Boq Woodsman

Shiz alumni | Queer | He/him/his

[boq-woodsman]

Hello!

My name is Boq. Boq Woodsman. Feel free to talk to me about anything. Anything at all. I don't really have a lot of people to talk to, so. I'm nice, though! I promise.

My current state, updated daily by Summarizing Anon: https://www.tumblr.com/boq-woodsman/806780411321647104/httpswwwtumblrcomboq-woodsman806389327243427?source=share

Relationships:

My boyfriend, Fiyero: @princefiyerotigelaarofficial

Nessa: @nessa-rose-thropp

Miss Galinda, my friend: @glindaupland-official

Elphaba, my friend: @elphaba-thropp-73

Miss Galinda's friend: @pfannee-of-phanhall

Miss Galinda's other friend: @shenshen-minkos

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: @wonderfuloscardiggs

Rules:

Minimal NSFW, respect boundaries

No homophobia, sexism, racism, etc.

Feel free to talk/ask anything to clear things up (even OOC)

// This means "out-of-character". This is an RP blog. Mod is @makuyi13, also known as Mak, and goes by he/she/they pronouns.

// The timeline of this blog is all over the place, so RPs taking place anywhere within the beginning of Wicked (2024) to the end of Wicked: For Good is accepted (exceptions can be made -- just DM me). Whatever you want. Also, this is all headcanon-driven.

// Colour-coordination key: Boq is orange, Tin Man is uncoloured (except for on this intro), OOC is blue

// Credit to @saradika-graphics for the dividers.

[boq-woodsman]

Heyo Tin Boq. I have a question, how is little Polly doing after all these years?

Polly? I haven't heard from her in a while.

[boq-woodsman]

(Holy shit, are you alright?!)

// Yeeeaaaaahhhh. You know what they say. No pain, no gain

[boq-woodsman]

Can we be moots?! You’re my favorite! Literally my good luck charm! ✨🦋

I’ll be on the top punk of the bed sleeping because am so lazy.

*sleep on the top punk unnoticed by now* ✨😂

Aw. Alright.

[boq-woodsman]

Dearest Tin Man (Tin Boq?)-

I hope this missive finds you well, in that you are in good repair and perhaps finding activities that bring you happiness and satisfaction. Should either of these not be truthful, I would like to offer the services of a very talented tinsmith I have become acquainted with in my travels, and perhaps an invitation to a rather lovely library of incredible size I think you especially might find a treat.

In either case, should you be interested, please do venture to the blue box on the corner of the market square and give a knock. I will be in town for a week or two, so please don't feel the need to rush.

Sincerely,

The Doctor nee John Smith

Tin Boq frowns thoughtfully upon reading the note.

Hm. Perhaps I'll give them a try.

[boq-woodsman]

I wonder how small Boq would look next to Bayonetta (Bayonetta is a 7 feet something lady )

She sounds lovely, though.

[boq-woodsman]

Been a bit since I checked in on you. How are you, Boq?

I'm alright! Polly the chicken has been very nice. It's been very calm lately, and I made some good cookies. I finished another book, too. How are you?

[boq-woodsman]

Tin man what are u gonna do for the rest of ur life

I don't know. I hope I find something meaningful, but I wouldn't think you have any suggestions.

[boq-woodsman]

*pats Boq's head with a finger since hes tiny but also does it carefully so I wouldn't accidently crush him*

*Boq stands there awkwardly*

[boq-woodsman]

What are your thoughts on Polly the chicken?

I love Polly. She's great.

[boq-woodsman]

When you're tiny, do you get really overwhelmed how everything is just towering over you?

Yes...

[boq-woodsman]

Boq, are you still tiny?

Yes...

[boq-woodsman]

If you can think, and you can make decisions on your own, I'd say you're still alive.

That's your opinion, then.

[boq-woodsman]

Two days passed since Elphaba and Fiyero left Oz. Now, they walked in the desert, finding food for her every now and then. But they still couldn't find a house for them to sleep in.

Then, she saw it- a small hut that seemed to be abandoned by its owner, with a little garden at the back. The two started walking faster towards the place, until they heard someone approaching. It was a familiar metallic sound, that made Elphaba want to cover her ears. It was also a constant reminder for her last visit before her sister got crashed by that awful house- a thing that she'll never forgive Glinda, Morrible, and the Wizard for.

She decided to turn around. She should at least try and explain the situation, even if she knew he wouldn't believe her and think her a liar. And yet, she didn't know what to say at the moment. She knew the tin man wanted to kill her and convince Fiyero to join him.

So instead, she asked:"How'd you find us?"

-@elphaba-thropp-00358

There they were -- the wretched, despicable, Wicked Witch and the traitorous Scarecrow, walking together, hand-in-hand. If the Tin Man had had a real, bloody heart, it would have become stone cold and dropped to his stomach. He tightened his grip on the handle of his axe. But he didn't move it.

"I had my sources," the Tin Man answered coldly. Then, to the Scarecrow, he asked, "Where do you think you're going?" He gave the Wicked Witch a glare. "Explain yourself."

[elphaba-thropp-00358]

Elphaba expected that answer. She wondered what were those sources, but she knew she wouldn't get any answer about that.

She knew that after everything Fiyero tried to do in order to save her, his other companions would feel betrayed, but she didn't expect one of them to follow the duo. She also didn't understand why must she explain herself to a man who wants to kill her.

"... Why do I have to explain myself to you?", she asked. It felt weird to talk to Boq with such coldness, but she knew that he was gone.

[boq-woodsman]

The Tin Man scowled. "You made me like this. You stole my companion. And you caused destruction all throughout Oz." Hate surged within him. To think the Wicked Witch was still without an ounce of remorse. "Well, go on." He didn't expect an answer he could believe, but he almost wished she wouldn't answer. He wanted to kill her terribly, but he didn't want to kill an innocent woman.

[elphaba-thropp-00358]

She listened to him. Those were false accusations to her. She didn't steal anyone. She was chosen by him at the night of the wedding. She wanted to save all the Animals and prove that the government of Oz is not to be trusted. Although she misarably failed while doing so. Last but not least, she wanted to save Boq from the spell that Nessa casted, during her craze.

'I guess I really need to explain all that. He wouldn't believe me...', Elphaba thought.

"Fine", she said. "That's fair... Where do I start? Right... I'm going to start from the very start. When I went to the Wizard for the very first time, I realized he was the one who was responsible for all this Animal abuse, along with Morrible. That's why I've been causing destruction, as you like to call it.

"The Scarecrow had faith in me, even before he was transformed. We saved the cub from the cage together. Although, we didn't think about the consequences. We just wanted to release the cub, so I'll take the blame for your other companion, The Cowardly Lion. After that incident, my friendship with the Scarecrow has strengthened. That's why he chose to leave with me.

"As for you, tin man, I suppose you cannot forget how my late sister was deeply obsessed with you. I was there with her during your confession, because she missed the times at Shiz. Especially at the Ozdust, so I made her float, in order to see her smile again.

"But, once she was rejected by you, she was crazed. She stole the Grimmerie, and tried to find the perfect spell to bind your heart to her. I tried to stop her, as she misread the spell and thus, made your heart shrink. You were about to die, and since spells from the Grimmerie cannot be reversed, I turned you into tin, in order to save you from dying", Elphaba finished explaining.

[boq-woodsman]

The Tin Man made no movement to nod or discourage as the Witch made her excuses. Although... he could believe Morrible and the Wizard had done as she said. There had to be an explanation for what was happening, after all, and if he said Morrible and the Wizard were without suspicious and intimidating demeanors, he would be lying. He supposed he had reasonable doubt to believe maybe something else was happening that he didn't know about.

But the Scarecrow? He had believed in the Tin Man. He had trusted him, and he felt betrayed that the Scarecrow had hidden this from him. Despite still not believing the story fully, he was a little bit embarrassed that he had behaved as he did when the Scarecrow's belief had gone so directly against such actions. Whether the Tin Man himself could believe in such delusions, he couldn't tell for sure, but he knew he would have tried to listen if the Scarecrow had made any attempt whatsoever to be a little more transparent about his motives. He didn't have to choose the Witch. He could have chosen the Tin Man.

But he could not forget Nessa. That much was true. And now, he was sure, he hated both of them. He could have been so different.

"What if I didn't want to be saved?" he asked. "Look at me. Look at me and tell me you really think this is better than death."

[elphaba-thropp-00358]

She did not expect this answer, but this was understandable. To live forever in a body made of tin did sound horrible. He wasn't wrong about that.

She shook her head.

"You are right. This is not better than death", she said. "There is a solution to this, though. I gave the Grimmerie to Glinda the Good before faking my death. I believe she has the sources to help, unless you don't want her help as well".

[boq-woodsman]

The Tin Man thought for a moment. "Fine."

He looked from Elphaba to the Scarecrow, careful not to betray his wanting. He hadn't said anything, but he was beginning to feel lost, and the thought of returning to Oz only stirred some kind of indifference within him.

"Why didn't you stay and help fix everything?" He asked instead. "You've always been much stronger than Glinda. Are you angry at her?"

[elphaba-thropp-00358]

She thought. There were things that Glinda did that did fill her with strong hatred. She still couldn't forget how she gave Nessa's shoes to that foolish girl from Kansas, right after Nessa died, and it made her think that Glinda was responsible for Nessa's death. But that wasn't the reason why she did it.

She shook her head. "No", she said. "Someone needed to be wicked in order for her to learn what it's like to be truly good. They have more faith in her. Plus people would think I'm scheming something anyways."

She understood why he was asking that. Unlike Glinda, she was born with magic. It was always a part of her, and she knew how to control and use it, after training with Morrible and on her own, when she was declared as a 'threat' to the Ozians. But at that point, she was tired of showing her love to the land that didn't love her. She wanted to rest her tired soul and have some peace.

'Those thoughts make me feel so old. But that is the truth', she thought.

[boq-woodsman]

What really went on between Elphaba, Glinda, and the Wizard was beyond the Tin Man's comprehension. But he could understand the concept of needing darkness in order for there to be light. And he himself knew he did not fully trust Elphaba, and yet he did not fully trust Glinda either. They had both been scheming something. To think that all this time he had only been a pawn in their game. Although he doubted whether he could have been much help, he selfishly wished he had been more than that. But after all, he had been so cruelly disfigured and cursed -- didn't he deserve to have a place at their conflict, at the very least?

In any case, it was all over. The Tin Man couldn't do much about it now. All that was left was to deal with the aftermath. He asked Elphaba, "...Well, what do you plan to do now?"

[elphaba-thropp-00358]

She thought. What did she plan to do now, other than spending the rest of her life in the lands that were beyond Oz, with or without Fiyero? Nothing, at the moment. She was aware that most things were temporary, and so was her will to return to Oz at the moment. Her relationship with Fiyero as well, but she shouldn't think about it right now, and hold this love and appreciation dearly to her heart.

"For now, I'm going to live in the lands that are beyond Oz. What about you?", she asked. After all, Dorothy 'killed' her. She didn't know what happened with the Wizard and Morrible, but if she knew that the quest to the Emerald City was over.

[boq-woodsman]

The Tin Man was taken aback for a moment. He had just realized.

"Well... I just planned to find you and Scarecrow." He thought about the act of swallowing a lump in his throat, but of course he could do no such thing. "You're all I truly have left."

[elphaba-thropp-00358]

For the first time in this conversation, Elphaba was speechless. She understood why the Tin Man counted Fiyero as the only person he had left. They shared a bond, even back at Shiz. But why did he count the person whom he wanted to kill the most after what she did to him, as one of the only people he had left? Also, what about the Cowardly Lion?

"What about...the lion?", she asked.

[boq-woodsman]

"The lion?" the Tin Man repeated. "He's been kind to me. I'm fond of him. But he'll die before I do, I suppose. And something about all of this feels like the end of the road."

He raises his hands slightly. They do not shake, although he supposed they once did, once upon a time, when they weren't so stiff and numb. To know something like the back of my hand, the Tin Man thought off-handedly. It was a funny saying. He didn't know if there really was anyone who knew what the back of their hand looked like all that well. Even now, the Tin Man struggled to remember exactly how they felt, how soft they were, how they could feel all the threads in his bowtie when he used to fiddle with it. Where all the freckles were. But he knew all those things had existed at one point, and it was gone now.

"Is this all I'll ever be?" the Tin Man wondered aloud. "All this time, was this my fate?"

He almost wanted to laugh very coldly, very shortly, but he couldn't bring himself to it. He could see his own garish face reflected on the back of his hand. All the details in the metal. From time to time, he remembered something about Fiyero, and he did now -- Fiyero used to have some extra rings in his possession, and he liked to let Boq borrow (ask Boq to wear) a few of them. There was no need now. His whole body was shinier than any of those damned rings would ever be, the embellishment on his fingers welded into his very making.

[elphaba-thropp-00358]

"That makes sense", she agreed after hearing his explanation. The lion was indeed a mortal creature, unlike the Tin Man and the Scarecrow.

As she heard his questions, she thought to herself. 'Was it truly Boq's destiny all along?', she thought and then reminisced the past. The only mistake Boq ever made in Shiz, was to agree to ask Nessa to be his partner at the Ozdust, in order to impress Glinda. Of course, Elphaba could turn him into a different being that wouldn't need a heart during that awful day, but he wouldn't be happy again. She could also leave him to die, which would Be extremely heartless of her, but then Nessa would be mad at her.

But the Tin Man was right. This was worse than death. She knew it was also because of him being there for her after the death of Elphaba and Nessa's father, but that's what friends are supposed to do.

"No... If things were done differently, it wouldn't be", she said.

[boq-woodsman]

If things were done differently? The Tin Man turned it over in his head. Was it Elphaba's fault? Was this a form of an apology for the consequences she hadn't expected when she had made all the decisions she did? But...Was it Boq's fault, then, that things had turned out the way they were? It made sense, somehow, and suddenly he could faintly hear the sound of Boq's voice without the words, and he understood in his nonexistent heart what he had said to a doe-eyed, anxious Nessa; to an uneasy, sorrowed Fiyero; to a resigned Glinda.

"What would we have done?" asked the Tin Man. Because he truly did wonder, for after all, what could they have done differently?

Suddenly it wasn't so hard to imagine it anymore. Boq had lived and died so the Tin Man could pull himself up from the edges of dented tea trays and wrangled spoons, crawl from his sorry insignificance into this twisted creature, this cursed existence. Every time Boq had laughed, every time Boq had jumped to his feet, every time Boq had dropped his books, stumbled over a word, told someone he liked them, tied a bowtie around his neck before running off to the Ozdust -- it had all been done, and the Tin Man had been built into existence. That was how Boq was, and there was no other way he could have been, and this was what it all meant in the end. He couldn't remember if Boq ever imagined what his future would be like, and perhaps that was why everyone had gone the way that they did. The Tin Man had never had hope, not even in the beginning. It was heartbreaking.

But alas, he didn't have a heart to break anymore.

[the-witch-and-the-scarecrow]

"Boq could've rejected Glinda's offer to be with Nessa at the Ozdust, just for the sake of impressing Glinda", she started. "Nessa could've been less obsessive about him. Although, it's understandable why she acted like that. She's been mostly coddled and infantilized most of her life, due to being disabled, and she rarely met people who didn't pity her for that. But it doesn't mean that her actions are defendable.

"As for me, I'm not sure if ignorance would be a better option." On the one hand, it could've taught her a lesson, a twisted one, about obsession and its effects on other people. On the other hand, seeing Nessa losing another person that was dear to her would make Elphaba feel remorseful for not intervening. She also didn't want Nessa's dislike towards her to grow.

[boq-woodsman]

The Tin Man nodded. Nessa had been kind to him in the past. He had valued her, although he knew that he had never valued her for more than a friend. He regretted having treated her as an object to impress others -- if he could have never loved her the way Nessa believed he would, he could have at least loved her as a person.

"Tell me about what you found out," the Tin Man told Elphaba. "What you were planning to do."

[the-witch-and-the-scarecrow]

"... I was told that the captain of the guards of the Wizard's castle liked birdwatching. The Grimmerie opened itself and stopped at a page where there was a spell that could give wings to others. I started reading, without knowing what I was actually doing. After I finished, the monkey, Chisterie, screamed in pain as wings grew from his back. I stated that and Madame Morrible said that the spell was irreversible, since it's from the Grimmerie.

"She also told the Wizard that they now had spies in the sky, after I opened the doors and saw that the other monkey guards also had wings. I was furious. I also tried to make the Wizard to read from the Grimmerie, but he didn't do anything. That was the moment where everything clicked. I realized that the both of them were behind the sudden disappearances of the Animals and their inability to speak, and that the Wizard wasn't even a wizard because he can't read the ancient language in the Grimmerie. I told them that they could've hired their own spies, instead of using me like that, and stormed out of the main hall.

"At some point, when I was at the attic, Glinda tried to reason with me, but I stood my ground and we had a big fight about it. She was about to join me, but she ended up staying. It didn't surprise me, really. It disappointed me. After that, I flew to the woods, and I suppose you know what happened after that", she finished telling about her first meeting in the Emerald City.

She knew that the part about the book sounded stupid. Although, it was a magical book. It's not surprising that it is able to open itself.

[boq-woodsman]

It was a stupid question, especially after having heard so many important things all at once, but the Tin Man had to ask. "Why didn't you go back to Shiz? You had a sister and friends. Nessa and Fiyero could have helped you. I could have helped you. Or at least listened." But he didn't say Elphaba had been wrong for what she did. Animals losing their ability to speak. Munchkins forbidden from travelling without passes. Monkeys with wings in the sky. The world, as Boq once knew, had gone off the rails, and it might still be in the process of going further off the rails. What was Elphaba, or indeed any of them, to do? And it was hard to tell what the truth was anymore when everyone was at least a liar, or part of one. "I suppose you thought you were independent. But you didn't have to be alone."

[the-witch-and-the-scarecrow]

He was right, in a way. She could've asked for help. She could've told about it to someone, instead of leaving. But was it worth the possible risk of getting caught? Was it worth it to put her friends in danger and make them public enemies as well? She knew she wouldn't be able to ask Nessa for help. Their father died at the time, due to shame. Elphaba wasn't willing to come to the funeral as well, since her dad hated her.

"I couldn't ask Nessa. Our father died while I was defamed by Morrible. Plus, if I were to ask you and Fiyero, the three of us would risk our safety at the process. I could get caught, if someone saw me, and the two of you would become public enemies as well. That is, unless you'd be willing to take such a risk".

[boq-woodsman]

Public enemies... it was easy to say it hardly mattered anymore, now that everyone was an enemy to somebody else. Now that it was only a choice between enemies of the public and enemies of the kind of meaning the Tin Man never wanted to antagonize. But wasn't that why Nessa did everything that she did? Because to her, that meaning was about the way things used to be? The way the Tin Man used to be?

"I think we can agree," the Tin Man said slowly. "That we deserved better. All of us."

But what did that matter now? What were they to do? The Tin Man knew they had reached the end of the road, whether it was a road he had wanted to take in the first place, and now he resented the idea that things were all over. For him. For Boq. And for all the people he had held so dear to his heart, although he had done nothing to save them.

"I wish we could start over. From the beginning." He couldn't meet the depths of Elphaba's eyes fully, but he did look at her, and he did mean what he said, even if he didn't believe it could be done. "It doesn't matter if nothing changes. But I want to live again. I miss Glinda and Fiyero. I..." The Tin Man trailed off. He still had a faint idea of what Shiz had been like, just little snippets of memories and the strains of voices and watered-down colours. He made no smile, no frown, no expression, and he didn't even tilt his head even though he knew he used to do it often. "...Didn't you wear glasses once?"

[boq-woodsman]

I don't know if this will make you feel better or worse, but you could have been far worse off.

What happened to you is unambiguously awful, I won't deny that. But I've seen... Horrible things. Other words, other places where people had similar transformations to yours. As awful as this is to say, Boq... You got off light compared to some of them.

You can still move without external influence. You still have a mouth, and you can scream. You cannot feel pain. You cannot feel pain. Your entire personality wasn't rewritten to love Nessa. You're not turned into a mindless machine, only a glimmer of consciousness left to desperately rage and scream as your body moves against your will. You are still Yourself.

I appreciate your words, and I think you're right... it could be worse...

But... But am I still myself? Do I even count as alive?

[boq-woodsman]

Mr. Tinman, I know I ask too many questions but I have another one. Is it more difficult for you to move in the warmth? Because metal expands in the heat. Also, how many parts of you do you think you could loose before you become no existent. Like if I lost an arm I would pass out and maybe bleed out but would you?

It's difficult for me to move regardless of the temperature, but yes. I would rather not test how many parts I could tolerate losing, however.

[boq-woodsman]

Fun fact: while the heart can be very reactive to emotions due to the nervous system, it's not actually where emotions come from. All it does is pump blood around the body. Emotions and feelings actually come about due to chemical reactions in the brain.

That's probably not much of a comfort to you, since your brain is probably just as metal as everything else, but it is something interesting.

It... is interesting. Thank you, anon.