COMPETITION

One entry per person!

Milestone

October 2015 is the 5 year anniversary of when I posted my first Wicked fanfiction online.

Now, although I was posting fanfiction for other fandoms before, and have done occasionally since, Wicked was really where I found my niche, I guess.

Plus, 5 years on I can say it's the most supportive fandom I've posted in. I feel this is where my writing has grown the most, where I've pushed and challenged myself, and where I've met awesome people.

So, I wanted to do something for the occasion. 5 years is an impressive milestone, I think!

I'm hoping to be able to start posting my next fic Long Time Coming on that day, but whilst it could be argued that it is for you, that's mostly for me. People actually reading and reviewing is just a perk.

So, I wanted to do something for the people who are actually reading my work- whether they've been there since Ever Ever After, or found me through the 50+ subsequent stories since then, or who will just stumble across Long Time Coming when it goes up.

I have this notebook that I use when I'm going on trips and I'll have time to write, but I don't particularly want to lug my laptop with me.

In this notebook are first, handwritten, original drafts of different sections of The Ghost of Kiamo Ko, The Right Thing To Do, and The Most Convenient Definitions and a few other notes for stuff not worth mentioning.

What I'm proposing (potentially) is some sort of competition where either 1 winner would get the notebook; or 3 winners would get part of the notebook (1 for each fic).

What do you guys think? Is this lame? Is anyone interested? Does anyone want my scribbles and sometimes hardly legible notes?

UPDATE:
It doesn't look as though I'll be able to start posting Long Time Coming just yet unfortunately.

At this stage, I'm thinking the prize would be the notebook as a whole, but I'd like to do a 2nd and 3rd prize; and I'm after suggestions what you guys would like. To be an OC/create an OC in a fic? Someone suggested a Skype call?

The competition is not official yet, but I'm thinking some kind of question, you send in answers of say 100 words or less; and I have an impartial judge (ie. a friend of mine who knows I write FF but doesn't read it) pick the winner/s.

Family

My younger sister got engaged tonight!

Now, this is a good thing. A really good thing. (Hence the exclamation point). And I am genuinely super happy for her. She's my sister, naturally, and her fiancé (!!) is a great guy.

We're all really happy he's [officially] going to be part of our family, and hey, I finally kinda get the big brother I always wanted!

But I do admit to feeling a little upset.

Not that she's getting married before me- they've been together for 3 years in December, so we all knew this was coming at some point, and unless a few miracles occurred, I knew it was going to happen this way. (Although I am dreading any relatives who will feel the need to point out that she's getting married before me, as though I'm unaware of this fact. And I know my relatives. Some will feel the need to point this out.)

But I'm a little upset about the way I found out. I just got home for the weekend, walked in to say hello to my mum and she was on the phone talking to them.

Mum herself found out because my sister put it on Facebook, she rang her and then my sister rang back.

But it would have been nice to get even just a text message.

And this is just the way my sister is, I know, and it's not personal. But she's my sister and she's getting married. Mum told me tonight not to be upset if I'm not involved in the wedding. Honestly, if I was asked to be in the wedding, I'd be surprised. My sister has a lot of really close friends.

The other thing that bugs me is my paternal grandparents' reaction. She's the first grandchild on this side of the family that will be married. And the only reaction the news got was "Oh, that's nice."

For reasons unknown, they don't like my sister's fiancé, who has been nothing but pleasant and polite to them since they met. And I'm sure after their less-than-enthusiastic response to the news, they're going to tell all their friends about it as though they're thrilled.

And that really bugs me on my sister's behalf.

 When mum confirmed the news (after I heard "send me a picture of the ring" I pretty much had it figured out, but confirmation is always good) I was actually a little surprised that I wasn't upset that she was getting married before me.

But honestly, I've had a long time to accept that fact, and when I move around for work so much, and the very thought of someone showing romantic interest in me literally sends me into an anxiety attack (I have friends who can attest to this. I'm not exaggerating. This is fact), like I said, it would take a few miracles for me to get married first.

Anyway, I don't want to go on about this. Just had to vent a little so I can focus on the positives- my sister is getting married to someone we genuinely all like and who loves her and treats her well. That's all I can ask for really.

Writing Processes

Recently I was asked on Twitter how I organise my fics and my ideas, and instead of trying to explain in 140 characters, I thought visual aids might help.

I'm posting this here, in case anyone else is interested.

IDEAS

The way I organise my plans and notes has evolved over the 5 years I've been posting fanfiction. For about a year now, I've been using the OneNote program- it's easy to file and group notes and separate everything. 

I have 3 main notebooks for fanfiction related stuff:

1. Fanfiction Plans.

This is where I plan and outline every fic I'm going to write. As you can see in the picture below, each fic has it's own section.

Each section has 4 pages- Summary, Character List, Plot Outline and Notes. You can also add subpages if you want (and sub-sub pages). The screenshot below is for the fic I'm currently working on.

2. Fanfic Ideas

This is just where I keep a list of every little idea I have, or title idea, or a quote I think of. Sometimes I can piece several ideas together to form a story, sometimes one will fit into a plan I already have. 

 3. Carlie's Guide to Oz

This is where I keep all my notes on Oz in general. Some are canon from the musical or book, some are from the Wizard of Oz, some are from things I've established in previous fics that I liked, and some are just headcanons.
Whilst I'm not a huge fan of the Wicked book, because the musical doesn't have the room to get to in-depth on world building, sometimes I will use elements from the book. Or at least as a basis, and then I might put my own spin on it.

FICS

As for the fics themselves, they're all written on Microsoft Word. I have a folder (titled "Neds" for 2 reasons- 1. if someone is looking at my computer (because this folder is on my desktop for easy access) I don't have to answer awkward questions; and 2. Private joke between a friend and I.

The "Stories in Progress" folder has another folder in it, just for Wicked fics so I can keep them separate. This is the list currently:


I try to work on only one fic at a time, and I'm usually inspired to work on one in particular when I go looking for my next project.

If I'm not feeling inspired to settle on one in particular, I might jump around and draft the beginning of a couple until one grabs me- and that's why the word count in the above picture is all over the place.

Once a fic grabs me and I get into a flow for that story, I'll stay with it until I'm finished (although at times I might stop and write a one-shot if I'm having writer's block or it's a special occasion or request of some kind).

I hope this helps!

Life's Epochs Cover

I know it's been awhile since I posted on this blog (oops) but I wanted to say something about the cover for this fic. I’m not very artistic, so I’m super proud of how this turned out. 

The three non-circled ads in this picture are real governess ads from the early 1900s (thank you Google), I just Ozified them a bit. 

I wrote the circled one for this fic, found and downloaded an old-time newspaper font to type them all up, and added the circle with Paint. 

I stylised the cover using canva and here we are!

Link to my new Wicked fanfiction, Life’s Epochs (and my first non-Fiyeraba multichapter fic) is here

My 24th Year in Review

It's that time of year again! 2 days before my birthday, where I look back and think about what the previous year of my life has brought me in terms of experiences- good and bad.

Shows/Musicals/Concerts:

• Wicked (14 shows, in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane)
• Les Mis 
• Tim Campbell High School Disco
• Picture Perfect (song cycle with David Harris and Amity Dry amongst others)
• Anthony Warlow and Faith Prince in concert
• Lion King
• The Dream (Bell Shakespeare)
• Cal Wilson, Undercurrents
• Peter Pan (school production)
• Into the Woods

Trips:

• Melbourne
• Sydney
• Brisbane
• Adelaide

Celebrities I Met (for the first time):

• Tim Campbell (finally)
• Amity Dry
• Jennifer Morrison
• Cast of Les Mis 
• Cal Wilson (I said "hi", that counts right?) 

Fanfics Published: 
NB. There was a lot of one-shots this year! Sorry about that!

• The Party 
• The Most Convenient Definitions  
• Waiting Room 
• A House Is Not A Home 
• The Perils of Dating A Commotion 
• The Lurlinemas Tree 
• The Right Thing To Do  
• Blackout 
• Sins of the Father  

Experiences Had (AKA Things I did or that happened to me):

• Got my P's
• Got a car
• Got diagnosed with anxiety (That one wasn't so much fun)
• Went in my first ambulance (would have been more fun if I could breathe)

World Book Day

Today is World Book Day!

What is World Book Day?

World Book and Copyright Day (also known as International Day of the Book or World Book Day) is observed on April 23, 2015. The annually celebrated day is organized by UNESCO to promote reading, publishing and copyright. It was first celebrated in 1995. [Source]

As a bibliophile, writer and English teacher, I couldn't not post about it. So, a colleague and I made up this little survey for you! 

1. Top 5 Favourite Authors?

2. Top 5 Favourite Book Series?

3. Top 5 Favourite Fiction Books (NOT part of a series)?

4. Least Favourite Book?

5. Favourite Genre/s?

6. Least Favourite Genre/s?

7. Favourite Childhood Book?

8. Top 5 Female Characters From Books?

9. Top 5 Male Characters From Books?

10. Book City/Country/World you’d like to visit/live?

11. Action Of A Fictional Character You Still Can’t Forgive?

12. “Classic” Book You Think Is Overrated?

13. Your Favourite Book To Film/Mini-Series Adaptation?

14. Guilty Pleasure Book/Author?

15. Favourite Non-Fiction Book/s?

16. First Fictional Character You Had A Crush On?

17. The Fictional Character You Most Hate?

18. Death In A Book You Will Never Be Over?

19. Book I Am Now Reading:

20. Book You Recommend Everyone Should Read:

My Answers:

1. JK Rowling- Jodi Picoult- Rainbow Rowell- Cecelia Ahern- Nicholas Sparks
2. Harry Potter- Anne of Green Gables- Lord of the Rings- Trixie Belden- Percy Jackson
3. The Book Thief (Marcus Zusak)- Rebecca (Daphne Du Maurier)- Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)- Fangirl (Rainbow Rowell)- PS I Love You (Cecelia Ahern) 
4. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
5. Romance, Drama, Historical
6. Science Fiction
7. First one I remember hearing about is Cinderella. According to my mum, I could find it in the dark. 
8. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter), Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables), Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice), Jo March (Little Women), Professor McGonagall (Harry Potter)
9. Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables), Harry Potter (Harry Potter), Mr Darcy (Pride and Prejudice), Colonel Brandon (Sense and Sensibility), Sirius Black (Harry Potter)
10. The Wizarding World in Harry Potter. (This won over Avonlea. And Middle Earth. It was close though).
11. In Little Women when Amy burned Jo's manuscript. 
12. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I've never been able to finish it.
13. Anne of Green Gables movies in 1985 and 1987 (you can't really count the third because it doesn't follow the books). And Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca in 1940. 
14. Danielle Steel. 
15. The Diary of Anne Frank. 
16. Gilbert Blythe, Anne of Green Gables. 
17. Dolores Umbridge, Harry Potter. 
18. Sirius Black, Harry Potter. 
19. Briar Rose, by Jane Yolen 
20. Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell. 

[PERSONAL NOTE: For those who know me, no- Elphaba, Fiyero and Wicked is NOT on the list. Because whilst it started as a book, I prefer the characters in their musicalverse forms. I made myself stick to book forms/characters only.]

The Party: Pictures

Nessa and Galinda's Bridesmaid Dress:

Elphaba's Wedding Dress

The Petal Path and The Gazebo (Pretty much what I was picturing):

The Tent (although probably with more pink):









The Garden:

The Most Convenient Definitions: Galinda's Story

In Chapter 4 of The Most Convenient Definitions, everyone revealed why they were in detention and a few secrets.

Galinda's, it seems (according to the reviews), caught everyone's attention- in a good way!

If you haven't read it yet, but you've somehow stumbled across this post, you can read it here. We'll wait.

Actually, while we wait and before I forget, if you want to see the video I mentioned in the AN of Chapter 5, you can find it here. 

Ok, so, Galinda's secret. She revealed that the reason she came to Shiz, was because her alternative option was to get married. Her parents even had someone in mind- an associate of her father's. I gave the excuse that her parents were older than most, and wanted to know Galinda would be taken care of if something happened to them.

To me, this has always been a possibility of Galinda's background. Maybe it was the "Momsie and Popsicle" thing or that Galinda is obviously rather spoilt.

So Galinda came to Shiz, avoiding marriage, and kinda hoping she might be able to find a husband amongst her classmates.

As a few people have mentioned to me, it puts Galinda's "Fiyero and I are going to be married [despite the fact I only met him a few hours ago]" in a new light. I thought so too, obviously; although I do also think Galinda is just a hopeless romantic who knows what she wants. Fiyero meets her ideal, so she immediately decides this must be it. That's my interpretation of her anyway.

The thing is that Galinda's family is wealthy. And typically, wealthy girls didn't have careers. They either got married, or went to university (often to find a husband) and then got married. There's even a trope for it. The idea just made sense to me.

My headcanon for Galinda is that she's a debutante, did a year or so of finishing school before Shiz.

And for those of you who read the book (yes, I know, I don't typically take from the Wicked book, but I have on occasion), Galinda does marry someone much older than her, and very wealthy, Sir Chuffrey.

So to me it seemed plausible that this was a very real option for Galinda; and I thought it would make a good secret for Galinda and to reveal as a crack in her "perfect" life.

I'm glad it was so well received!

Video: Works in Progress

Here's a video about all the Wicked fics I have planned, but done a little differently!

I used Prezi.com (basically super fancy power points) and Screencast-O-Matic (something new I was trying out) to make this. It was fun.

Wish List

A list of a few things I'd love to do if I had the skills/money/people were actually interested.

• Have an actual website. Like, I love my blog, and I try to be good and let you all know when I post something fic-related on it and try to make sure everything is tagged with the story title so (in theory) you should always be able to find stuff from an old story; but a website would be cool where you could just post the links within the story. 
• Do a fanfiction podcast. I just think a lot of people have a lot to say on fanfiction, and I like to discuss things. 
• Travel around the world and meet people from FF.net. Just because it'd be cool.

My Mental Oz

I've been meaning to do this for a while, but now I've finally had the motivation to actually do it.

Basically, I thought it would be interesting (for me at least, not necessarily you) to give you an idea of how I envision each province of Oz and a few other things.

Now, you may not agree, and if that's the case, I'd like to hear your opinion! Also, many of my mental images may differ from the information we're given in different sources; and that is mainly a result of me seeing the musical before reading the book and having seen The Wizard of Oz 1000 times before seeing Wicked.

For example, I know the Vinkus in the book is largely grasslands and desert. But again, I saw the musical before knowing anything of the book; and although I have the grasslands in my mental "Vinkus"- because it's also featured on the musical map, I still see the Vinkus as I first did upon watching Wicked.

I also have to stress that I haven't actually been to most of these places, so my mental images mostly come from pictures I've seen and movies/TV shows, etc. Also, the pictures used aren't exact, obviously. Just to give you an idea.

So, here we go:

Munchkinland:

Munchkinland is a tricky one, because I actually have two sources. One of course, is The Wizard of Oz movie, as Munchkinland is the first place in Oz we see. Although The WoO mostly forms my basis for Munchkin City itself, combined with sort of just the typical country town.

For the rest of the province, I mostly envision where I've been living the past 3 years- the Australian countryside. Lots of green, lots of farmland, lots of sheep.

And to be honest, maybe a little bit like The Shire from Lord of the Rings.











The Governor's Mansion:

The Governor's mansion is the sole exception to this picture, and it's very similar to what I picture for Gilikin, as you'll see in the next paragraph.
Basically it's a big white house. And for some reason, it's always on the top of a hill.

This is the Governor's Mansion in Alabama. LOOK AT THAT STAIRCASE!!! *swoon*
(I have this weird thing about staircases. Love them)

Gilikin:

My vision of Gilikin comes from certain American states. You know the big plantation houses? That's what I picture. Like Gone With the Wind kind of stuff. Very green, lots of trees....





The Emerald City:

Basically, early 1900s New York, but green. I watch a lot of movies set in early 1900s New York. Or just early 1900s.



The Vinkus:

Again, I know- deserts and grasslands. What do I picture? Germany. Why? Excellent question. I don't know.





Kiamo Ko:

There's some really pretty German castles, and that's how I picture Kiamo Ko.



Shiz:

For Shiz, I mostly think of the big Ivy League colleges- namely, Harvard. Very old and lots of stone work....



Quadling Country:

Quadling Country was a hard one, and one I've only written once so far. All I knew about Quadling Country in the beginning was "marshland" and they were poor. This is what I think of.





The Glikkus:

The Glikkus is a place I haven't written yet. All I knew about that was this is where they mine the Emeralds for the Emerald City, and aside from Australia the only place I know Emeralds come from is Russia.

So, yeah, I tend to think of Russia.






I think that's everything... there's also Ugabu of course, but that's disputed and I haven't written that either so I don't think about it much.

Wicked movie rumours 2016

Rumours about the Wicked movie are nothing new. I've been hearing about them since I first found Wicked in 2010.
Then, it was going to be released in 2014.

Rumours have kicked off 2015 by saying that the movie will be released in 2016. It's all over the internet (this is just one article of 100, but they all pretty much say the same thing), but I'm not getting excited. Yet. Here is why:

1. These aren't the first rumours we've heard. 

They've been floating around for years and since the success of Frozen and Idina Menzel's become more popular among the mainstream, the rumours have only peaked.

They're going to cast Idina; they're not going to cast Idina; they want Lea Michele for Elphaba (I have mixed feelings about this, but mostly towards 'no'. Can she sing it? Hell yes. Can she act it? ... I'm not convinced); Harry Styles will be Fiyero (No offence to 1D fans, but... please no); etc, etc.

It took until last year that Stephen Schwartz finally said they were "gearing up"to make it and looking at the script to make the screenplay.

It's like the Boy Who Cried Wolf. There might actually be a wolf in the village this time, but I'll need to see a few missing sheep before I believe it.

2. If you read the article... 

"[A 2016 release date] is the goal, but I don’t know whether we’ll make that goal or not. We will make the movie, but like I said, the bar is really high. We’re going to scrutinise our work on the screenplay and our prep on the movie, and when we feel like it’s ready, okay. We’re not going to shoot to a release date is what I’m saying. It’s in the works, it’s not in a rush."

That is a quote from producer Marc Platt. 2016 is the goal. He doesn't know if they'll make that goal. "It's in the works, it's not in a rush."

This supports so many months worth of articles where Platt, Schwartz or anyone else involved with the musical has stated that it's not a priority to make the movie- especially when the musical continues to do so well all around the world.

So, until we get a 100% official release date, I'm not holding my breath. Anything could happen between now and then.


3. Timing

You know what else is coming out 2016? Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. 
FB is coming out in November of next year. Which means Wicked would have to be on a similar time frame to be released next year, if not further advanced- depending on when in 2016 it would be released.

There was an article on FB the other day that said they're planning to start filming late this summer (Northern Hemisphere summer, that is). We don't have a FB cast either, but it's expected in the next few months, from what I understand.

Now, I'm assuming FB would have more special effects than the Wicked movie (but I guess that depends on what they actually do with the Wicked movie), which I'm assuming means more time in post-production to do all the effects? (Yes? Film people correct me if I'm wrong).

But either way, to be released in 2016, I'm assuming Wicked would have to be filmed at least in the same time period, maybe a bit later?

So if we don't have any casting news by mid-year, I'm assuming the movie will be delayed past 2016.


I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong, and everything will go according to plan. Maybe 2016 will be the year. This is just my opinion, and I'm not exactly an expert on the film industry and how it works. And I do definitely want there to be a movie, mostly to help my pain once Wicked finishes it's run in Australia this year.

In a perfect world, everyone would agree on the cast and be thrillified, but I can't see that happening either.

I'm nervous about casting and wary about changes, but I will reserve judgement until I see the movie- whenever that is.

The Right Thing To Do

Today I posted the final chapter of The Right Thing To Do, probably the most challenging Wicked fanfiction I've written to date.

I know in the past, when I've written a fic where I have many thoughts on it, I've done a video. Whilst that is still my first choice, I am still visiting my parents and sound carries, and.... I've made it nearly 8 years without them realising I post fanfiction online, I'm not going to blow it now by having to try and explain why I'm making a video and talking about Wicked characters.

But I had a few thoughts on this story I wanted to share that I didn't really get to express throughout the writing of the story, and a comment on the sequel.... which no one has asked for and I'm not going to write, but you get a comment anyway.

Finding Motivation:

As I've mentioned, this story has been in the works since 2012, when I saw this scene during a Gilmore Girls marathon.
I knew people would freak- because I was freaking.
As soon as I saw the scene, and I knew it would be a Fiyeraba, I had to essentially work backwards to figure out the plot. And there were elements I knew people wouldn't like, because I didn't want to write them.
Glinda pregnant with Fiyero's baby? Keeping Fiyeraba apart? Nope. All bad things.
But I had this idea so clearly, I took it as a sign I had to write it.
It just took me a long time. I struggled to get started and admittedly happily postponed the project when I had an idea I was more motivated to write, until finally I just had to write this to be able to say I had.

The Stress of Posting:

I was so nervous about posting. Because you can never predict how people will react- and this story had a lot to react to.
The revelation of Glinda's pregnancy was a big one- because it was a Flinda baby, not a Fiyeraba baby. And I know how protective people can be of their OTP's relationship and "happy ever after".
When I was writing House fanfiction, there were many people who would not read a story that had any baby that was not a Hameron (House/Cameron) baby, particularly that involved one half of Hameron having a baby with a third party.
The other bit I was nervous about was the outcome of the wedding, and the resulting Gloq marriage. I've read things (not necessarily fics, but just things) where things like this seem to happen and it seems terribly contrived and convenient just so your preferred couple can have a happy ending. I wanted to try and avoid that, even if that's what it was.
Fortunately, you guys didn't seem to care what I did, as long as you got Fiyeraba.
And this may seem strange, but I was also nervous about Julyan. As I've stated, he was Julia's creation and she was insistent. But I'd never written a gay character before, and I don't feel I am particuarly "sassy", which I was informed was a key element of Julyan's character. I didn't want to make Julyan two-dimensional or a stereotype or anything like that. But the feedback I got on his character was all very positive!

TRTTD non-sequel- Notes on Expanded Canon:

As I said, I have no plans for a sequel. Sorry... not that anyone has asked for a sequel. But because I've spent so much time thinking about this story, I do have some idea how everyone ended up... mostly.

I think the correct term for this is "Expanded canon", or maybe it's just my headcanon, I don't know. So this is like a "Where are they now?" segment at the end of a movie.

Julyan. 

• I feel like Julyan would definishly have finished Smell the Sparkle, and I think it would have been a success. Not in a way like Phantom of the Opera, or something, it wouldn't be regarded as a classic of the epitome of what musical theatre is. But I feel like it would have been a popular show, maybe not with critics, but with audiences.
•  I also feel he would have kept up his wedding and event planning business, either in the Vinkus or in the Emerald City. 
• I had this thought he met his Mr Right through planning a wedding, a chef/baker (maybe Seeley from Don't Tell the Bride? I did love him). And I feel they would have eventually either adopted a little girl or had her through surrogacy. Either way, he definitely had a daughter. 

Nessa and Frex

• Frex and Elphaba's relationship improved a lot, which made the whole family happier. Maybe not to the extent of Come What May, but to the point Frex genuinely appreciated his eldest daughter and respected her wishes and happiness.
• Nessa continued to work with her father, and eventually took over as Governor of Munchkinland.
• Nessa eventually married the Glikkus ambassador to Munchkinland, who I feel was older than her. Not like, her father's age, but still a good few years older than her. Not sure whether they ever had children though.

Glinda and Boq

• I really believe within a year or two, Glinda was as much in love with Boq as she ever had been with Fiyero, maybe more. When I knew they'd get married, I kept thinking of this one line from the end of Sense and Sensibility-

"Marianne could never love by halves; and her whole heart became, in time, as much devoted to her husband as it had once been to Willoughby.”

 I've always seen a lot of Marianne in Glinda, and if you have no clue who/what I'm talking about, please go read Jane Austen's S&S or at least watch the movie. It's an excellent adaptation with Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman.

• Boq and Glinda would have had at least one more child, and I have a feeling Glinda got the daughter she so wanted. 
• And I think a few years after Mazhar was born (because I do feel they ended up living in the Vinkus longer than first planned- probaly until Maz was 4 or 5) they moved to Munchkinland, not Gilikin- perhaps because, like Fiyero, I find the image of Glinda as a farmer's wife amusing. 

Glinda and Elphaba

• In the epilogue I wrote, 

"And Glinda had been right, they found. It wasn’t like before, and maybe they’d never be as close as they had once been." 

In the context of the epilogue, that made sense. It had only been six months and they were only writing back and forth.

• I do feel that eventually, it wasn't the same, but it was better. Because there were no secrets, no lies; and they were family. They were essentially co-parenting a child together (with the boys, of course). I feel eventually, especially once she fell in love with Boq, she was as enthusiastic about the Fiyeraba as she is in every other fic I write. 

Elphaba and Fiyero

• I think eventually, Elphaba and Fiyero did get married. And by eventually, I mean years. 
• I feel it wasn't smooth sailing, I think Elphaba would have put a lot of pressure on herself about the relationship because of all the circumstances surrounding it, and it would have been a rocky road. 
• I think she managed to keep herself out of the press until Mazhar was about two and then the press got wind of the fact that she and Fiyero weren't just very good friends; but I don't think the press ever connected her to Fiyero and Glinda's breakup- at least not yet.
• I think it was at least five years before they got engaged, probably a few years after that they had any children. 

Mazhar

• Maz is a happy kid. He'll never be king, but by the time he's old enough to really understand that, he's spent enough time living in Munchkinland he doesn't care about that. 
• And I think that while he understands Boq and (eventually) Elphaba are just his step-parents, he sees them as much his parents as Fiyero and Glinda. I'm always switching around what he calls them, but he has this huge family and doesn't know any different.
•  I feel he'd spent the summer and alternate Lurlinemas's in the Vinkus, and there'd be many trips back and forth all through the year; and everyone would get together for his birthday. 

I think that's everything... any questions or anything else you want to know? Any headcanons of your own you want to share?