#Spotted Nutcracker

[uwmspeccoll]

A Corvidae Feathursday

Here are some more wood-engraved birds -- both black and white and hand-colored --by British author and wood engraver Eric Fitch Daglish (1892-1966) from his 1948 publication Birds of the British Isles, published in London by J. M. Dent & Sons in 1948 in a limited edition of 1500 copies. Today we display all the corvids from this volume, from top to bottom:

Common Raven (Corvus corax)

Western Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula)

Red-billed Chough (pronounced "chuf"; Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)

Spotted Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes) 

Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica)

Rook (Corvus frugilegus)

 Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)

 Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius)

Read more about this book plus view a hand-colored engraving of a Hoopoe here.

View more Feathursday posts.

[birdblues]

Spotted Nutcracker

[enchanted-keys]

Fumi Kaneko and William Bracewell in The Nutcracker (Royal Ballet 2022)

[antiqueanimals]

Birds of the Russian Woods. Written by Ghennady Snegiryov. Illustrated by Valentin Fedotov. 1970.

Internet Archive

[thebusylilbee]

never heard of Nucifraga caryocatactes aka the Spotted Nutcracker until today :

this is a corvid who essentially feeds on the seeds of pines, especially the Pinus Cembra also known as the Swiss Pine. They can handle more than 6000 hiding spots at the same time ! This one, unlike its cousin the Jay, doesn't even need markings to find the hiding spots, the visual factor is not part of its memorization process. They can create their hiding spots more than 20km away from where they found the food and still find it again many months later.

France Culture just released a podcast series on corvids in France !!! fuck yeah I know what im doing in the next hours !!!

[isas-bathbombs]

You deserve questions too sammy!

For example, which barbie movie is your favorite?

OH MY GOD IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS QUESTION

i have a few favs this is so hard 😭 in general its always been barbie fairy secret, mariposa and the fairy princess, princess charm school, and pink shoes.

whats urs??

[twomothsholdinghands]

I swear a fnaf-type game set in Yankee Candle Village could slap so hard. Uncanny animatronic men and reindeer chasing you through room after room of kitschy home decor. Combine the nostalgia of childhood with white women jumpscares

[ndostairlyrium]

From the OC shop asks: Their pet has caused destruction. Who puts the pet in jail? Who defends the pet?

For as many of your ships as you'd like!

Hi!!! Thanks for asking 💛

El Memo

Oh dear, so, I'm going for all of them lol

Ela & Alistair; She defends the dog, because he's a good boy and he defended Ferelden when times were dire. Alistair would blame the dog for a mess he himself would make << he'd gladly put him into jail too

Barbara & Fenris; The dog did nothing wrong. Destruction was necessary.

Ankh & Cullen; It depends on which pet has caused it (they have 5, horsies included).

Cullen is firmer when educating pets and jail is an option, unless it's Cornelia (Ankh's red hart). Cornelia is rather smart and if she causes destruction there's a good reason behind it (no there isn't, he excuses her because she's fierce). He would explain to her what's wrong, she gets it (yes she does. Will she listen? No.)

Ankh is more on the "eh" side, like, she doesn't care if they do a mess, they're animals, just let them be. But! She does hate the damn crow, and it's reciprocated. Cage it is! Until he frees himself.

[senkayro]

technically an assassin protag will be a rook and crow simultaneously

that's the post

you get DOUBLE the bird symbolism babyyy

[courcgecus]

In mouse world, the Mouse King is pure strength build judging down magic users.

[canonrenaissance]

CR • Christmas Tree Farm

[jagalart]

Corvids

A set of stickers commissioned by the awesome @kyrjaa, who let me print and sell these in the future! Thank you again for this wonderful opportunity, I had so much fun with these <3

The set includes all corvids living in our part of Europe except for one - I need to draw Spotted nutcracker sometime as well :D

[beingjellybeans]

Experience the fairy-tale town of Leavenworth, Washington: a complete travel guide

Leavenworth is a beautiful small town located in the Cascade Mountains in Washington State. Known for its Bavarian-style architecture, the town attracts visitors year-round for its charming ambiance, scenic landscapes, and outdoor recreational activities. It is also a testament to the power of community collaboration and creativity, as what was once a town in decline after its logging industry…

[antiqueanimals]

The Child's Picture Scrap Book. Containing Upwards of Four Hundred Illustrations by John Gilbert, J. D. Watson, Wolf, Coleman, etc. 1865.

Internet Archive

[hideki-koga]

ホシガラス（Spotted Nutcracker）

[leonstoenailunderhisbed]

A dancer dies twice

LeonKennedy x ballet!fem!reader

Summary: Leon attends ballet performances from time to time and a certain dancer caught his eye. An unexpected turn occurred and the favored ballet dancer stopped performing, causing Leon’s heart to break a little.

Warning: comfort/angst. mention of depression and weight loss. not proofread lol. nothing sexual but still.

a/n: I’ve been having this idea for quite some time lol. Why did I stop ballet dancing? Idk, I was a dumb kid lmao.

“A dancer dies twice - one when they stop dancing, and this first death is painful.”

The curtains were closed as Leon walked towards his reserved seat in the house. He wasn’t like other people nowadays dressing causally, he dressed up in his fancy suit. The first button of his dress shirt unbuttoned, just the way he always preferred. He finally got himself a small vacation and what better way to enjoy the weekend than watching a group of people dance along to Tchaikovsky?

He shifted in his seat as he looked over the pamphlet of the acts. He doesn’t know a thing about ballet but he does know that he likes the emotions conveyed in the way the dancers move. Whether it was the betrayal in Swan Lake or the serene feeling of the sugarplum fairy from The Nutcracker, he loved it all. But he would never admit it to his colleagues.

The orchestra began to play in a crescendo as the curtains pulled open, revealing a group of white dressed ballerinas huddled in a circle. And that’s when that serene feeling came. The ballerinas danced in their point shoes as their skirts moved gracefully every time they did a pirouette. It felt magical and he felt a sense of relief. Leon was an analytical guy, he analyzes everything he sees and tonight was no different. For tonight, he noticed a certain new dancer. Her hair tied up in the same bun as the other ballerinas but somehow it looked better on her. The white corset she was wearing hugged her lean figure just right, her arms moved under the spotlight swiftly. As if she was a doll. This was her performance.

Leon kept attending each time he could just to watch her. To watch the way her arm and leg angled perfectly at every arabesque she did, her grand jeté followed by the common chassé. She was just breathtaking. As if her purpose was to dance all night. And she did. She was the white swan. She was Clara. For months he watched as she slowly took over the main roles, she was that good.

But all that good came down with a price. Recently, he noticed the way she started to appear less and less. She danced the lesser roles now. And he couldn’t help but wonder why? Was she okay? Is she taking care of herself? For nights he felt worried. He even searched up her name online to find her social media. But the poor man couldn’t find it. It’s like all she did was perform.

Until one day, he spotted her walking down the street from her dance studio. He was out for a smoke when he saw her in her practice clothes, backpack over her shoulders as she walked towards her car. His eyes widened at the sight and he quickly threw his cigarette on the floor and put it out with his foot. He looked both ways before crossing the street and began to make his way towards her.

She didn’t notice until he spoke out to her, “Hey, you performed last week, right?” He asked even though he knew the answer already. She turned around and looked at him surprised but quickly smiled politely.

“Yes, I did. Did you enjoy the show?” She asked in her quiet voice, she seemed tired. He couldn’t help but nod as he looked down at her. “Yeah- you were amazing.” He mumbled under his breath, his heart beating fast as he began to feel his ears turn pink. She was even more beautiful up close.

And god was her laugh even more breathtaking. She giggled at his words and that only made him want to make her laugh even more. Just to hear that beautiful laugh.

It’s been a few days after their exchange and he couldn’t help but feel like a teenage boy for being able to get her Instagram. Turns out she purposely hid her account from the ballet house. Makes sense since she looked like the type to not want to be bombarded with messages from strangers.

They texted for some time and he kept attending her shows. He even bought her flowers after one performance in which she got the main role again. His heart nearly bursted into little pieces as he watched the look of surprise and joy on her face when she saw the flowers. He wanted to make this girl happy, as much as he could. So he kept bringing her gifts. And she kept them in a special memory box. It was all so romantic.

One day, she was walking home from dance practice with her headphones on. She was talking to Leon on the phone about some minor things like how much her feet hurt and how she needed new shoes. And he listened to her, no matter how much she talked because she talked a lot. He took in every word and analyzed it. Should he buy her the shoes? He would gladly spend his money on her if it meant she’ll keep dancing. If it meant she’ll keep following her dreams.

It was all going great until she noticed a car swerving slightly. She shrugged and kept walking as she talked to Leon over the phone. The car kept getting closer and closer until it swerved right into her direction. Her instincts jumped in and she was able to dodge the car, but her leg got caught under the tire. She screamed in pain and Leon quickly tracked down her location. He got his keys and drove to her, he didn’t care how fast he was going. He needed to be there, he needed to help her.

When he parked on the side of the road, he saw her holding on her leg as the driver staggered in his walk. He was drunk, Leon thought to himself. A drunk driver just ran over a dancer. A ballet dancer’s worst dream came true in the snap of a finger. Leon felt a lot of things. Anger, frustration, sadness, he felt it all. And his heart broke even more as he saw how much she was crying. He ran to her side and quickly called the ambulance.

He sat waiting in the lobby of the hospital as she was undergoing surgery. She had suffered a bone fracture and needed immediate medical attention. He stayed up as much as he could and waited for her. He would ask any doctor how she was doing, and honestly, no one told him anything yet.

Her assigned doctor finally came out and approached Leon. He told him that she was currently sleeping from the anesthesia but that he could see her. And he rushed towards the room she was in.

He saw how she laid on the bed, peacefully sleeping. He saw how she had wires tied to her arm. He heard the sound of her heart monitor beep at a normal pace. He slowly approached her and sat on the chair next to her bed. Leon took her hand and squeezed it gently. He couldn’t do anything except wait for her to open her eyes.

And he waited.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked around as her vision tried to adjust to the harsh hospital lights. She looked down at Leon’s head resting on her bed as he held on to her hand. She smiled softly until she looked down at the cast on her leg. Her face fell and her heart shattered.

Her quiet sobs reached Leon’s ears and he woke up immediately. He cupped her face with his hands and brought her to his chest as she cried. She wrapped her hands around his back and held on to him. Her whole passion and dreams were now gone. And it wasn’t even her fault.

She spent months in her bed, getting up only to eat and go to the bathroom. But that was it. Leon took the liberty to take care of her. To bathe her, to feed her, to try and distract her. But she always had that emptiness in her eyes. Her light was gone and she was no longer under the spotlight. The ballet house had to let her go since her leg was so injured she couldn’t dance ballet anymore. She could dance but just not ballet. And it broke her soul.

She would no longer wait for the curtains to open, she would no longer dance along to the orchestra, she would no longer spot Leon sitting among the crowd watching her. It was all gone.

Leon slept on the couch as he took care of her. But even from the living room he could hear her cries. He noticed the way she lost her muscle and lost weight.

He walked to her room and sat down on the side of the bed with food. “You need to eat, y/n…” he spoke softly as he laid his hand on her shoulder. “I’m not hungry.”

He couldn’t do anything but frown. He didn’t want to force her to get better but he also hated seeing her in this state. He would do anything to go back in time and prevented the whole thing from even happening.

He helped her shower, kneeling down against the bathtub as she had her back to him. She had her knees on her chest and hugged her legs. His fingers gently massaged the shampoo into her scalp. It wasn’t anything sexual. He was just trying to help her.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled under her breath as he poured water down her hair to wash off the shampoo. He furrowed his brows and replied back in a soft voice, “What for?”

She rested her chin on her knees and continued, “For all of this. I feel like a burden to you. You could be doing better things but instead you’re taking care of my depressed ass…”

His heart broke again, his fingers stopped going through her wet hair as he tried to think of a way to reply to her. “You’re not a burden… I chose to take care of you, none of this is your fault…” he whispered softly. She frowned as he kept washing her hair, “I know but… I just feel so… empty.”

He couldn’t do anything except stare at the back of her head with a sad look. He kept washing her hair and her body in silence. He wasn’t a man of words but he hoped that his actions spoke for the lack communication. He hoped she took his actions as a way of comfort. Because he knows what it’s like to lose something you love. He knows that feeling all too well.

He helped her into some new pajamas and tucked her to bed. He was about to leave when she took hold of his wrist, “Stay.”

She wanted him to stay.

And he did. He laid down next to her on the bed. She laid her head on his chest and cried. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. His shirt getting wet from her tears but he didn’t care. Leon ran his hand through her hair as the other rubbed her back gently. Her hands gripped on his shirt as she sobbed.

Her head remained on his chest as she slept after crying. And he did not move. He stayed like he told her to. Not because he was forced, but because he wanted to.

And he’d stay all the time if he was able to.