Wicked fic rec

After seeing the show, I reread Gregory Maguire's Wicked, which was more depressing than I had remembered it to be. (Really, it's the inevitability of the tale, knowing how it's all going to end, knowing that loose ends regarding Elphaba's personal relationships will stay loose ends . . . they certainly didn't get solved in Son of a Witch.) It did, however, put me in the mood to read and write fanfic, wishing there was some kind of hybrid musical/book world out there (maybe because the musical is just so much more hopeful and not as much of a journey of spiraling into self-destructiveness as the book is). It was encouraging to see that many people have already used this meshing of 'verses idea, but my desire to write my own fanfic evaporated when I discovered this wonderful musical AU fic:

The Effects of Gravity (complete) by ainsleyaisling and its sequel
Defying Gravity (incomplete - link leads to the Prologue, but it might be easier to just start with Part 17, which is the latest update, and work your way backwards by clicking all the "previous parts" links, thus alleviating the need to go hunting for all the previous parts.)

Summary: The plot picks up during the events of the "Defying Gravity" scene, but explores what might have happened if Glinda had convinced Elphaba not to flee and become a fugitive, but to work within the system. Much drama and politics ensue. The first part covers the girls' time at Shiz University.

I rarely review fics because I usually don't have much to say in terms of criticism other than "I liked it," but this fic, I think, deserves a little gushing praise. I read straight through all of it, partly because the chapters aren't long but mostly because the writing is extremely accessible. ainsleyaisling's language is simple, but beautiful and emotionally packed. I felt like I was on an emotional roller coaster but much of that also has to do with the fact that ainsleyaisling deals so well with something few writers could pull off: a love triangle. The emotional complexity between juggling Glinda/Fiyero, Elphaba/Fiyero, and Glinda/Elphaba is . . . superb. I wasn't sure I was buying it at first, as I had to adjust to ainsleyaisling's Glinda - I'm still not sure to what extent I buy the touchy-feeliness skinship that comes on very strongly in Glinda and Elphaba's friendship here - but once you start seeing the possibly disastrous physical and emotional entanglements between the three and how skillfully it's being handled, it's really commendable. ainsleyaisling handles dialogue so well, able to capture the awkwardness and spontaneity of conversations without sacrificing plot advancement while managing to highlight each character's personality. Her Elphaba might be a bit more open than I was expecting, but I'm willing to buy it.

ainsleyaisling also brings a lot of the heavy issues that Maguire explored in his novel into this fic, including politics, ethical and moral conundrums, and sexuality, which is littered throughout the novel, boiling beneath the surface, but definitely a lot more muted in the play. There's a carnal and emotional complexity that I'm definitely loving. Though I'm reading it mainly for all the relationship drama that is being spun out, the plot itself is intriguing and, of course, one has to wonder how this story will end.

Read it because I feel like anything I could have written in this fandom couldn't be half as good as what ainsleyaisling has going here.

(You can also read it with the Wicked soundtrack playing in the background like I did and get all sappy every time "For Good" pops up, sometimes all too appropriately at certain scenes.)