#based on a nutcracker soldier

[dessbian]

idk why but ive been afflicted by mayor holiday disease and i cannot stop drawing her 😨

[rotomartsblog]

There’s a character in the books called Nathan Nutcracker and I wanted to make a design for him because I think Cedar deserves a friend who can relate to her

[fenkko]

Express delivery from the greatest toy salesman's toy train! Print for Childe VA's Holiday Signing 🚂🎁🐳🐱🪁🤖🥁🦭

@mygriffinburns is signing them live Dec 15-17!

Inspired by Childe's story quest where he pretends to be Snezhnaya's greatest toy salesman for Teucer.

I drew him as a nutcracker to fit his soldier role and the Christmas theme. Scara is a tin soldier, based on the nameless child's fairytale told in "Wanderer: Ashes."

It was so fun making this and planning out all the details. I love how their stories both center on childhood dreams and the protection of innocence. Waiting for them to start up a toy company together.. (Scara sews the toys and Childe travels all around Teyvat selling them.) I'll even take a Hoyoverse x Build-a-Bear collab PLEASE make them interact Genshin. I'm begging.

[wordstome]

könig as the nutcracker 🥹🥹

you just brought some terrible sleeping beast out of me, anon.

nutcracker prince König x fem reader (mostly gender neutral but you're wearing a dressing gown)

tw: mouse murder???

He's a very odd looking nutcracker, all things considered, but you can't take your eyes off of him.

"If it's a nutcracker why does it have that stupid veil over its face?" Your brother asks, noisily crunching candies between his molars. You glare at him, both for the rude remark and for chewing with his mouth open.

"This is a special one," your aunt gushes. "He's based off of a legendary soldier who never showed his face on the battlefield. One of a kind, from a specialty toy shop.”

"How interesting..." You muse, gently rubbing the fabric of the veil between your fingers. It's sturdy fabric, but still soft to the touch.

"He was probably ugly as hell," your brother declares. You swat him, and he only cackles and gets up to graze at some more sweets.

"Maybe you should try covering that ugly mug up once in a while," you call after him. He pelts you with a walnut shell.

Your aunt shakes her head fondly. "This one's not just decorative," she says. "He's a real nutcracker by Steinbach."

You look at her, wide-eyed. "So he can crack nuts?"

She nods and tosses you a hazelnut. "Try it."

You lift the wooden man's veil a little to put the hazelnut in his mouth. You could just pull the whole thing up and out of the way, but that feels almost...forbidden? You're not sure why you feel this way—he's just a piece of wood, after all, and he probably doesn't even have anything painted on underneath the veil other than those vibrant blue eyes. But even so, you're hesitant to unmask him.

Cracking the nut works like a charm, though, and some childish excitement bubbles up inside you as the remnants of the cracked hazelnut spill into your palm. "That's incredible!" you gush, running your thumb over the nutcracker's lacquered uniform.

"What do you mean incredible, that's what nutcrackers are for." Your brother returns, a few walnuts rolling around in his palm. He holds his other hand out. "Give him here."

"No. You called him ugly, so he's mad at you," you say, teasing him by holding the nutcracker out of his reach.

Your brother rolls his eyes. "Give it here, you little shit."

"Crack your own nuts," you shoot back. "This is my nutcracker."

He makes another grab for it, and this time he manages to grab the nutcracker's arm. It's only a lighthearted tussle between siblings as you shove at your brother and he refuses to let go of the nutcracker's arm—until it's not.

A terrible snapping of breaking wood causes you to gasp. The two of you stumble away from each other from the force, your brother holding a tiny wooden arm in his hand. He's just pulled it clean off. On closer inspection, your idiot brother has somehow managed to Hulk-rip the arm piece off of the piece that fits inside the socket. "This is a brand new nutcracker, how did you fuck it up?!" you cry.

"Hey, you should have—" Your brother takes one look at your expression and decides not to give you a hard time. "Look, I'm sorry. I was too rough on it. Sit tight for a second." You sit there, numbly staring at the pieces of your poor nutcracker. Really, it's your fault too—why didn't you just let him have the damn thing?

And why is this upsetting you so much? The nutcracker's just a decoration, albeit one with a little more function than most. You feel a sort of attraction to this little wooden man in your hand, though. Maybe it's because his unique design is interesting, or maybe it's because you're intrigued by the idea of a masked soldier who never shows his face. Either way, he was your gift anyway, so it's not that unusual that you're attached to him...right?

"Here, let me see him." Your brother's back, but to your horror, he's holding a pair of needle-nose pliers. "Absolutely not," you respond, jumping up from where you were sitting on the floor. "You are not getting anywhere near my nutcracker with those things. You're just going to fuck it up even more."

"It'll be fiiine," he insists, clicking the pliers open and closed like some maniacal toy surgeon. You're not sure you like the devious glint in his eye. Your brother's a nice guy for the most part, but sometimes he gets this look in his eye that you imagine Dr Frankenstein must have had when he was assembling his creation.

You hold the nutcracker and his detached arm protectively to your chest. "I'll figure out how to fix him in the morning with glue or something," you insist. "I don't need you poking around with pliers and splintering the wood."

"Are you sure? I am sorry, for what it's worth."

You wave him off. You're still kind of mad at him, but you're both adults. You'll live. "Don't worry about it. I think I'm going to head to bed soon, anyway."

"You should keep his arm with him, dear," you aunt pipes up. She had gone into the kitchen during the whole ordeal, but had probably heard everything go down. "Tape it to his side or something. You wouldn't want to lose it."

That's a good idea, you muse, examining your poor amputated nutcracker. You're just about to take her suggestion when you get an idea.

Your brother checks in with you later, right before he goes to bed as well. "You can't be serious," he says. "You made him an arm sling?"

You tie the knot on the little scrap of cloth around the little wooden man's arm nice and snug. "Oh, I'm dead serious," you say. "Doesn't he look cute?"

Your brother lets out a resigned sigh. "Yeah. Sure."

The rest of the evening is relatively uneventful. You put the nutcracker in your room, right on top of the dresser, while you go about your bedtime routine. It always brings you a bit of joy to walk out of the bathroom and see him there, standing tall and proud.

Well, your evening would have been uneventful...had you not bolted awake in bed an hour or two later.

You're groggy and confused, trying to figure out what the hell is going on, when you hear the cacophony of noise. It sounds like footsteps, dozens upon dozens of them, stampeding through your walls. And then the mice show up.

They crawl up from the corners and the floorboards, swarming across your room. You're too terrified to move or even scream out, sure that you must be having some terrible nightmare or hallucination.

And then your nutcracker moves.

You're absolutely positive now that you must be dreaming, watching frozen from your bed as your nutcracker leaps down from your dresser as if he's a living, breathing man and beginning to fight the mice. And he's even...talking?

"Finally, some worthy adversaries!" you hear him cry. You gape at this bloodthirsty little soldier as he beats through mouse after mouse with his tiny sword.

It's an impossible battle, you think. There's no way he can take all those mice alone, and with one injured arm aside...you're usually pretty squeamish when it comes to dubious little animals, but you can't just leave your nutcracker to be overwhelmed. Besides, this is all a dream, so nothing matters, right?

There's one mouse, larger than the others, who's at the back of the pack, squeaking as if giving orders. You're having quite a wild dream, honestly, because the mouse is even wearing a little crown. Like a king, you think with some amusement. You reach over the edge of your bed to pick the mouse up by the scruff.

You're not quite sure what happens next. One moment, the mouse is chattering angrily at you, the next you're on the floor. At first you think you've simply lost your balance and fallen onto the floor, but when you scramble to your feet, you nearly fall over again as you take in your surroundings.

You've shrunk.

Your bedroom is cavernous above your head, your bedposts and furniture as tall as skyscrapers. And worse still, the mice are huge too: the once palm-sized mouse king is now as large as you are, sneering down at you from his snout. You didn't even know mice could sneer.

You yelp and throw yourself to the side to dodge one of the mice lunging at you. "It's time to wake up," you mutter to yourself through clenched teeth. "It would be really really nice to wake up right about now...!"

The mice are unrelenting, a vicious gleam in their eyes as they nip at your heels. They manage to corner you against a piece of furniture, snapping their jaws menacingly. All you can think to do is pray as they draw ever closer, their breath hot as they crowd around you—

A sword neatly lops off the head of one of the mice in front of you.

You gasp and look upwards to see your nutcracker looming above you, his sword gleaming in the low light of your bedroom. He's incredibly menacing at this size, his veil becoming intimidating rather than charming. You're far smaller than him now—if he had been a normal sized man, he would have easily cleared six feet. His eyes are vibrant and intense, staring down at you for a brief moment before they turn back towards his enemy.

You sit there, stock-still in awe as you watch him mow through his adversaries. It takes you a moment to realize you probably shouldn't be hanging around and gawping. Good thing, too, because your knight in shining lacquer is too distracted to notice he's being snuck up on. The larger mouse is creeping up behind him, a wicked glint in its eye.

"No!" you cry. Thinking fast, you pull off your slipper and chuck it at the mouse's head, stunning it. I can't believe that actually worked, you think.

You have to give your nutcracker some credit, his reflexes are wicked-sharp. In a single heartbeat, he's run the mouse king through with his sword. He cuts an imposing figure, his eyes sharp and deadly. But there's a sort of glee in them as well, the kind of thing that should make you uneasy.

It doesn't.

The rest of the mice, seeing their leader fallen, beat a hasty retreat, tugging the corpses of their fallen comrades along with them. You watch them, fascinated, until all that remains of the bloody conflict are a few tiny pools of blood streaked along your floorboards.

"I must thank you," comes the voice of your nutcracker. You look at him, unsure of what to say. You're welcome for throwing a shoe at a giant mouse to keep it from killing you?

"I...of course," is what eventually comes out. You smooth out your dressing gown in a futile effort to look presentable. "I couldn't let him hurt you."

The nutcracker tilts his head curiously. "You don't know me."

"Of course I do. You're my nutcracker," you say, instantly feeling silly once the words leave your mouth. You just received him as a gift, and you only just found out he was sentient anyway. You don't know why you feel so protective...

He shifts his injured arm, the sling still in place. "You bound my arm, as well."

You flush with embarrassment. "I-it was the least I could do," you stammer. "I shouldn't have let my brother do that. Really, it was my own fault—" Your words die in your throat as the nutcracker moves in close to you, so close that you can feel his body heat. Since when did he have body heat?

"Pretty," he murmurs under his breath. You stare at him, dumbfounded. Is your nutcracker...hitting on you?

Suddenly, you snap back to your senses. "Oh my God," you exclaim, staring down at yourself and then back towards your surroundings. "I'm still small. And I haven't woken up yet. Am I dreaming? I must be dreaming. Please tell me I'm dreaming." You pinch your skin, letting out a small exclamation when it hurts. But you still don't wake up.

"Hmm...you won't solve your predicament that easily, little one," the nutcracker muses.

"Wha—do you know how to fix this?"

"I have a hunch," he responds, brow furrowing. You hadn't noticed eyebrows on him when you were examining him earlier in the evening, you note.

"Do tell."

"You've had a curse placed on you, but I don't know how to break it. I do, however, know someone who might know how."

"Well then take me to them!" You stare at him beseechingly. You watch as several indecipherable emotions run through his eyes, then he nods.

You visibly relax. "Thank you."

"You'll have to trust me. You may find the whole process a little...fantastical."

"More fantastical than my nutcracker coming to life and fighting an army of mice on my bedroom floor?" you ask, cocking an eyebrow. His eyes crinkle in a way that must mean he's smiling.

"More fantastical than that," he says. He offers you a hand like a true gentleman, and to your shock, it feels like flesh, not wood. His grip is firm but soothing, his hand so huge it dwarfs your own.

"Let's do this, then."

uhhhhhhh wow this got kinda long I had to cut it short. I'll probably write a part 2? But it's gotta wait because I've got a gazillion other things to write first :P Thank you for the inspiration, anon! 🥺

[semisolidmind]

Merry Christmas, Semi!!! For this festive time of year, I was wondering if you could please make a drawing based off of the Nutcracker Ballet? Maybe an enchanted nutcracker or other toy falls for the young lady who’s kept him since childhood? Or perhaps the dreaded Mouse King, even! Whatever strikes your fancy…As always, I LOVE your art and stories. You are very creative and talented! Have a good day/night!

what if the mouse king won

(not pictured: the toy soldier half in shards on the floor. poor clara (though i guess her name is marie in the book?) is on her own, dealing with the mouse kings attention. she’s gonna have to find her own way away from him for now)

[melissarthomson]

“Gavin and the Toy Soldier” based on the Nutcracker ballet!

Did anyone else know that the Nutcracker was supposed to be based on a LITTLE GIRL’s nutcracker coming to life?? When I was little I watched the recorded ballet with the girl played by a full adult 😭😭 (makes sense but I thought it was an ADULT who really loved the nutcracker)

[petra-creat0r]

Chapter 5 Secret Boss Prediction

Ohohohoh boy! Finally got to this one. I've been just sort ruminating on this boss for a while. The only thing I knew for the longest time is I'm at least 60% confident that chapter 5 will happen in the Flower Shop? But then what could be abandoned, discarded, or unwanted in a greenhouse/flower shop? Weeds? Mushrooms? Well I guess? Lotta flowers and though the mushroom idea was enticing at first, I couldn't wrap my head around a good idea for it. There was also the thing with this boss likely having the blue soul mode, and possibly having a reference or allusion to Papyrus (or Sans ig but Paps uses the blue soul mode first). But then also also with this being Asgore's flower shop and Asriel possibly being involved, there's the chance it could be based on Flowery, but then- And you can start to see why this took me so long.

EVENTUALLY, I came up with the idea of an abandoned toy soldier, lost among the plants and eventually taken over by them. There was also some talk about it being a nutcracker or garden gnome instead, but toy solider won over. Nutcracker felt too similar to Spamton and I just couldn't really get the garden gnome to vibe right. Anyways! Like two, three weeks ago I managed to sketch a design I kinda liked before trying to think on it more. Still not the boss I'm proudest off, but everyone, met The Great and Mighty Veratus! (Name subject to change if I can find a better one.)

(Once again, theme commissioned by my good friend @kierangecko)

Veratus, from verrat (German for traitor), ratus (latin for rat) and a corruption of veritas (truth). I think the thing I was struggling with for the longest time was the name. It needed to fit with the other names, and also sound good with the title of "The Great" (because Papyrus reference). Like I mentioned before though, that name is subject to change if I come up with something better.

Like I've mentioned with the other two, I know this is no where close to what we'll actually get, but all of this is just for fun and so I have some secret bosses to draw my Junior Secret Squad kiddies with. Once we DO finally get chapter 5, Veratus will likely just become one of the secret bosses of Fool's Fate.

Now, backstory under the cut.

A solider from a distant land, Veratus found himself stranded in this dark world after the Great Divide. His king and fell soldiers in arms falling back and leaving him for dead. At the mercy of the Flower Kingdom's new ruler and its army.

Luckily for Veratus, the Knight chose not to bother killing the lone soldier, thinking that the side effects of the Divide would render the rat to stone soon. Yet for some reason, Veratus did not become stone...

Alone and outcast in a world not his own, Veratus was eventually found by a man. A strange someone whom some had theorized brought forth the Great Divide. The man cast pity on Veratus, and offered the stranded soldier his help. The opportunity to blend into this world and infiltrate Knight's army in exchange for his loyalty and help getting close to Knight. Veratus agreed.

Veratus's fur became overtaken with moss and his body with vines, though it might have been painful it did make him look like a rather convincing part of this floral Dark World. In addition to this transformation, the man also opened Veratus's mind to the reality of his existence, as the man had with the rest of his pawns.

Veratus was able to infiltrate Knight's army and climb up the ranks thanks to the assistance of the man, only to be left behind and forgotten once again once the man was able to get close to his true target. Disappearing and leaving a Roaring Knight in his place. Without the man, the cracks in Veratus's facade began to show and it didn't take long for the rat to be ratting out as a rat. the Knight's army tried to kill him, but something kept him from falling. The plants consuming his body wouldn't let him die. So instead, the opposing army cast the lone solider out. Exiling him back to a life of solitude.

Until another knight and their friends arrived in the kingdom...

[kookies2000]

After I'm done with The Smile Behind the Crown, I'll start on a Nutcracker story. I already have the roles to start around December.

Clara - Pomni.

Nutcracker- Caine

Sugar Plum Fairy- Ragatha

Cavalier - Zooble

Owl - Gangle

Uncle - Kinger

Mouse Prince - Jax (Seven head Mouse King is gonna be his father)

Snow Queen - Martha

Candy Queen - Lu

Candy people/ soldiers - Gummygoo, Max, Chad.

The story will be based on the book The Nutcracker and the Mouse King while having small elements of the ballet. So expect a dark and tragic Au. Because I noticed not everyone knows why the Toys and the Mouse were at war in the first place.

Ships will be BunnyDoll, Showtime, and Gangle x Zooble. With some Zooble x Ragatha moments.

[angeldrawsstuffs]

Behold: the OG 4 in my Nutcracker AU!

Kai - Nutcracker Prince

Jay - Windup Toy Soldier

Zane - Snowflake

Cole - Land of Sweets Resident

AU summary under cut :3

Prefacing this with the fact the Show and Movie characters already know each other and this is an AU based on @kittydemon9000’s fic, Same People, But Not Really (it’s fantastic, go read it! But you don’t need to to understand this AU)

So basically, sometime during the HoT-SoG year timeskip, for their collective mental healths, the OG 4 are talked into giving their friends in the movieverse a visit for Festival Day. Smith (Kai), Boreas (Zane), and Brook (Cole) are especially excited because Smith’s dating White (Movie!Zane), and Boreas and Brook are dating Red (Movie!Kai).

However, when the four cross over into the movieverse, they each wake up somewhere entirely unfamiliar, and with some… changes, Robin (Jay) especially getting the short end of the stick with his windup gimmick (there’s more stuff to it but this post is long enough as is).

So, they all quickly discover their friends (sans Red) have lost their memories and are fully convinced of their roles in this cursed movieverse. Smith’s at least glad his boyfriend is his Clara.

Anyway, they eventually learn the only way to break the spell is to complete the story and give Clara and the Nutcracker Prince their happy ending. Seems easy enough, right? Wrong. Even without their memories, everyone else is mucking up the story in all kinds of ways, which causes things to reset back to the beginning of the story.

Also this was all Chad’s fault. Because of course it was.

[daily-eah-headcannons]

@athena-xox :Nate

MY BOY. Strap in because the lesser known the character the more headcanons there are.

Nate and Alana O'Dale are dating

(Context: I headcanon this backgrounder as the daughter of Alan O'Dale from Robin Hood. She's also in the Merry Men band)

One of his goals is to end hate against those who aren't human.

He is Briars goto if she needs a buddy to go on adventures with. However he is very weary on fire-based activities.

There hasn't been a "true" Rat King in The Nutcracker for YEARS and he is determined to figure out why.

He is one out of two boys in Ballet class.

He hates it when people underestimate him just for being made of wood.

He is amazing at sword fighting.

When Alana was getting ready for her first ball Sparrow balled his eyes out helping her get ready.

The Merry Men have sent photos of wood burning to him as threats.

He loves sweets, it's all he will eat sometimes.

He isn't a fan of the Christmas season because others will try to use him as a prop.

Him and Tiny are long distance friends.

He's friendly with everyone.

His fashion sense is combining Soldier-Prince with a modern take.

He easily gets hurt.

He is close with his father but rarely sees him during the school year since Toy-Land is so far away.

His BFF is Sweetheart Sugar-Plum.

(This girl)

They're childhood best friends.

His birthday is December 21st.

His dad had to fight to get his son into the Ballet class since it's "for girls" .

He has black hair, tan skin, and eyes so green they almost glow.

He has started a "Non-Human-Human" club. The members are: Lizzie, Cedar, Kitty, Bunny, CA Cupid, Mister Spider, The Three Pigs, The Three Goats, as well as a few others. Professor Card is the sponsor for it and so far they've done a lot for the community.

He accidentally learned Riddlish due to the club and how many Wonderland students are in it.

He is so tired of the Nut jokes.

In Toy-Land they focus on nonverbal communication. He sometimes forgets that and will have entire conversations without realizing the other person doesn't know what he's trying to say.

Outside of Ballet and any Extreme-Sports he is extremely clumsy.

Headmaster Grimm doesn't accommodate him for his height.

The mirrors show his true, human form.

Him and Briar are close, they both understand what it's like to be cursed. To be cursed at such a young age and just to be expected to "deal with it" because it's "your destiny".

He was cursed when he was seven and he can still remember being human, being able to be a person and to feel.. everything. To feel the grass, a hug, to know your emotions are real, not having to worry about being made of wood, the biggest thing, to be able to enjoy the feeling of being by the fireplace without being scared.

There are times where he breaks down due to this. Just wanting to experience Christmas like how it was before the curse.

Source: based on the play, the book, and the Ever After High books.

[withlovelunette]

Matryoshka Doll & Wooden Soldiers (WIP title)

— A Nutcracker Retelling

Genre: Fairytale retelling, adult fiction, speculative fiction.

Setting: Wintery, early 19th century Germany, Russia & other culturally-inspired fantasy settings with a touch of steampunk.

Summary: Clara Stahlbaum is forced to prematurely shelf her ballet career after a severe injury. Feeling lost and alone, the former ballerina leaves the comfort of her home in the countryside to visit the city and help her godfather run his toy shop while she recovers from her mental strife. After encountering a peculiar stranger with wooden hands who speaks of a fairy that can undo all injuries and ailments, Clara is pulled into a plot of curses, tragedy and lost personhood.

Themes: Identity & self worth, loss of humanity, defying fate, vengeance and repressed emotions, hints of unhinged womanhood if you squint.

Introduction & Context

Matryoshka Doll & Wooden Soldiers is a retelling and slight reconstruction of the beloved story The Nutcracker & the Mouse King, taking partial inspiration from the ballet, but is otherwise mostly based on Hoffmann’s original 1816 novel! I’ve been deeply infatuated with this story ever since I watched the animated movie by GoodTimes Entertainment (please tell me someone else watched this as a kid) and the Barbie version when I was little. I’ve since read the original book and been wanting to reconstruct the story into something new! Everything in this post is very much a WIP and subject to change as I develop the story, as it’s still in its first draft!

Inspirations & Vibes

Tchaikovsky’s music and the ballet (naturally), powdered snow, sweet Turkish delight, hot steam from the locomotive swirling in the crisp winter air, scent of gingerbread and mulled wine with cinnamon, winter wonderlands and peppermint candy canes, pastel baroque & rococo aesthetics, white marble with specks of blood, loss of humanity and sense of self, tragic romance, whimsical inventions, old fashioned toy shops filled with wonder, out of tune music box and other antique trinkets, freshly baked Berliner buns, the gritty and dark hiding beneath the prim and proper, prickling fingers on thorns while picking berries.

Main Characters

Clara Stahlbaum (23) she/her

Burnt out gifted kid filled with longing and passions she can no longer pursue, a romantic posing as a cynic to protect her feelings, loves messing with little trinkets and antiques and is kinda a nerd.

Hans Peter (25) he/him

Stoic, intellectualises his feelings, detached yet slightly vain, charming until you realise he’s not aloof for allure’s sake he’s just kinda socially awkward, but hey maybe that’s charming to some.

Godfather Drosselmeyer (52) he/him

Eccentric, mischievous, a bit sketchy but people brush him off as just a quirky old man, secretive, knows a lot and yet literally no one in the city knows anything about him he just showed up one day.

I might make a deep dive post about these characters to go into their psychology and development if that’s something people would be interested in! Deconstructing a character’s psyche is one of my favourite aspects of writing and I’d love to be able to share it. Also I know this seems very heteronormative as a story but I promise there are queer themes brewing beneath the surface here I would die otherwise.

✦ If you’d like to be added to a tag list for future writing updates/excerpts, please let me know! 

Story Tag; #md&ws

[aprofessionalwithoutstandards]

As Promised, an Analysis of the TF2 Men's Politics

My brother and I came up with most of these while waiting for a local production of the Nutcracker to start so like don't expect this post to be good

Scout: Scout is one of those guys with "no politics". He doesn't rlly think about it and finds discussions of politics to "kill the vibe". This is because he's a white guy and thinks he just doesn't need to worry about that kind of thing

Soldier: Soldier has some of the most obviously defined politics in the tf2niverse, but contrary to popular belief, I do NOT think he's ultraconservative. Obviously, he is anti-communist, but I think he just kinda goes along with whoever's in power at the moment. Does not vote

Pyro: Has like a really specific leftist belief and gets into arguments online with other leftists of slightly different specific beliefs. Queen of sidewalk discourse, I think

Demo: Anti-monarchist, obviously, pro-Scottish independence, obviously. Pisses on Margaret Thatcher's grave and she's not even PM let alone dead during the time the game takes place

Heavy: Unfortunately it is also confirmed that Heavy is NOT a communist I might as well go die. In my heart of hearts I know he is tho hashtag based

Engineer: voted for Hillary

Medic: My brother is CONVINCED Medic is a commie and I like Medic so I let him win that fight. New heavymedic ship name idea Marxist-Leninism

Sniper: Anarchist. Based

Spy: "Both sides bad" centrist

BONUS ROUND: Saxton Hale is an anarcho-capitalist

[princesssarisa]

As long as we're discussing different filmed performances of The Nutcracker, I'd like to mention a very interesting one that I just discovered on YouTube: the Royal Swedish Ballet production.

I would share the link, but it's blocked from being shared on other sites besides YouTube.

It dispenses with the ballet's traditional characters (Marie/Clara, Godfather Drosselmeyer, the Sugar Plum Fairy, etc.), and combines the plot with that of a popular Swedish children's book, Peter and Lotta's Christmas by Elsa Beskow.

As it happens, I grew up with Elsa Beskow's books despite not being Swedish, because my mom discovered them in English translation and fell in love with them when I was in kindergarten. The Peter and Lotta series is about two little orphaned siblings who live with three middle aged sisters, Aunt Green, Aunt Brown, and Aunt Lavender; the other major character is their family friend, Uncle Blue.

In this Nutcracker production, Lotta starts out in the Marie/Clara role while Peter replaces Fritz, but they both go through the magical adventure at night rather than just Lotta. Uncle Blue replaces Drosselmeyer, while the three foster aunts provide comic relief, and the role of the Nutcracker Prince is taken by a friendly charcoal-burner from the Peter and Lotta's Christmas book. During the Act I Christmas party, the charcoal-burner and Uncle Blue's housemaid share obvious romantic feelings, which Peter and Lotta encourage them to act on. Then, in the battle, the maid is the one who saves the day by squashing the Rat King with her broom. Thus she becomes the Nutcracker Prince's lady-love, sheds her plain serving clothes to reveal her true beauty, and becomes the Act II prima ballerina who dances the pas de deux with the Prince.

This staging also incorporates aspects of a traditional Swedish Christmas that obviously aren't seen in most productions. Instead of the traditional soldier, the nutcracker is shaped like the Yule Goat!

I'm not sure anyone who didn't grow up with Elsa Beskow's books would fully appreciate this production, but it is a very interesting one.

It makes me want to come up with my own Nutcracker production concept based on some other children's book series. Madeline, for example: I think a Madeline-themed Nutcracker could be fun...

@themousefromfantasyland, @ariel-seagull-wings

[hashal-nutcracker]

The model of the Hussar "Gashal" was created in the middle of the war, by one of the engineers Jacob Farakaso, his work attracted the attention of the military due to the fact that the designer, even despite his injuries sustained in the war, had a very sad effect. The lower limbs lost their mobility, but by exerting strength, he managed to assemble a semblance of an endo-skeleton that allowed him to move as before, connected to the cervical region and stretched inside with fibers of synthetic flesh with nerve endings allowed him to return to service, but since he was commissioned. He spent some time with his family, learning about the applications of nutcrackers in the news and other sources, and seeing that they have their own weaknesses as flaws, the dying creature caused pity, because he also lost many comrades.

he began developing his own model that would allow the nutcrackers to be more protected and maneuverable, but for a long time he did not come up with engineering solutions, which depressed him. Except that the daughter had just brought a hussar figurine, its mechanics, although simple, but reliable, movable joints, a head that could be retracted into the shoulders, as if a soldier was hiding his head from the shots that came from an easel machine-gun pillbox.

sleepless nights spent at the table brought out a very effective model, his ideas on reinforced mechanical parts, as well as an ultra-sensitive hydraulic system capable of reacting much faster, like a powerful computer, it could protect its owner from a blow, from a shot from a heavy gun, give speed that was not a strong feature, jump over trenches, not fall into mud traps where so many wounded died, because such a simple trace from a shot by a large artillery shell collected water and blood inside itself, becoming quicksand

Sample number one: Hashal – passed the tests of basic motor skills based on computer modeling of the military and staff situation, tests without substance.

entry number 0-19/F-1:

the test revealed small failures in the body and joints of the cervical spine, yet it is very difficult to create a body for creatures when you do not have a sample, it cost a lot to establish system consumption, but a very impressive result. The chest opening was adjusted to the maximum, the spike was not so important, the magnetic belts turned out to be strong, but the check related to water turned out to be very unsuccessful, as well as for chemical reagents, some types of gas melt wires and their insulation, I do not have enough material to protect the cables.

Maybe I should turn to an old friend, he was sorting out the nutcrackers, maybe I can find the answer in them

Revision: this nutcracker took me a lot of time, I had to use ship cables with their insulation, but I had to look for details from undermined and faulty installations, tanks, and similar equipment, this made it easier for me to fuse some fragments, as well as microcircuits.

The control has improved, the balancing is almost calibrated, I made the inner ribs from titanium and aluminum, I had to melt a whole sheet of plate armor of the tank, oh gods, they will obviously kill me soon

Entry 0-20/F-2:

My fears were true, my adventures were noticed by those whom I clearly would not like to see in my house, they were looking for my prototype, the workshop was destroyed, I can't say how long I still have to live, they can kill my daughter, except for her I have no one left after that the case.. The projectile flew into our complex, damn freaks! So many civilians died then, and Jesse.. she was torn apart, the Collie was not sleeping then and did not let go of my hand: daddy, please.. Don't leave, there's a war! They're killing there! I'll work as long as I can, but how long will I last?

I don't remember how much time has passed since I finished it, it remains only to carry out the final touches, but how to carry them out without filling? Where will I get such a creature, even though such creatures could try to escape the same way, or have offspring, but here? How can this happen at all, especially here..

The Collie began to behave more closed, as if hiding, even though I said that secrets should only be told to those whom I am ready to entrust them, she is probably afraid to tell me about it, the main thing is that it does not attract too much attention to us.

entry number 1 from a personal notebook:

Well, still, these weasels watching my family noticed my daughter's behavior, they came with weapons to the complex! This is not acceptable! The rules do not give them the right to come here with weapons, with soldiers.. but among them I saw white coats, damn scientists, always climbing where they shouldn't and playing gods

Insomnia is killing me two or three months after people came to the complex, but I finally managed to get an answer from my daughter, damn it! She found the offspring of these creatures, even two, where should I put the other one? Of course, I can restore and upgrade the previously destroyed nutcracker, but how much will it be useful?

To the touch, these lumps of flesh are pleasant to the eyes, they are quite small, and so inquisitive, one of them with grayish-blue eyes constantly asks me, if I take it, he does not come off me all day. I feel like a mother to these creatures, if they can reproduce, then I can assume that two nutcrackers could have hidden them initially in our complex, but they could have got in other ways, they are difficult to see if they climb through the ventilation ducts. Collie became their babysitter, but they trust her more.

[the-duck-dealer]

Sonic the Hedgehog - Toy Kingdom Calamity

[Christmas Eve. Sonic dashes through Twinkling Village, gazing at all the Christmas lights, then up at the aurora in the sky.] Sonic: Man, I love this time of year. [Suddenly, Sonic hears angry shouting nearby.] Sonic: Huh? [He sees a large crowd of people surrounding a Toy Kingdom delivery station.] Sonic: These folks don’t look so holly-jolly. [Sonic taps one of them on the shoulder.] Sonic: Hey, what’s goin’ on? Civilian: Toy Kingdom hasn’t delivered any Christmas packages! They were supposed to arrive this morning! …Say, aren’t you…? [Sonic steps through the crowd, reaching the front window. He knocks on the metal shutter] Sonic: Yo! [It opens. A worker drone answers.] Drone: We are sorry. There has been a delay in shipping. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please go home. Goodbye. [It slams shut.] Sonic: …Uh…? [He knocks on it again. It opens once more.] Drone: We are sorry. There has been a delay in shipping. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please go home. Goodbye. Sonic: …Okay. That’s not suspicious at all. Maybe it might be a good idea to check things out. [Sonic turns to face the crowd.] Sonic: Hold on, folks. I’ll get to the bottom of this. [Sonic dashes into the night.]

Sonic: Toy Kingdom’s comin’ up. Let’s see what all the fuss is about. [Sonic skids to a stop outside the outer walls. The drawbridge is up…?] Sonic: Huh? That’s weird. This place is usually open 24/7. In fact, I’ve never seen it closed! Sonic: HEY! Konstruct-A-King! You in there? Hello??? [Some Toy Guards pop their heads over the kingdom walls.] Sonic: Oh, hey! What’s the deal, guys? Why’re all the drawbridges up? It’s Christmas Eve! [They aim their guns at him and open fire.] Sonic: Woah--Hey! [Sonic leaps and avoids their gunfire, kicking up some snow and launching snowballs at them, knocking them back.] Sonic: So much for a warm welcome! [Sonic dashes up the wall, leaping over the top and tying the guards up in christmas lights.] Sonic: You guys don’t seem like yourselves. What’s the… deal…? [Sonic sees armies of Badniks patrolling the kingdom. Equipment and toys are being moved around like crazy.] Sonic: …You’ve gotta be kidding me, doc. [One of the Guards manages to break their arm free and call on the radio.] Sonic: Hey! [Sonic kicks the radio out of their hand.] Sonic: Nobody likes a snitch, little guy. [Alarms go off in the area. Sonic glares at the toy soldier.] [A miniature Eggmobile with 2 sidecars flies in. A spotlight centers on Sonic.] Sonic: Oh, look. The three stooges. [Orbot, Cubot, and Tribot hover overhead.] Orbot: Sonic?! Cubot: Uh-oh! Eggman’s not gonna like this! Tribot: I am! I can’t wait to stomp that little blue thornbush! Woo-hoo! [Orbot presses a button on the Eggmobile, and a giant, robotic nutcracker deploys from a nearby warehouse and drops down in front of Sonic. The Eggmobile’s sidecars detach, and take their places in the shoulders of the mech. Orbot’s Eggmobile sits atop the hat, and the mech’s eyes light up, raising an axe.] Sonic: Heh. Alright, let’s do this! [The Egg Cracker's axe slams down in the snow. Sonic dives out of the way, running up the base of the axe and spin attacking Tribot's Eggmobile.] Tribot: Hey! Get off! Orbot: I got him! Hang on! [A large, comically sized nut is loaded into the Egg Cracker’s mouth. The Egg Cracker bites down, and spikes are sent outwards in all directions.] Sonic: Woah! [Sonic ducks, avoiding one of the spikes, then leaps off as another spike hits Tribot’s Eggmobile.] Tribot: Dang it, Orbot! Watch where you’re aiming! Sonic: Man, I can’t believe Eggman trusted you guys to handle this job. Tribot: WHAT’S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?! [Tribot swings the axe again, and Sonic backflips out of the way.] Sonic: I gotta do something about that axe… Or better yet… Use it against them! [Sonic dashes away as the giant mech begins to chase him. He slides under each axe swing, before stopping beside an electrical transformer.] Sonic: Betcha can’t hit me! Tribot: Are you CHALLENGING ME?! [Tribot raises the axe.] Orbot: Tribot, wait! Don’t! He’s trying to trick you! [The axe hits the transformer, and sparks fly, electrocuting the mech and the three shapebots.] Cubot: Ugh… Even I wouldn’t have fallen for that. Orbot: Yes, you would’ve. [Sonic launches off of a spring and onto Tribot’s pod, shattering the glass.] Sonic: Pardon me. Tribot: WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! [Sonic toys with the controls, forcing the mech to toss the axe up into the air.] Orbot: Uh-oh. [Sonic salutes, before leaping off of the mech just before the axe impales it.] [The Egg Cracker crumbles to pieces, and the 3 Egg Mobiles detach from the robot.] Cubot: Let’s get out of here! Sonic: Hey, where’re you three goin’? No time for a snowball fight? [Sonic spindashes in the snow, launching hundreds of snowballs into the Egg Mobiles, knocking them out of the sky. The three shapebots fall out of their vehicles.] Orbot: Wait, wait! Don’t-! [Sonic lifts them all up, juggling them around.] Cubot: I’m gonna be sick!

[Meanwhile, inside the Toy Kingdom castle…] Eggman: Ohohoh! Construction is going swimmingly! Soon, all the world’s toys will be yours, my dear! Sage: Father? Eggman: Yes, my little omelet? Sage: There is a disturbance outside. Eggman: Hmmm? [Sage points at a monitor. Security footage shows Sonic messing with Orbot, Cubot, and Tribot.] Eggman: You have GOT to be kidding me! Metal! Make that rodent carol in pain! [Metal’s eyes glow in acknowledgement. His thrusters fire up, and he takes off through the open window.] Orbot: Uncle! Uncle! Sonic: All right, all right. I’ve had my fun. See ya! [Sonic tosses all three of them into the air, before kicking them into a nearby dumpster.] Cubot: My head… Tribot: That was a pretty good throw, though… Orbot: Shut up, you two. Sonic: Well, better get back to it. Now, which way--Oof! [Metal Sonic lunges into Sonic, knocking him off of his feet, before kicking him across the path.] Sonic: Metal! Just who I wanted to unwrap this Christmas! [Sonic uses Sonic Boom to push Metal back. Metal’s thrusters flare up. Sonic leaps over Metal’s head as he flies past. Metal’s torso spins around, and he punches Sonic in the face.] Sonic: Oof-! Lucky hit. So, what are you and Eggman up to, huh? [The two clash, accelerating into each other.] Tribot: YEAH! KILL HIM, METAL! RIP HIS QUILLS OUT! [Tribot’s sudden outburst startles Metal. Sonic takes the advantage to kick Metal upwards, before following up with a Loop Kick. Metal skids across the pavement, glaring at Tribot.] Tribot: … Tribot: NO REGRETS! [Metal turns back towards Sonic. Sonic charges a peel-out, before blasting off in Metal Sonic’s direction. Metal prepares to counter, but as Sonic closes in, he starts to slip on the icy road.] Sonic: Woah, woah, WOAH! [Sonic slides straight towards Metal, who simply holds a fist out for Sonic to smack into.] Sonic: Ngh… Too slippery out here for me to get traction… Gotta find somewhere I can run! [Sonic leaps onto a rooftop, leaping from building to building. Metal pursues quickly behind.] Sonic: Still keeping up, eh? Alright. Catch me if you can! [Sonic sees the Toy Kingdom Castle atop the mountain.] Sonic: (I bet that’s where Eggman is hiding… Just gotta lose Metal, first.)

[keroradio]

I confess, despite having seen The Nutcracker on stage probably a dozen times, I actually incorrectly identified the base of this song; it's supposed to solely be the one that plays during the scene with the toy soldiers fighting the rat king's forces, written in kana as "Torepakku", hence this version being "Keropakku"

But all this time I've been certain a bit of the tea song was mixed in as well, but I think I know why; in the production I've usually gone to, the tea song doesn't actually have to usual tea dance, instead it's a comedic break in the story with a group of chefs trying to catch and cook a goose and failing to, including a moment where the goose is chasing them. It feels like something that would happen to the Keronians, if I remember correctly, at the end of the song they come out with a cooked bird of some sort, that turns out not to be the original goose that they just gave up on (^.^')