for good . . . ( early access )

Was randomly listening to the Wicked soundtrack the other day for the first time in... I don't even know how long, and finally had a design concept for a drawing I've been wanting to do for a while now 💚

(ᴍᴏᴍ, Jᴇss ᴋɴᴏᴡs I ᴅʀᴇᴡ ʜᴇʀ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ, ɴᴏ sʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴇs ɴᴏᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ɪs ʏᴇᴛ!)

_

Wicked was kinda a Big Deal when my sister and I were younger; I read the original book as a teen and then somewhat begrudgingly grew fond of the musical production that came out not long after. (I, ᴏғ ᴄᴏᴜʀsᴇ, ғᴇʟᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇs ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴅᴀᴘᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴀᴛʜᴇʀ-sᴇʀɪᴏᴜs-ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʙʏ Gʀᴇɢᴏʀʏ Mᴀɢᴜɪʀᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴘᴜʀᴇ ғʟᴜғғ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ I ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴀᴅᴍɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴍʏ ʀᴀᴛʜᴇʀ-sᴇʀɪᴏᴜs-sᴇʟғ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ғʟᴜғғ ᴛᴏᴏ ʜᴀs ɪᴛs ᴍᴇʀɪᴛs) Part of why I so loved the book was because I related very much to its lead protagonist, Elphaba Thropp, and saw my older sister in Galinda Upland's character.

For the uninitiated (sᴛʀᴀᴘ ɪɴ), Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West is inspired by the classic Frank L. Baum stories but focuses specifically on the histories of Elphaba, the titular Wicked Witch of the West, as well as Glinda (formerly known as "Galinda") the Good Witch of the North.

The book, quite sombre and often bleak, reveals that the Wicked Witch was actually more of a political radical in the Emerald City as opposed to an enchantress bent on just general societal collapse; Elphaba saw that the sentient animal citizens of Oz were being treated worse and worse by their human counterparts with the Wizard as a key player in this alienation, so she joined ranks with an activist sector working to bring justice. It does not go great, as you may be able to guess, and the Wizard is pretty much a tyrannical despot who does a lot of Actually Quite Terrible Things. Galinda is also there! They are classmates at Shiz University but after the school chapters their overlap is much less of a thing in the book and most of Elphaba's life is just really heckin' sad. 

I strongly recommend reading this book if you haven't already, but fair warning that it is definitely a kinda downer story (while still being very good and interesting and worth the read!)

The musical version focuses significantly more on the interaction and separation of Elphaba and Galinda, who meet at finishing school and, after initially butting heads, become close friends. Galinda is popular while Elphie (G's nickname for her) is strange and lonely, but they reach a point in their relationship that they both hope to professionally practice magic in the Emerald City and have their adult life together there. Fiyero, who is a love interest in both the musical and the book, creates the third point of a love triangle (ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ɪs ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛʏ ʜɪʟᴀʀɪᴏᴜs ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀʀᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜɪs ʀᴏʟᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʙᴜᴛ I ɢᴇᴛ ɪᴛ, ɪᴛ's ᴀ ᴍᴜsɪᴄᴀʟ, ᴛʜɪs ɪs ᴀɴ ᴏʙᴠɪᴏᴜs ᴅʀᴀᴍᴀ ᴛᴏ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ ɪɴ) Like in the book, Elphie is a loud advocate for animal citizen rights and the turning point of the story is her discovering the truth of the Wizard's "grandness" and promptly quitting polite society forever (ʜᴏɴᴇsᴛʟʏ, ᴍᴏᴏᴅ), while Galinda (now Glinda) accepts a role as a high-ranking witch in his cabinet. 

The musical is about (some of) the people of Oz fighting for equality, but is much more about the friendship/love triangle with Glinda and Elphie and really driving home the theme of "maybe people aren't just black/white or good/evil!" while the chorusline of regular Oz NPCs just kind of shrug at the end and still are glad that the Wicked Witch is disposed of. 

So... lesson? I guess??

_

I don't know if you can tell, but I have a lot of affection in my shrivelled up lil' apple core of a heart for this musical. It meant a lot to me as a teenager and it means a lot to me now as an adult, albeit in slightly different ways. I still see Elphaba as a version of myself and the glamorous, ambitious Galinda as a version of my sister. Growing up, my sister was my mentor and champion and from the first time hearing "Popular", we could see a reflection of our IRL friendship; she could see shiny parts of myself that I couldn't yet and constantly wanted to give me "stylish makeovers" (with various rates of success), and I was an awkward, curmudgeonly weirdo who constantly tried to go to bat for the underdog. 

Needless to say, my sister and I aren't teenagers anymore.  

Without realizing it, we've become adults who have to deal with adult problems, both together and very far apart... I can say sincerely that this has probably been one of the harder lessons I've had growing up and being away from my family. I still love my sister and am so proud of who she's become and yet some days it can be so hard to come to terms with the fact that we aren't quite the people we were when we were teens and did everything together. 

I definitely know the feeling of being best friends with someone who seems so opposite to you and it being you vs the world, no matter what, you'll be together. I also know all too well the feeling of that friendship branching in two directions that stretch far beyond the reach of either of you and branching so much quicker than you could've imagined possible.  

While I am not a disgraced sorceress living in the wilds with a bunch of flying monkeys to keep me company (ᴡʜɪᴄʜ! I ᴛʀᴀɪɴᴇᴅ! ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴏғ ᴄᴏᴜʀsᴇ ᴍʏ ɢɪʀʟ ᴇʟᴘʜɪᴇ ʀᴇsᴄᴜᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴅᴏᴘᴛᴇᴅ ᴀ sᴇɴᴛɪᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴏɴᴋᴇʏ ᴏʀᴘʜᴀɴ ᴡʜᴏᴍ sʜᴇ ʀᴀɪsᴇᴅ ᴀs ᴀɴ ᴇǫᴜᴀʟ ᴀs ᴡᴇʟʟ ᴀs ᴀ ᴅᴇᴀʀ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ) and my sister is not trapped in the career path of a highly-influential/magical diplomat for an evil wizard (I ᴛʜɪɴᴋ),  more than a decade has gone by and I can still see the places where we intersect with these characters that we loved so dearly.

So... yeah. 

The musical version of Wicked hits me real hard. I spent way too long on this write-up because I have a lot of tangled up, bittersweet feelings about this production that I adore and just a little bit of what it's meant in my relationship with my sister (who I also adore)

...Being a grown-up kinda sucks sometimes.

ʟᴇᴍᴍᴇ ʙᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟ ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜɪs ᴍᴜsɪᴄᴀʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴀɴ ʟɪsᴛᴇɴ ᴛᴏ "Fᴏʀ Gᴏᴏᴅ" ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ʙᴜʀsᴛɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛᴇᴀʀs, ᴜ ʀ ᴀ ʀᴏʙᴏᴛ ᴏʀ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ I ᴅᴜɴɴᴏ ᴅᴜᴅᴇ!!!