The Archives of Interests

"Where is Elphaba now? 🌸💚

lolol big angst piece in a way- this whole thing is inspired by a question Cynthia was asked during a interview- so in a way it's a big fat reference lol

Glinda went missing after Elphaba fled Oz. She never stepped into place as the Good Witch, and poor Elphaba could only assume she had found a new, better life elsewhere.

Or worse yet, had simply been killed.

Elphaba fought for the Animals, but she wasn’t strong enough alone. They all were changed into silent, thoughtless animals, no longer able to speak and transformed into domesticated slaves and laborers. Oz and Morrible ruled together until they both succumbed to an uprising amongst their own people. An uprising Elphaba had nothing to do with.

Years later, Elphaba returns to Oz to see what damage has been done. To see how badly she’d failed. Poverty is rife, violence, crime, pure hopelessness abound. Oz is without a leader. The sheep are without their Shepard. Curiously, the citizens all file into the Emerald City to pay their respects to who they claim is Lurline herself. A deity incarnate. The last hope—or so the people claim—for a brighter future. She is kept in the palace, now an empty husk, silent and echoing as citizens pray for prosperity. Love. Hope of some kind, even if there’s none to be found.

But as Elphaba steps up to this supposed ‘deity’, her heart stops beating. It’s not a goddess at all.!It’s Glinda. She’s the exact same age as the day Elphie had become the Wicked Witch. Done up in silk and diamonds, her golden locks of hair are pristine about her shoulders. Glinda’s delicate eyes are shut in sleep, arms folded across a staff, her body forever entombed in a casket of solid glass. No. No! Elphie presses herself against the tomb. Except something inside her pulls. This isn’t the lifeless, preserved corpse of her beloved, kept here for years.

Her magic is telling her so.

No…Glinda’s alive, ageless…deathless in her imprisonment. Now, Elphie just has to find a way to break open the box and set her free.

There are no guards in the makeshift temple. Just a few girls in faded pink shawls. The doors never shut or lock, and Elphie remains tucked in the shadows of the Jade columns for the rest of the night. She no doubt looks as haggard as she feels, dressed in thick woven rags with wrinkles carving their way through her dusty green face. The girls tending to the shrine don’t seem to mind her there. They don’t seem to care that anyone can come and go from Glinda’s resting place whenever they please despite the late hour.

“For you, traveler.”

Elphaba is unexpectedly passed a shallow copper bowl. It is full of crystalline water, perhaps caught directly from outside the palace. Rain began falling not long after she’d arrived, thunder rumbling in the dark clouds. Morrible was no longer around to control the weather, therefore rain fell as it wished.

“Thank you.”

“Where have you come from?” The girl isn’t very old; only fourteen, perhaps? She keeps her hair covered in a shade of pink that almost matches Glinda’s dress, though it’s warped by the glass and light coming in through the crumbling palace roof.

“Everywhere,” Elphie answers, taking a greedy drink of the water.

“Hmm. Are you hungry?” The girl removes a small loaf of bread from inside her scarves, placing it at Elphaba’s feet. “By Lurline’s grace, no worshipper should go hungry.”

Elphaba snatches the bread, immediately tearing into it. She’s starving. The handmaid remains near her, though she doesn’t know why.

There are at least ten girls running around the temple, all of varying ages and in slightly different shades of pink. The youngest is no older than five, tottering around at the heels of her elders with an untamed curtain of wild blonde hair. None of them leave alone—they go in pairs—but they always return, huddling in the alcoves to split bread or drink wine while tending to those who came to pray at Glinda’s glass casket.

“Why are you here?” Elphaba asked finally, once she’d had her fill and no longer ached in starvation.

“We are Lurline’s servants,” says yhe girl easily, her face scrunching with a smile. “She protects us. We feel safest with her. And in return, we tend to her home.”

“But the doors are wide open,” Elphaba points out. “You can’t possibly be safe here.”

“Lurline’s magic keeps the men out. They are not permitted to pray here. Amongst our own kind, we are safe.”

Elphaba hadn’t even noticed. But indeed, only women made their way into the temple. They were all of varying ages—some old, some young, some right in between. But the men all stood outside, or sat on the jade steps in small huddles.

“Do they pray? The men?”

“Only outside the doors,” says the handmaid, taking back her bowl. “It’s why we leave in pairs.”

“Oh.”

“I’ll fetch more water. You’re welcome here as long as you’d like.”

She leaves with a little half bow, bare feet gently pattering across the marble floor. Elphaba watches in utter bafflement as she places the empty copper dish by Glinda’s casket, settling it in a bed of flower petals. And, to her astonishment, it fills as though it had never been empty at all.

-

@into-fiction @cottoncandyswirl828 (you both seemed interested in this idk)

It hadn’t always been this way.

Once upon a time, there wasn’t a deity in Oz. Under corruption and hate, the people rose up to overthrow their false prophet, toppling Oscar Diggs from his throne alongside his court. The Emerald City was no more. Yet as starving, angry civilians pillaged and plundered the buildings for their riches, a group of women found their way into the tallest tower.

They were looking for silk and cotton to make clothes for their children and elderly. Coming upon a coffin made of crystal had never been planned. It seemed to have been forgotten in the room, set in the center with a single narrow window allowing in green tinted light. The finders thought to leave, as there wasn’t anything to take. But the youngest of them, just a child herself, wanted to get closer.

She—the first—could feel the magical vibrations coming from the artifact. It was soothing. It made her insides warm and her mouth taste sweet like honey. The tomb was fully enclosed, not a lid or a door to be found. Just a solid glass casing that seemingly had no way to open. Were there jewels inside? Treasure? Something of use? No. The first gasped in shock, startling her companions.

‘What is it girl? What have you found?’

‘It’s…it’s a person, Ama.’

And so the huddle of women approached, all looking over the strange glass casket in some awe and confusion. She wasn’t old enough to be encased in such a way; just a child herself still with pretty pale skin and hair of silken gold curls. But her lashes remained shut, and her lips were pulled into a an expression of peace. She was gowned like a princess in silk and silver, a star-staff folded under her arms.

The oldest of the women loomed over the casket in reverence, placing a knobbled hand on the flat surface. The magic within buzzed through her leathered skin, easing the ache in her aged bones.

‘She must be a deity,’ the elder claimed to the others in a hushed voice. ‘Kept here by the corrupt Wizard to seep her magic’.

‘Which deity, Ama?’ Asked the first, taking her grandmothers hand to hold tight. ‘Who is she?’

‘There is only one true deity in Oz dear one. She can only be Lurline, goddess of eternal life.’

-

@cottoncandyswirl828 @into-fiction (lmk if you want to get added to the tag list for when/if I update this thread again)

There’s no way to get in or out of the casket.

Elphaba runs her green fingers along the top edge, looking for a weak spot. A seam. A hinge. Anything that could possibly be the key to getting Glinda out of her glass prison. But there’s nothing; no semblance of a possible escape to take advantage of. It seemed as though the glass—if it even was glass at all—had consumed Glinda’s body from the inside out, forming around her as a chrysalis formed around a caterpillar. For decades her beloved had been stuck like this…for decades she’d been trapped, all while Elphaba chose to be cowardly and not return to Oz until the Wizard and Morrible had been crucified by their own people.

She’d seen what little was left of them after the uprising. Two wooden crosses in a burnt out cornfield, still draped in scraps of tattered clothing. No more Wizard, no more Madame Morrible.

Yet it seemed that no one had risen to take their place, leaving Oz in shambles. It made Elphaba wonder who out there coveted such a role. Certainly these…these worshipers, as they called themselves…didn’t believe Glinda to be the next ruler, did they? It seemed a touch absurd to her, putting so much faith on who could only be described as a preserved corpse. But then, she’d never been one to hold faith close to her heart. Had she been in the same situation as these poor Ozian’s, starving and fighting every day to not to die, perhaps she would find solace in a deity.

The handmaids watch her explore the casket from the alcoves, bundled together to keep warm in the cold air, their eyes peering from the shadows like bats hanging from an old church belfry. They aren’t an unkind bunch—in fact, they are quite opposite. They are generous and hospitable. But their devotion to Lurline made Elpbaba’s skin itch. How could they be so dedicated to a mummified body in a glass casket?

“I have a question,” Elphaba says, causing the many shiny eyes to blink at her.

“What is it, stranger?” One of the elder girls responds from the shadows, crawling from her chosen perch and down to the floor in bare feet.

“Your faith is confusing to me,” Elphaba admits, her palm on Glinda’s tomb. She can feel the tickle of magic in her weathered skin, like lightning is about to strike. The pedestal is surrounded by offerings; bouquets of flowers—replaced and tidied by the handmaids each day—pyramids of fruit, loaves of bread, swaths of beautiful woven fabric, dishes of oil, and bottles of wine. All of it piles around the base of Glinda’s resting place like a treasury. Perhaps it was best that men weren’t allowed in the temple, as Elphaba knew plenty of them would run off with the offerings if given the chance. The women who came to pray never touched the sacrifices unless offered something by the handmaids. “You do not know this is Lurline for certain. Why worship?”

“Because Lurline can grant miracles,” says the handmaid simply. “She is very powerful.”

“Miracles,” Elphaba repeats slowly. “How so?”

“A woman who is poor prays for wealth to feed her children, and a shilling appears before her. A child comes hungry and prays for food, and a plate of bread and jam will materialize. An elderly woman comes seeking rest, a poppy flower will grow between the cracks in the floor and send her to sleep for a while. I’ve seen it myself; our Goddess does wonders for those who are deserving.”

“Deserving?”

“Oh yes. Lurline knows when a worshipper isn’t true. She can sense it, because she is all knowing. A woman came here not that long ago who our goddess shunned from the temple. She came to the casket with an iron spike to try and break the glass. She thought the magic inside could grant her eternal wishes.”

Elphaba ran her hand along the casket, her thumb caressing the worn down corner as she might have Glinda’s cheek. “What happened to her?”

“Lurline summoned a great streak of lightning from the sky.” The handmaid pointed up, noting the hole in the ceiling where water from the rain was dripping into a copper pot. “The thief was smote then and there. Our goddess can perform miracles, both of great generosity, and of great suffering. It’s why we do not slight her kindnesses.”

“I see.”

“Are you going to pray, stranger?”

“I don’t know,” Elphaba admits, staring into the casket to gaze upon the unaged face of the girl she fell in love with. “Thank you.”

“Of course.”

The handmaid leaves, returning to her companions in the alcoves of the old throne room. Elphaba hasn’t thought much about the palace, seeing as it’s in disrepair. But she once stood in this very spot—Glinda beside her—and looked upon the brassy head of the Wizard. That head is long gone, torn apart for scrap. In its place is a dark gaping hole, almost like an old wound.

Glinda is in the middle of the room, illuminated by only a few lit candles and the light coming in from the crumbling roof. Elphaba wonders what the rest of the palace looks like after all this time. She hadn’t seen any of the handmaids leave unless it was through the front. Sighing, Elphaba slides down to sit at the foot of the casket, staying out of the way as figures begin to enter, heeding the ringing of distant bells—perhaps as a summons to prayer.

Elphaba doesn’t pray. She knows Glinda’s no deity. But she does allow herself to dream, and that’s perfectly well for now.

—

@into-fiction @cottoncandyswirl828 @kluelessbibliophile @depressnt @thechaseaphrodite @arcticmermaidao3 @lukewhiterock @confused-reading-ink-rat @transient-and-incendiary

“You can’t keep me here!”

It had been days. Weeks, maybe. Glinda didn’t know how long it had been; it was impossible to know when she’d lost track of how many times the sun had risen and set outside her single, bottle-glass window. “Let me out! Please, let me out!”

“Will you be our Good Witch?” Morrible asked the same question every time she begged to be free. The same one so often that by now that it had completely lost its meaning. Glinda was redressed each day by the servants of the emerald palace, laced into a pretty pink corset, her hair curled and a silver tiara pinned so tightly into place that it hurt. But she was never released. She was made to be beautiful, only to be seen by no one because she refused to bend.

“No! No, you’re wicked! You’re both wicked. I can’t be a Good Witch when neither of you are good.”

“Then you will stay here. You can come out when you agree to do as we say.”

“I will never agree to that! Elphaba will come for me; I know she will.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Morrible claimed through the small, barred section of the old wooden door. “She’s gone missing. Run off by our flying monkey guards. She won’t be back.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Oh, but I do. Because if Elphaba were to ever return to Oz, she wouldn’t last long. Now, I ask you again, Miss Galinda. Will you be our Good Witch?”

“N—no! No, I won’t do it. You can dress me up all you want, but it’ll never be true. Elphaba will come back.”

“Very well. Have fun in your solitude.”

With a BANG the little door was shut and locked. Running to it, Glinda pounded the wood with her fists, the encroaching fear of loneliness crippling her heart.

“No! No, no! Please don’t leave me here! Madame Morrible, don’t leave me!”

There was no response. The tower was silent and dark, lit only by the sunlight coming in through the narrow window. Days turned into weeks turned into months. Eventually, Morrible stopped coming all-together. A spell was spun, meaning each morning Glinda woke up redressed without the need for servants. Her mind began to crumble like sand as she paced circles around her tower, waiting for Elphaba to return.

She didn’t.

Glinda didn’t know when it started to happen; she hadn’t even noticed it for a while. But the tears leaking from her eyes began to solidify. They shimmered like diamonds upon falling into her hands, breaking as she let them drop to the cobblestone floor. Her heart ached the longer she was alone and Elphaba didn’t return. The darkness took its toll. Eventually, the tears and the pain were just too heavy. She laid down in the middle of the floor to rest, staring at the ceiling in despair. Her hands clutched painfully tight around the glass wand, while her skin was caressed by the softest pink silk and beautiful beaded embroidery.

“Elphie…”

She closed her eyes to sleep, but the tears wouldn’t stop. Glinda was so still that her limbs began to grow cold. She refused to move, too tired to go on. Too broken and lonely to try getting up again. Patterns formed across her skin like frost, hardening into a protective shell. She just wanted to sleep in peace without having to worry about the solitude sinking its claws into her. She wanted to rest, knowing eventually Elphaba would come back. And then she’d be whole again.

Glinda couldn’t move. She was asleep but not, caught in a dark, cold drift as though floating in water. She exhaled her last breath as the crystal of her own tears consumed her, trapping her body and soul in a magical stasis. And that’s where she’d stay, listening to the outside world from inside the safety of her shield. No one could hurt her again…no one could use her if they couldn’t reach her.

Morrible tried. She sent servants to break the glass apart using picks and chisels. The witch used every magical spell at her hand to try and crack the barrier. But it was impossible. There was no way in or out of the casket, and Glinda didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay and rest for a moment…just until Elphie came back.

She’d wait for Elphaba, just like she always did. However long it took.

—

@into-fiction @cottoncandyswirl828 @kluelessbibliophile @depressnt @thechaseaphrodite @arcticmermaidao3 @lukewhiterock @confused-reading-ink-rat @transient-and-incendiary @dj-dino @gelphiewenclairlover

I’m having withdrawals, I miss them so bad… ;(

anyway, here are the four as little babies

Sophia, the Boston woman from 1875 who haunts a lamp I got at Brimfield: what is a stay at home girlfriend, if you please?

me: well, it's a woman who's financially supported by the man she's dating, and she lives with him and usually keeps house and cooks for him

her: and they're not married?

me: well, no; hence "girlfriend" rather than "wife." I know that may alarm y-

her: oh calm down I know about Kept Women. he has no legal tie to her, though? she has no sort of standing with him in the eyes of the law? only his word that he'll follow through?

me: yes

her: and remind me again- you don't have to be financially dependent on a man anymore, right? there are more than like three careers open to women that will let you support yourself at a decent level now? and society isn't pressuring you 24/7 to get married and stop working outside the home?

me: yes

her: so these women. CHOOSE to be dependent on a man. who could leave them at any moment without legal consequence. because they don't like their jobs. the jobs, while imperfect, that let them live on their own, answerable to no-one

me: yes

her: that had better be some absolutely amazing jewelry they can pawn off if he leaves them, then

me: it's usually not

her: THERE'S NOT EVEN SECURITY JEWELRY?!

me: oh by the way they blame feminism for "having to work"

her:

her: I became fully dependent on my in-laws who hated me, after my husband died two years into our marriage, because I was a 23-year-old orphan with no marketable skills in any avenue besides Running A Household and the only men left unmarried in my social circle were widowers thirty years my senior. I also couldn't establish lines of credit as a widow because the merchants said my husband dying so soon meant that I didn't have stable enough income. and that was entirely legal

me: yeah

her: I'm going to go slam some doors please do not bother me

Stop giving men the ability to ruin your life 2k25

Not the point of this post but I'm endlessly amused that Tumblr has rediscovered ghosts as a cultural metaphor for confronting the horrors of the present through the lens of the past in meme format. The essays I could write-

omg feels

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa thud! Worth it!

reblog every time you see this tbh

if Elphaba turned into a worm Glinda would be like eww eww ew but would commission a fancy enclosure and get premium lettuce and talk to her sometimes in the solitude of night in her frilly nightgowns like oh Elphie I do hope you’re comfortable even with all this odd business we find ourselves in You were always the bravest of us… but if Glinda turned into a worm Elphaba would just put her in a plain jar with a stick and would be like I don’t hold high regard for the worm it’s only a worm now but she would plant bushes to cut leaves from in her backyard garden every morning to put in worm glinda’s jar and if she saw children playing in her bushes she would yell at them and then go back to her room and post on r/childfree about it. even though she has a son

golf sucks but mini golf is fucking awesome....truly one of life's great paradoxes

golf:

mini golf:

Golf: completely fucking silent practically on pain of death

Mini golf: dunking on ppl while theyre taking a shot is pretty much required

just to ease my followers

oh hell yeah you’re absolutely right

THE lesbian dress

This is literally their dumbest argument, if for all this time they've only shown straight content everywhere then why tf are there queer people? Did one guy just invent homosexuality one day and started preaching it?

I love that ariana’s beef with fiyero doesn’t even seem to stem from “he hurt glinda by running off with her best friend”, it seems to be “he stole glinda’s girlfriend 😠😠😠” truly the gelphie captain

Work vacuum died. This is the fifth one since I started working here five years ago.

The first one died because my coworker vacuumed up rocks.

The second one died because my coworker vacuumed up rocks.

The third one died because my coworker vacuumed up rocks.

The fourth one died for unknown reasons that involved my coworker vacuuming up rocks.

The fifth one died a few minutes ago and it was a big mystery and my coworker was like “oh I don’t know what happened it just overtaxed for some reason” so I looked inside the hose and—get this—it was jammed with rocks.

He keeps buying bigger and more expensive vacuums and complaining about how shitty and faulty the last ones were and every time I suggest something like “what if you didn’t vacuum up rocks” he’s like oh no it is the vacuums who are wrong.

hey guys guess what happened again just now

This show gets it

it really is crazy how quickly people were willing to just let chatgpt do everything for them. i have never even tried it. brother i don't even know if it's just a website you go to or what. i do not know where chatgpt actually lives, because i can decide my own grocery list.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera for the first time for Wicked For Good press tour: Cinema Con.

I CANNOT BELIEVE I'M ANNOUCING THIS!!