wolfridds

[wolfridds]

Omg I thought I was the only one 😂

i can't be the only one who started watching shadow and bone only to see freddy carter on screen and shout "thAT'S THE HORSE SHOW GUY-"

#i loved free rein way before s&b #pin hawthorne owned my heart by that point #freddy carter #pin hawthorne #kaz brekker #shadow and bone #six of crows

[wolfridds]

freddy carter and kaz brekker fans after watching s&b: “omg i just watched freddy’s horse show for the first time!”

me who had already fallen in love with pin back in 2017 when the free rein released and calls free rein their comfort show and rewatches it at any minor inconvenience in life to this very day but watched s&b bc freddy carter was in it: “y’all didn’t know about his horse show?”

#don’t get me wrong i LOVE s&b and kaz brekker!! #it just surprised me how many people hadn’t watched free rein before shadow and bone came out #im stuck in my horse girl bubble hehe #DON’T ATTACK ME #free rein #pin hawthorne #wolfridds

[wolfridds]

listen, i know free rein trended a bit after the first season of shadow and bone came out so i'm sure i'm not the first one to notice the absolutely WILD similarities between pin and kaz right??? there was a line in the first season about picking locks since before he was born, in this season after the horse theif incident his grandfather (who's a duke, who would've guessed? not me) was decended from smugglers and their money came from a dodgy place, so he's technically still a criminal... and he's also bought brightfields... and raven, for zoe, and as they're talking about it he literally says "consider it an investment" I'M LOSING MY FUCKING MIND. 😂😂

[wolfridds]

I love how Free Rein can go from 0 to 100 so fast!

It's like: oh I guess I misjudged that boy met yesterday. He seems nice, even lent me his jacket. Wait what's in the pocket? STOLEN HORSE SEDATIVES!!

And: Let's go on a fun Galentines treasure hunt! Wait, that's not the treasure... that's AN UNEXPLODED WORLD WAR 2 LANDMINE!!!

Or: Something is making the wild horses sick, let's investigate... IT'S LEAD POISONING!!! OUR FRIEND'S DAD HAS POISONED THE WATER SUPPLY AND KIDNAPPED HORSES!!! HE'S GOING TO JAIL!!!

#these sort of descriptions reminds me how super random it is at times #i love this show with all my heart but my gods it escalates quickly #free rein #free rein spoilers #free rein netflix

[wolfridds]

Freddy as Peter "Pin" Hawthorne | Free Rein

#freddy carter owns my heart #he stole it the moment i first saw this show #way back when it came out #i unashamedly love this silly little horse show #pin hawthorne #elvis #freddy carter #free rein

[wolfridds]

Freddy Carter as Pin Hawthorne in Free Rein: The 12 Neighs of Christmas

#freddy in a beanie is something else #freddy carter #pin hawthorne #free rein #l

[wolfridds]

This!

But I’d also like to add also Pin looks after Raven as a foal after he’s rescued.

Zoe saves Raven constantly as an adult.

Note: Pin always helps Zoe one way or another when it comes to rescuing Raven.

I realize Free Rein is like...for tweens and actual children, but from a literary standpoint, the fact that people thought Marcus had a chance is...a little funny.

In the 1st season:

To start, Pin is the reason Zoe meets Raven because he accidentally left the gate open which brings Zoe to Bright fields.

At the end, Pin knowingly unlocks the pen and is once again the reason Raven is able to escape, which is why Zoe gets to remain as his rider.

also they paralleled him with the horse

...thank you for reading my meta analysis on the horse show that's literally rated G.

#zin for life #i adore this little horse show #free rein #pin hawthorne #zoe philips #zoe x pin

[wolfridds]

You know what? I’m here for this!

You know, I don't have any strict ships in Free Rein, for me it's more like I have a giant shipping chain.

It's simple: Gaby and Zoe are dating and Zoe and Pin are also dating and Pin and Marcus are also dating and Marcus and Mia are also dating and Mia and Susie are also dating and Susie and Jade are also dating and Jade and Becky are also dating and Becky and Alex are also dating. Hope that helps.

[wolfridds]

ok idk if people on here are talking abt this idk if I’ve seen it but one of the funniest/most awkward things about the immediate aftermath of the queen’s death was audiences that night going to see musicals on the west end, specifically Wicked. apparently before the show some official came out and called for a minute or two of silence in honor of the queen. makes sense. silence concludes, lights come down, show begins. the overture begins very loudly with dramatic and fast-moving music, moves to a slower section, and at around the minute mark, becomes a very brassy, loud, cantankerous kind of aggressive melody. and then, after a minute of silence and a minute of overture, the audience is greeted with the first words of this musical, the words that have started the musical every night since 2003, now being sung loud and proud in london on September 8th, 2022:

“Good news! She’s dead!”

#ngl i think about this often

[wolfridds]

I just saw your Wicked sorting! and I must say, though Elphaba and Galinda/Glinda's houses are not really what I expected exactly(I think a lot of people tend to either switch them or put Elphaba in something like Ravenclaw), I'm still very happy with everything. Might I ask why you put each character in each house they were put in?

Firstly I want to clarify that this is based solely on the musical as I have never read the book.

Galinda: Slytherin

She knows what she wants and she’s after it. I’ve heard people argue against Slytherin saying that she’s too nice to Elphaba to be a Slytherin, but that’s ignoring 2 major things. Slytherins are mean by default. They most certainly can be nice, so that argument is completely invalid. Also, people use the “Popular” scene to claim that she’s too helpful and caring to be Slytherin, but if you actually pay attention she’s trying to push Elphaba into being someone she isn’t. She’s trying to make Elphaba more like herself instead of helping Elphaba be happier and more comfortable as who she is.

Elphaba: Hufflepuff

I can see why people tend to put her in Ravenclaw. She is smart and does have a great thirst for learning, but her constant need to set things right made me put her in Hufflepuff. A need for justice flows through her. She’s very pro-Animal rights and the way she tries to go about setting things straight is just very Hufflepuffy to me. Plus when it comes to her schooling and the possible future with the wizard she voices that she is going to work hard to earn that priviledge.

Fiyero: Gryffindor

From the instant he walked on stage he was just oozing Gryffindor to me. I’m sure if I rewatched it I could really breakdown why, but I can’t even fathom him as anything else in order to try to explain myself.

Nessarose: Gryffindor

She was a bit harder as in the musical it seems she exists as a plot device more than anything. But her treatment of Boq and her behaviors earlier on felt more Gryffindor to me. However how she handled being Governor and what she did to keep Boq was a bit more Slytherin I suppose. But the way she speaks to people also has a Gryffindor vibe to it to me. Plus her retaliation at Boq. Idk man. She’s just riddled with fury and victim complexes and the result comes off as being slightly more Gryffindor than anything else.

Boq: Hufflepuff

Boq’s Hufflepuff-ness is kind of hard to back up like Fiyero’s Gryffindor-ness. Especially because its been a bit since I’ve watched it now. A good chunk of it from what I can remember right now is the fact that through everything his still carried a torch for Galinda. He willingly put himself through way more strife than he should have for her. He’s quite self-sacrificing which, while not an official trait, is pretty standard for Hufflepuffs.

Madame Morrible: Slytherin

I’m not sure on some of the motivations behind her actions as we don’t get to see too much of that in the musical, but it seems she’s in her position almost solely for the purpose of recruiting. She’s the one who brings Dorothy to Oz and stirs up all kinds of shit just for the purpose of suppressing Animals.

Dr. Dillamond: Ravenclaw

Poor guy just wanted to teach. He has a clear love of history, not just as a standard school subject, but as a better way to understand their reality. 

The Wizard: Slytherin

He felt the need to hide his lack of magical ability behind a thoroughly constructed identity as the best wizard. Being known as the Wizard meant that he had access to so many other individuals with magical abilities that could be used for his benefit. He has worked incredibly hard to gain this level of prestige and proceeded to use it for rather selfish means. Sure he worked hard, but that hard work was never the honest toil of a Hufflepuff, but rather the means of an ambitious man.

[wolfridds]

the elphaba that stole my heart and soul 💚💚💚

i could literally go on an entire tangent about why she’s my favourite but for now look at her 🥹🤲

(yes i saw wicked…again hence the post 🤭)

Sheridan Adams (Elphaba Thropp) Defying Gravity - Wicked in Melbourne, Australia 2024

#sheridan leaves me in awe every night! #couldn’t have asked for a better elphaba #she owns the stage and shines like the star she is #wicked melbourne #wicked australia #wickedinoz #wicked the musical #sheridan adams #elphaba thropp #wolfridds

[wolfridds]

Wicked in Oz 2023

#i will not and never shut up about this show #wicked #wicked the musical #wicked sydney #wicked melbourne #wicked australia

[wolfridds]

I actually never knew that when Fiyero joined in the key changed to C major OMG! This is my favourite song of the entire musical, next to No Good Deed so I deeply enjoyed reading this! The transition between I’m Not That Girl (Reprise) and ALAYM always gives me chills.

(I will say that a C flat note is just a B natural on the piano since there is no black key to create the flat note.)

One Last Hurrah (I'm Not That Girl (Reprise), As Long As You're Mine)

Those who are familiar with my blog will know that I don't particularly agree with the concept of genre. I think it is restrictive, and the dynamicism of storytelling makes it less important for writers than the general public is aware for.

Wicked backs up my claim, I think. The opening number is a booming epic that Glinda switches to a more quiet tragedy, at which point the first act becomes a love story set in a boarding school. The second act mirrors this, slightly, crashing in with a full scale war that Glinda again pushes back to a love story. That same love story and love triangle then takes precedent in act two. Until it abruptly doesn't.

As Long As You're Mine is the finale of the romance arc of this story, and it centres around enjoying the life you have before change takes effect. Although, the romance is a love triangle, Elphaba and Fiyero get a song, but Glinda? Where does her romance end?

With Elphaba. The love story of this musical ends with Glinda thinking of Elphaba.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD: (Wicked, Dead Poet Society)

"Don't wish, don't start Wishing only wounds the heart There's a girl I know He loves her so I'm not that girl"

Well gee, this looks familiar.

This is an interesting case of thematic association. Because on it's own, I'm Not That Girl (Reprise) isn't really that important or interesting. It's a nice melody about unrequited love, which is heartfelt and everything, but not really saying much.

But the word's "on it's own" are doing a lot of heavy lifting in that paragraph. This song is the reprise of an earlier number by the same name, and that means all of the meaning from that song gets carried over to this, and it gets to give its own take on those themes, which is interesting.

In the internet world of oversimplification and memes, one will probably come across the idea that teachers overanalyse things. The "the curtains are blue because he likes the colour blue" joke. The weird thing is, this joke is correct, but it misses the point entirely.

Yes, overanalysing media is exactly what folks like me do. Technically, you don't need to engage with anything more than the baseline of what you have been shown. If your takeaway from blue curtains is that the owner likes the colour blue, go for it, nobody is stopping you, and that is perfectly reasonable. The key, is that that approach is not inherently more or less valuable than an overanalytical one.

I will wager that blue curtains will evoke a certain emotion in you. Maybe they are a deep blue, like the night just before dawn, giving you a tired, more chill vibe. Maybe they are much lighter, like the sky, giving a more youthful atmosphere. Or maybe they do not match with the rest of the room at all, to comedic or unsettling effect.

The point I am making is that subtext exists, and you don't have to dwell on it, but its a vital part of how communication works. It's also usually a majour factor in engagement. So, at the very least, acknowledging it will help you understand why you do or don't like certain stories.

Once again, I turn to PBS's Wicked In Concert and recommend the versions of these songs from that. This version of I'm Not That Girl (Reprise) is sung by Gabrielle Ruiz, and is really good.

For the moment, however, I'd like to conduct a thought experiment. Imagine that Wicked is actually happening. This is a world where people spontaneously break into song and this isn't weird.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to make up a song once, let alone mimic a song that you were not present for?

In universe, there is only two ways Glinda would know this song. Either she overheard Elphaba pining, or Elphaba sang it to her. Take that as you will.

Exiting that thought experiment and back into overanalysing things because it is fun. I have another post about I'm Not That Girl and it's thematic implications (link), so check that out if it interests you, it will form a background for what I am saying here.

Essentially, I'm Not That Girl is the Jolene of musical theatre. It is a song about resignation, but it's core idea is this: Elphaba doesn't think of herself as beautiful or deserving of love. The person she associates with those qualities is Glinda herself. The song is essentially a biromantic heartbreak, when both of Elphaba's love interests love each other, and she can't bring herself to break that for either of them. That is the meaning ascribed to this song and these notes.

Now, Glinda sings the same melody, and it is suddenly flipped. She realises she has been outplayed in the romance game, but she can't bring herself to break it apart for either Fiyero, or Elphaba. The audience doesn't need to hear the same song again, just the highlight reel to let them know that these same emotions are being felt.

The song then cuts off, and is replaced by a much more active, much more passionate number, As Long As You're Mine. The meaning of which has been summed up best by my flatmate. "Reject society, bonk in a hedge".

That is kind of the entire point of this song, though, isn't it? Living in the moment in total freedom. It is proof that Elphaba isn't crazy, that there are others who see her dream, and that even if this goes wrong, the story will end with her happy.

Full disclaimer, I am asexual, so I cannot comment on the more intimate subtext of this song. I am aware it is happening, but I would rather stay away from the specific thematic significance of that, if that is ok.

The transition of this song comes through that repeated low note. It is hammered, like a war drum, and it drives home that urgency and collision of the two plots. This is the moment in which the musical goes from a romance to an epic, and that rhythm is a threat of what is to come.

Although it is notable that the swaying melodies of Elphaba and Fiyero overpower this drum, their love holding off the inevitable. Specifically, the instrument hitting the note changes from a piano to what my, admittedly lacking, musical knowledge thinks is a bass guitar. (Music scholars, please correct me on any of this). That change means that the heavy beat becomes distorted and stretched, as if time is stretching out.

"And just for this moment As long as you're mine I've lost all resistance And crossed some borderline. And if it turns out It's over too fast I'll make every last moment last As long as you're mine."

Would you look at that, there is even explicit lines in the song about stretching time out and seizing the day. Carpe Diem.

Dead Poet Society is one of the greatest films ever made, and that isn't just my Robin Williams bias speaking. Despite some elements that haven't aged well, the film is truly heart wrenching and has a meaning pretty similar to As Long As You're Mine.

As a side note, this film has a lot more similarities to Wicked than you think. It's about challenging unjust rules, and forging your own path. It's a film about personal freedom, essentially. Although it ends less than happily. It also has about the same amount of queer subtext as Wicked.

In any case, the central thematic of "Carpe diem, seize the day" tells its characters and its students to take life as it is, and live it to the fullest. It is about making the most out of limited time. Quite a lot like As Long As You're Mine.

The ending of Dead Poet Society is a tragedy. It ends with the death of a student and the loss of the teacher's job. But it also ends with hope. Things change in Dead Poet Society. The Latin teacher shifts up his lesson, the boys actually learn, and the "Oh captain, my captain" scene is synonymous with looking at the past and making the future better because of, and in spite of it.

That's a familiar ending, isn't it. The main character dies, and the people in their life resolve to make the world better because of the life they lived. In Wicked, the death isn't permanent, because this is a gospel and no main character in a gospel can ever stay dead for more than a few days.

That motif of making time last is reflected in the music as well. Each stanza has a squash and stretch thing going on with the formation. The triplet brings the three notes within together and plays them faster than is normal, making them feel like they are stumbling over each other, falling forwards, until that held note at the end evens out the pace. Things are moving quickly, but it is a conscious decision. to slow down.

Those held notes also create a feeling of clarity in the music. Once again, music knowledge ain't my forte, but to me, this seems like it is working in a similar fashion to key frame animation. Each held note is the crux of the phrase, and the rest is just making up the difference.

Which means that there is a neat little progression going on here. The first phrase, "kiss me too fiercely" contains two, a B flat on "fierce" and an octave fall to another B flat on "ly", as Elphaba tries to fly away, but is brought back down. Then there is the F on "tight", and the E flat on the latter third of "believing", before the stanza links back to B flat for "tonight".

This, according to google, forms a B flat chord with a suspended fourth, which loops back on itself to form a stable, self-enclosed sentence that descends to keep itself together.

The second phrase operates within the same notes but changes the inflection slightly.

That last note creates an upward inflection to prepare the audience for the chorus, rising into it to set up a crashing theme of power and freedom that... doesn't arrive yet.

Instead, we get the same notes repeated, mostly. It's a quiet moment, an E flat that rises to an F for "borderline", then to a high C for "fast", before resolving back to F and then down to a lower C.

Ok music scholars help me with this please. The sheet music that I have found for this song (link) claims the second part of "fast" is a C flat, which my piano app tells me doesn't exist. Any clarification on this would be really nice.

In short, this is understated, and this isn't the first time we've heard an understated first chorus in a Wicked love song, is it? That's how the first chorus of Defying Gravity sits, before Glinda joins Elphaba and pushes her to new confidence.

Which leads me back to my point. Elphaba relies on other people, she needs Fiyero to comfort her, but also to prove she is right. That's the moment she is cherishing.

When Fiyero joins in, he literally makes the song more hopeful by changing the key signature from E flat majour to C majour. He is more graceful and easy with this. He is the rock that Elphaba is anchored to and that supports her.

As such, that final chorus looks like this:

"Just for this moment. As long as you're mine. Come be how you want to, and see how bright we shine. Borrow the moonlight, until it is through. And know I'll be here holding you. as long as you're mine."

Freedom. Come be how you want to, I'll be there to support you. This is a musical about dreams and reality colliding, and this song is the victory lap of things going well. One small dream has become real, that being the desire for love. And if one is possible, what else can Elphaba do?

On a related note, if Fiyero is the rock that grounds and supports her, what might happen if he is taken away?

FINAL THOUGHTS

Bear with me. Chord analysis is new to me, so if that was completely false, please let me know. As a behind the curtain thing, this blog exists as a place for my hyper fixations to breathe, but also to help me learn more about this whole analytical thing. So, any advice from people who are more knowledgeable than me would be greatly appreciated.

You may note that I didn't talk that much about Fiyero, and there is a reason for that. Honestly, I don't think Fiyero's character in the second act of this musical is that interesting. I'm sure there is lots to talk about with him, but to me, he has been reduced to "love interest for the main character", which I find less captivating as "jock on the verge of an existential breakdown". That's just my opinion.

Next week, I will be looking at No Good Deed, the first true clash of dreams and reality, and Elphaba's breaking point. So stick around if that interests you.

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#i absolutely love these song analyses #wicked #wicked the musical #im not that girl (reprise) #as long as you’re mine #alaym

[wolfridds]

Day thirty-five of posting every six queen

DAY THIRTY-FIVE - COURTNEY MONSMA - KATHERINE HOWARD

#i forgot courtney played howard #aaaaahhh she’s so incredibly talented #i saw her twice in six

[wolfridds]

headcanon that elphaba's camera roll is just pics of glinda on their shiz dates

#how can someone be so beautiful #she’s really pretty help #wickedinoz #wicked melbourne #wicked australia #wicked the musical #glinda upland #courtney monsma

[wolfridds]

Glinda is silly and Elphaba wants her carnally

#my favourite elphie/glinda duo #maybe im biased #sheridan adams #courtney monsma #elphaba thropp #glinda upland

[wolfridds]

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