🖋 The Thorned Quill
From the Ink & Thorn Studio, somewhere in Grimmveil
The Scarecrow of Oz - Retelling
Written by L. Frank Baum, 1915
↪ A Grimmveil Fairytale
So, the Scarecrow. Yes, that Scarecrow. He somehow rules Oz now. Somehow. Don’t ask me how he managed it. He is polite, he is clever, and he has a brain stuffed with straw, which somehow works better than most humans I know. Oz appointed him - or maybe it didn’t. Oz does what it wants. That is the rule, my dears. Always.
Dorothy is, of course, back. She sighs. She always sighs. Because once you’ve been to Oz, it never quite lets you leave completely. Alongside her are the usual survivors - Tin Woodman, Cowardly Lion, Betsy Bobbin, Tik-Tok. And yes, a talking dog or two. Because what is Oz if not absurdly populated by creatures that talk more than they act?
The story, in case you were wondering, is about politics. Leadership. Responsibility. And the horrifying realization that running a kingdom in Oz is less about heroism and more about pretending you understand what is going on while everyone watches you carefully. The Scarecrow is brilliant at it. Too brilliant. Cleverness in Oz is dangerous. He navigates intrigue with politeness, style, and occasional outright lying. Bravo, straw brain.
Dorothy’s role? She corrects mistakes, negotiates peace, and quietly undermines the chaos that Oz delights in throwing at the city. She is polite. She is persistent. And she is exhausted, which is fair, because surviving Oz is like surviving a storm while it rearranges your furniture every five minutes.
Villains appear. They are polite. They threaten. They plot. And then, somehow, the Scarecrow outsmarts them, because Oz loves absurd resolutions. Dorothy sighs again. She knows the world has not changed. Oz just has new curtains on the chaos. Tik-Tok ticks. The Tin Woodman frets. The Cowardly Lion puffs up and acts brave, because, as always, appearances matter more than reality.
By the end, the Scarecrow has done it. He rules. He manages. He survives. And Dorothy? She leaves, naturally. She leaves with the same stubborn streak that has kept her alive through all of Oz. She remembers Kansas. Dust. Wind. Real consequences. Oz watches quietly, perfect and waiting, because it never truly forgets.
Side Notes from the Thorned Quill
- The Scarecrow is competent, clever, and completely absurd as a ruler. Respect the straw.
- Oz thrives on pretending there is order. There isn’t. There never is.
- Dorothy is quietly heroic, correcting chaos with sheer stubbornness and a glare.
- Politics in Oz is a game of polite manipulation, with life-or-death consequences.
- Leaving is survival. Staying is voluntary madness.
