The Architect & Historian

post act i gelphie looking for hints the other in press releases and newspapers, but only seeing the caricatures they've come to embody

glinda sees the wicked witch posters and tries to find a hint of her elphie, her freckles, her smile, her laugh, the way she scrunches her face together when she's concentrating

elphie looks at all the press releases from glinda the good and tries to find a hint of her first friend, her silliness, her snark, her energy, her adorable and enduring dramatics

they look all the time, trying to find some hint of the girl they used to know and love, and wonder if that girl is still around somewhere

gelphie soulmate AU where once two soulmates bond and spend time together, being separated from each other for too long can physically make them sick. the closer the bond, the more painful it is to be apart.

they only find out after elphie flies away.

"galinda is gay for elphaba" i say into the mic. the munchkins boo. i begin to walk off in shame as a voice speaks and commands silence from the room. "she's right" they say. i look for the owner of the voice. there she stands. its ariana grande.

AAAAAAAAHHHHH

New chapter icons for Emeralds & Swans! I’ll be adding these to the top of each chapter to signify which country in Oz the characters are currently in, as well as a little brown icon to show if they are traveling :)

These are mainly just for my own enjoyment, and to add a little fun thing to Ao3’s kinda boring interface. I got bored, I dunno ☺️

Something-something Glindas watching their Elphies defy gravity at awards shows, 21 years apart

Eternal Sunshine

“Her fiancé sat at a vanity not far from the bed, bathed in sunlight. Lurline incarnate, or some other sappy metaphor that was similar. Her pale skin had […] a proper rouge redding her cheeks and the tops of her bare knees. […] Galinda seemed preoccupied with her reflection, head tilted to one side as she brushed out her honey-gold curls. Curls that blended with the morning as though they were made from it; as though she’d harnessed rays from the Gillikinese sun to toss over her back.” - Chapter 22 :: Eternal Sunshine (Of Emeralds and Trumpeter Swans by Aurorarose2081 on Ao3)

Just an illustration from my Wicked fic. I really wanted to draw this scene, but I was kinda nervous, knowing what happened with the other piece I did for this story. But! I’m so glad I did, because I’m in love with it 😮‍💨☀️

Apparently there’s jokes that the act 2 movie poster is giving Naruto vibes

Ref

I was wondering what cultures and languages inspired you for of emerald and trumpeter swans? I love the absolute richness and detail of everything mentioned about the Gillkinease that many fics lack, a lot of people forget these regions have cultures. :) (love the fic btw!!)

Yes! Each of the four regions in Oz have different varying cultures in OEATS :)

Gillikin takes a lot of inspiration from Italy and Greece, with a comfortable if not a touch warm climate, lush agriculture and a love of wine. Gillikinese as a language is very melodic and can sound a bit sing-songy with a naturally higher pitched timbre. Gillikinese are often pale skinned and pale haired with tall foreheads, sharp jaws and gapped front teeth. They can have dark or light colored eyes, and some have ‘old-world’ ears which are a carry over from the old-Gillikinese people who died out under the Wicked Witch of the North. The Gillikinese mainly celebrate the goddess Lurline, but some closer to the borders of the country also pray to, the Leopard King of the Enchanted Forest. Many Animals also celebrate the Great Leopard God as their token saint.

Winkie Country—better known as the Vinkus—takes inspiration from Russian and German in their language, but culturally are more similar to cold climate ingenious people of places like Siberia or the Arctic. Like in the wicked book, Vinkian people are often darker skinned and paint markings on their bodies to show which tribe/village of people they belong. Kiamo Ko is the only settled area in the entire country, therefore it’s detached from the old world culture. Fiyero is technically only half Vinkus on his mother’s side. Climate wise it’s very cold, but the sun shines often and brutally. When it’s not sunny, it’s snowing, or so windy it’s not safe to go outside. Not much agriculture is done in the far reaches of Winkie Country, though poaching fur from cold weather animals (not ‘A’nimals) is a lucrative trade. The Vinkians celebrate Lurline, but also the great Animal God, Vinka. A winged Polar Bear who was claimed to bring prosperity and survivable winters.

Quadling—or the Singra—culture is easily the largest and most diverse of the counties in Oz. It is a jumble of people, all brought together to become a single country. It’s a mix of all sorts of culture, inspired by places like Mexico, Egypt, Morocco, Singapore, Columbia, India, and many more. They do have a shared language, that being Singrian, which is very fast and wild on the tongue. It’s incredibly hot in Quadling Country due to the Unpassable Desert closely creeping into the country and taking it over, though by the Quadling River it’s more lush and tropical. Their capitol city is made of ruby granite, meaning it’s completely red-pink in color, and has a celebration similar to Mardi Gras or Carnival every year. They do not have a patron saint or god, celebrating many different tokens of faith.

Munchkinland is inspired by the American South, specifically during the California gold rush. Munchkinlanders are either wealthy or peasantry with almost no in between, and they speak in a country-touched twangy Ozian. Their weather is easily the most habitable with a good mix of hot cold, wet, and dry. Munchkinland is known for its ability to grow massive amounts of crops, and are the only country that worship the Unnamed God, rather than Lurline, and are quite pious about it too. Ozian is the natural language of Munchkin Land, and many claim to be above learning other languages as they think others should just learn Ozian basic instead.

Hopefully this helps :)

I just realized Glinda being the narrator means that Elphaba had to have told Glinda about that time she was watching Nessa and those kids started bullying her and she magicked rocks at them and possibly even her birth story if it had been told to Elphaba and I’m spiraling

He wants to make a deal