#they have the scene where fiyero is calling elphaba beautiful and I’m like.

[obstinaterixatrix]

to be clear I think polyshipping is valid in wicked but fiyero is nothing to me. he’s fine but I don’t see him. stick him with boq if you must. I think all the time about If Glinda Was In The Lion Scene Instead…

[slut-and-falcon]

OKAY IM BACK AND JUST WATCHED THE WICKED PART 1 MOVIE.

-it was so very gay! But there was still a lot of queer baiting, in the sense that our main 3 characters had overtly queer overtones and flirted with people of the same sex, but we never saw or was told of any overt physicality. There were a lot of queer extras though- like Bowen Yang as Pfanne! I liked the LGBTQ+ representation much better in the movie version than the stage version.

- they still casted a white Fiyero 😔. However I do like how the actor played Fieryo- like that man is a pansexual slut (not a slur but a lifestyle), and isn’t a complete asshole like he is in the beginning of the stage musical. But the blue dimonds??! Please have them in part 2!

- the music was fantastic!

-the visual beauty of this film- wow! That opening scene?!! I immediately need a Universal Studios version of the 4D Avatar Disney ride but as a flying monkey traveling through Oz.

-no Crope or Tibbit 😭

- no Quadding mention even though it’s in the fucking lyrics! Like that intro scene to Shiz where it’s under water- they could have had rubies in the sandbank!

- the Animal animation was okay, better than the Lion King. I liked they they didn’t try to make the animals bipedal. Kinda wished they would have had the Tiktoks murder Dillamond, but I understand the rating of the movie. It’s just a pivotal part of Elphaba’s radicalization though

- the marketing is literally just like Huger Games…like yall don’t know what this musical is about so you? lol

-I liked the Wizard- good casting choice! I would have loved to see a more tender moment between Elphaba and the Wizard tho, like some tears of gratefulness maybe? Really well home the betrayal

- I wanted more of Fiyero’s culture! AND OMG THEY CALLED HIM THE WINKIE PRINCE instead of the Vinkus. Like WINKIE is a slur! I would have loved to see Fiyero correct people on that terminology- show that he and his people are experiencing some oppression from greater Oz

- the bullet train- love it

-loved Elphaba and Nessa being mixed race (which makes sense), and Elphaba having micro braids! I loved how she looked! It also keeps the interracial relationship between Elphaba/Glinda/Fiyero alive.

-they mention the Time Clock Dragon but never explain it! :(

- Elphaba is very feminine…which okay. I wish she wasn’t but I also understand that they at least had a queer women play her.

Overall- great fucking movie, loved it way more than the stage musical. I’m going to go rewatch it in theaters with my mom.

My predictions for the wicked movie knowing Hollywood if they include elements of the book (which they should!!!):

-queer bait the shit out of Elphaba and Glinda

-they hired a white guy to play Fiyero so I’m betting they may attempt the whole subverting the race power dynamics thing instead of yknow sticking with the very clear allegories in the book. They also won’t let Fiyero wear his cultural clothing, instead sticking with a very boring suit or shirtpants

-make Elphaba very feminine…I swear the god if they don’t give her a too big man’s coat she wears in the book I will fight someone

- more of a tiktok thing that will happen: ‘Blue diamonds on a green field’ romance trend

-either they will focus too much on the Time Clock Dragon or not at all despite it’s importance to the plot

-if Crope and Tibbit are included, they either will not verbally queer but will either wear leather or have colored hankies (cuz the costume department knows what they are doing), or they will be the opposite of yassified

-they won’t show Tibbit (I think it’s him) in hospice dying of what is implied to be HIV/AIDS (which omg is such a large part of the plot and culture of which it was derived from! The whole ‘friends of Dorthy’ + queer women having to step up and care for queer men during HIV/AIDS crisis in the 80s and 90s and still to this day!!! There is so much subtext in that few pages!)

-the genocide of the Quaddlings for their land’s rubies won’t be mentioned or if it is they will ‘holocaust’-ify it and it will be very disrespectful

-they won’t make the Wizard like ale enough. The whole point in the musical is that he is so charming that even Elphaba is tempted. A fatherly actor, Tom Hanks??, should play the Wizard 🫢

-the Animal animation will either be extremely bad (like the Lion King remake), which is most likely, or they won’t use it at all. And tbh I want to see something like that is in Narnia.

-they will market it like they did the Hunger Games (I honestly don’t have much of a problem with this because I found that fascinating when that happened).

-it’s gonna be so straight. And that’s really sad because this book was written by a gay man, and has sooooooo many references to queer culture and most of the characters are canonically queer in some way. And honestly as depressing as the book is, I read it as a cathartic image of what LGBTQIA+ and POC go through. I think that is why I love it so much- I see myself and my pain and my community’s pain represented in a nuanced way.

-the only thing I can rely on happening is the violence against women 🙄 it’s in everything

I just really want a wicked series that is similar to Game of Thrones (with better writing) mixed with Pose and MASH, and be a political/action/horror thriller like Kingdom (K-drama). I know that’s complicated but it all plays out in my head lol.

I’m holding out this much 🤏🏻 hope.

[vindicatedvirgil]

only fools rush in: part three / a dance, some shoes, and an audition

hi there! this is part three of my college au. part one can be found here and part two is here! please read those parts first!

this chapter is focused on Roman and Virgil. also, much like the last part, the other characters all have minuscule roles here.

TW: self harm mention, suicide attempt mention. please be cautious & take care of yourselves.

also! spoiler warning for Wicked the Musical. so… if you don’t wanna be spoiled for that… don’t read this? or send me a message and I can send you a version without the spoilers, I guess.

teaser/title for part four at the end!

---

Roman sat on the edge of the stage, his hands gripping the script for Wicked closely, feet dangling and swinging gently. He had taken off his jacket and messenger bag, the two things sitting beside him, and at every sound he heard, he spun his head in that direction; he was nervous to spend time with Virgil to practice for the auditions, but he was also desperately looking forward to it. Finally, he heard a door close behind him and some shuffling feet, and he turned his head to see Virgil walking towards him, backpack slung over one shoulder, hoodie held tightly in his hand. Roman inspected the shirt he was wearing and realized that it said My Chemical Romance; a band that Remus was also a fan of. In fact, he had seen that exact shirt on his brother a few times. Did they go to a concert together or go shopping for that shirt together? Was it Virgil’s shirt that Remus borrowed or vice-versa? Roman was afraid to find out.

“Hey, Roman. Sorry I’m late, I had to stop by one of my professor’s office hours,” Virgil explained, dropping his stuff beside Roman’s. He leaned down to get his script out of his backpack, and Roman stood up, smiling.

“Don’t worry, I was just looking through it, trying to decide which scene we should practice,” he responded, trying to not focus on the way Virgil hesitated over every step he made on the stage. “I think that we should maybe work on Boq’s part in Dancing Through Life, what do you think?” He knew that the wheelchair for the role of Nessa was backstage somewhere, so they could make it work.

“Y-you mean, singing and dancing?” Virgil looked down at his feet. “I-I don’t know… I’m afraid that I’ll fall if we dance…” Roman set a hand on his shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile.

“I’ll stay standing just in case you do,” he said, and Virgil nodded. Roman took his phone out of his pocket and connected it to the bluetooth speakers in the theater so that the music would play from the stage speakers. He started the instrumental version of the song, and from memory sang Fiyero’s part in the song. He moved across the stage as he sang, Virgil’s eyes focused on him. When the song got to Boq’s part, Roman sang for Nessa, urging Virgil to join him, and he did.

“Listen, Nessa,” Virgil spoke the lines stepping towards Roman, who also stepped forward, giving him a questioning look.

“Yes?” He asked, and Virgil took his hand, looking down at him. Roman felt his heartbeat quicken but stayed in character.

“Uh - Nessa, I've got something to confess, a reason why, well - why I asked you here tonight,” He took a breath, and their eyes met. “Now I know it isn't fair–”

“Oh Boq, I know why,” Roman breathed out, trying to make sure he kept his word about ensuring that Virgil wouldn’t fall on the stage.

“You do?” Virgil’s voice rang throughout the theater, and Roman took another deep breath.

“It’s because I’m in this chair and you felt sorry for me, well, isn’t that right?” Roman sang, looking down at his feet as if he were actually playing the role of Nessarose. Virgil held on tighter to his hand.

“No! No! It’s because… because…” He took Roman’s face in one of his hands, making their eyes meet, and Roman thought his heart would burst through his red shirt. “Because you are so beautiful…”

“Oh Boq! I think you’re wonderful,” Roman sang back, his voice wavering at the close proximity and touches from Virgil. “And we deserve each other, Don't you see, this is our chance? We deserve each other… Don't we, Boq?”

“You know what?” Virgil’s voice sounded more confident, and Roman was unsure if it was because of the character or that he actually became more confident. “Let’s dance!”

“What?” Roman was still in character but he was surprised when Virgil held him close and the two began dancing around the stage as if Nessa’s character wasn’t meant to be in a wheelchair. Virgil led him in a dance, and Roman tried hard to not fall over his feet, wanting to keep his promise.

“Let’s daaaance!” The instrumental to the song kept playing in the background but Virgil and Roman were silent as they moved to the music, hands resting awkwardly on shoulders and hips, their scripts held against the other’s body. Their eyes met, and Roman swore he saw a softness in Virgil’s dark eyes that he hadn’t before. When the song ended they separated, and Virgil looked down at his feet, his face bright red. “Sorry. I got, um, a little carried away,” he explained, rolling and twisting the script in his hands. Roman couldn’t think of a valid response. He wanted to say that he liked dancing with Virgil, that he loved the way he touched him so gently as if they might never touch again and he was savoring that feeling.

“It’s alright,” Roman finally said. He tried hard to ensure his voice was even, because he felt so shaky, so nervous. “You have a beautiful singing voice, Virgil.” Even though the taller man’s fringe was covering the majority of his face, Roman still noticed that his face reddened at his words. “I think you’re really talented, and I can’t wait to see you get that role.”

“Can we do some of the speaking parts next? The ones later on in the play, maybe that scene with Elphaba and Nessa when Boq becomes the Tin Man? I-I just… want to do more practice with that…” Virgil was stammering over his words, and Roman found it interesting that a man that tall could be so… uneasy, but he didn’t judge. The two flipped to that scene in their scripts and began reading.

-

“Thanks for coming here tonight, Roman,” Virgil said when he opened the door to the apartment. “Janus is out with Logan and Re is… somewhere. Maybe with Patton? So it’s just us, we can move the furniture to make it easier to practice.” Roman nodded, setting his bag down next to the door. He had been in the apartment before, yes, but it felt like there was a different vibe when it was just Virgil there. “And I just… I dunno, I didn’t feel like leaving the house today.”

“That’s alright, I don’t mind… As long as you pay for the pizza we are going to order later,” Roman smirked, removing his jacket. He set it on one of the chairs at the dining table. He tried not to focus on the fact that Virgil was wearing a plain black t-shirt and some purple plaid pajama pants. He was dressed casually, too, in some black joggers and a red shirt. He slipped out of his sneakers and then got out his script.

“Do you want to practice some of the parts for Fiyero?” Virgil asked, partially sitting on the arm of the couch. Roman shook his head.

“I don’t mind focusing on Boq, because I want you to be as prepared as possible for next week,” he said, and Virgil nodded, head down. “Virge?”

“I just… you’re helping me so much, even though Boq is such a minor part, and you’re going for Fiyero, this big role, and…” He sighed, twisting his fingers together. “I feel bad... taking your practice time from you.” Roman wanted to hold Virgil and tell him that it was okay, but he didn’t, he just shrugged.

“I feel more prepared for this audition than anything I’ve ever auditioned for before. So please don’t worry about it,” he said, voice calm. He wanted to try even harder to do well on this audition because he wanted to perform with Virgil on stage, maybe get to hold his hand during the curtain call, spend hours in rehearsals to the point where they were both exhausted but happy, then he accidentally takes a sip of Virgil’s iced coffee… Suddenly, he remembered something he wanted to ask Virgil. “Hey, what size shoe do you wear?”

“Huh? Oh. An 11 and a half. Why?” Virgil gave him a confused look, but Roman just smirked and shrugged again.

“No reason. Should we do a song or some dialogue first?”

-

“I’ll get it,” Virgil said, getting up from his sitting position on the floor. He opened the door and paid the pizza person, then set it on the dining table. Roman hopped up from the floor and investigated the pizza when Virgil opened the box. It was half meat lovers (*wink wink*) and half cheese only. Roman thought that purely cheese pizza was boring, but it was what Virgil had wanted, so he acquiesced. Virgil’s taste in pizza didn’t change the way he felt about the taller man, and plus, Virgil did pay for it and the soda they ordered along with it. The two piled as many pieces as they could onto the paper plates they were provided, and Virgil went into the kitchen quickly to get some glasses for their soda.

They ate quickly and quietly, the past several hours of practicing having made them both exhausted and starving, and pretty soon the entire pizza was gone and the two were lounging on the couch, flipping through the script to figure out what other moments would be good during the audition. Virgil finally spoke, voice hesitant.

“I feel more like the cowardly lion than anything,” he admitted. Roman didn’t say anything but pulled his legs under him, watching the other man very carefully. “I feel… sheltered. Protected. Janus has always… guided me in the direction that I didn’t realize I needed to go in, but ever since he entered the partnership with Logan, I just… feel like I’m on the back burner.” Roman frowned, hating that Virgil could feel that way, but he knew it was natural. 

“How long have you and Janus been friends for?” He finally asked, and Virgil leaned his head against the cushions, sighing, deep in thought.

“Since… middle school, I think. I was always on my own, for… obvious reasons,” he started, and Roman’s frown deepened.

“I don’t think it’s obvious,” he muttered, which made Virgil smile a little bit. “Go on, sorry.”

“It’s fine, I just…” Virgil sighed, “I was depressed, I was always having panic attacks, and… I think my scars scared people.” Roman nodded but stayed quiet, watching as Virgil played with the hem of his shirt. “Janus just… took me under his wing. Cape. He was just as weird as I was, and he…” Virgil smiled, the memories flooding back, “He would text me reminders to take my meds, to drink water, to get rest. When I told him I was struggling to not cut, he would come over immediately and just draw on my arms and legs, if only to get that feeling out of my head. He bought me these noise-cancelling headphones and would slip them over my head, then play jazz music for me. When I tried to...” Virgil’s breath hitched, then, and his eyes peered down.

“You don’t… if this is hard to talk about…” Roman started, but Virgil shook his head, and Roman just reached his hand out to rub against Virgil’s shoulder, in an attempt to comfort him.

“When I tried to kill myself, Jan… he found me. Took me to the hospital. Insisted on sleeping in the chair beside my bed as I recovered,” Virgil explained, hands and voice a little shaky. “My parents didn’t care, but Janus did. I’ve been able to get better because of him, but… now that he has someone else to care for, I think he’s… losing sight of me.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Roman said abruptly, which made Virgil give him a surprised look. “Janus cares about you, and the fact that he’s in a partnership with Logan doesn’t change that. If you needed him, he would be there in an instant. I’m sure of it. He was at every one of our productions last term, even though he didn’t see you the entire time.” Virgil nodded, and let his head fall onto Roman’s hand. 

“Yeah. You’re probably right… I just feel so… unable to do things, sometimes,” he said, eyes fluttering shut. He tried to stifle a yawn but it came out anyways, and Roman smiled sweetly at him, then glanced at the clock.

“I should probably go. It’s pretty late,” he said, starting to get up from the couch, but Virgil grabbed his hand. Their eyes met, and Roman’s heart felt like it was going to leap out of his chest.

“Thank you, Roman. For… everything.”

-

“Hey, Virge! Sorry I’m late,” Roman ran up to Virgil, who was pacing outside the theater. Roman had a bag from a local shoe store in hand, and was panting; he had run from the parking lot, not wanting to miss this final practice, since the auditions were the following day. Virgil’s eyes landed on the bag and he shot a questioning look to the shorter man. Roman noticed his glance and smiled, then handed the bag to Virgil. “These are for you, actually. Open it.”

“Ro–”

“Please? Just… open it, okay?” Their eyes met and Virgil nodded, opening the bag. He took the shoe box out and flipped the top open. “They’re anti-slip shoes. So even if something spills on the stage–” he was cut off by Virgil giving him a big hug, which startled him so much that they almost fell backwards. “Whoah, careful! You’re not wearing the shoes yet!” Virgil was gripping to Roman tightly, and he said nothing.

“Thank you,” Virgil whispered softly, and he pulled away, face bright red. “I… I really appreciate this.” Roman nodded, adjusting his backpack’s strap.

“Yeah, of course,” he said, returning the smile. “Wouldn’t want you falling head over heels now would we?” Virgil’s face turned even redder, and Roman started to panic, did he screw up??

“We should head in, our practice time slot is coming up,” Virgil said abruptly, putting the lid back onto the box and heading into the theater. Roman sighed, then followed him inside.

-

“It’s okay, Virge, you’re gonna do great,” Roman was standing in front of him, an encouraging look on his face. Their audition was next, and Virgil was breathing heavily, his hands were shaking, and even though Roman was also nervous, he did his best to convey confidence to his friend. “We’ve got this, okay?”

“I-I don’t know, maybe I should just… be a tech guy again. Yeah. I’m not cut out for this,” he was rambling, eyes darting towards the stage where a girl was belting Defying Gravity, and back to Roman, who reached out and took his hands to soothe their shaking, and his voice was calling Virgil back from a place where his mind was lost.

“Virge. Look at me, only me, okay? Don’t worry about the director or the others that are here,” he said softly, and Virgil met his glance, nodding. “Just focus on me. I won’t ever let you fall. I promise.”

As soon as they got onto the stage, Virgil in the anti-slip shoes, his anxiety almost disappeared. It didn’t hurt that the stage lighting made Roman even more beautiful than usual, and when Roman was at his best, so was Virgil. He kept his eyes only on Roman as he introduced the two, said what roles they were each auditioning for, and they began their audition. Virgil slipped over a few words but got an encouraging smile from Roman, so he kept going, and when their audition was over they thanked the director and walked off. His legs nearly gave out on him from the stress but Roman had his arms around him immediately.

“You did so good, Virge,” he was saying, murmuring more sweet things, kind things. Virgil felt like he could turn into a puddle, he was being held by Roman and he was being told all of these things. He finally glanced up when he heard their names being called by someone.

“Virgil! Roman!” It was Patton, Remus being dragged behind him, their fingers intertwined. Logan and Janus were not far behind, but Janus pushed forward to be at the front of the group. Virgil shot Roman a confused look.

“I told them about how nervous you were and figured you could use some encouragement afterwards,” he explained as Janus gave Virgil a big hug.

“We were watching from the back where you couldn’t see us,” Janus said. “You did so well, I’m so proud of you for taking this step.”

“When do you find out the results?” Logan asked as the group left out one of the side doors to the theater.

“If they need them, callbacks will be next week, and then in two weeks they’ll put out the cast list,” Roman explained, watching as Virgil and Janus walked, arms linked. He smiled, but felt a little off; he didn’t get as much time with Virgil after the audition as he had hoped for, but he knew this would help the anxious man. Remus came up to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

“You did really great, Ro,” he said, a genuine smile on his face. Roman looked down, he was never sure how to talk to his brother, not after everything that had happened to them both, but he smiled back.

“Thanks. And… thanks for coming. I know you probably came for Virgil, but… I still appreciate it,” his voice was hesitant, and Remus frowned.

“No, I came to support my brother,” he corrected, and Roman nodded. “And I’m really proud of you.”

-

Roman and Virgil ran. They were having lunch with the others when they each got a text that the cast list was about to be posted, so they left the others and were running across campus towards the theater. Virgil stopped once it was in view, which made Roman stop. The anxious man was shaking, and he squatted down, holding his face in his hands.

“Oh god, I’m not going to get it,” he was saying, and Roman squatted down next to him, putting a hand on his back. “It’s all been for nothing, Roman. I’m not going to get it.”

“Hey, shhh, it’s okay, Virgil,” he cooed softly. “We don’t know that. I’m very confident that you got it, come on, let’s go find out.”

“I’m scared,” Virgil’s voice was shaky, and Roman realized that he was crying. “I’m scared that I’m not going to get it and I’ll be in the back again watching everyone else and I’ll just feel… lost.”

“Hey, I won’t let that happen,” Roman said, continuing to rub Virgil’s back comfortingly. “Do you want me to go and check and then come back?” Virgil shook his head.

“No, don’t leave me…” he whined, and buried his face into Roman’s shoulder. “I’m okay, I just… I’m not ready for this to be over.”

“Not ready for what to be over?” Roman’s voice was full of confusion.

“This. Hanging out with you, practicing for auditions. If you get the role and I don’t… we won’t be able to hang out anymore,” Virgil admitted, and Roman could feel tears staining through his shirt.

“Why not?” He asked, “I still want to hang out with you, no matter what happens. I told you I wouldn’t let you fall, and that means I won’t let you fall out of my life, either.” Virgil said nothing as he stood back up, wiping his face onto the sleeve of his hoodie. Roman stood up too, watching Virgil carefully. “Come on, let’s go see your name on that cast list.” He held his hand out, and Virgil laced his fingers through Roman’s. They walked the rest of the way to the theater, saying nothing, and waited for the crowd around the corkboard to dissipate a little before going up to scan it with their eyes.

Fiyero Tiggular / The Scarecrow……………………………………………….. Roman Creative

Boq / The Tin Man……………………………………………......…….…... Virgil Cloud

“I got it,” Virgil whispered. Roman cheered, his free hand wrapping around Virgil and lifting him up, which wasn’t easy given the fact that Virgil was significantly taller than him, but he didn’t care. Virgil kept muttering the words, and Roman pulled him off to the side, the two exchanging a big hug.

“I knew you would, Virge,” Roman murmured. Virgil pulled away from Roman’s arms a little bit, his face bright red and his eyes meeting those of the shorter man. He didn’t hesitate to press their foreheads together, and Roman sucked in a deep breath. “Virgil, I...” he started, but didn’t get a chance to finish when chapped lips met his glossy ones. Virgil pulled back, panic in his eyes.

“I-I’m sorry, I just, I’ve wanted to do that for a while and now seemed like the perfect time and I’m so sorry–” Roman cut off his rambles by kissing him again, wrapping his arms around the taller man’s neck. Their kisses were sloppy and rushed, and when they finally pulled apart to catch their breath, Roman was grinning wildly.

“Don’t apologize,” he whispered, holding one of Virgil’s cheeks in his hand. “I’ve wanted to do that for so long, Virge.” They smiled rather stupidly at each other, and all Roman could think was why he had hesitated for so long to kiss Virgil.

---

teaser for part four: we deserve happiness, too

“Lo, we’ve been over this. Just because love and romance aren’t things we want to or can feel, doesn’t mean we’re broken,” Janus’ words were like a song that Logan needed to play over and over, and he wondered if that feeling would ever disappear. 

---

part four | part five | part six | part seven | part eight | part nine | part ten

---

taglist (if you want to be added please let me know!)

@winterrose42

@are-you-even--real

@shaded14space

@lallyphant

@deceits-left-glove

@aricana8

@pixelated-pineapple

@xavier-has-anxiety

@thiel

@sophiexteresa

@cemmy

---

[masterlist]

[unelectedofficial]

𝘗𝘈𝘙𝘈𝘓𝘓𝘌𝘓𝘚  𝘖𝘍  𝘕𝘌𝘚𝘚𝘈𝘙𝘖𝘚𝘌  𝘈𝘕𝘋  𝘎𝘈𝘓𝘐𝘕𝘋𝘈

𝘐𝘕𝘛𝘙𝘖𝘋𝘜𝘊𝘛𝘐𝘖𝘕

     an overlooked theme in wicked is that people are more alike than they seem, but different conditions, paths of life, and decisions can falter these comparisons. an example that viewers often fail to notice is that between galinda upland and nessarose thropp. though the two girls barely interact with one another, their stories and characterization have many parallels and similarities to one another. this essay will recognize and use any form of the musical wicked, which means that any draft of the show ( the current production, the out of town tryout that took place in san francisco, the 2001 workshop, and anything in between ) is fair game. below the cut is a meta, addressing the similarities ( and even a few differences ) between these two characters

𝘚𝘏𝘈𝘙𝘌𝘋 𝘛𝘙𝘈𝘐𝘛𝘚

𝘚𝘌𝘓𝘍𝘐𝘚𝘏𝘕𝘌𝘚𝘚      the first way in which these two characters are similar to one another is that they have the same inherent traits. one example of this is that both galinda and nessa are both very selfish characters. they will change their opinions on a situation and which “side” they are on in an instant when it becomes convenient for them. for galinda, this can be seen when she suddenly feels guilty about all she’s done to elphaba at the ozdust ballroom. this guilt only comes about after madame morrible has informed her that she will be included into the sorcery seminar ( which elphaba had gotten her into ) . thus, she quickly changes her hateful opinions on her roommate because something nice was done for her.      in the case of nessarose, it is when she suddenly changes her opinion on galinda after she persuades boq into asking her to go to the ozdust ballroom with her. she likely had been previously joining in on elphaba’s dislike of galinda, but suddenly turns on her after galinda has done something nice for her and even berates her sister for having been rude before.       additionally, they both seem to only make decisions with themselves in mind. glinda throws a surprise engagement party, withholding the information about it even from fiyero ( who is unaware of the wizard / morrible’s plan for them to be married ) . this is done in her own self interest and to further her own narrative and reputation, and it seems as though she hardly thinks about how fiyero may feel about it. in a similar fashion, to improve her status among ozians, she does nothing to find elphaba or support her, even with fiyero constantly urging her to do so. even when called out about it ( “no, you can’t leave because you can’t resist this.” -fiyero ) , glinda agrees that the reasoning behind her reluctance to clear elphaba’s name or, at the very least, stop the spread of more rumors is because she is finally living the life that she wants to. lastly, when glinda becomes jealous and hurt that elphaba and fiyero have been seeing each other behind her back, she gives information to the wizard / morrible about how to coax her out of hiding ( by using nessa as bait, thus resulting in her death ) .      nessarose does similar things, making decisions with only herself in mind. in general, her decisions during her regime of munchkinland are incredibly selfish. she passes laws that purposely take rights away from the people and forbid them all to leave just to keep boq from leaving her. then, when elphaba shows up and asks for nessa and her father’s help in clearing her name, nessa immediately turns her down because it will further ruin her own dwindling reputation. most noteworthy is when she casts a spell on boq in order for him to fall in love with her, despite having no experience in sorcery and being warned that by pronouncing the words wrong she would likely do damage. she doesn’t listen, however, and is only focused on her own emotions which almost results in boq’s death.

𝘝𝘈𝘕𝘐𝘛𝘠      another trait that galinda and nessarose share is that they both tend to be very vain. they both also openly express this vanity and it becomes very clear that they think very highly of themselves. glinda’s very first line in the show is “it’s good see me, isn’t it?” and while it is played for humor, it isn’t exactly an out of character thing for her to say. she seeks out the admiration of her followers and does not shy away from the attention and praise that she is given by them. similarly, when she arrives at shiz, it is announced that she has a private suite but she assures others that they’ll be allowed to come and visit her whenever they want. the entire number “popular” is a great showcase of how vain galinda truly is, and how openly she is willing to show this about herself, but a line that illustrates it most is when she sings “they were popular. please, it’s all about popular. it’s not about aptitude, it’s the way you’re viewed so it’s very shrewd to be very, very popular like me”. this line proves her vain tendencies because she compares the “best” level of popularity to herself and that demonstrates her high opinion of herself.      nessarose is quite vain as well, even if not as open about it as galinda is. she does, however, still openly express it at times throughout the show. nessa is very much aware that she is pretty, and enjoys having things that are beautiful. constantly, she is portrayed as being more worthy of a daughter than elphaba ( the jeweled shoes, the position as the future governor, etc. ) and this is most definitely believed by her as well, even if she won’t admit it. to a certain extent, nessa does believe that perhaps she deserves some of these things more than her sister does.      additionally, they both have high opinions of themselves in their new roles in ozian society. glinda has become a sort of publicity girl for the wizard, destined to spread goodness in the midst of elphaba’s “terror”. while she does do good, in the perspective of the ozian audience, the actual audience of the show can see that glinda isn’t doing much except ignoring the tension between her and elphaba as well as not addressing her own betrayal to her friends. there is an exchange between the two girls, where glinda says that she is a public figure who has a duty ( which elphaba suggests is to lie ) . glinda gets upset and insists that her job is “to be encouraging”. the outside perspective ( the actual audience in the theatre ) can see that this is a twisted version of what is truly happening, which is caused by glinda’s vain attitude toward abilities.      nessarose has this same phenomenon happen, in which she cannot see how her regime over munchkinland is bad because of how she is blinded by her own vain views. again, the audience is made very aware of this superiority that she feels despite her actual skills not being very great. watching the show, it is very clear that she is not fit for the job and, like glinda, she makes a remark that the audience perceives as funny but it also proves that she is so caught up in herself that she doesn’t see how she can be in the wrong. she says the line “i can’t harbor a fugitive, i’m an unelected official!” and to the audience, it is very clear that the act of being unelected invalidates her status as it’s clear that the munchkins do not want her to be their governor. nessa, however, turns a blind eye and doesn’t see this as a negative thing in the slightest.      with this vanity, however, comes the struggle for the constant need to be seen as perfect by those around them. galinda is instantly regarded ( by most ) as being this model of a person, and many tend to idolize her due to her sheer confidence and appearance. this, of course, leads to her believing this and seeking this attention and praise. the other students follow exactly what she does ( for example, publicly hating on and bullying elphaba for being her roommate ) and only further her belief that she is deserving of this. galinda’s struggle with the need to be perfect comes about when the things that usually come naturally to her have to be worked for, thus shattering that outside image of being “perfect”. when she isn’t accepted into madame morrible’s sorcery seminar, she struggles to understand why. what makes it worse is when morrible points out that galinda is nothing special and isn’t worth her teaching time to even have the seminar that semester. additionally, when fiyero begins to lose interest and become less “perfect” to her she says that it “must be what other people feel like”, thus regarding herself as not being perfect and being very upset over it.      in the same fashion, nessa knows that she is seen as being very pretty by most of the world but still struggles with the idea of having to be absolutely perfect. unlike galinda, she is greeted with unease by her peers due to the way that elphaba has been introduced to them as an overbearing and protective older sister who will stop at nothing to protect nessa. she still though, because of this, struggles with the need to be perfect. nessarose has an understanding that, without elphaba, she would likely be more accepted into better social circles. an example of this is when elphaba shows up to the party at the ozdust ballroom and causes a scene, which embarrasses nessa. her sister is, to her, ruining her one night of happiness and destroying the image of what a “perfect” life would be. another way in which she struggles with perfection is her idea that boq sees her as being less-than-perfect and that it is the reasoning behind why he doesn’t love her back. she says the line “no, it’s me that’s not right” in response to galinda’s suggestion that boq may not be the one for her. her views on their relationship are clouded by what she’s been taught to believe is “perfection” by those around her. she also says the line “anybody who’s as perfect as you deserves a girl who’s right in every way. now behold, finally i’m perfect too” when speaking to boq and expects that to fix their relationship ( which is obviously ruined by her less-than-stellar governing skills ) . this line sums up her struggle with perfection and how she constantly compares herself to others. it is important to note as well that boq, to nessa, isn’t necessarily the perfect match for her since he’s only a common munchkinlander and she is the governor of munchkinland. yet, she sees him as being perfect and wants to be “perfect” for him as well.

𝘈  𝘚𝘛𝘙𝘖𝘕𝘎  𝘋𝘌𝘚𝘐𝘙𝘌  𝘛𝘖  𝘉𝘌  𝘓𝘐𝘒𝘌𝘋      while this may fit in with the last point, it is still necessary to bring up how both galinda and nessa have that feeling that they need to belong and fit in with the rest of their peers. for galinda, this can be seen clearly throughout the song “popular”, in which she explains to elphaba how being liked and viewed as someone amazing will get you further in life than anything else. galinda is a generally likable person, with her bubbly and almost charming personality and though nessarose isn’t as warm or welcoming, she still has that same internal drive that galinda has. she too wants to be a part of the best social circle that the school has to offer, to be invited to dances and go on dates, and to be liked by her peers. it is much harder for her to make friends and be generally regarded as well-liked by the school and society as a whole, but the two of them still share this trait.

𝘗𝘖𝘞𝘌𝘙  𝘏𝘜𝘕𝘎𝘙𝘠      their similarities start out right from the beginning for this trait, seeing as both of them grew up in a home where even as a child they were given a lot of power. presumably, both girls grew up getting everything that they both needed and wanted, which is partially why they both ended up struggling with overusing their power in the future. glinda loses sight of who she truly is while in a position of power and hides behind a façade of benevolence rather than staying loyal to her old life and group of friends. with the newfound power that she has working for the wizard, she drops all old priorities ( including her friendship with elphaba ) for her new ones. glinda doesn’t help elphaba in clearing her name because she enjoys the power that her position gives her. additionally, she uses her power to keep fiyero in a relationship with her and forces a wedding upon him. due to the ozians all seeing her as “good” and the way that her life is being used as a distraction, fiyero is practically obligated to agree to marriage.      nessarose’s situation with being power hungry is undeniably on a much more drastic scale, but alas they still do share the trait that led them to do such things. as the governor, she overuses her power and begins to pass inconsistent and radical laws that begin to take rights away from the munchkins in order to keep one, boq, in a relationship with her by forbidding him to leave. this is an obvious abuse of power, seeing as it seems that she passes them often as a way to perhaps cover up loopholes that boq may have found to get himself out of there. she has obviously let the position get to her head and is overstepping what she should be allowed to do.

𝘚𝘐𝘔𝘐𝘓𝘈𝘙  𝘊𝘏𝘈𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘛𝘌𝘙  𝘈𝘙𝘊𝘚

     when stripped down of any specific events, the two girls have a very similar path within the story of wicked. they fall in love, gain power, use their power to keep the one they love with them ( among other misuses ) , end up being left alone, and have an unhappy ending. galinda falls in love with fiyero and determines in act i that they are going to be married ( even without him knowing ) . while it is played for humor, the audience soon finds out that it wasn’t much of a joke as, after glinda gains power working for the wizard, she does force a wedding onto him. fiyero, however, ends up leaving glinda for elphaba even though she had done her best to keep him by her side. she ends up being alone in the end, with everyone she had known and been friends with now dead, gone, or irreversibly changed.      similarly, nessarose falls in love with boq while at the ozdust ballroom after he calls her beautiful and she believes that he has genuinely asked her out because he is interested in her. it is mentioned in act i that boq “can’t do this anymore” in regards to their relationship, but the audience is soon informed that once nessa took her father’s position as governor she has forced boq to stay by her side. boq eventually does end up leaving, after being transformed into a man made of tin, nessa is left alone, and dies a tragic death.br>     nessarose and glinda are two sides of the same spectrum, with glinda gaining and consolidating her power with love and adoration and nessa doing the same but with fear. glinda forces fiyero to stay by her side by making it into a moral obligation for him. her life, happiness, and personal business ( such as a wedding ) has become a positive distraction for the citizens of oz. if fiyero were to deny a wedding, the hope of the people would be crushed. while they had a common enemy ( elphaba ) , they also all had something to look forward to ( events regarding glinda ) . nessarose, on the other hand, legally makes it so that boq cannot leave her if he doesn’t want to face consequences. she instills fear in the munchkinland with her tyrannical ways of governing and iron fist.      another important part of their stories is that both girls betray elphaba. it often is overlooked as to how glinda betrays elphaba, but this is because it isn’t branded as being as much of a part of her story as it is for nessa. glinda has other parts of her future focused on, whereas a huge focus on nessarose’s story is based on this betrayal of her sister. they do both, however, refuse to help elphaba. glinda did not make a single effort to try and clear the rumors that were going around about her friend and rather focused on herself and taking the position in the wizard’s circle. nessarose ( though she didn’t know the truth ) also refused to help her sister when asked. they had always stuck together and nessa always took what elphaba said to be a fact. the betrayal doesn’t necessarily come when she refuses to help her, but rather when she tells elphaba to “shut up” and refuses to even listen to what she has to say about the Animals.      there is a line in the show that goes, “the wicked die alone”. while the ensemble is singing it in reference to elphaba, there is irony behind the fact that we learn she does not die alone and rather leaves oz with fiyero. glinda and nessa, however, do die alone.

𝘚𝘠𝘔𝘉𝘖𝘓𝘐𝘚𝘔

     both galinda and nessa are characterized by their romantic interactions with other people. while this isn’t all that they are attributed with, it is one of the main things that people tend to associate with the both of them once the show is over. this is because both of their stories are tragic and, while not explicitly love stories, have that aspect in them for sure. the similarity between their stories here can lead to them sharing symbolism such as hearts ( broken or unbroken ) and both being able to relate to musings and other things as they would be able to represent them both.      additionally, they both can be represented by the color pink. the color pink symbolizes love for oneself and others and is considered to be the “sweet side of red”. as mentioned before, galinda and nessa both have an obvious love for themselves and their stories heavily involve love for others as well. both girls also wear pink when going to the ozdust ballroom ( though galinda originally wore blue ) and nessa later is associated with the color red ( which is just a dark pink ) . 

𝘍𝘙𝘐𝘌𝘕𝘋𝘚𝘏𝘐𝘗

     a question then begs to be answered: why weren’t galinda and nessa friends from the very start, seeing as they have this much in common? it is more than just the fact that they have things in common, truly. the two of them actually would have made fine friends and even a casual companionship between them would have made a lot of sense. nessarose is from a high class family, which would have been very appealing to galinda who, while rich, would likely want to expand her connections. likewise, nessa would be intrigued by galinda because of her popularity and would want to be a part of her social circle.      what sets them apart, however, is their clear distinctions from one another in the eyes of others. it is obvious to all at shiz that they are from different regions of oz ( and it is assumed that the gillikin is considered to be better than rural munchkinland ) . these different places have very different cultures. one of the most noticeable is language. galinda ( and others that are from the gillikin / shiz such as madame morrible ) use a lot of slang, also known as the words that sound “ozian” to an audience ( words such as “disgusticified”, “outnuendo”, etc. ). elphaba, who is from munchkinland, doesn’t say any words like this ( and it’s important to note that elphaba used to say things like “ignorify” [from the out of town tryout] but any lines like that were cut ) . there is a good reason behind this, and that is to illustrate how the different regions in oz speak. nessarose, however, does use words such as “horrendible” and “encouragerize” throughout the show, but likely as a way to appear as if she is from the gillikin and to fit in with the other high society girls who are.      another reason as to why they may not have immediately become friends is because of how obvious it would have been for people to see that galinda was hanging around someone from munchkinland. boq, who is a munchkin, is referred to as being “common” and nothing special. he doesn’t even have a last name, which leads one to believe that munchkinland is simply a very mediocre place to live. while nessarose is different due to her father’s status, it makes sense as to why galinda chooses to hang around pfannee and shenshen instead.      then, of course, there is elphaba who is the outcast of the school which causes nessarose, by extension, to also be seen as something negative. this is also a factor that stunts their friendship from budding, seeing as galinda and elphaba are considered to be rivals and the two girls are on separate teams ( galinda rooting for herself and nessa for elphaba ) .      later, it is assumed that they do become friends in the show. nessarose is invited to glinda’s engagement party far after they’ve left school, which proves that their friendship has lasted, even if it isn’t the most genuine. not to mention that it would only make sense for the two of them to have some sort of bond after both losing elphaba.

𝘊𝘖𝘕𝘊𝘓𝘜𝘚𝘐𝘖𝘕

     in conclusion, there are many similarities between galinda upland and nessarose thropp that are, for the vast majority, ignored by the audiences of wicked. when compared and contrasted, it becomes clear that the two girls have more in common and that, if given similar circumstances, they would have likely thrived together.

[nnessarose]

my take on gelphie.

     Firstly, I’m going to start by clarifying (whether you choose to read this or not) that I do NOT hate this ship in any way, shape, or form. I think it’s cute! Additionally, I am not purposely intending to harm or hate on anyone by writing this or make fun of any tropes that have sprung up in the fandom regarding that pair. If something that I address may apply to you, please keep in mind that I am not a robot and have not kept track of everything that you, personally, have done and that, therefore, it is not about just you! These are just my thoughts and my interpretation about the whole thing. This post is going to be entirely musical-based both because I have no problem with the book’s development of them, most of the book-based fanfiction is reasonable, and because I don’t want to only pick on the good/bad parts of each of them. Also, most of my thoughts DO come from the musical and others’ interpretations of it. So, if you choose to read this - I hope you enjoy it! If not, have a great day!

     The first thing I would like to address (if that’s the proper word) is how much I dislike the idea that as soon as they saw each other that they fell in love. I think that this is inaccurate and, honestly, a bit of a gigantic stretch. When Elphaba arrives at Shiz, she is delighted to meet new people but is quickly heartbroken by their prejudiced stares and rude comments to her. This is, undeniably, also done by Galinda. The idea that she bullies Elphaba because she is interested in her romantically is honestly just terrible ; it’s the same thing as telling a little girl that the boy who picks on her just likes her. Throughout the introductory scene at Shiz, Galinda makes jabs at Elphaba while Elphaba stands far away from her (behind Nessarose) and makes fun of the way she speaks with her sister. When Galinda accidentally volunteers to room with Elphaba, it truly is accidental ( though - thankfully - the fandom seems to accept that). This, however, brings us to the next interpretation that I dislike.

     “What Is this Feeling” is not a love song. I genuinely cannot tell if some people in this fandom are joking about this or not. It does, of course, have humor in it of mocking a love song ( “my pulse is rushing”, “my head is reeling”, etc.) but that is clearly done only for satirical purposes! After that, the song is just them picking on each other and hating for the sole reason of hating. One could argue that it is simply them denying their feelings for the other, but that simply is not true! Galinda is clearly spreading these rumors around to her friends and they are making it to the entirety of the student body who teams up against Elphaba simply to bully her. The only person on Elphaba’s side at this moment is Doctor Dillamond and Nessa, while the entire school sees Galinda as some sort of hero. I cannot fathom how people can twist this harmful bullying into love and honestly, it’s disgusting. The two girls obviously are not in love at this point, nor are they even fond of each other. Elphaba makes it clear that the only friend she has there is Nessa, if anyone. 

     To restate, the bullying doesn’t end when the song does. Throughout Doctor Dillamond’s class, Galinda proves herself to be mean again. She tears Elphaba down more and more, almost as if the girl has no emotions (or at least no HUMAN emotions). Galinda bullies Elphaba so much that it makes her not want to do anything, not want to hang out with any of her peers. Keep in mind that at this point in the show, Elphaba and Galinda have not had a proper conversation with one another, which is important. How can they possibly know each other enough to be infatuated? One may argue that their conversations are off-stage and, as valid as this may be, just doesn’t add up. If this was the case, they would not still bicker and hate each other in the later scenes.

     This brings us to “Dancing Through Life”, another song that, despite how people try to twist it, is not where the two of them magically fall in love with one another. Elphaba has been bullied and beat down so much throughout the year that she refuses to attend the ball that Fiyero is hosting, calling it a “cultish social gathering”. One could debate that she only doesn’t want to go because of how Fiyero treated her earlier, but I think this is a stretch. She blames it on people going to “worship” him, but I think her real issue is that Galinda will be there, ready to make the entire school make fun of her. Otherwise, Elphaba would be jumping to go, if not just to accompany Nessarose to keep her safe, especially after she finds that she has a date. But it is so valid that Elphaba doesn’t want to go. She’s seen Boq stand right alongside Galinda when she throws insults her way and won’t go and ruin it for her sister. 

     Once Nessa tells her to do something nice for Galinda instead of hating her, Elphaba decides that this may just work. She can see the world for a moment through Nessa’s more innocent eyes and, even if just for a few moments, thinks that this plan may work and goes to talk to Madame Morrible about including her in the sorcery seminar, which she does. Elphaba rushes to tell Galinda what she has done for her, only to be greeted with a dirty trick. She thinks that the blonde has come around in offering her this hat and that it is now safe for her to attend the party. Elphaba does not, however, go to the party for Galinda. She knows that, even if they are on better terms, that they are friends. When she arrives, however, she just sees that she has fulfilled what she didn’t want to ; Nessa is embarrassed at her sister’s outfit and upset that she had the nerve to surprise her there.

     Elphaba still decides to have the best time she can, taking the floor over to dance on if not only to say “fuck you” to her classmates. They laugh, they point, they make fun - but this time Elphaba doesn’t back down. She doesn’t let it get to her. For the first time, Galinda sees that despite her unnatural green color, she is human and experiences real human emotions. Galinda feels bad for what she has done as all of her actions come rushing back ; getting the school against the poor girl, calling her names - giving her that atrocious hat! Additionally, Madame Morrible had just told her that she was moved to her seminar (what Elphaba had been trying to tell her before). So, she goes to dance with her, perhaps as an apology. But this, still is NOT them falling in love with each other! You cannot, and should not, skip from hatred to infatuation that quickly. It isn’t healthy, and they are not an exception!

     This is the beginning of their friendship. Yes, friendship. Before “Popular”, Galinda is eager to make up with her roommate and offers her simple companionship. She decides they should tell each other a secret. When Elphaba shares her deeply personal secret, Galinda again sees how she is experiencing the same human emotions that everyone does. This scene is their first proper conversation, and it is the beginning of their blooming friendship (and eventually relationship). Galinda doesn’t respect Elphaba when she doesn’t want to talk about the bottle and, to get her way in having Elphaba share a good secret, takes the bottle from her despite how clearly she was uncomfortable and protective of it. Galinda gives Elphaba a makeover and even calls her beautiful, but I still don’t believe this is truly them falling in love. One must pause to realize that the same day they had hated each other! There are a lot of things that still must be resolved and figured out before they can trust each other, not to mention that they are both young. Elphaba leaves during “Popular” because her emotions are too much for her to handle, this is true. However, I don’t see the emotions as being romantic yet. She is just overwhelmed by the sudden change in Galinda, wondering if she is being tricked again as she was just that same day. Elphaba begins to wonder if she or Nessa were right about the girl and her intentions.

     From here, this is a divide over how the rest of the plot advances regarding a preference between Elphaba and Fiyero or Elphaba and Galinda. I think if Elphaba and Galinda fall in love, it happens in the time of the show between the scene with the Lion cub and “One Short Day”, but no sooner than that.

     The last topic I would like to address is why I do not think Gelphie should only be endgame with the proper development of events post-musical. Before you hate me, let me start by saying this does not mean I don’t think they should be together. I do! I just genuinely do not believe that they would be the right person for each other if one only takes into account the events of the musical. Firstly, they have a lot of bad connotations with each other, what with the past bullying and, eventually the stress they caused each other. For Glinda, it’s the emotional stress she went through pretending to dislike Elphaba, the years fighting against her, the pain with what happened with FIyero (even if he was just a companion to her and not a true lover), etc. For Elphaba, it’s that Glinda never tried to help her, left her during “Defying Gravity”, was the reason her sister is dead, never denied the rumors like Fiyero did, etc. They are both stubborn, and I doubt either would bring up these issues to each other, much less actually resolve them. Glinda, throughout the entire musical, does not change until the very end despite knowing what she is doing is wrong. Elphaba doesn’t deserve that. Glinda took advantage of Elphaba’s vulnerability in a friendship for years, catering their relationship to her liking almost the entire time. If the two of them do not address these very prominent issues, their relationship will just slowly deteriorate over their ignored past

     The point that is trying to be made is that while Gelphie does work, and it is adorable, I just don’t see how they can stay together without their relationship becoming unhealthy if they don’t have a proper and well-developed redemption arc. All the points that I brought up CAN be debated, even between me and myself as I was writing this! I think that whether they work at this point depends on how the rest of their days are fleshed out, whether Elphaba stays in Oz or not, and whether or not they chose to ignore the events of Act II. As wonderful as the thought of these two girls falling in love instantly may be, it is unrealistic that that is the case and, if it was, their relationship would never be healthy. Additionally, one must keep in mind that this is a musical! There isn’t enough time to include everything and as much as people claim that they would watch a four hour show - the general public would not. Changing around their character dynamics just doesn’t work. Wanting fluff is valid, but at what cost? People end up erasing some of the bad characteristics of Galinda (who was undeniably a horrible bully) and are erasing some of the strong characteristics of Elphaba (who still went to school and stayed loyal to Nessarose throughout all of the pain she went though herself). It isn’t fair to look past these just to validate your ship. Gelphie CAN work! In Act I, however, it is unlikely and Act II would need the right development to result in a happy relationship for the two of them. Once again, I will restate that I do NOT hate Gelphie. I simply wanted to share my thoughts on some aspects of how the fandom views their relationship.. I hope no one is mad at this post and please, please, please do not hate me for it! I love Gelphie, I really do!

[wickedlyqueer]

random question: who are your favorite glinda and elphaba actresses, and why? (also this blog brings me great joy. thank you for giving us the good gelphie content we deserve)

(Ayyy i’m just glad I have a place where my gelphie feels and rambles are appreciated *finger guns*) 

I’ve talked about my faves before, but not so much why they are my faves so here goes:

Katie Rose Clarke is my favorite Glinda. I don’t know how she’s done it, because I usually don’t have a favorite performer. But I do, and it’s her. KRC!Galinda believes in her own goodness, which works really well for the stage version. She’s innocent, sweet, and by all means good. It makes sense why she keeps getting called ‘good’ by everyone around her. She’s also secretly a dork (WHICH IS TOTALLY GLINDA LBR). Even when she’s supposed to be mean to Elphaba, (”she’s phosphorescent” “the artichoke is steamed”) it comes across more as an Observation (although tacky)  than it’s actually meant to hurt Elphaba. 

But what I appreciate most about KRC, is she takes her goddamn time to let moments hit. With the dance scene, she lets it sink in how this is such an important and difficult decision for Galinda. She takes her time letting the words “you’re beautiful” hit. She is ONE OF THE TOUCHIEST GLINDA’S OUT THERE! That’s always a plus. 

AND WE HAVEN’T EVEN TALKED THE SECOND ACT MY FRIEND!!!! Katie Rose Clarke, first and foremost, is the angstiest Glinda ever. It’s painful. It’s heartbreaking. No other Glinda can convey the emotion of Thank Goodness better than KRC. It was like it was fucking made for her. After Elphaba’s death, she isn’t just sad, she’s fucking bitter and that’s exactly what adult Glinda is all about. She’s bitter. She’s only pushing through because that’s Elphaba’s wish. But even in scenes like NOWTM it’s written all over her how much she only doing this for Elphaba... if you know where to look. 

I could literally talk for hours about all the decisions she made. I actually had to cut some of it out bc it was getting too long. I just. I LOVE HER OKAY!?

Very honorary mentions of other Glindas I absolutely adore: Kara Lindsay (I know she’s your fav, and I agree, she’s awesome!), Megan Hilty, Annaleigh Ashford, and even though I’ve only ever heard her perfomance, I think I’d also very much dig Suzie Mathers’ Glinda. 

Come to think of it, my interpretation comes closer to most West End Glindas, than Broadway ones. This is mostly a cultural difference. Because in the US The Blonde trope is closer to “popular, shallow, dumb” whilst in the UK The Blonde trope is “classist, rich, spoiled, bratty, arrogant” which is waaay more Glinda-esque. Like the only West End Glindas I’ve seen are Sarah Earnshaw, Gina Beck and Suzie Mathers, and I think they’re all great, even tho I am a very specific about my Glindas. 

Not so much with Elphabas! (awesome segue) What I like about the role is that it can be pretty stylized, and that’s what keeps the role new and refreshing. I have talked before that I prefer my Elphabas to be rough around the edges (you got some who play her soft and innocent and NOPE), but here goes anyway.

Elphabas that I absolutely love to death in alphabetical order so it doesn’t look like I show any bias because I genuinely love all these ladies equally and for different reasons:

Eden Espinosa GAWDD She’s so good. I just. Yes. YES! I need to rewatch her some more so I can been more specific but YES!

Emmy Raver-Lampman deserves all the FREAKING LOVE okay!? She’s a deadpan Elphaba and sings like a goddess. What more do you need in life?

Donna Vivino this lady can SIIINNGGGG. Her Elphie is smol and bitter and angry and I love it. There’s also this one bootleg where she goes “As you can seeee~ she’s a PERFECTLY normal color!” and she accidentally kind of sings the “see” and sometimes I just replay that tiny bit because I love that line delivery so so much. 

Jennifer DiNoia is just an all-rounder Elphaba. Really good singer and actress and it shows how long she’s been with the role and how much she loves playing Elphaba. 

Lindsay Mendez look. okay. I haven’t been able to watch a bootleg of her in which she’s Elphaba. But I rewatch Fly Girl on the regular, and I’ve suffered through Dog Fight for her so I’m pretty sure I’ll love her Elphaba once I find a bl of her

Mandy Gonzalez so far the only real softie Elphaba I enjoy. She’s soft but bitter. Also she’s the only actress who gave me sibling Nessa&Elphie feels. She. WOW. I did not expect for her to rip my heart out, but I love. 

Rachel Tucker listen. when. Tucker. GROWLS. in her songs. I. Am. LIVING. also she looks exceptionally pretty in green, even tho all these women look gorgeous in green BUT SHE LOOKS SO GOOD IN GREEN!?!? I’m still furious she wasn’t allowed to talk with her gorgeous accent and she’s also just a genuinely good actress with a lot of passion that comes across really well on stage.

Stephanie J. Block I’ve only watched her bootleg once bc the camera quality is pretty bad but SHE’S SO GOOD!!! Also love love LOVED her in Falsettos and 9 to 5.

Willemijn Verkaik I mean, do I have to mention why? We all know why!

Also, I know you didn’t ask this, but there’s only one and I mean ONE Fiyero that genuinely charmed me and that is Derrick Williams. He’s does the most with the little that’s given to him and he’s actual a man of colour like Fiyero should be. My musical!Fiyero scale goes somewhere between “you’ve nice line delivery. thanks for that” to “i skip your scenes bc you’re an insufferable brat” but Derrick is the only Fiyero I look forward to seeing. He makes me get why every Ozian is so enarmored with Fiyero. Also he somehow managed to give me fiyeraba feelings???? ME!! one of THE biggest gelphie shippers out there. I mean, that’s impressive buddy. Well played. well played indeed!

[bannedfromtheaters]

Oooh wicked or rent (or both😊) (for the ask game)

Ay I’ll do both :D (warning tho, I’m pretty critical of Rent) and this goes under a cut bc OOF did it get long haha

Rent

the first song from this show I heard: I remember when I watched Rent for the first time recognizing the tune of Seasons of Love so probably that onedo I own the cast album?: Nope, although I got a few of the songs in my ‘musical’ playlist on spotifyfavorite song: I’ll Cover You is such a cute soft mlm song and Take Me Or Leave Me has such a terrible message but goddamn is it catchy.least favorite song: there’s this one song in the end where Roger sings to Mimi the song he has been working on during the entire show and it’s somehow the worst and most boring song ever created..? favorite character: THEY ARE ALL KINDA AWFUL PEOPLE TBH but by design, Angel is the manic pixie dream girl with least of an arc and somehow therefore the most likable?

EDIT: the homeless woman in the movie who tells off Mark for using her misery as art without even wanting to give her a fucking dollar so she can live.least favorite character: MARK CAN CHOKEOTP: I mean Collins and Angel are pretty good & soft until DEATHBROTP: I have no idea why these people are friends with each other in the first place to be completely honest??NOTP: Does “I want Mark to end up alone and miserable bc he’s a fcking dick” count as a NOTP or……?song I didn’t like at first but now do: okay. this only goes for the musical, not the movie, but Over The Moon. It’s so wonderfully pastiche and some of the actresses play it up so hilariously Bad that it becomes good again.song I used to like but now don’t: hmm. La Vie Boheme.. because.. listening to the actual lyrics.. it’s just.. WHAT?! They praise.. yogurt and yoga as.. counter culture..?? WHAT IS THIS SONG??is the fandom annoying?: i have no idea because i do not venture there tbhdo I read/write fanfic for this show?: nope!favorite non-sung line:  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯favorite lyric: “because reason says I should’ve died three years ago” is one hell of a gut-punch line. overall rating out of 10: instead of a rating, I’m gonna link you to Lindsay Ellis’ incredible video essay on Rent called “Look Pretty and Do As Little As Possible” because even though she says she hates Rent, still has a very nuanced and fair analysis that really gets to the core of all the issues I have with this story, even though I can acknowledge that it has done some good things. She phrases it a million times better than I ever could. Yes, it’s 40 minutes long, but trust me when I say it’s the best thing you’ll see this entire week.

Wicked

the first song from this show I heard: defying gravity probably lbrdo I own the cast album?: Again, only in the Spotify playlist, but to be quite honest (don’t murder me) the original cast recording underwhelms me :/favorite song: this depends on the mood really! But, I’ve noticed I always tend to Sit Up as the first notes of No Good Deed blasts into my ears. God i love that song. Also, Thank Goodness. I. Yes. ALSO!!! It’s technically not a song, but the moment in the Ozdust Ballroom where Glinda and Elphaba are bonding, and you only hear that piano… WHEN AM I GONNA GET A HIGH QUALITY AUDIO OF THAT LITTLE BIT WICKED MUSICAL!?!?! least favorite song: WONDERFUL. at this point i just tend to skip that scene. it. It’s a good song the first time you listen to it, but becomes such a drag so fast.favorite character: at this point in my mind Glinda and Elphaba just count as one person right? cool? cool.least favorite character: The Wizard. Ugh. Manipulative Asshole. And I’m gonna say “The Wasted Character Potential For Fiyero”OTP: i mean… c’mon.. are we.. do i even have to - G E L P H I EBROTP: in the actual musical? Not really.. anyone? In my version of the musical: Gelphie&Fiyero and Elphaba&Fiyero. In the book: Elphaba&Boq are a fucking delight.NOTP: any ship involving glinda and elphaba being with someone but each other i guess?song I didn’t like at first but now do: I mean, I liked most songs the first go, so I guess Something Bad. It’s mostly the mysterious music that I really dig and the transition music after it.

Also I just wanna say that March of the Witch Hunters is such a banger ensemble song. I’m always so excited that we get to keep that momentum NGD has built up and get to stay in it just a little bit longer before we go to the soft and beautiful For Good.

song I used to like but now don’t: hmm I guess Wonderful because as explained before? And kinda… well I actually don’t dislike Defying Gravity, but I’m kinda upset that people only seem to focus on that song? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good song. But it’s a shame it’s the main focus bc there are so many other good things & songs in this show.is the fandom annoying?: the fandom is so interesting, bc at the core, it’s really small, but because it’s such a well-known musical, some posts can suddenly EXPLODE even though the tag updates maybe on average 3 times a day? and that’s generous. So that’s really weird and interesting. But since at it’s core it’s small, it’s really nice and well-behaved. I’ve talked with a ton of people in the fandom and it’s really nice and lovely, and not annoying at all! do I read/write fanfic for this show?: YES! shameless self-promofavorite non-sung line: what I love about this show is that the actresses can say certain lines and make them their own, so I wanted to type out all my fav line deliveries, but it became too long and kinda pointless bc you can’t hear it. but yeah.. a LOT of them tbh? the dialogue is sharp in this play.favorite lyric: hmmmm “There are bridges you cross you didn’t know you crossed until you crossed” is just so angsty.overall rating out of 10:  I know I never shut up about Wicked but is it the best musical? No, not really. But I get why it’s still running and why it’s so goddamn big. I love the overall Wicked canon and I love my interpretation of it all, but if I actually had to give the actual musical a rating I’d say a solid 7~7.5..?

[xfandomimagines]

AS LONG AS YOU’RE MINE (BARRY ALLEN IMAGINE)

Summary: When Barry gets cast in Wicked as Fiyero, he meets you, the Elphaba to his Fiyero, and falls in love. However, issues arise in the form of Helen, the Glinda.

Gender: Female

Notes: After I saw the musical episode this week, I just knew I had to write this, and again, I knew I had to use Wicked because Grant Gustin is like my dream Fiyero ever (CAN YOU JUST IMAGINE). Also, I planted a few little Wicked easter eggs in this so if you’re a giant musical/Wicked nerd like me, I hope you recognise them. 

{REQUESTS ARE OPEN}

Barry entered the rehearsal room apprehensively, not knowing what to expect. Ever since the whole Music Meister thing had happened and everyone found out he was decent at singing, whenever they saw something come up for performing, his friends kept suggesting he went for it. At first Barry was completely against it, but slowly, he started warming up to the idea; and that’s how he found himself currently going to the first rehearsal for the Central City Theatre Society’s production of Wicked.

There was a stage at the end of the room where other cast members were casually hanging out, reading their scripts and getting to know each other. Barry scanned over them, when one girl caught his eye. You were sat alone in the corner of the stage, your Y/H/C hair falling in your face as you read your script and as he got closer he could hear you quietly singing One Short Day to yourself. Barry smiled to himself and began to walk over when he got interrupted.

“Hi! I’ve never seen you here before, I’ve been involved in all the company’s shows for the past 5 years.” She introduced, her red stained lips curving up into a smile, holding her hand out. “My name’s Helen, I’m playing Glinda.”

Barry looked over her shoulder at you, before turning back to her, not wanting to be rude. He took her hand in his. “Barry. Barry Allen. I’m playing Fiyero.”

Helen let out a small squeal. “Oh, that’s great! We’re going to be seeing a lot of each other.” She grabbed his arm, and led him over to the stage. At the sound of her heels clicking on the ground, many people turned over to look at them, including you, Barry noted. “Here, meet everyone.”

“Uhh, hi.” Barry said. Helen carried on unbothered.

“Guys, this is Barry, he’s going to be playing Fiyero. Barry, this is Katie, she’s playing Nessarose.” A small brunette girl smiled at him. “James, he’s playing Boq, and Miriam, she’s playing Madame Morrible.” James smiled and shook his hand and Miriam, a plump woman with curly hair, kissed his cheek in greeting. “Then this is Nigel, the Wizard, director and my daddy.”

“It’s great to have you joining us.” Nigel greeted with a firm handshake.

“Thank you, it’s great to be part of the production.” Barry replied, realising she completely ignored you. “So, uh, who’s playing Elphaba?”

“Oh, that’s Y/N, over here!” Nigel motioned over to you, who smiled at you warmly. “She only joined us during last year’s production but she’s so talented so I just knew I had to cast her as the lead.”

“One of the two leads!” Helen piped up, walking over to them with a slightly sour look on her face. Immediately your face fell and you looked back down at your script. “I mean, Glinda’s a lead too, right?”

“Of course. Anyway, let’s get rehearsals off to a start!” Nigel called out to everyone and the cast started to get into position.

 Throughout rehearsal, Barry kept getting accosted by Helen so he never managed to go and introduce himself to you. You were amazing, he thought ever since you first got on stage. You performed with such grace and elegance and you seemed to just dissolve into the character. Barry was enraptured by you.

Finally right before the started the songs, Barry managed to slip over to you. Again, you were sat in the corner, reading through the lyrics and quietly singing to herself.

“Hi, it’s Y/N, right?” Barry sat down next to you and you stopped, looking up at him. “I’m Barry.”

“Yeah, it’s nice to meet you.” You held your hand out, and Barry clasped it in his, his heart fluttering slightly. You were so beautiful.

“You too. You’re amazing up there, I can’t believe someone could perform so well.”

You blushed, looking down at your lap. “Thank you, you’re pretty good yourself.”

“How come you sit here all alone?” Barry asked, the question bugging him ever since he saw you. From what he’d seen you seemed so sweet and talented, it made no sense that someone like you would be all alone.

“Helen.” You said, simply. Barry looked at you questioningly. “Last year, when we were doing Little Shop of Horrors, Helen was Audrey and I was her understudy. Half way through the performances she fell down some stairs and broke her leg and I had to cover for her. According to Nigel, the shows I was on got better feedback than hers and she’s never forgiven me for it.”

“That’s ridiculous. You can’t help what other people prefer.”

“Tell that to her.” You said, nodding towards Helen who had just returned from the bathroom. “Anyway, looks like we’re about to start again.”

As if on cue, Nigel headed back up on stage. “Y/N, Helen, we’re going to start with For Good, then we’re going to move onto Wicked Witch of the East with Katie, Y/N and James, after we’ll do Wizard and I and end with As Long As You’re Mine.”

 Barry was blown away; you were breath taking. He could easily see why the audience would prefer you to Helen. You just seemed to be so natural with your singing, whilst Helen had to visibly put more into her voice to become almost par with you. When it came to As Long As You’re Mine, Barry didn’t have to act. He’d become completely smitten with you, he couldn’t help it, in his eyes you were perfect.

 Over the course of the rehearsals, you and Barry grew closer. Whenever you had breaks, you always sat and got to know each other (that’s if Barry could escape Helen, who seemed to latch herself to him), and even starting to meet up out of rehearsal. At first it was just extra rehearsing, but then it developed into hanging out and meeting up without the original purpose of rehearsal. By the time the first show rolled around three months after your first meeting, Barry knew he was in love with you.

“Hey, green girl.” Barry popped his head round the door of your dressing room.

“Hey.” You looked up from where you were covering the fading patches of green on your hand. “You nervous?”

Barry shrugged. “A little. This is the first time I’ve ever performed on stage since I was nine in my schools production of Baa Baa Black Sheep.”

“Ohhhh, challenging. No wonder you’re such a singing sensation now.”

“Yeah, the highlight of my career. Tree #3” You both laughed, and Barry walked into the room, leaning on the vanity next to where you were sat. “You’ll be amazing.”

“So will you.” You replied, looking up and suddenly, your eyes locked. It felt like you were seeing each other so clearly for the first time. Without control, Barry started leaning in and so did you, your lips were about to touch when: “Barry!”

Suddenly, you jumped apart as Helen entered the room, ready for the beginning of the show in Glinda’s bubble dress and her silver wand in hand.

“I just wanted to wish you good luck. I know you’re nervous since this is your first show but don’t worry, you’ll be great!” She walked over to him, her free hand resting on his arm. “Kiss for good luck?” Without giving him chance to do anything, she reached up and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Thanks.”

“I have to go into position now, but break a leg!” Helen waved, and as quick as she appeared she was gone. Barry turned around to face you. He could tell you felt awkward, looking down and fiddling with your fingers. With a sneaky speed towards you, Barry pulled you into a tight embrace.

“Break a leg.” He whispered into your hair.

 The show started without a hitch and after what happened earlier in the dressing room, Barry got more nervous as As Long As You’re Mine drew closer. Yes, you’d rehearsed the scene and kissed before, but this was different, it was the first time you’d be doing this in front of other people, and the first time you’d be doing this since he acted on his feelings for you.

“There’s a girl I know, he loves her so… I’m not that girl…”

Stood in the wings, one hand in yours, the other clasping the prop oil lamp, you looked over at each other. You both smiled encouragingly, and then you were on. Barry led you forward to the front of the stage, and as you got to your position you knelt down in front of each other.

“Kiss me too fiercely, hold me too tight. I need help believing, you’re with me tonight.”

Barry was entranced, hands dancing along your waist and back, holding you close. All acting went out of the window and he was holding you and telling you how much he loved you like he’d wanted too ever since he first saw you in the corner of the stage, hair falling in your eyes.

“For the first time, I feel… Wicked!” You said, and then your hands were on Barry’s face and you were kissing. Barry melted in you, arms wrapping around your waist, tightly, as your lips locked together and everything fell away until he heard the audience clapping. When you pulled away and you both went into a hug instead, his head went into the crook of your neck and his hand ran through the fake hair of your wig. After the show, Barry thought to himself, I need to tell her.

 All the cast and crew were celebrating, hugging one another and saying their congratulations (or, congratulotions, in some people’s case), and all Barry cared about was finding you. He finished his conversation with James as quickly as he could, and rushed off towards your dressing room, his mind set. However, he was once again interrupted by a flurry of blond wig and big poofy dress.

“Oh, Barry, you were amazing!” Helen yelled at him, hugging him tightly. Barry loosely patted her back. “I can’t believe you haven’t performed since you were young, it’s like you’ve been doing it all your life.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Barry said, absentmindedly, looking over at the door to your dressing room, wishing he could escape to you. At that moment, the door opened and you stepped out, looking around. “Sorry, I have too-“

“Everyone has been saying how much chemistry we had together, and that much chemistry can’t be acted, right? Don’t you agree?”

Barry wasn’t really listening, more interested in getting towards you. “Yeah, yeah.”

“Oh, Barry!” And the next thing he knew, Helen’s lips were on his. Barry stood there in shock, not knowing what to do, and his eyes were wide. It was only when he saw you, tears in your eyes, storming back into your dressing room that he came back to his senses and pushed her away.

“Barry?” Helen asked but he paid no attention, and stormed straight passed her towards you dressing room. “Barry!”

Barry knocked on your door, ignoring Helen’s protests behind him. “Y/N, please let me explain!” Silence. “Y/N, let me in, please. That wasn’t me it was Helen.” More silence. “Y/N, I’m coming in.” Barry opened the door and walked in to see you sat your vanity, wig off and your natural hair tumbling down, and your face paint all messed up due to the tears streaming down your cheeks.

“Go away!”

“Just please let me explain.”

“Explain what?” You turned around to face him. “That everything I felt between us wasn’t there? That all this time it wasn’t me you wanted it was Helen? The fact that all this time I thought we were friends, possibly more, but this was a complete joke between you both! Ridicule the quiet girl in the corner who has no friends here but still came back! Just fuck off, Barry!”

“That’s not what it was at all!” Barry cried, rushing over and bending down by the side of your chair. “Everything was there, that’s all true. After the show I was looking for you and Helen came over to me, like she always does. I wasn’t listening to her because you came out the door and all I wanted to do was run over and tell you how much I love you and wanted to be with you. I guess I must have accidentally agreed to something while brushing her off to talk to you because she kissed me.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “It’s you, Y/N. It’s always been you.”

You looked at him, tears still shining in your eyes. “But why me?”

“You don’t realise how amazing you are, do you? You’re beautiful and talented. I love everything about you. I know this sounds cheesy but ever since I laid eyes on you I knew I loved you. You are worth so much more than Helen.” Barry ran his fingers through your hair as he spoke. “Now please, can I kiss you?”

You nodded and then Barry was leaning up and you were kissing as you for the first time. Not Elphaba and Fiyero. Barry and Y/N. Barry stood up and you went with him willingly, allowing him to pull you as close as possible and deepen the kiss. Finally, you had to separate for air and you leant your foreheads together.

“You, uh, have a little green…” You giggled, trying to wipe away the paint from the corner of his mouth with your thumb, which obviously, just made it worse. Barry laughed and moved your hand away, lacing your fingers together.

“I don’t care. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

[vindicatedvirgil]

only fools rush in / part seven: performance anxiety

part one | part two | part three | part four | part five | part six

summary: Virgil feels anxiety towards multiple things, including the upcoming performances and his intimacy with Roman.

TW: anxiety attack, mention of suicide attempt, blood mention, lots of self-doubt, vague sex mentions, mentions of scars

also more Wicked: The Musical spoilers.

---

Wise men say

Only fools rush in

But I can't help falling in love with you

Shall I stay?

Would it be a sin

If I can't help falling in love with you?

-

Virgil stood off stage, hands wringing as he watched the final scenes of the dress rehearsal. Roman was in his scarecrow outfit then, and he reached down into the hatch under the stage to pull up the actress who was playing Elphaba.

“Fiyero! I thought you’d never get here,” the actress said, embracing Roman tightly, touching his face.

“Go ahead, touch. I don’t mind,” Roman breathed deeply. “Ah, you did the best you could. You saved my life.”

“You’re still beautiful,” she said, and Roman laughed lightly, looking down at the ground.

“You don’t have to lie to me,” he responded, and Virgil chewed on his lower lip, watching their foreheads press together.

“It’s not lying… it’s looking at things another way,” her voice wavered, and Virgil knew she’d be the one receiving a standing ovation on opening night. Still, he turned on his heel; he couldn’t bear to watch Roman kiss her again. Fiyero kisses both leads, and Virgil tried to avoid watching those moments every single time; though, he had accidentally seen the kiss between Roman and the actress who plays Glinda earlier, and it was now the only thing he saw when he closed his eyes. When he was called on stage to join the curtain call, he held Nessarose’s actress’ hand lightly, not looking to where Roman was situated between those playing Glinda and Elphaba.

Later, he sat in the green room, wiping off the silver makeup of the Tin Man, his mind and heart racing. Perhaps playing a character like Boq was starting to affect the way he thought, the way he was reacting to his relationship with Roman.

Things were so new between them, but the feelings were so strong. Roman had started saying he loved Virgil more frequently, and he wondered if the shorter man was expecting him to say it back soon. He wasn’t ready to say it, though. Maybe he felt it, but the words were like lumps in his throat that he couldn’t bear to get rid of yet.

Virgil’s parents never once told him that they loved him. The first person to tell him those words was Janus, and even after being best friends for so long, Virgil only said those words to the other on very rare occasions.

What did that one song say? Only fools rush in.

Virgil didn’t want to be a fool. He didn’t want to rush. He wanted to take his time, but it was so hard when Roman was so… perfect. Perfect Roman bringing over flowers from Patton’s mom’s floral shop, taking him to sit under the stars or in the sunshine, bringing a smile to his face and kissing his cheeks–

It made Virgil want to burst into tears. No one other than Janus had ever paid him this much attention. Every single time Roman leaned up on the tips of his toes to kiss Virgil’s lips with as much love and passion as the first time, it made Virgil weak at the knees. It made him want to latch onto Roman and never let go.

And he wondered if Roman kissed the actresses the same way. If he gave them the same amount of consideration and gentleness as he did when Virgil was feeling anxious, if the girls could taste Roman’s cherry chapstick or the lingering flavor of the iced coffee that the couple would share during rehearsal breaks. Virgil only had to kiss the actress playing Nessarose on the cheek, and even so, they hadn’t done it in every rehearsal.

The character of Boq– so in love with Glinda, only being with Nessa because he felt bad for her, because he thought that if he was kind to her then Glinda would pay him attention– was not the kindest character to play. Was Virgil like him?

Or, was Roman like Fiyero? Staying with Glinda to keep up appearances but secretly in love with Elphaba, until the two eventually run away together and let everyone believe they are dead?

-

Janus slid out of bed to get more water from the kitchen. He glanced at the clock on the wall, noting that it was nearing four in the morning. When he passed Virgil’s room, the light shone under the door and he could hear scribbling and crumpling, and concern shot through him. Janus knocked once at the door, peering in.

“Vee? You alright…?” Janus was always hesitant to walk into Virgil’s room; sometimes, he got flashbacks of the day that he found Virgil on his bed, the blood seeping through his clothes as he rushed to care for his best friend. Janus shook his head, trying to shake the thought from his head as he saw Virgil sitting cross-legged on the floor, notebook open but many crumpled pages scattered around. “Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“Can’t sleep. Need… I need to figure this out,” Virgil’s voice was hoarse, and when he glanced up at Janus, his eyes were red, the dark circles underneath deeper than they’d been in a while. Janus settled on the floor beside him, glancing at the words he was writing down.

-Virgil Similarities to Boq: weak weak weak weak weak weak no heart

-Roman Similarities to Fiyero: is he cheating on me does he love someone else does he even care is he kissing someone else

Janus frowned, then took the notebook out of Virgil’s hands. “Hey, look at me, right now. You two are not your characters, okay? And you are not weak, Vee.” He set the notebook down and took Virgil’s shaking hands in his own. “Talk to me.”

“I just... Roman kisses the leads, and I’m offstage watching, and I can’t, I can’t do it,” Virgil shut his eyes tightly, trying to hold the tears in. “I’m not good enough for him, Jan, I can’t be.” Janus’ frown deepened, and he rubbed his thumbs against the back of Virgil’s hands.

“Breathe with me, Vee. Hey. Look in my eyes, and breathe,” Janus ordered, and Virgil met his eyes, the tears spilling over the edge. The two sat and breathed deeply together, Virgil following Janus’ lead, for several minutes, until the shaking stopped and the tears were dribbling down his cheeks instead of streaming down them. Eventually, Virgil clambered into Janus’ lap, the way he had so many times on those difficult nights during high school.

Janus ran his fingers through Virgil’s hair with one hand and rubbed circles on his wrist with the other, like he always did. The tall man’s tears slowed to a stop and his breathing fully evened out, but Janus could still tell that Virgil was anxious about the situation. He’d known the other man for so long that he could feel the emotions pouring out, even if they were both sitting in silence.

“Virgil, I’m going to call Roman, okay?” Janus’ voice was smooth, and instantly, Virgil was sitting up, panic crossing his face.

“No, please, he can’t see me like this, Jan!” Virgil pleaded, but Janus shook his head. “I need you, no one else. Please don’t force me out or make me someone else’s problem!” Guilt tore through Janus’ body and he held back tears, taking Virgil into his arms again.

“That isn’t what I’m doing,” Janus started to explain, regret filling his bones. “I just… I see how much Roman helps you and how he makes you feel. If you’re going to remain with him, then he does need to see this, he needs to know how to help you.” Virgil kept shaking his head, and Janus sighed, his fingers lacing their way back through the long hair. “Do you love him?”

“I… you know how I feel about saying that,” Virgil’s voice was hoarse again, his heartbeat uneven. Janus nodded at this, but didn’t say anything. “He loves me, but how could he continue to feel that way for me if he sees me like this, sees me doubting him? What if it scares him off?”

“Well, then he’s not worth your time or your love,” Janus said very matter-of-factly, and Virgil whined aloud at this revelation. The sociology major sighed, his fingers twisting in the other’s hair a bit. “In all honesty, Vee, he won’t get scared off. He loves you, and he only wants to be there for you.”

-

“I’m here for you,” Janus said softly, sitting in the chair next to the main tattoo chair. It was Virgil’s 18th birthday, and he decided to celebrate by getting his first tattoo. Janus happily joined him, but Virgil was starting to get a bit nervous. “If you want to leave, we can, okay?”

“No. I need to do this,” Virgil had decided that once he turned 18, everything would change. And that started with doing something for himself that his parents would never want him to do. He laid on his stomach, holding Janus’ hand tightly as the tattoo artist did his job; a storm cloud on the back of his left hip. Virgil didn’t know what it was about that spot or that tattoo, only that after storm clouds, things get better. Rainbows come. He didn’t know when to expect his rainbow, but he hoped it would arrive soon.

A few months after the storm cloud tattoo, he got gauges in his ears to commemorate moving into the apartment with Janus. At the time, he thought that was his rainbow.

-

Roman was over at the apartment in record time. When he saw Janus’ name on the screen, at 4 in the morning, of course only the worst possible scenarios ran through his head. Roman had thought of every outcome before Janus could get out the words. Virgil was anxious about the play, about the characters the two of them had taken the roles of, and about the kiss scenes. And so Roman grabbed his coat and slipped into his sneakers, then ran the few blocks between apartments, all while in his pajamas.

When he arrived at the apartment, Janus was sitting at the dining table, his head in his hands, a mug of tea in front of him. “He was dozing off, but you should go in there,” he had said. Roman thought that Janus was going to fall asleep right there, but said nothing as he made his way into Virgil’s bedroom.

And he was dozing off, back against the foot of the bed and legs curled up underneath him. Roman sat down next to him, pulling the taller man into his arms, pressing soft kisses to the unshaven face. “Hey, babe, talk to me. What’s going on?” Virgil’s eyes focused on Roman’s face, and then he crumpled, pressing his face into the other man’s shoulder.

“I-I-I’m so weak, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Virgil hiccuped after saying these words, and Roman just rubbed circles on his back, waiting for the psychology major to elaborate. “I just, I can’t bear to see you kissing them, because what if you kiss them the same way as you kiss me and I’m not special and I mean nothing to you and–”

“Whoah, whoah! Okay, babe, you need to listen to me,” Roman took a deep breath  before continuing. “You. Are. The. Most. Special. Person. In. The. World. Okay? I love you. So fucking much. And you know what? You mean everything to me,” his voice was firm and confident, and Virgil sniffled into his shoulder. “I give them pecks, that’s all, and before we had our first rehearsal I told them both that it would be nothing more than that because I’m with you and no one else.”

“B-But what if I’m not good enough, and you hate me because I’m such a mess–” Virgil cut himself off, not wanting to continue the sentence. Roman’s voice was there again, though, grounding the anxious man.

“Virgil, can I kiss you? If you’re feeling too uneasy for that I won’t, but I want to show you how much you mean to me.” He made no movements, but Virgil pulled away from his shoulder and nodded, wiping the snot and tears off of his face with his jacket sleeve. Roman smiled a bit at this and then leaned in, pressing their lips together in much the same way as that day that they first kissed; sloppy, a little rushed, but so full of adoration and love.

“Roman, you’re my rainbow.”

-

Virgil and Roman sat on the edge of the stage, their hands linked as they listened to the director make announcements for the next week of rehearsals. They’d have the rest of that day off to rest, but then there would be full rehearsals the following three days, leading up to their final dress rehearsal and then opening night.

Ever since the night (or late morning, depending on your view of time) that Roman came to comfort Virgil, they had been spending every night in Virgil’s bed, Roman comforting and holding his boyfriend close, talking him through anxiety attacks and running their lines until one (or both) of them dozed off.

The others had started to wonder if they should all move into one of the apartments and sell the others, but six guys and one bathroom was not an ideal situation. Logan had decided that he would try to locate a home with enough bedrooms and several restrooms for them to move into at the end of the term, but until then, everyone was spending most of their time with their partners.

That night, though, Roman and Virgil went back to the apartment that Roman lived in with Logan and Patton, because Roman needed to get some more clothes from his closet. He explained it to Virgil as “I’ve got to slay everyday”, and the taller man didn’t argue, even though he did wonder if Roman got tired of his constant black jeans, t-shirts, and hoodies.

As they entered the building, they ran into Remy and Emile, who they hadn’t seen for several weeks due to how busy they all had been. Emile tried pulling Virgil in for a hug, but the tall man just shook his head, looking down to avoid seeing the upset look on the cartoon lover’s face.

“Virgil, are you studying for your exams properly? Grades are important if you want to get into the doctoral program someday,” Emile’s voice was cheerful, but it only made Virgil want to sink into the floor. “I could help you study next week if you’d like.”

“Uh… not next week. We have performances and rehearsals every day for the next two weeks, but… after that I could use some help, maybe,” Virgil’s voice was low, and Roman said nothing, but the two excused themselves to go up to the apartment. He wanted to say something, but Virgil just pulled him to the bedroom, passing Logan who was at the kitchen counter, working on assignments.

When they got into the bedroom, Virgil flipped the lock and kissed Roman suddenly, roughly, albeit a bit awkwardly. Roman didn’t have time to protest, he eased into the embrace and kissed his boyfriend back with vigor, wrapping his arms around Virgil’s neck.

“Tonight?” Roman managed to get out between kisses, and Virgil nodded, his hands trailing to push Roman’s jacket off of his shoulders. The two had discussed taking their relationship to the next level… physically, that is… for a few days, and while Roman was eager for whenever it would be, Virgil was, of course, anxious about it. Roman decided to turn off the thinking part of his brain, though, and kissed down Virgil’s neck, unzipping the hoodie and pulling it off.

“Tonight. Now. We’re going to be so exhausted the next few weeks, and I don’t want to wait until we’re done with performances,” Virgil’s voice had taken on a husky tone, and Roman nodded, pushing the two over to the bed. They kissed on the bed, Roman straddling Virgil’s hips, for several minutes, Virgil trying to grind up into the touch.

Roman pulled his own shirt off and then his hands dove under Virgil’s t-shirt, making the other flinch. He pulled his hands back, eyes full of concern as they met Virgil’s wide-blown pupils. “Virge? Are you okay?”

“I-I don’t know…” Virgil bit on his lower lip. He didn’t know why he was suddenly feeling his throat constrict at the thought of Roman pulling his shirt off; they’d made out topless in the past, and had been sharing a bed for several weeks. Maybe it was the knowledge that this moment was different. Virgil had never done this before. “Roman, I’m… a virgin. I don’t know how to do this, I feel so nervous. I don’t know…”

“Hey, shhh,” Roman leaned down to kiss his cheek. “We can wait as long as you need, even if it’s weeks or months from now. I’m in no rush. I love where we are now, okay? Not doing this tonight won’t change how I feel about you.” At those words, Virgil felt a surge of emotion, and he wanted to say those words, he felt them bubbling up again, but they didn’t come out. He couldn’t say those words yet.

Roman slipped his shirt back on and moved up on the bed, arms open for Virgil. The two snuggled close for a while until they decided to change into their pajamas, and once they were under the covers, the lights out, Virgil let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

-

Virgil was standing in the cafe on campus, waiting for his order of an iced coffee for Roman and a caramel macchiato for himself, when he felt a hand clap onto his shoulder. He jumped, glancing over to see Emile’s bright and shining smile. “Please don’t startle me like that.”

“Sorry, kiddo. I was just excited to see you here! Remy works here, and he’s just about to get off of his shift, maybe you wanna go to dinner with–”

“I can’t. Rehearsals,” Virgil muttered watching as Emile’s smile fell. “I appreciate the offer, though.”

“I thought you were a psychology major, Virgil. Why are you spending so much time on something that you’re not going to pursue in the future?” Emile’s question surprised Virgil, who crossed his arms.

“I am a psychology major, but I’m also a theater minor. I love doing this stuff, please don’t judge me,” Virgil had had his fair share of doubts on the subject before. “I can focus on both.”

“I’m not saying that you can’t kiddo, it’s just… well, you seem distracted.” Virgil glared at Emile over these words.

“You don’t know me, please don’t start acting like you can see right through me with all of this. I’m not distracted. I’m focused.” Virgil said nothing more before grabbing the two drinks from the counter and heading out the door and towards the theater, where he knew Roman would be waiting with a kiss and a hug.

Was he distracted? Was Roman distracting him from his education? He had been performing well in his courses and rehearsals, he hadn’t missed any assignments. Virgil didn’t think that he could be distracted, but… theater had become something more important to him, and a big reason for that was Roman, his rainbow.

And he’d do anything to ensure that the rainbow stayed, because he didn’t know if he could bear the storm clouds returning.

---

teaser for part eight: of flowers and freeing words

It had all happened so quickly; from the moment they met, Patton was in it. Their first date was unlike any other he had ever had, because they both broke down their walls. And as they grew to know each other more, as they progressed physically and emotionally, Patton wanted more and more to believe that Remus was the one he was made for. That, perhaps, Patton Hart, in his mother’s womb all those years ago, was being crafted just so that he could be held tenderly by Remus Creative.

Part Eight will be posted on Sunday, August 30 at 12PM PDT

---

part eight | part nine | part ten

---

taglist (to be added please send me an ask!)

@winterrose42​

@are-you-even--real​

@shaded14space

@lallyphant​

@deceits-left-glove​

@aricana8​

@pixelated-pineapple​

@starstruck-xavier​

@thiel​

@sophiexteresa​

@cemmy​

@toadink2005​

@eeveeeclair246​

@i-cant-find-a-good-username​

@pansexualpuppet​

@morgan-leaf​

[wickedlyqueer]

A Wicked Analysis: Fiyero

This post is an in-depth analysis of how I interpret Fiyero and why I made certain changes to his character in Wickedly Queer, not only for his character to work in a slightly alternated version, but also to try and give him more of an arc than he actually has. So with a final note that this is just my interpretation, let us begin!

There are very few things Fiyero Tigelaar and Fiyero Tiggular have in common. (For one, they don’t even share the same last name). I feel it’s hard to pin down book!Fiyero because we only get to really see him one chapter and I think that’s also why the musical writers didn’t really bother sticking to the character. But there is one aspect I found that both of them have in common: boredom.

In the book there’s this quote: “He knew he was in lazy doubt about everything; doubt was much more energy efficient than conviction.” That is about the most character revealing I found, but it does set a certain tone. Then there’s the musical. Let’s start with a lyric breakdown of his song Dancing Through Life (or as I like to call it: happified existentialism!)

What the characters around him hear and see is a boy who just doesn’t care about the rules and does his own thing and seems happy doing it. But look through the thinly veiled surface and you can see why Elphaba later on makes a comment about how unhappy Fiyero actually is:

“Life is fraughtless / when you’re thoughtless.”

Translation: Don’t think too hard, because if you do, you’ll fall into an endless pit of despair and nobody wants that so let’s have a party!

“Nothing matters / But knowing nothing matters / It's just life”

Okay, teen angst edge lord, calm down…

“Only because dust is what we come to.”

Haha, yikes! It’s a twisted version of ‘Carpe Diem’ that’s actually closer to ‘Memento Mori!” (don’t forget you’ll die!). And yes I am aware that the “thoughtless” and “brainless” is all just foreshadowing and an inside joke for the fate of Fiyero becoming the Scarecrow, but you cannot deny there is some serious existentialism going on here.

It also shows the contrast with the ending of the song, where it describes Elphaba’s and Glinda’s relationship: “And the strange thing / your life might end up changing / while you’re dancing through.”

While Fiyero basically sings: “just ignore life, you’re better off that way”. The theme Glinda and Elphaba dance to is: “if you go through life, and open your mind, you might end up being surprised by yourself and the people around you and being better off because of it.” Subtle lyrics difference, huge difference in implication.

This is my main motivation to believe that Fiyero is actually depressed. However he is not the (stereo)typical “I’m depressed and therefore sad and therefore will do nothing”. He is depressed in a sense that he’s going into reckless behavior, to try and feel something again. This is also amplified by the fact that he keeps getting kicked out of schools. Something in his life isn’t adding up, but he hasn’t discovered what, so instead he ignores it in the hopes it will go away.

Now here’s the point where I start to disagree with the musical writers, a lot. Because the story arc given to Fiyero is: “he falls for the less conventionally beautiful girl, and that shows growth because it means he no longer values being ~shallow~ and ~popular~ but loves Elphaba for who she is inside” and ok yeah this show was written in the early 2000s but come on it wasn’t even that revolutionary back then, it was every fucking teen movie I can think of off the top of my head.

Loving a girl that is not as conventionally beautiful as another girl is not a story arc. It’s not a ““sacrifice”” or selfless for “settling for less”. And no, I don’t think the writers actually thought like this when they wrote the script, but it’s still there. It’s the same old tiresome trope of “love is blind” and while that may be sweet in some ways, it’s also pretty dang nasty when you take a sec what it implies.

The logical step for his character development isn’t love. Fiyero doesn’t need to learn how to love. He knows how to love. Fiyero needs a purpose. Something to believe in; something to fight for. He needs to feel alive and getting the idea that life is worth living. That’s what Dancing Through Life is suggesting after all! He’s bored, and he needs something to do that doesn’t make him feel like he needs to shove down his negative feelings with mindless and careless behavior.

That’s where Elphaba comes in. Elphaba is the most passionate person you can meet. In that regard, they’re completely opposite from Fiyero. They know what they want out of life, and goddammit they will do everything in their power to get it too. Does Fiyero fall in love with them a little bit? Absolutely. But in the second act, Fiyero realizes that although he could not win Elphaba’s affection, it doesn’t really matter that much, because they have opened his eyes to being passionate about something.

Fiyero becomes passionate about the Animal cause. Through Elphaba, he has seen the injustice that is happening in Oz. In fact, he obviously has felt some himself being a black queer man. He definitely does have some privilege (mostly class-privilege) being a prince and all. But it does awaken a flame in him to stand up for what is right.

Instead of loving one person, he now loves others regardless. In the musical and in the book he is pretty selfish. Yes, he’s aware somewhat about the Animal cause, but he doesn’t really do anything about it. Just goes after his own interest. This is definitely not the case in WQ.

--

When you apply all that I’ve discussed so far to Fiyero’s character in Wickedly Queer I hope his actions make a lot of sense. So in chronological order:

He comes into Shiz and almost drives his car over Elphaba

Elphaba calls him out, and specifically in WQ they say: “Is this really how you go through life? Do you even notice anyone besides yourself?” which will come back later to bite Elphaba in the ass, because they’ll be proven wrong.

It doesn’t take a lot of convincing on Galinda’s part for Fiyero to agree to be her beard.

Like 70% because he has his “scandalous” reputation (rumors that he has dated boys, which is obviously true because he’s bi) and Galinda’s ‘good’ image will reflect well on him too. About 20% because he’s bored and depressed and has a habit to throw himself into all kinds of stuff just to do something with himself. And 10% because he is annoyed that Elphaba just called him selfish and he wants to prove them wrong.

This means that after Popular and before Dillamond gets fired, the exchange between Elphaba and Fiyero also changes. Galinda has told in the previous scene that Fiyero is her beard. Mending Elphaba’s judgement that he is a selfish prick. When Elphaba is properly ‘Galindafied’ and Fiyero comments on how “[Galinda] charmed [them] already” they are both aware of the connection the other person has to Galinda:

Elphaba knows Fiyero is bearding for Galinda.

Fiyero knows Elphaba has a crush on Galinda.

This also changes why Fiyero isn’t affected by Elphaba’s magic. Their opinion of him has changed because of Galinda, not because of that lousy comment of “You don’t need to know that y’know?” (do better boy >_>)

In the Lion Cub scene it is again established that Fiyero is not selfish at all: “Let me help you” until Elphaba dismisses him. When he protests, saying he is not useless, Elphaba agrees and tells him quietly that they were referring to Galinda. “It’s very thoughtful of you to look out for her.”

Break Time Question for the crowd: why can Elphaba call herself ugly in musical canon, and dismiss any compliments she receives, while it’s clear to the audience that this is not true. While Fiyero constantly depreciates himself by saying he is: “brainless” “thoughtless” “unwise” and everybody simply goes along with it. Right, right. Scarecrow-inside-joke. But still. He seems to have as many self-esteem issues just like Elphaba. Just the other way around. (smart <-> pretty)

That’s why I think it’s very important that Elphaba actually calls him thoughtful in this moment. But just as Elphaba cannot see themself as pretty, neither can Fiyero see himself as smart.

Of course, Fiyero is also realizing in this moment, that he is kind of admiring, dare he even admit, crushing on Elphaba. Which is incredibly unhelpful, because in the previous scene he already noted that Elphaba has feelings for Galinda. So while Elphaba frees the Lion cub, Fiyero gets to sing an I’m Not That Girl alternation in which he utilizes all these thoughts.

((He likes Elphaba, but they like Galinda, for whom he’s bearding. And while in the original Elphaba expresses how she’s not ‘beautiful’ (I wasn’t born for the rose and pearl) enough to be with Fiyero. WQ!Fiyero will most likely sing something similar, only he would not feel smart enough to be with Elphaba, even if they weren’t already in love with Galinda)).

When Elphaba is ready to set off to Emerald City, Fiyero still gives her flowers, but when he says: “about that Lion cub and everything, I think about that day a lot” it’s not a romantic implication. Fiyero has actually thought more about Animals and how unfair they’re being treated. Yes, flowers still indicate some romantic implications, but also to show his support. And hey, who doesn’t love a bunch of flowers, right?

Act II

We start act II with Thank Goodness. While I might not have changed a lot of dialogue here, I feel like the underlying tone of this scene has shifted tremendously from the original. So let’s dig into it, because I love this scene a lot.

So it becomes clear very quickly that Fiyero is still bearding for Glinda. When Glinda announces their engagement.

“Surprised? :D” “Yes..!” has a completely different meaning, because to Fiyero it reaffirms that Glinda is scared shitless to come out the closet and would even go as far as having a fake marriage with him to keep her public image.

When the Ozians start bashing Elphaba, they both get really upset. Fiyero storms off and Glinda goes after him. I kept this interaction mostly similar, because it shows where both of them stand. Glinda thinks it’s hopeless at this point. Elphaba left, Glinda stayed “that’s all there is to it”. She has accepted her role as public figure. Fiyero on the other hand doesn’t hesitate a second to suggest they should just leave this all behind. He’s ready to join the resistance at any time.

I’d like to take a moment and point out that Fiyero and Glinda are genuine friends in WQ, and after years of pretending to be a couple, they’re very aware of each other and their respective role. Fiyero is also no idiot. After Elphaba left, Glinda must’ve been an absolute wreck. He was there for her, because he’s the only one who knows that Glinda is gay and quickly put together that Elphaba’s and Glinda’s feelings were mutual. He knows it’s pointless to go after Elphaba, because he doesn’t even know where to start looking.

Until, an opening appears. Because Glinda stayed behind, she is now on good terms with the Wizard, who is quickly transforming her into a public figure. Fiyero discusses his plan to find Elphaba with Glinda and Glinda puts in a good word with the Wizard so Fiyero can join the Guard to “search for the Wicked Witch”.

In WQ Fiyero doesn’t join the Wizard’s Guard to try and find the woman he’s pining after. He joins the Guard because he wants to find the friend they both dearly miss. He isn’t emotionally cheating on Glinda. (That’s the whole “Glinda no, it wasn’t like that” “well it was… but it wasn’t.” referring to after all. Clearly it doesn’t count because they didn’t fuck right? Well jokes on you: emotionally cheating is still a form of cheating!) A complete dynamic change that I feel is for the better.

So Fiyero is ready to leave, until Glinda talks him out of it. “They don’t want to be found. You’ve got to face it.” It bursts the bubble of Fiyero’s dreams, but she has a point.

Glinda apologizes for the surprise engagement and explains: “people were asking questions.” Fiyero immediately understands she freaked out and came up with the surprise (public!) engagement, so people would stop asking questions. They have ‘been together’ for years after all. and you know if it’s one thing straight people are good at, is reinforcing heteronormative bullshit down everyone’s throat!

Glinda quickly says they don’t have to go through with it. She understand what Fiyero has done for her all these years and doesn’t want to pin him down in a position he doesn’t want to be in. Yet to her surprise, he agrees.

(I want to stress once again how selfless he is acting in this scene)

still he doesn’t leave without dropping a truth bomb: are you really sure you want to live your life behind a mask?

“But I have to ask, don’t you want to be with someone you truly love instead?”

Boq-Fiyero Parallel Break Time! Alrighty! We’ve entered the Nessarose/Boq scene and even though Fiyero is not in it, I’d like to take a moment to point out a parallel I have been thinking about, but not actively incorporated in the GIFs.

Musical!Boq is more a plot-device, which I’m not as bothered by as some. I do love book!Boq (with the exception that he’s a peeping tom, which fortunately, he grows out of). His banter with Elphaba and their friendship is one my favorite things of the entire book. So with my sincerest apologies to book!Boq, I’ll now delve into how WQ!Boq is even worse than musical!Boq.

So let’s take a quick look at all the speaking men roles of Wicked:

Dr. Dillamond: 100% plot device. Introduces the bigger issue, and just like in the book, is more a symbol than an actual player. He’s good, but has no real arc.

The Wizard: manipulative enabler with no real powers. Next!

Boq: seemingly nice guy who pines after a woman he can’t get and then becomes completely bitter and joins the witch hunters after he’s turned into the tinman. Conclusion: asshole.  

Fiyero: falls for another girl then the one he’s with, which is far from a crime. But then, doesn’t break up with Glinda, staying by her side while pining after Elphaba. Leaves Glinda for Elphaba and makes sure Elphaba stays alive. Conclusion: compared to the other guys not as big-a-dick-he-could-be. He’s the only guy out of the three main men who we’re suppose to side with.

I won’t explain Fiyero’s role again, because I think you get the gist by now. So what has this to do with WQ!Boq? Well, I’d like to turn him into the Nice Guy. Yes. That creep. He sees Galinda and instantly turns her into his manic pixie dream girl. He projects his ideals on her, without ever bothering of actually getting to know her.

His advances on her are explicitly predatory, because Galinda is a lesbian. She won’t ever return his affection. (Although, to be fair, Boq doesn’t know this. But the audience does. So the audience will feel uncomfortable with his behavior). Now, here is the parallel between Fiyero and Boq:

As you may remember, WQ!Fiyero develops a crush on Elphaba, and in a way, also projects certain ideals on Elphaba. Still, there is a difference with Boq. He is in awe of their passion, a spark that he has not known before that point. They inspire him.

Moreover, and this is the important part: Fiyero doesn’t sulk over his crush. He’s immediately aware that Elphaba won’t return his affections: and he accepts it! When he sings I’m Not That Girl he isn’t blaming Elphaba for anything. He just sings about what a stupid timing it is and how inconvenient these feelings are, and more than anything, it becomes apparent that Fiyero doesn’t think much of himself.

Instead of blaming the world for this unjust, he starts thinking about Elphaba and why they rescued the Lion cub. He starts seeing the injustice in Oz. And in the second act he’ll come to the conclusion that he has (mostly) misread his affections for them. They aren’t romantic as he thought, but are feelings of admiration.

Fiyero is a friend to Elphaba and Glinda. He comes close to those two, and helps them. He never complains that he isn’t loved the way he may have wanted at one point. He’s already glad to be a part of Elphaba’s life. This is reflected by the plot, which rewards his behavior.

Meanwhile, Boq never gets over his crush. In the second act, he’s still with Nessarose. Let’s remember that she has been pitied her entire life. Yes, she got more love and attention than Elphaba, but it had always that negative layer  underneath of a “pity party”. If people were shown to care for Nessa, they got popularity points for paying attention to the “poor cr*ppled girl”

Nessa really wants to believe Boq loves her, but she’s always placed second. She knows, on some level, she’s always been treated as a ‘lesser’ human for her disability (which I made a small plotpoint in WQ) So it’s additional painful that deep inside, she knows, that she’s only a second choice to Boq, who much rather would be with his self-indulgent fantasies of Glinda. 

This behavior gets punished in WQ. I’d say Boq’s behavior is already pretty heartless even before his heart shrinks and Elphaba turns him into the Tinman. He doesn’t respect Glinda or Nessarose. He becomes the bitter Nice Guy, who joins the witch hunters to kill the ‘woman’ who has wronged him.

The Wizard’s Chamber scene! This is a really important character moment for Fiyero. I have explained how Fiyero just goes along with almost anything due to his depression, causing him to be quite selfless. But now, there’s an opening to go after something he actually wants. Elphaba is right before his eyes and thus the Animal cause is within hand reach.

This is the first time we see Fiyero wanting something. He wants in. He tells Elphaba that it doesn’t matter what it costs.

“Fiyero [helping me] will haunt you for the rest of your life” “What if I believe the cause is worth it?”

Let me also emphasis here that Elphaba and Fiyero genuinely believe Glinda prefers to be in the Emerald City. Elphaba thinks so because of the Defying Gravity scene, where Glinda decided to stay behind. Fiyero thinks so because of the Thank Goodness scene, and her reluctance to run away, admitting that she can’t turn away from the glamour. (Little do they know the conflict within Glinda has already settled: she wants to be with Elphaba).

Glinda is suddenly overwhelmed by the whole scene and before she can even object, Fiyero has reminded her to “be good” and keep playing her part like she has done so far. And Elphaba and Fiyero run off.

(Yes Glinda is so upset that she does tell Morrible and the Wizard to “spread a rumor about Nessa”)

Obviously Elphaba and Fiyero won’t sing As Long As Your Mine. They do discuss some resistance stuff, and while Elphaba is at first reluctant, Fiyero points out that he’s already a fugitive “so I might as well be useful.”

While first act Fiyero seemed to be incredibly confident, in a later part of the scene, you’ll see he’s actually scared. Because for the first time, he has something to lose.

He uses this fear as a fuel. If he’s afraid of losing it, it’s worth fighting for.

There is obviously some more plot points yet to come, but I hope this explains the majority of his character in Wickedly Queer and why I interpreted him the way I did.

All is to say, in Wickedly Queer I tried to create an actual arc for Fiyero. Yes, one that might be pretty straightforward. But I’d also like to think that he challenges the viewer. As I’ve pointed out: Fiyero is never shown selfish during the entirety of the show. He constantly is shown helping others. When he does chose for himself, it’s in helping Elphaba and the Animals. So in a way, still pretty selfless.

It actively challenges the idea that most viewers will have when he first enters the stage: that he’s a rich, spoiled asshole. Instead, together with the rest of the characters, our prejudices trick us, and we soon realize that Fiyero grows into a wonderful guy who wants nothing more than the best for the people around him.

In the musical, Fiyero is supposed to be the good guy; in WQ he is the good guy.

--

Oof! Thanks for making it till the end! If you like this let me know. (damn I sound like a YouTuber. Don’t forget to hit that like button ;D) But seriously, I know I spouted a lot of theories just now (some of which may be complete bullshit) and I’m super interested if you have your own thoughts on this!

If you simple can’t get enough of these Wicked analyses, there’s the general wicked meta tag where I exchange theories with some of my followers (y’all are great! :D it’s genuine the best thing about this entire blog to interact with other wicked/gelphie fans!)

Here’s a (way shorter) analysis examining Fiyero’s “It’s looking at things another way” and comparing it to Glinda’s: “Why Miss Elphaba, look at you, you’re beautiful.”

I also did a video-analysis taking a closer look as Wicked as an adaptation, and yes, I will continue mentioning this until the ends of times okay? I worked very hard on that video. Link: Wicked: Re-imagining Stories Through Adaptations