try not to panic.

She/Her • Lesbian • Old enough that I had a Blockbuster card. I guess that makes me geriatric?

[tropacant]

have some shitty chaotic pride flags ^^

check out the rest of the flags on my profile since tumblr has a 10 image limit lol as well as the fixed versions of a few of these cuz I’m big dumb

[xxtc-96xx]

it's that time again, kids

[thememedaddy]

[i-eat-armins-chubby-cheeks]

I don't. I don't understand why people are seeing Glinda telling Fiyero, "Can't you see? She doesn't want to be found," as like, a sign that... she somehow 'understands Elphaba more' or is 'respecting her boundaries.'

Because Glinda's entire exchange and all of 'Thank Goodness' is so very obviously her feeling crushing guilt, but not enough to change, and trying to subconsciously rationalize her actions (or lack thereof) and defend herself. Like, she's not 'understanding Elphaba,' she's trying to make herself feel better about her own choices. That's even prevalent when Glinda says, "She's made her choice," in regards to Elphaba. Trying to make it seem equal, like Glinda hadn't fucked up major time.

Also, it's funny because Fiyero explicitly stated, "because if someone else gets there first," which Glinda ignored (well, Glinda and the fanbase). She acted as though he just wanted to find her to find her, and not because others were trying to kill her, fueled by the propaganda Glinda did nothing against and Fiyero attempted to diminish. Which, again, just goes to show how much she's in denial in attempt to self-justify her choices.

Furthermore, Elphaba very much so does want to be found- just not by people who want to kill her. I mean, she didn't beg Glinda to come with her on the broom in 'Defying Gravity' for nothing, y'know. And it feels like an honest to God disservice at best to Elphaba's character by insisting she's a-okay with being on the lonesome and never being found just because Glinda said so. Plus, like, the entire reason Broadway Wonderful and presumably maybe movie Wonderful works is because Elphaba is so starved, so deprived, she's falling susceptible to manipulation.

I mean, I know a chunk of the fan-base completely washes down Glinda's actions, and then some go so far as to completely bastardize Fiyero's actions in the same breath, but let's be real now. Not only was Fiyero the only person in Oz to actually try and help Elphaba, so much so that it got him literally crucified, but he's also, whether you like it or not, a very large part of Glinda popping her bubble. His capture and possible torture was her final kick-in-the-butt, y'know?

And also this. Jon M. Chu indicated that Glinda was flat out wrong about Elphaba "not wanting to be found," so I just really can't grasp why people insist she's right. I mean, granted, the article is from a while before the clip was released, but nonetheless. From what I understand of it, people are just saying it because that loud, loud minority (note that I said loud minority, it is absolutely not in a million years representative of the majority) can't handle the fact that Fiyero will do whatever it takes to help Elphaba right off the bat, and Glinda simply won't, and they need to justify her actions to "rationalize Gelphie," or something akin to that.

Which, in the process, defiles all three of their characters. They assume Fiyero's just in it for the purple pussy, that Elphaba is fine with being alone forever, which also indicates that she just... gave up on her cause for no reason when almost falling for the Wizard's promise, and that Glinda isn't experiencing crushing guilt and denial and attempting to self-justify her actions. And like, for a second there I was wondering if my sensitivity of being a trans person in the U.S.A. was blinding my views of Glinda and being too aggressive because of the harm she would bring me irl, yet I seem to be grasping this line better than some others.

[youvebeengalindafied]

I will never understand why people insist on headcanoning the most boring possible version of Glinda. She is one of the most compelling, complex, morally ambiguous characters in theater, and you want her to be a pretty, unproblematic, perfect person??

WHY???

Respect the moral ambiguity and the fact that she’s supposed to reflect the ambiguity of your own actions and beliefs. LET HER BE A COMPLEX FEMALE CHARACTER FOR FUCK’S SAKE

LET GLINDA BE INTERESTING. STOP WASHING FEMALE CHARACTERS’ FLAWS TO MAKE THEM MORE PALATABLE. AHHHH—

[frodo-of-the-nine-fingers]

the real reason the poppies put glinda to sleep when elphaba and fiyero rescued the lion club actually had nothing to do with elphaba. the poppies had overheard glinda say that it was the milkflower's (a distant relative of theirs) fault that elphaba's mother died in childbirth and they were like hey! that's not right! flowers can't control who eats them and wanted to avenge the poor innocent milkflower and put glinda to sleep to get in the way of her romance with fiyero and elphaba

[macmanx]

[emmakubert]

Happy Pride Month, everyone!!!

[dailycatsblog]

[the-semicolonoscopy]

It’s Pride Month Eve, so leave out some milk for Freddie Mercury and his cats.

[the-semicolonoscopy]

Annual reblog of Freddie and his magnificent cats.

[tumbalendar]

happy Pride Eve!

[allsortsofthingsmpov]

[uisceb]

I really really love that there is NO finesse to the way Glinda just fuckin…throws out the whole government. Just fuckin chucks it. Her Elphie is dead, she has nothing to lose, and yes she’s gonna honor Elphaba’s legacy in every way possible once she’s had a second to breathe, but first she’s getting petty revenge and she’s so goddamn ruthless about it. Emotionally eviscerate the Wizard first, THEN banish him to the ends of the earth. Humiliate and taunt Morrible like a cat with a mouse, THEN have her dragged away and locked in a cage previously used for Animals. This motherfucker did not cleverly or intricately work the system to bring down the government, she staged a one-woman coup in her sparkly dress and Elphie’s big clompy boots and she was an ice cold bitch about it. She knowingly lets herself get ugly for a minute and revels in it because that’s all she has left. Heartbroken vengeful Glinda you are so dear to me.

[youvebeengalindafied]

Turns out if you finally break the politically powerful cutie and give her a bunch of flying Monkeys whose favorite person told them to protect this girl at all costs, overthrowing the government becomes pretty dang easy

(I know this post is lighthearted but to actually get into the meta of it: the missing information in Wicked is that Dorothy Gale was really the person who started the coup and Glinda just took advantage of the opportunity. Dorothy discovers the Wizard’s secret, calls him a “very bad man”, and essentially threatens to become another Elphaba Thropp positioned against him. Except that her witch hunter status makes her more politically powerful than the Wizard, and the Ozians might actually listen to her. Not to mention her best friends: immortal dude with an axe and anger management issue + very charming and persuasive stuffed man who particularly loathes the govt for some reason.

Glinda uses the weakness that Dorothy created + military might through the Monkeys vs a suddenly captainless and likely demoralized Gale Force + her own political authority as the Witch of the North who ‘vanquished’ the Witch of the West to suddenly seize power.

So there actually is pretty good set-up for this happening in the Wizard of Oz companion narrative. But it’s also absolutely hilarious that it just suddenly happens in Wicked)

[depsidase]

[doomdoomdoomsurf]

You know Gelphie is actually gayer if you consider Glinda to be in unrequited love with Elphaba, because being in love with your bestie who is in love with a man is actually peak lesbianism

[tropicalt1na]

Fiyerabas don’t have to be insecure. We don’t need to look for crumbs and subtext to validate Fae and Yero’s romance. It exists in the book, in musical, and the movie overtly. A lot of us don’t even hate Glinda and even enjoy her and Elphaba together we just think Fiyero is a healthier fit for Elphaba as he makes the sacrifices Glinda won’t and accepts her and her wildness unconditionally.

This is what I personally don’t like. Here we got some casual ableism… Again. We don’t care that he’s “ruined” we are not that shallow. His sacrifice is actually character development that completes his character arc and its really beautiful that he’s somehow how happier and more greatful to be alive as a scarecrow than he was as a nihilistic depressed handsome prince. Like are partners supposed to abandon their loved ones the minute they have a life altering injury that prevents them from having traditional sex? Relationships are deeper than physical need and function its the unshakeable connection between two people and they have it.

[scandalaciousintentions]

"A ruined consolation trophy".

That actually made me want to throw up in my mouth a little bit. Thanks for that. Someone else has discussed the ableism of this view, so I'll just stick to Baby's First Media Literacy lessons.

OK, so first of all, if I fucking loathe it when the female romantic lead is a prize for the protagonist to have won, I also fucking loathe it when it's the himbo hero. And why do I love this show so much? Because Fiyero is the very antithesis of the prize to be won. Even down to his last lines in the show, even as he leads her away.

Fiyero has agency. Fiyero is an insurgent. Fiyero makes this sacrifice willingly not just for Elphaba, but for their shared vision of what the world should be.

But that sacrifice is death. He is expecting death. What has happened to him in its place is horrific. He has been mutilated literally beyond recognition for basically everybody else. And that is what makes their happy ending so powerful.

Because this happened to Boq too and he was out with the flaming torch and pitchfork, but Fiyero is not just understanding of his new body and his new life, he is actively grateful to her for it.

Why?

When he comes to in that cornfield, he has no idea whether he will even see her again, whether she would know him. So this body, this second chance, is not to be used to shag her senseless, you see? It is to be used to bring down the government. It is to be used to create a new heaven and a new earth.

And who could mourn the loss of their former good looks when this floppy bundle of burlap with a head full of straw is so much more successful?

If you can't see that Glinda both couldn't and wouldn't see that bigger picture if the situation were to have been reversed, you not only have no understanding of the characters, I'm genuinely not sure you should be tossing around the word "soulmate" either.

I won't get into the sex, but I suspect some people aren't thinking creatively enough. Perhaps you might go and see a wizard for a diploma or something? I've heard it's life-changing.

[deeplyshalllow]

It is not shallow to like the canonical relationship, it is never shallow to do so - unless Tumblr really wants to retreat to it's johnlock era.

Yes, he's a secondary character to the girls, yes gelphie is good and valid but that doesn't make Fiyero or Fiyeraba any less valid.

Fiyero is Elphaba's reflection, he too is judged on appearances and hates it, he too finds himself placed in the role the fairytale dictates to him despite his best efforts. He and Elphaba's relationship is built on this mutual understanding that they are the only people who see each other for who they really are. "It's not lying it's looking at things another way", is that both of them a different points *because* they are both having to work to break the trauma of how Oz judges them compared to who they really are.

Glinda doesn't have any of this in her story. Aside from being more sympathetic to the witch than outward presenting, she is essentially who she presents herself as and who Oz sees her as. Again, this doesn't make her relationship with Elphaba any less important, nor less interesting, but it is a very different relationship. Glinda and Elphaba's story is about two very different people with different points of view and moral values who grow to understand each other and end up closer in opinion. But they are powerful because they are different and ultimately their different paths make Oz a stronger place as a whole. Their friendship, hell their romance is important, but it doesn't devalue other relationships in the show.

[doomdoomdoomsurf]

Piggybacking off of my previous post, a lot of newer fans don’t seem to truly appreciate (or even understand) just how meaningful it was to have a heroine like Elphaba when the show first opened. I grew up absolutely obsessed with The Wizard of Oz, and I discovered Wicked the book when it had a big resurgence while the musical was in previews. I read the book so many times the cover fell off, and when I saw the musical it took me about 10 minutes to realize I needed to recalibrate my expectations and view it as a different experience from the book - and thank god I did. Yes, it was different from the book, but just because it was different didn’t mean it held no value. In fact, I was completely immersed. We were only a couple years post 9/11 and the political parallels were very relevant and relatable, but moreover, I related to this Elphaba in a visceral way. She felt closer to me, more human.

Some personal backstory: I grew up in an abusive household experiencing severe parental neglect and I had an acutely heightened sense of responsibility for my little sister. Shortly before I started middle school my mother was arrested and I moved in with my dad and had to switch school districts. I had been a little girl with undiagnosed ADHD being raised by a sex worker mother in the middle of a city, and suddenly I was in middle school in the suburbs and I didn’t know a single person. To the people in this new, unfamiliar environment, I was weird. I was relentlessly bullied, which only got worse as I got older and realized I was a lesbian.

When Wicked the musical came out I felt such a connection to Elphaba. It was before the era of “weird girls” being cool. Seeing this girl who had experienced so much rejection and trauma maintain such a strong sense of morality and justice was such an inspiration to me. She was fierce but kind, brave, sharp, intelligent, nerdy. She became such a source of comfort to me, and she was accessible and relatable to my daily life in a way that book Elphaba wasn’t. When I rode the bus to and from therapy I could have Elphaba in my ears. When I did homework, or art, or played video games, I could have her with me. When I was leaving pride one year and a man started chasing me down, yelling that he would “change my mind” (don’t worry, security noticed and intervened) I had Elphaba with me in my ears to help calm myself as I rode the train home. She helped me feel grounded. She helped me feel seen.

It’s been so sad to see the way people treat Elphaba. She has been repurposed by Jon M Chu and the new fandom to be a narrative device for Glinda’s growth, and the fans excuse away this treatment of her character by saying that she has no value anyway because her story “revolves around a man.”

…we were doing so well for a few years there, recognizing and dismantling internationalized misogyny, and now we are fast-tracking back in the other direction. I’ll be so honest - if you are able to look at Elphaba and everything she represents and say her story is only about a man, YOU are the one centering the man. If having a male love interest makes a woman completely irrelevant to you outside of that man, please do some soul-searching and figure out why that is, I’m begging you.

This is why people feel disappointed with her decentralization in For Good. She means a lot to a lot of people, and it seems rather pointed that her emotional arc was abandoned while Glinda’s was way more filled out. Overall, For Good has been praised by those whose favorite character is Glinda, because the character they care about got time and attention, where everyone else feels the movie was lacking. To those people who feel satisfied with the movie because of Glinda’s arc, I ask you, would you really have felt let down if the movie were 15 minutes longer and that time went to Elphaba and filling out the plot(which revolves around Elphaba)? Why shouldn’t those whose favorite character is Elphaba also have satisfying additions to fill out her emotional arc? It points to the overall societal belief that giving something to a minority takes away from the majority. It doesn’t. Giving Elphaba more screentime would not have taken anything away from Glinda.

To a lot of us, Elphaba represents parts of ourselves that we don’t see represented a lot, especially back when the show first opened. So to those of you who relate to Glinda and feel satisfied with the additions in For Good - congratulations! I’m happy for you! Don’t we all deserve to feel that way about our favorite characters?

[tropicalt1na]

I wish more people could understand this. Elphaba is a symbol, a character made for every child at odds with the world around them, whether race, ethnicity, LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent, disabled, differenced, and anyone who’s been othered for reasons beyond their control. Its so sad that the fandom now often looks like the early days of Shiz where people who love and adore Glinda deride and drag anyone they perceive to be on ‘team elphaba’ and give them labels like ‘outcast rebel weird girls’ and ‘pick me’s’….. like this was a character I latched onto in my formative years because she was one of the few I could really relate to as an adopted kid, different from her family, with ADHD/OCD that looked at me like I was an alien because they had never dealt with someone in their family that just couldn’t be… normal no matter how hard I tried. I was always told by my parents ‘why couldn’t I be like this kid’ or ‘that kid’, so I would study those kids trying to mimic them but failed everytime because that just wasn’t who I could ever be. This should honestly be a series of what Elphaba means to people from all walks of life so people understand she’s a comfort character for deeper reasons than people trying to live through her so they can pretend to have Jonathan Bailey (seriously for us long time Broadway fans this is effing stupid accusation).

[doomdoomdoomsurf]

So I’ve noticed a trend over the last day that I would like to address. If you are sharing this quote from Cynthia’s Variety interview and your first instinct is to address how horribly “both” women were treated, I’m gonna beg you to reconsider. While both women being mistreated may be objectively true, this particular conversation is not the time to make it about how hard it was for Ariana Grande.

[doomdoomdoomsurf]

Piggybacking off of my previous post, a lot of newer fans don’t seem to truly appreciate (or even understand) just how meaningful it was to have a heroine like Elphaba when the show first opened. I grew up absolutely obsessed with The Wizard of Oz, and I discovered Wicked the book when it had a big resurgence while the musical was in previews. I read the book so many times the cover fell off, and when I saw the musical it took me about 10 minutes to realize I needed to recalibrate my expectations and view it as a different experience from the book - and thank god I did. Yes, it was different from the book, but just because it was different didn’t mean it held no value. In fact, I was completely immersed. We were only a couple years post 9/11 and the political parallels were very relevant and relatable, but moreover, I related to this Elphaba in a visceral way. She felt closer to me, more human.

Some personal backstory: I grew up in an abusive household experiencing severe parental neglect and I had an acutely heightened sense of responsibility for my little sister. Shortly before I started middle school my mother was arrested and I moved in with my dad and had to switch school districts. I had been a little girl with undiagnosed ADHD being raised by a sex worker mother in the middle of a city, and suddenly I was in middle school in the suburbs and I didn’t know a single person. To the people in this new, unfamiliar environment, I was weird. I was relentlessly bullied, which only got worse as I got older and realized I was a lesbian.

When Wicked the musical came out I felt such a connection to Elphaba. It was before the era of “weird girls” being cool. Seeing this girl who had experienced so much rejection and trauma maintain such a strong sense of morality and justice was such an inspiration to me. She was fierce but kind, brave, sharp, intelligent, nerdy. She became such a source of comfort to me, and she was accessible and relatable to my daily life in a way that book Elphaba wasn’t. When I rode the bus to and from therapy I could have Elphaba in my ears. When I did homework, or art, or played video games, I could have her with me. When I was leaving pride one year and a man started chasing me down, yelling that he would “change my mind” (don’t worry, security noticed and intervened) I had Elphaba with me in my ears to help calm myself as I rode the train home. She helped me feel grounded. She helped me feel seen.

It’s been so sad to see the way people treat Elphaba. She has been repurposed by Jon M Chu and the new fandom to be a narrative device for Glinda’s growth, and the fans excuse away this treatment of her character by saying that she has no value anyway because her story “revolves around a man.”

…we were doing so well for a few years there, recognizing and dismantling internationalized misogyny, and now we are fast-tracking back in the other direction. I’ll be so honest - if you are able to look at Elphaba and everything she represents and say her story is only about a man, YOU are the one centering the man. If having a male love interest makes a woman completely irrelevant to you outside of that man, please do some soul-searching and figure out why that is, I’m begging you.

This is why people feel disappointed with her decentralization in For Good. She means a lot to a lot of people, and it seems rather pointed that her emotional arc was abandoned while Glinda’s was way more filled out. Overall, For Good has been praised by those whose favorite character is Glinda, because the character they care about got time and attention, where everyone else feels the movie was lacking. To those people who feel satisfied with the movie because of Glinda’s arc, I ask you, would you really have felt let down if the movie were 15 minutes longer and that time went to Elphaba and filling out the plot(which revolves around Elphaba)? Why shouldn’t those whose favorite character is Elphaba also have satisfying additions to fill out her emotional arc? It points to the overall societal belief that giving something to a minority takes away from the majority. It doesn’t. Giving Elphaba more screentime would not have taken anything away from Glinda.

To a lot of us, Elphaba represents parts of ourselves that we don’t see represented a lot, especially back when the show first opened. So to those of you who relate to Glinda and feel satisfied with the additions in For Good - congratulations! I’m happy for you! Don’t we all deserve to feel that way about our favorite characters?

[doomdoomdoomsurf]

Segment from an interview with Gregory Maguire, December 2024