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?