#(because we all know both fiyero and glinda would take elphaba’s name)

[agir1ukn0w]

nothing but love and respect for my favorite thruple💚💖💙

[fangirlswilltakeovertheworld]

She-Ra High School Theatre Kid AU Headcanons

I made this because I am a theatre kid, and me and my sister were talking about Double Trouble being a theatre kid, so this happened. We basically came up with this entire au while we walked our dog.

Also I know none of this stuff would ever happen in real life, but it’s fanfiction, let me have this

LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOO

Angella as the director

Shadow Weaver as the assistant director

Horde Prime is the principal who is very not supportive of the arts

Hordak is the head of tech

Castaspella runs costumes

Huntara is the choreographer

Actors:

Catra - Has been in love with theatre since she was a kid, wants to be an actress when she grows up. She’s only ever cast as the villain/antagonist because she’s so good at playing those roles, but she’s not complaining. Shadow Weaver hates her and constantly talks down to her whenever Angella’s not around. Really good singer.

Double Trouble - Also in love with theatre. Brings the drama. Really good at whatever role they receive. Always competes with Sea Hawk for the lead role regardless of gender.

Sea Hawk - Theatre kid is his entire personality and he lives for it. Competes with Double Trouble for the lead role regardless of gender. Loves roles that get to do fight choreography. Has a habit of setting at least one prop, set, or costume on fire every show. No one knows how, and honestly, neither does he.

Glimmer - Director kid vibes, we’ve all met one. You know what I’m talking about. Usually gets a big speaking role, but not the lead. Jealous of Catra bc Glimmer thinks the villains get better songs. Catra agrees and holds it over her head constantly. Has a habit of being an “actor director” sometimes, but never in a mean or condescending way, and most of the time Angella was going to give the same note. Most of the time.

Bow - Actor/Techie. Auditions for a role, but if he doesn’t get one, he’ll do tech. He doesn’t have a preference, he just likes being a part of the process and being with his friends. One of the only basses in the department.

Mermista - Actor/stage manager. Even when she has a role in the current show, Mermista is still the stage manager bc she’s the only one who can deal with and control everyone’s shit(aka Sea Hawk level shenanigans). Actually a really good actor when she puts effort into her roles, but it has to be for a show she actually likes.

Kyle - Usually ensemble, but sometimes he has small speaking roles. Famous for breaking or losing props.

Techies:

Entrapta - Sound/lights. Works with Hordak, they’re close friends. He’s dreading her graduation bc she’s the only who actually understands how to run the systems. She insists she’ll be back tho.

Scorpia - Build crew. Stronk. Nuff said. Started bc she wanted to support Catra, and kept doing it bc she thought the head costumer was cute.

Adora - Also build crew. Again, stronk. Paints occasionally because that was her first choice, but they lack muscle strength in build. Can only get away with painting if Lonnie is there that day. Joined to watch Catra and Catra only. Has only listed to the songs that Catra sings in her role. Has never listened to a full Broadway album. Glimmer is disappointed.

Lonnie - Build crew. Not that interested but comes to support her friends when she doesn’t have lacrosse practice. Never runs a show, but watches every night.

Rogelio - Paint crew. Adora lost an arm wrestling contest to him, and he got first choice. She’s forever salty for it but too nice to argue.

Perfuma - Head of costumes. Castaspella and her get along great, they practically have the same personality. Crushing on Scorpia.

Frosta - Costumes. Cousins with Mermista. Comes bc she heard about the chaos and drama that goes down. Will run shows if she doesn’t have hockey practice.

Swift Wind - Fly.

Now for the plot:

The show for the year: Wicked

Cast

Glinda - Double Trouble

Elphaba - Catra

Fiyero - Sea Hawk

Boq - Kyle

Nessa - Glimmer

Madame Morrible - Mermista

The Wizard - Bow

But then two tragedies occurred

Tragedy 1: Angella had to step down as director bc Micah was in the hospital or something idk

Tragedy 2: 2 days later, Sea Hawk breaks his leg pretty bad and he won’t be better in time for the show

Le gasp

So Shadow Weaver takes over as director

Some Shadow Weaver background info: She was a famous actress many years ago and thinks this high school production stuff is below her. She still has a lot of connections to the professional world that she uses from time to time. She wants Adora to follow in her footsteps as a famous actor despite Adora being an incredibly bad actor. She hates that Adora does crew and not acting, but couldn’t do anything about it. Until now.

Now that she’s director and they’re down a Fiyero, she basically forces Adora to play Fiyero, despite the other capable actors who could’ve done it and Adora’s own protests. Think something like: “why can’t bow do it? I’ll be the wizard if there really aren’t enough actors!” “Oh no, bow is the only one who can hit the wizards notes bla bla bla”

Adora doesn’t want to do it, but she also doesn’t want the department to not be able to do the show. Plus she would get to hang out with Catra a lot which would be cool

I’m guessing you can already tell where the conflict is coming from, but we had some very clear ideas of stuff that happened, like

Adora was behind bc she wasn’t going to play the role originally, she’s never acted before, and she can’t dance. So she has a lot of one on one practices with Huntara, the choreographer. Before getting the role, the only practices Adora would watch if she didn’t have crew were the dance practices. She went purely to watch Catra, but Catra thinks that she has a crush on Huntara.

Tension and miscommunication, y’know?

Bow and Glimmer are both very supportive but also nervous bc they know that Adora is extremely bad at acting

Sea Hawk has never seen Adora try to act before, so he doesn’t see what the issue is. Once he’s well enough to go to school again, he comes to every rehearsal even tho he can’t be in the show. And then he sees. And then he’s like, oh no.

But he tries to be supportive and pump Adora up.

Adora is feeling a lot of pressure bc of her new role and doesn’t want to screw things up for everyone.

Catra is a little pissed off that she’s been paired up with someone who can’t act for her senior show, so she’s a little snippy at first, and Adora is tense, and it’s a mess

But Shadow Weaver doesn’t care, and ends up blaming every problem they have during an acting scene with Adora and Catra on Catra, even though she’s the best actor in the department. Because ✨favoritism✨

And you know, they do the whole hot-cold, she hates me, she’s cute, I love her but she doesn’t like me, bla bla bla throughout the course of the show

A week before opening night, Shadow Weaver makes things worse by mentioning that she invited her friend who’s a talent scout to watch the show. Shadow Weaver wants the scout to help get Adora into the acting business.

Catra wants to use this opportunity to get her name out there, so she needs her performance to be perfect

Which is hard to do when her love interest couldn’t act her way out of a paper bag

It’s two days before the show and they still haven’t practiced the kiss scene. Every time they brought it up before, like “should we practice the kiss? I mean, only if you want we don’t have to”, they both got the impression that the other didn’t want to kiss them

(Useless lesbians)

So it’s 2 days before the show, and Shadow Weaver is like, you gotta practice the kiss

So they kiss, and Catra is like, whoa she’s a really good kisser, so she’s quiet after the kiss

And of course, Adora takes that silence as “she hated the kiss and she hates me” as you do

So their practices the next two days are even worse than they were before

Finally, it’s opening night. The scout is coming and they’re out of time. Shadow Weaver ends up shoving Catra and Adora into a closet. She does her whole “you don’t want to let me, your friends, or the audience down do you? Whatever’s distracting you needs to go” to Adora, and then she turns to Catra and is like “fix what you’ve done, I know you sabotaged her you useless child. You’re going to be the reason this show goes horribly” and then she leaves

AND CATRA AND ADORA ACTUALLY TALK I KNOW IM SHOCKED TOO

Adora’s like, sorry I’ve been so weird the past two days, I just realized I really like you after we kissed, but I know you don’t feel that way about me, sorry if that makes it weird

And Catra’s like, Adora you idiot I love you

And they kiss

And Bow finds them still kissing in the closet 20 minutes before the show opens and rushes them to Castaspella to get their make up fixed

It ends up being Adora’s best performance because every time they’re about to go on for a scene together, Catra tells her to forget about the audience and just focus on her

The scout ended up liking Catra and Double Trouble a lot to Shadow Weaver’s disappointment

Facts that aren’t important to the main plot, but definitely happened

One time, before Sea Hawk broke his leg, Catra was trying out her harness for the defying gravity and other flying scenes, and Swift Wind, who does fly, accidentally dropped her and she landed on Adora

No Good Deed was the best moment in the show, and the amount of emotion Catra was able to put into her performance during that song was a little frightening but also made a lot of people tear up

The second best scene in the show was surprisingly As Long as you’re Mine, because Adora was actually able to forget about the audience and just focus on her love for Catra

The show last year was Mean Girls. Catra was Regina. Glimmer was Gretchen(you can’t argue that she doesn’t give off, “I don’t think my father, the inventor of toaster stroodle, would be very pleased to hear about this” vibes). Mermista was surprisingly amazing as Karen, and played her deadpan perfectly. No one knows how she did it. Sea Hawk was Cady, Double Trouble was Janice, and Bow was Damien. They reference their experiences during this show during Wicked, but the only thing Adora remembers about that production is how hot Catra was during World Burn.

Ironically (or unironically, idk), Glimmer once said “I don’t think my mother, the director of the show, will be very pleased to hear about this” to an actor who was found sabotaging Catra’s mic for the show before Mean Girls. Catra thought Shadow Weaver put her up to it but there was no proof.

Princess Prom but making it Dancing Through Life

Or is it Dancing Through Life but make it Princess Prom

If someone wants to write this, please do, just send me the link so I can read it! I would write it myself but I’m lazy lol.

[wickedobsessed101]

Fanfic Writer Asks

[SOURCE: criminal-minds-fanfiction: Most of the writer ask posts I come across are only like ten or so questions long so I thought I’d try to make a longer one because we like talking about our writing! Feel free to reblog!]

I’m answering all of these b/c I love Q & A’s about my writing, both for my fics and other things.

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fanfiction? It was 2013, so I was 14 years old. I’m now almost 23.

2) What fandoms do you write for and do you have a particular favourite if you write for more than one? I’m mostly in the Wicked Musical fandom, but I like to read for other fandoms, like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Chronicles of Narnia, ect.

3) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer. OCs, but I’m more than willing to create an OC for someone based on characteristics they give me.

4) What is your favourite genre to write for? I love me some fluffy romance and hurt/comfort, but I also love some angsty drama.

5) If you had to choose a favourite out of all of your multi-chaptered stories, which would it be and why? OMG, don’t make me choose! They’re all my babies! I love all my children equally! They all hold special places in my heart.

6) If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why? Goodness, most of my stories prior to 2017, because I was in high school and had no idea what I was doing because I was just getting my feet wet with writing.

7) When is your preferred time to write? Anytime really. The latest I’ve stayed up writing a fic was 4AM. *Glares at ‘Threads of Truth’*

8) Where do you take your inspiration from? Where ever it happens to come up. I’m not picky. Movies, music, people I’ve seen on the street, random thoughts that enter my head, anything.

9) In your xxx fic, what’s your favourite scene that you wrote? In ‘Threads of Truth’, it’s a tie between Villy’s first date, and an argument that happens in an upcoming chapter. And that’s all I’m saying about that.

10) In your xxx fic, why did you decide to end it like that? Did you have an alternative ending in mind? In ‘Play The Game’, I liked the epilogue ending that I gave Elphaba with her family, even without Fiyero. I like writing her with kids. Another ending would be with the Fiyeraba still together, but I’m satisfied with the ending it has.

11) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it? I’ll go back and fix typos that are pointed out, but I don’t change plot stuff. Like, I wrote what I wrote and I will amend my technique in future stories.

12) Who is your favourite character to write for? Why? Other than my OCs, because I get to fully create them and my lowkey babies, I’d have to say G(a)linda. She has so much potential and she’s so much fun.

13) Who is your least favourite character to write for? Why? Boq. Not because I hate him (I don’t!), but because I don’t normally know what to do with him. If he’s not with Nessa, he’s literally just standing there like a brick wall. No offence, Boq!

14) How did you come up with the title for the xxx? - You can ask about multiple stories. [Ask me about a specific story(ies)]

15) If you write OC’s, how do you decide on their names? I usually change consonants and vowels to already existing names, or add unnecessary letters because... reasons.

16) How did you come up with the idea for xxx? [Ask me about a specific story]

17) Post a line from a WIP that you’re working on. “Hopefully, this will soak up any more leaks.” (Upcoming Wicked fanfic)

18) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them? Yes, 2. Both of them are a few years old and I’ve grown as a writer since then. Maybe one day, I’ll edit them and repost, but not anytime soon.

19) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to? Not everything can have a sequel, y’all! XD

20) Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently? Yes! Around 60% of them.

21) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire? @vinkunwildflowerqueen @raven-curls @mylittleelphie @weaselspeedfanfic Ultimate Queen of Cliffies

22) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it? This goes back to Question #6; most of what I posted prior to 2017.

23) Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence? Silence. I need to focus.

24) How do you feel about writing smutty scenes? I can’t write it. They’ll make out, and then be pregnant in the next chapter. Y’all can do the math for yourselves.

25) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story? YES! Yes, I have! Both sad tears and tears of joy. I’ve also cringed from second-hand embarrassment at the things the characters do and say. I’m not in control of their actions all the time. Sometimes they tell me what they’re gonna do, and I’m like, “Well, alright, then.”

26) Which part of your xxx fic was the hardest to write? [Ask me about a specific story]

27) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow? I write bullet points of things I want to happen in a chapter on the Word Doc, or in the story as a whole, and I try to keep those bullet points in order. And the Notes App on my phone holds a lot of my ideas, and sometimes full scenes.

28) What is something you wished you’d known before you started posting fanfiction? That I’d become obsessed with writing and continue doing it for almost ten years, as well as expanding to writing plays and musicals.

29) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like? Yeah. I’m not gonna say which one, but just know there’s one... or a few.

30) In contrast to 29 is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at? Yes, and I’m still not gonna say which one(s). I want all the love!

31) Send me a fic recommendation and I’ll post it for my followers to see! (The asker is to send the rec, not the answerer) Yeah, sure!

32) Are any of your characters based on real people? Yes. Villy Doiir from ‘Threads of Truth’ is based on 4 people I know in real life, all mixed together into one wholesome, mother figure/ mentor. Perhaps that’s why I like writing her so much.

33) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten? All reviews keep me going, no matter the length. But I love it when people review saying that they picked up on little references that were really just for me. It makes me feel like we’ve shared a moment.

34) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten? A guest reviewer once said, “You tend to write Fiyero as an abusive person”. It wasn’t harsh, just... NOT TRUE. Especially for the story they were reviewing.

35) Do you share your story ideas with anyone else or do you keep them close to your chest? Close to my chest. I’ll share it with the world when I’m ready.

36) Can you give us a spoiler for one of your WIP’s? NOPE! You’ll just have to wait and see! LOL!

37) What’s the funniest story you’ve written? I... really don’t know. My stories all have their funny moments.

38) If you could collab with any other writer on here, who would it be? (Perhaps this question will inspire some collabs!) If you’re shy, don’t tag the blog, just name it. I’m very busy, and collabs aren’t really my thing, but I’m always willing to lend an extra pair of eyes pre-posting.

39) Do you prefer first, second or third person? I’ve written one story in the first person and it was fun to get into the character’s head, but I love third person, cause I like knowing what everyone is thinking. Second person makes me feel a certain way and that don’t really like.

40) Do people know you write fanfiction? IRL, no. It’s not something I bring up over dinner. I’ll talk about my plays and musicals, but not fanfiction. I like keeping my fics for the online peeps and my more personal writings for the RL peeps.

41) What’s you favourite minor character you’ve written? My OC, Princess Hannalyn, from ‘A Royal Romance’. She was so much fun!

42) Song fic - What made you decide to use the song xxx for xxx. I haven’t done a song fic.

43) Has anyone ever guessed the plot twist of one of your fics before you posted it? Not fully, but they’ve had little inklings, but certain details were still a surprise. And I’m not mad about it.

44) What is the last line you wrote? “I don’t want this to be the last time we see each other.”

45) What spurs you on during the writing process? When I’ll have one idea, and it spirals into many others, and when the characters write themselves. It makes it so much easier for me. Sometimes they tell me that they’re about to make a bad decision, and I just go along with it. They need to learn and grow somehow.

46) I really loved your xxx fic. If you were ever to do a sequel, what do you think might happen in it? [Ask me for a specific story]

47) Here’s a fic title - insert a made up title. What would this story be about? [Ask me]

48) What’s your favourite trope to write? I love a good Royalty AU (not fully AU ‘cause of our princey-prince, but still) and Holiday AUs. And I’ve never written a Coffeeshop AU, but I LOVE reading them. I’ll read anything. I’m not picky, and I love to see what ideas others have.

49) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about? Yes, and both of them were Gelphies: 1 - “Easier Said Than Done” by mecelphie - It’s part of a long, wonderful series of Elphaba and Glinda together at Shiz and how their lives evolve together and has many lovable OCs. 2 - “The Thropp Diaries” by denpa wave chick saki - It’s first-person Elphaba POV of the book. It expands on lots of mentioned moments and we get to journey through Elphaba’s thoughts.

50) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why? I’d have to say fluff, so I can get my escape from reality. But it’s hard to write pure fluff without a little bit of conflict.

If you wanna read my stories, they’re all right here: Fae’sFlower

[gascon-en-exil]

Who Can Say if I've Been Changed For the Better?: Ferdibert Does Wicked

This concept has been a bit in building. It started from a much-loved cover by Hubert and Ferdinand’s VAs inspired by their support line and the broad observation that these two are a musicals couple who absolutely would sing their feelings in all manner of theatrical AUs. It continued through my later observation that there’s ample material to carry that idea even further, albeit with a shift outside of Crimson Flower for a better tonal match. Still, I’m not quite sure what to call this project; it’s not really a headcanon nor is it fanfic by any means. I’ve written a handful of longform character/narrative explorations before, although when it comes to FE I’ve previously been inspired to do so only for Jugdral characters. That setting is somehow both underdeveloped and deceptively dense - and I suppose in a way you could say the same of Three Houses as well, insofar as it’s been incredibly popular for fan content of all sorts.

Regardless of what this post is in terms of my fandom output, the following isn’t exactly a Wicked AU as such. Rather, it’s how I would envision a hypothetical blend of the non-CF routes of FE16 centering around the Eagles trio and set to the structure and songs of the musical as organically as possible. There are no 1:1 analogues with characters and plotlines from Wicked, because few if any would exist without a lot of tweaking; to use the VA cover example, Ferdinand might be a decent proxy for G(a)linda, but the mere presence of Edelgard substantially complicates Hubert’s claim to the Elphaba role. The similarities only unravel further from there, but I did my best.

Writing this out gave me the opportunity to play around with Edelgard’s character as a way of addressing what I and many others in my circle have long considered to be some of the major problems with her canon presentation. For Ferdibert meanwhile I got to make use of my headcanons for how their relationship would develop outside of their support line, in a way that mostly preserves Hubert’s delightful evil wickedness. Add some ruminations on how one would splice together the non-CF routes in a dramatically satisfying fashion, some snark directed at the non-character of Byleth, and a bit of background Dimidue/Lions OT5 for spice and that just about sums it up. Enjoy this…whatever this is.

Act I

“No One Mourns the Wicked”

The show opens on the citizens of Adrestia celebrating the death of their emperor and the end of her bloody war. Ferdinand rides in, resplendent on his steed, and is hailed as the new Duke Aegir as he relates to the crowd the news of Edelgard’s death at the hands of the combined army of liberators. The “Are people born wicked?” flashback sequence is replaced with a summary mostly in pantomime of Edelgard’s backstory: the Insurrection, her being taken to Faerghus and then returning, and then being experimented on by the Agarthans before agreeing to work with them. Notably Hubert is not named or referenced anywhere in this song, appearing only as a boy at Edelgard’s side at appropriate times during the flashback.

“Dear Old Shiz”

Someone in the crowd finally brings up Hubert, the emperor’s vile and murderous minister, and accuses Ferdinand of having been his friend. With Ferdinand even more flustered than Glinda since his “It depends on what you mean by friend” definitely carries sexual undertones, so begins the flashback to Part 1. There’s an equivalent intro of Garreg Mach, so one may feel free to insert any headcanons for school songs here. The following dialogue scene establishes the student body in general and the dynamic of the Eagles trio in particular: Ferdinand pompous and eager to one-up Edelgard at any opportunity, and Edelgard and Hubert cold and dismissive toward his antics and just about everyone else for that matter. Edelgard is instantly enamored of the quiet new professor, of course. Because the room assignment conflict doesn’t make a lot of sense with the monastery’s setup, instead Ferdinand is incensed that Edelgard is chosen as the Eagles’ house leader over him even though it’s been ages since a Hresvelg has attended. Neither Nessarose nor Morrible has an exact equivalent (although Seteth can act in Morrible’s role as the academy’s main authority figure), so the segue into the next song ends there.

“The Wizard and I”

Now alone together, Edelgard and Hubert have a brief dialogue outlining their villainous plans for the school year. This establishes Hubert’s hypercompetency but also how detached and professional Edelgard is around him. Then comes the song, now “My Lady and I,” which serves as Hubert’s character introduction. In tones more sinister than Elphaba ever reaches - you know he’d have fun with “When people see me they will scream” - he outlines his history with his lady, that he delights in serving her because she validates his work ethic and gives him an outlet for his ruthlessness and cruelty. Where Elphaba fantasizes about the Wizard removing her green skin, Hubert instead goes full Nice Guy, believing that once he’s given Edelgard her continental empire and crushed all her enemies she’ll be so grateful that of course she’ll put out for him.

“What Is This Feeling?”

You could rip the tone of this one directly from the Ferdibert C support and change nothing - homoerotic subtext included. I like the thought of Hubert replacing Elphaba’s deadpan one-word summation of Galinda with a mocking imitation of Ferdinand's most memetic line: "He is Ferdinand von Aegir!". The chorus can be made up of any number of other students excluding Edelgard, who’d happily agree that Hubert is ugly, creepy, and downright unpleasant.

“Something Bad”

The content of this song and surrounding scenes would have to be completely altered, but they work as a necessary reminder that the plot of Part 1 is still going on in the background of all the school drama. Seteth runs through the major events up to Chapter 9 of the game, including the bandit threat, Flayn’s kidnapping, and the experiments on the Remire villagers. The audience/accompaniment for this exposition dump ought to be Dimitri and Claude with Byleth as a silent observer (more on them later), with Edelgard brushing off the news and eventually being the one to shut down the song as Morrible does. There could be some small side character moments in here as well particularly involving the Lions and Deer since they get so little focus in this story.

“Dancing Through Life”

Speaking of which, this was an awkward sequence to place. It matches up chronologically with the ball in Chapter 9 and the main part, Fiyero’s, is a dead ringer for Sylvain and his flirty, hedonistic nihilism (“Nothing matters / but knowing nothing matters!”), but it’s hard to tie into what’s going on with the Eagles trio particularly with the Ferdibert timeframe preserved, i.e. unlike Elphaba and Galinda they don’t become closer until after the timeskip.

As such I see this song as an opportunity for little vignettes with the other students: Dimitri angry over how Dedue’s talked about and hoping they can share a dance (fitting contrast with the coldness of Edelbert), Felix prickly between Dimitri’s recent outbursts and Sylvain’s showboating, Claude hinting toward the bigger picture with Hilda flitting between her excitement over the dance and knowing more than she's letting on, Dorothea casually taking note of Edelgard’s fascination with Byleth (see just below), Bernadetta as a wallflower who doesn’t want to be disturbed (a setup for Act II), etc. Thanks to one of the Forging Bonds events in Heroes I had the thought that the "You/we deserve each other" through line that later gets attached to Nessarose can become one for Dimitri's relationships, with Felix initially throwing it out at him and Dedue and the two of them then turning "We deserve each other" into a romantic line...and then an ironic one and finally a triumphant one come Act II, by that point with Felix et al included as well.

I’m not sure that the following scene of Galinda and Elphaba bonding on the dance floor really needs an equivalent, although it could be altered to something Edeleth-related. In any case Ferdinand ought to get a dance scene of some nature, so he can try to show up Edelgard as he brags about in canon.

“Popular”

It would be a travesty to have a musical starring FE16’s cast and not give Dorothea and/or Manuela a solo. This song works quite well for the former, and it doesn’t intrude on the Ferdibert development with the aforementioned timeframe and how the lightly sapphic vibe doesn’t translate well to two guys. Dorothea has taken note of her good friend Edie’s crush on their mysteriously wooden professor, and she senses the opportunity for a makeover. Not as exaggerated as Dorothea trying to make over Hubert, naturally, but I still think this works out well. Also, Galinda’s observation on leaders, “Did they have brains or knowledge? / Don’t make me laugh! They were popular!”, is darkly comedic when said to Edelgard.

“I’m Not That Girl”

This song comes with preceding dialogue scenes for setup, so those first. Edelgard emerges fresh from her makeover (given her general hot for teacher fixation, I’m thinking she’d lean pretty hard on the naughty schoolgirl look) to Byleth silently grieving Jeralt’s death - bad timing there. She’s as callous about it as she is in canon, only now with more clumsy flirting, and while it’s impossible as always to tell if Byleth notices or cares Hubert most certainly does. The scene segues into the Eagles trio together, with Edelgard alluding to the upcoming events in the Sealed Forest and indicating that Hubert should meet up with her later for some more villainous scheming after he’s ditched Ferdinand. Ferdinand, indignant about being left out of the loop as he is in canon, grumpily points out that he was a much more splendid dancer at the ball than Edelgard, makeover or not. To his utter surprise, Hubert acknowledges that this is true before leaving. This leads into the actual song, altered from homoerotic via triangulation of desire to an outright sexual awakening for Ferdinand. He realizes that part of his jealousy toward Edelgard is that he wishes Hubert were devoted to him instead, and tells himself not to get his hopes up because he’s, well, not that girl or even a girl. We shall of course leave aside how anyone could be attracted to someone as repulsive as Hubert; that’s part of the inherent comedy of this pairing.

“One Short Day”

This was the hardest song to place in this whole project. The touristy trip to the Emerald City just doesn’t have an analogue in the story of Three Houses, especially not late in Part 1 when tension is mounting toward the upcoming reveal and war. It took me a while to realize that it works wonderfully as an Edeleth piece: Edelgard invites Byleth to Enbarr for her coronation, but that scene is left offscreen in favor of a light romp through the city that further highlights Edelgard’s crush as well as her emotional immaturity in spite of everything she’s about to do. She just wants to have a fun day out and take in the sights and eat sweets with her beloved teacher, and it’s all very “Edge of Dawn”-esque where Edelgard knows she’s about to do terrible things that will change everything forever and hopes to prolong the time until she has to take that step. Adjustments to the lyrics could even work in reference to that song to make the similarities more apparent. An awkward/funny issue here is that I envision Byleth to be totally silent throughout this musical with no sung or spoken parts, which would naturally make them having a duet impossible and make Edelgard’s fascination with them even weirder. Even their gender should be left ambiguous throughout, somehow never confirmed if it’s m!Byleth or f!Byleth. It would take a lot of reworking, but I can see the value in it.

“A Sentimental Man”

The core of the Wizard’s character is not all that different from Rhea’s. Both were thrust unexpectedly into positions of authority that required them to enact a large-scale deception to maintain their power/safety, and both are driven somewhat by parental feelings. The tone of the Wizard’s songs doesn’t align well with Rhea, but once you cut out the vaudeville and do some rewording I could see this one working as Rhea addressing her child (among other things) Byleth at the Holy Tomb just before the Flame Emperor reveal. Of course the dramatic irony hits differently; Rhea knows who and what Byleth is whereas the Wizard doesn’t learn about Elphaba until the end of the show. Nonetheless this would still establish Rhea’s character and motivations as well as set the stage for the impending betrayal.

“Defying Gravity”

Said betrayal being Byleth’s, who decides to stand by Rhea and condemn Edelgard as the Flame Emperor when she arrives with her army. This is another song in parts that would need to be broken up. Edelgard gets the bulk of it, but the middle sections between Elphaba and Glinda could work as a kind of separated duet with Edelgard and Hubert attempting to convince Byleth and Ferdinand respectively to join them. Because of Byleth’s silence only Ferdinand can reply in song; only he and Edelgard add the “my friend” bit to the end of this segment, to illustrate the unevenness of Edeleth and Ferdibert at this point in the story. Then things turn to full bombast, albeit darker than in Wicked proper. Edelgard does the belting, Hubert’s sinister laughter reverberates below her (would it be too tasteless for him to be leering up her skirt the whole time?), Ferdinand has Glinda’s mournful “I hope you’re happy!” toward Hubert, and through this and the reprise of “No One Mourns the Wicked” the major events of the timeskip are enacted in pantomime or silhouette. Byleth tumbles off a cliff, Rhea is taken captive as is Dimitri but Dedue rushes after him, and Claude makes a tactical retreat. Side note: “And if I’m flying solo, / at least I’m flying free” is classic Edelgard fixating on Byleth and forgetting that Hubert exists.

Act II

“Thank Goodness”

A surprisingly tough one here. The core of the song, pivoting around the double meaning of “I couldn’t be happier,” suits early Part 2 Ferdinand perfectly, second-guessing his choice and, outside of CF, melancholy about fighting his homeland. In terms of plot it’s an easy translation too, with the crowd announcing the terrible things the Empire has been doing to win its war - persecuting believers, abducting civilians and turning them into Demonic beasts, consorting with inhuman shadowy figures who can disguise themselves as ordinary people - and the assembly working as a way to bring together the leads of the three routes: Byleth, Dimitri (who had Dedue always at his side and thus never had a full psychotic break), Claude, and Seteth, with Ferdinand representing the Adrestian resistance. It’s only the wedding announcement that’s hard to pin down, and I toyed with a number of ideas including Dimidue making yet another public declaration of devotion to one another or Ferdinand planning to follow through with his arranged marriage to Bernadetta they have in their supports (which makes more sense in light of the following sequence). In the end though I don’t think the marriage element is strictly necessary, leaving the song as a means of catching up with the cast five years later and seeing them united against Edelgard - with Ferdinand’s private regrets the only sour note.

“Wicked Witch of the East”

More a dialogue than a song, but still important. Bernadetta is arguably the Eagle other than Hubert most comfortable supporting Edelgard, because all Edelgard has to do is put Count Varley under house arrest for Bernadetta to sing the emperor’s praises. I can also see her as the same sort of self-centered, negligent ruler that Nessarose becomes in Wicked, not because of an unrequited attraction but because of her reclusive desire to be left alone. I see this scene playing out as Hubert surprising Bernadetta at her estate, angry about rumors that she may be helping the rebels and/or engaged to Ferdinand if going with that plot point after Edelgard has done her the favor of locking up her father. He’s fully prepared to, ahem, “persuade” Bernadetta, but before he can break out the torture implements Ferdinand arrives asking for her to support the rebels’ cause.

Farcical, sure, but it gets the two of them together again after five years and underscores how strong their UST has become in their time apart, with Hubert too flabbergasted to attack a known enemy and Ferdinand expressing how happy he is to see Hubert again despite everything. Each learns that the other isn’t as happy about his chosen path as he’d hoped, in Hubert’s case because his lady has grown ever more distant from him as the war has dragged on. Bernadetta cuts through the tension by bringing things back to the song (sort of) and blurting out that she knows both sides are marshalling their forces near Gronder Field. Ferdinand is too caught up in the fraught romance angle to do more than leave with this new information, but Hubert recovers enough to condemn Bernadetta for her flagrant misrule (venting by inference his frustrations toward Edelgard in the process) and resolve to set her on fire for her treachery.

“I’m Not That Girl (Reprise)”

The Gronder rematch happened offscreen - and Bernadetta was indeed set on fire - and on the Imperial side Edelgard is left increasingly frustrated over her losses and hurt that Byleth still refuses to listen to her and continues to fight her regime. You may notice that I’ve shuffled around the middle of Act II, necessary at this point in order to better line up with FE16’s story and Hubert and Edelgard’s separate narrative climaxes while also ensuring that those climaxes don’t overlap too much. This song is only a brief reprise, but it’s a significant one; Hubert finally realizes that Edelgard will never love him. It’s also kept gender-neutral, because Byleth.

“As Long as You’re Mine”

That segues naturally into this moment. Ferdinand sneaks into Enbarr using his unexpected stealth powers (I usually talk about Dedue having them, but Ferdinand shows he’s no slouch in his Mercedes supports) and encounters Hubert. Their UST boils over in a furor of awkward, impassioned sex and also this song. I like the idea of rewording some of Fiyero's lines to incorporate Hubert's acidic snark: “Maybe you’re brainless, / maybe you’re wise.” It’s all very desperate and sensual, ending with Ferdinand taking Elphaba’s line about feeling wicked for the first time - which will have a dark reverberation two songs from now.

“Wonderful”

Again, axe the vaudeville and it’s a solid Rhea song. There’s just the small problem of Rhea being captured at this point in the plot; I thought about moving this number toward the very end at first before reconsidering. While Hubert and Ferdinand are rolling in the sheets, a distraught Edelgard confronts Rhea in prison. Rhea responds to Edelgard’s frustrations with Byleth with her backstory in song, much more somber than the Wizard but, like him, still willing to rehabilitate her estranged listener. The bits of this song about the nature of history are especially relevant to what Edelgard falsely believes about the church and what she views as her own legacy, so I could see this as an interesting character study on what Edelgard actually wanted with her war apart from dragon genocide. There’s a lot that could be done here in the dialogue surrounding those revelations.

“No Good Deed”

However the interrogation of Rhea turns out, Edelgard takes a leaf out of SS Dimitri’s book and visits Byleth alone at the monastery, only to be as harshly rebuffed as is possible to be without the rebuffer speaking. Then comes this song, which was incidentally the one where I realized that Edelgard would need a major role in FE16-does-Wicked even with the Ferdibert focus. Hubert fully embraced his evil wickedness long ago and wouldn’t think twice about being wicked or being perceived as such, but Edelgard is a different matter. Here she breaks down, admitting that her good intentions were largely selfish and that she regrets that her war has cost her any relationship she could have had with Byleth (continuing the joke at his expense, Hubert goes unmentioned when Edelgard names the people she’s lost/failed). It ends with a foreshadowing of her Hegemon form, the sign that she’s abandoned all pretense of goodness and become truly wicked.

“March of the Witch Hunters”

Another ensemble/vignette piece, checking in with the various members of Byleth’s army as they prepare to storm Enbarr. Dimitri hopes for the chance to forgive his stepsister, Claude has big plans for the continent and wants to remove the threat Edelgard poses, Seteth is desperate to find Rhea, and Byleth…is there. As in many of the songs, the self-righteousness of the crowd here rings more sincere and less hypocritical than in Wicked given Three Houses has actual villains, but it still works.

“For Good”

The song that inspired this whole thing, now with many paragraphs of context to set it up instead of only some fluff based on the Ferdibert A+ support. Ferdinand sneaks into Enbarr (again) ahead of the battle, and their second love ballad is more somber as they resign themselves to their fates. As in the VA cover, Hubert refuses to ask forgiveness for anything and Ferdinand is fine with that.

“Finale”

Wicked reduces the final battle from The Wizard of Oz to silhouettes backed by sections of “No One Mourns the Wicked,” and that’s what comes here: Ferdinand and Hubert facing each other in battle, Edelgard becoming the Hegemon before being defeated and then dying as in AM’s final cutscene, and Dimitri taking the throne with Dedue at his side and proclaiming his intention to do all he can to restore both the Kingdom and Duscur - and that his first act as king is to announce that he and Dedue have decided to open their marriage up. This is met with much manly cheering and stripping and someone (Ashe?) saying incredulously that he didn’t even know they were married. End silhouettes.

The final scene with the Wizard and Morrible becomes Claude, Seteth, and Byleth rescuing Rhea. Rhea names Byleth her successor as leader of the church and says that she will go into quiet seclusion and do what she can to correct her mistakes. This all suits Claude just fine, who tells everyone that he’s off to take care of some other business and that Byleth will make a great archbishop - and also they can have the Alliance, no big deal. As with the King of Faerghus’s gay orgies, the King of Almyra’s grand ambitions are too large for this story to do more than allude to.

Next, Ferdibert does a version of the Elphaba/Fiyero scene, with Ferdinand revealing that he had Hubert spared on the condition that he help root out any remaining Agarthans and that he remain under house arrest at the Aegir estate. Ferdinand was also required to assume governance of the Empire, because Dimitri wasn’t getting that dumped on him as well. They can be together, but the general population can’t know that Hubert survived lest Ferdinand’s reputation and basic ethics be compromised…which in a darkly funny hypocritical twist then segues to Ferdinand pontificating before the crowd at the beginning of the show, reprising “For Good” with Hubert until they’re drowned out by “No One Mourns the Wicked.” Thus the story concludes on one of my favorite things about Ferdibert: perhaps even in this non-CF continuity Ferdinand wasn’t changed for the better by falling in love with the Most Wicked Man in Fódlan, but they’ve both been changed….

[bolinshipskorrasami]

Like a Comet Pulled From Orbit

Author’s Note: Alright ghouls, gals, and gents. Been working on this fic all week to beat away the angst that AoaW left me with! My first (and probably only?) Lumity fanfic, minimally edited. I honestly have no idea how it turned out, I’ve been staring at it too long. But I hope someone enjoys it!

Read here on ao3 if you prefer!

Summary:  Luz takes Amity to see the musical Wicked in the human world. Conversations about shipping and drawing of fanart ensues, which helps both witches come to some long overdue realizations.

Like a Comet Pulled From Orbit

The winter air was crisp and cold as Luz exited the theater. Her nostrils burned for a moment as she breathed it in and her body adjusted to the difference from the warmth of the building. She glanced over towards Amity who was adjusting her scarf tighter around her neck, just a few steps behind her.

“So, what did you think?” she blurted out excitedly, unable to contain the question. She had been watching Amity’s reactions almost more than the show itself throughout the performance – Luz couldn’t help it. She was excited to share this with the other witch. For one, it was Amity’s first trip to the human world with her, so she wanted it to be a perfect and amazing experience for her friend. For another, Luz herself had seen Wicked on at least two other occasions with her mami. And listened to the soundtrack almost as endlessly as she had read books one through five of Good Witch Azura. Experiencing it through Amity’s reactions was like experiencing it for the first time all over again.

Amity didn’t answer right away, her brow creasing in that cute way Luz noticed it did whenever she was thoughtfully contemplating an answer to one of Luz’s questions. Luz always admired the amount of thought Amity put into her answers, so she always tried to give Amity the patience she needed.

In the meantime, she watched the crowd dispersing in the street and caught a snowflake with her tongue. It had started to flurry while they had been in the theater and a thin coat of snow littered the sidewalk and street around them. The way the snowflakes danced in the glow of the evening streetlights reminded her of her first light spell in the Boiling Isles. Despite being in the human world, Luz felt like tonight held so much magic within it, if only she could read the glyphs around her.

“It was really interesting… The music was so beautiful… you know, we don’t have music like that in the Boiling Isles,” Amity’s voice brought Luz back and she turned to face the green haired girl once more. Snow was starting to stick to the dark blue beanie she had borrowed from Luz to hide her ears – a detail they both might have forgotten, if not for Luz’s mama mentioning it on their way out the door. Luz thought it was a shame Amity had to hide any part of herself – but she did have to admit that her friend looked very adorable in the beanie. She might just have to let her keep it…

“Luz, are you even listening?” Luz’s attention snapped back to find an amused expression on her friend’s face. She returned a sheepish smile. “Sorry! Yes! I was also just thinking, we should find someplace warm to talk!” Okay, not exactly what she had been thinking, but close enough. She did notice Amity’s face was turning pink from the cold. Amity nodded in agreement.

“I think I know the perfect place, c’mon!” and with that, Luz grabbed Amity’s gloved hand and began to pull her down the snowy street.

 ***

 “After you, Miss Blight,” Luz said as she opened the door to the coffee shop with dramatic flair and flourish, giving an overexaggerated bow as she gestured for Amity to enter. Amity, for her part, rolled her eyes but let out a small giggle, which warmed Luz’s stomach more than any coffee probably could.

They approached the counter together, and Luz began going over all the different drinks and giving her recommendations. Amity looked very overwhelmed. Luz gave her usual order of a caramel macchiato (made with almond milk, of course) with extra expresso. When the barista looked to Amity, she simply said “I’ll have one of those, too.”

Luz grinned and took out the cash her mom had given her before they left. Amity took out her own coin purse at the same time. Luz laughed and placed her hand on Amity’s, pushing the bag back down. “My treat! I don’t think they take snails here,” she whispered behind her other hand. She watched as Amity’s cheeks reddened and she mumbled a thanks.

They sat down with their drinks a few minutes later. The coffee shop was fairly empty, which made sense given how late in the evening it was. It felt nice to have Amity’s attention all to herself in such a warm, cozy place, away from the commotion of the Boiling Isles, away from school.

“So, did you have a favorite song?” Luz asked, slurping at her whipped cream.

Amity blinked rapidly, as if she was coming out of a dream. “What?”

“From the show,” Luz added, realizing her mind had probably jumped from point A to point Z as it sometimes did.

Amity’s cheeks glowed as she replied, “Oh, right… Well… all of them were so good, it’s hard to pick a favorite.”

“I know, right?!” Luz agreed, nearly spilling her drink in her excitement. She caught it just in time and Amity’s laughter rang out prettier than sleigh bells. The sound made Luz’s insides squirm and for a moment she wondered if they had put dairy in her drink by accident.

“But… if I had to pick… I really liked that one near the end that Elphaba and Glinda sang together. I thought it was sweet.” Amity looked down at her drink as she finished her thought. She had taken the cover off and was swirling it around, as if she were in the oracle track trying to read a crystal ball or tea leaves maybe. “What… is this exactly?”

“It’s deliciousness in a cup! Try it!” Luz responded, taking another gulp. Amity sipped slowly, with the kind of poise Luz only ever saw in commercials when people drank beverages. How did she do things so gracefully anyway? She watched Amity’s reaction with the anticipation of someone watching their favorite grudgeby team go for a goal.

Amity’s face lit up like the stage lights in the opening number as she let out a drawn out “mmmmmm” of satisfaction. “It’s good, right?” Luz said for confirmation, grinning ear to ear.

“It’s so different from anything on the Boiling Isles!” Amity agreed. They sat in a moment of silence, enjoying their drinks.

“Don’t you find it kind of… sad though?” Amity said suddenly.

Luz tilted her head in confusion. “Did you already finish your drink? I can get you another one –”

Amity shook her head, smiling at Luz’s reaction. “No, I meant the show. I mean, Glinda lost her best friend…”

Luz considered this. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right, that is sad. But I mean, she had still had Fiyero!”

“Yeah, I guess… I don’t know, their relationship seemed kinda of… contrived. I mean, one minute he’s with Glinda about to get married and then he suddenly runs off with Elphaba?”

“No way! He was inspired by her the whole time though. And when they saved that little lion cub together… I mean, talk about romance!”

Amity scoffed, “Yeah, but Elphaba and Glinda had so much more chemistry, even when they were singing about how much they hated each other-”

Luz gasped, genuinely surprised but understanding now. “You’re a Gelphie shipper?!”

Amity looked like she didn’t know whether she should deny this as some sort of insult or defend it to the death. Probably because she had no clue what Luz was talking about. “A what now?”

“You know, Glinda and Elphaba, Gelphie. It’s their ship name!” Luz pulled out her phone and typed furiously until she had several bits of fanart sprawled across her screen. She held it out in front of Amity’s face.

“Oh,” was all her friend replied, her mouth accentuating the syllable as it stayed in place and her golden eyes darted across the screen. She regained her composure after a few moments, blinking rapidly.

“Well… yes. I suppose I am a… Gelphie shipper then,” Amity sat up straighter as she said it but her face held something that was difficult for Luz to read. Funny how she could read magical glyphs from an enchanted island but her friend’s face was, at times, absolutely indecipherable. “Is that… bad?” Amity asked, and Luz realized she hadn’t responded in an appropriate amount of time.

She gave a laugh, hoping to dispel some of the tension. “No! Of course not. I mean, who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned Enemies to Friends to Lovers trope, amiright?” Luz waggled her eyebrows suggestively for emphasis. Amity tried to hide her smile in her coffee cup, but Luz could tell her plan had worked.

The commotion of chairs scraping the floor and being stacked on tables suddenly penetrated their little bubble, reminding Luz how late it was. “We should probably get going – I wanna make one last stop on our way back to my house!” She informed Amity excited, standing and putting her coat back on.

“Lead the way, oh fearless champion,” Amity replied, a more reserved imitation of Luz’s gestures from earlier. Luz smiled and took her hand, leading her out the door. They weren’t even outside completely before Amity’s face was already pink from the cold again.

 ***

 Amity’s heart was beating so fast and hard as she followed Luz through the strange hard and slippery roads of the human world. She wondered for a moment if maybe coffee was poisonous to witches… then again, Luz hadn’t let go of her hand even after they had exited the coffee shop, walking quickly and excitedly chattering as they went. She supposed that could have something to do with it.

Luz pointed out different things that Amity might not be familiar with and normally Amity would be fascinated to learn about this strange new world. But the hand holding was very distracting. And her heart was very loud. And it was all a little overwhelming, but she really didn’t want it to end. She watched Luz as she spoke about human things like cars, traffic lights, and a thing called “Santa” they passed by. He appeared to be some sort of… demon maybe? He rang a bell and smiled too widely and made a strange sort of howling noise. Luz paid him a tribute – perhaps for safe passage across the road? - of the strange papers she carried around that seemed to act as the equivalent to snails in the human world.

“Where are we going?” Amity finally asked as Luz paused her tour guide-like speech to look both ways before tugging her across the road toward a small park they had passed on the way here.

“It’s a surprise! Don’t worry, we’re almost there,” Luz squeezed her hand reassuringly, excitement dancing across her features, making the warm brown of her cheeks glow in the moonlight.

As they entered the park and Amity began to look around, she realized it wsn’t moonlight at all. It was what looked to Amity to be a million different stars – or maybe they were light spells? – glowing in the trees all around them. Some of them sparkled in a kaleidoscope of color – red, green, blue, yellow. It was absolutely dazzling, unlike anything Amity had ever seen.

“Oh wow…” was all Amity could manage to say, staring in awe at the scene around them.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Luz said proudly with a big grin, as if she had personally produced all these little lights for Amity.

“It’s… amazing. What is this place, Luz? I thought you said the human world didn’t have magic?” Amity took her glove off and reached out her hand to hesitantly hover over the enchantment of the trees.

Luz gave a chuckle. “It’s not magic – well, I mean, not like on the Boiling Isles. These are Christmas lights. They use electricity like the streetlights around town.” Luz reached out and placed one in Amity’s hand, as if sensing her uncertainty. Amity pinched the light between her fingers, feeling its fragile little warmth against her skin.

“How strange,” she commented. “Everything here is so wonderfully strange…” Amity’s voice trailed off as she continued to look around her. The collective brightness in the trees lit up the space around them in a hazy glow. It made the whole moment feel more like a dream than reality.

“C’mon, there’s more to see! This path will take us closer to my house, too,” Luz said, breaking Amity out of her trance. Luz grabbed her arm this time, tugging her along.

As they walked, the lights morphed into different shapes and figures. Luz explained this was all for some human holiday and pointed out some of the different symbols for Amity. A candy cane. A reindeer. A gingerbread man (that one she was pretty sure that one was actually a demon from the Boiling Isles, but she didn’t mention it). Amity wasn’t sure what was more beautiful – the glorious and picturesque glow of the lights with the snow falling around them onto the trees; or Luz as she spoke excitedly about each light picture, sometimes elaborating with a story about her mom or growing up in the human world. Amity never wanted it to end.

***

By the time they got back to Luz’s house, it was late and they were both exhausted from all the walking and being in the cold for so long. Luckily, Luz’s mom – Ms. Noceda (who Amity had learned earlier, was not in fact, named Ms. the Human) – had already made up their sleeping arrangements in Luz’s bedroom. She asked them how the show was and while Amity said a few things here and there when asked directly, she mostly let Luz do the talking. Ms. Noceda was very warm and kind to her – which was more than she could probably say for how her parents would ever treat Luz. It made her feel a bit guilty, that she couldn’t return the same favor to Luz. But she tried not to think about that.

Which, as it turned out, was very easy once Ms. Noceda turned in.

“Buenos noches, mija. Good night, Amity. See you both bright and early!” she said as she kissed Luz on the forehead and waved at Amity. They were both in their respective sleeping bags on the floor beside Luz’s bed. When Ms. Noceda flicked the lights off, hundreds of stars lit up the ceiling of Luz’s room. Amity was left alone with the sound of her own obnoxious heartbeat. Where she was expected to sleep. Next to the girl she liked. Why had she agreed to this again?

“I still can’t believe you got your parents to say yes to a sleepover in the human world!” Luz whispered conspiratorially.

“Heh, yeah, I mean, no big deal…” Amity said, glad the lack of light would hide her blush. She may have left out a few details. Like how she had, in fact, used a combination of blackmail and bribery on Edric and Emira in order to get them to produce an illusion copy of herself for bedtime and breakfast. She was going to be doing their chores for a very long time.

“You know, I think this is my first real sleepover,” Luz said. Amity looked at her, surprised. “Really?”

“Well, I mean, there was that one time Willow, Gus, and I used the Moonlight Conjuring to take the Owl House for a drive…” Amity laughed, remembering the look on Boscha’s face when she had seen that on Penstagram. Not that hers had probably looked any different.

“But, I’m not really sure that counts, since we didn’t get much sleep,” Luz continued thoughtfully.

“You didn’t have any sleepovers with any of your human friends?” Amity asked, still somewhat surprised by this revelation.

“Heh… No. I didn’t really… I don’t have any human friends, really,” the tone in Luz’s voice pinched at Amity’s heart a bit. In all the time they’d known each other, she had never really thought to ask about Luz’s life in the human world or her other friends. And now she knew why Luz herself had never mentioned any, either. Instinctively – whether to comfort herself or Luz, she wasn’t quite sure – Amity reached hand out to grasp one of Luz’s.

“Well, I’m glad we’re friends, Luz,” Amity said. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be brave enough to tell Luz everything she felt for her – it felt too big, too fragile. She was too afraid of it breaking. But she needed Luz to know this truth at least. That she mattered. That she was grateful to have her around.

Luz’s eyes widened in surprise at first, but a warm smile quickly followed as she squeezed Amity’s hand back. “Me too. Even if you are going soft on me, Blight,” Luz replied playfully. Amity rolled her eyes and yawned, which made Luz yawn too.

They laid there, eyes drooping heavily as sleep began to take them both. The small part of Amity’s mind that was still conscious enough to have a coherent thought realized that Luz hadn’t let go of her hand, even as her breathing slowed and she began to snore quietly. In that moment, as she let herself drift off to sleep, she decided that even if she had to do Ed and Em’s chores for the rest of eternity, it was totally worth it.

***

The next day, Luz kissed her mama good-bye – she still had a week left of winter vacation and that meant more time at Hexside. That was part of the deal – as long as Luz kept her grades up and didn’t cause too much commotion at human school, her mami had agreed that she could spend vacations learning magic in the Boiling Isles. She and Amity packed up their things from their sleepover and met Eda at the portal. She gave them a ride to school on her staff. Luz was sad to leave the human world behind if only because she had really enjoyed showing Amity around. Amity had seemed so relaxed... Maybe it had been stepping away from the pressures of her life in the Boiling Isles.

School that day was hard to sit through. This wasn’t unusual for Luz, but it didn’t usually happen during her classes at Hexide. Her mind kept drifting away from the lectures and into the magic of last night. Watching Amity take her first sip of coffee, listening to Amity talk about the show, watching her experience Christmas lights for the first time…

“Hello, earth to Luz!” suddenly a hand was waving in her face. She blinked before looking at Gus and Willow.

“Wha- Sorry! What’d I miss?” Luz asked. Gus and Willow exchanged looks.

“You mean besides all of class?” Gus said. He looked down at the paper in front of Luz, which she had been doodling on.

“You better not zone out like that in Magical Plants today. We’re dealing with man-eating mandrakes today!” Willow said with a nudge. “What were you drawing anyway?”

Luz looked down at her latest creation. “Oh, it’s just characters from that musical Amity and I saw last night…” Luz suddenly felt like she wanted to hide it, like it was a private secret she wasn’t quite ready to share with the rest of her friends. Which was… weird. That was probably a weird feeling to have, right? She nonchalantly slipped it into her bag and stood up to move to the next class with her friends. Willow gave her a funny look but didn’t say anything more.

“Well I’ve got High Level Illusions next – what about you guys?” Gus asked as they walked into the hallway.

“I’ve got abomination next,” Luz said excitedly. She swore she saw Gus and Willow exchange another look. Then again, maybe she was reading too much into it.

“We’ll see you and Amity at lunch then?” Willow asked. Luz nodded, high fived Gus, and practically ran down the hallway to her next class, just barely avoiding a hall monitor as she went.

***

Abomination class went by much more quickly than the rest of her day had and she had even managed to pay attention to most of the lesson. There was the occasional distraction, like whenever she looked over to Amity who sometimes chewed on her pencil when she was thinking through an answer. She also must have gotten distracted when mixing her abomination ingredients at some point, because while Amity’s looked absolutely perfect, Luz’s had come out with an extra head and oddly misshapen. It wasn’t a total loss though, since she had managed to get Amity to laugh by trying to get her abomination to reenact one of the scenes from the show from last night.

She walked Amity to her locker after class – Amity’s abomination carried both their books – and they were first to their lunch table. While waiting for Gus and Willow, they talked more about the finer points of the musical.

“So, how was your date in the human world?” Willow asked as she and Gus sat down across from Luz and Amity.

Luz almost choked on whatever mystery meat she was eating for lunch today – she pounded her fist on her chest to clear her throat. “Date?” she choked out. Is that- did Amity think- had she really missed…?

She heard a strangled gasp from beside her and turned to look at Amity, who returned her gaze. Her face was as red as a specific shade of eye shadow she’d seen Eda wear once. She was pretty sure it was called apple blood – or maybe it was vampire blood? In any case, their eyes darted between each other and Willow, both stunned into silence.

Willow’s eyes widened, as if she just realized her mistake. “Oh – I just mean, um-“ whatever excuse she was going to use to save them all from this mortifying moment, Gus put a stop to it just then as he arrived at their table and took his seat next to Willow.

“Hey Luz! Do you have time to stop by after school today and check out some new artifacts I found for the H.A.S.?”

Luz finally swallowed the mouthful she had dislodged from her throat. “Sure!” she said. She then proceeded to shove way more of her lunch into her mouth than she should have, cheeks full as a chipmunk’s before winter.

“I- I just remembered um, I have a meeting with Principal Bump about my class schedule – I gotta go!” Amity stood up abruptly, bumping the table as she went. She disappeared down the hallway with alarming speed. As she moved, something dropped out of her bag, fluttering to the floor.

“Amity wait! You forgot-” Luz tried to call after her, but she was already gone. She bent to pick up the paper – there was a good chance she’d run into her later in the day and she could give it back to her then…

But as Luz looked at the paper in question, it was as if a firecracker went off in her stomach and her mind blanked out, like static on a TV, before the entire picture snapped back on, clearer than it had ever been. “Oh cramity…” she muttered to herself, realization flooding through her.

Gus and Willow, having witnessed all of this, shared a glance with each other. “Are you and Amity okay?” Gus asked, a puzzled look on his face.

“Yeah… I might need to raincheck you on the HAS meeting though, Gus! There’s something I gotta do after school today! I’ll explain later, gotta go!” and with that Luz launched herself from the table, vibrating with excitement and purpose.

As she fled the cafeteria, she heard Gus’s confused reply. “Sure! Good luck! Wait… what’s a raincheck?”

 ***

The school day could not end fast enough for Amity Blight. She needed to get as far away from this ultimate place of humiliation as quickly as possible. She considered skipping out on her afternoon classes altogether – Ed and Em did it all the time, for crying out loud! – but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Fortunately, she didn’t have any classes with Luz, Willow, or Gus on her schedule for the day, which was a relief. But what about tomorrow? She thought to herself. Maybe she could convince her parents that she was sick with demon flu? Maybe she could just convince them she should transfer schools altogether… that seemed like a perfectly reasonable solution to this whole crush problem, right?

When the last bell finally screamed, signaling dismissal, she didn’t even go to her locker to put her books away. Too much of a risk, running into Luz again. She needed more time to think, figure out what to say. She had acted way too weird when Willow said the D word. Why hadn’t she just played it cool and waved it off?

She didn’t see Luz and co at all as she made her way out the front doors, for which she was thankful. But ofc ourse that luck only stretched so far as Ed and Em came sidling up beside her.

“Mittens! How was your date night with our favorite human? Did you ask for her hand in marriage yet?” Em cut right to the point, looping their arms together.

“Yeah sis, tell us everything!” Edric’s arm fell over her shoulders as they sandwiched her in, leaving no room for escape. “Leave no details out! Well, except for your smooching, we don’t need to hear about-”

Amity could not handle this right now. She felt her face heat up to what could only be described as an unhealthy degree, embarrassment and anger both boiling over.

“QUIT IT!” she shouted, her arms flying outward, knocking the twins away from her. Everything starts feeling like too much and Amity feels pinpricks behind her eyes. She can’t go home, not like this. Not with Em and Ed teasing her the whole way. “I gotta go study at the library, let mom and dad know I’ll be home later,” Amity says quickly, willing her voice to stay steady as she speeds up her pace.

“Oh c’mon Mittens, was it something we said?” Edric shouted after her. She didn’t stop to reply, just kept her eyes forward, determined to get to her destination as quickly as possible.

***

As soon as she walked into the town library, Amity felt a sense of relief wash over her. She took a deep breath, the scent of paper and dust covered books grounding her. The quiet atmosphere settled her nerves. In here, she felt safe. In here, she can breathe and clear her head of the day’s troubles.

She spent some time just wandering through the stacks, keeping an eye out for new additions in her favorite sections. The anxieties of her day begin to shed little by little, clearing her mind enough for her to rethink the events. Maybe things weren’t really as bad as she had initially thought. Afterall, Luz could be pretty oblivious. There was no reason to lose her head about it all – it’s not like Amity herself had called it a date, after all.

Amity finally found herself in front of the romance section and, after looking around her to be sure no one saw, she tugged at “The Lone Witch and the Secret Room.” Yes, everything was going to be just fin-

Amity froze as she entered her sanctuary and the shelf slid shut behind her. Her bag dropped out of her hands and her eyes widened.

“Luz-”

“Hey Amity!-” they both spoke at the same time, their greetings smashing together awkwardly.

“What are you-”

“I wanted to see-” they both started and stopped again. The absurdity of it all helped ease some of Amity tension and she let out a laugh. Luz followed suit, taking a step closer to where Amity stood still by the doorway.

“Amity, hey, I’m sorry I know this is like, your space and everything. I just… I didn’t know where else to look for you after you left during lunch today…” Luz finally broke through to explain. Amity shifted her weight from one leg to the other, feeling a big guilty. So she had noticed her abrupt exit.

“Leave lunch? Oh, yeah, well, you know, I had to uh, I forgot to turn in my abomination assignment, and I didn’t want it to be late, you know-” Amity grasped for any words that would make this scrutiny disappear. Luz simply raised an eyebrow.

“Did you say you had to meet with Principal Bump…” Luz started and Amity felt her heart lodge itself somewhere in the pit of her stomach.

Luz suddenly shook her head, “You know what, nevermind! It doesn’t matter. What matters is, you dropped this.” Luz pulled out a folded piece of paper, moving into Amity’s space even more now.

Amity took the offered paper and while she unfolded it, she couldn’t help but be reminded of the time Grometheus the Fearbringer had taken her most cherished note and ripped it to pieces right in front of her. The paper, when unfolded, revealed her most recent self-indulgent drawing – a picture of Luz in a black hat and matching black robe standing arm-in-arm with a poorer rendition of herself in a huge blue gown and sparkling tiara. Amity was sure her face would explode with the amount of blood that rushed to it in that moment.

“Luz- I – I can explain-” she began to stutter, her hands gripping the paper tightly. Her vision started to blur just a little and she had the horrifying realization that she might just start to cry. How could she have let this happen? Why in the world would she keep this in her bag? Why hadn’t she realized –

“I think it’s some of your best work,” Luz’s voice derailed her bleak train of thought.

“Wait… what?” Amity’s eyes snapped up to look at the human girl in from of her. Her brown eyes twinkled warmly in the dimly lit room.

“Yep! But, I have to say I don’t quite agree with your characterization,” Luz said matter-of-factly.

“Oh,” was all Amity could manage. Her stomach dropped again and she readied herself for the rejection that was surely coming her way. It would be okay, at least Luz seemed like she would still be her friend, and that’s really all she needed anyway. As long as their friendship was still intact, she could handle this, even if it hurt.

Luz pulled out another sheet of paper. “Yeah, as much as I hate to admit it, I really don’t think I’m Elphaba, the most powerful witch in all of Oz,” Luz placed the second paper over the one Amity had been holding to reveal a new, unfamiliar drawing. Two figures faced each other in a somewhat reverent post, hands clasped between them as they stared at each other. This time, Amity was clearly drawn as Elphaba, her green hair poking through the black witch’s hat, her black robe billowing dramatically in what was clearly supposed to be the wind. Across from her was-

“I’m clearly the Fiyero to your Elphaba,” Luz finished, gesturing to her likeness which was dressed in green suspenders and button up with a scarecrow hat upon her head.

“You… think that I’m Elphaba?” Amity asked incredulously. It was not even the most important question to be asking in that moment, but it was the only one her mouth and brain seemed capable of producing together. She was holding a drawing… that Luz had made… of her. Of them together. Oh.

“Well, yeah, it’s that obvious? I mean, you’re a powerful witch, she’s a powerful witch. You both have that cute, goth look going on for you. Plus, she cares about fairness and I know you like to pretend to be indifferent, but I know you secretly care a lot about those things, too.”

Amity continued to stare at the picture, afraid to look away. Her brain continued to short circuit. Did Luz just call her cute?! “And you’re…”

“Fiyero, yeah! I mean, he is kind of her fearless champion and all that. Plus ‘maybe I’m brainless, maybe I’m wise…’ you know, it took him a while to figure it all out, too.”

Amity’s eyes snapped up from the drawing at this. Was Luz saying… what she thought she was saying? Luz smiled and in a perfectly Luz way, continued on a different train of thought.

“Anyway, I took some artistic liberties with the outfit. I liked the suspender outfit better, but thought the hat really tied it all-”

“Luz,” Amity interrupted. “Luz, it’s perfect. Thank you.” Before Amity fully gave her body permission to, she threw her arms around Luz and squeezed her tightly. Luz hugged her back without hesitation, a rumble of a laugh coming from her chest.

“That’s what girlfriends do,” Luz said quietly. Amity pulled back suddenly, still maintaining contact with her hands grasping Luz’s forearms.

“I mean – only if that’s what you want, of course. I didn’t mean to assume, I just meant-” Luz’s face went through about several different emotions so quickly, Amity couldn’t help but double over in a hearty laugh. All the pressure and uncertainly she had been feeling melted away, leaving her feeling like she was light and airy.

“Sorry, it’s just-” Amity tried to reel in her mirth and catch her breath, forcing words out, “-I’ve been trying to tell you all this for the past year and today you just… show up and call me your girlfriend. It’s just so… you, Luz.” Luz grinned self-consciously, blushing for the first time since Amity had entered her secret hideaway.

They stared at each other, this newfound revelation hovering between them, it’s own little spell casting them in silence. Amity was suddenly aware of her heart pounding in her chest again as she watched Luz take a step forward towards her. “Can I…?” Luz asked, in the same soft tone she had used that night in the woods when she had offered to take the weight of Grom off Amity’s shoulders.

Amity nodded slowly as she followed, leaning in to close the gap very slowly, her eyes fluttering as they closed. This was magical, she couldn’t believe she was here, with Luz, and Luz liked her back and they were about to-

“OOOOOH, Mittens in busted!”

All at once, bright light and noise crashed into the room from behind Amity as Ed’s voice broke through he enchanting atmosphere she and Luz had created for themselves. The jarring burst of their bubble caused Amity to jump forward, feet tripping over Luz’s and causing them both to topple to the floor. She landed on top of Luz, her head bumping Luz’s as she did so. “Ow – Luz! I’m so sorry!” Amity exclaimed, rubbing her forehead with one hand while she tried to push herself up with the other.

Luz let out a gasp of breath, “It’s ok! I’m good,” she said as she sat up on her elbows. She raised an eyebrow as she added, “Though I do believe you’ve fallen for me, Blight.” A cheesy grin spread on Luz’s face.

Before Amity had time to respond to that, she heard the sniggers of Em and Ed, still standing in the doorway. She shot up and whirled around on them. She really did need to find a new hideaway, didn’t she?

“YOU TWO, why are you here?! Get out!” She wished she could summon a fire spell without the fear of burning down the whole ancient library.

Emira walked past her and offered a hand to Luz, who was still on the ground. “Now, Mittens, is that anyway to treat your new girlfriend?” Edric for his part threw an arm around Amity’s shoulders and ruffled her hair. “Would we really be good siblings if we didn’t come check on you? After all, you were looking so sour after school! We were worried!”

“Yeah, but it looks like Luz beat us to it! Who knew the human had game,” Emira said, throwing an arm around Luz and giving her a wink. Luz’s cheeks turned pinker than Amity had ever seen them. She glowered at her sister and shoved her brother’s arm off.

“Get. Out. Now. Or I swear, I am going to summon the world’s biggest abomination to kick your-”

“Alright, alright, we’ll give you two love birds a few minutes. But mom really does want us home soon, Mittens,” Emira said, surprising Amity. She and Edric headed towards the doorway again, laughing together as they went. At the door, Ed shouted over his should, “Just remember to save room for-”

Amity took the nearest book she could find and threw it after him. He dodged gleefully and disappeared around the corner. She turned back to see Luz trying to hide her laughter behind her hand. She wasn’t doing a very good job, but the sight made some of Amity’s annoyance fade away.

“You know, I really should be getting back to Eda’s… King gets grumpy when I don’t come home and give him tummy scritches and Eda will probably be worried since I wasn’t at school to get picked up. I’m surprised they haven’t sent a search party out yet…” Luz said apologetically.

Amity sighed, but nodded. “Yeah, I really should get back home, too.”

Luz shifted her bag back over her shoulder, bouncing from one foot to another. “So… I’ll see you tomorrow at school? Maybe afterwards, we can do some Azura Book Club stuff?”

Amity felt herself brighten at the invitation. “Yeah, that sounds grood. I mean, good, uh great! That sounds great!”

“Okay, it’s a date,” Luz said happily. Then she moved forward and wrapped Amity into a big, squeezing hug, practically lifting her feet off the ground in the process. As she set her down and moved back, Amity felt the unmistakable feeling of Luz’s lips brushing against her cheek. The warmth of the contact spread until her whole face was on fire. Luz looked at her and smiled bashfully. “See you tomorrow, Blight,” and with that, she made her way out the door.

Amity stood there, frozen to the spot, her hand coming up to touch her cheek, as if she could catch the sensation before it fluttered away. Wow.

The moment was broken when, 5 seconds later, Luz came rushing back in.

“I almost forgot!” she said as she snatched up the drawings that had been scattered to the floor. She shook the one that Amity had drawn. “Can I keep this? It’s really good!”

Maybe it was the casual compliment or lingering effects of Luz calling her her girlfriend – her girlfriend – or just the adorable way Luz’s face just looked so genuine, but Amity experienced an unexpected surge of confidence. Before she could overthink it, she stepped forward, took hold of front of Luz’s school uniform, and pulled her into a kiss. It was a quick kiss – short, soft, and sweet. But when she pulled back, she felt satisfied to see Luz sufficiently dumbstruck, eyes widened and cheek turning pink.

“Yes. But only if I get to keep yours,” Amity said, plucking the other sketch out of Luz’s hand. Luz blinked slowly.

“Yeah, you can kave it. Keep it. You can have it!” Luz stuttered out her reply.

Amity grabbed her things, slipping the picture carefully into a book before putting it into her bag. She walked over to the doorway before turning back to Luz. “Coming?”

Luz nodded, following her out. They walked hand in hand out of the library and for once, Amity found it easy to ignore the twin’s teasing.

[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

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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​

[loverofallthingssmart]

“wicked” nicphie au

ok so this is most likely very incoherent and ignores like half of the entire plot of act 2 and SUPER long but hear me out (also search up the musical on wikepedia if you don’t know it, it gives EVERYTHING for the plot so) 

i am also ignoring nessa (elphaba’s sister) and boq(??)’s relationship because it gives me a headache and now every plot point in this au involving them is caused by *hand-wavey gestures*

ACT I (technically)

to start, we all know glinda and elphaba were girlfriends let’s be real

sophie is obviously Glinda, and you know how galinda changed her name to glinda?...what if sophie changed her name??

which means Nicola is Elphaba and she has a brother that her father loves more because she’s not a boy and promises to take care of him

madame morrible has to be pollux and dr. dillamond is august sader who’s blind and a seer (right??)

and then i guess hort is fiyero if he didn’t have a stick up his ass

and you know what, japeth is the wizard of oz and is posing as his brother, rhian

 “what is this feeling” was totally gay and imagine that with nicphie like here (actual lyrics):

“my pulse is rushing” -sophie

“my head is reeling” -nicola

“my face is flushing” -sophie

“what is this feeling?” -nicola

“loathing. unadulterated loathing” -both of them

THAT GIVES NICPHIE VIBES RIGHT?? plus the part where nicola (elphaba) writes to her father? and the part where everyone is on glinda’s side because elphaba is weird? 

the dance scene where elphaba is standing alone near the side after glinda gave her a witch hat to wear and no one will dance with her and glinda takes pity and dances with her and suddenly everyone sees the two girls in a new light??....THAT’S NICPHIE

and sophie doesn’t really have any friends so now she just latches on to nicola and gossips with her and then in “popular” is sophie trying to give nicola a makeover to impress everyone

nicola dreams of working with the wizard, “rhian” and when she goes to the emerald city with sophie, who she has feelings for but she’s trying to bury them because she thinks it’s one-sided and she has bigger dreams

she meets japeth and finds out that he’s not that bad and that she’ll be able to work with him IF she proves herself with her finger glow

and madame morrible/pollux is also there as “the wizard’s press secretary” because he would the little bitch to giver her a book of spells that and then she finds out he’s a fraud who’s the one who has been oppressing all of the seers like the sader family because he’s also part of one and hates it (right??) 

and so pollux tells everyone that she’s evil and she vows revenge on japeth

ACT II 

*sigh* here’s where the mess comes in (for me, because i am stupid) and plot holes are there but shhh

ok basically sophie (glinda) is like a positive figure in the world and nicola has been labeled the “wicked witch of the west” and nicola pays a visit to munchkinland becuase reatrix (who she bonded with when sophie and her became friends) live there 

and find theyre being oppressed by evelyn sader because rafal, a munchkin (GOD imagine) isn’t in love with her and so she’s restricted all of their rights so rafal has no choice but to stay (she has butterflies, like how nessa in this has the red shoes)

and nicola promises that evelyn will find love if she stops this, and nicola pulls out the spellbook that pollux gave BUT evelyn takes it and tries to cast a spell and it backfires, shrinks rafal’s heart, but nicola tries to fix it and he ends up as the tinman from wizard of oz

evelyn is horrified and blames nicola for everything

then japeth comes back and tries to convince nicola to come back and work for him, she says no and japeth decides to arrest her and then hort (who’s been with sophie) switches sides to help nicola

im ignoring the part where fiyero and elphaba like “confess” because no ❤️

anyway, sophie is mad and sad for some unknown reason (it’s jealousy) and decides to use nicola’s younger brother as bait to lure them in

after hort joins nicola, nicola gets a feeling that her brother is in danger and comes back to find him crushed (you know  by dorothy?? by that house with the munchkins and the red shoes and stuff) and then the wizard’s guard find her and try to capture her while hort like tries to fight them?? but he fails and nicola can’t save him

later, the people of oz are declaring war on nicola and glinda has realized that pollux is responsible for nicola’s brother’s death and flees to warn her

here’s where it gets messy because instead of including the part where elphaba dies and glinda goes to the wizard and it turns out he’s the biological father and blah blah blah

i say that....

the wicked witch of the west “dies” by dorothy throwing a bucket of water and melting her, just like how the story goes

and then glinda the good renounces her role as a good witch because of how she has acted

and thus, the good and the bad witches of the south and west are dead...

and sophie and nicola walk free and elope

....ok that’s it this took me way too long for a crazy idea i had at 3 in the morning the day before school started so yeah <3....nicphie <3

[wickedlyqueer]

Wickedly Queer - Animated

Two years ago I created a gif series where I took Wicked and retold the story by making it explicitly queer with as little changes as possible. Now, it’s time to create the next step: a two part animated queer retelling of Wicked!

This project will take many months as I have to write, animate and edit everything by myself. So why am I telling you about this now? Well, here’s the thing...

I need YOUR voice!

Quite literally so. While I’ll be the narrator, I want to include the community and have you voice these beloved (gay and foodified) Wicked characters! You don’t need to be a voice actor and these days many phones have passable audio recording. Nonetheless, it’ll be a big voluntary community effort.

For this to work I do need everyone to “audition”. But if possible, I’d love to give everyone who sends in a demo to voice at least something! Singing will not be required, but if you can sing that’s definitely a bonus.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 15 November 2019, 23:59 CET

For more information on the roles I’ll be casting, where to sent in your audio and on the project itself please keep reading under the cut!

What to Expect? 

Two videos posted on my YouTube channel BannedFromZoos, both consisting one Wicked act. Expected release dates will be in 2020. 

Much of the plot will be summarized by the narrator, but all altered dialogue (as seen in Wickedly Queer) will be spoken by you! 

The characters will be in the style of the double name witches animatics. For reference what it’ll look like click here.

The script for the first act is around 15 pages and general rule of thumb is one minute per page. The second act is slightly longer with 23 pages. So we’re looking at a total of at least 30 minutes of animation!

Especially if you want to audition for the main cast, be aware this project will stretch several months. Make sure you have room in your schedule between November-February for at least several days of a couple hours of recording and potential re-recordings as not all audio is immediately great the first time around. 

If the main cast wants to, we can do a private readthrough on Discord, so the dialogue flow will be more organic as you’re playing off each other.

Unfortunately, I’m not able to pay anyone! I can’t even pay myself and I’m doing the writing, animating and editing for this beast. I don’t monetize my videos either. All input will be voluntary. Obviously, each separate video will have credits and you can choose to either be referred to as by your name or one social media handle of your choice. 

How to Record

If you’re new to recording here are some basic tips on how to record proper audio:

Make sure you’re in a non-echoing room with no background noises.

Don’t mumble! Actually speak as if you’re speaking to another person. (This is a lot harder than it sounds, as you are essentially talking to the air. So be conscious of this!)

If recording with a phone, keep the mic input near your mouth, but keep a distant of about 15cm (~ 6 inches) between you and the device.

I can’t work around spiking audio. So make sure all of your audio is not too loud. (This counts double for Popping -- when you make a Pop-sound especially with hard p’s your audio tends to spike).

You don’t have to sent in your raw-file. If you want to edit your best takes and sent me that, that’s fine too! Keep your total recording under 5 minutes, but preferably between 30 seconds - 2 minutes. I prefer to have you do a line a few times in different ways than just once and leave it at that. 

What I Expect

To not have you bail on me halfway through the project. Like I said, this will be a longterm project. If for the next six months you can’t commit to at least several hourlong sessions, then either don’t submit or choose a small role. 

Small roles will essentially be ensemble and only be a line or a reaction or two that could be done in like 15-30 minutes. Easily done and the only reason you’ll have to re-record is if the audio is bad. 

That said, I expect that if I want you to re-record something, you’ll do it. I have to mash up about 20 different voices, all being recorded at different times, places, rooms, and level of audio quality. Anyone who has worked with audio knows how ridiculously difficult this is. If I ask you to re-record, please just do it.

If you don’t get cast in the role you wanted, you don’t take it as a personal insult. Right now I have no idea how many people will want to join. But if it’s more than 20, I’m forced to select and choose. The ones with the best audio and acting will get the role.

But more than anything, I want this to be a fun experience! I really hope this will bring the community together as we create an acted-out queer version of this beloved musical. 

Main Roles

The main cast of three. We’ll work closest together and I have to depend on you the most. 

Elphaba Thropp

Non-binary in this iteration, so any voice will do! Elphaba is ambitious, and fierce in their beliefs - to the point they’ll give up close personal relationships to do ‘what is right’. Actor needs to be able to portray a nice balance between snarky commentary and empathetic behavior. Will use they/them pronouns throughout this show, therefore preference goes to someone who is trans. Being able to sing is a bonus, but not required. 

Glinda Upland

Feminine voice. Glinda clings to popularity as that’s the only way she knows how to gain affection. Therefore terrified of coming out to anyone, as she believes that would ruin her status. For this role I’m searching for someone who can have good comedic timing as well as show her very difficult emotional struggle. Please be aware, in Wickedly Queer her emotional journey is far bigger and more present, so that will be most important.

Being able to sing is a bonus, but not required.

Fiyero Tigelaar

Masculine voice. He has no idea what he wants from life and goes into careless behavior because of it. Fiercely loyal, selfless and dependable.  Actor needs to be able to convey the struggle of an existential crisis without wanting to admit to it. As Fiyero is a man of colour, preference for casting goes to a PoC. 

Being able to sing is a bonus, but not required.

Side Roles

These roles are around one scene and most of them interact with another character. Not as much commitment needed, but still a real fun time.

Nessarose Thropp

Feminine voice. Role for someone who can convey bitterness and frustration and somehow coming across not too spoiled (only Act II scene). Being able to sing is a bonus, but not required.

Madame Morrible

Feminine voice. Perfect for someone a bit older (at least for this fandom - lol). Regardless of age, you need to be able to be daunting and terrifying. 

Announcer

You’ll be the first voice people will hear! Like a real theatre show, there will be an ‘intercom announcer’ before the show starts. Practice that peppy customer service voice if you want this role!

Sounds / Animal Noises Person(s)

This role is a lot of fun for someone who has a lot of skill with their voice. I need several sound clips throughout the show for at least the Monkey (Overture), Goat (Dr. Dillamond) and wails from the Lion cub. Might need some more! So if you got that versatility in your voice, this one’s for you!

Small Roles / Ensemble

These roles will be for the people who did not get cast as main or side, or for the ones who do not have time to commit to the larger roles. These roles are either ensemble reacting or a role with one or two lines.

2-3 Guards

Dr. Dillamond

‘Is it true you were friends?’ Loudmouth

Several Ozians (reacting)

__________________________________________

SEND IN SUBMISSION

Send in your audio submission to: bannedfromzoos@gmail.com. I only need audio, I don’t need video. If your file is too big use another site like WeTransfer to sent it. Your audio is preferably between 30 seconds and 2 minutes, but must be under 5 minutes.

Record whatever you like! You can choose to do any monologue, whatever song that is within the range of your role, or any scene of a play or musical you like. Make sure you show the range of what you’re capable of acting-wise and fits with what the role entails! 

For more information on submitting an additional song go here.

In the mail please add:

Your first name (+ pronouns)

Age

Which role(s) you’re auditioning for

If you audition for a main role: choose at least one from side / small roles in case you don’t get cast.

What platform I can reach you at besides mail (preferably, Tumblr or Discord)

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: 15 November, 23:59 CET.

[shamrock96]

So I’ve been thinking about Polyamory lately...

I started watching this show called Siren where this couple meets a mermaid and all three of them slowly start falling in love with each other and this is my first exposure to polyamorous representation and I think it’s a great triad relationship the writers have going here to explain the more complex emotions involved in a polyamorous relationship.

If anyone gets bored gong through this or knows you’re in for a long post as least know that this is the main idea of this post before scrolling past it: The best kind of love is a healthy tender relationship to people you can trust and who love you unconditionally. 

Now I’m not poly myself, I don’t know what I am to be honest, so I don’t know what’s all involved. I’ve done research and I know that there are many different types of polyamory for it to just be whittled down to one example but what really strikes me and fascinates me about the polyamorous relationship depicted in Siren is the deep love and commitment each of the partners have with each other. 

In the past I’ve joked about polyamory in the sense “haha let’s just forget this bogus love triangle and have everyone just get together” and after hearing other people’s stories and learning about their relationships I know there’s a lot more to it than just saying “screw it, let everyone just have sex!”

So I’ve put together a list of other possible areas where other writers could have gone this way. Because representation is important and love triangles have become an extremely cliché and toxic trope in television and movies to the point I don’t think writers really know what a healthy relationship between partners looks like anymore. 

I got a lot of these from Triad of the Day but I just wanted to explain more in depth why I think these characters would be so good together

1. Veronica Lodge and Cheryl Blossom and Betty Cooper

So I’ve got to admit, I don’t actually watch Riverdale and this is probably a bad example to start with because my reasoning for these three being a triad is: just look at them. They’re obviously in love. And they can all still have their men on the side if that’s what they want but from what I’ve seen of gifs and on other people’s blogs, there is a strong feminine power here that transcends just being friends/frenemies/whatever. 

2. Harley Quinn and Catwoman and Poison Ivy a.k.a The Gotham City Sirens

Harley and Poison Ivy are already renown for their amazing sapphic relationship but I feel like Catwoman is a good addition to their love because of how often she gets snubbed by Batman (a man she clearly has feelings for a who has feelings for her) for embracing her darker side. Harley, more than anyone, understands being sidelined and downright abused by someone you care about and I think Poison Ivy would praise Selina for embracing the side of her that come more naturally. Harley and Poison Ivy already have a great and more or less healthy (as healthy as trauma inflicted villains can be) and Selina could really use some of that love in her life. 

This is also probably my inspiration for the whole Veronica/Cheryl/Betty triad I have above. 

3.  Kathy and Don and Cosmo

Again, so I haven’t really seen this movie in its entirety yet (just bits and pieces) but I’ve seen enough to know they were all just meant to be together. Especially in the “Good Morning” number where they talk about “danced the whole night through”. Like what is better than one person finding two other people they can laugh and have fun together until dawn? This just seems super figured out to me.

4. Miles O'brien and Keiko O'brien and Kira Nerys

This is one where I think things get a little complicated for so many reasons. For starters it’s a great example how a polytriad relationship works when children are involved. For those who aren’t familiar with Star Trek: Deep Space 9, the story between these three are that Miles and Keiko have been married ever since they were on Star Trek: The Next Generation. They even have a daughter who is about four when the couple are expecting their next baby. Due to a transporter malfunction Kira is accidentally impregnated with Keiko’s baby. This was the writers’ way of explaining Kira’s actress, Nana Visitor’s, own pregnancy (coincidently with other co-star, Alexander Siddig, but that’s a whole other story). 

Anyways, once Kira is unexpectedly carrying the O’Brien’s child she moves in with them so that they can still experience the pregnancy and become closer to their new surrogate. As a result Kira also becomes closer to the O’Brien’s and their daughter Molly. The birth of Kirayoshi is a really touching episode and it’s obvious that Kira has become extremely attached to the baby. After the birth the O’Briens make Kira Kirayoshi’s godmother (and also kind of name him after her) and she becomes a part of the family, like an aunt.

The only reason this gets complicated is because of Kira’s work relationship with Miles. While Kira and Keiko become super close and it could easily have turned into something romantic there’s not a lot of that bonding going on with Miles. And I know there are relationships where person A (Kieko) has a strong relationship with persons B (Miles) and C (Kira) but persons B and C aren’t as close, but my main objective in putting these characters together is to form a perfect triad where everyone loves and is loved equally. The writers could have also easily done this by having Kira and Miles bond more emotionally rather than professionally but they didn’t so we don’t get to see what that would have looked like except in fanfiction. 

5. Elphaba and Galinda and Fiyero

Like I think a majority of the fans of Wicked agree that these three were all in love one way or the other. Some ship Glinda and Elphaba, Glinda shipped herself with Fiyero, and the mainstream is that Elphaba and Fiyero utlimately belonged together. And while the musical puts a heavy emphasis on the “friendship” between Glinda and Elphaba, anyone who ever watches “For Good” can tell you that their relationship was way deeper than your average best friends or sisters for that matter. Not to mention in “One Short Day” the two fo them make a point of saying “we’re just two friends” “two good friends” “two best friends”. The whole “just friends” has been used to keep LGBT+ couples in the closet since forever. 

We also know Fiyero and Elphaba were given a wonderfully laid out relationship which has a very important role in the musical. Fiyero’s relationship with Glinda can be analyzed as what society wants to see vs. Fiyero and Elphaba’s relationship which is something society doesn’t want to see. Perfect vs. Unconventional. HOWEVER, Fiyero and Glinda did have a connection, so much so that Glinda did mourn losing him (to her “best friend” nonetheless). The reverse could also be argued that Glinda was mourning losing Elphaba to Fiyero. OR it could be argued that the two people she loved most ran off into the sunset (albeit, as fugitives) without her and she was left behind. In a polyamorous relationship nobody would be left behind singing a reprise of “I’m Not That Girl”. I haven’t seen the full musical in a while but I think Elphaba gave Glinda the chance to come with her and Fiyero and Glinda opted to stay behind in the public figure position she was given. I could be wrong about that, like I said I haven’t seen the musical in a while, but if I’m not wrong the that decision to stay behind could have all sorts of different analyses for the relationship between the three. 

Let’s not forget to mention that Glinda and Elphaba were ROOMMATES! Ok, memes aside, these three had a lot of chemistry and history together that bonded them. For me, one of the saddest parts of the ending wasn’t the “For Good” scene where Elphaba “sacrifices” herself because Glinda knew full well what Elphaba had planned with Fiyero, leaving Glinda as the last one standing and being the one left behind to fix the corrupt government in the land of Oz. She was sad because she knew Elphaba had to stay dead in the eyes of the people if she was ever going to live a normal life after all that had happened. The actual ending of the book is way sadder so I’ll take the canon ending of the musical any day but I can’t help but feel like the life Elphaba and Fiyero started after running off into their official sunset probably felt a little incomplete without Glinda. 

6. DJ Fuller and Steve Hale and Matt Harmon

THIS ONE. Never has an audience ever been given the run around about a heteronormative live triangle than they have been with Fuller House. As soon as I saw this on Triad of the Day’s list of polyamorous couples I was just like YES! When DJ chose Steve I was a little skeptical and torn. Both of these men seemed really great and had great chemistry with DJ. I stan the whole decision for DJ to choose herself the first time around and take some time to figure out who she was (especially so soon after the death of her husband). But immediately after that decision the writers went and gave Steve and Matt a great bro relationship. THEY EVEN HAD STEVE AND MATT KISS!!!! Although that was before they became friends. And they were SO into that kiss and we ALL loved it! The fact that it was used for laughs is such a pity. Fuller House could have pulled a Modern Family by creating a positive social commentary on polyamorous families and play off the title of the show (Fuller House) more than they already do by adding both men to the family. Instead one of them got pushed away and to be honest I stopped watching after season 2. I love the wholesome family vibes Fuller House gives out and even the ones given out by Hallmark (which Candace Cameron Bure and Lori Laughlin are major actresses in) but something these wholesome shows and tv networks forget is that you can represent LGBT+ relationships without the emphasis of sex. It’s like if someone were to pitch a gay Christmas romance movie to Hallmark the board would immediately say, “Nice idea, but this is a family friendly program.” My definition of family friendly is a group of adults who are in loving and healthy relationships with each other who all love and take care of the children in their lives. And my definition of wholesome is lack of profanity and vulgar humor and displays honest values (just for the record). 

Fuller House really missed out on taking a step forward into the modern age by not making these three a polyamorous triad. 

7.Victor Van Dort and Emily and Victoria Everglot

So I’m not sure about this one because I REALLY love how it ended (with Emily getting justice for her murder and then being emotionally liberated to the point she burst into a kaleidoscope of butterflies). Not to mention Emily and Victoria didn’t exactly get much bonding time throughout the movie though I think Emily can heavily relate to Victoria’s overly sheltered life and especially to getting screwed over in the marriage department (although Victoria luckily dodged that bullet). But I feel like that would make Emily (and Victor) all the more protective of Victoria when it comes to those who would abuse her. And maybe Emily could have taught both Victor and Victoria more about standing up for themselves. I know Emily can seem naive and like she doesn’t have much life experience (for obvious reasons) but we’ve seen how strong, powerful, and dedicated she is. I don’t think anybody would be surprised if Emily scorched the earth for Victor and Victoria. Also Victor needs some strong women in his life. I feel like the implications of what these three would have been like in a polyamorous relationship is pretty obvious and has no doubt been written about a thousand times in fanfiction. As much as I love Emily being released from what was tying her down to earth, this would have been a good alternative ending as well. 

8.  Tulio is dating Miguel and Chel

These guys. Need I say more?

I think I might because while we see the obvious attraction between Tulio and Chel and the fanmade art and fanfiction of Tulio and Miguel, that still leaves out the question of what Chel and Miguel’s relationship would be like. Obviously in the movie Miguel wasn’t a big fan of Chel moving in on his and Tulio’s “bromance” and while jealousy doesn’t have much place in an ideal triad relationship (from what I understand anyway), I think they could make good partners in crime. 

9. Flora and Fauna and Merryweather a.k.a the Three Good Fairies

Now these hoes. I’ve heard some dispute somewhere that they may or may not be sisters but I distinctly remember them only being referred to as “the three good fairies”. Older women (fairies) who have known each other for a very long time. But they dead ass raised a daughter together as mortals, in the same cottage for 16 years. We’ve seen said cottage and we’ve seen Aurora’s bedroom but anyone can see that there’s no way there was enough from in that cottage for 3 individual bedrooms or even one room for three twin beds (maybe bunk beds if they had existed in the 14th century). They’re depicted as incompetent characters in Malificent but they aren’t that way in the 1959 Sleeping Beauty. In fact, they’re portrayed as willing to do anything for their daughter. Not to mention the constant bickering of Flora and Merryweather being pacified by Fauna. That is typical married old couple behavior right there. Being 1959 there’s no way anyone was ready for a polyamorous triad of fairies in a children’s animated feature but that’s basically what they gave us. 

10. Nancy Wheeler and Steve Harrington and Jonathan Byers

This is also a hard one. Because similar to Glinda and Fiyero’s relationship Steve and Nancy were together for high school politics. In this scenario Steve is Glinda because he gets left behind to ponder on his life as a shallow popular high school king. But protecting Jonathan and Nancy with that homemade nail bat from that demagorgan is what any good partner would do for his other partners. 

The reason this one is tricky is not only because Steve got left behind but also because the relationship dynamic is pretty unequal. Because while Nancy and Steve are together at the beginning of Season 2, it’s clear they’re still putting on a facade that things can go back to normal for them during their senior year of high school. By the end of Season 2 Nancy is officially with Jonathan and Steve is not only left behind but he’s left behind to take care of the kids. 

Not to mention Steve and Jonathan don’t necessarily have a good relationship with each other. Although I think Steve has been humbled down in Season 3 after realizing his glory days are more or less behind him. But we don’t get a lot of interaction between these three anymore. 

I’m not really sure where I’m going with this one besides the fact that I think there’s some potential somewhere here. Especially with the introduction of Robin. I feel like she could be a great sexual awakening for a lot of the characters in this show. 

BONUS:  Bellamy Blake and Clarke Griffin and just about anyone

It doesn’t have to be Raven. Honestly it could be any character who has a good relationship with both Clark and Bellamy. I think it’s safe to say a majority of the fandom is holding out for Bellark to ride off into their sunset but I think they’d be pretty inclusive to someone else they have a strong relationship with. I haven’t watched the series in a really long time so I don’t know if there is a character left alive who fits that description but the characters have definitely formed a pack mentality of survival and sticking close. I imagine if they (Clark, Bellamy, and their third partner) would have kids they’d have the same protective circle. 

[ninjafrog13-blog]

Wicked Movie Dream Cast

It has been announced that ‘Wicked’ will be adapted into a movie, and will be released in 2021, so I thought I’d make my own dream cast, even though I’m not too sure about it yet, and I’d love to hear your thoughts as well.

While making this list, I had some criteria I wanted to stick to:

Cast people who have proven they can sing the songs from the show, so the person will probably have done musical theatre in the past.

Try to cast people who are recognisable to mainstream audiences, not just us theatre lovers

Try to stick roughly within age ranges of characters if possible, or cast people who look the same age as the characters

Cast people who have played similar roles in other shows or have played the same role (optional)

Elphaba - Samantha Barks

Samantha Barks played Eponine in Les Miserables on the West End and in the movie, so we know she’d have no trouble belting out songs like ‘The Wizard And I’. She also competed in a BBC talent show called ‘I’d Do Anything’, and sang ‘Defying Gravity’, so she’d be brilliant at that. Most recently, she played Vivian in the musical adaptation of ‘Pretty Woman’ on Broadway, and you’d need to ask someone else if she’s still there. Samantha would be a wonderful fit for the role of Elphaba, and I’d really like to see her play the role on Broadway and/ or the West End.

G(a)linda - Anna Kendrick

Anna Kendrick is most well known to mainstream audiences as Beca Mitchell in the ‘Pitch Perfect’ movies. However, not everyone knows that she started out on Broadway, and was nominated for a Tony Award at the age of twelve for originating the role of Dinah Lord in ‘High Society’ on Broadway, and also played Fredrika Armfeldt in ‘A Little Night Music’. She’s most well known for her filmography, and several of the movies she has starred in have been musicals. I think she’d be able to bring the right amount of sass and sweetness to the role, and vocally, I don’t think she’d have much trouble with Glinda. Also, just imagine Anna and Samantha singing ‘For Good’, it would be stunning.

Fiyero - Darren Criss

Need I say more? All us Starkids know Darren as Harry Freakin’ Potter, so he has the charm and charisma necessary for Fiyero. He also definitely has a mischievous side to him but can also be very sweet and caring. Thinking about it, Harry and Fiyero are more similar characters than I realised. Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked, Darren has also played numerous roles on Broadway, and has starred in popular TV shows such as ‘Glee’ and ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’, the latter of which I am currently binge watching and loving. All in all, I think Darren would be a fantastic fit for the role of Fiyero, and I really want to hear him singing ‘As Long As You’re Mine’ with Samantha, I think it would be beautiful.

Nessarose - Barrett Wilbert Weed

You’d be hard pressed to find a theatre fan unfamiliar with Barrett Wilbert Weed, but if you don’t know her, she’s most well known and loved for originating the roles of Veronica Sawyer in ‘Heathers’ and Janis Sarkisian in ‘Mean Girls’. Barrett definitely has the vocals to take on any role, and I partly cast her as Nessa and not Elphaba because she’s the only person on this list that doesn’t have the same mainstream appeal as the others. That being said, I think she’d make a great Nessa She can definitely play the hopelessly in love girl that Nessa is in Act 1, and I don’t see her struggling with Nessa’s slightly evil turn in Act 2 when she curses Boq. It would be a very different role, but I think Barrett would be brilliant as Nessarose.

Boq - Ben Platt

I really don’t need to go into much detail here. Ben has proved he can play the awkward, lovestruck kid as evidenced by Evan in ‘Dear Evan Hansen’. Ben has played multiple roles on Broadway, so we know he’s a talented performer. I’d only be worried about Boq’s transformation into the Tin Man. He becomes much more vengeful, and loses his sweet, innocent, caring personality, probably because his heart was shrunk by Nessa. However, I think Ben would be able to pull this transformation off. He’s a talented actor, so I don’t think he’d struggle at all, we just haven’t seen him as this sort of character, but I think he’d make a wonderful Boq.

The Wizard - Neil Patrick Harris

How perfect is this! Neil would definitely nail the kooky, eccentric aspect of The Wizard, and he’s proved he can play a villain on ‘A Series Of Unfortunate Events’ where he plays Count Olaf. He also matches how I imagine The Wizard would look, seems quite nice, doesn’t really look like he could beat you in a fight (sorry, Neil). For the record, I was very close to casting Hugh Jackman as The Wizard, but decided to cast Neil because he matches how I imagine The Wizard to look, and he’s played more roles that would suggest to me that he'd be able to play The Wizard. I honestly think Neil is the perfect casting choice for The Wizard and will honestly be confused if he isn’t cast.

Madame Morrible - Glenn Close

Are there many people who can play a villain better than Glenn Close? Famous for playing Cruella De Vil in the live action remake of ‘101 Dalmatians’ and Alex Forrest in ‘Fatal Attraction’, probably one of her most iconic and scary roles. She has also performed extensively on the stage. She was nominated for a Tony for originating the role of Charity Barnum in ‘Barnum’, and going on to win three Tonys. Really, name one person who could play Madame Morrible better than Glenn Close, and don’t say Meryl Streep because I really don’t think she’d be a good Madame Morrible, she hasn’t proved she is capable of it. Anyway, I think Glenn Close would be a fantastic Madame Morrible.

Dr. Dillamond - James Corden

Dr. Dillamond probably has the most jokes in the show, but also has to be very serious at times. James Corden would be perfect. He’s a very funny man, as evidenced by literally everything he does, but he can get serious. His performance as The Baker in ‘Into The Woods’ was brilliant, and it proves that he can be both funny and serious when he needs to be. And can you imagine him appearing after ‘Wonderful’? That would be heartbreaking. Dr. Dillamond is not the biggest role in the show, so there isn’t too much time for the show to make you care about him. Of course, we all do, but having someone so recognisable and well-liked having this fate would be terrible. I’m also going to add here that they had better use make-up for Dr. Dillamond in the movie. I’m gonna be so upset if they make Dr. Dillamond CGI. Anyway, James Corden would be a great match for Dr. Dillamond and I would love if he was cast in the movie.

And that is my dream cast for the movie adaptation of ‘Wicked’, which would also make an amazing Broadway/ West End cast. I might do more dream casts in the future if I have any good ones.

[princesssarisa]

Weird things people say about “Wicked”

I’ve never been a huge fan of the musical Wicked, although I respect its quality and sometimes enjoy listening to its music. I’ve only seen it once onstage, and believe it or not, I found it too bleak and depressing for my taste. After all, under its sparkly diva-vehicle facade, it has just as much biting socio-political criticism as Les Misérables and twice as much cynicism, and both Elphaba and Glinda’s journeys are ultimately tragic ones, even if the ending is hopeful. I don’t care for “friends who become enemies” stories either, even if they do reconcile in the end. Still, I think I remember the show’s plot and characters reasonably well… and I think I can tell when people’s comments about it are slightly off. Or extremely off. Even though I’ve only dabbled lightly in the show’s fandom, I’ve still repeatedly heard or read comments from fans that either rely on false equivalence or seem to miss the whole point of the story. Here are my thoughts on the iffiest things I’ve heard people say about this musical.

Note: Thanks to @anghraine for the term “false equivalence.” I had never quite known what to call what I was hearing, until I read her post about Star Wars prequel fans who say “You just don’t want Anakin to have flaws!” to fans who object to his mass murder of the Tusken Raiders. This sort of thing happens in a lot of fandoms, it seems.

1. “It’s just a piece of fluff.”

This was the first response I got when I first mentioned that the show depressed me. “Don’t take it so seriously. It’s just a cute, clever perspective flip of The Wizard of Oz.”

Now I think most people will disagree with that. Just because it takes place in Oz and has a fairly light, cartoony surface doesn’t mean it can’t contain real, pointed socio-political commentary about corrupt leaders, racism, bigotry, rebellion vs. conformity, and the way public opinion creates our “heroes” and “villains.” It most certainly can and does. Its commentary is even more brutally relevant now in Trump’s America than it was in Bush’s when the show debuted.

In a similar vein is “Stop focusing on the politics. It’s all about Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship/love story.”  But that’s like looking at The King and I and saying “It’s not about East/West relations or feminism. It’s just Anna and the King’s love story.” That’s total nonsense; their whole relationship is inextricable from the bigger themes. I do think most fans realize this, but now and then you find fans who don’t.

2. “Both sides have good and bad traits, nobody’s perfect.”

This one is about Elphaba vs. the Wizard and about the show’s whole overreaching message.

“Neither Elphaba nor the Wizard is either a villain or a hero,” I’ve heard people say. “They’re both morally gray. That’s the whole point. There are two sides to every story.” If I’m remembering right, even parts of the show itself promote that view more than its actual plot supports: e.g. in the song “Wonderful” (although the Wizard is being generous to himself there). But while it’s true that they’re both morally gray, I can’t buy the implication that neither is any better or worse than the other. That’s massive false equivalence.

True, the Wizard has some sympathetic traits, but his rule over Oz is still a totalitarian regime that manipulates the masses and brutally oppresses innocent minorities. Elphaba’s rebellion against him is absolutely heroic and her vilification by the people of Oz is absolutely unfair. True, she eventually decides to be “wicked” and does the truly bad things we know from The Wizard of Oz, but only in the midst of a mental breakdown when she’s lost hope for her mission and apparently lost everything and everyone she ever loved. That still doesn’t make her as bad as the Wizard or Madame Morrible, nor does the Wizard’s better side come close to matching hers.

Some people seem to honestly think that in the Wicked universe, the original Wizard of Oz portrait of the Wizard as a harmless lovable rogue, Oz as an idyllic fantasy land and Elphaba as a monster is still basically true and valid, just “not the whole story.” I don’t understand how they can think that way. It disturbs me slightly that they can see the Wizard and co.’s persecution of the Animals and just shrug it off with “There are two sides to every story,” or worse, “Nobody’s perfect.” Would they say that about comparable real world leaders, from George W. Bush, to Donald Trump, to… others whose names don’t even need to be mentioned? I hope not!

3. “Glinda is a loyal friend.”

Now maybe I’m misremembering, or maybe my definition of “loyalty” demands too much. But doesn’t a huge part of Glinda’s character arc rest on her failure to be fully loyal to Elphaba and on the lessons she learns when her disloyalty leads to disaster? Is it loyal of her to serve and uphold the oppressive regime that Elphaba sacrifices everything to fight against? Is she loyal when she turns against Elphaba because of the love triangle with Fiyero, however temporarily? Yes, she’s sympathetic, but as is often the case with popular characters (no pun intended), some fans seem to love her so much that they forget about all her flaws and growth. Even though said flaws and growth are central to her role.

4. “All loved ones fight sometimes.”

Continuing on the above theme of idealizing Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship. When I’ve mentioned that I personally don’t ship Gelphie because of the catfight scene, I’ve gotten this response: “Haven’t you ever gotten mad at someone you love? That’s part of every relationship!” But this just reeks of false equivalence.

Yes, of course I’ve gotten mad at loved ones. But I’ve never tried to get them captured by their worst enemies, let alone taken advantage of their relative’s death to do so, or gotten into full-blown catfights with them. No matter how beautifully Elphaba and Glinda reconcile in the end or how beautifully they change each other’s lives, how can anyone view that genuinely vicious fight, or the genuine betrayals that lead to it, as just a typical spat between friends or lovers? You can like their relationship arc yet still admit that their conflict goes beyond a healthy level. Especially the physical violence. The double standard astounds me when people despise any man who slaps a woman, yet see nothing wrong with two women slapping and lunging to attack each other.

This reminds me of Padme responding to Anakin’s mass murder confession in Attack of the Clones with “To be angry is to be human.” Not nearly as bad as that example, of course, but all too similar.

5. “Glinda was right.”

“It’s not aptitude, it’s the way you’re viewed.”

I’ve seen this a few times on TVTropes, both on the show’s own YMMV page (under “Family-Unfriendly Aesop”) and elsewhere. To sum it up concisely in my own words: “Glinda is right that popularity matters more than actual good qualities. She’s right to choose outward conformity over blatant rebellion; to achieve anything in politics, you need to please the crowd. Elphaba’s rebellion fails miserably, while Glinda is the one who changes Oz by joining the Wizard, endearing herself to the masses and gaining power, then reshaping the system from the inside out. Glinda might seem shallow, but she’s ultimately wiser than Elphaba.”

Now of course this whole statement is partly true, maybe even mostly true. I agree that “Public opinion matters more than real merit or truth” is indeed a main message of the show: cynical and sad, but true. But since when does the show support that fact and not criticize it? Doesn’t the story stand up for underdogs and rebels like Elphaba? Doesn’t it encourage us to question popular narrative of “heroes” and “villains” and to resist oppressors? Hasn’t Winnie Holzman said in at least one interview (I know she has - I’ve heard it) that the show’s main theme is Elphaba and Glinda “standing up to power”? And while it’s true that Glinda uses her status and popularity to succeed where Elphaba failed, would she ever have been inspired to do so without Elphaba’s overt rebellion in the first place?

To come away from this musical with an anti-rebellion, pro-conformity mindset seems to be completely missing the point. I wonder how many people with that mindset are the same ones who see Les Mis and think Victor Hugo’s message was “Revolutions always fail and society will never change”?

Maybe if I saw the show again, I would see aspects I’ve forgotten and agree more with these statements. But I doubt it. I haven’t heard any of these remarks too often, but the people who do make them seem to have seen a different version of the show than I did.

[a-second-hand-sorrow]

No One Mourns The Wicked Part 1 (Bill Denbrough X Reader)

WC: 1515

Warnings: Kinda sad, pining, modern AU, some cursing

Summary: Y/N and Bill get cast in their school, but Y/N’s Glinda is not the one for Bill’s Fiyero

A/N: I know this fic took a little longer than usual, but I’m very proud of it.

"H-have you seen the cast list yet?” Bill said, walking next to me along the bustling corridor.

“Not yet, but I’m kinda nervous to see it.” I admitted, wringing my hands together.

Bill smiled softly at me, going to say something. However he cut himself off, his eyes trailing away from me.

“Bill? What is it?” I said, cocking my head in confusion at his sudden silence.

“The c-cast list.” Bill said, pointing to a cork board that hung behind me on the dull white wall.

I took in a deep breath and grabbed Bill’s hand subconsciously, not catching the bright red flush on his cheeks as we moved towards the list.

“Fingers crossed.” I muttered under my breath, taking in a deep breath before turning my gaze to the sheet of paper.

Right next to the print that read ‘Glinda Upland’ was my name, in bold black ink. My eyes scanned the sheet further and saw Bill’s name next to Fiyero, and I felt my heart soar.

“We did it, Billy! We’re the leads!” I said, throwing my arms around Bill’s neck. The adrenaline coursing through my body and the close proximity to Bill caused my cheeks to darken, and I buried my head in the crook of Bill’s neck.

“Y-yeah.” Bill whispered, his arms tentatively resting on my waist.

“Looks like we’re gonna be seeing a lot of each other, Y/N.” A familiar voice said, and I pulled away from Bill to see Beverly standing there, a half smile on her face.

“I just saw the cast list, and although I’m not so excited about the whole green thing.” Anything Beverly said after this was white noise to me, because my heart sank.

Beverly was Elphaba. Of course. That meant that, ultimately, she got the guy. The guy played by the boy I’d been crushing on since middle school.

“Y/N?” Beverly said, and I snapped out of my stupor.

“Sorry Bev. I spaced out for a second.” I said, and Beverly laughed, a half smile on her face.

“It’s all good, Y/N. I’ll see the two of you in rehearsals on Monday!” She said, smiling widely at both of us before walking away, humming under her breath.

“This is the third grade play all over again.” I muttered under my breath, praying Bill didn’t hear me.

“What?” He said, looking at me with confusion on his face.

I smiled at him gently, suddenly feeling all the worry and stress leave me. “It’s nothing.”

“Ok, now, let’s read from Glinda’s entrance in Act 2. Y/N, take it away.” I stood up, wiping my hands on my jeans before picking up the script.

“Fellow Ozians. As terrifying as terror is, let us put aside our panic for this one day, and celebrate!” I said cheerily, easily slipping into character.

We quickly went through the singing, and soon it came to the dialogue in between.

“Captain, how does it feel?” Greta asked, very much in character as Morrible.

“F-frustrating… but I b-became captain of the guard t-to find her, and I will keep s-searching!” Bill said, a triumphant expression on his face, despite his stuttered words.

“No, being engaged!” Greta said, a sly smile on her face.

“Congratulations!” The rest of the cast chimed, and Bill turned to me, a confused expression.

“This is an engagement party?” Bill said to me, and I giggled, placing an arm on his shoulder.

Bill’s breath hitched, his eyes flitting to my hand for a split second. “Surprised?” I said, my voice a higher pitch than usual.

“Yes.” Bill said, and I went to read my next line, but the director cut us off.

“That was wonderful, but Bill, could we maybe be a tad louder next time? Fiyero isn’t a shy character, and the stage isn’t set up very well, so you’ll have to project.” Bill nodded, his cheeks starting to turn pink.

“S-sorry.” Bill muttered, and I sighed, feeling sorry for him.

“It’s ok, Bill. It’s still early on, so you’ve got time to grow as an actor.” I said, smiling at him gently.

He returned the smile, his eyes shining brightly. “Ok, let’s try from ‘You can’t leave.’ So Bill, that’s your line.” The director said, and Bill nodded, picking up his script.

“You can’t l-leave, because you can’t resist this, a-and that’s the truth.” Bill said, and I felt proud that his stutter was less present.

“Maybe I can’t. Is that so wrong? Who could?” I said, and Bill frowned, a longing look on his face. He was very good at this.

“Y-You know who could. Who has.” He said, and my eyes briefly flickered to Beverly, who sat in the corner flicking through her script. My heart sunk a little.

“Fiyero, I miss her too, but we can’t just stop living. No one has searched harder for her than you. But don’t you see? She doesn’t want to be found. We have to face it.” I said gently, placing my hands on Bill’s chest.

Being in character seemed to give me more confidence, but that didn’t stop the pink blush from coating my cheeks at the close proximity.

“You’re right. I’m s-sorry, you’re right. And if it’s going to m-make you happy, of course I’ll m-marry you.” Bill said, wrapping his hands around mine, holding them tightly.

“But it’ll make you happy too, right?” I said hopefully, looking up at Bill. He dropped my hands and took in a deep breath, a shaky smile on his face.

“You know me… always h-happy.” The director’s loud clap made me jump, and the both of us turned our heads towards him.

“That was incredible! Now, Beverly, Bill, do you wanna run through As Long As You’re Mine? Because Stan isn’t here so we can’t do Wonderful, so that’s the next song in the lineup.”

Beverly’s head whipped up from her script, and nodded, walking up to the front of the stage.

Bill gave me a half smile before walking over next to Beverly, waving at her halfheartedly. I let out a sigh, taking a seat next to Mike.

“Sorry Y/N. I brought a book if you wanna distract yourself from that.” Mike said, gesturing to Bev and Bill onstage.

“That’d be wonderful, Mike. Thank you.” I said, graciously accepting his battered copy of the Philosopher’s Stone.

“I know how much you like him.” Mike said, and I let out a soft sigh.

Suddenly music filled the theatre, and I couldn’t help but turn my head towards the two of them.

“Kiss me too fiercely, hold me too tight. I need help believing you’re with me tonight. My wildest dreams could not foresee lying beside you, with you wanting me.”

My heart hurt hearing Beverly sing those words. I remembered their little middle school fling before Beverly left for Portland, and I remembered how much it hurt Bill to see her leave.

Her hands were running up and down his arms, and I buried my head in the book, desperately trying to block out what was going on.

“Maybe I’m brainless, maybe I’m wise. But you’ve got me seeing through different eyes. Somehow I’ve fallen under your spell, and somehow I’m feeling it’s ‘up’ that I fell.”

I let out a gasp when I heard Bill sing. He didn’t stutter once, and his voice was soft, yet somehow incredibly powerful.

This made my stomach twist, because I wanted more than anything else to be the one he was singing those words to.

His face was gentle, looking at Beverly with an expression I’d seen in his eyes before.

“Every moment, as long as you’re mine. I’ll wake up my body and make up for lost time.” Bill sang, the combination of his soft voice and the tongue in cheek lyrics stinging like a knife.

I bit my lip, setting Mike’s book down next to me.

I stood up and left the auditorium, trying to make sure the doors behind me didn’t make too much noise.

“Y/N.” Mike’s voice called, trailing away quickly as the doors shut. I made my way to the bathroom, locking myself in a green-doored stall.

The tears began to flow, and I couldn’t stop them, no matter how ridiculous I felt. Sorrow and self-pity were at the forefront of my brain, seemingly turning the taps behind my eyes.

Why would Bill be interested in me, anyway? Everything I had, Beverly had in spades. She was smarter, prettier, funnier and kinder than me.

I wiped the tears away quickly, but my flushed face and red eyes gave away that I had very clearly been crying.

Suddenly I heard a knock on the door, and I straightened up, wiping away tears that weren’t there.

“Y/N, are y-you ok? I saw you s-storm off.” Bill’s pleasant voice filled my ears, and I hesitantly unlocked the stall door, making my way out of the bathroom.

“I’m fine, Bill. I couldn’t be better.”

[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.”

[forkanna]

[AO3 LINK] [EF LINK]

"What… how… why are… huh?!"

That was the most eloquence Glinda could manage in the face of her almost-lover. Fiyero, her Fiyero was standing there, with the painted-on eyes and smile, ragtag old hat and straw sticking out every which way from the sack-cloth skin, he looked absolutely nothing like her old lover… except for perhaps the expression. Something about it was familiar, even if stretched across unfamiliar features.

But his voice was what truly made her think of the guard captain. Of the one she had hoped would make an honest woman of her someday, back before her life had taken so many unexpected turns. It was the same velvety tones that had talked and sang to her when they went dancing, that had agreed they were perfect together. His voice. He.

"Sorry about this," he laughed, nodding down at his chest. "But I didn't know how else to bring it up. Actually… I kind of forgot who I was for a little while, you know."

"Forgot? What? H-how does that work?" She couldn't string together her thoughts, they were so busy flitting off in a thousand directions.

"Well… near as I can figure it, somebody put a spell on me after I got crushed by that falling house," he mused as they ascended, Fiyero leading the way since Glinda couldn't seem to make herself walk unless he made it necessary. "The damndest thing, right? But I wasn't able to figure that out right away. At first, my head full of straw couldn't put together a single thought anymore. I ran away, then forgot how to walk. I tried to cry out, and forgot how to talk! A farmer found me limp in the field, out of my head, and decided to stick me up on a pole to make use of me. Can't blame him in the slightest, really."

"Oh. S-so… so you really have been a scarecrow."

"For a day or so. Then Dorothy found me." His eyes filled with warmth, in a way Glinda could only describe as fatherly. "At first, all I could do was tag along after her, hoping someone could help me think better. Someone like the Wizard. But as I got closer and closer to the Emerald City… well, my memories started coming back to me."

That sharpened Glinda's tongue a little more. Swallowing, she whispered, "And what did you do? Coming back to your senses, with Biq and that big Lion along for the ride! You must have been scared of saying the wrong thing!"

For some reason, that only seemed to bemuse him more. "Well, about the Lion — oh, I think I'll save that for later. First, I'd love to meet with Elphaba again. Is that where we're headed?"

"Yes, yes it is. I…" But she couldn't take it any longer. Throwing both arms around him, she pinned him to the wall and huddled close, eyes leaking crystalline tears as she cried, "Fiyero! Oh, I thought you were gone forever, we both did, but you… oh, Fiyero!"

A few minutes passed as he weathered her cries, a limp, thin arm eventually encircling her back; it seemed he had not been lying about the manacles not being fit for a scarecrow. Every time she tried to dry her eyes and speak again, she fell to a fresh fit of sobs. They were tears of relief, but they would not be stemmed, not for anything in the world.

"I am sorry," he assured her as gently as he could, when she was more receptive to hearing again. "About not saying before, and for the crows. All I knew was that a couple dozen black birds were divebombing Dorothy — I didn't want to see what they'd do to her if they succeeded!"

Glinda nodded before sniffing loudly and pulling back to pet his cloth face. "It's alright! Well, Elphie will disagree, but that's… by Oz, I've missed you so much! And I wish you had said something last night!"

"Couldn't. I didn't know what was going on, but I had a feeling from the moment I met Dorothy that it was important I tag along, find out what her goal was. Even more once the Wizard told us what he wanted us to do! And of course, I knew all along that the water wouldn't do a twigging thing to Elphie, but… hey, the more I kept them thinking it would, the more of a chance you'd have when they tried to melt 'the enemy', right?"

"Clever," she laughed wetly, kissing his fabric cheeks. "Oh, so clever! And you thought you hadn't any brains!" They both cackled as they embraced again. "But now you're here… I can't even tell you what this means, to find out you're alive!"

"If you can call this 'living'," he scoffed.

"Nonsense! Compared to you being dead?! I'd take this in a heartbeat!" Again, she kissed his cheek and then grasped the hand. "Come on, Elphie has to see this! Right away!"

In mere minutes, they were in the throne room. Elphaba had stated that it would look more imposing if she received people there, and Nessa and Glinda were inclined to agree, though due to Dorothy's fright it made as much sense to be more welcoming and warm to her, Glinda had argued successfully.

Saint Aelphaba's namesake sat perched upon the old throne, prim and proper with her hands folded over her knees. Nessa sat in the "queen's throne", which Glinda had to fight down a giggle at the thought of sitting in that throne herself by Elphie's side. Her feelings were all muddled now that Fiyero had returned, when a part of her had been wondering if him turning out to be alive would quash any feelings other than for him. Apparently, that would not be the case.

"Hello, murder murderer."

"Elphie," Glinda tried to hiss, but Fiyero cleared his throat so she fell silent.

"Elphaba. I had to protect the girl; I hope you can understand that. But… if you need to punish anyone for that, punish me."

Recognition flickered in her eyes from him speaking, but she didn't catch on right away. Glinda understood; the concept was so fantastic that anyone would doubt themselves, if they even thought of it in the first place.

"Who are you?" Nessa asked, tone equally cold as her sister's. "Name yourself."

"Why should I? I already have a name, and it's one I like. Even if I haven't been using it much lately."

Elphaba leaned forward, face severe. "You're an unwelcome stranger here. You ought to show a little respect to us!"

"Really?" he scoffed, somehow managing to strike a devilish pose despite the manacles. "Because by the way I figure it, you're the ones trying to invoke squatter's rights in my house! How do you like that?!"

The severe face froze for an eternal moment. Glinda let out the smallest of giggles, unable to help herself — and the sound seemed to shake Elphaba loose from the ice entirely.

"F… Fiyero?"

All he did was nod. It was all he needed to do; the witch who had seemed so dour moments before leapt up from the throne faster than Glinda had ever seen her move, sweeping down off the dais and onto him, wrapping her arms around tight. Unable to resist, Glinda embraced both of them, laughing and even hopping up and down slightly as she watched Elphaba kiss his cheeks just the way she had before.

"Y-you- it's not possible! How could you be alive now- and how are you this… this… this?!"

"Search me," he chortled. His voice was as emotional as theirs, though he didn't cry; Glinda had to wonder if it was even possible for a man made out of straw to shed tears in the first place. "I woke up underneath a house, and barely knew what I was doing with myself until Dorothy found me!"

As he told Elphaba the same things he'd told Glinda about his journey, Nessa eventually came over to join them, content to stay at the fringes for a minute. When there was a lull, she took a step forward.

"Hello again, Fiyero."

"Nessa!" he gasped, painted mouth agape and hands pressing to the sides of his head. Glinda couldn't help leaning in to see what might be inside said mouth, but it was just straw; she might have known. "Look at you! Up and about! Guess I'm not the only one enjoying a spell or two!"

"It's thanks to my sweet, talented sister," Nessa said so earnestly that Elphaba couldn't entirely suppress the slight flush of forest green that came to her cheeks. "In fact… listening to what you told us, I'm pretty sure your condition is thanks to her, too."

"Hm? How do you mean? I didn't see her anywhere around when I woke."

"That's because we had already flown the coop. Before that… she and Glinda were both trying to revive you, and I assumed Dorothy's shiny shoes had taken both spells, since I never heard anything about you surviving. But what if they only caught one spell?"

Elphaba drew back, unwilling to let him go completely but wanting to get a proper look at her sister. "Yes, my spell went under the house; I saw Glinda's get waylaid." Then she turned up to look at his lumpy head and smiled fiercely. "If I did some good for once… even just one good deed that worked out for the best, then I'll sleep a lot easier tonight."

"We both will," Glinda promised, kissing his cheek again. He grinned.

"Sorry about… what you've become," Elphaba breathed, running her fingers over the seams. "This wasn't at all what I imagined the spell would do."

"Ah, you did the best you could. You saved my life." His words were earnest and warm, and he pulled both women in again, clutching at them as hard as his stuffed limbs could allow. "You both did. Thank you. But I'm afraid I have apologies to make."

"Whatever for?"

"The Crows." Elphaba stilled, but he pressed onward. "They weren't… I hadn't any idea what I was dealing with, they could have been from anywhere! But as I've told Glinda, I am sorry; I didn't hear one of them speak until the others were all…"

The witch took a step back from Fiyero, manner more reserved than it had been upon first reuniting. "That is… regrettable. I've been sick to death over losing Draven and his compatriots, I… but I do know you, Fiyero. I know how you helped me with that cub, and that you'd never harm a hair — or feather — on anyone's head if you saw another way."

For a moment, he allowed her to grieve afresh, frowning over at Glinda with his cloth mouth. Glinda patted his arm in reassurance. Then he perked up and said, "Actually, I did have something to mention to you, if you might be interested. That cub we rescued…"

"Hm?" she said distantly, still seeing what became of the Crows in her mind's eye.

"He's in the dungeons."

Both of her eyebrows shot up at once. "What? You… no. That Lion is the tiny cub we rescued? The odds are… I don't believe it!"

"Well, believe it," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "He doesn't remember much, but remembers being carried out of Shiz by a pair of Munchkinlanders — and I'll forgive him for mistaking me for one, just this once. Isn't that something?"

"Oh…" Pressing a hand to her mouth, she took a few vague steps toward the door. Then she whispered, "I was worried that he might have to be put down, if he continued to pounce at Glinda, but if… if he's an Animal, if we can reason with him… well, we might at least keep him down there instead of being forced to do the unspeakable…"

Clapping her hands together, Glinda wriggled with glee as she embraced her two friends again. Elphaba remained sober from the mention of the Crows, but did not resist when she gave them both a kiss on the cheek apiece. "Isn't this wonderful? We've been through so much, and… well, I'm sorry you got turned into an old sack of rags, but I'm ever so glad you're here! Isn't it grand, Elphie?"

"Swell," she deadpanned. But then she smiled up at him. "And… I suppose I can forgive you for the Crows. You felt you had no choice but to defend her, I understand. But… you'll help me hold a funeral for them, when this is all over? Won't you?"

"Of course," he told her solemnly. "I'd have done it then and there if the Tin Man wasn't making so much racket about needing to charge ahead, axe at the ready."

"He'll either need to be disposed of, or executed in some way," Nessa said coldly, surprising all there. "I'm only being practical; if he's never loved me a day in his life, and he can't resist trying to kill me… all I ask is that he be taken away, made so that he can't attack me anymore. One way or another."

"Now, Nessie," Glinda sighed. She patted her on the arm, but the arm was pulled away so fast that she had to blink. "It's as much our fault as his; I was the one who encouraged him to ask you to the Ozdust Ballroom. Maybe if I hadn't… oh, I don't know. A girl isn't obligated to return a man's affections, you know! I should have been able to simply tell him outright that I was not interested!"

"But you didn't," Elphaba grunted. "Because you're too nice. Always thought you were, and as far as I'm concerned, this is the proof." Then she took a deep breath. "He's contained for now. Let's focus on whether or not we can trust Dorothy and the Lion and work from there. Morrible and the Wizard should be our main concern from this point forward."

The others all nodded in agreement. Then Nessa said, "What are we going to do? Nobody has ever dared stand against the Wizard; they all love him so much for unifying Oz and building the capital."

"Enlarging the capital," Glinda corrected. "It's always been there, he just made it shinier and bigger. And maybe he's not a terrible man, but he is a terrible Wizard and not fit to be our Supreme Ruler! We just have to think of a way to get him out of there!"

They all murmured about this for a few seconds. Seemed no one was going to be able to come up with an effective plan to depose the man immediately; further contemplation would have to be given.

"Guess I'll go back to my cell for now," Fiyero said, heaving a sigh. Glinda idly wondered if he really needed to sigh at all, or if he even needed to breathe. "Dorothy and Lion are probably worried. What should I tell them?"

"Oh, do you have to?" Glinda began, but Elphaba shushed her.

"Yes, he does. To maintain their trust, we can't appear to be showing favouritism. But… I do suggest you refrain from lying to them about what we've discussed, or who you are."

Eyes narrowing, Nessa asked, "What are you plotting, sister?"

"Not 'plotting'. But now we are four, and I think — except for the walking stovepipe — the others could be persuaded to join our cause against the regime if they realise Fiyero is already on our side."

Fiyero shrugged as he said, "How am I going to explain my lying up until now? At first I forgot who I was, but once I remembered I never said as much. That won't look good."

"Do the same thing: don't tell them until we're ready. I think… Dorothy should be brought up here tomorrow, as she's already shown that she's open to hearing our side of things. And I think that's just what we should tell her; the whole story. Either it will sway her or it won't."

"It is an awfully long story," Glinda snorted. "But yes, that's a good idea. Then, if that goes alright, we can try that out on the big kitten."

"Maybe we should leave him caged up instead," Nessa whispered. "He is a beast; if he decides once we get there to turn on us, he could tear us to pieces!"

"He's a Lion, not a lion," Elphaba said warningly. "And I have a great respect for the king of the forest, even if he's so far from home. Besides, he seems protective of Dorothy, and if she sides with us it might be enough to gain him into the bargain."

"Hey," the scarecrow said, folding his arms. "Don't forget those two are my friends just as much as you are. It's hard to stand here and listen to you talking about them like they're just pawns in a big chess match."

The women blinked at him a few times, and Glinda looked down guiltily. But Elphaba folded her arms right back, straightening to her full height.

"They are pawns. So are we; everyone is a pawn in the Wizard and Morrible's game. We're just hoping to band together and overthrow the players themselves. United, we stand a chance, but divided…"

The rest didn't have to be said.

                                                          ~ o ~

"I'm afraid, Elphie."

As Elphaba set her pointed black hat on the bureau, touching her index finger to the tip fondly, she asked, "Of?"

"Of what might happen if we can't trust Dorothy," Glinda sighed, shucking her dress and laying it gently over the back of a chair. She reached for the nightgown and began to walk toward the dressing screen as she announced, "I really think we can, but what happens if tomorrow we're talking to her, and she says something we don't like? Or that makes it obvious she could turn on us?"

"You aren't wrong. That would split our focus, having to sit on top of some girl and her companions while we figure out how we're going to bring down a Wizard with the entirety of Oz under his thumb. It's… oh, if only we could get Morrible away from him! Then the way would be clear!"

"This is so unfair! Here we are, the comeliest witches of the eon, and we have to do all the dirty work! What happened to the royal lineage? How'd the Wizard sweep in and take the throne in the first place? Whose hare-brained idea was this whole crazy crusade?!"

"Mine. Of course, it's really the Wizard's for persecuting Animals in the first place, but I am the one who decided it had to stop, and that in absence of any other volunteers, I was going to be the one to stop it. So… when it comes down to it, I have no one to blame but myself."

Emerging from behind the screen, swapped into her nightie, Glinda sighed and said, "Hey, this is Hiz Wizliness's fault, not yours. A good man would have seen that he was wrong and admitted it. His stubbornness is on his own head."

"That's true enough," Elphaba grunted as she wrestled with her bra strap. "Then it's… just a matter of… oh, I can't get this damn thing unhooked!"

"Here." Glinda's nimble little fingers made short work of the clasp, and it snapped open to reveal a smooth expanse of green skin. With a vague smile, she traced one of said fingers down the line in the middle of her back, earning a pronounced shiver.

"Y-you know I told you not to do that."

She drew back, lowering her eyes. "Sorry, Elphie. I didn't mean to- I'll wait for you in the bed."

Once Elphaba was changed into nightclothes, she put out the light and joined her under the covers, curling her body neatly around the back of her friend and pressing her face into her hair. A few seconds was spent adjusting their positions in subtle motions until they were both comfortable again.

"Elphie?" A quiet hum was her only answer. "Do… you really hate it when I touch your skin?"

"That's… not the right word. 'Hate.' But it does make me feel strange, and… and we don't have time to think about figuring such things out. Not with everything going on!"

Her stomach was wound tight as she rolled over to look into the sharp, alluring features that she had grown so fond of over the past few years. "When is the right time? When we're both dead?"

"What?"

"Don't think just because I'm a pretty face that I'm too dense to know what might happen if we try to take down the two most powerful people in the whole kingdom, Elphie. They might kill us, or worse. So…" She petted up and down Elphaba's back. "Do you really wanna put it off 'til later and risk never getting a chance?"

Green fingertips slid up to ghost over Glinda's lips, and she let them part slightly as Elphaba explored, teased. Did so with much more concentration and thought than the previous occasion they had briefly lost themselves in passion and desperation.

"If I do let myself feel this," she finally rasped, "I want it to be because it's my decision, and yours. Not because we feel we have no decision." Her hand vanished. "Besides, I thought with Fiyero back with us…"

"I dearly love Fiyero. And I dearly love you, Elphie Thropp. Do I have to give you up to welcome him back?"

"That's presuming you had me to begin with." When Glinda raised a hand and laid it across Elphaba's neck, cupping it gently, Elphaba leaned into the touch, eyes sliding closed. "Nnh…"

"We deserve each other. Once, I would have thought that was a mean little joke, but now… now I want you to know that…" Giving up on teasing her, she pushed her face into the area she had been petting, feeling the heat of skin, the scratchiness of the collar further down. "Fiyero can't give me what you can anymore. And even if he could, I… I know it's strange, and maybe some would call it 'deviant', but… I want this from you more than from him. From anyone."

"You're only saying any of this because we were stuck with each other's company for two full years."

"Yes, I am. Two full years to appreciate who you are. To me."

Elphaba drew back, turning Glinda's face up to hers with a firm touch that sent chills straight down into every cell of her body, making her toes curl in, her palms tingle, her mouth open. She didn't kiss her. That was what Glinda had craved and hoped for, but she got something else. Something better.

"I would never have made it through those years without you. And I don't want to lose you, now or ever. You came into my life for a reason; I fully and wholeheartedly believe that, Glinda! In and through you, I have been changed…"

"For the worse?" Glinda said with a twinkle of mirth.

"Maybe. But I don't think so. Either way, it's for good. Forever." Their mouths were close again, within an inch of each other, and it felt wrong and right in equal measure, but Glinda dug in with all her might to keep from abandoning herself again, to respect Elphaba's hesitance.

"Do you want this?" There was clear hesitance, so Glinda tried to help calm her with a compromise. "Maybe just a little taste-test?"

"Yes. But I can't take it. Not yet."

"You can't, it's true. I'm giving it to you. There's nothing to take when it's a gift, Elphie."

"What if you taste so good that I can't ever stop tasting you?"

Glinda's soft little shoulder rose and fell, and she let her eyelashes flutter as she felt a single tear leak from the corner of her eye. It couldn't be helped; her heart was bursting and there wasn't room for them all inside it now. "Sounds wonderful to me."

"I will. I promise you that I'll stop; I promise myself. One taste."

Elphaba kept that promise. Her lips dove in, and Glinda returned the gesture with heat and gratitude, the way her hands gripped Elphaba's shoulders making it crystal clear that she wanted the moment to stretch on for an eternity. But when Elphaba pulled back a minute later, panting and weak, Glinda let her go with the smallest pang of regret marring her joy.

"That's all for tonight," Elphaba announced numbly as she rolled to face the other way. "S-sleep well, Glinda."

But when Glinda's arms encircled her, it was so much warmer and more familiar than they had ever dared been before that Elphaba had to clutch at the back of Glinda's hand, shivering and trying to let her anxieties pass even as Glinda was rejoicing.

"I always do when you're with me."

                                                          To Be Continued…

[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

[forkanna]

[AO3 LINK] [EF LINK]

NOTE: Well... Camp NaNo really shot my plan to keep up with this fic in the arse. I'm still recovering, really. Hopefully you can all forgive me! But I really do want to start posting this regularly until it's completely available now. Time makes fools of us all!

The only thing more crowded than a broom with two occupants is a broom with three. It was already obvious before they took to the air, and only became galling and inconvenient the longer they flew. Glinda was used to having Elphaba several inches in front of her, hanging on by way of her hands around her friend's trim waist. By this new arrangement, the petite blonde was literally in her lap, with Nessa hanging onto the back of them as if her life depended on it.

Which, in all actuality, it did — not merely because they were so high in the air, flying over hill and dale, but because there was no longer a place for her in Munchkinland. Despite the rumours of her hardline policies, Glinda had never expected to watch a coup d'état play out in front of her! But that was exactly the situation. Now, even if they dropped her off in another country, the Wizard and Morrible would definitely want to either clap her in irons, or bring her in for questioning about her sister.

"Everything is gone," Nessa was blubbering behind them as they began to near the Kells, and thereby the Vinkus. "M-my home, all of my things… Father's legacy, Mother… m-my Boq…"

"Time to face facts, Nessa," Elphaba sighed gruffly. "Boq was never yours to begin with; always too interested in Glinda."

"Don't remind me, or I'll knock her off this broom."

At that, Glinda couldn't stay silent anymore. "Really? That little pipsqueak gets it into his head that I'm his special lady, and it's my fault?! What kind of senseless sense does that make?"

"You led him on! With your… your blonde hair and your sparkly eyes, and y-your… your two legs that worked! And I didn't stand a chance!"

"Listen to yourself, little sister. Glinda can't be to blame for being born with an emerald spoon in her mouth, and she never gave him the slightest time of day." With a sigh, Elphaba then admitted, "No more than I could blame her for charming Fiyero."

At that, Glinda tightened her grip on the broom handle. "Y-yes… we both cared for him a great deal, and will miss him. I think it's… it's best we left it at that."

Elphaba's hands were around Glinda's middle, holding onto the broom. The only way she could show affection was to lean in and kiss her cheek, so that's just what she did, surprising the blonde. "I'm sorry I lost my temper back there, it wasn't very… well, I'm sorry, and I'm glad you were there to talk some sense into me. I just wasn't expecting- I mean, anyone but Fiyero! It isn't right, it isn't fair!"

"Bet you'd rather that house fell on me," Nessa sobbed. "W-well, so do I! Nobody wants me around anymore, n-nobody in Munchkinland, not…" She had obviously been about to mention Boq again, but caught herself. "All I have left to my name is these shoes…"

"Well, at least you have those, so why don't you dry up? Glinda's the one who's really experiencing a loss here; your would-be boyfriend is still alive! Sort of. But Fiyero isn't so lucky. Right, Glinda?"

With a heavy sigh, Glinda tried to piece together her thoughts. "You know… I'm still sad, and I know I'll want to have a good cry later. He didn't deserve this, not at all. But I… well, it seems like it's been so long since I've seen him, even though it was just a day ago! Before that, it had been years, I… well, what I'm trying to say is that I guess my schoolgirl crush wore off, that's all. Stupidifying, isn't it?"

After a few seconds, Nessa said, "I don't know what that means."

"Nevermind," Elphaba sighed, perching her chin on Glinda's shoulder by way of comforting her. "Glinda should probably write her own special dictionary."

But once they reached the Kells and began to pass into "Winkie Country", as Nessa kept calling it even though that was an outdated and offensive term, it was Glinda who requested they stop into the castle at Kiamo Ko, after all. He had offered it, and they all now agreed that it was the least they could do to pay their respects, and see what use they might make of it — Nessa less enthusiastically, but she agreed all the same.

The castle itself was not nearly the shining splendour that the Royal Palace presented. In fact, quite the opposite: it was dark, ominous, and forbidding. There wasn't much use in questioning why it had been abandoned. Severe crenellations lined the top of every wall around parapet walkways like fangs, gouging into the sky. The sprawling mass was dotted with circular towers, small windows that were dark and empty, pinnacles, bartizans, and a buttress here and there. Steep cliffs on all sides meant there was only one way in: the winding, rocky path that led up to the front door. Being caught off guard would either require flight, or for all inhabitants to be sleeping.

"Well, this is depressing," Nessa said immediately as they touched down on one of the landings. "Big, but depressing."

"My thoughts exactly," Glinda said. "But let's take a look around inside, shall we? Appearances can be deceptivatious."

A quick tour was enough to tell them everything they needed to know: it was empty. Every bedchamber had a bed and mattress draped with a sheet, but not made up. The enormous kitchens had bare cupboards, but were fully stocked with pots and pans, and a stove ready for wood. The pump for the well creaked but it worked. All in all, a workable living space.

Hours later, they had become separated from each other, and it took a goodly amount of time for Glinda to find her way to the throne room. It was nowhere near as impressive as the Wizard's, as covered in dust and cobwebs as the suits of armour and tapestries were. Once there, she decided to brush off the large, ornate throne and sit upon it, waiting for one of the others to happen along her.

Some life she'd turned out to have! Stuck in a dreary old collection of rocks with two witches. To be fair, she was also a witch now, as far as the larger share of Ozian society was concerned, but that was as unprecedented as the rest of it: what had led her to this life? She dreamed of the days of her youth, when her only desire was to be the Wizard herself. Even though her parents had tried to explain to her that only the Wizard could be the Wizard, she didn't care; it was the only job she wanted. That, or a mayor of some sort. Being a useless debutante with a powdered face and powdered wigs was not at all appealing.

Yet that was the direction she had been headed in before Elphaba helped her begin magical tutelage under Morrible. All in all, she had to say this was at least better than a future as some accent piece for a lordling.

Or Fiyero. That was a future that was no longer open to her. Tears threatened, caught in the back of her throat, but they wouldn't quite come. Maybe she was too exhausted. Or maybe… she wasn't as attached to him as she had once assumed. But it felt unkind to speak of the dead that way.

She had probably dozed off, because she didn't hear the door creak open; only heard it thud shut. Elphaba was there, a small magical flame held in her palm. Apparently, she and Nessa hadn't found each other, either.

"Hmm?" she muttered, still too groggy to say anything more.

"I've been looking all over for the both of you," Elphaba grunted. Spotting a torch in one of the sconces, she lit it with the flame and then let the magical one wink out. "This place is massive!"

"Yeah," she yawned, stretching out her limbs. "Ohhh, it is. Do you… think that's why it's abandoned? They just didn't have any use for all these rooms?"

Chuckling, Elphaba came over and squeezed into the throne next to her. "Maybe. Or that it was too difficult to reach on foot; that would be reason enough."

Glinda slipped an arm around her waist, grateful for the companionship. Elphaba seemed to have also been exhausted by all the walking and the events beforehand, because she let out a long, weary sigh. A few minutes passed in comfortable silence this way. Then the tears began, but only for Elphaba; her own eyes remained moist but did not leak. Maybe she had truly underestimated how much her companion cared for the previously-aloof prince. Was it always that way, or had his donning the uniform of a royal guard changed her viewpoint?

Some five minutes later, when she had dampened Glinda's shoulder enough for one day, she pulled back to wipe at her cheeks. "S-sorry about that," she finally breathed. "You m-must… be wondering why I'm so em- so emotional over someone who I d-didn't have m-much in common with."

"I am," Glinda admitted gently. When Elphaba cringed, she hurried to add, "But it's okay! Honest! It's… can you tell me how long you've had feelings for him? Or is that a little too personal?"

"We've lived together for two years, so it would be silly for me to say anything's 'too personal' now." They both chuckled sadly. "Um… almost as long as you have. Do you remember when we rescued that Lion cub from the classroom? It… started then. He was so kind and compassionate, even though he liked to pretend he didn't care about a twigging thing. But I knew he would only have eyes for you."

Did he? Glinda had to wonder. All she whispered was, "How did you know that?"

"Because you're perfect. You have style and grace, money, a dazzling smile. The scintillating siren of Shiz. And what am I? Just an artichoke."

"You're an emerald shining in a coal-black world," Glinda corrected her, squeezing her in closer. "And I'm not as great as all that. But thank you."

"Stop. We both know that not a single man in their right mind would ever want anything to do with me."

"We know no such thing! You're beautiful, Elphie; I told you, it just… takes some getting used to the green thing! But once you do, all you can see is your sharp, handsome features, your clever eyes…" Glinda reached up and caressed her cheek. "Warm lips…"

A moment passed as they held still. Then Elphaba turned away from her, hands clutching at the cloak where it covered her knees.

"I thought… you weren't going to bring that up again."

"Bring what up?" Then she blinked in recognition and ducked her head. "OH! Sorry! That wasn't- I didn't mean to make this about that, it was just a- I was trying to be complimentatious toward you, that's all!"

"It was a one-time mistake! I told you! And… and I wanted to put it from my mind completely, and here you are, dredging up old-"

"I'm sorry, Elphie, I really am," Glinda told her urgently, taking up her hand and squeezing it. "But at least I'm not teasing like last time; you had every right to be angry. I just… wasn't thinking about how embarrassed you were."

"Then why tease me now?!" she demanded, eyes haunted when she turned back to Glinda. The shorter woman felt sick to see the tracks of moisture on her cheeks, so used to Elphaba never crying as she was. "Isn't it all the more cruel?!"

"Teasing? How was I teasing?"

"You said I have warm lips!"

"B-but you do!"

Rolling her eyes, Elphaba scoffed, "Right. As if anything about me is warm! All sharp angles, like ice!"

"Your lips are warm, Elphie! All of you is! You're… I wasn't teasing or fibbing, it's the truth!" Swallowing hard, she shrugged and pushed ahead, "Yeah, we agreed not to talk about it anymore, but we never said we wouldn't think about it! And… well, I can't help it, a woman's mind wanders when she gets bored sometimes!"

Another silence. This one lingered, crept into their bones as they squirmed in the throne, which was large enough to seat two but now seemed too small in spite of that.

"I was just trying to keep warm," Elphaba told her softly. "You do believe that, don't you?"

"I… believe it's what you think. But I have wondered…"

"Wondered what?"

"Whether or not a little something else was skipping around in the back of your mind, and you just didn't realise it? And not just your mind, either." Though her friend shivered, she pressed on, "Of course, I know it would be unusual, though. Anything elsewise. Nevermind, forget I brought it up; I'm just being the same silly ol' me."

Elphaba's hands grasped Glinda's shoulders, and she again felt the excited, vulnerable feeling that sometimes swept over her whenever her friend was filled with that type of intensity. It was overcoming her all too often lately, and she felt her resolve against its portents weakening. The memory of that cold winter night, huddled for warmth in the cave behind Wicca Falls, lips meeting in a way neither of them intended for them to meet… it was one she revisited often, and with waning regret. By now, she cherished the memory — even if the passionate woman staring down into her eyes might feel differently.

"Why do you always insist that we don't need separate beds?"

As her pulse sped up another notch, she whispered back, "Wh-why don't you ever insist we do? Elphie, you know it takes two to tango."

"I already know that… that I could never ask for a better friend than you," Elphaba whispered, eyes still leaking as if she simply didn't know how to shut the water off. "Isn't that enough? Why are… does everything have to change?"

"Who says anything has to change? Maybe the change happened already, right under our noses." Then her eyelashes fluttered as she stared downward. "Listen to me, flustered and spewing out strange words, I… neither of us are those types of women, right? It's preposterosity personified! All I w-wanted to do was explain my comment about your lips being warm, so you didn't think I was teasing, or trying… to…"

When Elphaba's hand came up to cup her cheek, she froze entirely, waiting to hear what she might say. Once it came, everything not only unfroze, but began to pulsate with urgency.

"That you would want to see if they're still as warm as in the winter?"

Immediately, Glinda pulled away. She didn't want to, but it felt of the utmost importance. "Wait. We can't, we… okay, I th-think we're both a little fragile from what happened — from Fiyero. I don't know about you, but some part of me's been holding onto him as a kind of… 'default intended', even though we haven't seen him much lately. S-so it's natural when having someone pulled away from you like that, you… you reach for the next closest person to… take their place."

Elphaba was definitely listening. Her throat worked to swallow, and she smoothed down the front of her cloak and dress. "You're right. Absolutely right, it's just… this is not the time to… to figure this out. Not when we are still grieving."

"No, it isn't. But…"

"But?"

Glinda felt her face grow hot, her stomach full of a cyclone. "Tonight… when we sleep…" She pushed up from the throne, putting her back to Elphaba. Forcing herself to say more. "If you need me for anything… any kind of comfortatious purpose…"

"I won't," she told her firmly. "I'm not going to use you, just because I'm distraught over someone else. You mean a lot more to me than that!"

"Even if I'd be willing?" If only the blood would stop rushing in her ears, maybe she wouldn't feel so on edge!

"Even… then," Elphaba said, though with more uncertainty. "I… Glinda, you never cease to surprise me. Two years of friendship, and I still…" Another sob, but when Glinda whirled around it was to see Elphaba also standing, swiping at her eyes and trying to compose herself as best she could. "Thank you. I don't think I'll be needing anything like that, but there aren't words to tell you how much I appreciate the offer."

Glinda wrapped her up in a tight hug that had Elphaba grunting, and she returned it a moment later. "Elphie! If… if a house falls on you, I'm really… I can't handle that, I can't! Promise me you won't let that happen!"

A wet laugh escaped her before she whispered, "I'll glance up now and then, just for you." Petting over her blonde hair, she began to steer Glinda toward the door of the throne room.

                                                       ~ o ~

They finally found Nessa in one of the towers, lamenting her existence and clinging to some kind of golden cap she had turned up in one of the cupboards. It looked fancy and expensive, but also garish; Glinda couldn't imagine there being a time when it would be in fashion.

"Why, Elphaba?" she whispered earnestly. "Was I just cursed from the beginning? My legs don't work, I can't win over the one man I care for… betrayed by my subjects, blamed for Fiyero… wh-what's the matter with me?"

Though Elphaba seemed about ready to say something unkind, Glinda put an arm around her and said in a gentle tone, "Nothing, dear! This is nothing more than a string of bad luck, that's all! I know you'll turn it around — we all will!"

"B-but you brought this on yourselves! You stole the Grimmerie, defied the Wizard! At least it makes sense he would turn on you! Why would the Munchkins turn on me? Didn't they s-see that I was only trying to keep them safe?"

"Oh, stop that," Elphaba spat. "We've already told you a dozen times why the Wizard turned on us, and you know it's no more our fault than the storm dropping a house on…" She had to bite back a sob. "Anyway, the Munchkins might have been safe, but they had no freedom. Of course they protested!"

"Who wants freedom if it gets you killed?! With you and the Wizard feuding, everyone's been in danger! Letting them go to the Emerald City, or even worse, the Vinkus?! They'd all end up-"

"You don't care one bit about them! You closed the borders to keep Boq from leaving you, and I'm not going to tolerate your bald-faced lies!"

At that, Nessa backed up a step, hands wringing the cap. "Y-you… w-well, of course I wanted to protect Boq, too! He's one of us! I wanted to protect us all, and he's the most important one to me, it's- they aren't separate! I can't believe you would accuse me of doing that for purely selfish reasons!"

"Nessa… I'm not going to listen to this anymore. In my opinion, you need to face the truth about yourself, and until you can do that…" She threw up both hands and turned toward the door, leaving both of them behind.

"Wait! Elphaba, please? I- I don't know what you want me to say! Fabala!" But Elphaba had already gone.

"Well…" Clearing her throat, Glinda patted her shoulder. "That didn't go very well, did it?"

"She doesn't believe me. Maybe we haven't ever been the closest of sisters, but… she really doesn't think I care about the rest of Munchkinland." Her face was stricken, ashen, and she pressed one hand to her forehead. "My luck isn't changing. Maybe it will never change!"

With a sigh, Glinda steered her over to the lone wooden chair that resided in the desolate tower room and sat Nessa in it. "You need to take a deep breath and think. Come on, has the Munchkin Country ever closed their borders before? Even during the old wars? No, that simply isn't done! Oz has always been an open and accepting kingdom!"

"B-but I… you and the Wizard, he was hunting everywhere…"

"Just say it out loud. Tell me why you really made that decree, just admit it to yourself!"

Tears leaked down her alabaster cheeks as she gazed down at the fists perched on her knees. But after a moment, she whispered, "B-because… Boq wanted to go to you. And I knew if he did, he'd g-get himself killed, and then I'd lose him forever, I… th-that was not something I could let happen!"

"There," Glinda soothed her, petting over her shoulders even as her own stomach was spasming at yet another instance of Boq's unwelcome affections. "You see? You can be honest."

"But it was still for everyone's good, I r-really believe that, even if… even if you're right, it w-was only for Boq that I first thought of…" One hand came up to swipe at the tears. "You and Elphaba m-must really think I'm a disgusting, manipulative witch to do something like this, b-but I swear to you now, Glinda, I… n-no one has ever mattered to me more than him, and if I let him go that easily, th-then my love wasn't real! But it was! Nobody thinks it was, but he was my one true-"

"That isn't how you treat someone you love," she corrected her. "I know, I know you were trying to protect him, but you can't do that by taking away his rights! That's the opposite of true love, that's… ownership!"

"NO! No, you're wrong! I never 'owned' Boq and I wouldn't want to!" But her sobs gave her away; she knew Glinda's accusation held a grain of truth, but admitting it would destroy her. Which her following words seemed to confirm: "P-please, Glinda, j-just… I can't!"

Those words sounded familiar. It took Glinda a moment to realise it was what she had said about handling a life without Elphaba. Same level of emotion…

"Listen," she whispered to Nessa. "Just for a moment. Now, I really do think you need to stop all this fibulation and own up to how you treated him — even if you didn't mean to," she overrode her impending protest. "Elphaba's cross with you because she thinks you're acting like a little Muchkinling pitching a fit, and, well… if the slipper fits…"

Glancing down at her own silvery slippers, Nessa whispered, "I… I miss him… I know you're right, that I'm acting very ungrateful, but I'm not! It's just… how can I be happy about being able to walk if I'm walking alone?"

"You're not alone. You have me, and Elphie. Or you will once you two can talk things out, anyway."

"Yeah." Giving a glum little nod, she let Glinda wipe away her tears and pat her on the head, even though they were almost the same age. "I'm… I need a little time. I tried to find linens for the beds, or food, but there isn't any… and all I want to do is curl up in bed and hate everything!"

"We all do, from time to time. Here, now — follow me. We'll do what we can, find what we can."

So Glinda and her friend's little sister set out to explore the castle, glum as the latter was. Something to busy their hands, since all they could think about was their lost loves. It would have to suffice.

                                                      To Be Continued…