#does Elphaba really knows how much she changed Fiyero?

[notkorolrezni]

If Elphaba says in No Good Deed “And however they tried to destroy him/Let him never die/Let him never die” does that mean that Fiyero is inmortal?? What will happen to him when everyone he knows is dead? Will he wonder alone as a scarecrow for all eternity?

Because yeah it’s pretty dangerous if he’s next to fire because he can burn quickly but what happens to him in those moments? Does his soul wander around trying to find straw or how does that work? Because he can’t die, Elphaba made sure of that in her spell. But he’s still alive, because nothing can kill him ever again.

[mageofspace924]

i was casually thinking about fiyero's costumes and how he went from musical red to movie blue bc fiyero is associated w blue in the books, and then i thought: why give the dancing-through-life-flirty-i-dont-really-care-but-i-do guy a full uniform suit when he arrives at school versus in the musical he's just wearing rolled up sleeves and a vest? its a reflection of his vulnerability. ofc its a well-known very much used symbol of vulnerability but still one nonetheless.

1) first outfit change: when movie fiyero meets elphaba, he's wearing the blue vest and the white sleeved shirt, the coat isnt in sight. when he's alone he allows some honesty/truth to himself, hence the uncovered sleeves. and when he does interact w elphaba, the exchange is quick fire yet subtly genuine (as much as one can get from meeting someone for the first time) not from his rehearsed lines as he does when he meets glinda for the first time (a crowd he knows how to charm, act around, fall into line with).

2) 2nd outfit change: arrives at shiz in full garment uniform wear, coat, vest, everything. he's fully prepared to play the role he's been uptaking: rich vinkun playboy prince looking to have a good time. the glimpse we had when he met elphaba is gone, no more trying to banter, moreso rehearsed flirting both glinda and fiyero know well. no one gets to see a crack in that armor.

3) 3rd outfit change: his shiz coat is open and we see his white garment underneath, a hint that yes, he's loosening up at shiz, but also matches the disagreeing expressions when dr. dillamond is taken away and the cub is kept in a cage. it's a bit of the genuine caring fiyero coming thru, who feels a bit of injustice esp bc his friend is a horse.

4) 4th outfit change: the coat is taken off and we get fiyero at his most vulnerable so far. his sleeves are rolled up as opposed to the first outfit with billowing sleeves to his wrists. and here is the most vulnerable scene between him and elphaba bc she saw right through his existentialism in dancing through life (could argue she saw a bit of him when she met him first bc she had a small smirk). he's laid completely bare and like the scene went, he had no clue how to deal w it.

5) 5th outfit change: at the train station, hes back in full uniform, bc that vulnerable moment shocked him and shook his foundations of his image/front. he maybe didnt know he had the capacity for that vulnerability until it happened and thats why hes so off kilter and shaken, starting to rethink his everything bc of elphaba. that vulnerability now persists through that uniform, his self-proclaimed image he's built up between countless schools and several dates etc. could be said that crack in the armor is visibly represented through the flower he gives to her bc it's tucked in his collar first VERSUS the musical when he runs up w a bouquet already in hand.

ALL IN ALL the move has the opportunity to tell REALLY AMAZING STORIES through the clothes/fashion, and they've really stepped up to the challenge and are making the most of it AHDJDJS so good + itches my brain

i didnt add in the dance uniform bc i forgot lmao but that plus the uniform he wears in thank goodness are also more decked out than the other stuff he wears, the cpatain uniform WAY more decorated and thats when he hides the most (dance scene he is fully in his element, he can hide safely in that playboy persona). cant wait to see all of that disappear in as long as youre mine HAHDJDJSS

[myfairkatiecat]

only homophobes prefer fiyeraba to gelphie

ok that's not even true

Fine, you want to know what I love so much about Fiyeraba? I'll tell you.

Knowing Elphaba changes both Fiyero and Galinda. They're never the same again. Fiyero embraces that. He doesn't want to go back to not caring because he loves caring about her no matter how frustrating and difficult and painful it is. He's willing to run away for her through the entirety of act 2 and does it as soon as he's given the chance.

Glinda changes too, but she hangs onto her old dreams. She's so sure she can make herself happy with the things she used to want, even if she isn't happy she'll get there, she couldn't be happier, even if it isn't true YET it WILL BE because she will MAKE IT SO...

That's the difference. Both of them are never the same again for having known Elphaba, and both of them love her, but Fiyero is the one who makes the sacrifice. He's the one who embraces it. Glinda wants to, deep down, and her tragedy is as much her own fault as any other events of the musical.

She and Elphaba sing For Good, of course. Glinda acknowledges the change in the end and is a better person for it. But not before she loses everything and everyone that really matters to her. That's her tragedy and I could scream and cry about it all day.

Fiyero runs off with her. Maybe it's a rash choice, but it's the one he knows he has to make. He can't do the whole "life is painless for the brainless" thing anymore so he embraces the pain because even if love hurts, he's willing to let it hurt if it means experiencing all the joy that comes with love.

That's why fiyeraba > gelphie for me. And don't get me wrong, I ADORE Glinda. She's probably my favorite character, because I relate to her in a lot of ways (me too, Glinda. I would cause my own tragedy in that situation too) and her story is aafgjsdfkgjsdfhgkjshkjfgsf i could lose my mind over it. But as a ship? Fiyeraba. That's where the romance is at. He's the one who deserves her, not because he's a better person than Glinda, but because he's willing to act on having become a better person, while Glinda clings to the threads of a dream that will never be fulfilled, because she'll never be the person she was when she dreamed it up.

[deeplyshalllow]

An in depth study of the Lion Cub Scene in the Wicked Movie

Elphaba and Fiyero's meeting

Dancing Through Life

Sorry it’s taken a little longer than I expected to come out with this essay, I��ve been busy general pre-Christmas stuff and then recreating the entirety of Heather the Musical with Funko pops – you know, the usual. In any case, in a way I’m glad that it’s taken slightly longer as it’s meant that the movie screenplay has come out in the meantime so I can make the odd reference to that.

[Elphaba practices her ‘toss, toss,’ Fiyero notices.]

“You’ve been Galindafied.” [smiles at her fondly,] “you don’t need to do that, you know. Come on, let’s get to class.”

This is essentially the same line as in the musical (though my best friend was quick to point out removed Fiyero imitating the ‘toss toss’ and I’m pretty sure she nearly walked out of the cinema in outrage), and I think it serves the same purpose. The idea that Galinda is indeed continuing on her mission to make Elphaba popular and Elphaba is somewhat receptive to it. Fiyero, though fondly, kind of thinks the whole thing is a little ridiculous and finds Elphaba fine the way she is.

This scene is actually the one most impacted by what was cut from the screenplay. In the screenplay version we do not have the “Let’s get to class” line as it’s actually set a considerable amount of time (potentially a few months) before the Lion Cub. I go into much more detail here but basically there is a montage between the “toss toss” scene and the Lion Cub scene that shows time passing and  Elphaba, Galinda, Fiyero, Nessa and Boq becoming friends.

Elphaba is wearing different clothes when she enters Dillamond’s classroom than in the “toss toss” scene, so I am going to take this as canon that there is still the same time jump, as it makes a lot more narrative sense (otherwise there’s very little time before Elphaba goes to the Emerald City for anyone to become friends). Therefore, by the scene in Dillamond’s classroom we are to assume a few months have passed, and Elphaba regards Fiyero as somewhat of a friend that she’s comfortable enough being around, if in a bit of a superficial “my best friend’s boyfriend” sort of way.

The scene continues mostly as it does in the musical, Doctor Dillamond tells the class he’s no longer permitted to teach, Elphaba is cross and tries to stop it, Doctor Dillamond is taken away. All this is expected and as expected of Elphaba’s character considering her previous scenes.

What is new is Fiyero’s reaction to Doctor Dillamond being taken away, he also stands up and shouts “hey!” he’s clearly not the only student distressed, but aside from Elphaba he appears the most distressed. It’s immediately clear that “Nothing matters but knowing nothing matters” is not as true as he makes it out to be. In my opinion, this is a very good change from the musical, as it sets up his actions later in the scene, he’s on Elphaba and the Animals’ side, he’s always been on their side.

Fiyero, however, does not react like Elphaba. After the initial outburst, he is silenced and sits down like the rest of the class (albeit he is one of the last to do so) and does not respond to her challenge to the class of “Are we all just going to sit here in silence?”  

Elphaba, never one for staying silent, like her musical counterpart, continues to challenge the teacher and get increasingly distressed through seeing the Cub in the cage (the premonition of seeing Dillamond in a cage here is, obviously, new to the movie and I think mostly serves to show how distressed she is – I don’t think she’s really realised what she’s seeing is the future, but it may haunt her later).

“Can you imagine a world where Animals are kept in cages and never learn to speak. This Lion Cub seems so frightened. What are we going to do?”

“I’m sorry, we?”

And here we see the dichotomy between Elphaba and Fiyero, both care, both are upset, but Fiyero is not one to spring to action in this situation without outside provocation – again, he’s sung an entire song about how he’ll get less hurt if he pretends not to care. While Elphaba wants to do something no matter what the cost, Fiyero is stuck on the practicalities of the situation: they are powerless students, they will immediately be stopped so, at least for now, he does not try.

“Well someone’s got to do something,” [Elphaba slams her hand on the desk, causing poppies to float in the air, putting everyone to sleep]

[Fiyero, stares around, not falling asleep but somewhat bewildered, Galinda falls asleep on his shoulder] “hey, hey, c’mere,” [lays Galinda’s head on the desk].

The spell going from making everyone crazy dance, to poppies putting everyone to sleep is a change for the movie, and I think a good one. I don’t think the crazy dance would have worked as well in film format, and the poppies is obviously a lovely reference to the Wizard of Oz – ultimately though, I don’t think it changes much about the narrative.

What I do find really interesting about this scene is the inclusion of Galinda and Nessa. In the musical, neither are in the class, so the casting of Elphaba’s spell seemed to imply that she didn’t magic Fiyero because he was the one person she liked. In here, the two of them are present, and are spelled too, so Fiyero being left out has got to be for a different reason – I read somewhere on Tumblr that apparently they’ve said this will be explored in part 2 and I hope so, because my reading is that it’s another sign that Fiyero alone cares as much about this as Elphaba.

“What is happening?”

“I don’t know, I got mad and...” [Elphaba notices that Fiyero has already got up and is heading towards the Lion Cub] “Fiyero, what are you doing?”

[Fiyero, having already got the Lion Cub out of the cage like the amazing, kitty saving, hero that he is]

“Well, are you coming?”

I love this. I love this so much. Script wise this is not very much of a change from the musical, in fact only one line of Fiyero’s is cut, “Alright just don't move! And don't get mad at me!” but the fact he moves the beat before, that the moment he realises there now is something they can do, which won’t get them stopped or in more trouble than the good they can do, he springs into action – does so much for his characterisation. It’s so very clear from this that he’s doing this because he cares about the Cub too, he’s doing because he wants to himself rather than to help Elphaba, I also like that the removal of this line takes away any idea of blame or frustration at Elphaba’s powers – Jonathan’s Fiyero never really judges her for being unusual.

This scene, both in show and film, is always excellent at showing why Fiyeraba suit each other. Elphaba is all passion and fire, she cares and will fight, but will also go in headfirst without thinking of the consequences. Fiyero, meanwhile, needs the spark of passion and push to act, but when he does act he is careful and tactical, he gets what he wants but in a way that smoothes the consequences of Elphaba’s rash actions and gets at least the majority of them out safely (see also: Throne Room Scene, Corn Field Scene).

There’s nothing particular to note in the bike scene, but I appreciate the cute reference to Mrs Gulch and Toto in the Wizard of Oz (that reference alone made me pleased I watched WOO a few days before I saw Wicked).

[Madame Morrible enters the classroom and sees everyone asleep] “What in the name of Oz?” [immediately writes a letter to the Wizard]

Not Fiyeraba related but I think it’s important to note what’s going on here. Madame Morrible has seen not only that Elphaba has cast a spell, but what she has cast the spell to do (to free an Animal). She’s not writing to the Wizard because she sees Elphaba is already talented enough to see the Wizard (as a first time viewer is led to believe), she’s speeding up the process so Elphaba is safely at the Wizard’s side before she can become any more pro Animal rights. It’s another great addition to canon, showing how much Morrible is in control even in act 1.

Also, Fiyero, who is also not in class, is completely overlooked, because being seen as a himbo often puts him beyond suspicion (she probably assumed he was just skiving off).

We have a few lines cut from the show here:

Elphaba: Careful! Don't shake him!

Fiyero: I'm not!

Elphaba: We can't just let him loose anywhere, you know. We have to find someplace safe...

Fiyero: Don't you think that I realize that? You must think I'm really stupid or something!

Elphaba: No, not really stupid.

These lines are in the screenplay so they’re a recent cut, but I think it’s still important to see the impacts of them being taken to. Again, we see the Fiyeraba relationship being a little less antagonistic than in the show. They still wind each other up a bit, because they defend themselves from the world in such radically different ways that they don’t quite understand the other at times (which we’ll see later in this scene), but they’re not actively sniping at each other in the movie. It’s times like this where we see their similarities, they are supporting the same cause, they have the same end goal in mind and, when they are both sure what they’re doing is right, they’re both very focused on getting it done.

It’s probably important to note that from here on out the musical and movie script is almost identical, so this becomes more of an analysis of the scene in both works, though I will point out where I think the movie particularly differs.

[Elphaba puts Lion Cub down so he can drink water] “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Why is it you’re always causing some sort of commotion?”

“I don’t cause commotions, I am one.”

“Yeah, well that’s for sure.”

Now the Lion Cub is somewhat safe, and resting Elphaba and Fiyero are finally given some time to think and interact.

These are musical lines, but again they hit differently with the meeting scene in the movie. Fiyero constantly uses derogatory humour about himself/his persona, so offhandedly that I’m not sure he even realises he’s doing it anymore. So it’s natural for him to think that Elphaba’s response is the same semi-joke at her own expense as he so frequently does to himself, so he plays into it.

“So you think I should just keep my mouth shut, is that what you’re saying?”

Elphaba, however, does not share quite the same self derogatory humour, any time she insults herself she truly means it. While Fiyero is desperate for people to see him for who he pretends to be, Elphaba wants people to like her for whom she really is. So she doesn’t see Fiyero’s reaction as him laughing at her joke, but instead as him also insulting her and, again, she goes on the defensive.

I get a feeling this also harks back to Elphaba’s relationship with her father, and the general reaction whenever she talked back or accidently did magic. Elphaba is used to being told to shut up, used to be seen as lesser and it’s just happened again with a boy she’s beginning to like and trust.

“What? No, no, I’m saying-”

And, again, Fiyero answers back, because he didn’t mean that – Elphaba puts him on the back foot once again when interacting with her – for all his smooth talking and easy charm Elphaba cuts right through it, because she simply will not let him act like that with her. If she is to trust him she needs to see his true feelings.

“Do you think I want to be this way?”

“I th-”

 “Do you think I want to care this much?”

“I mean-”

“I know that my life would be much easier if I-”

There’s so much self loathing in Elphaba’s feelings about herself, so much of an assumption that everything she does is the wrong thing, that she could be better. Fiyero has basically said nothing against her, even less than in the show. This is all her criticising herself.

But it’s interesting what she says. It’s not the usual “no your opinions on why I am green are stupid” stuff, it’s vulnerable stuff. It’s her admitting that all the things people say to her, and the way she’s treated hurt, that she would dearly like to just be normal. Without really realising it, she’s allowing Fiyero to see a lot more of herself that she usually lets on.

“Do you ever let anyone else talk?”

This is a mask slip for Fiyero. Not in a big way, but it’s him suddenly having to be direct and real with her. Elphaba makes Fiyero have to express real feelings and emotions (even if at the moment it’s mostly frustration).

“Sorry.”

Fiyero letting his mask slip breaks Elphaba out of her rant. Again, it’s the same in the musical, but I do think there’s an added part in the movie where it references Fiyero calling out her defensiveness in the first scene. It gives Elphaba a second to reassess and realise it wasn’t an attack. She apologises, she’s also out of her natural comfort zone of unrelenting defensiveness.

“I just-”

“But can I just say one more thing?”

[Fiyero motions for her to go ahead]

“You could have walked away back there”

The realisation the Fiyero isn’t attacking her has allowed Elphaba to rethink, and for it to sink in what Fiyero has actually done, that he didn’t just freak out and run away, that he cared, that he helped her. And I think this sobers her up a little, to question and to see Fiyero in a new light.

[Fiyero shrugs] “So?”

I always find this line so interesting, because Fiyero hasn’t noticed yet that his mask has slipped. He acted on instinct to help Elphaba, to save the Cub, we see here that Fiyero’s natural instinct to care about things has never been very well hidden (which is why the mask is completely off by the time we hit Act 2).

“So, no matter how shallow and self absorbed you pretend to be.”

“Um, excuse me, there is no pretence here, I happen to be genuinely self absorbed and deeply shallow.”

I love this line. Obviously I love this line. I’ve loved it for 15 years. Have you seen my username?

But anyway, now he’s been made aware of what he’s been called out for Fiyero pulls himself back, tries to put his walls up again.

It’s interesting, because this line is obviously an old one, but it fits very well with Jonathan’s movie Fiyero persona, it’s more self derogatory humour, it’s more deflection, but it’s also something so dumb that someone genuinely dumb probably wouldn’t say it. It’s not really up to his usual standards of charm, Elphaba has, once again, put Fiyero on the back foot.

“Oh please. No you’re not, otherwise you wouldn’t be so unhappy.”

[awkward silence as they stare each other down]

Elphaba is not buying Fiyero’s words. She tells him straight out that he’s more than that, completely rejecting his happy, carefree, persona. She’s seen that he wants more out of life than this.

Again, such interesting parallels to Fiyero calling out Elphaba’s defensiveness in their movie meeting.

“Fine, if you don’t want my help.”

Fiyero is scared. And for the first time we see him react in anger. His normal act of charm and stupidity has not worked at all, so he falls back to having to try and push her away without this.

“No, I do.” [Elphaba grabs Fiyero’s hand]

I mean obviously there’s supposed to be some kind of electricity here, but I think it’s more than that. I think it’s Fiyero and Elphaba having realised they’ve found a kindred spirit. That both of them have suddenly found themselves vulnerable, without masks, and really seeing each other for the first time. They have let each other into more of their feelings than they expected to and it’s both elating and terrifying.

[Back in the classroom Galinda wakes up, notices both Fiyero and Elphaba are gone]

I feel like this is supposed to be the first niggling hint Galinda gets that there are feelings between Elphaba and Fiyero, especially because the “I’m not that girl” chords in the background start here rather than in the background of Fiyero and Elphaba’s scene. Like nothing right now enough to truly alarm her, but something she’ll look back on and realise this was the start.

“What did you mean to do back there? And why was I the only one you didn’t do it to?”

[long silence]

“You’re bleeding.”

Suddenly Fiyero is the one challenging Elphaba, asking her questions she’s scared of answering. And she, like Fiyero, isn’t quite ready to face what it means, so she changes the topic.

“Mhmm” [Elphaba reaches out to touch Fiyero’s scratch, at first Fiyero flinches, but then lets her], “there. It must have scratched you.”

“Yeah, or maybe it scratched me or something.”

This change of topic does not work at all, just ends up bringing them closer. Although, I must say, I miss how much it was an almost kiss in the musical. I feel like this version had a bit less chemistry, which was a shame. Still, it is the pinnacle of the sexual tension, where something more could happen and they both know and want it.

 [Fiyero retreats] “I’d better get to safety, the Cub.”

With this line and the last we see Fiyero go back to full on saying dumb shit when Elphaba flusters him (we saw it when he first met her, and will see it again in the throne room). Fiyero is often very smooth with words so it’s always telling when she renders him unable to use this.

“Of course.”

“Get the Cub to safety.” [Fiyero grabs the Cub and runs away]

[Elphaba gets up and shouts after him] “Fiyero!”

Fiyero chickens out, scared by his feelings. Elphaba calls out after him. Both of them are changed by the day and the challenge to their personas but both end up, in their own ways, talking themselves back into them. Fiyero goes back to Galinda, who loves him for his dumb playboy persona, while Elphaba sings a song essentially saying she’s not good enough for him because of who she is and how he’ll like Galinda better. But we know for the future that it is obviously something that sticks with them and will alter their actions and perceptions of each other going forward.

Fiyero and Elphaba have always been a story of two people afraid to show the world who they really are, who dislike the other’s persona but who discover that they both love the other for the traits they hide from the world. While this scene isn’t necessarily that different from its musical counterpart (which is also excellent), I do think the softening of Fiyero and some of the antagonism from Elphaba, puts a little bit of a different spin on things. It makes it very clear that they are two people that share ideals and, while they hide from the world, both, when push comes to shove, will do anything to make it a better place. I think the movie does an excellent job to show why they suit and are attracted to each other, and also a good job of foreshadowing that neither of them will ultimately shy away from giving up everything to do what is right.

An In Depth Study of Elphaba and Fiyero in the Train Station Scene

[maysileeewrites]

SOMETHING THERE

movie! Fiyero Tigelaar x gn! reader

Synopsis: When Fiyero convinces you to try and set up Galinda and Elphaba, you agree, not knowing that maybe playing match-maker wasn't the only thing on his mind ... and maybe Elphaba and Galinda are working towards a common goal as well ...

c.w.: friends to lovers (reader/Fiyero) & enemies to lovers (Gelphie); lots of fluff & bantering, some angst; a lot of chaos to get through first; unresolved romantic and emotional tension

w.c. 6.4k (sorry!!) || masterlist

„I give up.“

Sighing in defeat, you slumped down in your favorite arm chair in the Shiz common room and crossed your arms in front of your chest. „I give up … I - I can’t do this anymore, I feel as if can recite all of Elphaba’s tirades about Galinda by heart, it’s insane!“

„Well, hello to you, too, and thank you for asking, my day’s been as good as I could have hoped for, without you keeping me company“, Fiyero - who had been waiting in the common room for you, saving you one of the arm chairs in front of the fireplace - said rather pointedly, though his unusually dry tone was softened by his smile.

You found yourself returning his smile, even though your thoughts were still on the tiresome predicament you’d found yourself in these last few weeks.

„I’m sorry, it’s just-“

„Exhausting?“, Fiyero suggested, interrupting you.

You nodded, sighing. „Exactly.“

Fiyero chuckled defeatedly. „Just earlier, Galinda was going on and on about how Elphaba’s books take up so much space in their room, and how she can’t stand it that Elphaba’s constantly rearranging all these books.“

„Yeah, I’ve heard that exact sentiment from Elphaba about Galinda’s shoes ...“

Fiyero shook his head, laughing. „I mean, she does have rather a lot of them …“

„I don’t really care, I just - I can’t hear about them anymore, Fiyero, I really, really can’t.“

You took it as a sign of how well Fiyero understood you, how well he knew you to understand that you were truly frustrated and not just letting off a bit of steam, that he stopped laughing. And instead of the dry, flippant remark - something along the lines of You don’t care to hear about Galinda’s shoes anymore? Sweet Oz, how could you? - you expected, he just sighed, shaking his head. Then, he scooted his arm chair around, so that it was closer to yours.

Angling his body towards yours, he reached for one of your hands, and squeezed it softly. Even though you were still incredibly tired and frustrated with the whole Galinda and Elphaba situation, you couldn’t help but blush at his action. You’d always known Fiyero to be quite affectionate and charming, and he’d tried to work his easy charm on you countless of times already. But something about this situation felt different - maybe it was sincerity in his touch and the way his brown eyes seemed to have softened when you looked up at him.

„I get it“, he simply said.

You nodded, sighing. „It’s just - it’s not that I don’t care about Elphaba, because I do, really - she’s a really great friend, but I’m just so tired of having to constantly listen to her vent about Galinda ... and it’s not like I haven’t tried to talk to her about it numerous times, trying to get her to see some perspective, but it’s like she just momentarily tunes everything I have to say out whenever I try to bring it up …“

„Well, that sounds familiar“, Fiyero said dryly.

You laughed sadly. „I just - I just wish that there was something, anything we could do that might change their perspective …“

Fiyero didn’t immediately respond to your comment, instead gazing down at your hands - with a jolt, you realized that he was still holding your hand in his, and that realization caused your cheeks to flush again, but somehow, you couldn’t bring yourself to take your hand out of his grasp just yet - with a pensive expression. The silence between you stretched on, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable, didn’t pressure you to break it by saying something. Instead, you welcomed it - you’d had a long day full of lectures and rants about Galinda and her various irritating habits, and the ease and familiarity between you and Fiyero really calmed you.

You chanced another glance at Fiyero who still appeared to be deep in thought, his brows drawn together in concentration. Your eyes greedily wandered over his features, taking everything in - his soft, brown eyes, the short, light brown hair, his sharp jawline.

He really was incredibly handsome - way too much for his own good, you thought, recalling with a sudden hot, uncomfortable feeling, the numerous flirtations he’d had since you’d known him.

You had met the Prince of Winkieland almost three years ago, when you’d been visiting your older sister at University. Fiyero had been attending the same university back then, and you’d met when your sister had been showing you around the campus. You’d been so taken aback, so awed by what you saw, you hadn’t really payed attention to where you were going anymore - until you’d collided with Fiyero.

Fiyero, of course, had reacted with his usual flirtatious charm, until your sister had butted in with a few very pointed comments about how you wouldn’t be attending University until next year and wasn’t Fiyero supposed to be on his way to a date with one of his classmates?

You’d rolled your eyes at her - really, you were only two years younger than him, what was the big deal? - and Fiyero had laughed at your reaction, shooting you a smile that somehow had your heart pounding faster and blood rushing to your cheeks. Your sister, who’d sensed that you were succumbing to his charm, had grabbed your arm and dragged you away.

When Fiyero had called your name, your sister only rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath. „See you around, then!“, Fiyero called after you, and though your sister was in quite a grumpy mood, you weren't able to fight back the smile that tugged at your lips.

You did see him around, later - during your visit you somehow kept running into him, which greatly annoyed your sister, but secretly pleased you quite a bit. Though you supposed that your sister was right when saying that he could be quite arrogant and air-headed, he was also extremely charming and a surprisingly good listener.

At the end of your visit, you ended up exchanging addresses and just a few days after you’d arrived back home, you’d received your first letter from Fiyero.

Since then, you’d kept in touch via various letters - there were times, when you were sending each other up to three or four letters a week -, and of course you reunited whenever you visited your sister again.

Over time, she grew less hostile towards Fiyero - which, you suspected, had a lot to do with him reducing his flirtatious, suggestive comments to a minimum whenever she was around -, though she continued to warn you not to fall under his spell, seeing how she didn’t want to see her little sister get her heart broken by the rather infamous Winkie prince.

Whenever she brought this particular subject up, you just rolled your eyes, assuring her that there was no danger of this happening. You liked Fiyero, but just as a friend. Of course, he was incredibly good-looking and charming, and sometimes his affectionate ways caused you to flush, becoming flustered, when he suddenly grabbed your hand or tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear, but he was your best friend and you didn’t see him as anything more than that.

And if there were instances in which you wondered, questioning whether you truly saw him as just a friend - well, you weren’t about to tell your sister that, were you?

„ … well, maybe there is something we could do …“

You didn’t immediately register his words and it took until Fiyero had squeezed your hand again for you to snap out of your thoughts.

„Still with me, darling?“, Fiyero asked you with a concerned expression.

You nodded, feeling your cheeks flush. „Y-yes, sorry, I … you were saying that there was maybe something we could do? About Elphaba and Galinda?“

For a moment, Fiyero seemed as confused as you felt, and when you tried to look at him, he averted his gaze, looking down at your hands - somehow, him holding your hand felt dangerously familiar yet weirdly new and unusual at once - instead.

„Yes, I - it’s just an idea …“, he trailed off, clearing his throat, his eyes flitting over to you - and was it just your imagination or were his cheeks turning rather pink? -, before he continued. „I feel like we should get them to spend more time together-„

You raised your brow in confusion. „I don’t see how that would help the situation, given that they hate each other’s guts-“

„Well, yes - but what if they don’t, not really?“, Fiyero interrupted you, sounding confident once more.

You frowned. „I’m not sure I’m still following you …“

Fiyero laughed quietly, the sound so warm and familiar, you couldn’t help but smile yourself, even though you were still confused.

„Now, this is just a hunch, but I don’t think they actually hate each other … sure, they don’t particularly like each other, but I think that’s more to do with them maybe seeing something in the other they recognize in themselves, something they don’t particularly want to see - or maybe, they’re seeing each other much more clearly than they each would like, and instead of actually dealing with that, they’re just, you know …“

„Antagonizing each other …“, you finished his sentence, nodding. Now that you thought about it, what Fiyero had just said did make sense.

„Exactly, trying to shatter the mirror that way …“, Fiyero said, his eyes finding yours.

„And so your plan is to what - force them together, until they’ve worked through all that?“, you asked, disbelief and doubt creeping into your voice.

Fiyero shrugged. „Well, if you put it like that …“

„Sorry, but I don’t think that’s going to work … Elphaba would probably much rather than die than willingly spend more time with Galinda than is absolutely necessary …“

Fiyero just grinned. Somehow, your doubts didn’t seem to face him at all. „Which is exactly why we’re not going to tell them that they’re going to spend time with each other.“ Seeing your confused expression, he quickly hurried on explaining. „We make it look like a group activity, tell them that there's this ocktail bar in town we want to try out, our something like that ... trust me, we'll figure something out!"

„Brillant“, you said dryly. Fiyero didn’t immediately catch on to your sarcasm. Once you continued, however, his grin froze. „And which one of us is going to organize our double funeral?“

„Funeral, what-“

„Fiyero, once they realize that we tricked them like that, they’re going to want to kill us! At least Elphaba will, and I’m pretty sure Galinda will feel the same way.“

„Well, at least then they’ll have something to bond over“, Fiyero said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

You looked over at him. You saw the grin tugging at the corners of his lips, and somehow, you couldn’t keep it in anymore - you started laughing, shaking your head. Soon, you were both laughing hard, completely lost in your own world.

„This is madness“, you said, voice still breathless, once you’d calmed down again. „Even if they do fall for it - which I doubt they will - they’ll be furious once they realize what’s going on.“

„So we’ll just fake a family emergency or something, I’m sure we’ll be able to come up with something“, Fiyero replied, shrugging.

You shook your head. „So you really want to go through with that?“

„Well, got any better ideas?“

„No“, you admitted, sighing.

„Hey“, Fiyero said, squeezing your hand, „it’s going to work. And if it doesn’t - well, I’m sure you’ll come up with a fitting, tragic engraving for our double tombstone.“

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. „How reassuring.“

The next two days passed you by in a blur.

Elphaba continued to rant about Galinda - as did Galinda about Elphaba as Fiyero assured you with a tired, pained smile, when you two met up once again in the common room the following evening - and Fiyero and you continued to work out the details of your plan to get Elphaba and Galinda to spend more time together. Well, it was mostly Fiyero who did the planning, seeing as you were still quite convinced that this whole scheme was going to fall apart the minute Elphaba and Galinda realized they’d been tricked.

Your doubts didn’t seem to faze Fiyero in the slightest. Actually, it seemed that the more vocal you became in voicing your concerns, the more determined to see this through to the end - and see it through successfully - Fiyero became.

Not even Elphaba’s irritated expression, when he cornered you and her after dinner the following evening, seemed to intimidate him, which, you had to admit grudgingly, was a feat in and of itself. Because while you liked Elphaba very much - when she wasn’t using her breath on venting about Galinda that was - and valued her friendship, she could be quite intimidating.

If she’d looked at you the way she was currently looking at Fiyero, you were sure that you’d have already crumbled.

As it was, Fiyero merely shrugged, smirking, when she said, her voice dripping with irritation: „And why in Oz’s name would you do that?“ (Fiyero had just announced that he wanted to invite you two for dinner in a fancy restaurant in town the next evening.)

„Because I want to spend some time with my best friend’s other friends - get to know them myself, you know“, he said, an easy smile on his face, as he walked closer to you and slid an arm around your waist, the gesture so casual, so natural, almost as if it was something he did all the time.

It wasn’t. Because while Fiyero had always been extremely affectionate and not even your sister’s irritated glare when he’d casually grab your hand and lace your fingers together or gently touch your arm to get your attention could discern him, he usually didn’t do something like this.

This felt new and dangerous and - you liked it.

You liked being this close to Fiyero, feeling his body right next to yours, heat radiating off him, even though it caused your heart to start beating frantically in your chest, your palms to sweat and your cheeks to flush.

Sweet Oz, what was happening to you?

Because this really wasn’t the moment for you to be this flustered and confused by Fiyero’s shenanigans, not when Elphaba’s irritated, hostile glare was still fixed on him.

„I see“, Elphaba said dryly, her tone clearly indicating that she didn’t understand at all and that she wasn’t very interested in hearing more.

„I mean - I already know you’re great, I’ve heard so much about you, but I thought that we two should get to know each other as well, get to spend some time together, if you know what I mean.

At this, he actually winked at Elphaba.

Elphaba was having none of it though, raising her eyebrows pointedly. „And what if I happen to not share that sentiment?“

„Well, then I’d be very disappointed“, Fiyero said, shaking his head. „I mean, I was quite looking forward to discussing Dr. Clover’s lecture over dinner with you - I happen to admire his work as well -, but no can do, I guess …“

„You want to go to Dr. Clover’s lecture with us?“, Elphaba said, the surprise in her voice mirroring your own. You hadn’t heard of this particular aspect of Fiyero’s plan yet, and his satisfied smirk told you that he knew - or at least thought so - he’d won Elphaba over.

Fiyero shrugged. „I planned to go alone, at first, but then I thought of you two, thinking that maybe we could go to his lecture first and then maybe go for a drink somewhere in town …“

„You actually got more than one ticket for his lecture?“, Elphaba asked and you could hear the begrudging admiration in her voice.

You were impressed yourself - Dr. Clover, an owl professor, was a highly renowned academic, her books on astrophysics held in high regard, and her rare public lectures were almost always sold out immediately.

Fiyero smirked. „I have my ways …“

Elphaba just rolled her eyes, shaking her head. „Fine, I’ll think about it …“

And with that, she walked off - not before giving you a look that told you that you had a lot of explaining to do.

You sighed, turning around to face Fiyero, your breath hitching when you realized how close you two were, seeing as he still had his arm around your waist.

„Well, I think that went rather well, didn’t it?“, he asked you, grinning.

You rolled your eyes. „You can be so full of yourself, you know that, right?“

Fiyero just shrugged, smirking, ignoring your comment. Nothing new there. „The Dr. Clover card was a stroke of genius though, wasn’t it?“

You sighed, nodding. „Yes …“

„You sound so uncertain …“, he said, grinning, his grip on your waist tightening.

You gulped, feeling your cheeks heat up once again. By now, you probably looked like an overly ripe tomato. Not exactly a very pleasant sight, though either Fiyero didn’t notice or his flirtatious charm was entirely immune to people blushing furiously like overripe tomatoes.

„No, I just - how’d you come up with that?“

Fiyero smiled, apparently very pleased that you’d brought up this particular question. „Funny you should ask, like you’re not always raving about her books and newspaper columns and all that …“

„I’m not raving - wait, you actually remember that?“, you asked, your heart pounding fast in your chest when Fiyero’s chocolate brown eyes found yours.

He held your gaze, smiling. And either you were so overcome by his sudden closeness that you were starting to imagine things or it was a trick of the light, because surely Fiyero Tigelaar of all people didn’t blush? But no matter the cause, his cheeks were turning rather pink.

„I … yeah … I mean, you really like her and so I - I thought I’d, you know, check out her writing as well, and turns out she’s holding a lecture in town tomorrow evening …“

Fiyero ran his free hand through his hair, his gaze for a moment seemingly fixed on something far away, before his eyes found yours again, and his easy, charming smile was back in place. „I mean - it fits in perfectly with our plan, doesn’t it?“

You nodded. „Y-yes, it does …“

Sweet Oz, you were having severe trouble stringing together coherent thoughts with him still being so close to you, his hand still settled on your waist, his chocolate brown eyes twinkling with amusement.

„I’d say that so far it’s all working out rather well, isn’t it?“

„Huh?“, was the only thing you were able so say, seeing as you were still entirely too distracted.

Fiyero laughed, the sound warm and bright and achingly familiar. „The plan, love.“

„Right, right, the plan …“ You stuttered, trying to swallow down the sudden, bitter pang of disappointment and forcing a smile onto your face again, not giving Fiyero the chance to say anything in reply. „Though it’s not like we already got them to spend time together, so you really shouldn’t feel so gleeful just yet, you haven’t even asked Galinda about tomorrow evening yet!“

Fiyero just chuckled, waving aside your concern. „Leave the worrying to me, darling, I know exactly how to go about asking her.“

You nodded faintly, your thoughts only partly fixated on his schemes - or at least on the parts of the schemes actually involving Galinda and Elphaba …

„Right …“

Though Fiyero had told you to leave the worrying to him, you found yourself worrying a lot about all the things that could go wrong - which there were a surprising amount you could think of - over the next day.

Elphaba’s increasingly irritated questions didn’t help to soothe your already incredibly frayed nerves in the slightest.

„It’s not that I’m not thrilled that I get a chance to go to Dr. Clover’s lecture, because I am, but why is Tigelaar springing this whole ‚I want to get to know my best friend’s friends'- stuff on me now?“, she grilled you on the way between classes.

You sighed, your grip on the textbooks your were carrying tightening until your knuckles whitened. Somehow, Elphaba’s insistence on calling Fiyero by his last name irked you almost as much as her constant venting about Galinda.

You opened your mouth to say something in Fiyero’s defense - though, truthfully Elphaba did have a point there -, but Elphaba didn’t even give you the chance to say anything, already ploughing on.

„It’s just rather sudden, isn’t it? And I know that you like him - though I can’t say that I can truly comprehend that fact -, but then he also spends an awful amount of time with Galinda and her posse …“

You sighed. There it was - Galinda’s name.

It seemed that lately, Elphaba always found a way to somehow throw the topic of Galinda and the awfulness of her character into every single conversation you two had, and at this point, you were frankly just exhausted. However far-fetched Fiyero’s theory about Elphaba and Galinda not truly hating one another might seem to you, and no matter how many doubts you had about this plan of his actually succeeding, at this point you were just glad that he even had a plan that might somehow dissolve the animosity between them at all.

„ - so I’m not too sure that Tigelaar is really the best judge of character there - hey, you’re daydreaming about Tigelaar again instead of listening to me, aren’t you?“

Elphaba’s words drew you out of your thoughts and immediately, you felt the blood rush to your cheeks. Which was of course completely ridiculous, because there was simply no reason for you to blush. No, none at all.

„No, I’m not daydreaming about-“, you tried to defend yourself - your cheeks were burning and your palms were starting to sweat -, but Elphaba was going on.

„Really? I saw the way you looked at him yesterday - I mean, I see the way you look at him all the time“, she said dryly, laughing, when you frantically shook your head. Somehow, this course the conversation was taking was worse than before, even though just a few moments ago you’d have given anything to get off the topic of Galinda.

„Wha- no, I’m not - I“, you stammered, scoffing entirely unconvincingly, which only led to Elphaba quirking her brow at you, „what- I mean- how am I looking at him?“

Elphaba laughed dryly. „Like he hung the stars in the sky.“

„What, no- I- I … that’s not how I look at Fiyero!“, you stammered, even though your flushed face and the crack in your voice probably didn’t exactly help in trying to get your point across.

Elphaba chuckled. „No, it’s not that bad - yet - but you can’t deny that you clearly like Tigelaar.“

„I - would you please stop calling him Tigelaar?“, you said, stalling.

Elphaba ignored your reply, crossing her arms in front of her chest and looking at you pointedly. „So you do like him, then.“

„I-“, you started to say, but you were distracted when, suddenly, Elphaba’s whole expression changed - her dry, knowing smile turned into a bitter scowl and the open, friendly expression in her eyes was replaced by a furious glare. You didn’t even need to turn around to know who had just walked into the hallway. After all, there was only one person that could elicit this kind of reaction from Elphaba.

And sure enough, only seconds later, you could hear Galinda chattering away in her high, affected voice.

"- it's just so rather thrillingly wonderful, isn't it? Fiyero's agreed to show me a few places in town, I'm just absolutely thrillified!"

You froze, your eyes widening. Fiyero had told you to leave the worrying to him, but what if Galinda, of all people, was going to blow your cover now? Oh, you were going to kill Fiyero.

„- but he said he didn’t have time for going down to the Ozdust tonight, which is all rather unfortunate, I was so looking forward going out with him …“

Galinda trailed off and a member of her posse - Elphaba’s resentment towards Galinda was really starting to get to you, too, if you were starting to think of Galinda’s friends as her posse as well, but still, for the life of you you couldn’t recall the girl’s name in that moment. Which probably had a lot to do with a sudden, bitter feeling coursing through your veins, which felt an awful lot like jealousy.

You shook your head, trying to clear your thoughts.

There was no reason for you to be jealous - you already knew that Fiyero planned on going to the Ozdust with Galinda and some other people next Friday. He’d asked you to come as well, and it wasn’t like you hadn’t known about his friendship with Galinda.

So really, there was no reason for you to suddenly feel so jealous - you and Fiyero were just friends, after all.

He was your best friend.

Friendship.

That’s all there was, all you felt for him.

So why was it suddenly so hard for you to swallow down this bitter, irrational flare of jealousy?

„ - but anyways, I’ll have the Ozdust to look forward to, I’m sure that it’s going to be absolutely scandalacious!“ Galinda continued, giggling and when you looked at Elphaba, rolling her eyes and shaking her head in resentment, you felt that you’d never been more able to relate to her dislike for Galinda - just for a short, fleeting moment, but the thought was there nonetheless, and you bit down hard on your lip, immediately feeling bad.

„Come on“, Elphaba muttered, grabbing your hand, „let’s just get to class.“

You nodded, following her.

Once you’d rounded the next corner, Elphaba let out frustrated sigh, shaking her head. „By Oz … does she have to make everything about herself? It’s like she thinks the world’s going to stop turning if the conversation doesn’t revolve about the thrillifying Galinda Upland …“

You just nodded, still lost in thought.

For once you were glad that Elphaba could seemingly vent about Galinda whenever, wherever. It wasn’t exactly a good foreboding for tonight, sure.

But at least it kept her from asking you more questions about Fiyero and your feelings for him - not that there were any feelings worth talking about, you tried to convince yourself for what seemed like the umpteenth time these last few days -, which was all the better for it.

You were already confused enough as it was.

„How do I look?“, Fiyero asked you, not even turning around, grinning at himself in the mirror instead.

You rolled your eyes, while trying to fight off the blush threatening to color your cheeks. Not that Fiyero was likely to notice, if he continued to stare at himself - though admire was probably a better word for it - in the mirror.

„Good, and you know it“, you said dryly, shaking your head. „Now can you please get a move on? We’re already running the risk of being late-“

„And Elphaba is very punctual, she doesn’t like to be kept waiting - I know“, Fiyero finished your sentence for you, finally turning around, his chocolate brown eyes finding yours.

You crossed your arms in front of your chest, trying to cover up your surprise. And the dopey, love-sick smile you apparently couldn’t shake off whenever you were so much as just glancing in Fiyero’s direction - according to Elphaba, at least. Which you’d vehemently tried to deny, when she had pointed it out to you earlier that afternoon, but once Elphaba had made up her mind about something, she wasn’t likely to change her opinion about it, as you’d witnessed first-hand these last few days.

You grimaced, remembering the conversation she’d roped you into after class. You’d been taken by surprise, thinking that after that whole hallway incident with Galinda, she might have forgotten, or at least dropped the subject, which was very much not the case as it become apparent over lunchtime during which Elphaba wouldn’t stop grilling you about Fiyero, your friendship with him and other feelings you were supposedly feeling towards him.

She reminded you a lot of your sister, in that regard. Once your sister had finally come around and begrudgingly accepted your friendship with Fiyero, she’d also started insinuating that there might be more than just friendship between Fiyero and you, completely disregarding your many vehement protests.

You rolled your eyes. Her and Elphaba would probably get along splendidly, you just knew it.

„What’s with the eye roll, darling?“, Fiyero asked you.

Your breath hitched. You’d been so lost in your thoughts that you hadn’t even noticed him finally disregard the mirror and walk over towards you. And now he was suddenly so close to you that you could feel his warm breath on your skin.

Your heart started beating faster, and you had to clamp your hands into fists behind your back to keep from reaching up and brushing that stray strand of brown hair out of his face.

„You seem nervous, darling“, Fiyero said, his voice soft and low.

You nearly jumped. „W-what?“

Fiyero chuckled, but his eyes narrowed with concern. „You’re nervous .. you probably don’t think that the plan is going to work out, do you?“

„I …“

„Well, there’s no need to be worried, because I’ve got it all figured out“, he said, rather self-importantly. When you rolled your eyes at his words, it was almost as if it was a reflex, because while Fiyero’s proximity and the intensity in his brown eyes were still making your heart race in your chest and your throat suddenly felt incredibly dry, rolling your eyes at something he said still came to you like second nature.

„Great.“

You winced - you’d been aiming for dry and sarcastic, instead your voice just sounded strained.

His eyes softened. „Trust me, there’s no need to worry, things will work out … well, and if they don’t, I’ve finally decided on the engraving for our double tobstone.“

You laughed dryly, shaking your head. „Well, that’s reassuring.“

He smirked. „Told you - thought of everything.“

„You’re unbelievable sometimes, you know that, right?“

Fiyero just grinned, before reaching for your hand - suddenly you felt as if there was a whole horde of butterflies flying around wildly in your stomach. „I know I’m incredible, but now we should really get going - I mean, I’m always one for being fashionably late, but as Elphaba values punctuality so much …“

„Right, that …“, you nodded, trying to focus your thoughts on the task at hand and not on the fact that he was still holding your hand, tugging you along until you’d reached the door of his dorm room. „So, we’ll go to the lecture with Elphaba-“

„- then I’ll convince her to go for a drink to the Ozcloud with us, where we’ll meet Galinda, whom I’ve invited for drinks at the Ozcloud just an hour ago. Elphaba will have been in the library the whole afternoon, because she can’t stand spending much more time in her room than is absolutely necessary, so the chances of her having heard of Galinda’s plans for later tonight are very slim, but if by the off-chance that she has heard of it, it won’t be hard for us to find that particular fact out. Should that be the case I just won’t tell her where we’re going for drinks … am I forgetting anything …“

Fiyero trailed off, grinning when he saw your wide eyes. He really had thought this whole thing through - well, at least the set-up of it. As for the actual moment both Elphaba and Galinda realized that they’d been played you still weren’t convinced that they wouldn’t just try to kill each other right then and there, but that was a problem for later, you decided.

„ - yes … Elphaba will likely take some convincing, regardless of whether she knows about Galinda going to the Ozcloud or not … but luckily for us, I can be very convincing …“

„Sure, if by convincing you mean talking so long and fast that people eventually will stop listening …“, you said, laughing, when you saw him scowling.

„Well, it still works, doesn’t it?“, he replied in a mock-offended tone.

„Sure.“

„Darlin’, you don’t need to sound that sarcastic to get your point across.“

You just laughed, even though the way he’d called you darlin - his voice all soft, his brown eyes finding yours even as you were racing through the corridors - still lingered in your mind, making your heart beat faster.

„Well, with you it’s better to be certain isn’t it?“, you played along, even though his grip on your hand tightening suddenly made it very hard for you to focus on anything but the soft look in his eyes.

„Now, what’s that supposed to mean?“

You just shrugged, intending to play it cool, but when you saw the way Fiyero was trying to fight off a smile, you couldn’t help but laugh. For a moment, Fiyero just looked at you, shaking his head, but then he joined in your laughter, the sound soft, warming your heart.

The whole rest of the way through corridors and down several staircases, until you finally arrived at the entrance hall of the library, where you’d promised to pick Elphaba up, neither of you two was able to contain your laughter. With Fiyero, it always was like this. Not simply because his laugh - the real, genuine one, not the overly confident chuckle he so often displayed and you’d come to silently despise a bit - was downright infectious.

No, there was something else, something about the shimmer of amusement in his eyes, the soft smile on his lips that made you want to keep making him laughing.

Just then, you rounded the corner to the library’s entrance hall, nearly running into a statue. Fiyero’s arms were around you in an instant, though, drawing you back just in time.

„Careful there, darlin’“, he murmured. He was so close to you, his chest pressed against your back, his lips just above your ear. You couldn’t suppress a shiver, closing your eyes for a moment and trying to regain your composure.

„I, uh - thanks for catching me“, you whispered, turning around to face Fiyero.

His eyes immediately found yours. Suddenly you were glad that he was still holding you in his arms, because the look in his eyes instantly turned your knees into jelly.

Your breath hitched, and you noticed the way Fiyero’s eyes flickered towards your lips, before meeting yours again.

You found yourself leaning towards him, even closer until you were so close that you felt his warm breath on your skin - was it just your imagination or did his breathing suddenly sound incredibly heavy and strained as well? - he was so close to you, it was making your head spin-

Just then, someone cleared their throat loudly.

Your eyes widened and you jumped away from Fiyero.

Your cheeks burned. You didn’t even have to look up to know Elphaba was standing there.

And sure enough, after you’d scrounged up the courage to look back up, your eyes landed on Elphaba, who was looking at you with an incredibly smug, self-satisfied expression on her face. She only needed to quirk her eyebrows in a ‚See? I told you‘-fashion for you to flush.

You bit down hard on your lip, trying your hardest not to look over at Fiyero, even though you could feel his gaze hard and heavy on you.

You knew, then, that no matter what would happen tonight, no matter what went down between Elphaba and Galinda once the second part of Fiyero’s plan was finally set in motion, Elphaba would never let you hear the end of your supposed feelings for Fiyero.

Though - what if, maybe, just maybe, there was a kernel of truth to her teasing remarks that afternoon?

Maybe there was something there between you and Fiyero, something … more.

Something that you hadn’t seen, hadn’t realized, before.

Something more than just friendship, something more akin to the way you felt drawn to him, almost magnetic, like he was your anchor, always keeping you afloat.

„Ah, Elphaba!“

Fiyero’s voice - that sounded far too bright and cheerful, causing you to wince and Elphaba to cross her arms in front of her chest, raising her eyebrows at him - drew you out of your thoughts. His arms were still on your hips, and when you finally scrounged up the courage to look up at Elphaba again, your cheeks were burning. Elphaba’s knowing smirk confirmed your suspicions that, at this point, you were looking like an overly ripe tomato.

„Punctual as always, shall we get going then?“, Fiyero said, his hands finally leaving your waist.

Though Fiyero tried to catch your gaze, you determinedly averted your eyes, pressing your lips together and walking over towards where Elphaba was standing.

„Let’s go then, we don’t want to be late“, was all you said, as you followed Elphaba out of the library entrance hall, your cheeks burning and your mind spinning the whole way to the small lecture hall.

It didn’t help that Fiyero’s eyes kept finding yours, his gaze burning on your skin. When your shoulders brushed, you nearly jumped.

You did to your best to ignore the pointed look Elphaba gave you then, offering Fiyero a shaky, uncertain smile, before turning away from him again, pressing your lips together.

Sweet Oz, you couldn’t wait for this evening to finally be over.

And yet, you knew that that was a lie - even though the way your heart seemed to beat faster when you sat down next to Fiyero in the lecture hall absolutely terrified you, the soft, reassuring smile on his lips seemed to calm your nerves in an instant.

„You alright there, darling? You seem a bit peaky“, he whispered, leaning closer towards you.

You nodded. „Y-yes, just - nervous, I guess …“

„Hey“, Fiyero whispered, grabbing your hand and squeezing it, „it’s all going to work out just fine, trust me.“

You just nodded, hoping that he was right.

Everything would work out just fine, you tried to tell yourself.

But as the lecture began, and you felt Fiyero trying to catch your gaze again after a particular remark that Dr. Clover made, you couldn’t help but notice Elphaba’s satisfied smile as well.

Everything would work out just fine, you repeated to yourself, your heart starting to beat faster when Fiyero flashed you a soft smile.

Everything would work out just fine.

And, hopefully, not just between Galinda and Elphaba.

it's finally here!! I'm so sorry for the long wait, hopefully some of you will still care to read this even after it's been nearly a month since i first announced this fic! hopefully it won't take me as long to get around to writing and finishing part II!

tagging: @angel-starbeam @matt-patt-engarde @hazbingirliexoxo @tn22220-blog @crisis-unaverted @a-quick-request @tattooed-galaxies @idkman5335

[nobodysdaydreams]

I have a theory about Wicked Part 2 and what they are going to add to it, and why it's going to add so much to the movie.

I think they are going to add Dorothy's POV.

In the musical, she's mentioned, but Dorothy never appears on stage. We never know her POV or how much she knew about the witches, Fiyero, Boq, the lion, or what was actually going on in Wicked beyond the Wizard of Oz plot. But in the Wicked two trailers, we see scenes of Dorothy and those scenes are shot as if from the Wizard of Oz, not the traditional Wicked musical, in which Dorothy's character is only briefly mentioned or shown as a shadow. Which means we're going to get to see her story this time!

However, if I was going to include Dorothy's POV for Wicked, I don't think it would be anything like the Wizard of Oz, for a few clear reasons:

Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz is a perceptive and animated child and unless they plan on erasing that aspect of her character, she is not going to go home from Oz at the end of the Wicked movie with the same beliefs as the Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. She sees the Wizard is a fraud and calls him out just like Elphaba does. Besides this, there is no way she would just not pick up on the fact that Galinda, the dead witch, Boq, Fiyero, Elphaba, and the lion have a deeper history together than meets the eye for the entire trip.

This one might sound stupid, but trust me, it's important: Toto as a character. Here me out. In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy's distress in the real world is centered around a mean lady trying to drown her dog and the Witch of the West tries to do the same in Oz. However, in this version, Elphaba's whole thing is animal rights. She'd probably be horrified that Toto can't talk or Dorothy would be surprised and delighted to find that in this world, Toto can talk depending on what they decide to do with the dog. And if Dorothy comes to this world distressed about a lady trying to kill her poor dog, Elphaba would surely empathize. There might even be a misunderstanding between them if Elphaba believes Dorothy is working for the Wizard and Toto is a dog that needs rescuing.

So how does this change things?

There are a number of wonderful options.

The most obvious one is that we could see Dorothy put together and discover the story of Boq, Nessarose, Galinda, Elphaba, Fiyero, and the Wizard. She and the rest of the gang would formulate a plan to help Elphaba fake her death to save her from the people of Oz and the Wizard.

Within that narrative, we could see Elphaba enchanting the sleeping poppies to stop them from getting to the Wizard with the goal of protecting them from the Wizard (rather than to stop them from getting home). In Act 2 of Wicked, the Wizard again tries to form an alliance with Elphaba but Elphaba rejects his offer when she discovers what he's done to her Animal friends. It's possible that Elphaba believes the Wizard is trying to use Dorothy too and is trying to protect her from the same fate.

We could also see conversations between Dorothy and Fiyero about Elphaba (and there are many AO3 fics that have been going with that concept. I see y'all, thank you for doing the Lord's work 🙏🏻) and possibly some conversations between Dorothy and Boq since they'll be traveling together and we don't really get to hear about Boq's ending in the musical. I think the last we see of Boq is that he's angry at Elphaba for his condition and rallying crowds against her, but with all that traveling time and secrets coming out, I could see him getting, I don't know if I'd call it a "redemption arc" per say, but finding his heart again (a real one). Additionally, conversations between Dorothy and the lion about how Elphaba saved him would be nice too. Even if the lion had learned to blame Elphaba for what happened to him, I'm sure Dorothy would be quick to correct him once she discovered the full truth.

But my favorite, my absolute favorite and darkest possibility is the interactions that Dorothy can have with the Wizard. In the Wizard of Oz, she exposes him as a fraud, but in the Wicked movie, he's much worse than that, and I can totally see Dorothy being the one to point that out to him. Why?

First of all, Dorothy is not from Oz. Most people there would never question the Wizard, but if he's so powerful and generous, why is he sending an innocent little girl and three down-on-their-luck guys to go murder his dangerous enemy? That right there is a red flag, and again, if they don't change Dorothy's character, she's going to be a very honest child and comment on how strange this is.

Second of all, if anything I speculated above is true and Dorothy realizes this the Wizard is an animal abuser who vilified an innocent woman, she's going to be very angry at the Wizard, and rightfully so (I hope Toto bites him).

Third of all, and here's where it gets good: in the musical Wicked, the Wizard discovers he is Elphaba's father at the very end because of the bottle Galinda has. Dorothy is not on stage for that because she's not in the main cast of the musical, only mentioned by the other characters, but what if she was? What if she's the one that discovers the connection? What if she calls him out the exact same way Elphaba did after the Wizard gave his little "I always wanted to be a father" speech?

What if the Wizard had a little animal-loving girl who reminds him so much of the daughter he just sent to her to kill standing in front of him with a horrified expression while he puts the pieces together?

What if Dorothy's POV in Wicked isn't about her exposing the Wizard as a nervous fraud, but as a heartless monster?

What if Dorothy's POV is about her exploring this new world and discovering for herself who is truly wicked or good?

[crows-king]

I've been thinking a bit about how Galinda and Fiyero work as foils(?), and the contrast between their goals, personality, and their relationship to social influence individually change how they navigate their specific social situations.

And why it puzzles me when people judgmentally compare them and what they'd do in "What-If" scenarios as a gotcha to make one seem better/worst. Because in my mind they are similar but not comparable, because they fundamentally have very different personal stakes.

Primarily because of the difference in how they act in an Active (Galinda) vs Passive (Fiyero) approach to social engineering. And also, because one of them in writing is more developed as an individual than the other.

I'LL MOSTLY BE TALKING ABOUT: WICKED MOVIE - PART 1

Galinda is inherently Active. She has wants and desires that she's driven to achieve, and so actively plays the part of the good socialite because it will help her become more popular and to eventually become "Galinda the GoodSorceress". "It's not about aptitude, it's about the way you're viewed", and so on. It’s the one thing she knows she’s good at.

Of course, she also likes the attention and validation, but her charms doesn't come as naturally as she wants others, and probably herself, to believe. (I love that quote Ariana said somewhere about how "Galinda sees herself as a graceful swan, when she's actually a very stiff, but still beautiful swan", or something of that sort). She's insecure that she’ll lose people's favour and thus her most important asset, so she continually appeals to them. It's an act that she simultaneously enjoys doing for the most part, but also traps her from ever being truly close to anybody for fear of being known and not meeting expectations and losing that adoration. Until Elphaba that is.

Because of her drive to fulfill her dreams and to keep her best asset, and personal desperate need for validation, she has a much more obvious internal conflicts when she has to choose between Elphaba/the moral good vs keeping with the good graces of authority and/or the public. She's more prone to being influenced by others, and many of her choices become a calculated risk. She’s often times selfish and chooses her own desires, but it’s what makes her such an interesting and very human character. The struggle she balances when she’s forced to choose for better or worse.

In contrast

Fiyero is Passive. Dancing Through Life is literally him telling others that being lazy and not thinking is the best way to cope and enjoy life by ignoring problems. He is discontent with his life, but doesn't really acknowledge it until Elphaba reads him. Much like Galinda he is also playing a part, but it's not as tightly controlled as Galinda because he doesn't have an end goal for it.

Of course, while he probably doesn't want to lose his princely privileges. His passive "brainless" approach doesn't really put him in risky situations that would put him in conflict leading to losing things he cares about, because he really doesn't have a lot to lose. (Which is a byproduct of the fact he is primarily written as a love interest side character without much of an arc or motives outside his love triangle relationship to Elphaba and Galinda).

What confounds me is when people compare them and judge what their choices would be in if they were placed in pivotal moments, because we never really see them in situations with similar stakes.

For example, the Lion Cub scene. Most people interpret this scene as an act of braverism and heroics by Fiyero. And in some part it is, he's spurred on to save the cub, and he and Elphaba do. But it's telling that he only does this after everyone is asleep and there are virtually no risks. Any present social or physical conflicts that could arise? POOF! Gone. The worst that could probably be done to them is being punished, or even kicked out, if they’re discovered afterwards. Which Fiyero is not new to and doesn't really care about, and while maybe uncertain for Elphaba, is also unlikely because she's Morrible's irreplaceable pupil.

Some people use this scene as evidence that under his facade, Fiyero is secretly valiant like Elphaba thinks so. But I think in actuality tells the opposite. It reveals that Fiyero does care about the Animals, yes. But, the fact he only acts when prompted and there are no longer any present risks initially makes him seem less brave than Elphaba, and even Galinda. Because it contrasts with the Ozdust dance scene between the girls. Where Galinda had to make an active choice to do the risky and brave thing as an apology for hurting Elphaba, and offer to truly connect with her in front of everyone with the possibility of social out casting. She has an obvious internal conflict and risk assessment where she ends up picking the moral good over her personal comfort and social appeal. I'm genuinely curious on what kind of choices Elphaba, Galinda, and Fiyero might have done in that situation if they weren't given the perfect out by the magic poppies.

Would Galinda have helped in with the lion cub if she were awake? Probably, but who knows? Because in the narrative, Galinda isn't really put in a situation where she could choose good without being watched or without someone breathing down her neck. The prospect of being punished and kicked out from Shiz would also be most plausible and ruinous for Galinda. Morrible would definitely use it as an excuse to kick her out, or at the very least punish her, if she could, and it could throw away her only chance of achieving her dream of becoming a sorceress. She would have probably joined them in the end, though. If only to make sure they were safe. Compared to Fiyero, she has more conflicts of interests because she has personal aspirations and influence based on her reputation, and thus have more fears and consequences to consider in losing it.

Would Fiyero have joined Elphaba on the broom? Maybe, mostly likely. Because narratively, he’s never given a reason why he shouldn’t. He doesn’t see his worth and his skills intrinsically tied to public influence and opinion. He doesn’t have any wants or wishes he would have to abandon. He’ll have to leave his friends and family, but it’s not shown how close they really are to him outside Feldspar, his Horse friend, and he’s probably joining them anyway. He’s definitely more equipped to survive on the run compared to Glinda. Unlike Glinda, who is proven right in the end to being most useful when she can wield her powerful social influence For Good, Fiyero would probably be most useful as a sidekick to Elphaba. He was always written to be Elphaba’s follower, it’s no surprise. It’s also easier to take risks when you don’t have much to lose. But I think most people would agree that would make a less interesting story.

[thatiranianphantom]

it used to be mine (but now it's yours)

“You ruined me.” 

He is supposed to be at the Ozdust with Glinda. That’s what he’d said, taciturn and without looking at her, during their sole interaction that day. 

He’s been like that with her, recently. Not that she’s ever thought of them as particularly close. Not friends, per se, just…two people united by their shared loved one. Two people, if she were being a bit more honest, with what seemed to be a constant, crackling energy between them she’d never been able to explain. 

Not since the lion cub…and that day at the swimming hole near the poppy farm. Sitting on the edge, watching the muscles ripple in his shoulders, filled her with this strange heat she’d never felt before. And then that night, around the fire, where his eyes kept catching hers, the light reflecting this strange gaze in them, something that looked like…longing. 

But it couldn’t have been, could it? Not for her. Entirely wishful thinking, something she had tried very hard to push down. Made easier by the fact that he seemed to be resolutely ignoring her lately. 

Not now, though. After he’d pounded on her door, he’s standing in the doorframe, eyes ablaze, chest heaving as if he’d run here straight from the docks. 

“You ruined me,” he tells her, and Elphaba is smart, one of the smartest in her class, thank you very much, but she cannot for the life of her figure out what he means. 

He blazes into the room, stepping immediately into her side of the huge suite. 

“Fiyero, shouldn’t you be at the Ozdust? With Glinda?” It hurts, it physically hurts to say, but it shouldn’t. He’s not hers. He will never be hers, and the moment with the lion cub…it was just that. A moment. 

Handsome princes don’t take up with antisocial green girls. He’ll marry, if not Glinda, someone equally beautiful and perfect, and she is not that girl. 

He gives a hard nod of his head. “That’s the point. I was supposed to be there. With Glinda. I was supposed to be there, Elphaba, not here!” 

Elphaba cocks her head, eyes narrowing. “Then…why are you here? An hour after you left, looking like you just ran all the way?”

He looks at her incredulously, as if she’s ridiculous for not knowing. “I told you, Elpaba! Because of you!” 

“Because of…me?”

He nods again, as if she’s finally getting it. “You! I was…” he breaks off, running a shaking hand through his hair. “I was fine! I found pretty girls, pretty guys, anyone I wanted! And it was always fine!”

“I don’t want to hear this.” She doesn’t, she really doesn’t. She has no urge to hear about all the people before, all the people there will be after, how easily it all comes to him.

“No!” he seizes her by her shoulders, and suddenly she’s gazing into blue eyes and her heart is pounding. 

“It was fine, Elphaba. I danced through life, and I never thought about it. I never thought…until I met you.”

If possible, her heart picks up more. Until I met you. 

“I met you, and I…now everything is different!” He drops her arms and she feels the lack of warmth suddenly, feels just the tiniest bit emptier. 

“I met you twice, two goddamn times, Elphaba, and you ruined me!” 

Fiyero paces, makes his way between Glinda’s section of the room and hers, and if it were any other time, perhaps she’d see the irony in it. As it is, his words turn over and over in her head. 

Until I met you. 

You ruined me. 

She doesn’t know why she does it, but she reaches out and grabs his hand. Like that day. Like the day things changed. 

It calms him a bit, and that releases something in her. He stares at their joined hands and is silent for long moments, so long that she thinks perhaps he’s done, perhaps he’d just leave and they’d never speak about this again. But then he gives her hand a little tug, and she tumbles the short distance towards him. His other hand lifts, tracing over her hairline, down her cheek, and she’s sure he can hear her heart by this point, how loud it’s pounding. 

“I don’t think about it anymore, Fae,” he whispers. “Any of it. Glinda, the Ozdust, that dance through life…I don’t see it anymore. I don’t see it, because all I see is you.”

[contrarian-grammarian]

Glindafication, or the Trap of Persona in Wicked (2024)

So I recently saw Wicked for the second time in theaters (this week). As a longtime fan of the musical, I think I'm one of the few people who has always loved the love triangle in it... actually, I think I'm one of the few people in fandom spaces who is willing to be open about loving love triangles when all of the characters are narratively and/or emotionally connected. Idk what to tell you other than I love mess and when shipping echoes the themes of the text.

Anyway, that's a longwinded way of saying that while the movie adaptation didn't make many changes to the story (including not adding a lot of extra Fiyero/Elphaba scenes, which I thought they might given how much that ship drives the plot in Act 2), I thought it highlighted/made me realize a number of things about Elphaba, Glinda, and especially Fiyero that I think are both really interesting character moments and foreshadow their eventual arcs in Act 2. (Spoilers for all of Act 1 below).

:readmore:

Most of this character analysis is coming from one scene that really stood out to me in the film, even though it is basically unchanged from the musical. It's a very small moment between Elphaba and Fiyero, right after 'Popular' (though I think we can assume some time has passed in the actual timeline) and right before Dr. Dillamond is fired. Elphaba is practicing her hair tossing that she's learned from Glinda, and the camera cuts to Fiyero, watching her with a slight smirk, who then says: "You've been Galindafied." Pause. "You don't need to do that."

I didn't really notice this on my first watch--like I said, it's almost the exact same dialogue as in the musical--but it did stand out to me on my second watch because of a few other acting choices for F & E that I will point out later. But on my second watch, I was like, "Wait... what do you mean, 'Galindafied' (derogatory)?" Dude, that's your girlfriend?

In Act 1 of the musical, Fiyero presents way more sincerely as a male version of Glinda. He makes a much ruder comment about Elphaba in their first meeting, and (at least in the stage versions I've seen) really seems settled into his playboy persona in 'Dancing Through Life.' However, in the movie, I think it becomes clearer earlier on (due to the sincere interest displayed in his and Elphaba's first meeting, as well as some other small acting choices during his first meeting with Galinda) that Movie!Fiyero does not actually like fakeness. Which means he doesn't like himself, because he knows how fake he is.

I think in Fiyero's mind, he is two people: Fake Fiyero, who is selfish and shallow and stupid and hot, and Real Fiyero, who knows that Fake Fiyero sucks and it's all a bullshit cover to make his life easier. And Real Fiyero is onto Galinda in a heartbeat--at least, the version that he first sees of her, which I'm sure he considers Fake Galinda. In Fiyero's mind--as seen when he compliments her machinations with Boq and Nessa--Fake Galinda is selfish and shallow and manipulative and hot. And he thinks Fake Fiyero and Fake Galinda "deserve each other" (derogatory).

Interestingly, I think Glinda also knows about Fake Glinda and Fake Fiyero... but she thinks they're the best versions of themselves. In Glinda's mind, everyone is supposed to wear their shiniest, most perfect versions of themselves as a mask in front of their real face. It's why 'Popular' happens right after she connects with Elphaba--in Glinda's mind, the best thing for Elphie is to develop her mask, so that everyone else can learn to love her too. Glinda is aware that it's possible to love the person under the mask--that's how she feels about Elphie and Fiyero ("I don't even think he's perfect anymore and I still want him!") but the mask is preferred.

To tie this back to the Galindafied scene, I think Fiyero sees someone doing what he thinks is the height of bravery at the OzDust dance--being themselves, unabashedly, in front of everyone despite the mockery. "I'll say this for her, she doesn't give a twit what anyone else thinks," is, in Fiyero's mind, the best thing a person can be. He's obviously misreading how much Elphaba does care, because I don't think Fiyero can fathom how somebody could care and still do the brave/embarrassing thing, but when Glinda explains that Elphaba really does care, he becomes even more impressed. And when Glinda joins Elphaba and then they both run out of the ball together, you can tell by the look on his face that he's just been impressed by both of them.

And then, it's the next time he's alone with Elphaba, and she's doing Fake Galinda's hair toss. And Fiyero's like, goddammit. He thought that Elphaba and Glinda might both be real, and now Glinda's making Elphaba into a Fake Elphie. And he's done the fake persona thing himself, he's going to keep doing it, but he really doesn't want Elphaba to think that's her only solution. That Fake Glinda is better than Real Elphaba, and she needs to change for people to like her.

In the musical, "You don't need to do that" always kinda came across to me as a "you're not like other girls" line, but Movie!Fiyero's delivery comes across as both very sincere and something of a warning. He's willing to play a fake person, and he's willing to date a fake person, but he knows perfectly well that being fake sucks, and he doesn't want Elphaba to do it. And Real Fiyero, who's not stupid or selfish, follows this advice with another comment that could never come from Fake Fiyero: "C'mon, let's get to class." And Elphaba gives a small smile before following him. Because, for the first time, I think she appreciates that Real Fiyero exists, and that he would stand up for Real Elphaba.

And speaking of Elphaba... Once she becomes friends with Glinda and Fiyero, Elphaba basically ignores the false front that Glinda and Fiyero put up and judges them based on how they see themselves. Like Fiyero, she prefers their real selves to their fake shells, but she accepts all of the parts of them that they accept. Which is why she is so much more patient with Glinda than Fiyero. She sees that Glinda is both much happier and more integrated into her mask role, and sees that it still allows her to have a basically good heart. (It's also why she's so accepting of Glinda's decision not to leave with her in the end.) She prefers the real, genuinely kind Glinda, but she can accept Fake Glinda as a protective covering.

But Elphaba sees that Fiyero is deeply unhappy with his persona, and tells him--as he just told her--you don't have to do that. "No, you're not. Otherwise you wouldn't be so unhappy." She knows that it's harder to go through life as a Real Person, but it is possible--and now she's learned that it's even possible to have friends.

At the same time, Elphaba, who otherwise is so clear about her friends' true selves, is still incredibly blind about her own worth and identity. And if she can't (or chooses not to) be Galindafied, she'll have to build a different type of mask/persona to protect herself from getting hurt. And she chooses the role of the lonely outsider who would never even be considered as an option for romantic love. "He could be that boy... but I'm not that girl." That ends up being her Fake Elphaba... one that I'm very interested to see how she sheds in Act 2.

[warlocklawyer666]

Costume Design in Wicked

So, I just watched Wicked for the third time since it’s available on Amazon now and goodness, do I love this movie. There are so many small details that you inly really start appreciating on the second or third watch, so I wanna talk about one of the things that caught my eye, already on the second watch, but even more so on this one. The costume design.

The costume design of this movie is, at least in my opinion, glorious. And by that I mean how certain characters stand out from the crowd through their clothes. If you were to look at a mass of people from Shiz, you’d know directly who the main cast is and who the supporting characters are.

The whole school follows a specific dress code: grey trousers (sometimes with a skirt on the side), light blue shirt and a matte, dark cyan-blue jacket on top. And while these parts get styled differently, trousers exchanged for skirts and similar changes being made, we, the audience, can easily tell by this who background characters are.

If we now take a look at side characters, it is clear that, while they are in fact similar to background characters, clothes, they are still distinctive differences. G(a)linda’s friend Pfannee wears, instead of the usual matte jacket, a (presumably) velvet one, giving him a shinier look without pulling too much of the audiences attention to it. Plus he wears extremely fancy glasses with a very intricate design, much more notable here is their shape tho, which is rectangular, something that I didn’t spot on any other character at Shiz, even tho there are at least three background characters who also wear glasses, all of which are round.

Glinda’s other friend, Shenshen, has a uniform that is exclusively grey, except for a few pink stripes.

Glinda is often around those two and Shenshen, lacking a lot pf colour in her uniform let’s Glinda pop out, while she at the same time shows how she belongs to her squad through the pink stripes, something that Pfannee does, in my opinion, too, even if he does it in a slightly different way and by being a bit more flashy, just like Glinda.

Nessa, Elphaba’s sister, also has a few differences in her daily attire in comparison to that of her classmates, the most prominent being her wearing a dress during the ‘Dancing through Life’ scene at Shiz, as well as the clothes she arrives in. What is interesting here is how her jacket is the only one that is entirely closed, this could either be because her overprotective father didn’t want her to catch a cold, or could also symbolise how she doesn’t require any help and refuses that, closing her off, instead of being open and comfortable, a change which we can clearly see later in the movie, during the scenes where she wears a dress. There she seems much more comfortable and open with her clothes being in turn more open, while no one tries to constantly help her and looks excessively after her wellbeing.

Let’s move on to Prince Fiyero, most of the time he wears, what I think is a dark royal blue, which would be a nod to his heritage, on top of that he is also, far as I could tell, the only student who has golden ornaments as part of his general attire. Even in his actual school outfit which he wears during the lion cub scene, we can see a clear distinction from other students through his light beige trousers and short which has a lighter blue colour than those of the other students and matches with the shirt colour Elphaba wears in the same scene, showing their connection and the bonding that happens there. On another note, his usual dark blue clothing neither matches specifically Elphaba nor Glinda, however the blue colour is in fact roughly in a triadic colour scheme with Elphaba’s skin colour and, if lighter, also with Glinda’s overall pink wardrobe.

Finally onto Elphaba and Glinda. The colours of their clothes being black and pink and, except for a few accents in other designs, being specific to them. When looking at a crowd from Shiz, those are the two that you’d notice first. They never wear actual school uniform and are as distinctive from the rest of the school as light and dark.

That is all I can think of so far, but if I missed something or got something wrong, please tell me

Anyway, thanks for listening to my ted talk ^^

[orkbutch]

ok ok, i know this isnt a wicked blog but its time for me to say my thoughts on the Wicked movie trailer.

I'm not stoked. I'm not much of a musical version lover already, but two things really rubbed me wrong, and I believe they apply to the musical as much as the book in their importance within the Themes.

Elphaba being played by Erivo and being black is cool. Erivo is a great singer, and her hair looks sick, and Elphie's hair is important. However, that casting choice being combined with a white Fiyero (who is Not White in the book, and very much experiences colonialist racism) and with no prosthetic effort to make Elphaba Not Beautiful (which is a Significant Element of Her Experience And Character), spoils any truly transgressive or progressive bite to that casting decision.

The only of the core mains thats not white is the character that is green. Interesting. The character who is extremely belittled for her appearance because she has a deformity, and because she's unattractive by conventional standards (esp because of her hawkish nose and strong chin), is a beautiful woman. Interesting!

Something about this just rubs me wrong. I think the musical has always made me skeptical in this area because its core adaption decisions were always bent toward stripping Wicked of much of its commentary on racism. In the book Fiyero is Vinkan, clearly coded Native American, and Winkie is a slur. They made the slur the name for the Vinkans in the musical. If I recall correctly, Quadlings aren't even mentioned in the musical. But Fiyero in the musical... I don't even know Why they keep him being a foriegn prince because he isnt written like hes foriegn from Gillikin at all. His ethnicity seems totally flattened, a slur that indicates no cultural or experiencial distinction from Gillikin.

I think that may have happened because Animals were already considered an allegory for racism, and they wanted to make that allegory cleaner and easier to condense into a musical plot. Thats my theory. However, that is a misreading. The Animals are not a perfectly singular allegory, and I think you could argue several inspirations, but the most apt interpretation for sure is that the Animals are an allegory for people with disabilities and neurodivergence, as Elphaba's experience is.

The Animals are not merely culturally different or isolated. They are not falsely believed to be different from the Gillikins or the Munchkinlanders or Vinkans. They ARE different, not because they aren't people but because their basic needs are different, and are not adapted to by society. They have hooves, and different skeletons, and different senses, and different mouths that can't necessarily make the kind of speech humans use.

This is important because Elphaba uniquely relates to the Animals, and its because Elphaba has a deformity and is super autistic. This is the other thing that always rubbed me wrong about the musical: it always implied that the only thing that made Elphaba "ugly" to people was her green skin. Thats... weak shit!!! In the book, Elphaba is Not beautiful. She is hatchet faced. She is tall and androgynous and looks weird. And this is IMPORTANT, because it makes Elphaba a genuinely transgressive character!! Her experience is layered! She is green but also breaks gender rules, is awkward, is self hating, is rude, ect. ect. It strengthens her empathy she feels toward Animals, because she feels so othered from society that she feels non-human, alienated.

The book also handles Elphaba's attractiveness much better; it does a great job of depicting someone who is not beautiful but is nevertheless Hot, which Elphaba is. When Glinda looks at her for the first time and thinks that shes beautiful, she is not looking past Elphaba's skin and she does no make over. She puts Elphaba in an orange hat as a joke, and sees how it matches her skin and suits her, and it makes Glinda realise that the green of Elphaba's skin can be beautiful to her. And that changes how Glinda sees Elphaba; Elphaba does not change.

okay im just complaining about the musical now. But idk, I wish that they'd used this opportunity to do better by Fiyero, make the themes a bit better... and just... put some light prosthetics on Erivo. Just make her look a little uglier! A little more hatchety. Its not like it'd be out of place, Ariana Grande as Glinda looks spooky as fuck. Why does she look like that. I like it bc I like Glinda looking intense and spooky but it IS weird

[lapseinart]

I do have like a rather cracky idea for a Wicked/Bridgerton crossover that I will never write but need to excise from my mind so this is messy as hell. Exists solely because I've watched the clips of Dancing Through Life like twenty times.

SO Anthony (and maybe also Simon?) was isekai'd into Oz during his uni days, where he took on the name Fiyero after he was found/adopted by the royal family of Winkie Country. Wicked proceeds as usual, except at the end, Fiyero tells Elphaba hey I'm not from here, she's like oh! I think if you go back, I can turn you human again in the process and he's like bet. Or they both go to the human world where Elphaba manages to change him back because magic is different there and then she goes back at some point.

This is all just backstory for when the Bridgertons (I'm thinking Kate, Benedict, and Eloise at least, maybe Daphne and Simon) get isekai'd into Oz. And only because I want them confronted with people that know a version of their brother that they barely know, the carefree, scadalocious dancer. Also Gelphie is a thing, and they keep trying to poach Kate. I really am obsessed with this plot point. I don't really care as much for the background/context. My main point in all this is that Fiyero's exes got together and they're coming for Anthony's wife.

Benedict's angsting about the fact that Anthony hates the fact that his exes are homosexuals and keeps trying to be supportive of them flirting and stuff and Anthony keeps trying to shut it down until they have outs until Anthony just goes "For God's sake Benedict, I don't give a damn if you want to fuck a man or if they fuck each other, we've all been there, they just can't fuck my wife!" And this is how Benedict finds out that Anthony and Simon almost definitely boned while at Oxford.

Eloise is obviously fascinated by everything. The skirts are shorter here! And so flouncy! And some men wear skirts! And the most powerful people in the land are two witches! Women! Amazing! Why is Anthony Like That when he knows women are fully capable? And he's like first of all society here and at home are very different. I can wear a skirt here. "You've worn a skirt?" "Of course I have I just didn't like it." Second of all, mother is not here, mother is there. Third of all Eloise if you had an actual concrete plan, I would of course support you. That's what the dowry is for. But you have no plan that doesn't mean negatively impacting your sisters that do actually want to get married! And like for Anthony after knowing and loving these headstrong independent women in Oz, how can he even half-heartedly love any demure debutantes? When he knows they could be more if they allowed themselves to be more? It feels like a waste to him.

There's also an awkward moment where Anthony has to explain to Kate, yes I courted Glinda and we were going to get married but then I ran off with Elphaba. However, they were always in love with each other so it all worked out. And it's like I don't understand was Elphaba your mistress? did you court her too? And Glinda interrupts if anything Fiyero was Elphie's mistress, i think, and I tried to entrap Fiyero in marriage. Kate's like ah, I see. Kate does think that it's kind of wild that Anthony is almost kind of sort of Edwina in this relationship?? But they all get along rather fabulously. Gelphie's always trying to include her into stuff and Kate's flattered and lowkey kind of interested by the attention. Sue her, she didn't know women could do marital acts with other women!

Glinda and Elphaba for their part are absolutely fascinated by this uptight, responsible version of Fiyero. He talks about responsibility "What about your responsibility to corrupt your fellow students?" "We were all so well-behaved before you came along." "That's a lie, stop lying, the pair of you were always menaces." "Yes, that's fair, but we were well-contained menaces before you came along." "I only started cutting class after you joined." "And none of us stepped on or kicked books" "You kicked a book??" "This was ages ago!" "He got away with it because he seduced the librarian" "I did not seduce the librarian! I merely... charmed her."

This all culminates to a rendition of Dancing Through Life which is very shocking for all Bridgerton people because it's a lot more sensual and energetic than anything they've seen before with the like gyrating and stuff. And Anthony/Fiyero drags Kate into dancing with him, and she's into it, this version of Anthony that's so loose and carefree and infectious in his confidence. And it's like damn I'd hate balls too if I knew dancing like this was an option because Kate can solidly say she's having fun in a way she's never had before, as Elphaba spins her around and Glinda shows her how to stomp her feet and Anthony does a freaking cartwheel instead of walking up to her normally for no reason other than because it makes her laugh.

And for the Bridgertons it's like. this is who Anthony could be. If he was, like, a second or third son and not the Viscount. If he wasn't constrained by society. He'd be charming and rakish and energetic and laughing and an absolute menace to everyone and also society.

I do also think that Benedict at some point is like I did wonder at some point if Anthony had a type, but of his two girlfriends here one of them is green and the other's blonde so I guess he was serious when he said personality mattered more to him than any particular physical features.

Anyway Kate's having the time of her life, Anthony is getting some stress free days and the other Bridgertons are getting their worldview shaken. That is all thank you.

[princesssarisa]

Are there things in Wicked's second act you think could've been improved/more fleshed out?

I think so. These are the changes I would make if I were allowed to rewrite the second act:

Make it clearer how much time has passed between Acts 1 and 2. We know it should be at least five years, if not more, since the Cowardly Lion grows from a cub to an adult, but that's such a minor and easily forgotten detail. If not for that, and for Glinda's remark in the opening scene that her time with Elphaba at Shiz was "a long time ago" when they were "very young," it would be easy to assume the entire plot, both Acts 1 and 2, takes place over just a year or two at most. I wish Act 2 would make it clearer that quite a few years have passed since Act 1. I think this would also improve Elphaba's characterization and add weight both to her almost rejoining the Wizard in "Wonderful" and to "No Good Deed." It should be clearer that she's been fighting her good fight for years, only to meet defeat again and again, and after all this time she's becoming burnt out.

Keep more focus on the plight of the Animals and on Elphaba's revolutionary activities. A lot of fans complain that in Act 1, the political aspect of the musical almost disappears in favor of focusing on the characters' personal emotions, and especially the love triangle. Let's avoid that.

Flesh out Fiyero as a double agent. Show that even as Captain of the Guard, he's already covertly working to help the Animals in some ways. This way, no one will accuse him of "only caring about Elphaba, not about what she fights for."

Make it clearer what Glinda and Fiyero's relationship has been like in the years between Acts 1 and 2, and do a better job of explaining why Fiyero has never broken up with her, even though he was already losing interest in her in favor of Elphaba in Act 1. (Because he can't bear to hurt her? Because he doesn't want to lose his only confidante about Elphaba? Because she was always just a trophy girlfriend he never really loved, so why change a thing? Because he does love her as well as Elphaba, and in his ideal world, they would have a threesome? Which is it?)

Rewrite at least half of the scene with Nessarose. Get rid of the ableist implication that Nessa turns to villainy because her disability has made her life miserable, or that her resentment toward Elphaba stems from Elphaba not using the Grimmerie's magic to cure her. Instead, emphasize that Nessa is angry because Elphaba abandoned her, and because she "caused" their father's death too, thrusting Nessa into a high-pressure leadership role she wasn't ready for and leaving her with no one to love her. This is why she obsesses over Boq and enslaves the Munchkins so he'll never leave her – because without her sister or her father, he was all she had left. In this rewrite, her disability isn't even relevant to her dark turn; Elphaba just enchants the silver shoes because she sees how deeply she hurt her sister and wants to make it up to her somehow. This could enhance "No Good Deed" too, as Elphaba would have to face the fact that by leaving her loved ones for "the greater good," she caused her sister's downward spiral, and that her efforts to free the Animals have not only failed, but caused another group, the Munchkins, to be enslaved too.

Make Glinda's motives clearer for giving the shoes to Dorothy and sending her to the Wizard. Does she genuinely do it to help Dorothy, or does she do it as a trap for Elphaba in revenge for the love triangle? I'm still not sure which it is. On the one hand, in her anger she gives the Wizard and Madame Morrible the fatal advice to use Nessarose as bait for Elphaba, but on the other hand, she doesn't know that Morrible actually took her advice and caused the cyclone, and she's horrified when Elphaba is captured and protests that she never meant for it to happen. Is that true, or did she mean for it to happen, only to regret it when she actually sees it? They should make the answer clearer, because it has a big effect on how we view Glinda's character.

If Elphaba and Glinda must have a catfight, make it less about Fiyero and even more about their opposing life choices. Elphaba can still gloat about Fiyero's love for her, but instead of having Glinda slap her just then, let her then go back to calling out Glinda for what she's done (e.g. "And it's no wonder he loves me, because I haven't sold my soul to the Wizard!" or "He loves me, and unlike someone else I know, he chose me over his own popularity!"), and let that be what makes Glinda snap.

Make it clearer whether "March of the Witch Hunters" takes place before Elphaba kidnaps Dorothy or after. It seems fairly clear that it's meant to take place at the Emerald City beforehand, just after the Wizard has ordered Dorothy and her friends to bring him Elphaba's broomstick, since Glinda and Madame Morrible are there to see the witch hunters off and since Boq's speech makes no mention of rescuing Dorothy. But since Dorothy doesn't appear onstage, some fans assume that she's already been captured and that the witch hunters are setting out to rescue her. This makes a huge difference in how darkly we view the characters: the murderous mob in general (are they driven by an innocent girl's kidnapping, or by propaganda alone?), Boq (is he seeking to save his little friend, or just personal revenge?), and Elphaba herself (does she cold-bloodedly kidnap a child just to get Nessa's shoes back, or does she more justifiably capture a child-soldier assassin whom the Wizard has sent after her?).

I hope the upcoming movie makes at least a few of these changes.

[akajustmerry]

I really hope they change the ending message for wicked, or at least Elphabas feelings before she truly leaves . I have a bit of hope, because supposedly they've changed Nessa gaining the ability to walk at the request of her actress to something else(or something like that. Point is they're making kinda "major" plot differences-)

But I'm not getting my hopes up too high, because the 2nd act of wicked has always been 5/10 for me for reasons beyond Elphabas feelings

(Sorry if this is all jumbled, I struggle with articulating my words)

I think part/act 2 sucks because it ultimately reduces the foundational political struggle established in act 1 and waters it all the way down to a love triangle in act 2. you also have No Good Deed where Elphie herself (who has never doubted her political purpose before now) sings a whole damn song about how actually she probably shouldn't actually challenge Oz's status quo because her bf was lynched by the state. In any other story with political integrity, Fiyero's death would further radicalise her and affirm her beliefs in her greater cause. Instead, she essentially becomes a liberal stereotype of a terrorist, literally just kidnapping Dorothy et al for the shoes (weirdly sexist no matter how you slice that btw)- reducing Elphie unironically to the "wicked witch" archetype that the story is allegedly supposed to challenge. There are a thousand ways this ending could have gone that keeps the Wizard of Oz narrative intact. Afterall Dorothy leaves Oz as soon as the Wizard does. Anything could've been added onto the end that actually venerates Elphaba's fight for justice. But instead there's just a neo-liberal shrug of, "welp she's a terrorist and there's nothing I Glinda who is literally in charge of everything now can do about that :(((" like HUH?!? And I get it's trying to be a tragedy in that well these characters have to be this way because that's how the wizard of Oz ends doesn't it!! But the very existence of act 1 proves that's not a real limitation on the story at all. I'm not saying there can't be a tragedy. I don't think there's a version of this story where Elphaba isn't an exile in one way or another. I don't think there's a version of this story where Glinda isn't alone at the end. But I wish so much there was a version of this story that wasn't so hell-bent on condemning and humiliating leftist revolutionary ideals using the very misogyny that the story claims to challenge. Even as a kid when I saw the play I HATED Fiyero because and I quote my 15 yr old self here, "he gets in the WAY". And while I couldn't really fully articulate what I meant by that back then, I can now!!! He gets in the way of this story actually being about what it said it was about in act 1. He gets in the way of Glinda and Elphie being actualised. AND he gets in the way of the YURI!!!!!! would cutting Fiyero out fix everything? No. but god!! the themes would be so much stronger because the misogyny would be less potent. the original book does that ftr. idk I've thought about fixing act 2 a lot over the years but yk. at the end of the day, I suppose Wicked is truly a tragedy at every textual level, including the tragedy that it could have had a real narrative backbone, but chose a liberal nostalgia cop out at the 11th hour 💔. I say all this but let it be known I don't *hate* act 2. I cry in For Good every damn time, and I know why the story is Like That™ but. sigh. Nothing makes you love a story like knowing it is ALMOST everything you want it to be.

[deeplyshalllow]

An In Depth Study of Fiyero and Elphaba's interactions in the Dancing Through Life/Ozdust Scene in Wicked the Movie

As a follow on from the post I made the other day analysing the Fiyeraba movie meeting scene, I wanted to do an analysis on the movie’s take on the other Fiyero and Elphaba interactions.

I am writing an analysis of the Lion Cub scene too, but it’s over 1000 words and they’re still only on their bikes. So I thought I’d split this up and post the DTL/Ozdust Fiyeraba analysis. It’s a small one, give Fiyero and Elphaba don’t speak to each other during this scene, but there’s some interesting things to note.

The moment where Fiyero waves at Elphaba, while Elphaba rolls her eyes at him is a good way to confirm both of their feelings about each other in this moment. Fiyero has no hard feelings about Elphaba from the day before (and he’s certainly not taken his cue from how the rest of the student body treats her). If anything, she’s interested him and it’s made him more determined to befriend her and prove he’s got nothing against her. Elphaba, however, still thinks he’s like everyone else and is mocking her for her skin, and him playing up the dumb playboy act even louder, now he has an audience, is not helping at all, and she leaves mid scene. While we see Elphaba’s views of Fiyero at this stage in the musical with this line “It's absurd! This silly, rich boy appears and everyone's off to worship him at some cultish social gathering!” getting Fiyero’s feelings for Elphaba here is new and is a nice addition to his character.

The second important moment is Fiyero’s line in the Ozdust about Elphaba, “Well I’ll say this much, she doesn’t give a twig what anyone thinks.” It is a line taken directly from the musical but it hits slightly differently here. In the musical this line is said because Fiyero cares so much about what everyone else thinks that he rewrites his entire personality and he envies Elphaba for apparently not doing the same. The thing is, with the meeting scene in the movie where Fiyero calls out Elphaba’s defensiveness, we know that Fiyero has already sussed out Elphaba uses aggression as a defence mechanism, he knows she cares what other people think and puts on an act too – so instead this line can be read as Fiyero going “I’m impressed she’s brave enough to do what she wants despite knowing people will judge her for it” which has a nice link to him admiring what she does in Defying Gravity at the beginning of Act 2, “You know who could [resist being popular for doing what is right]. Who has.” As well as foreshadowing his act 2 character development when he too gives up the love of the people to do what is right.

We also get a few shots of Fiyero dancing along enthusiastically and looking admiringly at Galinda and Elphaba together through the Gelphie dance scene. It’s actually toned down from in the musical where he’s the first to go over and talk to Elphaba and Galinda when everyone starts joining in, (which I get – he doesn’t really need to be in this important Gelphie moment), but I think what it does imply is finally a change in Elphaba’s attitude towards him. She’s given Galinda a second chance, Galinda joining in has allowed her to let her guard down and Fiyero, as always is nothing but supportive of her. It’s very easy from this scene to see that, logically, Elphaba will be happy to start afresh with her perception of Fiyero too.

Analysis of Fiyeraba interactions in the Lion Cub Scene in the movie

An In Depth Study of Elphaba and Fiyero in the Train Station Scene

[emeraldart]

I’m tired but hear me out: Asian G(a)linda

Elphaba has traditionally been played by Jewish women, because she’s a deconstruction of the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz, who was designed with antisemitic stereotypes (initial or not), and, in the movie, she is played back a black woman, because the musical is about a girl who is shunned for her skin color. (Important also to mention that these groups traditionally are painted as loud, aggressive, etc, and Elphaba is a fairly positive spin on such tropes). But I’m not a part of either demographic, and there’s plenty of people who are who have talked about this.

So, Glinda.

Asian people have been traditionally painted in American society as the “superior minority” (called the model minority myth) and many of them have internalized this. Glinda is very, very aware of the lack of power she has, seeing how she sucks up to authority (the wizard, Madam Morrible) but she also knows that she has it better than most, and she uses that.

She’s constantly trying to be “ideal.” We get an idea of who Glinda is, very offhandedly, in Popular when she talks about how all the greats weren’t smart, just popular. She’s playing the game. She’s become an idealized version of a human being as a form of survival. And that’s kind of what it’s like to be Asian in America—although we tend to do this through getting good grades as well, when we’re not fulfilling other stereotypes.

And racism does exist in the world of Wicked. In the books, Fiyero is native—from a fictional location, but he’s described as dark-skinned—and boy. There are a lot of characters being racist towards him.

This is kind of a goofy subpoint but I feel like it’d really reflect just how much effort Glinda puts into her persona if she’s not a natural blonde. But also Oz logic, maybe they’ve got ways to bleach your hair without destroying it.

Another goofy subpoint. It’s also pretty common for Asians (usually Chinese Americans) to have multiple names, to have something easier to pronounce. That’s really not what Glinda is doing when she changes her name, but pronunciation is a factor.

tl;dr Glinda reads like a model minority sometimes

I haven’t decided what type of Asian yet… but I kind want to claim her as desi? Unsure…