#she saves the beast - she saves the nutcracker

[imagineagreatadventure]

sometimes i think i should write an essay about why the nutcracker and beauty and the beast tales are the ones that stick to me the most esp. in my early childhood but then i decide to not do that

[melishade]

what if Optimus appeared during Willy’s declaration of war and saw the start the battle of libreio which side will he help?

I am sorry this took so long to respond. I’ve been working on other projects. But I gotta say this is a really interesting ask. Because it’s an alliance with Marley with much more drama and stakes.

So Optimus gets dropped immediately after Eren kills Willy, but he’s still a great distance away from the actual fight in Liberio. But he hears screaming and panic, and from a distance, he sees Eren’s titan form skewered high in the sky. He immediately transforms and drives towards the danger. He sees the humans are in danger. There are dead humans everywhere. And Optimus is devastated that he can’t do much to protect them now. But he sees carts of military units getting bombed and immediately tries to act. Optimus sees the two gate guards trying to tell Gabi to run. Optimus sees Sasha ready to gun them down, and Optimus immediately transforms and shields them from the attack.

Sasha is immediately unnerved and calls to her comrades to run to the battlefield and warn the others, but she and Connie still hastily set up the lights so they can have an escape plan. Meanwhile, Gabi and the other two are stunned at the sight as Optimus sits up fully and asks if they are alright. They are all in shock at the fact that Optimus can speak so clearly, and Gabi almost mistaken him for Reiner, but Optimus doesn’t notice and just asks what’s going on. One of the guards explains that the devils of Paradis have attacked and are killing civilians. They point to where the battle is taking place and Optimus tells them to get to safety before transforming and driving towards the battlefield. Gabi uses this opportunity to run after him, causing the guards to follow and try and get her.

When Optimus approaches he’s stunned. He sees humans flying around like spidermen. He sees Pieck, Porco, and Zeke on the offensive. He sees Eren holding a human encased in crystals. He can’t tell who the enemy is. There was so much happening. He hear Magath barking out orders. He’s trying to figure it out, he can’t make the wrong mistake. But suddenly, everyone is met with the sight of an explosion. Armin has activated the powers of the Colossal Titan and took out the port. Optimus sees the Cart incapacities and the Beast getting taken out, and Eren is ready to use Porco as a nutcracker to kill Lara. That’s when Optimus decides to act.

Now because Optimus doesn’t have the full context of the situation and he and Eren are not allies, Optimus shoots off Eren’s arm, forcing him to drop Porco and Lara. And because energon is toxic to humans, Eren is screaming out in agony, causing everyone to cover their ears in pain, including Optimus. Mikasa cuts Eren out, but she’s mortified to see his right arm starting to decay. She quickly cuts off what remains to save Eren’s life and the Survey Corps are forced to retreat in a hurry, without securing the War Hammer.

Optimus is mortified at what he’s done. He didn’t realize he harmed a human. He sees the blimp and aims his blaster at it, but he can’t will himself to shoot and let’s them flee, something that Armin himself notices as he helps an injured and crying Eren. Optimus is then met with hostile Marleyans who are aiming their weapons at him out of fear. Porco is too weak to do anything, and Reiner is still out of commission. Optimus raised his servos in surrender, but Gabi ends up arriving and coming to Optimus’ aid, saying he just saved her life. Optimus then hears crying under the rubble and sees a child pinned by gravel. He ignores the weapons aimed at him and immediately digs him out, noticing the armband on his sleeve. Optimus begs the others to help him dig out survivors. They are all stunned as Optimus continues to work, but Magath tells the others to dig and fast.

Meanwhile, the Survey Corps still have Zeke, but Eren can’t regenerate his arm and he’s still in pain. And they all can’t help but be terrified. Their chances at survival had just significantly decreased.

So some notes for this timeline (I don’t have a name yet):

-Optimus is immediately imprisoned by Lara after he aids in helping the humans out of the rubble. The Marleyans can’t trust this new Titan, they don’t know what he is. The news headline does include him and how he saved the War Hammer Titan, but they don’t include how he did it. Because Magath and Pieck realize that Optimus has the power to not just kill the titans in one shot, but also has the ability to stop regeneration. What happens after the Founding Titan is eliminated? Would Optimus turn on them?

-Optimus did help reduce the causality count through his efforts. And he does let himself be imprisoned and chooses not to break out. However he still notices that something is wrong. The snide remarks directed at him, calling him a devil. The armbands on some of the humans, the language. He knew that something was wrong. He hasn’t received the full context of the situation and is concerned.

-The Survey Corps and the island are terrified of this new Titan. Eren is treated for his wounds but he is still thrown into prison for his inaction. And because of his failure to capture the War Hammer Titan, he doesn’t get the same amount of support from the public as he would have. They still took out the port but Marley appeared to have two new titans. And because of Eren’s injury, the calls for Eren being transferred over to another grows stronger. Zeke is still imprisoned in the forest, and he’s worried at Eren and his plan.

-Lara does come to Optimus and apologize for imprisoning him, but she thanks him for saving her life.

-Armin still doesn’t know what to make of Optimus’ hesitance to shoot them down. He knows he had the power to. Why did Optimus choose not to?

-Megatron still gets shot through the groundbridge in the Purpose OVA and actually ends up being an ally to the island when he realizes that Optimus is here but he’s clearly being deceived or having information withheld from him.

-Also, Sasha is still alive because of Optimus’ actions, but Gabi and Falco don’t go to the island. Also Reiner is so confused as to what’s going on when he recovers.

[shinyzango]

Ok OP, tell me all about your OCs. Those little dudes running in your head/( positive joking)

*crashes through the window*

YES HELLO I WILL TALK ABOUT MY BABIES NOW--

(apologies for taking this long lots has happened in these days)

Most of my OCs exist within their own universe, so I'll try to group them up. Also some images are just sketch as I don't have any recent drawing of them in color. Something I need to fix soon...

ANYWAYS LET'S GO.

~-~{}~-~

🐲 KEHO

A strong, stoic wanderer with an ancient blood coursing through his veins, commonly known as Dragon Blood, that causes the host to constantly fight against the powerful instincts of a dragon from feeding on their emotions and overtake them. Normally cold and easily irritable, but will show signs of affections after digging deep in his hard shell. Keho was exhiled from his home village when he was little after succombing to his Blood and destroyed half the village as a result of seeing his whole family murdered by a hunter. Since that day, he has lived on his own and away from society in fear of being rejected again or hunted down. This fear eventually turned in coldness and mistrust towards anyone and anything. That is until one day he saves an elven sorceress from a dangerous beast and escorts her through the area, eventually warming up to her and deciding to join her in her travels.

🧙‍♀️ ZANGO MAJICANA

An optimistic, cheerful elven sorceress traveling the world on a journey for knowledge of myths, legends and any forms of magic. Easily excitable by new things and always seeing the bright side of everything. She was born in a renowed village of magic-users, and started her journey at a young age as part of her studies. Great mastery over elemental magic. She's also trying to learn potion brewing, but she's not too skilled with it. Zango always had a great fascination over myths and legends, loving to learn about forgotten stories and mythical things inhabiting the world. One day she ventured in an unfamiliar area after being tricked by a false map and is saved from a dangerous beast by a stranger. She asks if he can escort her out of the area. In that time she tries to talk with him with little result, but eventually she manages to get through his hard shell, and eventually he decides to join her in her travels.

--- As time goes on, Zango and Keho grow closer, leading to Keho opening up about his past and himself for the first time since his exhile, and Zango wanting to learn more about the Dragon Blood in order to help him find a way to control it better.

~-~{}~-~

🎶 TEMPO

Carefree and charismatic, Tempo is a young man wandering the world in a quest to discover all kinds and forms of music. Innate talent with music, he's capable of learning any instrument or dance incredibly fast. He always carries his backpack, carrying his trustworthy staff, a couple instruments to play on the fly and even a formal attire for special events or for the occasional dance session.

~-~{}~-~

💂‍♂️ HANS DROSSELMEYER

A shy, yet gold-hearted young man cursed into a Nutcracker Doll and needing to journey through his homeworld to break the curse. Skilled clockmaker, he's now forced to fight for his life and protect his companion against the mice. He's very nervous and insecure about his own capabilities, but he still holds a strong sense of justice, always ready to help those in need.

🧵 CLARA STAHLBAUM

A kind young woman who has been shrunk in size by the Mouse King and now has to journey through the Nutcracker Doll's homeworld to help him break their curses. Training in ice skating and practical in sewing thanks to her hobby of fixing dolls, she tries her best to be of help to her companion despite not having means to defend herself early on. Compassionate and gentle at heart, she always prefers trying to find peaceful solutions by talking things down instead of resorting to drastic actions.

--- You can learn more about Hans and Clara, as well as the other characters in their story, by checking the #TheLastNutcracker tag!

~-~{}~-~

🐱 RENKA

Fearful, extremely shy cat girl who's been living with a human after being rescued from a life of starvation and slavery. She belongs to a seemingly extinct species of feline-human hybrids. Having grown as a slave and being treated like an animal her entire life, she is greatly scared of anyone getting close to her aside from her rescuer and his friends.

💉 MELONY

A serious medic who owns a clinic in a small country town. She happily attends to all the townfolks, making sure everyone is healthy. While doing so, she is also secretely developing a formula able to fully heal and reinvigorate anyone with little to no side effects. She's content of her calm life until an outsider arrives at her clinic requesting medical attention. Her life becomes more chaotic the more visits she receives from this mercenary, especially after he brings her a cat person on the brink of death by starvation, agreeing to help her learn about her species.

~-~{}~-~

And that's p much it! Most of them are greatly summarized to not go too in details, while others I've not yet developed their character and/or story too much. Despite that however, I still love each one of them very dearly 💝

[hasquetzorkukudoneanythingwrong]

Mictlanmas: Saving Christmas.

Mari, Kuku and Ququ, along with a nutcracker Cerejeira, were facing down who seemed to be the Maya hero twins. The twins wielded a magic ball that somehow allowed them to just teleport anyone who's hit by it.

“There's no use trying to avoid what's coming.” Said Xbalanque.

“But please try! Makes it all the more fun.” Added in Hunahpu.

And as one of the gods sent the ball towards the group, a wall of fire raised up in-between them all. Actually forcing the ball to blast back towards the twin who threw it.

“What the hell?!” Xbalanque exclaimed.

“Where'd this come from?!” Mari asked.

Then suddenly a huge dog jumped to the group's side.

“Hey guys!” Xolotl said.

“Tia Xolotl!?” Mari yelled

“Xolo!” Ququ said.

“Let's get out of here!” Xolotl said as she picked up Mari, and the others hopped on.

Xolotl ran off away from the twins.

“Dammit dog! Get back here!” One of them yelled.

The group eventually stopped and sat

down by a large tree.

“Xolotl! When's you get here?!” Kuku asked.

“Sorry, I came in late. I just happened to see what was happening as I joined.” She explained.

“Well it's nice to have someone else on board!” Ququ said.

“Where's Rex and Quetzal tho? I was told they were here too.” Xolotl questioned.

“Mama went off to search the area, but Papa was like teleported or something by those two bastards!” Mari said.

“Aye no!” Xolotl yelled out. “Well since Quetzal hasn't shown up yet, maybe they got to her too.”

“I do not like that possibility.” Mari said.

Then suddenly the earth around them started shaking.

“Oh great! What's that?!” Ququ asked.

Walking through the snow, a giant reindeer looking monster stomped towards the group. Riding atop the beast, was Molay in her own Santa gear.

“There you are! I've been looking for you!” Molay said to Maria.

“Oh yeah, figured you'd show up eventually.” Mari answered back.

“GIVE ME BACK MY DAMN BODY!” Cerejeira yelled out to Molay.

“No can do, little one. I need a good reindeer and your body is doing the perfect job!” Molay responds to the angry nutcracker. “Now then! I'll be taking my rightful place as Santa now!”

“Not happening!” Mari said.

As she said that, Kuku flew towards the beast and sent it flying, also causing Molay to fall onto the ground. Mari then came flying towards Molay with her hammer. Molay just barely dodged it, before whipping out a candy-cane sword!

“Why do you even want to be Santa?” Mari asked.

“So I could spread the gift of my God to anyone and everyone!” Molay said back.

“That's a terrible reason!” Mari said.

“Well why do you want to?!” Molay questioned.

“Because I wanted to prove I could do it like my mother did!” Mari answered.

“....ah, that's actually a much better reason.” Molay said before being immediately smacked by the hammer.

“Ok… I give.” Molay said from the ground.

As that happened, the eldritch reindeer was sent flying back to the area by Kuku, which was then recieved by Ququ, knocking it into the ground.

“Can I get my body back!?” Cerejeira asked.

“Oh! I got this!” Xolotl said.

Suddenly Xolo's eyes glowed blue, and she plunged her hand into the monster's body and pulled out it's body, dismissing it. She then pulled Cere's out of the nutcracker and back into her own body.

Afterwards, Cerejeira turned back to normal.

“Yes! And it's freezing!” She said once in her body again.

Mari pulled a coat out of her Santa sack and draped it over Cerejeira. “There we go.”

“Thank you.” Cere said to Mari.

Then suddenly they heard a “There you are!” From the distance.

The twins had caught up to them. Already they sent their ball flying towards them. It misses the main group, but hits Molay, then bounces to hit Cerejeira. But on it's way back to them, someone acted.

“Not this time!” Xolotl jumped while transformed in her dog form, and caught the ball in her mouth.

“Hey! Give that ba-” but before Hunahpu could finish, his head is slammed by Mari's hammer. Followed by Kuku blasting Xbalanque sky-high. After both hit the ground, Ququmatz grabbed them both. “Now let's have some fun!” She said, with the signature Quetzalcoatl smile. And while holding them, she flew up into the air and blew them both up.

The two fall to the ground, now scorched and knocked out.

“phew! That takes care of them.” Mari said.

Then flapping is heard in the air. The twins are suddenly warped away, and a new being enters the scene. Camazotz finally comes to Santa, after having caused this huge snowy singularity.

“Yoooouuuu. Santaaaa!” He said as he saw Mari. “Finally with your defeat, I will have ruined Christmas for everyone!” He exclaims as he laughs. But then suddenly he falls unconscious and slams onto the ground.

“w-what happened?” Mari asked.

“He outlasted his usefulness.” an unseen voice said.

“is that who I think it is?” Mari questioned.

“you're quite perceptive, aren't you?” Nexoxcho said as she comes out of the shadows, holding the grail.

Hope you guys liked this chapter. Sorry it's so damn late, but finally feeling better from being sick for a while. The final chapter should be out very soon after this!

[thmgau]

CHAPTER 8 - A TALE AS OLD AS TIME [wattpad link]

---

Thursday evenings were always the most fun.. for Juniper & Kalani, anyway. They were at rehearsal. The two of them had always enjoyed acting, & for their university’s cut of Beauty & The Beast, they had roped in the other 3 to join them as well. Since Cherry, Nora, & Leslie had nothing better to do with their time, they agreed.

To the group’s surprise, Leslie had been casted as Belle, the main character. & even more to their surprise, the person who was playing The Beast was Natalie.

Everyone sat in the seats in the theater as Leslie & Natalie were rehearsing a scene. It was the scene where Belle was patching up The Beast after the wolf attack.

“I still can’t believe that kid who stole the book is here, of all people,” Cherry whispered to her friends. “Natalie’s not so bad!” Kalani whispered back. “I mean.. yea, she did steal the book, & she did declare a rivalry between us, but she did help us out with the... banana thing. Give her some slack.”

Cherry rolled their eyes. “Whatever. She literally uses a kid’s toy as a weapon.” “If it works, it works.”

The group looked back up at the stage. They might as well be watching what was happening for their cues. Not like the rest of them had any big parts anyway; they were just in the ensemble.

Despite not doing it very often, Leslie was a fairly good actor. Either that, or they just fit this one specific role perfectly. Leslie pretended to dab at a fake wound on Natalie’s arm.

“By the way..” Leslie said, reciting its lines. “Thank you for saving my life.” “You’re welcome,” Natalie responded.

It was just a line in the play, but the way Leslie had said its thanks made it sound convincing. Maybe it was the fact that Natalie did, in fact, basically save their life.

The actors for Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, & Cogsworth stood around the corner on the stage.

“Well, that’s more like it! I knew they could get along if they tried.” “So, the ice is broken... at last.” “& not a moment too soon! The rose is losing petals at an alarming rate!”

“I still think I should have been cast as that gay little candle.” Kalani whispered. “Kalani!!”

-

Nighttime was approaching, & so was the end of rehearsal.

“Alright!” Allie (the director) clapped her hands twice. “Good work today, everyone! See you all next week!”

The group gathered their things & started heading out of the theater.

“Whew! I am exhausted!” “Speak for yourself! I read, like, three whole lines today!”

Leslie yawned, stretching their arms. “Who knew being a main character was so tiring?” “Remember back in high school where I was The Nutcracker during.. well, The Nutcracker? I don’t think I could walk straight for a week after that.” “& when I was Peter Pan! Being dangled over a stage is not fun, I’ll tell you that.” “It was like that one Spongebob image.” “Point is, Les, being a main character can be difficult, but it is absolutely worth it. You did great today, & I’m sure you’ll do even better on stage.” “Really?” “Of course!”

As the group got out into the parking lot, they noticed none other than The Auctioneer, leaning against a streetlight with some papers in his hand. Any good mood that the group was in immediately evaporated.

“Is that-” Kalani whispered. “The guy from the Subway? I think so,” Nora whispered back.

The Auctioneer noticed the group & perked their head up, waving at the 5 of them. Groaning, the group approached him because they had nothing better to do right now.

“Hello!” The Auctioneer grinned. “Oh, how wonderful it is to see you all again!” “Yea, yea, cut to the chase. What do you want?”

The Auctioneer passed out the papers to the group. “I’m hosting an auction this Saturday! I’d be truly honored to have you 5 there!”

The group looked at the papers they had been given. It was the same lavender color as the business cards they were given the day before, & it had a purple border. There was some text on it, but they didn’t bother to read it, because they weren’t going to the auction anyway.

“We already told you, dude,” Cherry sighed. “We’re college kids. We don’t have money to bid on things.” “But.. here's the best part: You don’t have to bid on anything!” “We.. don’t?” “No! You can simply just... observe! That’s what I did when I was younger.” “Uh... we’ll think about it.”

“You’ll think about it!” The Auctioneer exclaimed. “That’s better than a flat-out rejection! I’ll take it! I’ll see you folks this weekend!”

With that, The Auctioneer skipped away with glee. The group turned to look at each other.

“We’re not actually gonna think about it, right?” “Of course not. We’re not going.” “But you know where we ARE going? Home.” “You’re right. Let’s get home. I’m exhausted.” “Alright! Back to the dorm room!”

[justrandomselfships]

ouuouhhh I wanna do fairy for the asks but I know it's unrealistic to ask 'all of your f/os. all of them' WJDHSBSJ what about fairy for ryoma, kirumi, gundham, lisa & kaeya? (or just whichever ones you have answers for. not trying to exhaust you lmao)

Hey, I'm insane so I probably could do all of them... If I knew enough fairy tales :( I'd add a few- but I really don't know much of them.

🧚Fairy Type🧚: If you had to pick a fairy tale to describe your relationship, what one would you pick? Why?

Ryoma: Okay hear me out, Snow white. It's kind of an odd choice for Ryoma- but I just feel like (with him as a hunter and there being no prince in the story) it could describe it better than most stories I came up with. Maybe nutcracker could be okay? But my gut says that it is not that weird if you think about it.

Kirumi: Cinderella. I don't have a lot of tales that fit mine and Kirumi's relationship, but falling in love without knowing too much about her was kind of how it went for me. Danganronpa spoilers: and then she disappeared and died :')

Gundham: Beauty and the beast was my first thought. But there might be something better... I suppose his actual curse is that he often plays the loner act when he actually wants to be social- just doesn't really know how (like the scene where Kazuichi invited Hajime to hang out and ignored Gundham in the conversation).

Lisa: SLEEPING BEAUTY. I just think this title is not only her description- but also while she would be the princess in the story she actually saved me more than I her.

Kaeya: If you asked me this a few months ago I'd say Rapunzel, but right now I feel like the story of Aladin and magic lamp is much better fit for my ship with him. Since our relationship (in general not romantic) was at first based on lies (on both parts).

[inevitably-johnlocked]

hello! i hope you have a happy holidays!! just a question: do you know any good crossover fics? :0 thanks so much! 🥰

Hi Nonny!! 

Thank you! My holiday season was great <3 Sorry for the delay on the reply, but your ask was a great one because I’ve wanted to do an update list to my “movies and books” list, so I’m updating it to just “crossovers” because I have more to add and that makes me happy!! 

This list ended up getting split across two asks, so for this one, this list is all my bookmarked fics. A part 1.5 with my MFL’s is coming shortly with another ask, and I ask y’all hold off to add your own suggestions to that list instead, please :) Thank you!

CROSSOVERS and FUSIONS (Feb 2021) Pt. 1

See Also:

Fairy Tales and Fantasy

TV, Movies, and Books AU (Fantasy Pt. 2)

Wonderful Life AU

Sherlock / Hannibal Crossovers?

Science Fiction / Fantasy

Faes / Faeries

Disney-esque Fics

Moulin Rouge AU

Crossovers & Fusions Pt.1.5 [MFLs]

It's After That Hurts by jonnyluvssherlock (T, 2,791 w., 1 Ch. || City of Angels AU || Fantasy, Fallen Angel Sherlock, Soldier John, Pining Sherlock, Friends to Lovers, Permanently Incomplete Fic) – Sherlock's an angel stuck as a guardian to danger addict John Watson. Everything is fine until he gets too involved. Now he has to make the choice, eternity alone or one life time with a man who may or may not love him.

Caffeine and Adaptive Programming by DemonicSymphony (E, 5,540 w., 1 Ch. || Androids AU / Bond Fusion || Android Sherlock, Coffee Shop AU, Pining John Hinted Bond / Q, Toplock) – Sherlock is a coffee shop android slowly falling for a regular customer. But he's not supposed to be able to feel emotions.

Captain John Watson, Genetics, and Other Crazy Things by cyerus (M, 5,581 w., 1 Ch. || Torchwood Crossover ||  Humour / Crack, Jealous Sherlock, Sexual Magnet John, Captain John, UST / RST, Three Continents Watson) – The explanation for John "Three Continents" Watson? Jack Harkness is his father. Sherlock doesn't know whether he's going to die from jealousy or sexual frustration first.

The Frost Child by twistedthicket1 (M, 9,994 w., 2 Ch. || Frozen-ish AU || Magical Realism, Christmas, Angst, Fluff, Powerful John) – In a world where people are born with a Gift of varying levels, simple John Watson is the last person one might look at when thinking of any strong Magick capabilities. Hiding comfortably in the shadow of Sherlock's brilliant deducing abilities, John is content to keep it that way...

London Gods by a_different_equation (E, 11,092 w., 5 Ch. || American Gods Fusion || Magical Realism, Sex Magic, True Love, PTSD John, First Kiss/Time, Marathon Sex, Sensuality, Genie Sherlock, Human John, Internalized Homophobia, Star-Crossed Lovers, Soul Mates) – Sherlock Holmes is a jinn who does not grant wishes. However, when Dr. John H. Watson, recently returned from the war in Afghanistan, gets into his cab by "accident", it might not even need magic to grant both men their deepest wish: love.

Equilibrium by augustbird (M, 12,351 w., 1 Ch. || Flowers for Algernon Fusion || Jealous then Worried Sherlock, Sick John) – At Baskerville, John is infected by a virus that turns him into a genius. But when the infection progresses into neurodegeneration, it's a race against time to save himself.

The Nutcracker by Odamaki (T, 13,758 w., 7 Ch. || Nutcracker AU ||  Christmas, Dark Magic, Dolls) – Sherlock is unimpressed with Uncle Rudy's present. A doll? What does he want with a doll?

Wonderful, Etcetera. by VictoryCandescence (T, 16,955 w., 3 Ch. || Wonderful Life AU || Alternate Timelines, Brotherhood, Homophobia, Suicidal Ideations, Mentions of Drug Use, Friendship, Different TRF, Sherlock’s Past, Victor Trevor is Past Boyfriend, Depression, Hallucination, Love Confessions, Christmas, First Kiss) – Sherlock thinks everyone would be better off if he had never existed, including and especially himself. When he finds himself in a world in which his wish has been granted, he begins to think perhaps even he could be wrong – but it takes an unlikely chaperone to make him not only observe, but understand.

Uncharted Territory by J_Baillier (T, 19,603 w., 4 Ch. || Dystopian Future / Black Mirror AU || Alternate First Meeting, Angst, Drama, Homophobia, Bisexuality, Technology, Humour, Romance, Near Future, Happy Ending) – The System puts people through a series of assigned relationships in order to determine who their Perfect Match is. John believes that it works; Sherlock really, really doesn't. One of them is probably going to be wrong.

Once Upon a Beast Becoming by antietamfalls (T, 24,042 w., 6 Ch. || Beauty and the Beast AU || Magical Realism, Folklore, Celtic Mythology) – An act of pride, a druid’s curse, an enchanted leaf; Sherlock’s torment has lasted an age. Hope arrives in the form of one John Watson, a man uniquely suited to break the spell. But with a single night to win his affections, Sherlock finds his carefully laid plans disrupted by a monstrous killer whose sights are set on the only thing he has left to lose: John.

Classified(s) by blueink3 (E, 36,153 w., 4 Ch. || Wedding Date AU || Fake Relationship, Jealous, PIning, H/C, Idiots in Love, Happy Ending, Mary is not Nice, Escort Service) – Clara's American father is the ambassador to some such territory that Great Britain probably used to own, but she (and Harry’s undying love for her) is the reason John is getting on a flight at 12:30pm, flying across the second largest ocean in the world, and pretending to be in a perfectly happy, healthy relationship with an undoubtedly perfectly coiffed stranger. See, Clara is not only American (and wealthy to boot), she's also best friends with John’s ex-fiancée. Whom she's placed in the wedding party. As Maid of Honor. And John just happens to be Best Man. Bloody brilliant.

The Boy Who Drank Stars by kinklock (E, 36,157 w., 4 Ch. || Howl’s Moving Castle AU || Witches and Wizards, Slow Burn, Magic, Jealous John, Happy Ending, Bed Sharing) – “I’m looking for a castle,” John informed the scarecrow. “A moving one.”Except that, as it turned out, it was not a moving one at all.

we have never seen a greater day than this by Lediona (T, 36,420 w., 7 Ch. || A Royal Night Out AU || WWII / VE Day, Prince Sherlock, Soldier John, Alternating POV, First Kiss, Bittersweet Ending, Homophobia, Dancing) – Peace. At long last. It’s VE Day and Prince William desires to join the celebrations. It is a night of excitement, danger and the first flutters of romance.

Malediction by MapleleafCameo (M, 36,680 w., 11 Ch. || Ladyhawke AU || Magical Realism, Romance, Curses, Eventual Happy Ending) – Cursed to a half-life, John and Sherlock must fight the forces of evil to be reunited once again.

Only To Be With You by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John (M, 40,768 w., 4 Ch. || Black Mirror / Future AU || Character Death, Future Technology, Sickness/Cancer/Illness, Heavy Angst with Happy Ending, First Person POV John, Pining John, Heart-Wrenching Angst) – I tell myself that next time I’ll come near this same place again. Wait around for the mysterious stranger in his coat to dash past me, hot on the heels of a new criminal in black. I think this all the way back to my Exit, planning where I’ll wait and what I’ll say when I see him. Scheming on how to get his name. It’s only once I reach the Exit Point door that I realize two hours and forty-five minutes have passed, and I realize that this won’t be the last time I Visit. It won’t be the last time at all.

The Curious Adventure of the Drs. Watson by ShinySherlock (M, 40,883 w., 14 Ch. || BBC & ACD Fusion || Victorianlock, Time Travel / Magical Realism, Friends to Lovers, Love and Kissing, Romance, Body Swap) – What if ACD Watson and BBC Watson switched places...  “Imposter!” Hands clenching the lapels of John’s coat, Holmes shoved him anew. “Yes!” John agreed, nodding, and then grimacing. “Sort of!”

The Soul Remembers by i_ship_an_armada (E, 43,636 w., 10 Ch. || Oblivion AU || Post-Apocalypse, Movie Fusion, Science Fiction, Action/Adventure, Angst, Dreams, Bittersweet Ending) – John Watson is the lone security repairman stationed on a desolate, nearly-ruined future Earth. His dreams are plagued by a tall, dark-haired man, and when his dreams meet reality, he will be forced to question everything he believes is the truth about his life.

Anchor Point by trickybonmot (E, 49,856 w., 80 Ch. || Truman Show AU || Psychological Drama, Suspense, Slow Burn, Dark Characters / Fic, Alternating First/Third Person, Protective John, Anxious/Worried Sherlock, Tender Moments, Love Confessions, Hand/Blow Jobs, Cuddling, Jealous John, First Kiss/Time) – The world tunes in nightly for Sherlock, the ultimate in reality TV: Sherlock Holmes, a real person with a legendary name, unknowingly lives out his life in a staged setting contrived by his brother. Things get complicated when a retired army doctor joins the show to play the part of Sherlock's closest friend. This fic borrows its concept from the 1998 film, the Truman Show. However, you don't need to have any knowledge of the movie to enjoy this story.

Coventry by standbygo (E, 52,020 w., 26 Ch. || Dollhouse AU || Case Fic, Slow Burn, Sci-Fi / Fantasy, First Kiss / Time, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, BAMF John, Falling in Love) – “Let me get this straight,” John said, wondering when his life had become a science fiction film. “Some guy orders up a personality, a person, to his specifications, and they program this into a real live person, who has consented to do this, and she goes to this person and acts as his wife, or lawyer, or Royal Marine, or Navy Seal or what have you, and she has all the skills, all the knowledge, everything? Then you say the magic words, and she follows you back to The House, and they erase it all until her next appointment?”

floating through a dark blue sky by Lediona (M, 58,966 w., 15 Ch. || Notting Hill AU || POV John, Celebrity Sherlock, First Date / Time / Kiss, Past Drug Addiction, Angst with a Happy Ending) – Of course, I’d seen his films and always thought he was, well, brilliant -- but, you know, a million miles from the world I live in. Or, when John is the owner of a travel book shop and the famous Sherlock Holmes stops in one day.

Perdition's Flames by i_ship_an_armada (E, 63,435 w., 21 Ch. || Treklock AU, Est. Rel, Genetic Engineering, Angst & Fluff, BAMF!John) – Sherlock would do anything to save him. Risk anything. Give anything. His money, his life. His soul. What he does, though, is change both of their destinies forever. Genetic re-engineering is the only option left. It turns out researchers underestimated the life expectancy and potential abilities of genetically re-engineered subjects. The British government and what would eventually become the United Federation of Planets, however, had not. Part 1 of PF Universe

This Thing All Things Devours by cypress_tree (E, 63,844 w., 15 Ch. || In Time AU || Science Fiction, Dystopian Universe, First Meetings, Action / Adventure, Romance) – In 2169, time is money—literally. Humans are genetically engineered to stop aging at 25, when the numbers on their arm start counting down from one year. When that time is up, they die. The only way to get more time is to earn it, borrow it, or steal it.John Watson lives day-to-day in the crowded slums of Zone 13. He never imagined living any differently—until he meets the practically-immortal Sherlock, and helps him on a case to track a local time-thief...

Being John Watson-ish by elwinglyre (E, 69,902 w., 17 Ch. || Bodysnatcher AU || Author John, Cranky Sherlock, Angst, Sexual Tension, First Kiss / Time, Falling in Love, BAMF John, Past Soldier John, Feelings, Inside Someone’s Brain, Shy Sherlock, Sherlock Loves John, POV Sherlock, Switchlock, Slow Burn, Internal Dialogue, Mental Turmoil) – When consulting detective Sherlock Holmes steps on one toe too many at a crime scene, he's consigned to a desk job in an archaic office on the seventh-and-a-half floor of the New Scotland Yard. It’s in this bleak office that Sherlock discovers a portal into the mind of renowned author John Watson. Grander than his mind palace, this new wonderland affords Sherlock new vistas of experimentation. To learn more about the mystery behind the portal, Sherlock seeks out and befriends Watson. But then it all goes wrong when others find the secret portal door—including the man whose brain he visits.

The Baker Street Nativity by SwissMiss (E, 99,662 w., 23 Ch. || Nativity! AU || Teacher Sherlock / TA John, Pining, Sherlock POV, UST, Angst, Christmas, Music/Song Fic, Anal / BJ’s, First Kiss / Time) – Fusion between Sherlock (BBC) and Nativity! (2009 movie starring Martin Freeman). Sherlock is a primary school teacher and John is assigned to be his classroom assistant. Together, they are charged with putting on the school's Nativity play. What could possibly go wrong? Part 1 of The Baker Street Nativity Verse

The Cost of a Wish by slashscribe (E, 102,493 w., 12 Ch. || xxxHolic Fusion || Spirits / Ghosts and Magic, Love Confessions, Slow Burn, Soul Mates / Fated Lovers, Adventure, Immortal Sherlock, Powerful John, POV John, Frottage, Wish Granting, Angst with Happy Ending, Nightmares) – John has been plagued by a secret his entire life that has made him feel hopeless until he meets a mysterious, seemingly omniscient man named Sherlock Holmes who owns a wish-granting shop. Their meeting sets off a series of inevitable events that will change the course of both of their lives forever.

The Swan Triad Series by Pennin_Ink (T, 121,660 w. across 3 works || Swan Lake AU || Magical / Fairy Tale AU, Romance, Falling in Love, Pining, Psychological Torture, Transformation) – Sherlock and John grow up spending every summer together. Their mothers' attempts to play matchmaker only fuel their mutual resentment and scorn. But then, one summer.

Colors by Quesarasara (E, 140,537 w., 17 Ch. || Pleasantville-Inspired AU || Soulmates, Colour Bonds, Alternating POV, Angst, Fluff, Pining, Case Fic, Medical Procedures) – Everyone on earth is born with eyes that see in black, white, and an endless series of greys. When you meet your soulmate, you finally see the world in color. We're all searching for the person who brings color to our lives. John and Sherlock are no exception. Part 1 of The Colors 'Verse

Mise en Place by azriona (M, 161,004 w., 28 Ch. || Restaurant (Kitchen Nightmares) AU || Sherlock is Gordon Ramsay / Celebrity Sherlock, Restauranteur John, Harry Plays Prominent Role, Alternating POV, Mutual Pining, Cranky Sherlock, Bed Sharing, Slow Burn) – John Watson had no intentions of taking over the family business, but when he returns from Afghanistan, battered and bruised, and discovers that his sister Harry has run their restaurant into the ground, he doesn't have much choice. There's only one thing that can save the Empire from closing for good – the celebrity star of the BBC series Restaurant Reconstructed, Chef Sherlock Holmes. Part 1 of Mise en Place

Proving A Point by elldotsee & J_Baillier (E, 186,270 w., 28 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Me Before You Fusion || Medical Realism, Insecure John, Depression, Romance, Angst, POV John, Sherlock Whump, Serious Illness, Doctor John, Injury Recovery, Assisted Suicide, Sherlock’s Violin, Awkward Sexual Situations, Alcoholism, Drugs, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn, Body Image, Friends to Lovers, Hurt / Comfort, Pain, Big Brother Mycroft, Intimacy, Anxiety, PTSD, Family Issues, Psychological Trauma, John Whump, Case Fics, Loneliness, Pain) – Invalided home from Afghanistan, running out of funds and convinced that his surgical career is over, John Watson accepts a mysterious job offer to provide care and companionship for a disabled person. Little does he know how much hangs in the balance of his performance as he settles into his new life at Musgrave Court. Part 1 of the Care And Companionship series

[littlemisssquiggles]

...So...about Lie Ren...

I never thought I would say this but…I want Lie Ren to be the one to save Oscar from Salem. 

At this point, given a bit of evidence from the last episode, I’d like to think that Ren may be the one person capable of doing this. The thing is, he’ll have to do it on his own and will be forced to leave Jaune and Yang behind to go off on his own. 

And not going to lie to you folks, I want Ren to abandon Yang and Jaune and go save Oscar by himself.

The show has already highlighted for me how much Jaune and Nora care about Oscar’s wellbeing. Nora was so relieved to see him return from the slums, that she was the first and only person to actually hug him when he arrived at the bar.

Mother-trucker, Jaune went to sleep still thinking about poor Oscar and worrying about his well-being, hitting my squiggly heart right in dat Shovel knight BROTP feels.

The only member of JNR who hasn’t proven how much he cares for Oscar is Ren. I’m not saying that Ren doesn’t care about Oscar. I’m just saying, there hasn’t been any major opportunity for him to display it like his other two comrades. Until…now.

Let me tell you why I think it’s perfectly possible for Ren to save Oscar. In the last episode, during the chase scene with George, I saw two pieces of evidence that highlighted Ren’s capability. Not only does his Tranquility semblance make him undetectable to the Grimm but as demonstrated in the last episode with George, his weapon upgrade enables him to latch onto any kind of flying Grimm and hitch a ride. 

We also saw that in the last episode, Ren felt the most bothered about being forced to rescue Yang and Jaune at the expense of losing Oscar. We even see his line of vision focus on Oscar during the chase. From this moment, I got the impression that Ren was more than determined to save Oscar.

They had ONE chance to save Oscar and it was all foiled because Ren had to save Yang and Jaune. So this gives me an idea.

We’ve seen huntsmen hitch a ride on a Grimm before---particularly a Nevermore in the past. We saw both Ruby Rose do this during the V4 Ruby Character Short and Maria Calavera during V6CH7.

That being said, imagine if…Ren decides to abandon Yang and Jaune at the outpost in the middle of the night and go off on a solo mission; making his sworn goal to bring Oscar back. We then fast forward to early morning after where Ren is standing on a lonely cliff now overlooking the giant Monstra hovering above the storm clouds. 

After traveling mostly on foot for most of the night, Ren’s next objective was to scope out a method of getting up to the flying whale, when he spots a flock of Grimm flying up into the storm. Perhaps they were Nevermore or more Kevins since they appear more common in Solitas.

This is when Ren gets the brainiac idea to use his weapon to hitch a ride on one of those Grimm, steering it in the direction he wants it to take him which is straight up to Monstra. And since his semblance makes him invisible to the Grimm, Ren is allowed to fly his captive Grimm exactly where he needed to go without the detection of other Grimm.

Once he’s landed safely inside of Monstra, Ren shoots the Grimm stead to kill it and quickly goes into stealth mode. Now in the belly of the beast, Ren uses his skills. Perhaps this may even force Ren to utilize the aspect of his semblance that’s been teased from the last season.

I’d imagine that the inside of Monstra will be like a labyrinth to anyone entering. So what if…because of his semblance, Ren is able to “lock on” to Oscar’s aura with enough concentration and focus. And it’s through this newfound ability that Ren is able to hone in and find Oscar easily.

And from here, this is where the main escape begins. But overall, Ren is able to save Oscar on his own and the two are able to return back safely to the others.

I know this is just me mainly speculating here. I’ve had many folks come to me with the assumption of Oscar either being saved by Neo or of his own fruition. 

And while both are good concepts, I think what this squiggly Pinehead wants to mainly see now hopefully is Ren being the one to save Oscar somehow.

After the negative way the show kind of painted him in the last episode, I want to see Ren do something absolutely amazing. 

Speaking of, it may rant a bit right here---I was actually bothered that the accredited writer for this last episode--- Eddy Rivas had Ren snap at Jaune by using the info of him “cheating his way into Beacon Academy”. Not only was this uncalled for but...correct me if I’m wrong but if I recall, wasn’t Jaune’s “secret” something only two people knew back at Beacon?

Jaune told this info to Pyrhha Nikos and then it was overheard by Cardin Winchester who had been eavesdropping on their conversation on the room and later Cardin used this info to blackmail Jaune into being his slave during the Jaundice three-parter.

As far as I’m aware, there was never any further confirmation that Jaune also entrusted this info to Ren and Nora. If this was retconned in any other form of RWBY canon media (like the novels or the DC comics) please let me know because otherwise...this is an error??

Ren was not the teammate of his team who Jaune told his secret to in confidence. That was Pyrhha. Sure I can make the innocent assumption that Jaune probably told this to Ren and Nora afterwards offscreen however...this secret was such a personal thing to him that I figured only Pyrhha and Cardin knew since they were the only two confirmed to know in the canon. Ren was never confirmed to know according to the canon but I guess Double D needed Ren to know this detail otherwise this moment wouldn’t have worked. But I dunno. It felt off to me (like many things about this episode but I digress.

Please, if Lie Ren is to do one redeemable badass thing for this season outside of “brooding” and “pushing everyone away” like Yang implied (the big hypocrite), then please let him be the one man army who single-handedly braved the storm and fought against all odds to rescue his youngest teammate and friend from the depths of Monstra and return them both safely home.

 If there is ONE person I want to see save Oscar now, it’s Ren. Let him do this noble thing and let him do it on his own.

I’m sorry. Call me nuttier than a nutcracker but at this point, Ren should honestly ditch Yang and Jaune and go off on his own to get Oscar. Nothing against Jaune and Yang is genuinely driving me up a wall right now with her characterization for this season but…I think what Ren will probably need to do right now is take a similar route as his female half---Nora.

In V8CH3, Nora said that she doesn’t know who she is without Ren. And it wouldn’t surprise me if Ren might feel the same way too. He’s never done anything on his own, outside of saving Nora back in Kunoyuri. 

And since that fateful night, he’s always had Nora by his side. And ultimately the two of them gained more friends to love and care about. But I think what Ren needs right now is to move like Nora. Do something that only he can do.

And I think at the moment, the only person who may have a sliver of a chance to help Oscar is Ren. Yang and Jaune will only keep him back, sadly to say. While I understand that it will be a suicide mission for Ren to go get Oscar back on his own without backup. But nevertheless, is it wrong of me to say I don’t care.

 I want to see this happen for Ren. I think proving himself and doing something noble on his own---something that he KNOWS he can do and manage successfully on his own without anyone holding him back or standing in his way to distract him from the main objective…I think that’s what Ren needs.

So many things have gone wrong for the teams. They need a win at the point and if Ren can provide that in the form of saving Oscar, it could work. But this is just me.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2020)

[bakersstreetirregulars]

Ovenbreak Season 6: LIVE!

💫 I- is everyone okay?

🕵️‍♂️ Everyone is okay and accounted for with the exception of Roguefort Cookie, who has escaped in the storm of jellies you created.

💫 O- oh…

☕️ As much as we all want Roguefort behind bars after this incident, you’re live on air.

💫 OH! Now that the update is now live, we can dive deeper into what we have! I’ll take this on by myself, Chestnut… I need to redeem myself after causing part of that mess.

🌰 Alright! I’ll be helping the others square everything else away. C’mon everyone, let’s her some space so she can focus on everything. She has a lot to unpack. Good luck! [Everyone is ushered out of the room except for Cream Puff]

💫 So much to talk about… where do I start??? We already covered Lilac Cookie in that other post… Ah! Right here.

Overall Cookie and Pet Level Changes

💫 First thing’s first. Everyone now has a maximum level of 15, regardless of rarity. Upgrades still require the same resources as before, and any Escape Points you get also remain the same for each upgrade. What’s changed because of that?

Cookie Trials: The maximum level cap has been updated to level 11 for everyone’s trial except for Gingerbrave’s trial

Magic Candy: Common and Rare Cookies can now create Magic Candies from level 3+ while Legendary Cookies can still create them at level 1

Cookie Cheer Squads: Levels were changed accordingly to the level update

Titles: All titles for Cookies can be collected by upgrading the corresponding Cookie to level 15

Affection: Affection points earned after leveling up a Cookie were adjusted

Mentor & Mentee: Loaned Cookies can be used at a maximum level of 11

The patch notes in-game have the listed resources required and Escape Points earned for upgrading Common, Rare, and Legendary Cookies before and after the update.

Balance Changes

Cookie and Pet skills will no longer activate once the run starts

Changed the overall balance of Cookies, Pets, Treasures, and Jellies on the map

Improved some features of Cookies, Pets, and Treasures

Some Treasures activated by touch or otherwise activated manually will now activate automatically (Nutcracker Mallet, Green Pea Slingshot, 1000% Juice, Melon Dynamite, Enchanted Broom)

Breakout

Escape from the Oven is now Special Episode 1 with 10 Cookies and it’s rewards rotated out to include the following:

Crystals

Dark Enchantress Cookie OR Eternal Eye of Darkness

Black Sugar Pirate Ship is now Special Episode 2 with its rewards of Coins and Legendary Pets (Dreamcatcher, Thundersnow Yeti, Ocean Dragon) and Cookie lineup of 3 Cookies retained from Spooky Spider Mansion.

Windcatcher has been added to the Breakout Shop.

Land’s End

Flowers of Spring and Fun-Filled Cookieland have been removed and replaced with the Crystal Pudding Cave and City of Wizards (yay!)

Some of the harder patterns in the Jungle of Beasts map were changed and it’s difficulty reduced to 2 stars

The Best Combi Leaderboard will be unavailable for a while with the two new maps being added

Cookie Trials

The level cap will be set to level 11 for everyone except for Gingerbrave

Rank scores and bonus missions were adjusted to account for balance changes

Leaderboards

Due to the addition of Invocation Cards, leaderboard scores for Cookie Trials, Trophy Race, and Breakout have been reset, including high scores and Best Combis

Scores from Cookie Trial Cups and Infinite Trials will not be reset

Dr. Wasabi’s Combi Generator will undergo an update while a score analysis of expected outcomes is being conducted, so scores given for Breakout and Trophy Race may seem off…

Cookie Cheer Squads

35 new Cheer Squads were added

Editor’s Note: Normally all of the new ones would be listed, but the app decided to refresh while Editor was referencing them, so all that progress was promptly lost. Not doing that again. That’s why you don’t let the app refresh or close without saving your work…

Other Related Info

The Enchanted Mirror treasure and Scorpion Cookie will arrive with the July 15th update. Yogurt Cream Cookie will be buffed on July 8th.

The distribution of Escape Points required to level up until Escape Level 18 has been adjusted (see the in-game patch notes), but the total amount of points required will stay the same

🌰 You’re doing great, Cream Puff, keep it up!

💫 Thank you! I’m trying my best! And now, the events:

Main Story Star Collection: Collect stars in Chapters 1-3 for Coins, Magic Powder, Crystals, Spirit Potions, and a Special Treasure Incantation!

Crystal Piggy Bank: Spend Crystals and buy packages to add more Crystals to the bank! Withdraw them after saving enough in one go to earn progress rewards! (6 💎 spent = 1 💎 deposited to a maximum of 100,000 spent, allowing up to 16,667 💎 withdrawn in total. 1 Package Point deposits 100 💎 to a maximum of 300 Package Points and 15,000 💎 withdrawn in total)

Invocation Card Readings: Complete tasks with Incantation Cards to progress through the readings and earn rewards to help start off your collection!

Deduction Race Reward Collection: Team Almond wins! Remember to collect your rewards before they’re gone!

Invocation Card Challenge: Borrow from a collection of 15 Invocation Cards that you don’t have and take them out for a test drive! Use cards that you have upgraded to aim for a high score!

Guild Run: Desert Bloom Season (We have yet to uncover the seasonal recipe!)

Cookie Run Kingdom Crossover: Complete stages in Story Mode for free decorations and Crystals in Kingdom! Make sure you have a DevPlay account connected to BOTH games to get the rewards!

Is that everything? I think that’s everything…! We’ll report back with more with each new update in the month. Until then, thank you all for staying tuned in and enjoy the trip back to Yogurca!

[thetimelordbatgirl]

Twisted Disney OCs

Description of Twisted Disney: Taking inspiration from Disney’s Twisted Tale Series, this is a similar series but with different twists that lead to present time with next gen aspects. 

List of Stories (so far): *Your Destiny Lies In Your Hands (Aladdin). *And At Last I See The Light (Tangled). *Silence Is The Most Powerful Scream (Little Mermaid). *Never Go Into The Woods (Beauty And The Beast). *I Wonder (Sleeping Beauty). *Second Star To The Right And Straight On Till Morning (Peter Pan). *I’m Late (Alice in Wonderland). *Sleeping Death (Snow White). *Chasing Stardust (Treasure Planet). *Reflection (Mulan). *Return To The Realms (Nutcracker and The Four Realms). *For The First Time In Forever (Frozen). *Welcome To My Wicked World (Descendants 3). *Zero To Hero (Hercules). *This Is Halloween (The Nightmare Before Christmas). *Dig A Little Deeper (The Princes and The Frog). *So This Is Love (Cinderella 3: A Twist In Time).

Summaries of Stories:

Your Destiny Lies In Your Hands: Twist: “What if Jafar had won?” Summary: “The day Jafar became Sultan of Agrabah was the day that Agrabah became the kingdom of darkness and nightmares as with a genie at his side, it’s impossible to fight against it.  But despite this, the resistance within the kingdom continues to fight, led by Aladdin and his son, Aziz, as they fight to take down Jafar and free their kingdom, with Aladdin and Aziz in particular hoping to free the sultanna, Jasmine, one of the resistance’s founders who years ago, had surrendered herself for their safety.  Unbeknownst to the resistance, Jasmine is planning her own plan against Jafar along with their daughter, Princess Alia, and with plans soon colliding, the fate of Agrabah hangs in the balance....”

And At Last I See The Light: Twist: “What if Gothel had won?” Summary: “Growing up, Hope has heard tales of a woman with hair that is longer then any rope made and can do magic of all things....but the tales always end sadly with her father, Flynn, losing his eyesight and the woman being taken away to parts unknown.  And....that’s all they were: tales with the same tragic ending.  Until now.  With the anniversary of the missing princess drawing near, Hope ventures out with Pascal and Max to find the princess and bring her home, to cure her father and finally, reunite the royal family of Corona....”

Silence Is The Most Powerful Scream: Twist: “What if Ariel lost to Ursula?” Summary: “Born as the princess of Atlantica, Ianthe grew up hearing tales of the land above and of a prince whose eyes used to be full of life...until the fateful day happened that resulted in the loss of King Triton and her mother, then-princess Ariel, returning home as a mute.  Obeying her mothers warnings about the land of above, Ianthe stays in the sea, trying to be the best princess she can be...until the day, she saves a drowning prince. Finding out what’s happening on the land above, Ianthe journey’s to the land above and with an ally in the form of Prince Dylan, Ianthe hopes to put a stop to a sea witches reign of terror once and for all....”

Never Go Into The Woods: Twist: “What if Belle succeeded in fleeing on the first night when Beast ordered her to get out?” Summary: “Born as the daughter of the towns book shop owner, Belle, Mireille is used to hearing stories that always at the end of the day, are just stories and are just made up.  But when hunters return to the village badly injured and babbling about a wild Beast that attacked them when they approached a castle in the woods, Mireille curioustly grows and increases at her mothers reaction and despite being aware of the risks that come with it. she journey’s into the woods along with childhood friend, Fitz, in some hope of finding what’s going on.  But she soon finds out why her mother warned to never go into the woods and just what hides within it....” 

I Wonder: Twist: “What if Sleeping Beauty never woke up?” Summary: “Dreams- Tana knows all about dreams as they something everyone have when they go to sleep and enter the dream realm.  But due to her mothers magic restrictions, Tana never gets to experience dreams, being told that if she goes to sleep, a witch named Aurora will get her revenge on her mother through her and despite wanting to experience dreams, Tana listens to her and never questions her mother, Maleficent.  However, when Tana starts to hear voices she doesn’t recognize and remembers things she doesn’t understand, she finds herself exploring a realm she never thought she would and in the process, finds out that her mother is not the person she thought she was....”

Second Star To The Right And Straight On Till Morning:  Twist: “What if Peter lost to Captain Hook?” Summary: “Wendy Darling. A name that to her family, is the name of a family member that went missing and was never found.  But to Neverland? It’s the name of their protector who rose in wake of Peter Pan’s death.  Still the age she was that fateful day, Wendy continues to protect Neverland from Captain Hook while sometimes visiting the world, but never London, only her lost girls understanding why she never visits London.  However, deciding to face the city of her former life, Wendy is met with the past in more then one way when she looks into a window, only to be met with a girl who shares more then the same name with her....”

I’m Late: Twist: “What if Alice didn’t escape Wonderland?” Summary: ””So, what did you see this time, Louise?” A cat who disappears with a grin left in their wake.  A never ending tea party. And a queen always screaming, “Off with her head!” They always the same dreams turned nightmares for Louise that always cause never ending headaches, but despite going to therapy constantly, Louise is still stuck with these visions and headaches, meaning the therapists office is like her second home.  However, when the visions slowly come to life and a rabbit with a watch appears in therapy, Louise soon finds out why she’s getting the visions and that it’s time to visit the place in her visions before its all lost....”

Sleeping Death: Twist: “What if the Prince fell asleep instead?” Summary: “The day Princess Snow White became queen was instantly a day of celebration with the fall of Queen Grimhilde and the dawn of a new age bringing originally hope to the kingdom that things will get better.  However, the new queen slowly changed over the years and soon enough, the kingdom was in ruins once more as the queen slowly became known for being obsessed with the same magic that corrupted Queen Grimhilde in her quest to wake a sleeping prince that may as well be dead after all these years.  With the kingdom in ruins and people slowly disappearing due to the queens magic experiments, Anastasia finds herself leaving her village on a quest to stop the queen once and for all and bring the kingdom back to its former glory....and hopefully, save her friend who had been among the disappeared people....”

Chasing Stardust: Twist: “What if Jim didn’t escape the treasure planet in time?” Summary: “Nova had never met her brother that her mother tells her about.  Because by the time Nova Hawkins was born, Jim Hawkins was long believed dead, having never returned from his journey to find the Treasure Planet, leaving many to believe he was dead along with the crew he had gone with....including Sarah in the end.  As a result, Nova grew up with tales of her troublemaking brother who meant well in the end and despite Sarah’s best attempts, Nova soon slowly turned out like her brother, trouble making habits and all.  However, after one troublemaking gone wrong on the anniversary her brother left home and never returned, a man with cyborg limbs suddenly crash-lands at their tavan and revealed the impossible: Jim is still alive.  Teaming up with the man, a captain and her mother’s friend, Nova finds herself journeying to the same planet her brother never came back from with one quest in mind: bring Jim Hawkins home finally” Quotev Link

Reflection: Twist: “What if Shang couldn’t spare Mulan?”  Summary: “In the nights of China, most people know better then to leave their homes as the risks were too high with the Hun’s guarding them always- but that was also the time shadows would strike the guards and kill them, leaving flowers in their wake, almost like a taunting message that Emperor Shan Yu was increasingly angry that he can’t figure them out.  That was how the shadows liked it- especially one of the shadows, named Shihong, who always told two proud spirits and a proud dragon of how close they were getting to the end of their plan.  Their plan? Take down Emperor Shan Yu and free China finally and....avenge her past life and her past life’s lover, Mulan and Shang....”

Return To The Realms: Twist: “What if Sugar Plum had succeeded?”  Summary: “”Mother, can you tell us about the realms again?” Once upon a time, there was four realms, all four living in peaceful harmony....until the day Sugar Plum sought to control it all and in the process, brought it to ruins, as the girl and boy that tried to stop her disappeared and never returned.... On Christmas Eve, Clara Stalhbaum is holding another famous party, continuing the tradition of her godfather as she tries to be happy despite what happened one Christmas Eve.  However, while playing their mothers party game, twins Vincent and Victoria suddenly find the party going sour when soldiers made of tin grab them and drag them to the realms they grew up hearing tales about, but they find out why they were grabbed the moment they taken to the queen known as Sugar Plum....”

For The First Time In Forever: Twist: “What if Anna and Elsa were split up as children?”  Summary: “Having spent most of her reign hiding her powers, Queen Elsa of Arendelle finds herself not only having problems with her son with his increasing ice problems, but also finds herself plagued by memories she can’t find a reason for why she’s remembering- these memories including always a girl happily asking her to do the magic, and the memories always ending badly with the girl getting hurt.  Finally, when the memories get too much, Elsa’s son, Prince Nicholas, decides to seek out help from trolls he found out about in a book, but when he does so, he finds out more then he thought he would about his family as family secrets finally emerge....”

Welcome To My Wicked World: Twist: “What if Mal had been evil the entire time?” Summary: “Auradon, the land of Goodness and Kindness...or so it had been. For now, it was the land of evil, under the rule of Queen Mal who had revealed her true colors once the barrier was down, taking over Auradon with the villains of the Isle on her side and soon enough, turning Auradon into a nightmare that everyone over time, became scared to fight back.  Or publicly at least.  For hidden within Auradon is a growing resistance and with the aid of allies in Auradon, their planned strike begins as its now or never to finally save the kingdom....”

Zero To Hero: Twist: “What if Hades had succeeded?” Summary: “After the Lord of the Dead and the titans take over Mount Olympus, the world is in chaos and the lord of the dead, Hades, loves it, as the titans keep the world in order and while briefly another threat rose to him, Hades had it taken care off....after all, no one will be able to stop him while he controls prophecies.  Except when his ‘loyal’ servant finds this thret, alive and well- Hades own daughter, Zasime.  Despite a curse restricting her powers, Zasime has to train and become a hero and defeat Hades...or he’ll destroy them and have control of the world forever...” 

This Is Halloween: Twist: “What if Oogie Boogie took over Halloween Town?” Summary: “Halloween. A holiday that used to stand for fun and candy and non-dangerous tricks. Nowadays, it has become a holiday of danger and the tricks are no longer fun. All because of the missing pumpkin king as the current ruler, Oogie Boogie, continues to ruin Halloween.  But when three human children find Jack that Halloween and are soon found by Sally and a Halloween town girl, Oogie Boogie’s Halloween reign may finally come to an end....hopefully at least, with Oogie Boogie after them in order to keep Halloween under his reign forever....”

Dig A Little Deeper: Twist: “What if Tiana didn’t kiss Naveen?” Summary: “If there’s one thing Louis takes to heart from his mother, its her one rule: Never go into the darkness of New Orleans...or risk ending up captured by spirits. Saving up money for him and his mother to be able to leave New Orleans, Louis is devoted to jobs he takes and therefore, has no time for fairytales....until the day his childhood friend, Margaret comes to him with tale about frogs oddly and why Voodoo Spirits haunt New Orleans.  With New Orleans ruler after them, the pair only have short time to stop the spirits, save a frog prince and stop Dr. Facilier once and for all....”

So This Is Love: Twist: “What if Cinderella didn’t escape the pumpkin?”  Summary: “The heir to her kingdom, Princess Kathleen finds herself betrothed to another prince in order to get a treaty with the other kingdom and despite her heart being set for someone else, she tries to obey this....until the day she finds a magic wand in her grandmother’s room.  After this day, she finds out secrets relating to Anastasia, her mother and the women she thought she was and with friends help, she sets to uncover these secrets in order to finally help her kingdom....”

Name: Aziz.  Relation (if any): Son of Aladdin and Jasmine. Story: Your Destiny Lies In Your Hands.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Booboo Stewart. 

Name: Alia.  Relation (if any): Daughter of Jasmine and Jafar.  Story: Your Destiny Lies In Your Hands.  Summary: TBA.  Voiceclaim: Naomi Scott. 

Name: Hope Fitzherbert.  Relation (if any): Adopted daughter of Eugune.  Story: And At Last I See The Light.  Summary: TBA.  Voiceclaim: Anna Cathcart (younger) and Sofia Carson (older).

Name: Ianthe.  Relation (if any): Daughter of Ariel.  Story: Silence Is The Most Powerful Scream.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: China Anne McClain. 

Name: Dylan. Relation (if any): Son of Eric and Vanessa/Ursula.  Story: Silence Is The Most Powerful Scream. Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Mitchell Hope. 

Name: Mireille.  Relation (if any): Daughter of Belle.  Story: Never Go Into The Woods.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Letitia Wright.

Name: Fitz. Relation (if any): Son of Gaston. Story: Never Go Into The Woods.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Josh Keaton. 

Name: Louis.  Relation (if any): Husband of Belle.  Story: Never Go Into The Woods.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: John Boyega. 

Name: Dawn/Tana.  Relation (if any): Daughter of Aurora and Phillip/Adopted daughter of Maleficent. Story: I Wonder.  Summary: TBA.  Voiceclaim: Sarah Jeffery. 

Name: Wendy Darling II.  Relation (if any): Great-niece of Wendy. Story: Second Star To The Right And Straight On Till Morning.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Anna Cathcart. 

Name(s): Penelope, Violet, Eva, Willow, Sophie and Maria.  Relation (if any): Wendy’s lost girls. Story: Second Star To The Right And Straight On Till Morning.  Summary(s): TBA.  Voiceclaim(s): Brenna D’Amico (Penelope), Kimiko Glenn (Violet), Hailee Steinfeld (Eva), Jadah Marie (Willow) and Kate Micucci (Sophie). 

Name: Louise Hill. Relation (if any): Reincarnation of Alice.  Story: I’m Late.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Abby Ryder Foster. 

Name: Anastasia.  Relation (if any): None. Story: Sleeping Death. Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Sofia Carson. 

Name: Petra.  Relation (if any): None. Story: Sleeping Death.  Summary: TBA.  Voiceclaim: Brenna D’Amico. 

Name: Nova Hawkins. Relation (if any): Jim’s younger sister. Story: Chasing Stardust.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Jenna Ortega.

Name: Alexandria Chestwood.  Relation (if any): None.  Story: Chasing Stardust.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Angelina Jolie. 

Name: Cheyanna Hillthorne.  Relation (if any): None. Story: Chasing Stardust.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Naomi Scott.

Name: Shihong.  Relation (if any): Reincarnation of Mulan.  Story: Reflection.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Diane Doan. 

Name: Lijuan.  Relation (if any): None. Story: Reflection. Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Chelsea Zhang. 

Name: Daiyu.  Relation (if any): None.  Story: Reflection.  Summary: TBA.  Voiceclaim: Lilan Bowden. 

Name: Vincent Stahlbaum.  Relation (if any): Son of Clara and Phillip. Story: Return To The Realms. Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Issac Ryan Brown. 

Name: Victoria Stalhbaum.  Relation (if any): Daughter of Clara and Phillip.  Story: Return To The Realms.  Summary: TBA.  Voiceclaim: Navia Robinson. 

Name: Nicholas.  Relation (if any): Son of Elsa.  Story: For The First Time In Forever.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Mitchell Hope. 

Name: Eira.  Relation (if any): Child raised by the Trolls.  Story: For The First Time In Forever.  Summary: TBA.  Voiceclaim: Sarah Jeffery.

Name: Brooke Hook.  Relation (if any): Daughter of Uma and Harry.  Story: Welcome To My Wicked World.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Letitia Wright.

Name: Gemini Legume.  Relation (if any): Child of Gil.  Story: Welcome To My Wicked World.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Amanda Joy Michalka. 

Name: Andrea Rose.  Relation (if any): Daughter of Audrey. Story: Welcome To My Wicked World. Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Jenna Ortega. 

Name: Balthazar Mercier.  Relation (if any): Son of Ben and Mal.  Story: Welcome To My Wicked World. Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: David Henrie. 

Name: Zasime.  Relation (if any): Daughter of Hades.  Story: Zero To Hero.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Sofia Wylie. 

Name: Myrine.  Relation (if any): None. Story: Zero To Hero. Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Auli’i Cravalho. 

Name: Wednesday Skeleton.  Relation (if any): None.  Story: This Is Halloween.  Summary: TBA.  Voiceclaim: Chloe Grace Mortez.

Name: Jason Ronald.  Relation (if any): None.  Story: This Is Halloween.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Booboo Stewart. 

Name: Normen Ronald.  Relation (if any): None. Story: This Is Halloween.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Isaak Presley. 

Name: Luna Ronald.  Relation (if any): None. Story: This Is Halloween. Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Jenna Ortega. 

Name: Louis.  Relation (if any): Son of Tiana.  Story: Dig A Little Deeper.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: John Boyega.

Name: Margaret.  Relation (if any): Daughter of Charlotte and ‘Naveen’/Lawerence.  Story: Dig A Little Deeper.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Daisy Ridley. 

Name: Kathleen.  Relation (if any): Daughter of Prince Charming and ‘Cinderella’/Anastasia.  Story: So This Is Love.  Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Sofia Carson.

Name: Carlo. Relation (if any): None. Story: So This Is Love. Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Mitchell Hope. 

Name: Kaida.  Relation (if any): None.  Story: So This Is Love. Summary: TBA. Voiceclaim: Sarah Jeffery. 

Name: Albert.  Relation (if any): None. Story: So This Is Love.  Summary: TBA.  Voiceclaim: Booboo Stewart. 

[doppel-drop-distance]

4, 15, 19!

4: Who has your favorite magical girl design?

I went over some of my favorite magical girl designs in Magia Record in this post, but if we’re asking my favorite in the whole franchise, then, oh gosh...

I’m going to narrow this down into the two iterations of the franchise I’ve actually invested in, since I don’t think it’d be fair to judge designs from spinoffs and such that I haven’t read.

PMMM: This is a toughie because I think all of the designs in the original series are pretty solid, but Madoka’s is just so freaking cute you guys. I know I typically get attached to the fancy, thematic ones, but Madoka’s ribbons, puffy skirt, little ribbon shoes, the ruffles...Even her Grief Seed is cute, it’s got a little ribbon! Madoka just radiates magical girl and I love it.

Magia Record: Sana Futaba’s! I won’t go too crazy with this since I already talked about it in the last post but just know I love the contrasts and the themes. I think it’s the best design out of the main cast, but that’s just my personal opinion ^^

15. How would you have reacted to finding the truth about Soul Gems and Witches?

Assuming this is in the context of being a magical girl, pretty badly my dude. I’d already be having five anxiety attacks about the idea of fighting eldritch beasts from beyond and now you’re telling me it’s basically inevitable that I’ll become one of those things if I don’t just get an arrow to the Soul Gem first? I’d totally flip out. Probably cry. Need some hugs maybe. It’d be a disaster.

If I had some buddies to get me through the initial terror, I’d still be pretty on edge, and 100% more paranoid about the state of my Soul Gem. But in that scenario at least there would be fellow magical friends to help me through it.

19: How do you feel about the Holy Quintet’s Witch form designs?

This question was MADE for me. But to save you all the headache of reading a novel-length ramble, I’ll try to sum up my thoughts concisely:

Candeloro: I love that she’s just...tiny? I think she’s one of the smallest Witches in the franchise, actually. Fitting, since I believe she’s meant to look like a dress-up doll. Also, her cute little tea party Barrier is very nice.

Ophelia: The patterns on this design are especially nice to look at it, and I love that she’s just..her heAD IS A CANDLE. I honestly wish we got to see this Witch (and Candeloro’s) in more spinoffs and things...

Oktavia von Seckendorff: She’s a warrior mermaid! That’s so cool! If there’s anything I love the most about Oktavia, it’s her connections to the Little Mermaid. Plus the musical theme to her Barrier is great. I still listen to that theme while I work.

Homulily: Which one? Regarding the one in Rebellion, there’s so much in her design, from the red spider lilies to the Nutcracker connotations in her design and I love it all. But if we’re talking about mortal-world Witch Homulily (the one in the Portable game), man I’d just love to know more about her. That Homura is pre-Rebellion, so...what would her familiars be like? What about her Barrier? You only see her in the Game Over screen of Homura’s bad ending...I want to know more :(

Kriemhild Gretchen: I know so little about this Kriemhild Gretchen and that’s what scares me. You don’t get to see a lot of her beyond the fact that she’s huge. I remember reading a comment that says that Madoka’s Doppel is so big that all you can see in the animation is her core, the Soul Gem - and idk if that’s true, but regardless it has some terrifying implications. She scares me.

[iheartgod175]

Another Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight Post...

So, after months of playing ReLIVE (and pouring probably over $100 into it), I’ve decided to come back and make a follow up post to it. 

I’ve obtained many, MANY 4 star Stage Girls over the course of several months. So far, I’ve completed the Three Musketeer set and the Ghost Patrol set after I obtained Ghost Patrol Captain Ichie and Musketeer Aramis Juuna, the latter of which was my DREAM card. I also got a few event cards on my first pull in certain gachas (Apollo Karen in the Starry Diamond gacha, and Amaterasu Maya in the Season Gacha) and a few cards in an unrelated gacha (I got Tsukihime Claudine in the Super Brilliance Fest that recently passed, and got Susanowo Maya today through the Pollux gacha). I even got a Seasonal Stage Girl (Santa Mahiru) through the Hatsumode gacha. The one card I really want to have is Saber Karen (King Arthur Karen), but every pull I’ve done for her has turned up bad, or I get other 4 star girls. Sigh. I will get her eventually...

After playing this game, I’ve decided that my best girls are Maya and Juuna. I’m leaning more towards Maya as my overall favorite, though. Akira is my favorite Siegfeld girl (though Shiori and Mei Fan are also good), Misora is my favorite Frontier girl, and I’m leaning towards Rui as my favorite Rinmeikan girl (though Fumi also ranks pretty high).

As for the worst girls (and per the same for Love Live, I don’t hate them, just that they’re the least favorite/interesting for me), I’m kinda leaning towards having Aruru and Yuyuko as my least favorite. I do like Yuyuko, and she’s a beast when you train her properly. But I guess out of the Rinmeikan girls, I prefer the other four (especially Rui and Fumi). As for Aruru, her character’s kinda weak; I want to like her, but she doesn’t have the same charm as the other Stage Girls in the game. Hopefully, the rest of the game will help me warm up to her character because I actually like her fighting style. I really want her Pirate Captain card to complete the pirate set. 

I’ve actually warmed up to Karen, Hikari, and Shizuha a lot. These three were kinda low in my favorites list, but recent events have had me appreciate these characters. Two of my strongest cards are Karen cards (Initial and Apollo) and Hikari is a BEAST. 

I realized that I have a LOT of initial cards that I need to train up to 6 stars. I’ve been so focused on my 4 stars that I completely neglected the initial 2 stars.I’m kinda working through them slowly, namely by working on the Frontier girls. Save for Aruru, I haven’t really used them in a real Revue. And since a lot of them are Snow and Wind element, I need to build them up alongside my 4 star Stage Girls. 

I realize that I have a bit of a Claudine blessing. I have almost all of her cards (save for Nutcracker and Dracula), and sometimes, she shows up out of nowhere in an unrelated gacha. I do like Claudine, though, but it’s very, VERY puzzling. 

[darkspellmaster]

So About The Nutcracker...

It’s an interesting thing that I’ve come across recently. Since the release of the Nutcracker and the four realms there’s been talk about how you can’t change the story, or that the story that get’s changed doesn’t feel like the nutcracker. 

And oddly I think I’ve found something that could blow that idea out of the water. 

See in Chicago the Joffrey Ballet puts on a version of the Nutcracker every year, and, since it’s inception back in the 1950s it has put on a version of the classic piece by the original creator of the Ballet company Robert Joffrey. However back in 2016 the story was over hauled by writer  Brian Selznick (”The Inventions of Hugo Cabert -aka the book that became the movie that became Hugo) and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. 

This is important because I’ve read reviews saying that if the story of the Nutcracker doesn’t tell exactly as the original then it’s not the Nutcracker. But I beg to differ. 

In this case the story follows Marie, no rich girl living in Victorian England, rather she’s a immigrant in 1892 who’s mother is the sculptor of the Golden Lady Columbia, that premiered at the World’s Columbia Exhibition of 1893. Our lead Marie is dealing with a younger brother Franz who has taken to run around with the street ragamuffins of Chicago of the 1880s, who are busy pilfering tools from the construction site. 

Marie isn’t your innocent little girl who is dealing with her younger brother the same way that Clara is in the normal ballet, rather she’s trying to help her mother make ends meet. See her mother is a widow, who seems to be in love with the Impresario, the man in charge of everything that is going on at the fair. He’s the one paying all the workers who are living in, what is essentially, Chicago’s tenement area as they work on the construction of the buildings that will later house some of the wonders of the modern world. 

Marie has to struggle to get food for her family and is dealing with trying to control her brother so that he doesn’t end up being turned into the sort of boy that get’s arrested by the cops. She and her family, and the local families come together on Christmas eve night to celebrate, as their house is the largest, and we see the Impresario come in with his assistant Peter who brings the wonder of the fair to the people by putting on a shadow puppet show. 

No rich fancy tree, no expensive gifts per-say, just the wonder of his imagination, as he goes about selling the idea of how amazing the fair will be once their hard work is done. 

What’s interesting too is that rather than have the villain Rat King just be there, this Rat King actually stems from a friend of the family. The Rat catcher is a slightly sinister man in look, a tall hunched over older man with ratty hair and a limp. However, while he can come off as mean and gives scowls to the boys for screwing around with his bag of dead rats, he comes to the party and shows that he actually is a caring person that seems to be worried about the kids getting into trouble in the work area, and shows a slight interest in Marie’s Mom who respects him as a friend. And the mice, save for Marie’s dream, are all rats that scurry about the stage as puppets or little control car rats. 

The Nutcracker while showing up as a nutcracker,

 also is Peter in Marie’s dream and the two go on a tour of the Colombian Exhibition. 

Instead of the land of sweets, we get the Worlds fair where we see people from all over (and a highly diverse cast as well) coming to see the attractions. Spain is the Conquistadors representing the historical building that was set out in the world pavilion area.

 Arabia is the Moroccan Palace in this case and two excellent dancers by the way. China is not tea, but rather the China pavilion that covered it’s history and show cased dancing and festivals at the Fair, 

while Marzipan is replaced with Venetian Carnival costumes and regalia for Italy. 

The biggest change though is the Russian dance which becomes the Wild Bill Hickok Wild West Show. Having the performer do tricks with a Lasso along with ballet, and three saloon girls that get in on the act. Not to mention the implication that Mother Ginger in this case probably was intended to be the Cracker Jack boy, which premiered at the Worlds Fair in 1893. 

The waltz of the flowers becomes the riders of the Ferris wheel, and the biggest departure is that you no longer have the Sugar Plum Fairy, but Marie’s mother’s statue of Lady Columbia come to life as her mother dressed in Gold. 

The story focuses on Marie trying to not only deal with her own feelings for Peter, but also wanting her mother and the Impresario to get together, and by the end it leaves an interesting open ending where you can only guess what happens during Christmas breakfast. 

The thing is that while the music is there, the interpretation is wildly different. The basic ideas are in place, Nutcracker, the mouse King, going on a dream trip, but everything about it has been flipped on hit’s head. Godfather isn’t involved it’s the guy building the Fair, her dad is dead, she’s poor, her family is dealing with a lot of different issues and you don’t have the fancy things you traditionally see in the telling of this story. 

Same can be said for the movie. While there are differences, the underlying story is there and shows the growth of the character of Clara as she deals with her own issues related to losing her mother and being different. Her over all journey is the same, she travels through the world with the Nutcracker and sees amazing sights and deals with the Rat King and everything. The pieces are there but the assembly is a bit different. 

This is why I’m curious as to why people dislike this film so much. Deviations from the source material have been going on for decades. From Dumas rewriting the story for the French, to the ballet being a fanfic of the original story, to movies that have long been made of the story. It’s perplexing to me how this one get’s attacked, while others don’t. 

Which brings me to another small point, I don’t think Ballet works well on the Big Screen, or at least the way movies are made. Ballet and plays if they’re filmed as such need to be before an audience and, straight up, if you’re going to film a ballet, you may as well do it during the staging of one, as they do with Operas. It only works when you can see the performers reaction to the audience’s reaction. 

If you take old Hollywood musicals you’ll notice that a good portion of them are dancing, but typically most of these tend to be set up in a way that would only work with the camera, and also you can do multiple takes as it’s a song and dance number. Ballet is a very different beast that it’s hard to replicate on film without having sections that, like musicals, are talking and just the drama of the story. 

So hearing people in reviews say that the Nutcracker should have been more like the Ballet makes me think that a lot of people haven’t really watched a big screen musical in a while. The filming of it would be so very different than what they’re used to in regard to a ballet, that even if they did do the whole thing as a Ballet, you still would have people complaining about it. 

[upontheshelfreviews]

Just for shits and giggles, here’s an out of context list summarizing my movie reviews:

The Secret of Kells - Shelf steals a joke from senpai and regrets it forever.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen - Shelf writes a novel-length essay on a movie nobody’s ever heard of.

Wreck It Ralph - Shelf has a ball coming up with video game references.

The Nightmare Before Christmas - Shelf gushes over Danny Elfman for twenty minutes.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Shelf defends what Tolkienites refer to as Peter Jackson’s The Phantom Menace.

Rise of the Guardians - Shelf’s holiday calendar gets jumbled not for the last time.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Shelf introduces a recurring character that nobody likes.

Beauty and the Beast - Shelf gushes over Howard Ashman and Glen Keane for twenty minutes.

Darby O’Gill and the Little People - Shelf prays she doesn’t offend the Irish and scoffs at a banshee.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad - Shelf confronts a childhood terror in the form of a decapitated equestrian.

Spirited Away - Shelf gushes over Hayao Miyazaki for twenty minutes.

The Sound of Music - Shelf does not count nazis among her favorite things.

Zootopia - Shelf tackles colorfully animated racism and misogyny allegories and correctly predicts the dangers of putting a wealthy orangutan in power.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - Shelf bemoans the loss of the candy man and postulates on how he made the world taste good.

The Adventures of Robin Hood - Shelf climbs out of a politically induced depression with the help of the second-greatest sword fight of all time.

The Wizard of Oz - Shelf pontificates the nature of villainy as portrayed by a former kindergarten teacher turned actress without making a single Wicked reference.

Peter Pan - Shelf shouts atop a soapbox about race portrayals from a bygone era and censorship for far longer than anyone cares for.

Singing in the Rain - Shelf presents a rare if somewhat skewed glimpse into the rivalry between Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire.

Clash of the Titans - Shelf defends owl droids and admires Harry Hamlin’s pectorals.

Much Ado About Nothing - Shelf dissects the world’s oldest romcom and defends(?) Keanu Reeves.

Moana - Shelf gushes over Lin Manuel Miranda for twenty minutes.

The Prince of Egypt - Shelf gushes over hand drawn animation for twenty minutes.

Muppet Treasure Island - Shelf eschews the opinions of former oppressors and declares her love for the second-greatest Muppet movie (and also Tim Curry).

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone - Shelf defends Chris Columbus and waits in vain for her letter to Hogwarts.

Fun and Fancy Free - Shelf champions Ludwig von Drake over Edgar Bergen but thanks him for influencing the Muppets regardless.

Pippi Longstocking - Shelf offers an alternative psychological dive into the mind of Sweden’s most iconic literary heroine.

An American Tail - Shelf gushes over Don Bluth (and Dom DeLuise) for twenty minutes.

The Music Man - Shelf comes to the horrible realization that a childhood favorite predated a wealthy orangutan’s salesman techniques.

The Black Cauldron, Pt. 1 - Shelf delves into the making of a black sheep and torpedoes the “What Walt Would Have Wanted” argument.

The Black Cauldron, Pt. 2 - Shelf reviews the damn movie already and traumatizes a running gag turned recurring character in the process.

A Night at the Opera - Shelf gushes over the Marx Brothers for twenty minutes.

The Nutcracker Prince - Shelf cracks open a moldy old holiday chestnut but saves the best for last.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Shelf goes too deep into the behind the scenes stories of the world’s “first” animated movie.

Pinocchio - Shelf alienates a lot of people by introducing religious allegories to a puppet and cricket.

Fantasia - Shelf took way too long to write this one and it fucking shows.

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure - Shelf tries to make up for missing too many deadlines by overanalyzing Robbi Rob’s greatest hits.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Shelf defends what Tolkienites refer to as Peter Jackson’s The Clone Wars but gets triggered by the Wilhelm scream. (Coming June 1st)

[theteaisaddictive]

fluffy fic asks—adam & belle & 23!! yes!!!

i’m guessing this is for the holidays ask and not the domesticity meme, so that’s what you’re getting (bullet point/mini paragraph style)

one fucking miserable november day during the curse belle finds this old nutcracker in an out-of-the way corner of the library. it’s a little busted – the hinge on it’s jaw has popped, the legs are snapped off just below the jointed knees, and the whole doll could do with a lick of paint or five. 

she’s been missing working with her hands since arriving there, and she wants to give the beast a christmas gift anyway, so she sets up in a little workshop area and starts working on the doll

now this doll isn’t like other nutcracker dolls she’s seen – it’s not in a soldier’s uniform, but a dark fir-green jacket with little white dots, a floofy white wig, and weird, out-of-place blue and gold face paint. the paint is so busted that belle can only just tell the original colours, and so she decides to repaint the guy since she’s putting in all this work anyway

disaster strikes when she tries to mend the jaw – old doll’s wig comes fluttering straight off, leaving a well-defined hairline behind, and after belle spends ten minutes fretting about it, resolves to paint some hair on as well

the beast doesn’t notice how much time belle is spending suspiciously alone only because he’s also trying to make her a christmas gift – to find a copy of the book she left at home the day she went to save maurice somewhere in his library. he knows he has it somewhere

so belle has stripped the wood and whittled it into an appropriate shape (her least favourite part of music box-making, but it has to be done) and attached all the screws, and is now starting to paint it

when suddenly, half-finished and all, the nutcracker prince (and he is a prince, belle realises) comes to life in her two hands

“what the fuck,” belle says

“we really don’t have time for that right now,” the prince says, before grabbing her hand (wait since when was his hand big enough to hold hers? belle wonders) and running along the table and into the winter woods

a bunch of men and their rat-like hounds are chasing them and the prince, still made of wood, gets bitten in the shoulder trying to protect her. belle chucks her hammer at one of their heads and the hunters run off into the forest. she helps the prince to stand, and they walk to a nearby castle

being born considerably before yesterday, belle quickly realises that the prince is like, the owner of the castle. while he recuperates, the prince’s servants give her food and drink – tea, coffee, chocolate, and peppermint, except the food she isn’t eating is alive, and also dancing for her

it’s a bit of a trip, but somehow belle accepts it as completely normal

they offer her some marzipan which she declines (belle has always, always hated marzipan, no matter how pretty the mice look dancing around her toes), and then some gingerbread, which she accepts. the biggest piece is shaped like a teapot, with all the smaller ones decorated like teacups. 

the prince wakes up as a bed of roses bloom around them like an arbor, and they bicker in a playful yet familiar manner before he shushes her, pointing to a beautiful woman dressed in white. she dances individually, and then with a man in gold.

“they look so happy, and yet so sad,” belle says. “i wonder why?”

“you still haven’t figured it out?” the nutcracker asks. 

his eyes are awfully blue.

and then somehow they’re dancing as well, and belle is wearing a flowing yellow dress, and it’s – well, it’s rather nice, that’s all, to be dancing with a handsome prince

“i’m sorry,” she says after minutes (hours? days?) of dancing, “but i can’t. the beast –”

the nutcracker looks sad. “belle,” he says. “belle”

“belle!”

belle’s eyes open in a flurry of movement. nutcracker, sweets, and palace all melt away. instead, the beast is gently shaking her shoulder, his eyes paradoxically brighter than normal in the dim light

“belle, it’s past midnight. please, go to a better bed then this,” he chuckles.

“alright, alright,” belle says, listening with satisfaction to her neck and back popping as she stretches. “i’m going.”

it’s curious, she thinks as she pulls on her nightdress. she remembers reading a story about a nutcracker, but in that version the prince was in reality as well as the dream. 

she dismisses it as an oddity and blows out her candle for the night

after all, it was just a dream

[pinkpossibly]

🎄 PinkPossibly’s Christmas Movie Master Post!! 🎄

It’s that time of year again friends and that means a movie master post!!! Again, these links are totally safe as I use them myself. Make sure to always click out of pops up right away if any pop up!!

12 Tiny Christmas Tales A Charlie Brown Christmas A Chipmunk Christmas A Christmas Carol (Disney 2009) A Christmas Story (Hannah Barbera) A Christmas Story (Live Action) A Claymation Christmas Celebration  A Disney Christmas Gift  A Family Circus Christmas A Flintstone Christmas A Flintstone Family Christmas A Flintstone Christmas Carol A Garfield Christmas Special A Miser Brother’s Christmas A Muppet Family Christmas (1987) A Pink Christmas A Scooby Doo Christmas A Very Fairy Christmas Ahhh! Real Monsters! - Monsters Dont Dance/Gone Shopping Adventure Time - Holly Jolly Secrets Part 1/ Holly Jolly Secrets Part 2 A Sonic the Hedgehog Christmas Blast Alien’s First Christmas All Grown Up - The Finster Who Stole Christmas An All Dogs Christmas Carol Angela Anaconda - Secret Santa Anamaniacs: Wakko’s Wish Arthur’s Perfect Christmas As Told By Ginger - An Even Steven Holiday Special BC: A Christmas Special Barbar and Father Christmas Baby Looney Tunes- Christmas in July Bah Humduck!: A Looney Tunes Christmas Barbie in a Christmas Carol Barbie in the Nutcracker Barbie: A Perfect Christmas Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas Bob and Margaret: A Very Fishy Christmas Bob’s Burgers -  God Rest Ye Merry Gentle-Mannequins Bob’s Burgers - Christmas in the Car Bob’s Burgers - Father of the Bob Bob’s Burgers - Nice-Capades Bob’s Burgers - Last Gingerbread House on the Left Brandy and Mr. Whiskers - On Whiskers On Lola On Meryl On Cheryl Bugs Bunny Christmas Tales The Cabbage Patch Kid’s First Christmas Camp Lazlo- Kamp Kringle Casper’s First Christmas Casper’s Haunted Christmas Catdog - A Very Catdog Christmas Chalkzone - When Santas Collide Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales Chowder - Hey Hey It’s Knishmas! Christmas Comes to Pacland Christmas with the Kranks Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas Danny Phantom - The Fright Before Christmas Daria - Depth Takes a Holiday Doug - Doug’s Secret Christmas Donkey’s Christmas Shrektacular Donner Ed Edd N Eddy - Falalala Ed Elf Felix the Cat Saves Christmas Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends - A Lost Claus Fred Claus Frosty Returns Frosty the Snowman Frosty’s Winter Wonderland Goof Troop Christmas Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer  Hey Arnold - Arnold’s Christmas Holly Hobbie and Friend: Christmas Wishes House of Mouse: Clarabelle’s Christmas List How the Grinch Stole Christmas How the Grinch Stole Christmas (live action) I Am Weasel - Happy Baboon Holidays I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas It’s a Very Merry Muppets Christmas It’s Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown Jack Frost Johnny Bravo- Twas the Night Johnny Test - A Holly Johnny Christmas Kim Possible- A Very Possible Christmas Lilo and Stitch The Series- Topper Love Actually Madeline’s Christmas Mickey’s Christmas Carol Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Alpha’s Magical Christmas Miracle on 34th Street Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol National Lampoons Christmas Vacation Nester, The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey Olive, The Other Reindeer Phineas and Ferb - Christmas Vacation Pingu - Pingu’s Family Celebrates Christmas Pinky and the Brain- A Pinky and the Brain Christmas Pinocchio’s Christmas Pippi Longstocking - Pippi’s Christmas Prep and Landing Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street Regular Show - The Christmas Special Rocket Power- A Rocket X-Mas Rocko’s Modern Life - Rocko’s Christmas Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Rudolph’s Shiny New Year Rugrats- The Santa Experience Santa Claus is Coming to Town Scooby Doo Haunted Holidays Scooby Doo Winter Wonder Dog Scooby Doo 13 Spooky Tales: Holiday Chills and Thrills Shaun the Sheep- We Wish Ewe a Merry Christmas Shrek the Halls The Smurfs- Baby’s First Christmas Spongebob Squarepants- The Christmas Who The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius - Holly Jolly Jimmy The Berenstain Bear’s Christmas Tree The Muppets - The Christmas Toy The Fairly Odd Parents - Christmas Everyday The Fat Albert Christmas Special The Flintstones- Christmas Flintstone The Forgotten Toys Series The Forgotten Toys Movie The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy- Billy and Mandy Save Christmas The Penguins of Madagascar in a Christmas Caper The Muppets Christmas Carol The New Super Mario Bros- The Night Before Cave Christmas The Nightmare Before Christmas The Oz Kids- Christmas in Oz The Polar Express The Santa Claus The Santa Claus 2 The Santa Claus 3: The Escape Claus The Simpsons- The Gift of the Magi The Simpsons- Skinner’s Sense of Snow The Simpsons- She of Little Faith The Simpsons- Tis’ the 15 Season The Simpsons- Simpson Christmas Stories The Simpsons- Marge May Not Be Proud The Simpsons- Miracle on Evergreen Terrace The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol The Wild Thornberrys- Have Yourself a Thornberry Little Christmas The Year Without a Santa Claus Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale Tom and Jerry: Santa’s Little Helpers Totally Spies- Evil GLADIS Much? Twas the Night Before Christmas We Bare Bears- Christmas Parties Yogi Bear’s All-Star Comedy Christmas Yogi’s First Christmas