#hansel and gretel adaptations

[adarkrainbow]

Why was Hansel the meal of the witch?

This is a question I was aked recently, and I thought it would make a good subject for a post. "Why did the witch only try to fatten up and eat Hansel? Why didn't she imprison and fattened up Gretel too? Why did she choose to make Gretel her slave instead of Hansel?"

Which is actually a fascinating question. Now, I do not promise that there is some grand truth or secret meaning behind this. It is just a little detail and some technical workings of fairytales. But it is a point that many authors and rewriters have taken an interest upon, and that if a true well of reinterpretations.

So let's go... Why was Hansel the meal, and Gretel the slave?

If we go by the "canon" of the text (of course "canonical" fairytales do not exist, this is just an expression) - if we go by the Brothers Grimm's text, we... well we do not know. It is not specified anywhere why the witch decides to lock up and fatten up Hansel out of the siblings, and to not do the same thing for Gretel. There is no reason explicitely spelled out or given. Maybe she simply prefers the meat of boys over the one of girls? This absence of justification, and the apparent "randomness" of the choice opens a door for authors who would like to change things: for example in "A Tale Dark and Grimm" (the book, not the Netflix series), it is both Hansel and Gretel that are fattened up by the witch, and she only picks Hansel as the first one to be roasted. The Looney Tunes Hansel and Gretel also were both in the cooking pot of the witch Hazel...

The text only leaves implications for the reader. For example, the need for the witch to have a slave/assistant to help her with the chores is implied by the facts that she is 1) elderly 2) has a very bad sight and 3) walks with crutches (a very important point). So it is understandable she would require a slave to help her - but then why pick Gretel, and not Hansel? Again, the text does not answer. Many people like to portray Hansel as the oldest child of the duo, and Gretel as a younger sister - this is because Hansel seems to be the strongest, bravest and most intelligent one, as well as with how his name always comes first in the text, Gretel being after him. Maybe the witch chose to eat him first because he was precisely older, and thus there was a more developed body to eat? Even if the siblings are of the same age, we can always imagine the very old and present male/female dichotomy that claims that men's body are naturaly stronger, larger and meatier than women's, who have graceful, slender, lighter bodies. Maybe such a concept is at work, putting forward a mindset where a cannibal witch will always go for boys first as a main course, and girls next as an appetizer...

One possible reading of the story is that the witch only had enough place to lock up ONE child and thus had to make a choice. Maybe there wasn't enough room for two kids in her prison for future meals? This interpretation is supported by the ORIGINAL text of the Grimm's fairytale. In the first edition of the brothers Grimm's fairytales (provided by Jack Zipes), there is an explicit mention of the place Hansel is locked in: it isn't some sort of stable or cage as it would later be described, oh no! It is a chicken coop so small Hansel can BARELY MOVE. It is a really tiny prison, in which he barely fits. Of course, on a practical side, it can help with the whole fattening process since having a child eat rich meals without ever moving is certain to make him plump in no time (just look at these horrible industrial farms and how they lock up animals in tiny cages) ; but this detail actually explained why the witch only placed her efforts on one child, and not two: she obviously had only enough to place to lock up one kid, and had to deal with the other in a different way.

But even if we admit all those implications - that the elderly, handicaped witch needed a help, that she had only enough room to lock up one child, that maybe Hansel as an older boy makes a better meal than Gretel - there are still some strange and bizarre logical holes. For example, the witch beats up and starves and exhausts Gretel. This is the complete opposite of what she does to Hansel, who is pampered and fattened up - does this imply the witch maybe does NOT want to eat Gretel? Or does she really have only enough resources to fatten up one child, and can only afford making Gretel more edible once she is done with Hansel?

Again, mysteries upon mysteries. Fairytales are not created to work on practical details or actual psychological processes - they are stories relying on powerful visuals and ancient motifs and a dream-logic-structure. When we are told that the witch locks up Hansel to fatten him up and eat him, and that Gretel is becoming an abused slave, we just accept it, because it works on a set of powerful visuals, such as the malnurished slave sister cooking and feeding her imprisoned and soon-to-be-killed brother. The idea of the sister being reduced to a tool in the process of killing her own brother is a very powerful one, never explicitly stated, but still present and sometimes used by adaptations. There was this German Hansel and Gretel movie released in 2005 that explicitly played on this: the children were never told by the witch her intentions when she locked up Hansel, and for the first week or so of Gretel being a slave and Hansel fattened up, they were left in the dark concerning the real intentions of their mysterious jailers. This was a stark contrast with many Americanized adaptations that have the witch gloating and explaining her cannibalistic desires to her victims, and which opened the door for some interesting plot points - in this movie's case, Gretel being quite jealous and envious of Hansel's new life of feasting and being kindly treated by the witch when she got all the insults and chores. Of course, when they discover the truth, their mutual feelings reverse as Hansel realizes his seemingly "easier" fate is actually the worst of the two.

Still, the text is left ambiguous and open-ended enough for us to imagine TONS of things. There could be a rewrite of the tale where the witch exclusively eats little boys, and hates little girls. One nterpretation of dark poetry of the tale can be found in Znescope's Gretel mini-series. Despite this mini-series having BIG flaws (the choice of the witch's true identity was... quite bad to be honest), it does have a very interestng and morbid answer to the "Why was Hansel the only one fattened up?" question. It chooses to depict this difference of treatment as a sick and cruel game the witch plays with her preys: Hansel and Gretel are both her prisoners, but she fattens up Hansel while she starves Gretel, to make a contrast between the two, simply out of a perverse amusement. There is one particularly striking image of the two children locked in two cages arranged like a weighing scale, with Hansel's cage going lower as he grows fatter and Gretel's going up as she becomes skeletal... It is a nice visual contrast that has been reused by various artists.

Now, I spoke mainly here of the content of the story and of the text itself. However, as I stated before, we must look beyond the story itself to understand why Hansel was to be the meal, and not Gretel. Or rather we need to look at the fairy tale's structure, on a meta-level.

As I said before, the fairy tale works here on a system of duality. Hansel and Gretel are meant to be a yin and a yang, complementary reflections. The boy and the girl, the brave and the coward, the cunning older brother and the crying little sister. The idea that their fates are "split" into the house of the witch not only furthers the anguish of the characters, who at this point were always together but now find themselves separated, unable to face together the same trials, but also keeps on playing on these visuals and motifs. As I said, there is something that many artists read in the tale, in the opposition between a malnourished Gretel and a feasting Hansel. This is part of the same duality of food and famine present all throughout the tale, such as the woodcutter's famished and poor household, opposed to the witch's house made of sweets and with chests full of pearls. The siblings represent two forms of abuse and evilness enacted by the witch, but in complementary forms: with Gretel the witch becomes a domestic abuser and an enslaver, with Hansel she becomes a jailer and an ogress.

One can also read in this an extension of the typical sexist duality between men and women in these old centuries: the fates the witch forces upon the two children can be caricatures of what each gender is supposed to "do" in such a society. Gretel, like women, is expected to do household chores and to cook for her "man" - here it is caricatured into her becoming a slave, and only helping fattening up her brother like some cattle. In return, Hansel, like a man, is supposed to be well-treated and well-fed, but here the caring wife/mother figure is a monstrous hag who only makes him feast so she could eat him later. In fact, it is quite interesting to see how both siblings are dehumanized and reduced to the status of animals - from Hansel being fattened up in the stables like some pig or chicken, to Gretel being fed leftovers like a dog.

All of that being said, there is another much needed argument that must be made: the answer fo thte question can be easily found in the story's structure. This is the most obvious solving of the problem when you consider it all: the story of Hansel and Gretel relies on the idea that the two children must save each other in turn. There is a balance in the tale, which bears the name of the two protagonists as heroes, but one before the other. During the first part of the tale, it is Hansel who takes the lead and the decisions. He is the cunning hero who tricks his parents, saves his sister from the woods, returns home thanks to his plan. Gretel is only seen being scared, and crying, and not doing anything except follow her brother around. In the second part of the tale, within the witch's house, it is Gretel who becomes the hero. Her brother is "out of the race", locked up away and unable to do anything, and it is Gretel who this time has to trick the deadly parental figure, come up with a clever ruse, and ultimately save her brother from death. This creates a perfect balance between the two characters: Hansel starts out as the hero protecting his useless sister, and then it is Gretel who vanquishes her uselessness to become the hero saving her own, impotent brother. The siblings need each other to survive, and thus save each other in turn. This is how the story works. And this is why Hansel must be the locked-up, fattened-up victim, so that his sister can save him. Else it would have been the story of "Hansel", and not "Hansel and Gretel".

All of that being said, a last point must be made about a final theory. A theory and reading of the tale that has been very prevalent and prominent in recent adaptations of the story.

The recent "Gretel and Hansel" horror movie did it. Before the (X horror movie) also did it. Neil Gaiman's Hansel and Gretel also used this idea. The comics Fables toyed with it in a side-way. And this idea is simple: the witch did not want to eat Gretel, but rather wanted to make her a witch like herself. Gretel wasn't the witch's slave, but unwilling apprentice.

This idea is born of course from a reconsideration of what a "witch" is, and the gender questions attached with the figure of the witch. In the original story, the witch is not a witch in the modern sense of the term, in fact she is a monster that is very clearly an ogress by another name. There is no question of learning how to be a witch, or making deal with dark powers, or anything like that. But when you read the tale with the modern sense of "witch", as a symbol of dark and hostile feminity, as a woman of power, who works against the domination of men, or the tyranny of patriarchy - when you consider all the gender questions surrounding real-life witches and the witch hunts, you see the witch's actions under a different eye. Her not wanting to eat Gretel at first, and making her do her chores, and forcing her to live with her, might hint at the fact she still considers her more "human" or more valuable than her brother, who is nothing but food, a mere cattle. Several of the modern reinventions of the tale, such as those stated above, decide to add the twist that the witch actually wants to shape or make the little girl into her image: from a slave doing the witch's chores, she becomes the witch apprentice, who is by her side in everything she does. Some of those readngs remove the elements of abuse towards Gretel, while others do not forget them. Neil Gaiman's take on the story is especially fascinating as the witch is explicitely described as oscillating between periods of sweetness and kidndness, promising Gretel all of her secrets and great powers, and periods of pure hatred and violence where she just insults and beats up the girl - all of it highlighting either the witch's madness, or a form of senility due to her old age.

But this theme of "Gretel as a future witch" or "Gretel as the witch's apprentice" ties in with another subtext well-hidden in the original text, but that many like to weave upon: Gretel as the "daughter" of the witch. In many of those rewrites and reinterpretations, the witch doesn't just treat Gretel as an apprentice, but as an heir or a replacement daughter. This is no surprise since it is very clear that in the original tale, the witch is the dark side of the mother figure, and an evil doppelganger of the wicked stepmother/mother of the siblings. As such, it makes sense for her to impose an abusive and unconsented motherhood upon Gretel - doesn't her forcing the girl to do all the chores not reminiscent of how famous fairytales stepmothers treat heroines like Cinderella? Such a perverse motherhood was already explicit and obvious in her treatment of Hansel: like a mother she nourishes and feeds Hansel (in fact she succeeds where the wicked stepmother failed), but this is all to devour him, in a ritual of "un-birth", she becomes a death-givers who doesn't expel a child out of her womb, but has it return to her stomach. [This is a very common and usual motif among ogres of fairytales, who are all caricatures of parenthood].

More generally, to have the witch act in such a way actually makes the fairytale more "feminist" somehow, but in a quite perverse way. Because in such a reading, we have a women-dominated world. The true active and powerful characters of the story are beings such as the wicked stepmother and the witch, who command, control and influence the other characters - especially the male ones. The father is a weak puppet who can't stand up to his wife, Hansel is reduced to a fat pig in a cage. Hansel did try to escape the tyranny of the wicked woman, but all he could do was push back his doom, and his plans ultimately failed. Gretel, as a woman herself, is given a special treatment - and in the "apprentice/daughter" interpretation, is "absorbed" by this world of wicked, dominating women. But she actually breaks from it, and kills the one that would have "turned" her - and it is telling and interesting that the only one who can have a true an full success, a definitive victory in this tale is Gretel. Hansel's plans work and save them, but only for a brief time, and his last plan fails dramaticaly, before he gets locked up and "out of the story". Gretel meanwhile, when she gets the courage and intelligence to act, proves herself much more efficient and definitive than her brother, as she puts a true end to the threat other them by killing the witch (and by extension killing the wicked stepmother/mother). This is something Hansel couldn't do - all he could was trck the wicked woman, and nullify her plans, but he could not remove the threat of the death and the hunger.

Anyway, as you can see, despite being a quite superficial and silly question, this fact (or rather absence of facts) opens up a whole jar of various interpretations, readings and themes, and proves the hidden complexity of these apparently "simple" stories.

[adarkrainbow]

I love how, out of all the fairytales around, Hansel and Gretel is ALWAYS the one that gets the weirdest and trippiest adaptations

Hänsel und Gretel theater play April - December 2018

EN: In the unique reinterpretation of the Estonian directors Ene-Liis Semper and Tiit Ojasoo and the musicians Peter Tägtgren - Official (Pain), Jakob Juhkam, Clemens Wijers Music Productions and Till Lindemann (Rammstein) the fairy tale definitely remains one: disturbing.

Two children are abandoned by their parents in the forest because there is not enough food left for the whole family. The well-known fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm, which picks up topics such as fear, hope, poverty and abundance, cannibalism or death, is one of the most exciting but also disturbing bedtime stories told to children for several hundred years.

Huge phantom faces, distorted bodies or latex monsters appear on gigantic projection surfaces as complex realities between perversion and poetry, humor and emotion. It is a fairy tale for adults, on the one hand the economic need as a major theme of our time as a starting point, and on the other lures and enchants the audience, only to scare him to death - just like the witch in her sugar house.

Photos: Matthias Matthies / thalia-theater.de

[kabishkat19]

Grimm fairy tales🥀

Did I make a fake trailer for my hyper fixation with the dark adaptions of classic fairy tales… yes. Always felt this was a missed opportunity (I’m not crazy good at edits so be kind)🖤

[uselesslilium]

It’s a good day when you wake up to canon vore potential for your ship.

[gryffindorconsultingtimelord]

Looking at the Fandoms and Fantasies release schedule to see what comes next!🧐. Listen to Hansel and Gretel, out now!

[sumquiasum]

11 & 22

11) A film whose main genre is comedy

Everyone watch Hundreds of Beavers right now immediately. Also watch it legally if possible, the film maker has specifically asked ppl not to pirate it cause they made a really good deal with am*zon and apple.

Also everyone who likes queer cinema should watch Touch of Pink. Endearing 2000s gay comedy.

Other favourites include Deadstream and Down Low. One's a horror comedy, the other a crime romance comedy? Don't know how to describe it but it's great. Also made me look up whether Lukas Gage is gay and he did get married to a man so congratulations to him.

22) A novel/play adaptation

Fire Island is my favourite Pride and Prejudice adaptation updated to the modern age.

I didn't like All of Us Strangers all that much but taking a novel and seeing the potential for a heart-wrenching gay love story is admirable.

I think turning a manifesto into a political heist movie is very fun which is why I recommend How to Blow Up a Pipeline.

Ask me a number and I'll respond with a movie recommendation

[pinkmeanieofficial]

Gretel Süß (Hänsel and Gretel)

Witch Hunter (For Hire) - Ex-Child Celebrity

(My adult version based from the original. Kid got old and bold :D)

[rotomartsblog]

Does anyone else have fairy tale adaptation tropes that they dislike? Not tropes for the tales themselves but like in adaptations where they try and twist it? I have two of the top of my head; 1. Little Red and the wolf being lovers and 2. Hansel and Gretel are portrayed as bad guys for eating the witch’s house

I haven’t seen anyone else complaining about stuff like this but I know I can’t be alone on this. Sometimes adaptations that try to satirise the tale and catch you off guard but they always go the easy route in a way I can expect and it just bores me

[dyinggirldied]

If there is ever a Hansel and Gretel adaptation again, I hope it includes stuff like the two kids’ PTSD and/or depression after the whole ordeal with the witch, and with the father before and after.

Like, the father consulting with the step-mother to have the two kids going to the forest in hope of them either having better chance to survive/dying quickly rather than starve to dead at home make him a somewhat interesting character.

Also, let Hansel and Gretel be that typical sibling relationship: fighting with each other for most basic thing but going overprotective over the other if something happens (honestly I have always thought Hansel and Gretel were twins since I was a kid) while struggling to deal with their mental health, family problems, ongoing plague (a nice parallel to real life), maybe with some subtle class discrimination as a small treat.

I want a movie where these two kids figuring things out because like, what now, after this?

Maybe they will develop a biased complex where they have a mistrust towards magical beings. Granted, this is a fairy tale land so encounters happen I supposed.

A fun twist I can think of is that both Hansel and Gretel finds out they are descendants from a witch/have magical powers and that fact practically destroys them.

Also: werewolf Red Riding Hood

[annah-the-compozer]

They could be the traumatized characters from a famous story who come back as a badass team of supernatural hunters, like Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013).

Here's my hot take for the day: sequels that go with "actually Dracula is still alive" take all of the catharsis out of the ending.

Imagine instead that there was someone else that Drac fed on after Lucy. This person continues their life as if nothing happened. Then, one day, the vampirism starts kicking in (maybe they get really sick, maybe they died somehow).

Then our intrepid found family group of heroes hear whispers about another vampire and have to track down the truth. Then they have to figure out how many people the Count bit while he was there.

[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.

[adarkrainbow]

By the way, a talk with someone else on Tumblr led me to take part in a search for a forgotten, maybe lost, Hansel and Gretel adaptation.

It was apparently a stop-motion Hansel and Gretel adaptation that was NOT one of the two famous stop-motion adaptations (the Opera Fantasy one, and the Harryhausen one). If you know of any Hansel and Gretel adaptation in stop motion that is NOT the Opera Fantasy movie or the Harryhausen adaptation, please share info!

From the context, it seems that this adaptation was very likely part of America's archives of public domain videos - as it seems to have been used during one of the "Most Extreme" episodes (though which episode has to be clarified, since a lot of them rather use extracts from the Opera Fantasy Hansel and Gretel). Any information can help!

And more development about this later

[dyinglikeicarus]

Small backstory comic for the beans <3

I wanted Greta and Hanso's backstory to be based on (ofc) Hansel and Gretel's story and swiftsidestories complied giving it a suuper awesome twist and adapting it to Echo's world. The witch was, in this case, their parent's 'Anathemas'. In this world, an anathema is something very similar to the jungian concept of a shadow so here, they ate the twin's parents and took their place, taking the role of the witch that tried feeding them junk food and looots of sweets so they could later eat them. That was until Mijhail arrived and saved the kids, taking care of them from that point onward, until some things happened (still a spoiler for the party, so I can't say more atm)

This comic is a small bit that happened after the rescue, when the kids were in the care of Mijhail. What happened was still a little triggering for Greta. But Mijhail had the situation under control as the kind he is.

[teapartypenguin]

Team 5Ds reading headcanons

So started thinking about what type of books certain characters would read, and this ended up extending to the rest of the cast. So here are what I've thought of:

Yusei:

Mostly reads nonfiction, such as engineering textbooks and user manuals

Martha's orphanage had a lot of old children's books that she used to teach the kids how to read, but Yusei outgrew them pretty quickly

Was hard to find good textbooks in the Satellite, so growing up, most of them were long out of date. But they helped him learn how to repair scrapped electronics

Often gravitated towards books written by "Dr. Fudo"

Sometimes reads Duel Runner magazines to stay up to date

Akiza has convinced him to try some mystery novels, but he is stupid good at figuring out the mystery halfway through

Favorite fairy tale is The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Jack:

Reads newspapers and dueling magazines, usually with his morning coffee

Looks for articles about himself or written by Carly first

Is very up to date on politics

Growing up, he was the designated storyteller whenever Martha was busy. Yusei was a better reader, but Jack was better at setting the mood and doing the voices

Favorite fairy tale is Jack and the Beanstalk

Akiza:

Was a lonely kid, so read a lot

Reads a bit of everything, but her favorites are mystery novels, poetry, and fashion magazines -Prefers romance as a side plot rather than the main genre

Convinced the group to watch a movie adaptation of a murder mystery she'd read, then Yusei points out an inaccuracy in the train design and Akiza nearly combusts because he was very close to spoiling the twist that exposes the murderer

Sometimes writes poetry, but always burns the notebook when it's filled

Favorite fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast

Crow:

Canonically learned to read from Duel Monsters cards, Martha made sure he caught up when she adopted him

Reads more to his kids than for himself

Has a library card and uses it purely to get requested books for his kids

Sometimes reads comics and graphic novels, but more for the art than story

If he went to school, he'd be the type of kid that watched the movie to write a book report

Favorite fairy tale is The Ugly Duckling

Luna:

Is a big reader, spent a lot of time in hospitals or on bed rest so picked it up

Main genres are fantasy, fairy tales, and folk tales -Likes anything that involves dragons, fae, or witches the most

Also sometimes reads ecology books; knows a lot of obscure insect facts

Her and Leo have library cards and go once a week

Has gotten in trouble for reading in class

Favorite fairy tale is between Rapunzel and Hansel and Gretel

Leo:

Reads almost exclusively comic books and manga (but would be a Percy Jackson kid if it existed) -Favorites are the Elemental Heroes and Neo Spacian comics

Exchanges comics with Crow a lot

His dad would always give him the comic and puzzle pages in the newspaper

Is really good at solving the crosswords and sudoku puzzles

Has also gotten in trouble for reading during class

Collects cutouts from dueling magazines that he likes best, most are of Jack but has a mini collection of Yusei too

Favorite fairy tale is between Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Hansel and Gretel

Carly:

Used to read a lot as a kid, but has less time for it than she'd like as an adult

Mostly reads news articles and magazines, especially dueling magazines, but that's 50% for work -Looks for anything featuring Jack first

Main genre of choice is romance of any kind

Jack once read one of her romance novels while he was hiding out at her place...he regrets it

Used to write a blog for dueling news in college, but stopped when she started working

Is into bullet journaling

Favorite fairy tale is The Little Mermaid

Misty:

Actually doesn't read much fashion magazines, but studied Fashion History in college and often reads books on that

Her main genre of choice is horror, prefers psychological and gothic horror -Listens to audiobooks on long plane rides

Also reads a lot of cooking and baking books, likes trying out new recipes

Used to be an avid follower of Carly's blog

Very sporadic taste

Favorite fairy tale is Swan Lake, her family used to watch the ballet every Christmas

Kalin:

Is not picky, reads out of boredom so will read literally anything that comes his way -Likes educational books the most

Books in Satellite often got burned for warmth, so not a lot of options available

He would dig through the dump for things to sell as a kid, but books weren't worth much so he'd just keep the intact ones

Read a french language textbook once and now can read in fluent french, but his pronunciation is terrible because he's rarely heard it spoken

Would eventually start a library in Crash Town

Doesn't have a favorite fairy tale (it's Cinderella)

Greiger:

Reads a lot of mythology and folk tales

Started with telling the tales to his younger siblings and younger kids in his village, eventually got interested in the mythology of other cultures as well

Got really interested in Egyptian mythology and Duel Monsters' origins in it

Likes Inca mythology the most (because it's what he grew up on), but couldn't pick a favorite tale if he tried

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

sorry to post about OUAT outside of the safety of the patreon corral but I just. truly cannot stop thinking about the bugfuck insanity of the writers deciding to drop in the seventh episode of their show ever that Regina has kept the same man as a sex slave in two separate realities.

like the nature of Storybrooke is that, having altered memories and lives constructed by Regina, I think almost everyone is off the hook for any sex under the effects of the OG curse—ie, Snow White might regret hooking up with Victor Frankenstein but the two of them were as on an equal footing as possible in the situation and both consented based on their understanding of reality at the time—with the obvious exception of Regina! who is extremely aware that everyone else in town is the most under the influence that maybe anyone has ever been in the history of the world!

which would be yucky enough if it was like, a bad situationship that developed organically in Storybrooke, but no man she was just recreating her setup in the Enchanted Forest where she kept Graham as a sex slave for god knows how many years. hello! hello!!! is anyone listening I'm going insane.

season one kind of revels in getting to roll out little reveals of Regina's litany of crimes via flashbacks to keep emphasizing, over and over, that she is insane and petty and willing to stoop to pretty much anything. in the first episode you know she's responsible for the curse that drives the entire plot, standard big bad stuff, but by the tenth episode you know she also kidnapped multiple children and sent them to their deaths in the candy house from Hansel and Gretel. which is obviously bad, no shit, but it's like. she's Snow White's wicked stepmother, she's the villain in a loosely goosey live action adaptation of classic Disney movies. endangering children for cruel and petty reasons is part of the territory.

but she also like. you know. she explicitly has a scared, trapped man dragged away to her bed chamber after she forcibly kisses him and magically rips his heart out of his chest specifically so that he can never defy her again. and then in case there was even a little bit of doubt left about what's going on there she continues to make his real world counterpart have sex with her, and even under a spell that's completely erased his memories of his old identity and life, he admits that his relationship with Regina doesn't make him feel anything. no one ever comes right out and says Regina is using her power as the mayor to pressure him into it, but that would frankly be mild by her standards.

I can't even quite articulate why I'm so hung up on this except that it's like, so jarring to have Regina do so many over the top cartoon crimes with her magical murder and mayhem and then also slip in oh, btw, she's also a rapist! she raped that man!" especially when you factor in that, based on my memory of the show and general understanding of what mind of show this is, no one is ever going to acknowledge that. when Regina starts her good guy redemption arc and other characters try to hold her accountable for things it's always going to be "you killed Graham" and never "you killed Graham after raping him repeatedly for many years in two different realities." no one is ever going to talk about that.

except for me, because I'm stuck watching six and a half more seasons and I will not be able to forget.

[phantombanquet]

【Ikemen Zunka】 [Dress rehearsal report] Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 / Witch and Gingerbread House

Original Article

translated by phantombanquet

The first day of Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 / Witch and Gingerbread House has kicked off at Shinagawa Stellar Ball on August 23, 2024! Here is a report on the stage rehearsal.

※ Please note that the report below the cut contains spoilers

For ACT 4, “Witch and Gingerbread House” will be performed based on Grimms’ Fairy Tale “Hansel and Gretel”!

This work is an original story by the theater circle and theatrical company ‘Dramatica’ organized by Wataru Hibiki, a character appearing in the idol produce game Ensemble Stars!!.

The appeal of the theatrical company Dramatica is its ‘double theatrical structure’ in which the characters from the game play the roles. This is a stage where fans of the game hold high expectations as they will be aboe to see a new side of the characters.

Another popular stage project of Enstars!!, which has continued to adapt stage projects since the first performance of ACT 1 in 2021, will depict a new story based on the fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel”!

We bring to you a detailed report on the stage, where the audience was captivated by the singing, dancing, and acting!

Wandering through the forest, the brothers arrive at an ‘unfinished gingerbread house.’

The play begins with a scene in which Hansel (played by Mika Kagehira / Hiroki Ino) and Gretel (played by Nazuna Nito / Natsuki Osaki), who were abandoned by their step-mother, wandered into a forest, huddled up together.

Hansel and Gretel realize that they have been abandoned, and try to act cheerful to shake off their sadness.

As they travel deeper into the forest, they discover a strange house. The house made up ‘sweets.’ In there, Patty (played by Wataru Hibiki / Kazuma Yasui) and Ark (played by Hokuto Hidaka / Ikkei Yamamoto) were are arguing over something.

The cause of their argument is that they cannot compromise to their commitment to each other in order to fulfill the request of “creating the ultimate gingerbread house.” When Hansel hears their argument, he offers to help build the gingerbread house.

Hansel is first asked to pick fruit for the raw ingredient of sugar. As he heads into the forest with his ‘taming whistle’ to ward off beasts, he is immediately attacked by a beast. Hansel was given a ‘taming whistle,’ but is unable to tame the beast because he has not been taught how to blow it.

In a tight spot, the witch Dicey (played by Shu Itsuki / Taiki Yamazaki) appears.

Dicey plays a beautiful tune and tames the beast in the blink of an eye. The beautiful sound and the kindness shown by Dicey captivated Hansel as if “time had stopped.”

Hansel is fascinated Dicey and asks to be his apprentice. Even though Dicey refuses, saying, “You are not a witch to begin with,” Hansel—with all his strength—pushes his way into Dicey’s house. Thus, Hansel became Dicey’s helper.

Just when it seems that they are living in peace, something strange begins to happen to Dicey. It appears that the ‘secret’ that the witches possess is affecting them. Once the ‘secret’ is revealed, their relationship begins to change.

A suspicious figure watches over Dicey. Lao (played by Tsumugi Aoba / Hiromu Kudo) calls himself “a strange person who likes to take walks,” but what exactly is his true identity and purpose...

Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 is based on the Grimms’ fairy tale Hansel and Gretel and begins with a new story involving the strange encounter between a witch and children. Please enjoy the ‘miracle’ they create in the theater☆

Cast Comments:

Dicey (Shu Itsuki) played by Taiki Yamazaki

I thought that this work, Dramatica ACT 4, which was challenged under a new organization, was a result of fearless triar and error. Although this work is derived from Ensemble Stars!!, I think it has been completed as a single story, and I feel that we are getting closer to the real ‘Dramatica’ one step at a time. I would be happy if you could come visit the theater.

Hansel (Mika Kagehira) played by Hiroki Ino

First of all, I am happy to be involved in Enstars!! once again. I would like to take on the baton firmly and pass it on to the next in hopes that the series of works that have been performed and weaved will continue to be loved for many years to come! The result is a typical fun and pop-like work of Dramatica. I know this is personal... But I am sure I’ll be able to show you a side of myself that can only be seen in this work.... (Laughs). Everyone in this company is looking forward to your sweets.... No, or rather, your ‘visit’!

Gretel (Nazuna Nito) played by Natsuki Osaki

Since it was my first time to join Dramatica, I was quite nervous until rehearsals started, but I read the script, shared lines with everyone, and had a lot of fun being engaged during the rehearsals. This is Gretel, not played by Natsuki Osaki, but played by Nazuna Nito. I would like to bring you the fresh ideas born out of our imagination during rehearsals!!

Lao (Tsumugi Aoba) played by Hiromu Kudo

This will be Tsumugi's first time participating in Dramatica troupe, and I am very much looking forward to playing him as completely different from the Tsumugi Aoba in Enstage, which I did in the past! This work is based on ‘Hansel and Gretel,’ a fantasy filled with a human touch. I look forward to working with Tsumugi to figure out how to portray this original role of Lao. I will do my best to convey a wonderful work and show you a new side of Tsumugi Aoba. Please look forward to it!

Patty (Wataru Hibiki) played by Kazuma Yasui

I am truly grateful that this theatrical company Dramatica has continued to ACT 4 and that I am still able to play the role of Wataru Hibiki! ACT 1, 2, 3 each had their own unique color, and we will bring you another unique color this time as well! Please enjoy the newly directed and powered-up Dramatica by Ikkei-kun, who plays the role of Hokuto!

Ark (Hokuto Hidaka) played by Ikkei Yamamoto

Finally! Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 / Witch and Gingerbread House has begun! A new fairy tale story based on Hansel and Gretel. The entire company has been working hard during rehearsals to create a work that will remain in everyone's hearts. In this work, the characters of Enstars!!, each played by a different person, faced their own thoughts and worries about their roles, and the answers to their worries are found in this work. I hope that you will remember each and every one of them in your hearts. I would like to deliver this production without missing a single person until the final performance, so we appreciate your support until the very end!