#so her family are based on places from the wizard of oz

[afrophunk]

The girl likes her pink 🤷🏾‍♀️

[dedeinthewild]

evan buckley x reader, roommates to lovers

“Feast your eyes on the newest star of the 118!”

summary : Halloween at the 118 firehouse gets hilariously spooky when Buck's quirky surprise steals the show...

The locker room at the firehouse had always been a safe haven for the crew, a place where they had grown up together and become a family.

How many times had they found themselves sitting on the benches after a tough call, the smell of smoke still clinging to their noses, their eyes burning as they tried to close them for just a moment? It was also where they often joked around, and where _____, the team’s star paramedic, would bring trays of cookies that Buck inevitably “borrowed.”

“Halloween,” she announced, stepping into the locker room, followed by the firefighter who had left the surprise they’d picked out for decorations by the entrance.

“Don’t say anything,” Eddie warned, knowing that a phrase like “let’s hope for a quiet shift” would jinx them and inevitably turn into their worst day.

“I wasn’t going to,” she replied, shrugging as she dropped her bag on the bench next to her roommate’s.

“Cap isn’t exactly fun when it comes to decorations,” Chimney said, sounding a bit disappointed as he sipped his coffee, the shiny name tag on his chest catching the light.

She looked over at Buck, already knowing that in ten minutes, the decorations they had chosen would turn Bobby’s plans on their head. Buck grinned, shrugging off his uniform shirt and stretching his shoulders, looking far less tired than he should have after a night shift.

“We’ll be The Wizard of Oz characters,” Hen chimed in with a smile, talking about her family, where Mara would be Dorothy and Denny the Tin Man.

The woman smiled, loving how proud and happy Hen sounded as she talked about her kids and Karen.

“Jee is Pluto,” Chim added, making Eddie bow his head slightly. Ever since his son had gone to stay with his grandparents in El Paso, he had felt alone, as if he were losing precious moments with him.

“You don’t have kids yet, so I won’t ask,” Hen teased Buck and the woman as they were changing out of their smoky uniforms into the clothes they had grabbed from home.

“You could always ask about our costumes,” the firefighter quipped, leaning against the locker behind him with a smirk.

“Guys, what’s with the coffin?”

Captain Nash had walked in through the glass door, pointing at the coffin the two had left by the entrance alongside a cart. Buck sprinted out, positioning himself behind the coffin to open it dramatically, excited to show the others what he’d found.

“Okay, everyone!” Buck announced, grabbing everyone’s attention as he wheeled the cart into view.

“Feast your eyes on the newest star of the 118!”

Buck opened the wooden sarcophagus to reveal a fascinating mummy, its head tilted to one side, draped in cobwebs.

“Good Lord, Buck, what is that?” Bobby asked, hands on his hips as he stared at the decoration.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Chim said approvingly, while Buck explained that he had picked it up from an old Hollywood prop warehouse near his apartment.

“Do the pow-pow thing,” the paramedic whispered in his ear, referring to the presentation they had rehearsed in the car on the way back to the station.

“I figured we could give him a cowboy hat and a vest, maybe even a six-shooter,” Buck added, his grin stretching ear to ear. “Pow-pow!” He mimicked firing pistols with his hands.

“It looks...” Hen rested her chin on the woman’s shoulder, tilting her head as if analyzing the mummy.

“Awfully real?” the woman whispered, arms crossed and feet slightly apart, dressed in the base layer of her black costume.

“Like he’s been dead for 200 years,” the experienced paramedic chimed in with a laugh, just as Eddie arrived carrying the last of the skeletons for the decorations.

It was the perfect opportunity to outshine the 126 and establish themselves as the best-decorated station, delighting the kids who would do anything for candy. Most importantly, it was a day to set aside their uniforms and enjoy some fun before their shifts began.

“They’re supposed to be for the kids.”

“God, Buck!” the woman exclaimed, clutching her chest in surprise when she turned around to find him standing right behind her.

“I’m a cowboy. I shouldn’t be scary,” Buck teased, stealing a piece of chocolate from her hand.

“Nice mustache,” she joked, running her fingers over the fake mustache, feeling the synthetic material against her fingertips.

He would let her touch him forever if she wanted.

The way she pressed her lips together, assessing the realism of the mustache, and those eyes—soft and sweet despite the bit of makeup she wore to look spooky—captivated him.

“And what are you supposed to be?”

“I literally told you two hours ago, dummy,” the paramedic teased, holding up the mask in her hand.

“A cowboy and a plague doctor. That’s... kinda nice,” Buck remarked, popping the chocolate into his mouth, unaware she hadn’t yet realized he’d stolen the whole thing. As he walked away, her laughter trailed after him.

“Welcome to the spookiest night of your short, little lives!” Bobby’s voice boomed as he welcomed the kids. “I am your guide, Cap Dracula.”

The team suppressed small chuckles at their captain’s enthusiasm as he grinned at the kids, fake fangs on display. Most of the children were entranced, though a few looked bored, which made her smile as she donned her mask and took her designated position.

The walls shimmered with colored lights cutting through fake fog, and amplified footsteps added to the eerie atmosphere. The air made the hanging skeletons sway, completing an impeccable setup that was sure to secure their win.

“Have a terrifyingly good time!”

As ultraviolet lights revealed Hen dressed as a mad scientist, the kids gasped, their white costumes glowing blue. The woman, already chuckling sinisterly, addressed them in her most haunting voice as they approached her station.

“Step closer, little ones... I see sickness in your eyes. Let me check...”

She examined their hesitant gazes, following them into the maze. “Beware, there are whispers of the dead... they’re calling for you!” she murmured into the ears of the older children, who appreciated the scare without being overwhelmed, while the younger ones eagerly pressed forward into the next section.

At the maze’s end, the team’s newest “member” awaited, holding a giant bowl of candy. Beside it, Buck stood tall, hands resting on his cowboy belt, his hat casting a shadow over his bright blue eyes. He tried a Texan drawl as he encouraged the kids, understandably hesitant about the mummy, to take some candy before heading out to trick-or-treat around the neighborhood.

“He’s creepy,” one little girl whispered, clutching her fairy wings.

“He’s not creepy,” Buck insisted, only to receive a pointed look from the paramedic. “Okay, maybe a little... but he’s harmless,” he conceded, kneeling to her level and offering to move the mummy’s hands so the kids could take candy without fear. His soft smile shone even through the large brown mustache tickling his lip.

But when he grabbed one of the mummy’s arms to move it, it came off in his hand, revealing something disturbingly lifelike.

“Are those worms?” a boy in a giant baseball helmet asked.

The paramedic stepped forward, removing her mask and crouching beside Buck to get a closer look. Her face hovered just past his shoulder.

“I think those are tendons,” she murmured, as if even she doubted her words.

“Oh my god, he’s real.”

The first time, it was as if someone else had said it. The second time was to process the realization. The third and fourth were for convincing themselves that what they held was, in fact, a real arm, complete with ligaments and tissue. The fifth time was purely instinct as Buck stood, tossed the arm to her, and screamed while running away.

“What the hell are you doing?!” the paramedic yelled, clutching the arm as if she too wasn’t entirely sure what it was.

By the time the police hauled the mummy away and the team glared at Buck, who had undeniably spiced up their Halloween, she was leaning against the ambulance, arms crossed, holding Buck’s fake mustache.

“Billy Boils, huh?”

“He was a showstopper, at least,” Buck said with a sheepish grin.

She gave him a playful punch on the shoulder before carefully reapplying the mustache under his nose, pressing the adhesive to his fair skin. Once again, her fingers brushed his cheeks, and he silently wished she’d run her hands through his hair and leave them there for as long as possible.

“Wait, have you washed your hands?” he asked suddenly.

“For what?”

“You literally held Billy’s arm,” Buck replied, horrified, stepping back.

“You’re such an idiot,” she laughed, chasing him with her “tainted” hand raised dramatically, just to see his mock-scared reaction.

The following evening, she was in the locker room with Hen, who seemed visibly shaken by what had happened to her son. Hen had come to talk to the captain but found her colleague sneaking snacks away from the giant firefighter with blue eyes.

“You know they say your hair curls when you’re in love,” Hen teased, leaning against the doorframe, noticing the oversized fire department shirt the woman wore—one she recognized as one of Buck’s old ones.

“Whose hair is curly?” the woman asked curiously.

Hen pulled out a photo from Halloween, taken just before the swarm of kids arrived and the chaos of Buck’s mummy erupted. It showed the woman sitting between Buck and Chim, smiling towards Buck as she held her mask. Her hair, resting on her silk cape, fell in soft curls at the ends, as if someone had gently twisted them.

“Maybe it’s the shampoo. I’ve been using Buck’s for a while now.”

“Is he trying to save on that?”

“I got tired of him using mine,” she laughed.

Hen was serious. She had practically watched those two grow together, despite the paramedic only joining two years ago. From the moment she arrived, she brought a unique energy to the station, seamlessly blending in as if she had always been part of it. Slowly, she had also changed Buck. He’d always been hesitant about relationships after so many failed ones and doubts about how he expressed love. But when it came to her, none of that mattered.

She was the one he’d asked to share his huge loft. She’d chosen the couch they often ended up napping on together, and she was the one who made breakfast for both of them every morning. They knew each other better than anyone else did, and despite spending almost every moment together, they never got bored of one another.

“I like your hair lately,” Buck said, seated in his armchair, watching the morning news with a cozy sweatshirt and a temporary leave for his sprained shoulder.

“Is that sarcastic?” she asked, tidying up the kitchen, organizing what had piled up during the past few hectic weeks.

“Why do you always think I’m being sarcastic with compliments?”

“Because you always sound like it,” she teased, approaching him with the little gift he had left for her on the kitchen counter.

But as she walked around to stand in front of him, the sight that greeted her left her stunned.

“Holy cow,” she whispered, wide-eyed, holding one of his dirty socks between her thumb and index finger.

“What?” he asked, reaching for the sock in her small hand, which seemed frozen in place.

“Are those boils?”

The first time was to convince herself. The second was to comprehend the hilarious coincidence between the mummy’s name and the rash erupting on his face. The third, fourth, and fifth were spent teasing him as her fingers brushed over his skin—despite her reluctance and a fair amount of healthy disgust at the blisters.

“You’re disgusted,” Buck said, smiling, ignoring the boils on his face.

“I’m totally not,” she lied, setting the sock down and abandoning the idea of scolding him for leaving it where she baked the cookies he always stole.

“I can see it in your eyes,” he said, wrinkling his nose.

“Is my hair really that different?” she asked, changing the subject.

“You’re dodging the topic.”

She smiled, locking her gaze with his bright eyes.

“Say it—I’m disgusting.”

“Disgustingly irresistible, yeah.”

Buck, my beloved. This doesn't make sense, not even closely, and I'm not sure that I like it but I dreamt about this kind of fic last night and I had to write it down (it feels so dumb god). There are too few Buck fics! give me some recs pls

[stagefoureddiediaz]

What IS this "friend of Dorothy" theory? I know it's connected to the wizard of Oz and over the rainbow as gay symbols or something, but I'm otherwise clueless...

Hey!!

Thanks for stopping by and asking - you’ve given me the perfect place to talk queer history 😎🤓

So a friend of Dorothy is LGBTQ+ slang for a gay man.

It’s precise origins and use as an lgbtq term isn’t fully know but it is believed to predate the 1939 Wizard of Oz movie. The theory is that its use came about based on several references in the original Frank Baum books the film is based on (which if you haven’t read I highly recommend), espeically the second one - the road to Oz. In that book, Dorothy’s friends are described as queer and her reply to that comment is that queerness doesn’t matter as long as they’re friends. There is possible innuendo related to the scarecrow when he comments that you can go both ways along the yellow brick road (his line is ‘of course some people go both ways’). And the princess Ozma in the books is viewed as one of the first transgender character in literature (it’s too long to go into in detail but basically ozma is given to a witch - mombi- who transforms her into a boy called Tip so that the rightful heir to the oz throne is usurped.

The 1939 film can be argued to take things further - all of Dorothy’s three friends have queer attributes - for example the cowardly lion is a dandy lion (which is a play on Dandelions the flower, but also on the dandy - a specific type of man that became a thing in the regency (1800’s) era and transformed men’s fashion. Beau Brummell was a major force in the development of the dandy look. He was very close friends with the prince regent of England and it is rumoured the two were lovers (there is plenty of circumstantial evidence but no official proof has come to light and the royal family keep a lot of that information under wraps if it wasn’t previously destroyed) until their very public falling out!). Other things that contribute are the change from black and white to colour in the film - which was done in large part as a way of showcasing the new Technicolor technology, but can also be viewed as a metaphor for Dorothy escaping the black and white morally rigid small town she came from and ending up in city in a world full of colour with friends equally as colourful. The song over the rainbow became a queer anthem after the films release and in part (the fact she was also one of the first stars to have her life splashed over the tabloid press in gory detail and was othered because of it was also a part of it - along with her intense stage fright and deep self doubt about her talent whilst simultaneously being an electric and absorbing performer when onstage) led to Judy garland becoming a queer icon (something she embraced) and the rainbow from the wizard of oz and from that song was a contributing factor in the adoption of the rainbow flag as a symbol of the gay community and then the wider lgbtq community (and that hs obviously developed further into the progress pride flag we have today).

Because in a pre stonewall world (stonewall happened in the days immediately after Judy’s death - it’s never been fully stated as the reason for the riots, but it may well have been a contributing spark that help ignite them), Judy had become a gay icon through ‘over the rainbow’ and the wizard of oz, her concerts were a way for gay men to meet and thus referring to themselves as a friend of Dorothy’s as a way of subtly letting other know their sexuality with a greatly reduced risk of persecution. I could go much more into Judy garlands backstory because it’s fascinating and very much related to queerness in Hollywood but I don’t have the time to right now - I recommend looking into it though there are a couple of great biographies on her or there are many documentaries that look at her life!

I hope that’s helped 😎💜

[cto10121]

Book vs. Musical Wicked: Or, Musical Wicked’s Many Crimes Against Maguire Are Finally Reckoned

Re-reading Wicked has the musical’s horrid adaptational choices living rent free in my noggin once again. So much so that I can count the things the musical improves upon from the book on one hand. Otherwise, the musical simplifies, water downs, and downright deletes crucial points of Maguire’s book, going beyond mere adaptation necessity to actual damage. And it’s time I counted the ways.

Elphaba’s father was a minister, Frexspar the Godly, not the governor of Munchkinland. It is Elphaba’s mother Melena who comes from royalty, which she abandoned when she ran off with Frex. Elphaba, as the oldest, is the Third Thropp Descending, and thus next in line for the Munchkinland throne. Way to erase an actual matriarchal royal family, musical

The Clock of the Time Dragon is an actual traveling puppet show commandeered by a mysterious dwarf. Frex literally preached against it, to no success, and almost to his death. What’s more, Elphaba was actually born in it

Frex fucked her up, for sure. He believed that Elphaba’s green skin was due to his failure to protect his congregation from the Clock of the Time Dragon. And he greatly favored Nessarose. But he also loved Elphaba in his own way. He had a special nickname for her, Fabala. He was also in a throuple with his wife and Turtle Heart. But as we can’t have anything that even remotely criticizes religion or depicts religious trauma, not in our family-friendly musical, Frex is just a dickish secular governor

Elphaba is actually allergic to water, due to the Wizard’s Miracle Elixir. This is not only loyal to Wizard of Oz canon, but also exacerbates her feelings of worthlessness and fuels her desire for justice. Because she herself feels evil, unable even to be cleansed, ouch, my heart. But of course we must have a happy ending, so in the musical it’s just Ozian superstition

It’s Elphaba who first sees Glinda’s potential and influences her, challenging her and genuinely interested in her. Glinda eventually does accept her friendship. In the musical, it’s the exact opposite, because this is truly the Glinda show

Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship in the musical does have more development, from hate to friendship. Good job, musical, have a cookie. Unfortunately, it makes their friendship fundamentally based on a lie. Elphaba believes Glinda was sincere in gifting her that awful hat, and so goes to Madam Morrible and makes her give her a training wand. Glinda only comes around because Elphaba gave her what she wanted in the first place, and she feels guilty for her awful behavior. Fuck you too, musical

It is Glinda who shows aptitude in magic, and Madam Morrible encourages her to take sorcery. Elphaba goes for natural science instead, and doesn’t even do magic until her later years. There are hints of her powers during the Shiz years, but they are very subtle

For that matter, Madam Morrible and Elphaba hated each other from first jump. Morrible tried to groom Glinda instead, but after Dillamond’s death, homegirl smelled a rat and no longer trusted her. In the musical, it’s the exact opposite, because of course it is

There was no Elphaba-Glinda-Fiyero love triangle, largely because Glinda is racist. That’s right. Fiyero is a Winkie and too dark-skinned for her. And yet she is still more sympathetic than Musical Glinda. Make that make sense!!!

For that matter, the Shiz section in the book focuses more on Elphaba’s friendship with Boq than hers with Glinda. She starts working for Doctor Dillamond, and he helps her with the research. Also, Elphaba is a bit of a wingman and helps Boq woo Glinda, sort of (though she does say Boq is worth ten of Glinda—not in that way, of course!!!)

Galinda changing her name to Glinda in the book was out of real guilt and horror over Ama Clutch’s illness and Doctor Dillamond’s death. In the musical, Glinda does it because she wants to impress Fiyero. Because musical must love triangle!!!

The Doctor Dillamond/Animal Rights subplot is done much better in the book. For one thing, Dillamond is murdered by Morrible, for his research into human-Animal DNA. Elphaba also sees the conditions of the Animals worsens in Munchkinland under her sister’s rule. The musical just has Dillamond fired publicly, because the musical doesn’t know how fascist dictatorships work

Boq is not the Tin Man. As in the Oz books, he was one of the Munchkinlanders who helped Dorothy on her way to see the Wizard. The Tin Man was another guy entirely

Fiyero is not the Scarecrow. Elphaba believed briefly that he may have been, but she was sleep deprived and literally going mad. Musical just decided to canonize Elphaba’s delusions, I guess

Glinda is the one who wants to come with Elphaba after they meet the Wizard, and Elphaba refuses. It is the exact opposite in the show, because this is, and I cannot stress this enough, the Glinda show

In the musical, Elphaba/Fiyero have more development, meeting during Shiz, Fiyero supporting Elphaba in ways Glinda can’t or won’t, with a meet-cute and everything. Good, musical, have another cookie. That said, Faeyero’s dynamic during the Emerald City years cannot be bested. They were having full-on philosophical conversations, ffs!!!! And Fiyero even cooks Elphaba in some parts!!!! Also, they fucked, and it was glorious

Granted, Fiyero was married in the book. It was an arranged marriage to Sarima, a girl of his tribe, when they were children. But he did take up with her after Shiz and they had three children: Nor, Irji, and Manek. Elphaba goes to live with them at Kiamo Ko after falling into a coma and giving birth

Yeah, Elphaba falls into a coma when she loses Fiyero. Gives birth to their son Liir and lost her memory of the period due to trauma. Musical Elphaba does hit a C#5, though. Good job on translating that trauma, musical

Speaking of Liir, his and Elphaba’s relationship is so interesting. Hilarious and heartbreaking at turns. Elphaba realizing that hey, this kid may be her son and trying to mother and failing miserably. Liir having a crush on Dorothy and kissing her, which makes Elphaba want to be put out her misery. Good shit, good shit. So of course the musical has none of it and deletes Liir lol

Glinda never takes down Madam Morrible or the Wizard. It is Elphaba who goes against them. Instead, Glinda marries a baron, Sir Chuffrey, and becomes a popular socialite who dabbles in sorcery

Elphaba and Fiyero really and truly die in the book, and it is tragic as all hell. The musical opts for them surviving and making Glinda the tragic figure. Once again, fuck you too, musical

[gayverlyearp]

The Shop in the Emerald City

Glinda Upland is celebrating her one year anniversary at Diggs's Dress Salon, and secretly excited by the new pen pal she is writing to about sorcery, when an unusual girl walks into the store and asks Mr. Diggs for a job. Inspired by The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Rating: G

Word Count: 5,017

Shoutout to @localgaysian for reading this too, and always encouraging me

Read on Ao3

With a deep bong, bong, bong, the clock in Mr. Diggs's office struck the hour. Eight o’clock, time to open the store. Glinda and Mr. Diggs walked out onto the floor, passing racks of rolled up fabric waiting for custom orders while pre-made dresses hung brightly towards the front of the store. The accessories they offered–hats ranging from wide-brimmed monstrosities to the tiny pill box style that had to be pinned in place, gloves of silk and lace, select pieces of jewelry that Glinda had convinced Mr. Diggs to add to their stock as a necklace could really complete a look–were arranged under and behind the glass sales counter.

Glinda had a good feeling about the day. It was her one year anniversary at Diggs's Dress Salon, and Mr. Diggs had just announced that she was the store’s top saleswoman. She could be considered for a promotion soon, if she kept it up. Selling dresses and other items of beautification came naturally to Glinda, as she had spent her entire life conscious of her appearance, picking just the right colors, materials, and level of extravagation for every occasion. 

Selling dresses, though, was not her real passion. Not that she would ever reveal that to Mr. Diggs, or any of her colleagues. She had revealed her real passion to only one person: a new pen pal she had picked out from the classifieds in Oz Weekly. She hadn’t been looking for a pen pal. Glinda wrote letters to her family, updating them whenever she won an invitation to a party with the biggest names in the city–the Emerald City, it still thrilled her to be building her life at the center of Ozian society–or if there was a particularly notable customer at the shop, but otherwise she didn’t like to pour her heart onto the page or anything like that. But there was a word in that ad that drew Glinda in, and she had sent a letter the very next day: sorcery.

No time to ruminate on sorcery now though, the shop doors were unlocked and customers were starting to trickle in. 

An hour later, as Glinda led a middle aged woman with, as Mr. Diggs would say, a unique look through the racks of dresses–this woman was impossible to please–a young woman about Glinda’s age pushed open the door. The first thing Glinda noticed was that her skin was green. Based on the glances of other customers, they noticed this too, but as there was so much in the Emerald City that people hadn’t seen before, and so much green, they took her in, and went back to shopping. Glinda, however, continued to stare. The girl wore a black dress with tight sleeves that made way for voluminous, pointed shoulders, like two ravens keeping her company. It was so hideodeous Glinda couldn’t look away. Her face was quite pretty, if set in a serious expression. Glinda decided, if only she dressed differently, she’d be stunning. Perhaps that was why she had come into the shop. 

The girl walked over to Mr. Diggs, who stood behind the counter. The owner had such taste, and was a wizard at designing, but recently had been very caught up in the store’s financials. From her position by a rack, Glinda swore she overheard the girl ask Mr. Diggs if there were any available positions at the store. Really! A girl dressed like that, working in Diggs's Dress Salon. The very idea! Surely he wouldn’t hire her. He had Glinda already, and Fiyero, who could sway just about anyone to his ideas.

Suddenly, the girl appeared in front of her, interrupting her train of thought, flipping through the dresses,so fast that she could not possibly be giving each one any consideration. Maybe Glinda could help; she really did need some fashion advice.

“Excuse me–”

“Miss…Miss, what is your name?” Before Glinda could inquire if she could assist this girl–and make a sale, but really, it wasn’t about that–the woman next to her interrupted. “Do you know if this store carries anything like the dress you’re wearing? It is so striking!”

A trickle of cold ran down Glinda’s spine. What in Oz?

“Elphaba, my name is Elphaba,” the other girl replied. Elphaba. Glinda felt her face flush. Why was Miss Elphaba in her store, ruining her good day?

Elphaba stopped her search. “Here, Ma’am, what about this one? I assure you this lace at the top will…bring out…your eyes?” Judging by her halting speech, Elphaba had no experience in sales, and she had pulled out the most disgustifying dress in the store: black, of course, covered in curls of lace against a diamond pattern set asymmetrically across the bodice.

“Oh! Certainly!” the older woman replied, picking up the dress and looking at Elphaba with appreciation. “That’s just the thing!”

Where was the woman going to wear that dress, a funeral for a circus clown?

“Excellent choice. Let me walk you to the counter.”

Then that girl, Elphaba, walked away, guiding Glinda’s customer directly to Mr. Diggs. Glinda’s customer. That was supposed to be her up there, celebrating how good she was at this job, how close she was to promotion.

The ringing in her ears subsided just in time to hear Mr. Diggs say, “That was fantastic! I’d love to have you start as soon as tomorrow.”

The rest of that day passed by in a blur. 

The next morning, as she stood in front of the store waiting for Mr. Diggs to arrive with the key, Glinda’s stomach turned when she looked up from her fashion magazine and saw Elphaba walking up. Of course she was punctual; she had to make up for her terrible fashion sense somehow. The dress Elphaba wore was not any better than the one from the day before. 

Glinda was dressed in her signature pink, as she always was, a tasteful v-neck dress in satin with a full skirt. She had loved how it looked when she twirled in the mirror. Not that she would be twirling today.

Glinda had already brushed off the shop errand boy Master Biq–or was it Boq, she could never remember–sending him to pick up a pastry for her since she’d skipped breakfast. It was always the last thing in her morning routine, and thus, the one most often dropped when she was in a rush. Elphaba, with her simple braid and natural face, deep green eyes behind big round glasses, probably never had to worry about saving time to eat. 

“Good morning,” the other girl offered with a smile. “I’m Elphaba. Mr. Diggs hired me yesterday.”

Be welcoming, Glinda told herself. That’s what a future store manager would do. But Elphaba’s nearness was making the back of Glinda’s neck tingle, and what about what she had done yesterday, stealing Glinda’s customer right from under her?

“Oh, I know. I saw you,” was Glinda’s short reply. She tried to keep her tone neutral, but her irritation was probably apparent.

“And you are?” Elphaba was still looking at her expectantly. Couldn’t she take a hint? The tingle from the back of Glinda’s neck spread down her arms. She smoothed the magazine in her hand before answering.

“Glinda Upland. Of the upper Uplands,” she said. “Yesterday was the one year anniversary of my first day at Mr. Digg’s Dress Salon.”

Maybe that would help Elphaba recognize the error in how she had behaved.

“Oh, a year!” Elphaba enthused. “Congratulotions. Maybe you can help me learn the ropes. As you can probably tell, I don’t really know much about clothes.” Elphaba let out a little laugh. It was a pleasant sound. But to weasel her way into this job, when she had no interest in the business, it just wasn’t right. “I’m sure you know how hard it can be to get by in this city.” 

“Hm,” Glinda huffed. She supposed she did know, but she wasn’t going to tell Elphaba that.

Mr. Diggs arrived just then, thank Oz. Time to start work.

Once customers were buzzing around the bright racks exploding with tulle, satin, and sequins, some standing in the back taking measurements, still others checking how a hat might sit atop their head–one wide brim engulfed a woman’s small frame–Glinda breathed easier. She knew how to select the best looking items, how to talk up a customer as they looked in the mirror, and how to tactfully deliver the sale to Mr. Diggs and soak up her moment of success. 

If only Elphaba wasn’t here. Elphaba approached her a few times with questions about fabrics, cuts, and pairing jewelry, which Glinda answered, of course, but usually to the customer Elphaba was helping. It was just more efficient that way. And if she took credit for the sale, who could blame her? She was the one with the knowledge in this business. 

Customers still seemed drawn to Elphaba, especially if they came in looking for something a little bit more unusual. Every time Glinda saw Elphaba at the counter, she was always selling a dress that Glinda would have skipped over. Not that she was watching the other girl, but she couldn’t help but see her. The store wasn’t that large.

“Mr. Diggs, what convinced you to hire this Elphaba girl? She just doesn’t…well she doesn’t know anything about fashion,” Glinda cornered him in his office at the end of the day.

“Glinda, my dear,” he soothed. “I know she isn’t the person you’d expect to see in the store, but that’s just why I think we need her. The dress she sold yesterday was two seasons out of date and I was nearly writing it off as a loss before she came in. Same thing today. She’s actually quite good for business, so try to find it in you to be nice to her. Or at least leave her alone.”

Glinda huffed. Leave her alone? Maybe she could if Elphaba would stop talking to her. 

“Okay. I will do my best, Mr. Diggs.” She plastered on a smile. “For you, I’ll try to ignore her.”

Nestled into a big, pink, velvet chair in her flat that evening, cup of tea in hand, Glinda held the letter she had picked up from her post box on the way home. Her heart ticked a bit faster as she unsealed the envelope, anticipating the reply from her magical pen pal. The ad had asked to be anonymous and the mystery added to the excitement. Her eyes skipped over the page at first taking in phrases: able to control and levitate objects. Then she took a breath and read it from beginning to end.

Before she reached the bottom of the page, Glinda had goosebumps down her arms. Based on what Glinda knew about sorcery, the skill of levitation was quite advanced, and her pen pal had apparently developed it at a young age. This person–he, Glinda had decided her correspondent had to be a man–must be a powerful sorcerer. The thought thrilled her. 

She didn’t want to jump too far having only one letter from him, but she had already begun building a fantasy where she and this sorcerer fell in love, got married, and moved into a house with many closets. Glinda had gone on several dates in the past year, plenty of fancy dinners and big parties, but the men were always disappointing somehow. Their hands felt too rough on her shoulders, they tried to kiss her too soon, or when she did feel ready, and she did kiss them, the kisses felt mechanical and she itched for them to be over. With a man of magic though, the magical feeling she was supposed to feel would have to manifest. Magic did always light up her body like nothing else.

After a month at Diggs's Dress Salon, Elphaba was finally getting the hang of what was considered a party dress, a casual dress, a ball gown. She knew her fabrics. Usually she could even talk up details like embroidery or beading to convince a customer who was waffling. 

Elphaba had formed a fast friendship with Fiyero, a tall, handsome man who had a knack for saying just the right thing to everyone who walked through the door. She suspected that some customers came in just to spend some time with Fiyero, flirt and laugh, and he was happy to oblige them. He may not have made the most sales, but kept the mood of the store light and fun.

Glinda, on the other hand, was an effective saleswoman, knowledgeable, and always up on the most current trends. She was poised and energetic. Glinda was also undoubtedly the most beautiful woman Elphaba had ever seen: soft blonde curls, big brown eyes. If only she were nicer to Elphaba. She tried to learn from Glinda when she first came to the store, but Glinda had been determined to ignore her, except to butt in to correct something Elphaba said, like the skirt she had been calling knee length actually being below the knee. When Elphaba had argued that the length had to depend somewhat on how tall the person was, Glinda had insisted that there was a proper terminology to these things.

Mr. Diggs, for his part, was a creative man, an understanding boss, and always worrying about money. Elphaba could relate to that; it was why she had come to the dress shop seeking a job in the first place. What she hoped to do was save enough to study sorcery more seriously and find a way to make a difference in Oz. 

For years Elphaba had tried to hide her magic. Ever since she made a spoon fly at her nanny across the breakfast table, entirely by accident, her father had instructed her to control herself. Elphaba’s efforts only went so far. Her emotions seemed to snap something in the atmosphere, and objects always ended up in the air, then crashing back to earth. In Munchkinland, sorcery was seen as something ancient, and ancient history was left in the past. When Elphaba had arrived in the Emerald City, she had finally found reading material to help her understand how she could tap into herself, and focus that snap. Though it was all still theoretical.

At least now she had a friend who she could talk to about magic, even if it was only through anonymous letters. But her friend would only be anonymous for one more day. They had set a date to meet. At seven o’ clock the next day, Elphaba would walk into a little cafe wearing a silver starburst pin on her lapel and seek out her confidant who would be wearing the same.

Today, she just had to get through a few more hours. Then, tomorrow. 

As Elphaba was shelving endless boxes of sequins in the workshop closet, Glinda approached her. The tapping of her heels like a teacher’s yardstick on a desk made Elphaba’s scalp tingle. She was in trouble.

“Elphaba.”

“Yes, Glinda?” Elphaba exhaled.

“You know the display in the front window?” Glinda gestured back the way she had come. 

“I know the one.” Elphaba bit back a smile. Oh, this was no correction for misused fashion vocabulary. This Elphaba had done intentionally.

“Do you know why the mannequin is currently wearing a hideodeous tall, black, pointed hat?”

“I…don’t. I have no idea,” Elphaba lied. The smile escaped, and then a laugh.

“Elphaba! Please!” Glinda stared at her, seriously. “Think of the business!”

“I am. If I saw that hat, I might come into the store,” Elphaba argued. She had picked it because she knew Glinda would hate it, but it appealed to Elphaba. That part was true. She even thought about buying it from Mr. Diggs for her date–meeting–tomorrow. He had promised her a steep discount.

“Oh, it is your style, isn’t it,” Glinda conceded, surprising Elphaba. Then she continued. “Even so, I’m taking it down.” 

As she turned to leave, she muttered to herself, “When I’m a sorceress, I won’t be dealing with things like this.”

Elphaba’s face burned for a moment. Sorcery? 

“You…you practice sorcery?”

Glinda faltered, and spun back around. 

“Oh, I didn’t mean for you to–Well, I know it’s a bit unfashionable now, but yes. It is my dream. I once took a vial of sand and turned it into a little glass swan.” As Glinda said it, she curved her hand like she was gingerly holding the precious bird. 

Glinda paused, tilting her head like she was considering her story. 

“At least it was supposed to be a swan, and it does have wings, if you look at it from a certain angle. It was my first—You don’t want to hear this,” she cut herself off. 

Elphaba stared. She was too shocked to respond, but she did want to hear this. Glinda was interested in sorcery, dreamed to make it her life, could alter the appearance of things, or tried to. Just like the person she wrote letters to twice a week. 

It couldn’t be her. 

Cold anxiety trickled through Elphaba’s stomach, followed by a strange warmth. She would have called it hope if it was anyone but Glinda. She felt the snap. 

A box suddenly dropped from the shelf behind her, scattering sequins across the floor.

“Did you…” Glinda started to ask but let the question drop, as she watched Elphaba kneel down and start picking up the tiny shiny pieces. Glinda’s mouth was stuck open in a little o.

“I must have left that one hanging too far over the edge,” Elphaba was quick to explain. If Glinda was the person she had exchanged letters with, and, who was she kidding, it had to be her, Elphaba did not want her to start to suspect Elphaba was writing to her. First, she had to figure out what she was going to do.

Glinda walked away and Elphaba worked to slow her breathing. Moments later, Glinda reappeared with a broom.

“Elphaba, get up from there, just sweep them up.” She put her hand on Elphaba’s shoulder as she handed off the broom. “It’s not your fault.”

Elphaba’s shoulder felt warm. Glinda took a breath as if to ask a question, then turned instead.

“Now, I’m going to remove that hat, which is your fault.”

Elphaba laughed to herself. Maybe it could be Glinda.

As she considered the possibility, Elphaba did her best to avoid Glinda the rest of the day, and the beginning of the next. 

Elphaba was placing the pointed hat that had so offended Glinda into a hatbox the next time Glinda was able to get near enough to talk to her. Glinda had never made her nervous before, but this time, Elphaba had to steady her hands against the cool glass of the display case beneath her.

“What are you doing with that horrendible hat?” Glinda asked. “If it ends up back in the window–”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that,” Elphaba cut in. “I’m buying it myself, to wear on a date tonight.”

The idea of meeting Glinda at the cafe while wearing the hat so amused Elphaba that she had decided she would buy it after all. The look on Glinda’s face would be worth every cent.

Glinda pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow. 

“I wouldn’t…recommend that,” was her controlled reply. She quickly moved on. “I have a date tonight too!” Glinda brightened as she began to talk about her own plans. “I think…” she covered her mouth and let out a small squeak of delight. “I think I might be meeting my husband tonight.” 

Husband? Elphaba flushed, turning the thought over in her mind that Glinda wanted to marry the person she was writing to. Of course, she would change her mind once she found out that person was Elphaba. Elphaba opened her mouth to set Glinda straight, but caught herself and closed it again before replying.

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes!” Glinda confirmed in an excited stage whisper, then continued embellishing, “And he is a very powerful man. A sorcerer!”

“A sorcerer?” Elphaba smiled and placed a hand on top of Glinda’s, which rested atop the counter. “Well, Glinda, I wish you good luck.”

Glinda set her other hand on top of Elphaba’s and squeezed. “Oh, thank you Elphie!”

Then Glinda breezed away. When had she become Elphie? She stroked the brim of the hat just to have something to do with her hands.

Scattered couples and groups sat around the cafe chatting, filling the air with a hum of activity. Glinda fiddled with the starburst pin on her collar, wiped at the condensation collecting on her glass of water, pulled out the last letter she had received from her pen pal, confirming their meeting, her nerves pinging wildly. She didn’t want him to see her like this. Smoothing her hair, and taking a deep breath, Glinda tried to settle.

A familiar voice cut through her anxious fidgeting. “Hello Glinda, what a coincidence.” 

Glinda looked up to see Elphaba standing behind the chair that was set out for her date. On top of her head was that hat, the pointed top threatening. Glinda had tried to change Elphaba’s mind about it, but Elphaba was stubborn.

“Hello, Elphaba,” Glinda said, tempted to tell Elphaba to move immediately, but deciding that would be too rude, especially after they had a moment of bonding at the store. Glinda would be nice, interested in what Elphaba was doing. “Are you here for your date too?”

“Yes!” Elphaba smiled, excitable in a way Glinda had not seen her before. Her green eyes were bright. She removed her hat and sat down in the chair across from Glinda. “Have you seen Fiyero, by chance? I’m supposed to be meeting him.”

“Oh, you…and Fiyero?” Glinda asked incredulously. It was only after the words spilled out that she realized her heart was racing and she was gripping the napkin in her lap a little too tightly and she may have been a bit rude after all.

Elphaba laughed. “We’re just friends, Glinda. Don’t look so shocked.”

“I’m not…I’m not shocked, just…” Glinda tried to explain, but she wasn’t sure what was making her face hot and her head reel. More importantly, Elphaba was sitting where her date was supposed to be. “Elphie, please, I’m waiting on someone.”

“Waiting for someone,” Elphaba corrected with a smirk.

“That isn’t my point.” The girl was impossible. “I need that chair. If he shows up and sees me sitting with a friend, he’ll think I changed my mind and I’ll lose my chance.”

“Are we friends?” Elphaba leaned in to ask in a low voice. Glinda noticed the freckles scattered across Elphaba’s cheekbones. The back of Glinda’s neck tingled. Why did it feel like Elphaba was asking something else?

“I guess we are,” Glinda managed to reply. “Now, please, go wait for Fiyero somewhere else.”

“Okay, I’m going,” Elphaba said, finally. She rose and touched Glinda’s arm. “Good night, Glinda.”

Something in her longed for Elphaba to sit back down. But soon her pen pal would appear and she would forget all about that.

An hour passed. She never saw Fiyero, and Elphaba had apparently left once their conversation ended. Glinda repeated her routine–fiddling, wiping, checking the letter, then smoothing her hair–until finally she decided that the sorcerer, or whoever the person was who wrote her all those passionate letters about the practice of magic, was not going to come. Blinking back tears, she stood up and left.

The next day, Glinda was not herself at work, disengaged and obviously depressed. Elphaba asked her about how the date had gone, and not wanting to reveal that it had not happened at all, Glinda lied and said it had been nice, leaving out any details she might have to remember later.

When she left work, Glinda ran straight to the post office, and, yes, there in her box was a letter from her pen pal. She didn’t wait to get home to read it. Glinda ripped it open right there in the tiled hallway where all the post boxes were tucked away. It confirmed her fears. She was going to have to talk to Elphaba about this, first thing tomorrow. At least her pen pal had offered another date, if she were inclined to accept.

Walking into work in the morning, Glinda worked to slow her racing thoughts. She couldn’t just confront Elphaba as soon as she saw her. If they argued in public, it could hurt her reputation as top salesperson. Plus, Elphaba was the only person at the store who knew she was interested in sorcery, and she wanted to keep it that way.

A few hours into the day, there was a lull in activity, so Mr. Diggs sent Elphaba back to the workshop to check that the shelves were stocked and organized. Glinda followed her, and before Elphaba could start moving boxes, she started in.

“Elphaba, do you know what you did to me the other night?” Glinda asked with obvious irritation.

Elphaba leaned back against the shelves, oddly calm, a small smile on her face. “I only sat down for a few minutes, what could I have done? And you told me the date went well.”

Glinda squeaked out a sound of indignation. “Okay, I lied. My date never showed up, because of you.”

“How do you know it was because of me?”

“Here, I’ll read you the letter.” She pulled it out from a hidden pocket on the side of her dress.

“Oh, I like that,” Elphaba pointed at Glinda’s pocket, then brought the finger up to her lips, still smiling. Elphaba’s coolness was pushing Glinda to the end of her rope. She could feel her heart picking up speed and her neck getting hot and it wouldn’t do to get angry at work.

“Elphaba! Listen.” Glinda started to read. “I saw you sitting there with your pin, a gorgeous girl with golden curls and an adorable smile,” Glinda nodded along with the description of herself. “And at the same time I noticed across from you another beautiful young woman with a striking black hat.” Elphaba laughed behind her hand and Glinda glared at her, continuing. “I didn’t want to interrupt because it seemed like there was something between you.” 

“Beautiful young woman,” Elphaba repeated back. “I think I like your pen pal.”

Elphaba was simply infurifying and clearly wasn’t going to apologize. “At least we have another date set for tonight, so you didn’t totally ruin it. Fine, go ahead and get back to your boxes.” 

“Fine.”

Elphaba turned back to the shelf. Then, before Elphaba had touched a thing, a hat box from high above shot out over Glinda’s head and clattered to the ground behind her. In its wake, Glinda was filled with a static tingle. It was the same feeling she had with Elphaba in this room before, when a box of sequins had suddenly jumped to the ground. Elphaba had made an excuse and Glinda had wanted to believe it was just an accident, but she had felt the charge in her body then too. Glinda’s anger was gone, replaced with an electric pull to Elphaba.

“You…you did that.” Glinda said, pointing at Elphaba’s back, afraid to touch her. “You do magic too?”

Elphaba turned back around slowly. “Yeah, I do.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? Oh, Elphie, we could have shared ideas–”

“We have,” Elphaba interrupted. From the pocket of her structured black jacket, Elphaba pulled out a silver starburst pin. A pin that matched Glinda’s. 

All Glinda could do was breathe while she looked from the pin to Elphaba’s open face. Glinda’s stomach swooped as it all caught up to her. There had never been a sorcerer. There had always been Elphaba.

“Why didn’t you tell me that, Elphie!” Glinda reached out to take hold of one of Elphaba’s lapels and smooth over the fabric with her thumb. She regarded Elphaba again, her green eyes and freckles, soft looking lips. A beautiful young woman. Sure, Elphaba had written the words about herself, but Glinda thought they were true.

“When I realized it was you, I wasn’t sure what to think, after how things were between us when I first started here,” Elphaba replied in a soft, serious voice. Glinda’s stomach churned remembering how she had acted.

“I was pretty awful to you, wasn’t I?” Glinda responded, dropping her hand from Elphaba’s jacket. “I am sorry. I was–”

“You don’t have to explain,” Elphaba cut in. She took Glinda’s hand in hers and continued. “I went to the cafe that night ready to tell you, but after you had mentioned marriage, and this man you were going to meet, when you told me to leave, I left. I was only going to disappoint you.”

“No, Elphie, no!” Glinda insisted, squeezing Elphaba’s hand, wanting to pull closer. Glinda considered the idea. She had believed she would fall in love with the sorcerer from her letters, so now that the sorcerer turned out to be a woman–turned out to be Elphaba–she could still possibly fall in love, couldn’t she?

“You wouldn’t disappoint me, you don’t,” Glinda said, quieter, stepping closer, bringing her hand up to Elpaba’s face.

“Does this mean we’re getting married?” Elphaba joked, putting her other hand on Glinda’s waist. Her hand felt warm there. That magic electric static filled Glinda again.

“Just kiss me first,” Glinda said.

Elphaba responded by leaning in and meeting Glinda’s mouth with hers. Elphaba’s lips were soft, and felt so good against hers. Glinda hummed a high sound of pleasure. They broke apart, both smiling.

“It’s probably not a good idea to make out in the workshop,” Elphaba reasoned.

Glinda risked a quick peck before replying, “Okay. But we’ll keep that date, at the cafe tonight, won’t we?”

Elphaba nodded. “We will.”

[lucythornwalter]

Wait a minute, I hear you say. Why are we starting with Felicity? She’s neither the first girl to be released (that’s technically a three-way tie, but the honor is usually given to Kirsten) nor the earliest chronologically (that would be Kaya). What is it about her that means she deserves the first entries in this project?

Well, she might not be the first for Pleasant Company, but she was the first for me. In 1998, when I was five years old, I saw a single volume of one of Felicity’s books in a spinning book rack at a Hallmark store, and I asked my mother to buy it for me based on the cover art and the title (it was Felicity Saves the Day, and the cover features her riding a horse and looking determined but frightened). I read it in the car, and then read it again, and read it again. I was already fascinated by history and specifically by material history, by books about ordinary life in the past and books about artifacts and customs. An Usborne book about life in the medieval era was one of my favorites, alongside another Usborne book about world geography that talked about languages and religious beliefs. I also loved children’s-aimed history books and movies like An American Tail, even as much of the subtle commentary went over my head. I loved The Wizard of Oz and its period setting, and this was also the year I discovered Annie through the 1998 Wonderful World of Disney adaptation. In 1999 I became hooked on A Little Princess and The Secret Garden, and Cosette from Les Misérables and a kids’ graphic novel adaptation of Oliver Twist. I had a box set of the Little House books and had a favorite (On the Banks of Plum Creek, if you were curious. Yes, I’m aware of the irony of being indigenous and liking these books as a kid, but my parents were more concerned with making sure I never watched the turboracist Westerns when they came on TV, and by comparison the near-absence of Native people in the Little House books was pretty tame).

Essentially, I was exactly the kind of person who’d become fully fixated on the American Girl books, and on opinionated and spunky heroines like Felicity in particular.

So. Who is Felicity Merriman?

Felicity Merriman is the eldest child of Edward and Martha Merriman, who live and work in Williamsburg in 1774. Edward Merriman is a genteel tradesman who owns a prosperous general store, and Martha is the daughter and probable only surviving child of an unnamed Virginia planter who owns a substantial estate called King’s Creek. Felicity’s younger siblings are Nan, William, and Polly. Her best friend is Elizabeth Cole, a recently-arrived new colonist from England whose family is deeply loyal to the British crown. Her books are primarily about struggling to find her place as a straightforwardly masc-of-center tomboy who prefers crossdressing and working in the trades to mending and cooking, and about the social divides caused by growing anti-monarchist sentiment in the American colonies and how her friendships and morals are impacted by the political turmoil.

Felicity Merriman is also a slaveowner, from a slaveowning family, and at no point do the original six books manage to address this. In fact, they actively avoid it – the status of her father’s assistant Marcus as an enslaved person is only confirmed in the “Looking Back: A Peek Into the Past” section of Meet Felicity once, and while it’s acknowledged that King’s Creek Plantation is a slave-worked plantation with slave quarters, the text of Felicity Saves the Day never states outright that she interacts with slaves despite the illustrations depicting her in the fields alongside them. There’s a darker-skinned woman named Rose who assists her mother domestically, and unlike Marcus she is never confirmed to be either enslaved or free, forcing me to come to the conclusion that she’s probably also owned by the Merriman household and thus by Felicity.

This is the original and damning sin of Felicity’s books and character concept, and it cannot be escaped. Felicity’s social status protects her from a lot of misbehavior and allows her the luxury of a leisurely girlhood with easy education and no expectation that she work for a living beyond being a genteel housewife. She has to pitch in around the house along with her mother and Rose, but she has plenty of time to ride horses and play with her siblings, and she gets away with doing nothing all summer while her laundry and mending and food are all magically done with no effort from her.

This is also one of the twin original and damning sins of America-as-settler-colony – the irony of slaveowners calling for and fighting for a narrow definition of freedom with broad ideals that they only want to take for themselves is at this point a very old topic of conversation. The other sin, the theft of land and the genocide of Native people, isn’t mentioned at all in Felicity’s books. Felicity Saves the Day is at least conscious of the casual cruelty of the Merrimans and devotes much of its Looking Back chapter to discussion of plantation life for slaves, but the only mention indigenous people get is a comment in Meet Felicity that we lived in North America for fifteen thousand years prior to European settlement. Where did we go? What happened to us? Pleasant Company isn’t that concerned with the question.

As a result, Felicity’s books are best read with something of a critical eye. Once you see how completely and how purposefully slavery is erased from her daily life, it becomes impossible to ignore, and kind of drowns out all the other things that are still excellent. And that’s a real shame, I think. There’s a lot to be examined here, about girlhood in the 1770s and girlhood in the 1990s, about class and gender and how those things impact and frustrate Felicity, about how she grows in confidence and about her sense of justice. Those things had an impact on me – I was inspired by her at five years old and I can recognize that fondness and desire to be just like her now, twenty-six years later.

Ultimately, I can love and appreciate what I, personally, internalized about her story and her journey to womanhood, but I’m never going to be able to uncritically lose myself in her world again. That’s the best and most comprehensive introduction I can give, and even that isn’t enough to effectively answer for what Pleasant Company chose to do. I can’t defend it, and I won’t defend it, but this was neither the first nor last book series I loved that was written by racists. I love it enough to say it fucked up badly, and I will be talking about this as it comes up (or doesn’t) in the text. That’s the best I can offer.

So let’s Meet Felicity.

[carewyncromwell]

"What do you think?"

"...I think you're...very beautiful."

"I should hope so. And just who might you be? What are you doing here?"

x~x~x~x

Yay, Halloween is almost here! And my "movie character costume" for Carewyn and Jacob's aunt Pearl Cromwell is definitely a combo breaker. Although all of my other entries in this series have featured dressing my characters up as animated movie characters, I decided on a live action movie villain for Pearl -- specifically Mombi from one of my favorite underrated childhood movies, Return to Oz! (As a side, it was bloody impossible to find good quality still image references for this dress!! I had to simplify it quite a bit simply because I had so little to work with.)

Honestly, when it came to thinking of a costume for Pearl, I was kind of at a loss, in the beginning. Both Pearl and Claire are decidedly more subservient to Charles's will than even fellow Clan member Blaise is, considering that Claire is such a passive and ignorant character and Pearl follows him out of a misguided sense of honor -- so casting either of them as incredibly powerful, malevolent, self-focused Disney villains like Ursula or Maleficent seemed incredibly out-of-place. And yet even more "realistic" villains like Mother Gothel seemed more in-line with Blaise personality-wise, since Pearl's style of parenting tends to lean more on sternness and stoicism ("just suck it up and stop complaining," basically), rather than manipulation and feigned, cloying affection. Even Lady Tremaine, who I definitely eyed for a while, didn't come across as that great a match for Pearl, since she's never been the sort to want to social-climb through her children or otherwise, nor is she the sort to get any satisfaction from her subjugation and abuse of others, instead being much more the type to justify it as a necessary evil.

What really shifted gears in my head was finding a villain that looked more like Pearl, and Mombi immediately came to mind, since her original head has reddish curls just like how I imagine Pearl's, although quite a bit shorter and lighter in color. (Mombi's hair actually better resembles mine, funnily enough!!) And then yeah, I made the connection -- Mombi in Oz may be incredibly intimidating in her own way, but she's ultimately subservient to the real mastermind, the Nome King -- just as Pearl is subservient to the mastermind in her storyline, her father Charles. Mombi is perfectly willing to keep a child captive in a mirror on the Nome King's direction -- just as Pearl arguably keeps her own children, Arsen and Kain, inside the stifling Cromwell Manor because Charles is determined not to "lose" any other family members like he did Lane. And in the Real World, Mombi's non-magical counterpart -- Nurse Wilson -- is a very cold, stoic, oftentimes cruelly dutiful character who still betrays a tiny shred of humanity, since she does actually jump into a rushing river to try to rescue Dorothy at one point and looks genuinely distraught (maybe for the sake of her job, but also perhaps sincerely) when it looks like Dorothy is going to drown. This too is very "Pearl" to me: she can come across as heartless a lot of the time, but she isn't pure evil. Admittedly Pearl isn't as vain as Mombi by a long-shot, but hey, can't win 'em all.

I decided to base the head in Pearl's hands on her deceased mother Marilyn, just as a little shout-out to the rest of the Cromwell line. And well, that kind of macabre touch is very true to the film, that's for sure! Return to Oz overall is a movie I know a lot of people see as nightmare fuel, especially in comparison to MGM's The Wizard of Oz, which it tries to be a sequel to but doesn't match in tone at all. For me personally, though, I loved both films as a kid and I still do -- I like the MGM film for its music, dancing, and innocence, Return to Oz for its real sense of danger and darker, more book-accurate whimsy, and both for the unique and likable characters they created.

Coming very soon: our last two main Cromwell Clan members, Claire and Charles, to finish off these Halloween sketches for the year!

[brokenmusicboxwolfe]

The Nightmare Before Christmas can’t possibly be 30 years old! Nothing like pop culture anniversaries to make you feel old.

It’s funny, but lovely, to see how beloved it has become.

It wasn’t easy you see. When it came out we had to go 50 miles to find a theater, on it’s last legs, actually showing it. The heating was out in the place, but my family were the only ones there so we didn’t have to listen to anyone complaining. It was certainly worth the drive and shivering.

Back then I didn’t even know anyone else that has seen it.

There had been a bit of merchandising, but I only saw the stuff for sale in a store 100 miles away. I hadn’t seen the movie yet, so I didn’t get anything but made a note to go back when we would be back at Christmas. By then they had been clearanced and torn through.

I got a few things (big talking Jack being the prize) but felt irritated. I always loved having action figures/dolls/etc based on my favorite things, and knowing I’d missed what I assumed would be my one chance.

Little did I know that one day Disney would merchandise the hell out of it. At the time it was like they wanted to bury it. It had the Touchstone label so it wouldn’t taint the Disney brand with with it’s “dark ” nature. It was absurd for such a sweet, innocent story, but that’s how they seemed to feel. I could almost imagine executives going “who green lit this??” and everyone pointing at everyone else.

Oddly, the first sign it had a following came from seeing Japanese stuff in a Previews comics catalog. I remember I was out in the shop fiberglassing with Pop and said, “ I know the doll is a lot of money, but if we order it you can give it to me for Christmas..” And Pop saying “Well, if you are going to get him, you need to get her too”

Funny isn’t it. Back when there were so few things I grabbed whatever I could. Once Disney realized how profitable the movie could be and started making a thousand things I got very little. Part of it’s my increasing poverty and no one to give me gifts, but part of it is that the itch has been scratched. I have versions of the characters I like best, and that’s enough….

Well, except that I still would love a properly big and huggable version of the vampire teddy (probably exists, though I can’t afford to look) and that scorched post crash doll (probably doesn’t exist, but dang I love it).

Thirty years ago I thought it would be like most things I adored, a cult following but ignored by the general public…

Then again, thirty years ago outside of a comic convention I’d never encountered people that had even heard of Doctor Who, 99% of Marvel characters, Neil Gaiman, and a ton of other stuff. Obviously you can’t predict these things.

It’s kinda lovely to know that very, very occasionally something you love in obscurity can find a bigger audience one day.

Fingers crossed Nightmare Before Christmas keeps that beloved status and avoids the dreaded backlash. So long as there is no sequels, spin offs, remakes, etc to dilute and disappoint maybe it’s safe.

Well, for a generation or three. After all, once upon a time there was hardly a kid in America that didn’t watch The Wizard of Oz at least once a year, and now I get the feeling lots of kids grow up without ever seeing it all. But a few generations of love is more than most movies get.

Damn, 30 years! It’s already been around for more than a generation! LOL

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

right now my absolute favorite musical is wicked, coinciding with my perpetual oz interest (I hope I used that word correctly). I used to listen to Dear Evan Hansen quite a lot but haven’t listened to it in a while. Except for “a part of me”, one of the cut songs.

can I ask why it’s your favorite?

Wicked and Oz in general are awesome. I read through the books semi-recently (as well as re-watching Return to Oz) and it always amazes me to remember just how different in tone the 1939 film is. It's truly a world of it's own, with a different feel an overall mood - Dorothy is obviously far different. Our stage adaptation is primarily based on the 1939 movie so my analysis is based on that, but I'd practically call it an Oz AU with all of the liberties it takes. Mostly with Dorothy. She is largely a pawn in games played by the Witches and Wizard of Oz. A game that ultimately, Glinda won. (My feelings about the 1939 version of Glinda are very similar to my feelings about Dumbledore for similar reasons.)

But Wicked is different. Wicked is a commentary on...on, so many things, but I think a major one is complacency. (It's similar to why I love Borrasca actually.) The idea that there can be something rotten in the state of Denmark, something bad happening in Oz, and people will look the other way. It's painfully realistic. Galinda's whole character arc is intertwined with this. Because it's like Elphaba says. She'll grovel in submission to the corrupt institution if it means advancing her own position and career. But in her heart, she knows better. I love the repeated use of the words "good" and "wicked" blatantly deconstructing them and proving that things aren't black and white. That good and evil are just...words that we say. And their weight depends on who is saying them and about what.

The only thing I don't care for when it comes to Wicked is that...well, it kind of succumbs to what I call "Prequel-itus." As a prequel to Wizard of Oz (well, it technically is both a prequel and a retelling since it goes past the end of the original but I digress) Wicked feels the need to give everything and everything a backstory. Fiyero...didn't need to be the Scarecrow. Fair enough to that one, since it was clearly planned and a major part of the story (though it casts a shadow over his bond with Dorothy in all honesty) but Boq as the Tin Man? Give me a break. That asshole is nothing like The Tin Man, who was sweet and sensitive and, oh yeah, already had a backstory. Not to mention the hastily thrown in line about the Lion being the cub from Act 1? Come on now.

As for Dear Evan Hansen.

I just. I really love human dramas. (Again, Borrasca. I can't recommend it enough, except, every trigger warning you can imagine applies to it.) Dear Evan Hansen is such a magnificent story about realistic people going through emotional issues. It's a story that isn't guided by plot, but by characters reacting based on their feelings and desires. The inciting incident is Connor's suicide and the misunderstanding with Evan's note, but after that, the entire plot could be resolved if the characters (mainly Evan) just made different choices. Better ones, smarter ones. But it's not a plot hole, either. It's characterization. You can see the exact moment when Evan falls in love with the lie. "And I see him come to get me. He's....come to get me. And everything's....okay." I've seen a slime tutorial of this show and based on the performance, that is the moment that Evan went from awkwardly trying to comfort a grieving family....to telling himself a better story, about his own life. One where he had a best friend, and wasn't having suicidal thoughts.

And that's one of the major themes of Dear Evan Hansen. Rewriting history when there's no one to contradict you, and living in the new reality you've created from that story, because there's nothing to stop you except yourself. It crops up all over the place, not just in the #BigLie, but Evan also initially lies to Larry about the situation with his father. This idea is echoed in Sincerely, Me as well. "All that it takes is a little reinvention." and "Just believe you can be who you wanna be." It comes up again in Words Fail which is...the most fucking raw and emotional that a musical has ever gotten, for me anyway. I sob when I listen to that song, especially at the crescendo when it reprises Waving Through a Window. Evan talking about no one seeing the real him, because he fears "Will they hate it too?" Just broke me. Because...honestly? I relate to it. And I think a lot of people can. "Will I just keep on running away from what's true?" Like. Oof.

Everyone in this show is miserable, in different ways, and they manifest it in different ways that are typically unhealthy. Though I think my favorite character is Heidi. I don't know if she's considered problematic in the musical fandom, but I will pick up my foam finger and defend her to the last. She was doing everything she could. Evan's anger at her for being absent is understandable, but it wasn't out of negligence. She was working multiple jobs to keep a roof over their heads. She didn't always handle situations the best, like the dinner with the Murphys...but she was blindsided over and over that night, so, fair enough. She isn't very knowledgeable about her son's mental health issues, but it's not for lack of trying. She's doing her best, and also, Evan isn't telling her anything. He's not sharing with her. He's lying to her, on top of lying to everyone else.

The situation needed to end. Because it was unhealthy. Even if Connor and Evan's friendship had been real, it was reaching unhealthy levels. They gave Evan Connor's clothes. They gave him Connor's college fund. Given how he was sleeping over at the Murphy's house all the time, and I don't see them making him take the couch (or allowing him to crash with Zoey) he was probably sleeping in Connor's room. Like, it was reaching creepy levels even if you ignore that it was all based on a lie. And when they find out...yeah, they don't forgive him. Why would they? It would be way too good to be true, Evan would be getting off far too easy, if they just forgave him. They didn't expose him to the world and that is charitable on their parts. Evan had to lose the life he'd gained and return to reality. I like that even though Zoey ultimately forgives him, they don't get back together. Realistically, there's no way they would.

God this story just rips me to shreds. I feel bad for everyone involved, but they're also culpable for their own choices. Like...Alana is another example. We're meant to sympathize with her (and Jared) by the end. Sure, she's a little annoying, but she means well, and her dedication to the Connor Project is sincere. That said...she really doesn't know what she's talking about, claiming the emails "don't make sense" because Connor seemed to be doing better before he died. That's...shockingly naive. Also, the fact that she posted Connor's suicide note (as far as she knew) online without permission. She didn't ask his family if that was okay. She did it explicitly against the wishes of his best friend who the letter was written for. That's fucked up.

I could write similar analysis of Jared, Connor's parents, Zoey...but I can already tell this one is gonna be a long runner so I'll cap it here.

[nnschneider]

Tagged by @wurzelbertzwerg to share my WIP folder.

You've been warned.

Focusing on Jane Austen fanfic, I have

Note that I write for my own sake, and at the pleasure of my muse. I tend to pick something up and play with it for a bit then put it down, forget about it after a couple months, etc. And then think of it again, have to read thru what I've previously written, and maybe decide to add to it. Point being, I have a bunch of WIPs in various states of completion and in a few fandoms.

Bro (short for Brogency): Mr. and Mrs. Bennett decided to pass off their third (and final) child as a son. I'm like 24 chapters in and the main romance is better Ryan (aka Mary Bennett) and an OC.

12Days (short for the 12 Days of Christmas): Modern NA AU in which the Morland family has a rotating curse every Christmas (affecting one family member per year) related to the items in the annoying Xmas song.

C-Oz (short for Catherine In Oz): The night after Gen Tilney tells Catherine she needs to leave, there's a big storm at the abbey. Insert Wizard of Oz dream in which Catherine is trying to get home.

Baby 3 (short for And Baby Makes Three): Henry Tilney is a paleontologist and Catherine Morland gets a leopard. Bringing Up Baby for NA. I'm 14 chapters in and I think I'll be able to wrap it up in another chapter.

Beanstalk. Persuasion as Jack & the Beanstalk with Frederick as Jack and Anne as the harpist who gets the goose to lay golden eggs.

Extremes in Dating: A modern S&S AU in which Edward Ferrars just wants a quiet night alone and his girlfriend Lucy has other plans. (Related to Drynuary For Hookups and based on an abysmal date my brother told me about.)

Fox (short for The Mark of the Fox): A Zorro AU for S&S.

Gingerbread. S&S as Hansel & Gretel. Pairs nicely with Beanstalk.

GoodPlace (short for The Good NA-borhood): NA as the Good Place with Henry Tilney, John Thorpe, Mrs. Allen, and Isabella as dead people, Gen Tilney as the architect, and Catherine as the neighborhood's Janet.

L+A (short for Love and Agriculture): Greek-ish/Roman-y pantheistic version of Emma with Emma as the goddess of love.

Luna. A P&P covid allegory with werewolves instead of covid, centered on Lady Catherine de Bourgh and her circle of correspondence. (They don't really care if the mysterious illness is eviscerating poor people in Town so long as it doesn't threaten their country estates, etc). Probably too preachy for me to finish.

MBDE (short for Mr. Bennett Dies Early): Mr. Bennett sneaks to Netherfield to meet his new neighbor, has an accident on the way home, and dies. Mr. Collins shows up to inherit and decides to marry Jane who has fallen in love-at-first-sight with Bingley. Elizabeth tries to protect Jane from Collins' unwelcome regard. Darcy tries to protect Elizabeth from the same.

Anyway, I set myself a goal to get Brogency, Extremes in Dating, and And Baby Makes Three into peer review this year. So far (it's still January) I like my odds.

Mega Abbey 2. Sequel to Origin Story, a hero/villain AU for NA. Henry's dad shows up unexpectedly so Henry has to pretend he isn't dating Catherine to protect her from his supervillain father and Catherine wants to rescue Henry from his supervillain legacy. I'm about 8 chapters in, trying to figure a few plot points out.

Reindeer: I try to repurpose Christmas carols into JAFF poems and this is me slowly adapting "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" into "Lizzy the Leading Lady" about how Elizabeth Bennett is clearly superior to all other Austen heroines.

Sabrina. MP as Sabrina except Fanny won't end up with either Bertram brother.

[reaperbabegaming]

BELLE AUTOMATA CHRONICLE 1 - GAME REVIEW

Reviews can contain a few spoilers. Heavy, in-depth spoilers will have a warning.

Dev Team - Jellyfish Parade Romance Routes - 2 (GxB) Rating - Teen Available On - Itch.io and Steam Price - $19.99

Overall Rating 5/5

*This review is solely based on Chronicle 1

SUMMARY (RETRIEVED FROM ITCH.IO)

Aureve is an android, content with a life of weaving silk tapestries alongside her master--but when he dies, his family sells her off due to her being a rogue: a self-aware android.

Thrown into a new home of refuge for rogues, the newly freed Aureve must find her place amongst them and answer the question once and for all: how does one weave a new identity when the strings to the old have been cut?

Inspired by lore from the likes of Cupid and Psyche, The Wizard of Oz, Pinocchio and other beloved tales, Belle Automata is the journey of an android reinventing herself. Join Aureve and the others as they forge their own paths dealing with love, self-acceptance, and grief for a life left behind.

REAPER REVIEW

I remember backing the first Kickstarter for Chronicle 1, knowing then and there that it was going to be a good game…and I was not disappointed! 

Fun fact: Belle Automata was the first game I ever backed and it’s all been downhill for my wallet from there.

I was immediately pulled in by the art, not only of the Love Interests (LIs) but also by the Main Character (MC) herself, Aureve, whom you can rename but I loved it so much that I left it (plus if you don’t change it the voice lines will say her name). Then add on the idea of rogue androids and finding your new self when you’ve lost everything you ever knew, this story became personal. I was there to help Aureve find the best her that she could be. 

But what’s an otome without the LIs? 

CAST

Romances for Chronicle 1

The Nightmare Prince (He/Him) - If scary name then why so adorable? My obligatory protecc character.

Victor (He/Him) - What can I say? I like an android with a hard exterior but soft heart.

Others/Future Romances

Zaffre (He/Him) - The flamboyant best friend (for this run), but is there more behind his smile?

Diego (He/Him) - Sweet, gentle, quiet Diego…he knows all.

Roman (He/Him) - The big bro that everyone lowkey wishes they had.

Klaus (He/Him) - A great doctor…if not a little scatterbrained at times.

One thing I enjoyed about Belle Automata was how it is being broken into Chronicles, so while we are introduced to all of the potential LIs in this chronicle (C1), we can’t romance them until later. I like this approach because it allows me to pick between 2 romances rather than 6 and I can love them in their own stories. This also allows the supporting cast to play different roles based on who you’re romancing. 

For example, in my Victor playthrough, I became very close friends with Zaffre and the occasional companionship with the Nightmare Prince and Diego, while Roman and Klaus interacted with me in some pivotal moments. I was able to appreciate every character as they were rather than potential romances, something I think I miss when all romances are available in games. This also made me want to romance Zaffre in Chronicle 2 even though I had no inclination to do so beforehand. 

It’s also clear how much effort the dev team put into this game when it comes to sensitive topics that the characters face, as well as making a game with a full POC cast with various skin tones. These things are very important to the team and that shines through in the game.

*Heavy spoilers ahead*

Now, I don’t know how I missed this but there are in fact 6 possible endings, and oh man was I in shambles upon getting the neutral ending. Although looking back it was still quite sweet and could still lead to a sweet ending between the two…BUT I WANTED THE KISS! 

There are about 14 decisions after you enter the romance route and I guess I made 1 too many incorrect choices. I’m not sure what the range of correct answers you need to get for each ending but a lovely community member posted a guide on Steam which I will link here (which I followed after getting my fated ending because I love doing the first runs with no help. No matter how much it hurt my soul). 

*End of heavy spoilers*

To my fellow otome players who like choice indicators or plus/minus systems after your choices to see how you’re doing…this game might annoy you especially with Victor cuz a lot of his responses could be to either or so it felt to me. But don’t let that discourage you cuz again GUIDE. 

OTHER THINGS TO NOTE:

Aureve is the literal best MC I’ve come across and if you don’t love her…I have some questions.

100,000+ words of dialogue.

About 7-10 hours of gameplay.

There’s full voice acting! And I don’t mean pages of Narrator and a few character lines. It is easily 90% character voiced lines.

6 endings possible.

The community comes to the rescue with the Perfect Ending Guides (thank you!!!)

There is currently a Kickstarter going on to fund Chronicle 2 and 3 and you can bet I put my money where my mouth is because I need more of these characters. I mean after romancing Victor or the Nightmare Prince just imagine seeing them as side characters to other romances! You could see multiple different facets of your favorite LI! 

Steam and Itch.io game links :)

Who are you looking forward to romancing?

[twdmusicboxmystery]

New Cast Announced for Spinoff

@wdway:

I have no idea how I found all of this but I thought you guys would like to see it.

@wdway:

Somehow I ended up on a Tweeter site (I'm not on Twitter) you guys might want to check it out. Norman Reedus Network.

The Screencast one has the actors with character names which is very helpful to us I think.

I don't see a character named Camila on here that had a pizza wrist scar box from the other day. Reading a lot into that. Please correct me if you guys see it anywhere and I'm just missing it.

Oh, Dary does have his vest and leg wraps in the spin-off.

Interesting sweater it reminds me of the CRM.

@galadrieljones:

Nice catch!!

Interesting that Clemence Poesie is playing a character named Isabelle. Another character name repeat. I think the other one spells it Isobel but it’s still the same name.

@wdway:

Yes that is interesting isn't it.

@galadrieljones:

Also it’s worth noting that these are all French actors. We haven’t heard anything about any Americans or “familiar faces,” which didn’t Gimple say he’s be running into some characters who have been “lost”?

@wdway:

A connection between Fear an DD spin-off

@galadrieljones:

I think lots of ppl speculated Heath. I think he might run into Hope and Terry Ellis. Just speculation based on the dialogue in the WB coda, in which the scientist woman mentions the word “hope” like four times and has a whole folder to TB Ellis papers on her hard drive.

@wdway:

Norman has said it and probably Gimple.

@galadrieljones:

I also think Beth will be there but I’m biased lol

@wdway:

And you have us as company.

@galadrieljones:

I literally cannot wait all the way until May for Fear

@wdway:

Again you have company on that one too.

I'm trying to not hope to see Beth but part A of Fear is still set a few years (maybe 6) years behind TWD so she could be anywhere in present time. Like France. My understanding is Fear part B will have a time jump to the present.

@galadrieljones:

All the French stuff makes me want to go back to Davon. I know we went after that one pretty hard but I was super postpartum when that came out and like I need to watch it again with a level head. French speaking characters and actors, missing children, main character is a fish out of water trying to find his way back to his family, falls for a girl who plays piano, PPP card, mysterious green bleach liquid/sulfuric acid in a bucket, facial dismemberment (re:Dwight). Just so much there.

@wdway:

Agreed. Do you remember the name of the main female character?

@galadrieljones:

Nora is the love interest and Amanda is the one who dies

Arnaud is the young man who kills the child

@wdway:

Thanks.

@galadrieljones:

Also another weird probably poppies reference in the sweeties that Arnaud gives the kids. Probably an opioid sedative, which becomes a Wizard of Oz thing.

Also this is kind of a stretch, but I read recently that the episode Davon was originally called “Acadia,” as in the former French colony of Acadia, which is where Madawaska is located in Maine, along with places in Canada. When I looked that up, I learned that there are also Acadians in southern/French Louisiana, which is referred to as Acadiana.

Acadians are now just commonly called Cajuns. That dude in “Nebraska” mentions that he heard the Coastguard is “sitting in the gulf,” sending ships to the islands. Possibility we meet French ppl in the gulf, in Fear? Or Acadians who speak Creole languages, or French. Idk just an association I made because my brain can’t stop lol. There is so much in terms of associations right now, with Fear being where it’s at, and Gimple poaching from early seasons to plant entire plot arcs.

Iris from Nebraska also wants to go to the Louvre. Hope is with with Dr. Ellis in NY. Daryl is in France. Kids are missing. What is going onnnn...?

@wdway:

Now my mind is spinning with possibilities.

@galadrieljones:

I know the feeling lol

@wdway:

I had forgotten about the Cajuns guy from s2 Nebraska. Great catch. I remember that there was a lot of western objects in the bar.

@galadrieljones:

Another one on the list to rewatch for the twentieth time.

Also forget that Emily is from Nebraska, certainly a coincidence but not one that tptb will let go to waste

@wdway:

I'm also thinking about Daryl and Beth setting the moonshine on fire using a stack of $20 Andrew Jackson bills. Andrew Jackson was the commander of the Battle if New Orleans in the war of 1812. Another of many French connections.

@galadrieljones:

Yes good catch!! Now I’m just thinking about all the possibilities…

[justmetalkingaboutstuff]

“Wicked” is an Allegory for the Events Leading to World War II

Disclaimer(s): I intentionally kept away from every review and spoiler of “Wicked” because I’ve known for several years now that the movie was coming out and I knew, based off of every friend and family member who said, “Oh, you’d LOVE it” after seeing it live, that I would love it. I have never read the 1995 book “Wicked” by Gregory Maguire either. My only exposure to “Wicked” prior to seeing it last Sunday was being obsessed with the song “Defying Gravity” after hearing it on the first season of the television show Glee back in 2010. But I already knew the Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba in “Wicked”) could fly because I’ve seen the 1939 version of “The Wizard of Oz” and read the book by L. Frank Baum. I have also not read any analyses of “Wicked” online prior to writing this so all of these opinions come from my experience of seeing “Wicked” in the theater – as the friends who saw it with me will attest because I was babbling semi-coherently about it all as we were walking out of the theater. It's entirely possible (perhaps probable) that I'll be proven wrong in Part 2, but for now this is where I stand.

I saw “Wicked” part 1 last Sunday afternoon with some of my friends. First of all, before I get into my breakdown of why I believe it to be an allegory for the events leading to World War II, let me talk about the movie itself for a minute.

If you haven’t seen it yet, GO SEE THIS MOVIE. I don’t care if you don’t like musicals. I don’t care if you don’t like Ariana Grande. I don’t care if you were completely put off by Cynthia Erivo going absolutely bonkers over some fan art (because I was too). I’m not kidding you, this movie is the Shiz. I mean, it takes place at Shiz University, but it’s literally the shiz. It’s the shizzle. It’s amazingizzle. If you don’t like the music, then you’ll love the sets. If you don’t love the sets, then you’ll love the costumes. If you don’t like costumes then you’ll love the acting. If you don’t love any of the previous things then you’ll love the colors because, oh my gosh, it’s even more of a Technicolor dream than the original Wizard of Oz, which was actually shot in Technicolor. If nothing else, go look at Prince Charming because he’s a total hottie and should appeal to 99% of the women, 99% of the gay men, and 75% of the straight men who just want to look that damn good.

I’m not kidding. I fully expect a sweep of any categories it gets nominated for at the 2025 Oscars because it is, from top to bottom, one of the best movies I’ve ever seen in my life. And, for those who don’t know much about me, I actually worked in the film industry for about 5 years. I’m certainly not an expert on motion pictures, but I’d say I know a lot more than the average person off the street and I honestly feel like this film should take a lot of the categories like art direction, cinematography, and costumes. I know that’s not something that a lot of people pay attention to but it’s something I’m always looking at and this movie is jam-packed with stunning craftsmanship in so many categories that I’m honestly jealous that I didn’t get to work on this film because I’d love to have my name attached to something that great.

Okay, now onto the topic:

So, I went to see it with my friends and I pretty much cried through the whole thing because I could see the symbolism packed throughout the movie and not only did it remind me of things that happened in the past, but it also reminded me of things going on in the present-day, and it upset me a great deal because, holy crap, how did we get here again?

(Mumbles something about people not paying attention in history class in her best history teacher voice… “those who forget the past are damned to repeat it…” yadda yadda yadda)

Not only do I enjoy history, but I remembered that in my 11th grade A.P. U.S. History class my teacher gave us a handout talking about how the “Wizard of Oz” was an allegory for the political climate of the late 19th century (that’s the 1800s for those of you who didn’t already know) and the 1896 presidential election between William Jennings Bryan and William McKinley. Bryan, the Nebraskan candidate for the Democrat-Populist Party who supported adding silver to back the U.S. dollar to help the “little people” (namely, farmers who needed an injection of cash into the economy) was defeated by the Republican McKinley who maintained that the dollar should continue to be backed by the gold standard. Baum never admitted that his most famous book was anything but a children’s story. But Baum had written several pieces on the political climate of the time and his descriptions of Kansas are influenced by Baum’s own time in South Dakota where he saw farmers and workers struggling while industrialists enjoyed great wealth from exploiting the laborers. Sound familiar?

Anyway, I’ll let you check out more about the Wizard of Oz as an allegory here: if you’re interested in that. It’s been a long time since I first read the handout from my history teacher, but this article is from around the time period when I read about it, so it’s possible that this is the source material my teacher gave us alllll the way back in 1991.

Enough about The Wizard of Oz. What about “Wicked?”

BEWARE: FROM HERE ON OUT THERE ARE LOTS OF SPOILERS. DO NOT READ AHEAD IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENS AND ARE STILL INTENDING ON SEEING THE FILM WITH FRESH EYES

I’ll start with the easiest things I picked out:

1) The Wizard is Adolf Hitler – For those of you who saw the “Wizard of Oz” you’ll remember that the Wizard doesn’t have any real power. He’s all smoke and mirrors. Literally. In “Wicked” it’s no different. Similarly, Hitler didn’t have any real power on his own. He used deception to gain the following of millions of Germans by using junk science and lies to convince the people that Germany was being kept down by the Jewish people instead of the economic sanctions placed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles.

2) The Animals are the Jews – Oz spreads misinformation about the animals, claiming that they are sub-human and not only should they no longer have a voice but that they also belong in cages (concentration camps).

3) Madame Morrible is Joseph Goebbels – As I first left the theater, I thought that maybe Madame Morrible was representing the Japanese faction and that using Asian actress Michelle Yeoh was to lead viewers to associate the character with the Japanese even though Yeoh is not Japanese. The reason isn’t because I’m ignorant of her actual heritage, but because a lot of people see an Asian face and can’t recognize the fact that there are dozens of Asian countries with hundreds of millions of people. But after further consideration, I thought, “Well, Jeff Goldblum is playing a Hitler-esque character and he’s Jewish” so that probably was pretty far off. After thinking more about it, I think Morrible represents Goebbels as he was Hitler’s minister of propaganda, which is much more in line with the Morrible character. Morrible is looking for people who can prop up the Wizard’s mythos, just like Goebbels sought to manipulate the public’s opinion of the Jews much as Morrible did at Shiz University ($5 in virtual money, which is non-transferrable currency) says she’s the one who wrote on Doctor Dillamond’s board the day he had to leave class.

4) Doctor Dillamond is the “Scapegoat Jew” – Dillamond is literally a goat. Jews were used by Hitler as the scapegoats for the economic situation that Germany found itself in after World War I. The Treaty of Versailles imposed harsh sanctions on Germany including the demand that Germany pay reparations to the victorious Allied nations, disarm its military, and cede some of its territories. However, Hitler would tell the German people that the reason they were suffering was because the Jewish people were greedy and were hoarding a disproportionate amount of wealth that they would only give in trade to each other, therefore keeping that money out of the hands of the non-Jewish German people. He also claimed that Jewish merchants were guilty of price gouging the German people instead of recognizing that the hyperinflation occurring was because so much of the German money was now in the hands of foreign nations and no longer circulating in the German market.

5) That beautiful diorama of United Oz is a depiction of Hitler’s “Germania” – Hitler designed what he claimed was “the ideal Germany, “ starting with redesigning Berlin, which would serve as a world capital for his Reich. Large parts of Berlin were to be razed to make way for designs that Hitler deemed to be in keeping with his idea of proper German architecture. Modern designs, much like modern art, were viewed as the work of degenerates and representative of a “moral decline” in society. Hitler sought a Germany that incorporated many areas that belonged to other nations. The Wizard also seeks to unite the Emerald City with Gillikin Country, Quadling Country, Munchkin Country, and Winkie Country – all connected by a yellow brick road.

6) The Flying Monkeys are the Gestapo/SS/SA – They do the bidding for the Wizard by spying on the people and reporting back their findings to the Wizard. The flying monkeys also carry out violence on behalf of the Wizard, much like Hitler’s henchmen carried out many of the atrocities inflicted upon not just the Jews, but also ordinary German people such as clergymen and scholars who disagreed with Hitler’s antisemitic ideology and pushed for equal treatment of all German people. Many of the non-Jewish victims of Adolf Hitler were those who simply disagreed with the treatment of the Jewish people in Germany and countries that were overtaken by Germany during the war.

7) Elphaba is the “Resistance” – This one is pretty obvious. Elphaba stands up for marginalized groups and by doing so, she ends up being labeled as an enemy by the Wizard. Does she actually turn out to be a wicked person in Part 2? I honestly don’t know because I’m still trying to stay away from anything that would ruin the second part for me, especially since I have to wait an entire year to find out the conclusion. But something tells me that Elphaba may not be truly wicked. She’s just labeled as such because she has the guts to stand up to the Wizard, Morrible, and Glinda and, as we all know, history is written by the victors.

8) Glinda represents the German people who feel they can gain from siding with Hitler – also pretty obvious. Glinda, in search for acceptance from people she thinks are powerful (even if they’re not because, as we’ve seen, the only person with real “powers” is Elphaba). Glinda wants to be popular so it would make sense that she would cut ties with her best friend, Elphaba, in order to stay in the good graces of the Wizard, who the people believe to be their ideal leader. Glinda knows that the Wizard has no real powers like Elphaba does, but everyone loves the Wizard. He’s the most popular person in Oz. Glinda simply cannot side with Elphaba and reject the Wizard because by doing so she would become an outcast herself – which is something she simply cannot do.

I’m sure there are plenty of other things that I’ve missed, and maybe as I re-watch it, I’ll pick up on even more symbolism than I saw in the first viewing, so feel free to add anything that you picked up on that I may have not caught because I was too distracted by the bright shiny objects of the film itself. There was so much to take in and my poor little ADHD brain was having a hard time picking up on all of it. But I’m sure that somewhere out there my 11th grade History and English teachers are proud of me for picking up on so many historical things… unless I’m just totally wrong and “Wicked” is not at all an allegory. But I’m pretty sure I’m right.

Watching “Wicked” truly was a complete sensory experience for me but it also was very thought-provoking and, in my opinion, very timely. I’d love to see some English and History teachers collaborate on using Wicked as a teaching tool to show kids that symbolism isn’t just a vocabulary word in a textbook and that history isn’t just a list of dates and places. Seeing “Wicked” made me excited about teaching and I really think that kids would be more interested in actually thinking if they could see how it all ties together.

[tomorrowedblog]

Friday Releases for November 22

Friday is the busiest day of the week for new releases, so we've decided to collect them all in one place. Friday Releases for November 22 include Gladiator II, The Piano Lesson, GNX, and more.

Gladiator II

Gladiator II, the new movie from Ridley Scott, is out today.

From legendary director Ridley Scott, Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.

The Piano Lesson

The Piano Lesson, the new movie from Malcolm Washington, is out today.

A brewing battle over the fate of an heirloom piano threatens to tear a family apart in this drama based on August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play.

A Traveler’s Needs

A Traveler’s Needs, the new movie from Hong Sang-soo, is out today.

A comedy of improbable encounters and unlikely language lessons, A Traveler’s Needs marks the third collaboration between Hong and Huppert (following 2012’s In Another Country and 2017’s Claire’s Camera). This time Huppert plays Iris, a woman who finds herself adrift in Seoul and without any means to make ends meet, turns to teaching French via a très peculiar method. Through a series of encounters, as we grow to know more about Iris and her situation, the mysteries of her circumstances only deepen.

Armor

Armor, the new movie from Justin Routt, is out today.

James and his son Casey are armored truck drivers tasked with delivering a suspicious package. After a violent ambush on the road, James and Casey are trapped until they discover the value of what they have been carrying and join forces to outgun and outwit their attackers.

Out Of My Mind

Out Of My Mind, the new movie from Amber Sealey, is out today.

Melody Brooks, a sixth grader with cerebral palsy, has a quick wit and a sharp mind, but because she is non-verbal and uses a wheelchair, she is not given the same opportunities as her classmates. When a young educator notices her student’s untapped potential and Melody starts to participate in mainstream education, Melody shows that what she has to say is more important than how she says it.

Rita

Rita, the new movie from Jayro Bustamante, is out today.

At an institution for troubled girls in Guatemala City, Rita finds herself at the center of an uprising by the seemingly-magical groups of girls who are sick of being exploited.

The Black Sea

The Black Sea, the new movie from Derrick B. Harden and Crystal Moselle, is out today.

Khalid, a charismatic big dreamer from Brooklyn, gets stuck in a small town on the Black Sea after chasing an opportunity for money that goes wrong. Being the only black guy in the town, he quickly becomes the center of the village’s attention. His New York City street bop is all he has to survive. In his pursuit to get home he finds connections he never expected, and goes on a surprisingly transformative journey… finding love, community, and a way to make his dreams come unexpectedly true.

Wicked

Wicked, the new movie from Jon M. Chu, is out today.

Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, a young woman, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power, and Ariana Grande as Glinda, a popular young woman, gilded by privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart. The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda’s unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power, while Elphaba’s determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences on her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Flow

Flow, the new movie from Gints Zilbalodis, is out today.

A wondrous journey, through realms natural and mystical, Flow follows a courageous cat after his home is devastated by a great flood. Teaming up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird, and a dog to navigate a boat in search of dry land, they must rely on trust, courage, and wits to survive the perils of a newly aquatic planet.

Spellbound

Spellbound, the new movie from Vicky Jenson, is out today.

SPELLBOUND follows a tenacious young princess (Rachel Zegler) who must go on a daring quest to save her family and their kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms her parents (Nicole Kidman & Javier Bardem) into monsters.

GNX

GNX, the new album from Kendrick Lamar, is out today.

The Bricktionary

The Bricktionary, the new album from Boldy James and Harry Fraud, is out today.

[x-ceirios-x]

eleanor

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Basics

Name: Eleanor Rige

Places Lived: name it, she’s been for a few months

Current Residence: Brooklyn, New York

Birthday: December 3

Age: older than she wants to admit

Species: warlock

Appearance

Hair: ginger

Eyes: purple, glamored blue

Height: 6’0

Clothing Style: Eleanor tends to wear very flowy, pretty outfits, paired with floral accessories and dainty jewelry. She’s usually seen in long dresses and heels, minimal but still a ‘natural look’ style of makeup, and a vast array of bracelets and rings which are her favorite to wear. 

Face Claim: Alina Kovelenko

Family

Mother: an old, old demon she won’t talk about

Father: dead for a long time

Sibling(s): Desmin Rige

Closest Friends: Magnus Bane

Romantic Interest: none

Past Relationship(s): many over the years

Personality

To others, Eleanor usually comes off as ditsy and fun-loving, a bit of an airhead but she has a good heart. Some of this is true—while she enjoys a good time, she’s also meticulous and incredibly smart, just like her brother. Where he fails in social settings, however, she succeeds. She’s great at controlling conversation and planting ideas in people’s heads, convincing them it was their idea and leading them to go along with whatever it is she wants. In short, she’s a master manipulator but rarely uses her communication powers for poor reasons. She’ll swindle a mundane out of a little extra money, sure, but it rarely goes further than that. 

When with people she knows well, though, she is incredibly empathetic and mother-hen-ish. She’s constantly trying to make sure Desmin is taking care of himself, sometimes so much so it hurts herself. She is very in tune with people, partly due to her magic making her borderline empathic. 

Hobbies: dancing (most kinds of dancing, but ballet is her favorite), really enjoys bartending/hosting parties for friends 

Fear(s): losing Desmin 

Downworlder Information

Species: Warlock

Magic Color: purple

Specialization: offensive magic, banishment spells and things of that nature

Warlock mark: solid purple eyes

Special Abilities: immortality, empathic telepathy (where she can read people’s feelings but not their express thoughts), other general warlock abilities

Favorites

Food: Sole meunière

Drink: cosmos all the way

Color: pink or yellow

Season: spring

Scent: cinnamon

Music: old jazz

Time of day: sunrise

Movie: The Wizard of Oz

Background

The twins have been alive for a long, long time. The circumstances of their births were incredibly rare, making them extremely powerful—warlock twins are rare in the first place, but their demonic parent being their mother even moreso. They, as far as they know, are the only people still alive that know her true name or even of her existence. They spent a great deal of time, several centuries ago, wiping her and their names from any documents, legends, anything physical they could get their hands on and charming anyone who’d dealt with her to forget she existed after finally locking her away in her circle of hell. Despite their age, they both refuse to enter the Spiral Labyrinth in fear of her somehow breaking out and coming back to terrorize their world or other possible ones out there. 

Around the time they were trying to hunt down their mother, they met a little boy in the Dutch East Indies (modern day Indonesia), who Desmin, despite their current venture, insisted they had to help. Eleanor conceded after learning he was ten and living on his own for the past few days, due to the death of his father (who they eventually found out was his stepfather). After learning of his heritage, they taught him the basics of magic and helped him control the powers that his family had scorned him for. Due to the issues from their mother, they couldn’t keep him. Desmin had a friend in the Clave that suggested the boy stay with the Silent Brothers to learn magic further and keep him from getting hurt in the crossfire. However, both made a point to stay involved in his life and randomly pop in to say hi. They saw him again a few decades later and found out he was studying under Ragnor Fell, who they were acquainted with, and the boy had named himself Magnus Bane. 

Relations with the Shadowhunters had been tense since the twins first met Johnathan Shadowhunter. It was years before they met Magnus, but she never liked any of the Nephilim she met. She could respect them as long as they stayed out of her way. When they organized and created the Clave, they started files on ‘Downworlders’ they deemed dangerous, which she took great pleasure in burning when she finally got her hands on it after years of searching. To her, the Clave didn’t need to know she or Desmin existed, simply because they would dig too far and reexpose the world to legends that should stay dead. Eleanor in particular swore off befriending or dating any of them after a mishap in Edwardian London with a Lightwood child that left a terrible taste in her mouth for the Nephilim thereafter. 

For several years after, she focused her efforts on Desmin and attempted to find him a relationship that lasted more than a night, but to no avail. In the early forties, she thought he found a mundane that would finally pull him from his denial, but he was a soldier who didn’t end up coming home. 

Looking for a fresh start, the two moved to Paris after the war, where Eleanor fell in love with the people, the language, the fashion—she simply thrived in the city, loving all the new, modern ideas the world was coming to. While there, she fell in love with a werewolf, Casimir Bouchard, who lit up her life better than any relationship she’d had in the last several centuries. The two were completely and utterly in love. It was the first time in their entire lives that she and Desmin lived separately, Casimir having asked her to move in with him. The twins still saw each other every day and made a point to do things together, though she enjoyed spending time with her boyfriend. Part of her had never realized how much she longed for a normal life, not one where she was moving every few years and was constantly watching over her shoulder. 

The happiness couldn’t last forever, though. Casimir changed, the longer they were together—he was no longer romantic and caring, but angry and resentful of her. Arguments turned to fights, and fights turned to Eleanor getting hurt. She left him after Desmin found out. 

After both going through terrible heartbreaks, they both decided against real relationships for a while. They traveled, did some jobs they both enjoyed—Eleanor was on West End for a while (under a glamor and fake name), she danced professionally for a bit, worked in a flower shop when that got to be too taxing—and settled down. They continued to move every ten or so years, around the time people started to question what skincare she used that kept her looking so young. Desmin continued with his usual repressed charade that included him sleeping with fey on a semi-regular basis and pretending he wasn’t only interested in men, and life went on as normal. They had few real friends other than Magnus, though they kept good relations with other Downworld allies, like the Seelie Queen, and heads of vampire clans and werewolf packs in the area. 

Around September 2007, they happened to be in New York. After hearing rumors—good and bad—about Valentine, they decided to see Magnus again, wanting to make sure he knew they were around in case he needed something. The three reignited their friendship and picked up where they left off, happy to spend their evenings drinking at home and catching up from the last fifty or so years.

[veronicaleighauthor]

Fun Facts About “No Place Like Home”

In my previous post, I announced my latest publication, “No Place Like Home,” in Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine. If you’re interested in reading my story, head over to Amazon and order yourself a copy. Right now, it’s only available in print, but a Kindle version should be released soon. Now onto the fun facts/behind the scenes stuff of my story.

The title, “No Place Like Home” is kind of a nod to my love for the movie, “The Wizard of Oz.” I’m sure you recall Dorothy Gale clicking her ruby slippers together three times and saying, “There’s no place like home.” The scene has been referenced and spoofed in various TV shows, movies, and songs. It’s also the final line in the 1822 song, “Home, Sweet, Home!” Ironically, “Home, Sweet, Home” was my story’s original title before I settled on what it is now.

I wrote “No Place Like Home” waaaaay back in 2015/2016. It was the second mystery/crime story I ever wrote. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but everyone who read it liked it. It was accepted by SHMM in 2017 on the understanding it would be a while before it appeared in print. Six years later, it has finally been published. I’m telling you patience pays off.

When it was accepted SHMM, I took it as a sign that I finally found my writing niche and continued writing mystery/crime stories. God only knows what I would have written if “No Place Like Home” never found a home.

Since I wrote it in 2015/2016, and it was accepted in 2017, I didn’t look at it again until the editor of SHMM, Carla Coupe, sent me the edits in 2022. Now, I remembered the story, the characters, and the outcome, etc. But as I went through it, I was thinking “oh, that’s the dialog!” “oh, that’s how I described such and such?” “oh my gosh, how did this ever get accepted for publication?!?!” Thank you, SHMM for giving me and this story a chance!

This was the first time I wrote a contemporary mystery. I usually set my mysteries and crime fiction in a historical era.

The story is set in Seelyville, Indiana. It’s a real town, east of my hometown Terre Haute, in Vigo County, and consists of like a thousand people. I’ve been there a few times.

Not to drop too many spoilers, but the main characters’ struggles with depression, anxiety, and agoraphobia. This character’s struggles were inspired by my own. Now this character’s reason for these struggles is different than mine. But what they feel during an anxiety attack, the little habits, the tics, the feelings – they are what I experience whenever I’m thrown into an anxiety attack.

The main character lives in a two-story Sears Roebuck house, which was built in 1913. The house is based on the house I live in. Back in the early 20th century, wealthy families could order house plans from a Sears Roebuck catalogue, as well as materials, and build a house according to their tastes. When my family and I moved in, we had no idea about the house’s history. A year later, two little old ladies showed up on our doorstep saying they were the granddaughters of the original owner, and they asked if they could come in and see their grandmother’s old house. This was approximately 1999, so we totally let them in (we wouldn’t do that now, lol!) and gave them a tour, and they told us all sorts of facts and the Sear Roebuck house history, what changed since they were last in the house. For this story, I did add a balcony to the house…for creative reasons.

This isn’t just a mystery/crime story…this is a gothic mystery/crime story. So, naturally, I had to have “To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee and Boo Radley referenced.

I originally had plans to write a sequel to “No Place Like Home,” but since it’s been six or seven years since I wrote the original, a sequel probably will never happen.

I have someone named Tabitha in this story. Ironically, the Regency Era novel I began back in August also has a character named Tabitha. I really like the name.

I just want to say how happy I am for “No Place Like Home” to be published. I can’t explain why, but after waiting for so long to see it in print, I feel like in a way I’ve come full circle.

Well…until next time!