#the black brick road of oz | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sneakybananabox · 9 months

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Well in that case, i have new request for u and thank u for writing previous. Poppy and mc are in a relationship and its poppy's birthday, so mc surprises her by taking her to spend time with her dad Art like in story poppy memtioned in letters that how much she wanted to meet him but cant bcz of piers. Please keep twin out of it like there are no twins. Thanks in advance. You are great.

I had this started but never finished. I had to practically dust off my idea journal to jog my memory. (I am being a little dramatic) I tried to do a quick edit so sorry for any mistakes cuties. Sorry for being awol again.

Happy Birthday

Poppy could feel the migraine beating against her head. Each surge of pain, only made her angrier. All the Zetas in the meeting felt like they were playing catch with a bomb, one wrong move, and everyone was dead.

“For bid day on Friday, we thought the theme could be Wizard of Oz because there is no place like Zeta.” Ohio clicked to her next slide with a picture of the Zeta house with a yellow brick road leading up to the front steps. Listening to all the girls get giddy about the theme only made her migraine worse.

“Everyone, could you shut up! I don’t want to sit through any more presentations so Ohio you are in luck. You, Chloe, Hayley, and Taylor will work on bid day. If you all fuck this up you can pack your bags.” Poppy hit the gavel against the table and got up to go to her room. “Meeting adjourned.”

She pulled out her phone to text Bea to see if she wanted to hang out. Her migraines made her feel clingy. All she wanted was to be cuddled in bed with her girlfriend. Since dating Bea some say she had softened and lost her touch. It wasn’t that she lost her touch, she just wasn’t as angry anymore. Poppy no longer had to hide a huge part of herself anymore. She could finally be free to be herself. Her parents weren’t always on the same page, but it was time to live for herself not them. Even though they weren’t excited about her newfound partner, Bea Hughes, as long as she stayed number one her parents were satisfied. She needed to keep her position as head bitch in charge, no one would dare to take it from her either.

Hughes

Want to come over and keep me company?

I have a headache and need attention.

Sorry BB I have to help Zoey with her

setlist for Lil Nos F. After though I will

swing and give you some world famous

Bea Hughes cuddles.

She threw her phone onto her bed. Her migraine needed to be gone and fast. It seemed like the perfect time to hit up her favorite tea place to help with her migraine. She changed into some more casual clothes and pulled out her jewelry box. She grabbed her favorite necklace Bea got her around the time they started dating. She admired the pink poppy in the middle with the black center. She looked at the bottom of the jewelry box and contemplated for a moment. After putting on the necklace she went over to her door to make sure it was locked and sat on her bed. She pulled up the false bottom of the box. Pulling out a stack of letters she went through the letters she never sent to Art Nakamara.

It had only been four months since she found out the truth about her family. She was home for the weekend for some business event she didn’t care about.

Piers was trying to impress a mogul from another company and he needed his token family to parade around to make himself seem perfect. Poppy had on one of her favorite pink dresses that was customized just for her. She was forced to talk to the mogul’s son Harrison.

“We were out on the lake for like a month. It was a great time, it would have been better if you were there in a bikini.” Harrison moved closer to Poppy to put his arm around her. He smelled like strong leather and tobacco.

“I’m allergic to water, sorry.” Poppy got from under his arm, eyes stinging from the cologne. She practically sprinted to the bar, she needed a shot of anything right away. “Hit me with a shot of anything.” The bartender slid her a glass with clear liquid and before he had time to turn Poppy downed it. It was smooth, but burned like hell going down, just what she needed. She turned and was met with her mother.

“Poppy, what are you doing at the bar alone? Where is Harrison? He seems like such a nice single boy. Cute too.”

“He had to go to the restroom. I am sure he has women practically lining up to date him mother. I am however off market. I told him I would meet him at the bar” Poppy wasn’t sure if her mom believed her lie, but she couldn’t really care. Her parents were acting strange, which says a lot because her parents weren’t exactly like most. They haven’t been in contact as often. Weekly phone calls have turned monthly. They haven’t had the easiest time accepting Bea, but she couldn’t continue to live for them she needed to live for herself. Poppy was going to need six more shots to just get through the night.

“Just make sure you are a good hostess to him. We need to make sure the Vanderwald’s leave happy.”

“Yes mother I know. I will make sure he leaves…. Content of course.” Her mother must be out of her mind if she thought she would spend anymore time with that boring ass boy.

The miscellaneous shots she took were finally kicking in. She pulled out her phone and looked through Instagram. She saw a picture of Bea back at Belvoire. It looked like her and Zoey were in their dorm. Poppy couldn't help but admire her girlfriend. She hated that she had to miss their night to schmooze these boring people. The alcohol she drank gave her a great idea though. She sent a text to Bea and hoped her plan would work.

About an hour later Poppy met Bea and Zoey at the door relieved she had back up now.

“What took you so long?” Poppy was running out of excuses to dodge Harrison all night. Bea enveloped Poppy into a hug.

“We had to get ready. If I am going to be around the Min-Sinclairs I need to look my best.”

“She changed her outfit like four times while freaking out.” Zoey was tired of watching Bea change her outfits back at the door.

Bea playfully pushed Zoey, “She is lying. It was traffic too.”

“I am just glad you are here to save me from the annoying Harrison Vanderwald.”

“Oh Yea, the guy that got kicked out of Belvoire for trying to bribe his professors.” Bea had a class with him and remembers him being such a dick.

The night went on with less bumps than the beginning. Harrison found someone else to leech off of in the night. People were finally leaving from the Min-Sinclairs and Poppy could finally take a breath.

“Thanks for the invite Pops.” Bea enveloped Poppy in her arms.

“Alright you two I will be waiting out in the car. Thanks Min-Sinclair. Bea don’t take forever or I am leaving you.”

“Yea Yea Zoey. I will be out in a second.” Bea goofily grinned, holding Poppy,excited to be alone with Poppy for the first time tonight.

“I missed you Popcorn.” Bea kissed her girlfriend.

“It’s definitely the alcohol making me soft but I missed you too.” They just held each other for a moment until they heard the sound of a stomach grumble. “Hughes have you eaten anything all day?”

“Well we were going to go to get pizza, but I got excited by your message.”

“Bea Hughes choosing me over pizza. You really do care about me.”

“I absolutely do Pops.” Bea places a soft kiss on Poppy’s forehead. Her stomach grumbles even louder this time.

“Alright let’s get you a snack”

Poppy pulled out one of Bea’s favorite snacks. She had secretly been requesting this snack because eating it always reminds her of Bea. She would rather shave herself bald then tell Bea this.

“Ooh my favorite thanks Poppy.” Bea kissed Poppy’s forehead before indulging in her snack. Poppy’s heart explodes everytime her girlfriend lightens up.

After an angry text from Zoey wondering what was taking so long, Poppy and Bea started walking to the closest exit. They heard a whispered argument taking place.

“Ana if this gets out I will be a laughing stock. How could you be so fucking careless. The stock would plumet and then what of the fancy life I have given you.”

“I know, I am sorry. No one knows of this. Not even Poppy. As far as she knows you are her father.”

“Yea no one except me, you and any decent private investigator. I will take care of this like always.”

Poppy and Bea ran to the walk in pantry to avoid Piers from catching them on their accidental eavesdrop. Poppy felt like the air was sucked out of her lungs. She collapsed into Bea’s arm and quietly sobbed. Piers was not her father and her mother kept her from her bio father.

Poppy was lucky to find one private investigator not under Piers thumb. She was given Arts name and found out all she could about him. He was a well loved preschool teacher. He would supportive of his students and even as adults they would come visit him to catch up. Everyone saw his like another parent in their life. She felt robbed for missing our of know her real dad and stuck with Piers. Piers was controlling and not at all affectionate which as a kid made her question her self worth. Bea slowly helped her through her feelings and downfalls. She wishes her girlfriend wasn’t so busy because she could really use her cuddles right about now.

Bea felt bad about lying to her girlfriend but she was trying to desperately figure out what to give someone who has everything for their birthday. She has gone through a thousand ideas all of which she felt were not good/expensive enough for the girl who swiftly stole her heart. She barged into Zoey’s room and threw herself onto her bed.

“Bea what if I were naked. Knock at least next time!” Zoey lectured without even looking up from her laptop.

“I would have closed my eyes. I need some help from that beautiful mind of yours.”

“You are lucky flattery will get your everywhere with me. What’s the problem roomie?”

“I don’t know what to get Poppy for her birthday. I have brainstormed for weeks and came up with diddly squat.”

“ That’s like picking a gift for Satan themself. Ow watch the laptop” Zoey rubbed her the back of her head that was assaulted with her fluffy pillow.

“Don’t be dramatic that was practically a cloud. Now please help me with this dilemma so I don’t end up sad and single.”

“First of all you are being dramatic and second of alll nothing wrong with because single. Most people will agree you have melted Poppy’s ice princess facade. Even if she doesn’t admit it she loves your ‘from the heart sappy shit you do’. Just think with that big heart of …” Before Zoey could finish her sentence Bea jumped off her bed and ran out.

Poppy held Bea’s hand while she drove. She paid attention to the hum of her car and the warmth of her hand. Her hands felt empty without her phone, but Bea insisted on her leaving her phone at the Zeta house. She didn’t need much convincing wearing a blindfold for a surprise. She wasn’t going to show it, but she was just happy to be in Bea’s presence. It was like feeling a calm wash over her mind. She vented about her day and how annoying the Zetas were during the presentations. They drove what felt like hours away from the University.

“Okay Pops I need you to do me a favor. Stay here while I go get something. No peaking or else I will withhold kisses for the next week.”

“Are you even allowed to be so cruel on my birthday?” Bea kissed Poppy quickly before running into the mysterious location. Pops just listened but none of the sounds were out of the ordinary. After about 5 minutes Bea came to Poppy’s door and opened. She helped her out of the car and handed she her favorite tea.

“Don’t tell me we drove all this way for you to poison me.” She took a sip and recongized it being one of her favorite drinks Matcha. “Hughes I know you did not make us drive all this way for something we could go about 5 minutes from campus to get.”

“Poppy if I wanted to poison you I wouldn’t have done it in somewhere so public. But no it’s not just for the tea we had to come here for you birthday gift. Take of your blindfold.” Poppy took off her blindfold and felt like she recognized where she was. She looked around and noticed a man walking towards them. He was a bit shorter than she was and he was smiling. She recongized him from the pictures the P.I. sent her as well as when she googled Art Nakamura , her bio dad.

“Hello, Poppy” The man beamed at her. “Happy Birthday” He held out a bouquet of flowers. Poppy hesitantly took the flowers.

“Hello Mr. Nakamura.”

“Please feel free to call me Art.”

“ Thank you for the flowers Mr. Nakam– Art. Could you give Bea and I a moment?”

“No worries I will get us a table in the cafe.” Art walked into the cafe and Poppy turned to her girlfriend.

“What the fuck were thinking, Hughes?” Poppy shouted not worrying about the looks from passerbys. “How did you know about him? Do you know what could happen if Piers finds out about this? I could loose everything! Do you not fucking think!?”

“I was just trying to get you a good birthday gift and you have everything and I thought maybe it would be nice to meet him and get answers for questions you wanted. One of the nights I stayed over the letters were out and I accidentally read one of them. I didn’t say anything ,but the emotion just pour out of them and it seemed like you really wanted to meet him.”

“Those were private! Bea I can’t do this with you. Please just leave. I will find another way to get back to campus.”

“But Poppy you don’t have your phone.”

“I don’t care. Just go.” Poppy shouted at Bea. Her chest felt heavy because she felt bad for yelling but she was just so angry. Anything else Bea had to say died in her throat. She walked back to her car and got in to leave. Poppy walked inside and found Art enjoying a mug of green liquid. She could smell the matcha.

“I am sorry for intruding, Poppy.”

“No, Art it’s no worries. It was just an unexpected surprise.”

They talked for awhile and Poppy’s stiff posture softened as she learned more about Art. He loved matcha just as much as she did. He talked about his time in college and how he always wanted to be a teacher. He showed her a picture of when he took his class to the museum and helped pay for the kids who couldn’t afford it.

“I know it’s none of my business and my apologies in advance if I am over stepping. You shouldn’t be so hard on your girlfriend Bea.”

“She told you about our relationship?”

“No she didn’t need to. I know the look of love anywhere. We have all been bitten by the love bug once or twice.”

“ You don’t care that I am dating a girl.”

“Of course not. We can’t help who we love.” Poppy did her best to keep her tears from escaping.

“I appreciate you saying that Art. I just couldn’t imagine the wrath if Piers found out.”

“Bea said the same thing when planning this. She didn’t even let me bring my phone. I didn’t even park around here she made me park farther away and walk. I thought she was joking at first. She had me turn right 8 times to make sure I wasn’t being tailed.”

“I don’t have my phone either. She really went above and beyond.” She whispered the last part. Suddenly she felt like the worst girlfriend on this planet. She looked at where Bea had parked and saw an empty space.

Bea found a quiet restaurant to sulk. She barely touched her fries when her phone started to buzz. It was a number she didn’t recongize, but there was no scam likely under it so she answered.

“Hello?”

“I’m so sorry for blowing up at you.” Poppy muttered. “I just was so sacred and had so many emotions running about I didn’t know how to react.”

“It’s okay Poptart. I should have ran this by you and not read the letter.”

“Will you come back? I want you to meet my dad.”

“Absolutely, I will be right over.” Bea only went over 1 block, she didn’t want to leave Poppy stranded. After parking she walked into the cafe and saw Poppy laughing with Art. She was actually belly laughing. Bea’s heart felt so full to see her girlfriend enjoying her time with her father. She walked over and Poppy pulled her into a hug. She always felt light when her and Poppy embraced. Like nothing in the world could hurt them as long as they were together.

“Art I know you two have corresponded ,but I would like to officially introduce Bea my girlfriend.”

“Nice to meet you in person Bea. Thank you for today.” Bea shook Art’s hand and they sat and talked.

Art was telling them a story from his time in college and Bea was giggling at the story. Poppy imagined what life would have been like if Art was always her dad and raised her. She imagines with someone so warm as a father she would have turned out different. They stayed until close and parted ways after exchanging numbers on napkins.

On the way back to campus Poppy grabbed her girlfriends hands and planted a soft kiss on the back of Bea’s hand.

“Thank you for an amazing day.”

“Always. Happy Birthday Pops.”

Master List

#thanks anon!#anon reply #poppy x mc #poppy min sinclair #queen b choices #queen b playchoices

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hometoursandotherstuff · 1 year

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This is something new that I’ve never heard of before- it’s the Gothic Oz aesthetic.

It seems to be a color scheme of black & green to represent the Emerald City.

Or, I guess it could be black & gray with wicked witch vibes.

This is a nice piece.

This is cool- looks like the entrance to the Emerald City.

Nobody gets in to see the wizard, not no one, not no how.

Follow the black brick road.

Emerald green doors.

Vintage green velvet.

Nice.

How pretty.

Beautiful bath.

https://www.facebook.com/MindyLeahauthor

#Gothic Oz #green & black gothic decor #other stuff

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rockybloo · 9 months

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Remembering Olympus Overdrive just reminded me of how many webcomics I still love that winded up getting discontinued like The Black Brick Road of Oz.

I still absolutely adore them especially since they were truly inspiring and motivational to me when I was a wee Rocky first getting into making webcomics 🥹

Super thankful for the incomplete stories since they still left a lasting impression and unfinished is better than never existing at all.

#rocky rambles

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tenobelisk · 3 months

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if this fucking dorothy/oz-themed Lies of P follow up game ends up with me playing as Dorothy's long lost brother Derek i will absolutely shit. i want a dorothy skipping run cycle, heroin-rich poppy fields and a god damn jitterbug minigame.

and tinman /scarecrow body horror segments where they can get charcoal brains or a black heart and Go Wrong.

and flying monkeys. and yellow bricks as currency plucked from the now barren road. and stolen pouches of the Powder of Life for emergent gameplay funtimes by making allies out of TOTK style assemblages. and and and

#lies of p #wizard of oz

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booksandchainmail · 1 year

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Pale 2.9

So excited to see the Forest Ribbon Trail.

oh gods i love this opossum. do the animal companions always talk, or that a opossum-specific trait

It was a kid, no older than eight, possibly younger, with messy blond hair, a jacket, a top, and bare feet.

oh no. Do boon companions always appear as humans, you'd think someone would note that on the instructions! Is that part of why you're supposed to ask not remember?

she wore an adult-sized t-shirt that came to her knees, black. It was printed with ‘I have class, I have sass, I scream at own ass’.

I love this opossum

“In the practitioner and Other sense, not the ordinary sense. You’ve never bled or tasted blood?” “I have. Both,” the girl said.

welp. don't think we have any details on what that means

“What story is this? All things Other have some roots in the annals of man,” the baby opossum said. “Fairy tales, fantasy stories, myths, religions, and urban religions. There are no original stories. So I ask you… what kind of story is this? Don’t jump to the obvious answer. Give me a good answer and I’ll tell you something you should know.”

Hmm. My first thought is Little Red Riding Hood (traveling through forest with a wolf at the end). But also, in more general terms, classic fairy tale story: you go on a journey, have an animal companion to aid you, pick up strange tools that will help you later, and face down a monster at the end. I'm also reminded of the Babylon sequence from Diana Wynne Jones's book Deep Secret, but I don't think that's what they're going for.

It's also really hard to tell how much of what's going on is normal for the Forest Ribbon Trail, and how much is about the animal blood fuckup (I checked the instructions and there were no notes about what happens in that case). I do not trust the roadside opossum though.

I thought it would be more cut and dry but it’s only constant confusion, a strange place with strange people.

well now I am thinking Alice in Wonderland

“Curiouser and curiouser,” Avery said. “That’s it, right?” “A bit of Wizard of Oz, with the yellow brick road, or the Path. A lot of Alice in Wonderland,” Avery said.

hey!

There was a giant doll head, the girl who carried the other opossum, the normal man, and the whispering cat.

Cat... cheshire cat? or maybe cowardly lion? who else is in Alice in Wonderland: Mad Hatter, March Hare, Dormouse, Caterpillar, Queen? Or is the thing that isn't supposed to be here whatever's causing the thumping?

This is the second reality you have to face, as part of your journey along this trail. The world is bleak, terrible things happen, and you cannot fix it, whether you are a thirteen year old girl or a master practitioner in her seventies.

hmmm. People keep talking as if the coin is the object that lets you bring some of the Lost back, but the instructions in the Extra Materials say that's the skull. Not sure if this is authorial error, or if Avery is misremembering and the Others are cuing off of her.

She was supposed to come to terms with something about herself, like Alice and growing up, or Dorothy and the idea of home. Every single trap so far had been marked by indecision. Hesitation. Even her boon companion evoked it.

yeah! character development

A glamour, to bring out her best self. But to capture it, she needed to chase it first. Mark it like warpaint, worn after the battle. After she was sweaty from a game well played. After she was brave. After she was noble. It stressed that she had to decide who and what she wanted to be, then solidify it.

brave and noble...

“Nicolette Belanger?” Avery asked.

oh shit

“The gimmick. The opossum. It plays dead even when it doesn’t mean to, fainting. Deceives when it doesn’t mean to. It says the opposite of what it means to, but it can deceive well enough to bring a token item into the Wolf’s negotiation.”

oh... so when she said she didn't like the name Avery gave her...

#booksandchainmail reads pale #pale #wildbow #this one got long

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banned-books-daily · 2 months

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Banned Book: The Wizard of Oz

Intro: The Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, in 1900. Banned in all public libraries in 1928 depictions of women being strong and in leadership roles. Banned across many US states throughout the 1900s for its strong female characters, use of magic, promotion of socialist values and attribution of human characteristics to animals. Challenged in many schools and libraries in states where it was not banned for the same reasons.

Major Plot Points/Topics in Book: -Power to Women -Leadership by Women -Rejection of Societies Values -Care of each other -Magic -Scams -Distrust of men -Opinions based on appearance

Brief Synopsis: In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her dog Toto find themselves in the strange land of Oz after a cyclone hits her Aunt and Uncle's house in Kansas. To return home, Dorothy must follow the yellow brick road to find the famous Wizard of Oz who lives in the beautiful Emerald City.

Trigger Warnings: -Death -Upheaval of Life -Orphaning

Long Summary: The orphaned Dorothy lives on the Kansas prairie with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry and her little black dog, Toto. When a cyclone hits, Dorothy is looking for Toto, so she doesn’t get to the cyclone cellar in time. Suddenly, the cyclone lifts the house with Dorothy and Toto inside high in the air. Dorothy wakes up in the Land of Oz, where she discovers that her house has landed on and killed the Wicked Witch of the East. Dorothy meets the Munchkins and the good Witch of the North, who gives Dorothy the dead Witch’s magic silver shoes. Dorothy wants to return to Kansas, but to do so, she must travel to the Emerald City to ask the help of the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy sets out on this challenging journey protected by the Witch of the North’s kiss.

In the first part of the journey, Dorothy finds traveling companions. She rescues a Scarecrow from his lonely life on his pole in a field. The Scarecrow asks to accompany her on her journey so he can ask the Great Oz for a brain. Soon, they come across a Tin Woodman who has been rusted in place for a year. Dorothy helps rescue him by oiling his joints. The Tin Woodman also asks to join the trip so he can ask the Great Oz for a heart. As the travelers continue through the forest, a Cowardly Lion scares them. Dorothy slaps the lion for scaring Toto. The Cowardly Lion admits he is a coward and wants to join the others so he can ask the Great Oz for courage.

The travelers run into a series of challenges for which the Scarecrow often comes up with solutions and that the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Woodman, and Scarecrow use their special abilities to overcome. Dorothy and her friends must find ways across deep, wide ditches; save themselves from the attack of the part bear, part tiger Kalidahs; and cross a wide, swiftly flowing river. The Scarecrow and Tin Woodman must rescue Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion from the poppy field, which they do with the help of a thousand field mice.

When Dorothy and her friends finally arrive at the Emerald City, the Great Oz agrees to meet with them. Appearing in a different disguise for each traveler, he tells each he will grant their wishes only when they have killed the Wicked Witch of the West. So, the travelers set out for the land of the Winkies in the West. The Wicked Witch of the West makes several attempts to stop them with a series of unsuccessful attacks from a pack of wolves, a flock of crows, and a swarm of bees. The Witch then uses her magic Golden Cap to call on the Winged Monkeys. The Monkeys scatter the Scarecrow and drop the Tin Woodman on rocks, but because Dorothy is protected by the Good Witch’s kiss, they transport her carefully along with the captured Cowardly Lion to the Wicked Witch’s castle.

When the Wicked Witch of the West uses her magic to snatch one of Dorothy’s silver shoes, Dorothy throws water on her, causing the Witch to melt away. Freed from enslavement, the Winkies help find and repair the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow. Once again, the travelers set out to return to the Emerald City but call the field mice one more time to tell them how to get there. The Queen of the Field Mice suggests Dorothy use the magic Golden Cap, now in Dorothy’s possession, to ask the Winged Monkeys to fly them there. On the way to the Emerald City, the King of the Monkeys tells Dorothy the story of the Golden Cap.

Back in the Emerald City, the travelers demand that the Great Oz fulfill his promises. Toto accidentally knocks down a screen that reveals the Great Oz is, in fact, a little old man. Still, the Great Oz, who reveals he is from Nebraska, uses his humbug wizardry to fulfill the Scarecrow’s, Tin Woodman’s, and Cowardly Lion’s wishes. The Great Oz then asks Dorothy to help him make a hot air balloon that will transport the two of them across the deserts of Oz and back to their homes. But at the time of departure, the balloon accidentally takes off with the Great Oz but not Dorothy, who is chasing after Toto.

Close to losing all hope, Dorothy learns that she must ask Glinda the Good Witch of the South how to get home. The Scarecrow, now ruler of the Emerald City, decides to travel with Dorothy and the others to Glinda’s Castle in the Land of the Quadlings. On the way there, the travelers encounter more challenges. They must find a way past some hostile guardian trees, cross a country made of fragile china, and help rescue some wild animals from a monstrous spider. When they can’t get past some Hammer-Heads, men who use their heads to punch the travelers when they try to pass, Dorothy again calls the Winged Monkeys to transport them safely to the beautiful land of the Quadlings, where they are directed to Glinda’s castle.

Glinda promises to tell Dorothy how to get home in exchange for the Golden Cap. Glinda plans to use the Cap to return the Scarecrow to the Emerald City, the Cowardly Lion to the forest to be King of the Beasts, and the Tin Woodman to the land of the Winkies to be their ruler. Glinda will then give the Golden Cap to the Winged Monkeys so they can finally be free. Glinda tells Dorothy she can click together the heels of her silver shoes three times and command them to take her home. Dorothy does this after bidding her friends a tearful goodbye. Very soon Dorothy arrives home again in Kansas, without her silver shoes but happy to be home and in the arms of her Aunt Em.

#banned book #banned books #wizard of oz #wonderful wizard of oz #love #strong women #women #magic #scams #wizards #l. frank baum

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xamag-draws · 5 months

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[OCs] only the old fans will remember <3

#my art #the black brick road of oz #ohsees tag #cw eyestrain #thinking about them again....... might redesign them

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the-patchwork-girl-of-oz · 6 months

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I’m fully convinced Nick in the webcomic “the black brick road of Oz” was Nick during his emo phase

#nick chopper #tin man #tin woodman #the black brick road of oz #oz books #wizard of oz #the wonderful wizard of oz #l frank baum #webcomic #chopper siblings au

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witchesoz · 1 year

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“The Black Brick Road of Oz”

By Xamag

#the black brick road of oz #oz art #the wizard of oz #volkov's magic land

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purplepinkcoruscantskies · 11 months

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Karma MV Analysis

Like a lot of people I was watching TN's Insta livestream really excited to watch the premiere before the stream ended and I was left staring at my phone. But the music video came out like an hour after that stream so it didn't matter in the end.

Anyway, I really like this music video and it has a lot of easter eggs so it's time to see if Taylor's been hinting at things three years in advance.

The video opens with a moonstone blue Midnights vinyl from which pink and blue glitter and butterflies fly out of. This can be a callback to the ME! music video where the snake representing Reputation turned into a kaleidoscope of butterflies (kaleidoscope was also theorised to be the title of TS7). This can represent the Midnights era coming to an end through an old way of showing transitions between eras.

The next scene shows Taylor portraying the Greek goddess of justice Themis (mythology is a major theme in this video so that's fun). I've seen a lot of people say that these Roman numerals at the bottom of her statue translate to 1989 but my own research (I say research very lightly) doesn't come to the same conclusion, I guess this is something you can have your own opinions on.

We then see Taylor wearing a devil mask in what looks like the Underworld. When she takes off the mask we see she's wearing a very Reputation inspired look with black lipstick and the hairstyle of that era.

After that, she takes inspiration from The Wizard of Oz by walking down a yellow brick road wearing red shoes, acting as Dorothy in a children's fairytale book. This is the first of a few fairytale references, the second being Taylor lying on top of a giant cat in a blue dress, potentially referencing Alice in Wonderland. Three Grim Reapers dressed in red flip her off and she blows lavender dust at them which transitions to the next scene.

Next we see Taylor sitting in both sides of an hourglass with lavender coloured sand running into the bottom half. This could represent the time in the Midnights era running out and being replaced with Speak Now TV.

There's also a link to the Blank Space music video here with the hourglass briefly turning into a sunglasses shape for Taylor, hinting that 1989 TV will be next.

Then we see Ice Spice sitting on a clam shell in the middle of the ocean holding pink pearls. This might be a reference to the birth of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty who rose from the ocean on a shell.

Taylor lights up one, then three, then five lightbulbs while dressed in gold. This could be a reference to the golden cage scene in LWYMMD (as well as a hint to SNTV and 1989 TV).

The next scene is probably a link to the line “Love you to the moon and to Saturn” which is from seven. I don’t think this has any more of a meaning beyond Taylor and Ice are really good friends. Maybe if you wanted to make a reach you could say this represents Taylor owning her albums produced from 2019 onwards because she’s holding the lyrics from folklore on a leash? What you can be sure about is Taylor and Ice’s zodiac signs in the starry background, you can’t really expect Taylor to not be an astrology girlie at this point.

The thumbnail showing Taylor and Ice sailing a pink boat down a pink river could be inspired by Egyptian mythology. Correct me if I’m wrong but the west bank of the Nile River is associated with the underworld and death, funeral barges and other ships would often sail across the river to represent the sun’s arc across the sky (explaining why the sun is setting in this scene). Maybe Taylor wanted another way of saying she comes back from the dead.

Finally, we have the coffee cup.

There are a few things to unpack here:

- Taylor’s nails are painted blue and then black, possible hinting at 1989 TV and then Reputation TV

- the Roman numeral for 4 isn’t “IIII” it’s “IV”

- the clock is nearly at midnight

Then Taylor sets the coffee cup down on what looks like the piano in the room used for the Midnights photoshoots and the clock strikes twelve, midnight on the dot. This representing the end of Midnights and the beginning of new music.

#taylor swift #midnights #karma #karma analysis

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raven-curls · 2 years

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Tagged by @lillifaba

Firstly, I'm not going to pick from the physical bookshelf because it's filled with children books that no one read anymore. Secondly, I'm not going to really rank because I love all books, and my laptop died again (sounds familiar?) and I'm doing this on mobile.

1) "The Home Office telegraphy department always smelled of tea" - The Watchmaker of Filigree Street , Natasha Pulley

2) "IN THE MYRIADIC YEAR OF OURLORD—the ten thousandth year of the King Undying, the kindly Prince of Death!—Gideon Nav packed her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and she escaped from the House of the Ninth." - Gideon the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir

3) "On the Yellow Brick Road, a mile above Oz, the Witch balanced on the wind’s forward edge, as if she were a green fleck of the land itself, flung up and sent wheeling away by the turbulent air." - Wicked, The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Gregory Maguire

4) "In the beginning, we were as one." - A Winter's Promise, Christelle Dabos

5) "A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct" - Dune, Frank Herbert

6) " Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents, " grumbled Ho, lying on the rug - Little Women, Louisa May Alcott

7) "On a drowsy Sunday afternoon, a man in a long dark coat hesitated in front of a house on a tree-lined street. " - The Cruel Prince, Holly Black

8) " There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. " - Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

9) "My name, in those days, was Susan Trinder." - Fingersmith, Sarah Waters

10) "The comet's tail spread across the dawn, a red slash that bled above the crags of Dragonstone like a wound in the pink and purple sky. " - A Clash of Kings, George RR Martin

And I'm tagging @mylittleelphie @elphabaoftheopera @deeplyshalllow @a-partofthenarrative @beautifulwickedness13 @lightningprince25 @someonetookmyawesomename (gosh a few more but suddenly I can't remember your name!)

#tag

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missmcspooks · 2 years

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THE DARK HISTORY BEHIND THE WIZARD OF OZ

Everyone knows about the 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz” with its fantasy storytelling and musical numbers, along with its very memorable characters, Dorothy, The Cowardly Lion, The Tin Man, and The Scarecrow. People normally think back and remember a young girl and her cute tiny dog Toto skipping down the yellow brick road, with encounters of funny munchkins and two witches, good and evil. No one could forget the clicking of the red sparkly slippers so Dorothy could find her way back home. But did anyone stop and think about how the movie was made? How were the actors treated all those years on set? Most people are left unaware of the horrible treatment the cast endured, and the movie's dark history has been left tucked away in the dark.

DOROTHY

Dorothy, played by Judy Garland, was the main actress and star of the movie. However, her role in the movie caused herself a lot of suffering. Judy was originally competing with Shirley Temple for the Dorothy role, (and her career comes with its own dark history), but Shirley ended up backing out of the running as she didn’t believe that she’d be able to play the role perfectly, and didn’t want to possibly jeopardize her career. Therefore, Judy was given the role. She was 16 when they started filming, and the directors weren’t happy with the way that she looked. Not only did they want her to look like a younger girl, they wanted to make her look like Shirley Temple. Judy was called fat and was forced to lose 12 pounds, and she was forced to wear a very tight corset to help hide her womanly figure. She was given a strict diet of just black coffee, chicken soup, and cottage cheese. Judy picked up smoking cigarettes and smoked up to 80 cigarettes daily to help keep her appetite down. She was also given caps to put onto her crooked teeth, and even put stuff inside of her nose to make it look more like Shirley’s. The director, (there were 4 different ones by the time the movie was completed), didn’t even want to use Judy in the red slippers close up shots, and she had someone stand in for her. This isn’t even the worst thing that she had to go through during this production. She was also prescribed amphetamines to keep her wait down, and then was given barbiturates to help her sleep after extremely long work days. She became addicted to these drugs and continued to use them for the rest of her life, which ultimately was the cause of her death in 1969 when she died of an overdose, leaving her husband and children behind. Judy was also sexually harassed by many of the munchkins, who would touch her without permission and put their hands underneath her dress. One of the directors also harassed her. Director Viktor Fleming also slapped her across the face when she kept giggling in one of the scenes, which ironically was the famous slap scene between her and the Cowardly Lion. Even though Judy was the star of the movie, she was paid much less for her hard work and dedication to the film, only earning $500 a week, while the Scarecrow and the Tin Man earned around $3,000 a week. She wasn’t the only one being paid unfairly, as Toto made more money than most of the munchkins, earning herself a whopping $125 per week.

TIN MAN

But if anyone in this movie earned themselves the title for worst costume ever, it’s the Tin Man. Buddy Ebsen was the original Tin Man actor, until he landed himself in the hospital after contracting aluminum poisoning from the metallic makeup that was painted on his face every single day. Buddy was in the hospital for weeks while the director kept pushing him to come back to work even though he was severely sick, and threatening to fire him if he didn’t. Whelp, he was fired and due to contracts, the replacement actor, Jack Haley was forced into the role. No one was informed on why the previous actor couldn’t come back, but the makeup was replaced with aluminum paste instead of powder, which ended up causing an eye infection. Not only was the makeup horrible, but the costume was made completely out of metal, so the actors couldn’t even sit down the entire day. If they needed to rest, they would lean themselves against a wall.

THE COWARDLY LION

This role was played by Bert Lahr, who had to put up with a lot of crap during his time in the costume. It was smelly, heavy, and HOT. The poor man was dying of heat exhaustion due to the hide being super heavy, as it was made of real lion hide. It weighed around 80-90 pounds! He sweated so much that it took two people every day to ring the sweat out of the costume and dry it. He was also not allowed to eat very much due to his makeup being very difficult and time consuming to put on. He tried surviving on liquids like chicken broth, milkshakes and smoothies, but after years of production he finally put his foot down and told them to just re-do the makeup after he eats lunch.

THE SCARECROW

Ray Bolger played the role of the Scarecrow and also suffered with costume struggles. His makeup left him with scars on his face that took an entire year to finally disappear completely. The makeup quite literally burned his face! His costume was also made with real straw, and he was completely covered with it. The straw even went over his ears, which made it very hard to hear anything, and he felt like he was yelling out his lines instead of talking, since he couldn’t even hear himself speak.

THE WICKED WITCH

Speaking of being burned, the Wicked Witch, played by Margaret Hamilton, also landed herself in the hospital after a smoke scene. She was supposed to puff away in smoke during an escape in Munchkin Land, but the trapdoor that she was supposed to fall into didn’t open, which caused her broom and hat to go up in flames. This caused bad burns on her face and hands, and the paramedics had to use alcohol to take off her makeup, which was also toxic and caused her pain. It took her weeks for the green to fade off of her skin after the movie was completed. After she returned to work she refused to do any more scenes that required smoke, and her stunt double stood in for her. Also, her dressing room was awful compared to the good witch, Glinda. Glinda’s room was big and beautiful, while her room was small, bland, and boring. She would often sneak into Glinda’s room on the days she wasn’t supposed to be on set.

ADDITIONAL DARK SECRETS

In one of the scenes, Dorothy, Toto, and the Cowardly Lion fall asleep in a poppy field, waking up to snowflakes falling onto them. These snowflakes were actually made of asbestos, which is toxic. They were originally unaware of the toxicity of this commonly used fake snow, but by the time they realized it, it was too late to help the cast who were exposed to it.

Many of the Munchkins were very inappropriate. Not only for the sexual harassment of 16 year old Judy Garland, but the police were called multiple times due to their aggressive drunken behavior, gambling, and prostitution at the hotel that the cast were staying at. One of the Munchkins actually got stuck inside a toilet bowl while drunk on his lunch break and needed to be rescued.

The original Wizard of Oz book, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” is actually very dark and disturbing. Tiger-bear hybrids were killed in a crevasse, the Tin Man decapitated a wildcat and 40 wolves using an ax, and a giant swarm of bumble bees died while trying to sting Dorothy and her friends.

The set was extremely hot due to very bright lighting. Temperatures would often be over 100 degrees, which caused an issue with carbon dioxide poisoning.

#abuse #the wizard of oz #actors #neglect #true story #behind the scenes #blog #blogging #blogger #blog post

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