepmother, but a wicked mother-in-law too - which is surely less than fair, even by the standards of fairy tales.

9. The Frog Prince - In the tale, a spoiled princess reluctantly befriends the Frog Prince, whom she met after dropping a golden ball into a pond under a linden tree, and he retrieves it for her in exchange for her friendship. The Frog Prince, who is under a wicked fairy’s spell, magically back into a handsome prince. In the original Grimm version of the story, the frog's spell was broken when the princess threw the frog against the wall, at which he transformed back into a prince, while in modern versions the transformation is triggered by the princess kissing the frog.

23rd

10. Jack And The Beanstalk - Jack, a poor country boy, trades the family cow for a handful of magic beans, which grow into an enormous beanstalk reaching up into the clouds. Jack climbs the beanstalk and finds himself in the castle of an unfriendly giant. The giant senses Jack's presence and cries, “Fee, fie, fo, fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman!” Outwitting the giant, Jack is able to retrieve many goods once stolen from his family, including an enchanted goose that lays golden eggs. Jack then escapes by chopping down the beanstalk. The giant, who is pursuing him, falls to his death, and Jack and his family prosper.

11. Little Red Riding Hood -  a tale of a young girl who comes across a cunning wolf on the way to her grandmother's home. The wolf deceives both her and her grandmother and eats them, a grim ending for the protagonist of the story. 

12. Ariel - a rebellious 16-year-old mermaid Ariel is fascinated with life on land. On one of her visits to the surface, which are forbidden by her controlling father, King Triton, she falls for a human prince. Determined to be with her new love, Ariel makes a dangerous deal with the sea witch Ursula to become human for three days. But when plans go awry for the star-crossed lovers, the king must make the ultimate sacrifice for his daughter.

24th

13. Rumpelstiltskin - a mysterious gnomelike man who spins straw into gold for the benefit of a beautiful miller's daughter, in exchange for her future firstborn child. The little man reappears to demand his payment when the young woman, now the queen, bears her first child.

14. Thumbelina - a tiny girl and her adventures with marriage-minded toads, moles, and cockchafers. She successfully avoids their intentions before falling in love with a flower-fairy prince just her size.

15. Snow Queen - This story is about love between friends. A little girl named Gerda was getting ready to find her friend Kai who disappeared. She crossed forests, mountains and hills to come to the Snow Kingdom and bring her friend back home. She confronts Snow Queen and shows that friendship can be permanent and last forever. You should also cherish your friends because they are the ones who are here in times of need.

25th

16. Puss In Boots - an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand in marriage of a princess for his penniless and low-born master.

17. Princess And The Pea - A prince insists on marrying a real princess. When a woman comes to his door maintaining that she is a real princess, the prince's mother tests her by burying a pea under a huge stack of mattresses and then ordering the woman to sleep on the mattresses.

18. Chang’E - Chang'e and her husband Houyi were immortals living in heaven. One day, the ten sons of the Jade Emperor transformed into ten suns, causing the earth to scorch. Having failed to order his sons to stop ruining the earth, the Jade Emperor summoned Houyi for help. Houyi, using his legendary archery skills, shot down nine of the sons, but spared one son to be the sun. The Jade Emperor was obviously not pleased with Houyi's solution to save the earth: nine of his sons were dead. As punishment, the Jade Emperor banished Houyi and Chang'e to live as mere mortals on earth.

26th (2 prompts)

19. Cinderella - Sweet, beautiful Cinderella, cruelly mistreated by her evil stepmother and stepsisters, is helped by her magical fairy godmother, who sends her off to win the heart of a handsome prince and live happily ever after.

20. Mulan - Mulan takes her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as a man. After prolonged and distinguished military service against nomadic hordes beyond the northern frontier, Mulan is honored by the emperor but declines a position of high office.

27th; FREE!!!!

[mediaevalmusereads]

Gingerbread. By Helen Oyeyemi. Riverhead Books, 2019.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Genre: magical realism

Series: N/A

Summary: Perdita Lee may appear to be your average British schoolgirl; Harriet Lee may seem just a working mother trying to penetrate the school social hierarchy; but there are signs that they might not be as normal as they think they are. For one thing, they share a gold-painted, seventh-floor walk-up apartment with some surprisingly verbal vegetation. And then there's the gingerbread they make. Londoners may find themselves able to take or leave it, but it's very popular in Druhástrana, the far-away (and, according to Wikipedia, non-existent) land of Harriet Lee's early youth. In fact, the world's truest lover of the Lee family gingerbread is Harriet's charismatic childhood friend, Gretel Kercheval--a figure who seems to have had a hand in everything (good or bad) that has happened to Harriet since they met.

Decades later, when teenaged Perdita sets out to find her mother's long-lost friend, it prompts a new telling of Harriet's story. As the book follows the Lees through encounters with jealousy, ambition, family grudges, work, wealth, and real estate, gingerbread seems to be the one thing that reliably holds a constant value.

***Full review below.***

CONTENT WARNINGS: poisoning (implied suicide attempt), pressure for abortion

OVERVIEW: I came across this book while looking for interesting fairy tale retellings or stories with fairy tale elements. I was intrigued by the premise and figured this wouldn't be a straight-forward reimagining, and on that account, I was correct. However, whether due to the contents of this book or my own shortcomings, I struggled to engage with the meandering story. I can respect was Oyeyemi was doing, but I personally didn't feel super connected with it. So for that reason, this book gets 3 stars.

WRITING: Oyeyemi's prose is well-crafted and literary in feel. I loved the way it flowed and how parts even felt like fairy tale narration.

I also really loved that Oyeyemi incorporated fairy tale elements without strictly relying on a singular tale. The magical realism was enchanting and I loved that it kept me wondering whether something was real or metaphorical.

PLOT: The plot of this book largely follows Harriet Lee as she narrates to her daughter, Perdita, how she and her mother, Margot, came to leave their homeland. Harriet and Margot come from Druhástrana, a country that the world doesn't believe exists. When Perdita gets into some trouble while trying to uncover more information, Harriet tells her about her past and her relationship with her childhood friend, Gretel.

The elements of this plot that I liked best were the nods to things like capitalism/marketing, diaspora, and the like. Several things happen in this book that meditate in different themes; for example, Harriet briefly works as a "Gingerbread Girl" who convinces customers to buy things based on her performance as an "authentic farm girl." Her boss takes advantage of her ignorance by paying her with fake money. I found instances like these to be cutting insights and compelling moments of tension.

I also really liked the magical realism and the elements that made me wonder whether this book was a full-blown fantasy. I liked the dolls who were, for all intents and purposes, alive, and I loved the mysterious Gretel and her status as a changeling.

What really held me back from adoring this book, however, was the meandering direction it seemed to take. Too often, I felt like I was reading the story through a haze, and I can't quite say if it's my own fault or the book is deliberately doing something that I just don't understand.

TL;DR: Gingerbread is a well-written novel that seeks to infuse a world with magic, but its meandering mode of storytelling means that it's also difficult to connect with.

CHARACTERS: I'm going to speak fairly generally of the character since to me, they were difficult to connect with on account of this book's style/storytelling mode.

On paper, I felt like I understood a lot of the character motivations and was delighted by some of the fairy tale logic that guided their actions. However, I also didn't feel like I could truly connect with them because I struggled to experience emotions and desires along with them. This may be due to the "haze" that I described earlier; while I definitely sympathized with characters when things happened to them, they just kind of felt like they were plodding along, and I didn't necessarily feel like there was much tension or stakes to make me more invested.

[zayeuh]

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

There once was a family of bears: mama bear, papa bear, and baby bear. They were just about to eat their lunch, but their porridge was too hot, so they went for a walk in the woods. Just then a little girl named Goldilocks came upon their house and went inside. She saw the three bowls of porridge on the table and tasted some from each bowl. The big bowl was too hot, the medium-sized bowl was too cold, but the smallest bowl was just right, so she ate it all up. Then they went into the next room and found Goldilocks asleep in baby bears bed. When she awoke, she was so frightened she ran out of the bears house and didn’t stop running till she got home.

Snow white

When Snow White took a bite of the apple, she fell down unconscious. The dwarves were very sad and built a glass coffin for her. One day a prince came by and saw how beautiful Snow White was, and bent down to give her a kiss. Snow White woke up and they were married.

Hansel and Gretel

Hansel and Gretel were brother and sister. Their poor parents were starving, so they went out in search of food. They took one slice of bread along, which they used to mark a path back to their home by leaving crumbs along the way. After a while, they came upon a little house made of gingerbread. Hansel broke off a piece to eat. Hansel and Gretel were brother and sister. Their poor parents were starving, so they went out in search of food. They took one slice of bread along, which they used to mark a path back to their home by leaving crumbs along the way. After a while, they came upon a little house made of gingerbread. Hansel broke off a piece to eat.

[coraniaid]

I'm not sure I'd agree it's the single weakest episode in that run (I mean, the Fuffy content excuses a lot and I think some of the scenes with Wesley are pretty funny, and equally I think there are a few other episodes that are more cohesive thematically but make a lot less internal sense) but I definitely agree Bad Girls has some serious pacing problems and that Balthazar is a terrible villain. Both the First from Amends and the Hansel & Gretel demon from Gingerbread are also pretty unimpressive, but they're certainly more thematically appropriate.

Rather than replace Balthazar with something else though, I think the episode might work better if it had just dropped the central monster of the week bit entirely. The episode is already doing a lot (introducing Wesley, pushing the Mayor plot along, all the Faith and Buffy stuff that people actually remember the episode for, the death of Allan Finch), and I think it would all work a lot better if it just wasn't so needlessly busy. None of the Balthazar stuff actually matters for setting up Consequences or the rest of the season -- we don't come back to Balthazar's amulet, or the fact Wesley was kidnapped, we (thankfully) never hear about 'El Eliminati' again -- so why spend so much time on it? Why spend any time on it at all?

(I mean, mechanically, I suppose Balthazar does tie into all of those other strands -- abducting GIles and Wesley, trying to kill the Mayor, giving Faith a reason to suggest breaking and entering and giving a reason for Buffy and Faith to be attacked in an alley -- so you'd have to write around that a bit, but I don't think that's an intractable problem at all. The kidnapping and rescue doesn't really add anything to the episode (what does it tell us we don't already know?); somebody else could try to kill the Mayor to demonstrate his new invulnerability (and the Scoobies never figure out the connection between Balthazar and the Mayor anyway); it would be easy to give Faith a more immediate excuse to justify stealing some weapons (maybe Wesley takes charge of the weapon supply in the library and refuses to hand them over without the right paperwork? maybe they stumble onto another vamp nest on their way back from the Bronze?); Faith and Buffy have been very proactively going after vampires all week so it makes sense that the vampires might in turn try to surprise them. And the rest of the episode would have so much more space to breathe if it didn't have to waste time on this particular boring subplot and very silly costume.)

Second hot take - this is the closest thing to a dud episode between Beauty and the Beasts and Beer Bad. That's exactly 22 episodes, a full season - and Bad Girls is the worst one. On one hand this is testament to just how good the show has become at delivering consistent quality by this point. But I think it's worth saying - this episode might be the one of the holy books of Fuffy, but it's also 45 minutes of misshapen setup with one of the weakest villains to date.