#stede and izzy can fight a la nutcracker vs rat king

[bird-divorce]

@ghostalservice at first i thought they were star crossed toys on opposite sides of the antique shop (inspo including the baron and baroness from whisper of the heart and also the elf queen and dwarf king from the clock in whisper of the heart). also i was thinking of the nutcracker story. but then i thought about it more and given that i'd just been thinking about borrower ed recently, that just felt right.

there are other borrowers but in this neighborhood ed is all alone in the world and then he explores an antique shop one night and there's a beautiful doll and he sneaks in every night when the shop is closed to stare at him.

for your consideration from chitty chitty bang bang:

What do you see You people gazing at me You see a doll on a music box That's wound by a key How can you tell I'm under a spell I'm waiting for love's first kiss You cannot see How much I long to be free Turning around on this music box That's wound by a key Yearning Yearning While I'm turning around and around

which i rediscovered thru trying to find a clip of the clock story in whisper of the heart and found this.

the original music tho is very good so be sure to listen to that as well for the insane romanticness of the violins.

anyway, one night stede comes to life due to idk, love's first kiss, a blue fairy, the big power of ed's small and lonely heart idk!

and then they go on adventures in the antique shop and out in the wide garden beyond. and they are so so small the whole time.

jsyk guys borrower ed is in love with music box doll stede.