#quadling country

[witchesoz]

Oz lore: The Great and Powerful (2)

II) The Land of Oz

Now, what is truly fascinating is that for the release of the movie, Disney published an official map of Oz as it appears in the movie – in fact it is the same map that appears several times in the movie.

However before that, let’s tackle the biggest issue with this movie: is Oz a dream or not?

The movie tries to mix together two conflict canon, the books where Oz is real, and the MGM movie where Oz is a dreamland. As a result… on one side Oz is visibly real, since the Wizard is not knocked on the head in any way, is rather carried there by a magical tornado, and later appears in Dorothy’s story. But on the other side, Dorothy’s story per the MGM movie was a dream, and the Wizard, just like Dorothy, sees in Oz beings and creatures reflecting his reality – the lions, the monkeys, the circus music in the plants, Glinda being a reflection of Wanda, the Little China Girl being the wheelchair girl… too many coincidences for it not to mean something. The result is extremely confusing. But that’s the main trouble with this movie: in terms of Ozian lore, it is infuriating by its desire to take from both canons without fully indulging in any.

Now, to get on to Oz itself…

They kept the idea of Oz being split into several distinct sections, which is nice. The Emerald City is at the center of Oz and has its own, green-colored region. The official map mentions a “Green Lake” nearby, which is not appearing in the movie but is actually a nod to the mysterious lake Baum added on his Oz maps without ever using it in a story. The most interesting twist is that in this version, there are actually four yellow brick roads, each linking the City to a different part of Oz.

In the north, you have the purple-colored Gillikin Country, which appears on the officla map, but is absolutely forgotten in the movie. It is never mentioned, does not appear and doesn’t play any role – the official map doesn’t even has landmarks for it. Since Glinda in this movie is the witch of the South, there is no witchy presence in the North – and even more, on the official map, the Northern Yellow Brick Road is the only one that is not tied or crosses over with the other Yellow roads (ALL the other Yellow Brick Roads are tied together in one big system).

In the South, you have the Quadling Country. It seems to be red-colored, in theory. You see, the thing is that on the official map the colors of the countries are very pale – and the one of the South is so pale it doesn’t seem like it has any color at all. It looks to be the same beige as the paper of the map, until you look really close and note some faded red/pink colors on the borders. The only real noticeable landmark is “Glinda’s Castle”, which is the small bubble-protected kingdom Glinda built in the South during her exile. Because yes, she visibly had enough time to build there a castle – unless it was always there and she merely took over. In the movie, this is where Glinda united her “forces” by gathering people who were oppressed/wronged by the Wicked Witch and knew the truth. Three groups are here: the Quadlings (the simple, rural folks living in the South. Look like humans with strange mustaches/hairdos/outfits – mostly farmers, though others also have jobs such as iron-smiths, sewers, bakers or scarecrow-makers) ; the Tinkerers (old, bearded and bald men with pointy ears, most walking with canes or in wheelchairs, and who are able to build anything – probably a mix of elves makers and the Winkies from the novel) and the Munchkins (who are just like in the MGM movie – interestingly not all the Munchkins joined Glinda’s side, one actually works as the Herald of the Emerald City, but ultimately turns out to be a double agent for Glinda – but it leads the question, if Evanora can spy in Glinda’s protected kingdom, how come she did not realize her own city herald was a spy?).

At one point we also see a bunch of wild mountains located at the border between the South and… the Munchkin realm, let’s call that. The mountains there are shaped like giant animals (one is a stone lion, another a titanic elephant) and they have on them strange sights such as flowers made of crystals/gems.

And then… the East and the West. Oh boy. That’s the mess.

You see, they inverted the East and the West. Which isn’t wrong in itself, because this is a nod to the real Oz maps: the first Oz maps in the books had confused the directions, putting East on the left and West on the right, resulting in an ongoing debate over whether the directions are inverted in Oz or not. HOWEVER… the mistake the movie And this precise map made is that they did not invert the directions on the map, East is still on the right as in our world’s maps. Not, they inverted the directions when it comes to the people. The Winkies are put in the East and the Munchkins in the West. Which doesn’t make any sense since for example Evanora goes to rule over the Munchkins and become the Wicked Witch of the East… in the West, according to the official map (which is the same map used in the movie).

Anyway.

The Yellow Land of the Winkies (normally in the West, but on the map and the movie in the East) is actually where the Wizard begins his journey. His balloon falls in “The Winkie Peaks”, in the North-East, right next to Ugabu (another book nod). The Winkie Peaks is a set of twisted canyons and weird mountains – they are covered in snow in their highest and most northern parts, which then melt into waterfalls, rivers and lakes. This area is filled with strange sights: butterfly looking like flowers ; giants plants ; reeds making music ; and “water fairies”, small mischievous sprites who love to bite people. This is also where the Wizard meets Theodora – and this actually is never explained. Why is she so far away from Oz? And why is she in an area FILLED WITH WATER?

They then go into what the map calls the “Enchanted Forest”, which looks mostly like a regular forest. Except that it is filled with lions. This is also where they meet Finley, a small winged monkey with a bellhop outfit, who just escaped after his master’s house was destroyed by the Wicked Witch winged baboons. Here is something else that never got explained: what exactly is Finley? He looks a lot like the winged monkeys the Wicked Witch uses in the MGM movie. But in this continuity, the Wicked Witches use flying baboons. And while Finley has similarities to them (a winged ape with human clothes), he also doesn’t look like them AT ALL – he can speak where they cannot, he is gentle and kind where they are brutal and cruel, and he has feathered wings where they have bat wings.

Finally, in the movie they leave the Winkie Country by using the Yellow Brick Road, which leads them through a patch of blue flowers. And here is actually another interesting confusion: in the movie, it is implied that each gate of Oz has in front of it a patch of flowers tied to the land it faces. The eastern gate has blue flowers; the western gate has yellow flowers, and the southern gate has red flowers – the deadly poppies. Which would make sense… if they hadn’t switched the two countries. So, while the blue flowers face the East, according to the map they face the yellow Winkie Country. Same with the yellow flowers in front of the blue Munchkin Country. In fact, it seems that in the movie the East with the Peaks and the Enchanted Forest, was supposed to be the Munchkin Land of the MGM movie – after all the Enchanted Forest is the one of the MGM movie where they meet the Lion, the Tin Man and the talking apple trees. But the official map put them in the Winkie section.

And the deadly poppy fields are even more confusing – while they are supposed to face South, because they are red and are not near the Eastern Yellow Brick Road, the movie and the map explain that the field is actually East, and borders the Enchanted Forest. It is also confusing because in the MGM movie it is implied that the poppy field is a spell cast by the Wicked Witch, but here they are an already existing area everyone in Oz avoids because “one sniff” of the flowers and you fall into an eternal sleep.

As for the Winkies themselves, just like in the MGM movie they are represented as tall soldiers with hooked noses and chins – they are the personal guards of the Wicked Witches. However, contrary to the MGM movie, they do not have green skin, they rather have yellow skins (a nod to how their color is yellow).

And then you have the Eastern – I mean, Western part of Oz, the blue-colored Munchkin country. Only three areas are visited here: the China Country, a nod to the book, a city made of giant china cups and teapots, inhabited by living china figures. The town got entirely destroyed by the flying baboons, because they celebrated the arrival of the Wizard which angered the Wicked Witch, leading to the genocide of the China people, with only the Little China girl surviving (in this canon, glue does not exist in Oz, and thus the China people, once broken, cannot be repaired – until the Wizard arrived, with glue). Later another area of the Munchkin Country is the “Dark Forest” also called the “Haunted Forest”. Where the Enchanted Forest was a green, vibrant, beautiful area, the Haunted Forest is a dark and gloomy place filled with black dead trees, enormous thorns, and also man-eating plants with glowing eyes. In fact, to travel safely there you either have to run very fast, or be a witch whose magic can force the plants and obstacles to push away (such as Glinda does with her wand). The Haunted Forest borders “The Cemetery”, where Glinda’s father was buried. And according to the map, it is basically the only cemetery of all Oz, where the Ozites are all buried.

As you might remember, the haunted forest was originally (MGM canon) in the West of Oz, near the Wicked Witch castle. And here it is in the Munchkin Country, except that the Munchkin is in the West… the same way the Enchanted Forest, in the East-Munchkin land of MGM becomes here part of the East-Winkie land. It is just… so confusing.

This little tour being made, here are a few additional thoughts about this take on Oz:

# The technological level of Oz is… extremely confusing. The Quadlings are shown to own sewing machines, for example, hinting at a somewhat modern Oz. Yet, the Ozites are also confused by things such as glue and music boxes, and ignore what canon powder is.

# The size of Oz is… also confusing, but overall damn is this country small! On one side it takes roughly a full day (one afternoon and one morning) for the Wizard and Theodora to go from the Winkie Peaks, at the Ozian border, to the Emerald City, at the heart of Oz. Yet, the Wizard tells the China Girl her city is “one or two hours” of walk from the Emerald City. Except that, according to the map, the distance China Town-Emerald City is half the length of the distance Theodora and the Wizard crossed to get to the Emerald City…

- - - --

So yeah, in one word: confusing. Here is the map if you ever want to check it, and how... confusing it is:

Oz: The Great and Powerful is definitively NOT a good way to explore Oz geography or society.

[lowtideandhightea]

honestly. i like the book and the musical equally as pieces of media playing with the same general story but dealing with very different constraints that nonetheless both achieved their goals very well.

and do not get me wrong! i do want to see the movie! and im sure i will enjoy it in a way very similar to the musical

but i think if someone was going to make a wicked movie, they should have dome so in a way that allowed the different medium to... be different from the musical. personally, it would have been nice to see a middle ground struck that brought in more of the quirky elements and deeper and darker themes of the book.

or maybe thats asking too much of a movie. maybe what i want is one of those insufferable prestige tv shows as an adaption that would be willing to play more with the depth of the societal issues of the oz presented in the book.

the musical is such a glossy, fun thing. and i love it deeply!!! but i feel deeply the void - even in the leading characters - left by taking so much of the more complex themes out.

as deeply as i love musical glinda and elphaba's relationship, i miss even moreso the galinda who insisted she wasn't very good at thinking, only to debate philosophy of morality and religion's role in it with elphaba, who then proudly announced that galinda WAS thinking

[forlornfig]

Reread wicked again. I love the musical with all my heart but the book has something really special to it. It goes against the whole chosen-one trope and instead details the lives of children, students, adults moving through the world while facism rises around them. And like regardless of what their views are- they’re pretty powerless to stop it. They can only experience it.

I understand that this may make the plot seem slow or oddly paced but it’s not really about the hero’s journey, it’s about ordinary people’s lives. Elphaba is NOT the hero, or even the anti-hero. We might agree with her morals over other characters but she actually accomplishes very little. Almost every moral crusade she undertakes fails. She dies as just one of the many symbols of the resistance. The most productive rebellions we hear about comes from the Vinkus allyships and that happens in the background. Even the succession of munchkinland is a controversial event for its citizens.

Wicked isn’t a book about good saving the day, or about compassion unifying the country.

At the end of the book, Elphaba and Glinda are divided by morals, Fiyero died for a cause he was never that much a part of, and Boq and the others have retreated into the background to protect their own. The wizard leaves yes, but he leaves behind a society in political turmoil. Munchkinland is facing re-annexation, the Vinkus is under attack, the Animals and the Quadlings have been shoved almost out of existence. The wizard can’t even be called the true Villain because his leaving does miraculously turn society back to “good”.

Wicked is about radicalism and facism can very quickly become the norm for a society through a series of tiny and almost ignorable steps for those not directly affected. It’s about waking up and realizing that all of a sudden you can’t remember the last time you saw an Animal walking free through the city.

[apollosdreams]

Saint Elphaba Thropp, current Eminent Thropp and ruler of Munchkinland, features an exclusive signed and limited edition of Cozmapolitan for the New Year.

The exclusive feature includes the Eminent's forward policies and advocacy on Animal Rights, the offer of ruling by the Quadling Country, a wholesome yet steamy interview with regards to her aching fevers, and finally addressing the scandalocious rumor of her engagement with the People's Good Witch, Galinda Upland of the Arduenna clan.

The Eminent Thropp also gives us a tour of her achievements, ranging from certificates from her childhood, to national sparring and swimming trophies. Even giving us an explicit look to what REALLY made her swim fast in the water.

Get ready to get wet!

Signing out! - Milla

[wicked-barbie]

I feel her heart beating in me

Wicked: Elphaba Thropp x fem!reader

Rating: Teen

WC: 1.4k 

Prompt: “I'm everything she never was. Now everyone's out for my blood” -Anything Like Me by Poppy for @sweetspicybingo (Lyrical Bingo Collection)

Warnings: WLW, blending of book and musical lore, angst, SPOILERS IF YOU’RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH HOW THE MUSICAL ENDS

Summary: You’re on the run with Elphaba, finding a brief respite in Quadling Country

Elphaba’s hand furled tightly around yours, her pointed green nails nipping your skin as she tugged you along. You gasped for air as you focused on running as fast as you could, the Grimmerie tucked tightly under your other arm. There wasn’t any time to waste; Fiyero’s cryptic message arrived only moments ago, providing very little time for escape. The broom slipped between Elphaba’s thighs as you wrapped one arm tightly around her waist as she lifted into the sky. Behind you, the winged monkeys followed, and a few swooped down to attack the guards and keep them off Elphaba’s trail.

You pressed your face into Elphie’s shoulder, trembling as your other arm continued to grip the Grimmerie. “Where will we go?” you whispered.

“I don’t know,” Elphaba answered honestly.

When your wits returned, you suggested, “Quadling Country seems the safest choice. They’ve grown tired of being exploited by the Wizard. Surely, they might aid our cause.”

“Our cause, is it?” Elphaba teased, and even though you couldn’t see it, you knew there was a smirk on her face.

“We are in this together whether you like it or not,” you pointed out.

“I’m glad,” she replied honestly, resting one hand on top of yours as the other gripped the broom handle.

The hill to cross into Quadling Country was steep and rocky, and you felt relief when your feet finally settled on the smooth, red-paved road. Quadling Country mimicked the Emerald City, but everything was bathed in red instead of green. Even the occupants possessed a deep ruddy, and beautiful complexion.

“It is her! The Witch!” a woman screamed, pointing her finger accusingly.

“Hush! She stands against the Wizard, the man who has worked us to the bone and exploited us,” a man responded.

“We welcome you, witch!” a few voices cheered amongst the gathering masses.

“Her name is Elphaba, my good people,” you smiled.

“Miss Elphaba! Miss Elphaba! You are safe here!”

Her hand reached for yours, fingers entwining tightly as a sense of relief washed over you and her. Some of the crowd had taken to handing various fruits to the monkeys, clearly delighted by them, too. You and Elphaba were shown to a rustic farmhouse and given food and shelter. It would suffice for a day or two. You had no idea of how fast the Guard might catch up, and you only hoped this wasn’t a trick. It would be quite irritating to wake up with a knife pressed to your throat. The cup of red mint tea cradled in your hands soothed your nerves.

A fire roared in the hearth, bathing the spacious room in an orange glow. Elphaba removed her hat and stripped off her black robe, leaving her in a simple, dark purple, sleeveless frock.

“Will you help me loosen my braid?” she asked, sitting in front of you.

“Of course,” you smiled, sitting your mug down and moving your fingers through her thick, black tresses to loosen the braid.

“I’m exhausted,” she sighed, leaning back against your chest.

You wrapped your arms around her waist and rested your chin on her shoulder. “Me too. Let us try to get some rest,” you murmured, shifting so the two of you were lying down and facing each other. You gazed into her eyes, noting the hues of jade and olive, with flecks of dazzling seafoam around her inner iris. There were times when they appeared dark, bathed in amber and chestnuts. Elphaba was a peculiar being, unearthly and hauntingly beautiful.

The two of you intertwined, limbs furling until they almost became one. Her lips held a tinge of sweetness that you savored as her long nails pleasantly scraped down your back. Her hands slipped up your tattered shirt, her warmth spreading through you. You gazed into her eyes, noting the hues of jade and olive, with flecks of dazzling seafoam around her inner iris. There were times when they appeared dark, bathed in amber and chestnuts. Elphaba was a peculiar being, unearthly and hauntingly beautiful. It was hard not to fall under her spell.

Your forehead rested against her, allowing your eyes to close as you held Elphaba. It would be a new day tomorrow, and still, you were by her side. It was a small thing that you were beyond grateful for, and cherished the nights spent in her arms. You detested how she had been painted the villain and sought to spread the truth of the deceiving Wizard. If the Quadlings learned the truth, it would spread throughout the Land of Oz.

A few days passed, and Quadling Country continued to provide a safe haven. While the inhabitants were impressed by Elphaba’s sorcery and entertained by the winged monkeys, especially with Chistery’s attempts to speak, you made yourself valuable with other skills. Though Elphaba had taught you little spells, the townfolk enjoyed your trick of making a daisy rise from the pavement cracks or when you could summon a kaleidoscope of butterflies. It was fun to watch the monkeys fly after the multicolored insects. Apart from those limited feats, you were a gifted cook and a whiz with a needle and thread.

By the end of the week, it was time for you and Elphaba to move on, even though you had grown to love the Quadlings.

“We will spread your truth, Miss Elphaba.” You watched her face glow happily as she held the woman’s hands.

“I have a gift for you, Miss, since you cannot fly,” a young male smiled. He brought forth a beautiful dark black horse, its fur the same color as Elphaba’s rich raven hair.

Your eyes brimmed with tears of gratitude. “This is very kind of you.” You warmly hugged him, waving and calling out heartfelt goodbyes before departing with Elphaba and the monkeys.

~~

Happiness was fleeting, was it not? Tears streamed down your face as Elphaba cradled it tenderly in her hands, her thumbs swiping away your tears.

“I will always love you,” she whispered before her lips captured yours in a deep kiss.

“Your name will forever be on my heart. Please be happy, my love,” you sniffled, holding her close. 

The trap was set. The ruse worked, and all of Oz believed the Wicked Witch was dead when, in fact, she had fled with Fiyero by her side. You couldn’t begrudge him; love was an odd thing, and what you shared with Elphaba would never be forgotten or tarnished. You kept a lock of her ebony hair pinned to the inside of your dress; her scent lingered behind on your nose, and the warmth of her lips burned your own. Her hat had been left behind, a cherished possession you would never relinquish. 

“She’s dead?” Glinda asked, her voice cracking as her shoes clipped against the castle floor.

You whirled around to face her. “I suppose you won.” It was imperative to keep this a secret, even from Glinda, even while knowing Elphaba had disappeared safely. Keep them safe; may their bones never break, and may they never die.

Her jaw dropped. “I was her friend! I was your friend! And that is all you can say to me?” Fury laced her lilting voice.

“You betrayed her! Made her the enemy to serve your own ambitions,” you snapped, fists balling at your side.

“And I regret that.” Truth strained in the word.

“Then help me make it right. Help me continue her legacy; what she wished to achieve can still be done,” you pleaded.

She swallowed hard, gripping the Grimmerie tightly.

“That’s what I thought.”

You stormed past her, stopping when she grabbed your shoulder.

“This is yours now. Protect it, and I wish you all the luck, my friend,” Glinda whispered, pressing the Grimmerie into your hands when you turned to face her.

You softened, glancing into her warm, doe eyes, and felt your anger melt away. “Thank you, my friend.”

Her lips were butterfly-soft against your cheek.

You tucked the Grimmerie safely into your leather bag and then mounted your horse, Zixi. You settled Elphaba’s hat on top of your head, your cape billowing behind you as Zixi galloped away. You cast your gaze to the sky while keeping a tight grip on the reins.

So if you care to find me, look to the western sky.

Your heart thrummed in your chest as you rode toward the west with newfound hope pulsing through your chest and a kaleidoscope of colorful butterflies leading the way.

“I will never forget you, Elphaba Thropp,” you whispered, disappearing into the forest with a promise to fulfill.

[blancamz]

There are many towns in Quadling country, and among the most fragile of these towns is that of the Cuttenclips. The people, gardens, buildings, animals, and even the water are made of paper and card; and all of this is protected by a magical wall that keeps both bad weather and clumsy strangers out. Only one resident in the Cuttenclip village is flesh and blood, Miss Cuttenclip herself.

She's a perfectly ordinary Quadling girl, but what makes her special is her artistic flair, especially her skill in making things out of paper. The Good Witch Glinda found her artworks so charming that she gifted Miss Cuttenclip with access to an magical paper and a little plot of land.

So Miss Cuttenclip lives in a house in the town, surrounded by both mundane and magical art supplies, happily making new paper dolls and decor. Otherwise, she doesn't intervene much in her creations' lives, though she sometimes has to intercede when visitors don't obey the sign on the town gate:

[cto10121]

Book Wizard of Oz: *raped Elphaba’s mother and impregnated her, meticulously planned his visit to Oz to steal the Grimmerie, killed or attempted to kill the Ozma royal family of a whole sovereign nation, installed himself as de facto dictator, ruthlessly suppressed all dissent with his Gale Forcers, let Emerald City ruby speculators displace the inhabitants of Quadling Country, dissolved the House of Approval, instituted Animal Banns stripping them of their rights, scorned Elphaba’s attempts to confront him about said Animal Banns, spied on her, killed her lover Fiyero via his Gale Forcers, stationed his Gale Forcers at Kiamo Ko, kidnapped his wife Sarima and her family and executed them, spared Fiyero’s daughter Nor only to use her as a bargaining chip to get the Grimmerie from Elphaba, refused Elphaba when she begged him to relinquish Nor to her, and sent Dorothy and friends to kill Elphaba and bring back her broom*

Musical Wizard of Oz: 🎶 I never asked for this or planned it in advance 🎶

[amadholes-lostre]

Some Wicked/Land of Oz story ideas

Watching Wicked and remembering Dorothy and Ozma got me thinking some story ideas, mainly AU snd what nots. Trying not borrow many aspects from Wicked and create a more original setting. One of the reasons is that Dorothy is the protagonist for 2 of my story ideas, the timeline and history are a bit different, and trying be more original.

That, and I don't want make these story ideas extremely dark like Wicked (the novel series, not the musical) and Dorothy Must Die (yes, it's a real book). It's probably be dark for the first idea (due to war, discrimination, and the likes), but as necessary and not as brink. And still make Dorothy and Ozma feminine as possible, though Hella gay for each other.

Witchling of the West (or Elphaba raise Dorothy)

Kind of straightforward, mainly the idea that Dorothy is transported to Oz, just like in the book and movie. Only that she transported as a toddler and landed - in a baby basket - on front of Elphaba's castle.

Like from canon, Elphaba controls Winkie country. However, not only that, in thos timeline, she and the rest of the country are in war with Emerald City and the two other countries, Munchkinland and Gillikin. Winkie becomes a safe haven for Speaking-Animals and "undesirable" that Emerald City either alienates to the point of crimalization. Though, the war did turn Elphaba bitter to the point of totalitarian regime.

One day, baby Dorothy in her basket drops in front of Elphaba's castle. Elphaba only decided to raise her because of her magical potential and made her her apprentice. Hence, Dorothy is the Witchling of the West.

Growing up, she befriended a female Winged-Monkey (likely Chistery's daughter), a Winkie girl, and a Munchkin girl. She still has Toto - he comes with her in the basket and has a long lifespan for some reason - and Kansas accent. No one knows how she got it.

Dorothy met Tip when he and Jack Pumpkinhead near the forest, which they instantly fallen in love. After a while (maybe when she is 15 or 16), she and her two friends went with Tip and Jack to across Oz, picking up Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Crowardly Lion, along with few of my OC including ex-Emerald city mlm couple when the City start criminalizing queers for being "weird", which the mlm couple found it hilarious (while being tried to a stalk) while the gang found it weird.

Dorothy is a pacifist, through-and-through, and wish to end the war, especially if possible bloodless (they had come across aftermath battlefield). They went to Quadling and vist the Witch of the South, Glinda (the Wizard and the Witch of the North don't trust her, so they made her head of the poorest region, not that she minded) and her 100 wives. She gives Dorothy and the gang a quest: search for the lost Heir of Ozma, who had disappeared, and what led to the mayhem and then the rise in power of the Wizard. Doing so will immediately dethrone the Wizard and is the best way to a peaceful and bloodless end to the war.

That, and my idea that during the course of the story, Tip had gender dysphoria and Dorothy her through it (which she does revelingly).

Dorothy is Elphaba and Glinda's biological daughter

Pretty Self-explanatory. Mainly that, some time down the line (likely after the Wizard proclaimed her the Wicked Witch), Elphaba and Glinda had sex (likely hate fuck), unknowingly that Elphaba impregnated Glinda thanks to the wonders of Magic and Lesbianism. No one, including Elphaba, knows Glinda is pregnant, and Glinda likely uses enchantment to hide it. After she gives birth to Dorothy, she hides her due to her fear that people - the Wizard and the Morrible - will use her to get to Elphaba. She uses magic to transport Dorothy to Kansas.

Years down the line, Dorothy returns to Oz, and Glinda immediately knows she's her daughter, and Elphaba ironically doesn't know that the girl she wants to kill us her daughter.

[slut-and-falcon]

More Wicked Headcannons (bookiscal canon)

- Elphaba isn’t a women but doesn’t have the language to identify her gender.

-the tribes of the Vinkus (Winkie country) have their own magic, as do the Quadlings. While Elphaba is out and about helping the resistance and animal refugees, she is also learning this magic with those whom are willing to share (some magic is closed to outsiders). She learns the different approaches and theories about magic, and it helps make her a more powerful witch.

-there was already a resistance against the Wizard when Elphaba becomes the face of it. While on the run, she is quickly intercepted by members of the resistance forces, brought to their leadership and everyone starts working collaboratively.

-Elphaba’s family tree is as such:

Oscar Diggs + Melena Thropp= Elphaba

Turtle Heart + Melena Thropp=Nessarose

Frexpar Thropp +Melena Thropp = Shell

A Quadling + Gilkeneese Munchkin=Melena Thropp

So Elphaba has kin ties to all parts of Oz- the north, east, south, and west!

-Shell grows up and becomes part of the resistance, he’s gay and has a great partner who is Vinkin. They live on the western boarder of Oz in an Animal town, and help Animals cross the impassable desert. Elphaba also passes on any orphaned Animals she has in to them if another Animal is not available to raise the orphan(s), so they run a pseudo Animal foster home. They also take in human children if there is a need.

-Elphaba loves politics, and when she is introduced to Fiyero’s father (the King of the Vinkus), they butt heads at first. However, Fiyero’s father eventually sees Elphaba as an equal, and as a strong ally. He also loves to get into political discussions with her, and playing chess with her.

-the Vinkus royal family are Animal sympathizers, but also recognized the Wizard’s plan for total control over Oz. They couldn’t afford a full out civil war, so they contributed heavily to the resistance in secret.

- the resistance in the Emerald City is majority made up of displaced women from Quadling territory, whom are forced to participate in sex work to survive. They end up using sex work as a cover for communicating, blackmailing the Wizard’s supporters, and for getting Animals safely out of the City. Elphaba, for a short time, was one of these sex workers, posing as both the sex worker, and as clientele to pass along information, share supplies and resources, and to extort Wizard supporters.

- Elphaba also poses as a maunt (a nun) to hide from the Wizard’s Gale Force, and to pass along resistance information and resources.

-Fiyero will and does sit on Elphaba’s lap

- once they are forced to leave Oz, Elphaba and Fiyero don’t truely leave Oz, they go live with Shell snd his partner, taking care of the Animals and children. The Vinkus royal family know their location, so that they can send warnings ahead if needed.

- Elphaba, with the help of various other magical folk around Oz, change Fiyero back to human, but can’t reverse the damage done by the Gale Force. They nurse him back to a relativity non-dying state, but he was hurt really badly by the Gale Force. They are able to stabilize his spine enough with magic and physical therapy that he is mobile, though he deals with severe chronic pain. He refuses all pain medication, citing a need to be of clear head in case the worse should happen. He’s also afraid of getting addicted.

-Elphaba doesn’t like getting her hair cut…the longest it ever was, it was down to the backs of her knees.

World building Headcannons:

-the Vinkus has many different climates. In the colder, more norther climates, mammoths roam. There are no Mammoths, and no one knows why. In same region, Dogs work together in teams to transport materials, people, other Animals, etc to places on sleds. Each year they have a Dog only race from Ugabu to the Lesser Kells.

- in Quadling country, there were rubies in the rivers-causing the water to look reddish. Now there are so many Quadling bodies mass dumped in the rivers due to the Wizard’s genocide of them, that the river flows red due to the blood. The surviving Quadlings were those whom were mixed raced, forced to assimilate into other parts of Oz. The rubies were dipped into green dye, and were used to build the Emerald City.

- there are parts of Munchkinland where the people dress extremely modestly- including face and hair coverings. This is where Elphaba gets the idea/fashion inspiration to hide her face (and skin)

- guns are strictly limited in Oz, per the Wizard’s orders. He saw what the American second amendment argued for and didn’t want the public to have such power to form militias.

- Princess Ozma is still alive, but kept prisoner by the Wizard. She is kept in a guarded, but empty Quadling government building in Qhoyre. The building is overgrown with jungle foliage, and is made from clay and clam shells and rubies from the rivers; it’s a beautiful prison.

- pirates sail the Restwater and Kellswater Great Lakes

Hmmm that’s all for now!

[rexshadaoart]

Glinda the Good

Glinda, the Good Witch of the South. Not to be confused for Galinda Upland, the Good Witch of the North from Wicked. This Glinda is based on the books, and she is consistently portrayed as a very ancient, powerful, and wise witch. Essentially a goddess in all but name. Nearly every illustration of Glinda from the books depict her as very tall and beautiful, towering over everyone else, especially over Ozma and Dorothy as one Glinda of Oz book cover showed.

Naturally, to design my own take, I set up a few design rules for myself:

1) Make her like a Greek goddess. A stunning stature that would cause everyone fall in love with her. I mainly took inspiration from Palutena from the Kid Icarus series since I wanted to give her a potential mischievous aura to offset any stoic nature of the character. I also took inspiration from the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio to incorporate an otherworldly feel to her (at least compared to Dorothy and Ozma).

2) Use Galinda as a reference of what not to do with my take. The MGM movie infamously depicted Glinda as this bubbly, fairy princess that flies in a bubble and constantly smiles all the time. Galinda from Wicked cements that take and deconstructs that archetype as being insensitive to real issues and clearly being a mask of insecurity. Not to say the character is bad, it's just not how I see Glinda as. Maybe Elphaba and Galinda can be their own characters separated from the originals...

3) Looking at the book's description and motifs related to Glinda. According to the book, Glinda has deep rich red hair, blue eyes, and peachy cheeks with a pure white dress. She is also the ruler of the Quadling Country, whose primary color was Red. Glinda's red hair proved to be useful to make her clothes focus on white and silver colors as I found red to be very distracting unless it's close to Glinda's face, which the red hair excels at. Of course, as a little homage to the MGM movie, I gave her a pair of red ruby slippers underneath her dress. Glinda was also said to travel on a chariot pulled by swans and storks, so I designed Glinda with a bird wing motifs. You may actually notice that her crown has several swans at the front, and her cape is meant evoke wings of a bird.

To capture the mythical, goddess aspect of Glinda, I used the Procreate Symmetry tool to give Glinda's character model a sense of perfection and orderliness to contrast Ozma's more tomboyish approach to being a ruler. The only thing that is not symmetrical is her arms since I need her to hold a wand.

The funny thing about designing Glinda is that she is never actually seen wielding a wand, staff or even scepter in the official illustrations. At best, she has a book in her hand. So all I had to go by was the classic star wand from MGM. But I felt that a star wand would be not be regal enough for Glinda but luckily, I had stumbled upon a flag banner in Santa Barbara during my winter vacation which had a star shape that feels like a star and royalty. I actually debated on whether the wand should be ruby or silver, but I ultimately chose silver with ruby highlights.

Next up on my Oz takes will be the Good Witch of the North and the Wicked Witch of the East. Hopefully, I'll be able to redesign Mombi yet again to fit with these witch designs.

[penguicorns-are-cool]

Dr dillamond gets killed by clock? What other differences does the book have from the musical?

oooooh ok this is a big question

the short answer is basically almost everything but I'll give you the highlights

Elphaba's mom is not cheating Elphaba's Dad is a Quadling guy named Turtleheart who her parents are in a threesome with

the existence of Quadlings. Quadlings are a race of people who live in swamplands. Think of every possible indigenous stereotype and you'll have a good idea of what they're like. They're main character traits are being magical and peaceful to a fault.

After Turtleheart dies Elphaba's family becomes a missionary family (Elphaba's Dad is already a big religious figure so now he's a traveling priest in Quadling lands)

Elphaba is canonically intersex (like she has a micropenis) and was born with very sharp teeth

Also Elphaba has a brother

Nana is the only one in her family who seems to actually love her, she is very into Lurlinism

the four big religions are Lurlinism, Unionism, Pleasure Faith, and Tiktokism

Nessa is born without arms, she can't walk because without arms she can't balance. the red ruby slippers are enchanted to help her balance while she walks later on.

Elphaba works very hard and gets into shiz on her own a year or so before Nessa

Fiyero's character is split into two, Fiyero and Avaric Tenmeadows

Avaric is Boq's roommate and he is the big party boy and is always asking Boq out to the Philosophy club

the one time Boq does go to the Philosophy club he gets chosen in a raffle for a big sex show orgy thing (anyone who gets in the club is in the raffle automatically)

Fiyero is a prince from somewhere in Vinkus country (Vinkus country is in the west and imagine every stereotype about Africa and you'll have a good idea about what it's like) Fiyero has already been betrothed since he was like 9 and doesn't really care for Glinda at all

Dr. Dillamond is the science teacher and is trying to prove that animals can become Animals because for some reason this will be a huge discovery for the pro Animal rights (this is why he's killed)

Madame Morrible has some weird prophecy for Glinda, Nessa, and Elphaba about them all having immense amounts of power and not remembering this at all

Glinda and Elphaba do kiss

Glinda and Elphaba go to Oz for fun one day not to see the Wizard

Elphaba stays behind because she sees how many poor people they are and wants to help

part two starts decades in the future with an affair between Elphaba and Fiyero, like it opens in a sex scene

After this Elphaba goes to some sort of protest thing that goes violent and she gets hit on the head and into a coma for an entire year

She wakes up in a monastery with a child (she doesn't know which kid is hers the nuns never really tell her that she's had a child but when she leaves many years later she's sent off with a child, Liir, and a broom)

She goes to see Fiyero in Vinkus country in Kiamo Ko (where he's the king)

Fiyero is dead she's now living with his widow and her kids

Fiyero's kids are little shitheads who try to kill Liir all the time, except the youngest who's spoiled and her older brothers don't like her either

Liir is somehow protected by the ghost of his father although Elphaba never considers him her child and is a horrible mom to him

Elphaba is still trying to do activism stuff but failing miserably and also the Animals are all being used for slave labor now

She tries to kill Madame Morrible except Madame Morrible was already dead

Nessa is drunk with power after her Dad died

Elphaba finds the grimmerie in Kiamo Ko which is when she starts having any significant amount of magic powers

She gives chistery wings and tries to teach him to speak to continue dillamond's research

she is currently increasingly mentally ill

Her entire family at Kiamo Ko except Liir and Nana (she came in for fun and so Elphaba could care for her) gets killed by the Oz army and the youngest is taken prisoner

Elphaba is now dedicated to getting the youngest daughter released and meeting with the wizard about it

When dorothy comes to kill her she doesn't really want to but when Elphaba tries to give her the broom she accidnetally sets herself on fire and Dorothy throws water on her to put it out

elphaba is deathly allergic to water

there's more but i'm stopping now

[bestworstcase]

So, I was gathering reference for a map making project and when looking at the Vale World of Remnant video got reminded of this map and was curious if you had any thoughts on things:

This was its follow up:

i think about those red settlements all the time. (i have another post about this somewhere but it’s lost in the tumblr abyss. rip.) now, first thing, the placement of these settlements is clearly vibes-based—we know there are no settlements in the menagerian interior and there’s no green markers where the city of vale should be, etc—so their distribution is probably meant to give more of a general sense of where people tend to be in a world populated mainly by grimm, rather than the exact location of specific settlements. in any case, what’s up with quadling country those settlements on the “uninhabited” continent where salem lives?

third data point, from the great war spot:

which implies that battles were fought across the southern peninsula of the “uninhabited” continent during the great war; this does not make sense to me unless there were people there, so my thinking is that these red settlements must have existed at the time and their obliteration occurred during the course of the great war, which tracks with qrow noting many settlements were permanently lost due to the fighting and the grimm.

but that leaves the questions of 1. who were these people, and 2. why hasn’t anyone ever mentioned them?—because if this was an entire kingdom that got annihilated during the great war, you’d think that would merit at least a footnote in the great war episode. the two explanations that i can think of are:

#1, the red settlements represent a now-defunct faunus kingdom that is receiving the same treatment in history books that menagerie receives politically in the present—namely, the “four kingdoms… (and menagerie)” thing where the faunus kingdom is not only completely marginalized on the international stage but humans barely even acknowledge that it exists.

this would also make menagerie a much harder kick in the face, if the faunus already had a kingdom—a much larger one, even!—that was razed to the ground, ended up impossible to reclaim from the grimm, and got unceremoniously erased by human historians while the human kingdoms were like “stop complaining, we gave you an island!” about it.

however, i’d think this would be a bit of history blake knew, and there’s an obvious place in V4 for her to have brought it up because she talks about the history of the great war in relation to menagerie!

or,

#2, the red settlements were founded by vacuans displaced by the conquest and occupation of vacuo. this conveniently explains why they’ve never really been explained, if they were separate from vacuo by virtue of not being under mistrali occupation but also still, in a way, considered ‘part’ of vacuo because the people living their were vacuan—the settlements were destroyed or abandoned after the war, sure, but in the end the vacuans who lived there got to go home and have their own kingdom back. i think this is also more in keeping with the decolonial project of the vytal accords, with imperial territories being liberated and so forth. and you still get the whitewashing-history vibe of well, sure these vacuans lost their homes but they got a kingdom in the end so…

<- this would make the vacuo arc the natural place for it to come up in the story proper, because the vacuans would remember even if the rest of the world didn’t.

either way, the fact that the settlements are 1. located on the continent where salem presumably lives, and 2. color-coded red definitely implies some connection between her and them—whether that’s a legitimate connection or just ozma making an assumption that people living in her proximity must secretly be under her thumb remains to be seen, but it’s interesting. i do think it’s quite unlikely that salem herself is the one solely responsible for their obliteration, because the great war episode does show that there was fighting in that region; if she did attack them she did so under the cover of a level of destructive warfare that would have wiped them off the map anyway.

i’m also very interested in the menagerian-lime settlements on anima—it’s always been my assumption that that’s where the WF is headquartered and the idea of faunus-majority settlements in southern anima, protected by menagerie, compels me.

[wicked-secretsanta]

Merry Christmas @elphabaoftheopera!

Read it on Ao3

Fiyero smiled as he stood by the window, watching Elphaba sleep. He wasn’t a morning person by any means, but once he realized how peaceful Elphaba looked while she slept, he found himself getting up at least once—no more than three times—a week just to soak in her ethereal beauty. Was it a bit creepy? Yeah, probably. Did he ever get caught? No. Would he stop if Elphaba caught him and –

“Fiyero.”

The Vinkun blinked and focused on his wife, whose face scrunched up as she looked at him. She couldn’t tell if she was narrowing her eyes in annoyance or simply squinting because her vision was blurry without her glasses. Either way, she was no longer sleeping in ethereal peace.

“Good morning,” Fiyero smiled, padding back to her and climbing onto the bed, staying on top of the covers as he kissed her nose.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s time to go.”

She blinked up at him, pushing herself up onto her elbows, and yawned. Mid-yawn, she let out a surprised yelp, almost choking on the air switching directions in her throat, as Fiyero pressed his lips against hers. “Sharing a morning breath kiss is your idea of romantic?”

“It was our first kiss of the day. That’s romantic in-and-of itself. And there’s a lot more where that came from.”

Elphaba smirked. “Such scandalacious behavior,” she chuckled as Fiyero stole another kiss, wrapping his leg around hers. “What would your newlywed wife say?”

“If she asks, I’ll tell her I was with my girlfriend.”

“Your ex-girlfriend.”

He booped her nose. “The best ex-girlfriend ever.”

“We really mustn’t make a habit out of saying that. It’ll give people the wrong idea. Wouldn’t one think that bringing your ex-girlfriend on your honeymoon would be frowned upon?” Elphaba blinked innocently, fighting the smirk with all her strength.

“I have no problem with it. Especially if your ex-girlfriend is adorably adorable.”

She wrinkled her nose.

“But we really should get ready.”

“I thought we weren’t leaving until this afternoon.”

“Perhaps I don’t want to waste a single tick-tock.”

“Yero, we just got married. We have all the tick-tocks in the world ahead of us.” Nevertheless, she moved to get up, but Fiyero pulled her back down. “Yero!”

He gave her an overly vocal kiss. “Okay. Now we can get ready.”

Elphaba laughed and playfully wiggled out of his arms. She jumped out of bed, looking at him over her shoulder before disappearing into the adjoining bathroom.

Elphaba rarely laughed, so when she did, he knew he’d done something to earn it. Only a few people were privileged enough to see her softer side. He knew she spent years maintaining her carefully constructed walls, and once he got to know her, he made it his mission to tear those walls down.

She really was his whole world. She had been the first to see past his dancing-through-life façade and rip off his mask. She hit him with the truth, and a few of her schoolbooks. And he had been the second (because she very adamantly kept Glinda in the first spot) person to see the person underneath the hard, green exterior and get to the shy, insecure girl who gave up on being loved years ago. Now, here they were, happily married for almost two days, about to journey to Otour, a small village near the Thousand Year Grasslands, for their honeymoon.

When choosing destination spots, Elphaba mentioned that there weren’t many romantic locations in Munchkinland (though Fiyero knew that wasn’t the only reason she was reluctant to return to her home country). Glinda suggested the Emerald City, but both Elphaba and Fiyero agreed that they didn’t want a place filled with hustle and bustle. The Quadling Country was in its rainy season, making the marshes extra soggy and not very romantic. That left only the Vinkus.

After hearing Fiyero extol the beauty of his homeland, Elphaba expressed interest in seeing the Vinkun countryside. She was particularly curious about the Hanging Gardens of Krum, and even more intrigued as to why Fiyero had never visited.

“I’m sure there are places in Munchkinland you’ve never explored,” he said in response to Elphaba’s comment.

“Mostly because my father wasn’t interested in taking me around.”

Fiyero fell silent for a moment, then wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I will show you off to everyone in the Vinkus. We’ll go everywhere.”

Now that he had graduated from Shiz (with Elphaba’s active help) and was officially assuming full-time crown prince duties, he could only escape for three days. Initially, Fiyero felt upset about the shortened vacation, but Elphaba had revealed that she didn’t want an extended honeymoon.

“Just being with you is like a dream come true,” she had admitted during a rare moment of tenderness, and Fiyero had melted like butter in her hands. “I don’t need a long honeymoon to prove our love.”

Fiyero looked up as Elphaba emerged from the bathroom, wearing a robe with a towel wrapped around her hair. When she undressed, she was clad in her undergarments and a simple slip. She had just finished buttoning her dark blue blouse when Fiyero finally stopped gazing at her and hurried into the bathroom for his turn. Elphaba rolled her eyes, but couldn’t stop the blush from spreading across her cheeks. Even after all these years, it still took her by surprise that Fiyero actually liked – loved – looking at her.

After breakfast, the couple grabbed their bags and loaded into the coach. After saying goodbye to his parents, Elphaba and Fiyero climbed in and set off. Fiyero had insisted on starting the no-staff weekend with him driving the coach, but his father was quick to remind him of why he still didn’t have his license: an incident involving an axel, a clothesline, and a bread cart.

“A whole weekend without staff or royal duties. However will we survive?” Elphaba mused with a soft chuckle.

“Well, quite easily without the royal duties,” Fiyero grinned. “And we didn’t have royal staff at Shiz.”

“I had to teach you how to separate your laundry. You wouldn’t have had any white shirts if I let you do it yourself.”

“Maybe I liked those off-white colors.”

“Maybe I should’ve let you wear that pink shirt and get busted by Morrible.” Elphaba rolled her eyes and settled against his side. “Thank you.”

“You’re thanking me? I should be thanking you for making sure I didn’t go to class wearing a pink shirt. Especially when Glinda –”

“No, I mean thank you… for marrying me.”

He glanced down at her. “Fae, marrying you was not some duty I did because I was being held at gunpoint. I married you because I love you.”

“And you couldn’t stand me returning to the Governor’s Mansion to be Nessa’s servant.”

“Because I love you, and you deserve so much better than that. You showed me that I deserve more than just being satisfied with going through the motions of life. I desired to return the favor.”

She looked up at him with her brown, doe eyes, and fully relaxed against him.

They reached their accommodations in Otour by the afternoon, and after a quick refresh, Fiyero dragged Elphaba back out, her on one arm, and a picnic basket on the other.

“Are we going to see the Hanging Gardens of Krum?” she asked.

“I was saving that for tomorrow. The summer lends itself to showing off Vinkun nature the best.

There’s something else I want to show you.”

The coach dropped them off at the edge of the Thousand Year Grasslands. Fiyero thanked their driver and offered Elphaba his arm, leading her through the tall blades of refreshed, green grass.

Elphaba smiled as she stretched her hand to the side, letting the tallest blades tickle her fingertips. She heard the soft sound of water rushing and looked up as they approached a mountain in the distance.

“That’s the Vinkus River,” she said, pointing to the winding stream of water at the base of the mountain.

“Yes,” Fiyero confirmed. “And that,” he pointed up to the mountain, where a waterfall of five separate streams rushed down, “is the Suoran Straoms, or the Five Sisters Streams, the second tallest waterfall in the Vinkus.”

Elphaba looked up at the water rushing down the side of the cliff. She had seen drawings of this in their textbooks, but seeing the wonder in real life was a wondiferous experience.

“The legend is that long ago, while the Vinkus was in a deep drought, the five tribal daughters came together to pray for rain. Then, the stones in the cliff cracked open, and water flowed down in separate streams, landing on each of their heads and drenching them, creating the Vinkus River, and rehydrating the land.”

Elphaba hummed, acknowledging that she heard the story while still mesmerized by the water. Fiyero smiled, seeing her eyes filled with childlike awe.

“Some said that the original water that flowed out was enchanted water. Crops flourished, thirsts were quenched, and some say that it was the clearest, sparkliest water they’d ever seen. There was also something about it being a fountain of youth source, and some who drank got an extended life span. I was maybe seven or eight years old the last time I was here. I took a big, refreshing gulp directly from that middle stream, thinking that it was going to make me live forever.”

“And?”

“I got horrendibly sick and was bedridden for a week. My parents thought I was going to die. My thirst wasn’t quenched, but my colon was cleaned out.”

Elphaba snorted out a laugh. “I guess its magical properties had run out.”

“Something that I should’ve been told before. See, this is the problem with legends. Some of it’s real, and some is made up, but no one ever tells you which parts are true.”

He set the basket down and pulled out a red and white gingham picnic blanket, neatly arranging their delicious spread. He and his wife shared a peaceful lunch, reminded of their picnics by Suicide Canal in their days at dear old Shiz. Fiyero threaded his fingers through Elphaba’s as they watched the five streams of water rush down the side of the mountain.

“Elphaba.”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, Yero.” She snuggled closer and inhaled the fresh, country air, moistened by the water.

(WICKED)

“Yero! Wake up! Wake up!” Elphaba smiled, shaking her husband’s arm.

Fiyero peaked out from under the covers, giving Elphaba the same look she gives him when he wakes her up early. “Fae, I don’t have to look at the clock to know it’s way too early for –”

“We’re going to the Hanging Gardens today! Remember? You promised!”

He had never seen her so excited for anything before. Her eyes were bright and alert, and once Fiyero gained more consciousness, he noticed how she was already dressed. He yawned and pushed himself up.

Elphaba bounced on the balls of her feet as she resisted the urge to tear the covers from his body to assist in his waking. “Yero,” she almost whined.

Oz, she was so adorabubble when she was really excited about something. Fiyero had never been able to deny her anything during their courtship, and knew he wouldn’t be able to start during their marriage. So he pushed himself up, kissed her ‘good morning’ and went to get ready. “Fae, we have to eat breakfast,” he said when Elphaba tried to pull him out the door the second he finished combing his hair.

“We can eat on the way there.”

“No, we can’t. We have to catch the boat. It leaves every hour on the hour.”

Elphaba glanced at the clock. Eight-oh-five. Ozdamnit.

“And eating on the boat is less than ideal. Trust me.”

“So don’t drink the waterfall water, and don’t eat on the boat. What is it with you and learning the hard way to leave natural water sources alone?”

Fiyero chuckled and shrugged, succeeding in getting his wife to sit and have breakfast with him. Elphaba eagerly told him what she knew of the history of the hanging gardens. Fiyero neither confirmed nor denied her suspicions, which piqued her curiosity, yet made her antsy.

“Yero, if we don’t hurry, we’ll miss the boat!” Elphaba frowned, finishing first and pulling him up. “And I’m not waiting another hour.”

Fiyero calmly got up and placed their dishes in the sink, rinsing them with water. He heard Elphaba impatiently tapping her foot behind him, and knew he’d owe her extra kisses to make up for annoying her. “Ready?” he asked brightly, finally working up the courage to turn around.

Elphaba wordlessly grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door. He barely had time to grab his satchel – which contained their money and boat tickets – from the hook as he was all but dragged out.

They made it to the trolley stop just in time and caught the streetcar. A few heads turned as the prince and princess boarded, but no fuss was made per Fiyero’s published requests. An older gentleman offered his seat to Elphaba, but the green woman politely declined.

“Already starting your benevolent report with the people, I see,” Fiyero chuckled at her ear.

“We’ll only be on for a few stops. I’m much too excited to sit,” Elphaba shrugged, actively having to remind herself not to start bouncing like Glinda.

Fiyero smiled and slipped his hand into Elphaba’s. He knew he had to keep the public displays of affection toned down when they were out in this much public, but he couldn’t resist. The nearby passengers who saw smiled at the royal couple, some older couples looking like they were remembering their newlywed days.

They reached their stop with ten minutes to spare. Fiyero procured the tickets from the satchel he was almost forced to leave behind and gave them to the captain as he helped them aboard. The ferry was a decent size, not a pleasure vessel, yet not a large ship. Having never been on a boat before, Elphaba was torn between wanting to watch the water, and being safely seated in the center of the boat.

Fiyero wrapped his arms around Elphaba’s waist, easing her fears and allowing her to enjoy her first boat ride. The wind made the whisps of hair that freed themselves from her braid dance around her face. The twinkle in her eyes mirrored the twinkle of the crisp, clear Vinkus River water beneath them. He loved this view. He could get used to this view.

The boat ride was only a few minutes, and the captain helped them disembark on the dock. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Elphaba’s gaze was locked upwards on the grand structure hanging over her.

The Hanging Gardens of Krum.

It was even more magnificent than she had imagined. The ascending series of tiered gardens featured a wide variety of trees, shrubs, and vines, resembling a massive green mountain. High walls and stone pillars were adorned with flourishing vines that bore bright flowers. “It’s… beautiful,” she whispered in awe.

“The Hanging Gardens of Krum are less legend and more a blend of agriculture, architecture, and fact. It’s the most factually mythical wonder in Oz,” Fiyero explained, gently taking her hand and guiding her forward. “Unlike the Five Sisters Streams, which have purely mythical origins, ancient plans survive detailing the garden’s architecture and engineering. Being close to the river ensures everything remains well-irrigated, and everyone knows to respect the flora to help this place maintain its paradise-like life.” He led her up the steps to the first terrace. “It was very modern for the time it was built.”

Elphaba was amazed at how the plants could live and thrive when not connected to the earth. She noticed the irrigation system running along the walls, the trickling water almost sounding like soothing music. “The water looks like it’s flowing upward,” she observed, noticing a clear, narrow tube of water moving against gravity.

“It’s not an illusion. It’s a capillary action. A new engineering feat that allows the water to travel upward with a little push.”

Her gaze followed the water upward. “Incredible.”

Fiyero led her through all the levels, showing her the native Vinkun plants and more architectural wonders. The grandeur of the greenery surrounded Elphaba, and for the first time in her life, she felt at peace surrounded by so much green and truly appreciated the color’s beauty.

(WICKED)

As they ended their final night in Otour, Elphaba sat in front of her vanity as she slowly ran a brush through her hair. She didn’t realize she was humming until Fiyero started humming with her. She turned, smirking at him when she saw him lounging on the bed, wearing only his pajama pants.

“Hey,” Fiyero grinned.

“Hey,” Elphaba grinned back, braiding her hair and slipping out of her robe. “You’re staring at me.”

“Yeah.”

“You normally only stare at me in the mornings.”

“Maybe you’re even more beautiful in the evenings.”

Elphaba rolled her eyes. Fiyero invitingly patted the spot next to him, encouraging her to come to bed. The green woman obliged and snuggled under the covers with her husband.

“I had a wonderful weekend,” she smiled against his lips. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Fae. I loved watching you have fun.”

“But you had fun, too, right?”

“You know me. I’m always having fun.”

Elphaba blinked at him. “Fiyero…”

“I just… couldn’t stop myself from thinking that… I’ve never seen you so happy.”

Elphaba pushed herself up onto her elbows. She opened her mouth, but cut herself off as she decided to say something different. “You’re the first person to ever make me feel this happy.” A pause, then, “If you tell Glinda I said that, she’ll kill both of us.”

“I didn’t come too late? I was worried that you had endured too much sadness and that nothing I said or did would make you truly happy.”

“No. You arrived right on time.” She kissed him. “You saved me just in time. You make me really, truly happy.”

He smiled, pulling her close as he chuckled at her giggle, which Glinda clearly influenced. After a bit of cuddling, the couple lay in comfortable silence, and Elphaba was sure Fiyero had fallen asleep when –

“Hey, Fae?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to stay here forever?”

She hummed. “I’d love to, but I was kind of looking forward to being your princess. As much as I love this honeymoon phase –”

“What if I want to stay in the honeymoon phase?”

“I’ve heard that couples in the honeymoon phase are so lovey-dovey that it starts to feel like they’re trapped in a bubble, and it leads to them letting their lives pass them by.”

“So… no forever honeymoon phase?”

“Staying here on a forever honeymoon might throw a monkey wrench into our post-honeymoon plans. And I had a lot of plans.”

“Okay,” he agreed, hoping her plans aligned with his and included family planning. He was silent for a moment, then added, “Have you ever thought that somewhere out there, a monkey might be having a ‘human wrench’ thrown into his plans since humans get a ‘monkey wrench’ thrown into theirs?”

Elphaba had already closed her eyes. “Fiyero, close your eyes and go to sleep.”

“Okay. But can I say one more thing?”

She forced her eyes open and rolled over to face him. “Yes?”

“You’re my most favoritist ex-girlfriend I’ve ever had.”

“Was that a compliment?”

“Yes. You’re my favorite out of many. That’s a major accomplishment,” Fiyero said with a boyish grin.

She decided to humor him. “You’re the only ex-boyfriend I’ve ever had. Goodnight.”

“So I’m the only one that matters!”

“Fiyero.”

“Yes, dear?”

“Go. To. Sleep.”

“Yes, dear.”

[apollosdreams]

(uncolored draft) Famous exes and renowned rebel leaders of the Winkie Trenches, Scarecrow and the Wicked Witch of the West.

An AU where Glinda the Good Witch, famous sorceress, and her husband Boq Woodsman, renowned Emerald City Player, find themselves in the Winkie Trenches after their carriage gets lost from coming back to delegate the rising rebellion in the Quadling Country.

They're suddenly met with two of the most magnetic people on earth, biggest activists ever, and apparently huge fans of them (?!), well known by their pseudonyms Scarecrow and the Wicked Witch of the West. Instead they introduce themselves as their real names, both totally and definitely not plotting to flirt with them try and convince them to help them with the rebellion (and hopefully help in the bedroom).

[fanartbyherd]

Been doodling.

And I have been doodling the witches from the wizard of Oz.

All of these are Amalgamations of different versions of the witches I have seen mixed with headcannon, and how I intend to draw them for a personal project in the future.

Good witch of the north and west are a lot younger then the original books, but are more in line with the 1930s technicolor film. ( I mean iconic for a reason) as well as their portrayals in the book / musical Wicked.

Wicked witch of the west has a cape that can act as wings and her eyes are bright green in color. Her skin is more of a green tint then outright green. But it’s noticeable. She is also wearing an eyepatch.

I have backstory for all of them that is a horrid amalgamation of several different cannons fused together. I might share that at some other time.

Glinda the good witch of the south is black and beautiful, based on the illustrations from a tabletop rpg I have. I also sort of just imagine her as black. She’s the most powerful of the witches to my understanding of the source material. But she had some sort of agreement with the other witches that dose not let her interfere most of the time.

Witch of the east is wearing a Munchkin hat, and the silver slippers (with ruby red ribbons). Originally I started coloring the bells yellow and gold, but then I realized they should probably be silver like the shoes. I tried to fix it but ended up with this odd brass color. I’ll correct it in the future.

I was really tempted at making the wicked witch of the east a redhead. But I decided against it.

Now all witches wear white. It’s the color of witches but as rulers of their respective countries in the land of Oz their clothes also reflect the color of the country they rule over.

Gilligens=purple

Vinkus=yellow

Quadling=red

Munchkin =blue

I’ll probably share the other doodles I have at some later date. For now I will happily share these.

(Also if you are drawing wizard of oz fanart feel free to use these designs!)

[the-nosy-neighbor]

Welcome Home and Oz

In researching for those posts, I was reading about Nick Chopper becoming emperor of the Western province (Winkies, yeah, idk).  I went to read about the Winkies, and guess what I found?

This is the Oz national Flag.  There is some confusion about east and west in the fandom due to some early maps being reversed, but the map is understood to be like so:  Winkies on the West, Gilliken to the North, Munchkins to the East, Quadlings to the South.  The capital is in the middle.  We have our same color scheme to consider, so west is blue, north is purple, east is yellow, red is south and Emerald City is green.

Edit: i guess i should state that i think if looks like a WH envelope.

Obviously, Dorothy comes in to the east, and the first book extends from the far edge of the eastern region to the Wicked Witch of the West’s stronghold to the west. 

There are many, many books in the series, so lots happens and lots is learned about Oz throughout the series, with additional authors participating after Baum’s death.  There are 40 books considered canon, and if you haven’t seen the movie Return to Oz (oh, hey, there is some Henson involvement there), brace yourself. 

Also, The Wiz is probably the best version out there. 

As much as I love the Muppets, I wouldn’t watch that one.  I have probably only seen it once.

But beyond the flag, and the information I posted earlier about Tin Man and Scarecrow, there isn't much to explore. I researched the colors and the regions they represent and didn't find what the map might have to do with anything.

When I was doing my casting of the Welcome Home characters in the Wizard of Oz universe, I had:

Frank—Tin Man

Eddie—scarecrow

Poppy—Cowardly Lion

Sally—Wicked Witch of the West

Wally—Dorothy

Home—Toto

Howdy—The Wizard

Julie—Glinda

I think that was what I chose.  It all makes sense to me, but there isn’t really anything linking them to the flag necessarily. 

The Tin Man is from Munchkin Country

Scarecrow is also from Munchkin Country. 

The Lion is from Munchkin Country as well. 

The WWW is from Winkie Country.  Dorothy and Toto aren’t from there (which could be a potential clue)

The Wizard is also from Kansas and parts beyond, as he is a traveling salesman

Glinda is from the south, Quadling Country.  She is also the true ruler of Oz is disguise! 

If you guys see a link I haven't considered, please let me know.