🖋 The Thorned Quill
From the Ink & Thorn Studio, somewhere in Grimmveil
Tik-Tok of Oz - Retelling
Written by L. Frank Baum, 1914
↪ A Grimmveil Fairytale
Tik-Tok. That is his name. Tik. Tok. A man made entirely of metal, wound up like a clock, ticking and tocking and behaving as if that somehow makes him superior. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. He is polite, he is precise, and he is utterly incapable of imagination. Which, let’s be honest, is exactly why Dorothy needs him.
Dorothy returns, naturally. Of course she does. She cannot stay away from Oz no matter how dusty Kansas is or how much she swears she has learned her lesson. Alongside her is the usual band of survivors from the Emerald City. The Cowardly Lion, still trying to act brave. The Scarecrow, still suspiciously clever. And the Tin Woodman, still worried that someone might discover he has a heart ticking too loudly for comfort. Together, they stumble into a problem only Oz can conjure.
A child named Betsy Bobbin has arrived. A loyal mule named Hank joins too. And Tik-Tok winds himself into their midst, perfectly literal, utterly useless in anything subtle, and somehow absolutely essential. Because Oz does not reward cleverness or planning. It rewards stubbornness, timing, and the ability to put up with absurdity. Tik-Tok has all three, even if he doesn’t know it.
The villains in this one are polite, mechanical, and terrifyingly persistent. Oz is still cruel under the surface, doling out danger with politeness and a little wink. Tik-Tok and company must negotiate, fight, escape, and somehow survive a series of increasingly ridiculous and lethal traps, all while Dorothy sighs, corrects everyone’s mistakes, and quietly demonstrates that leadership is not about rules. Leadership is about refusing to be ignored, even when everyone around you is literally clockwork.
Tik-Tok becomes more than a machine. He learns, he adapts, and he winds himself up for the absurd challenges Oz delights in throwing at its children. Dorothy, Betsy, and friends survive, as usual. The Nome King’s reach is still felt, though, lurking in subterranean corners, still annoyed that humans and magical contraptions can survive what should be their end.
And of course, Dorothy leaves. Oz is dazzling, Oz is dangerous, Oz is endlessly absurd. She leaves, carrying the lessons of mechanical monsters, literal ticking threats, and companions who are simultaneously alive, dead, and somewhere in between. She leaves Oz intact. Oz shifts quietly, preparing itself for the next foolish wanderer who believes they can understand its logic.
Side Notes from the Thorned Quill
- Tik-Tok is polite, literal, and probably the most absurdly competent machine in all of fantasy. Respect him.
- Dorothy is the chaos-wrangler, as always, and manages to survive even when logic fails.
- Oz rewards stubbornness and punishes hesitation. Keep that in mind.
- Machines, humans, and magic all collide in ways that are both ridiculous and terrifying.
- Leaving is survival. Staying is optional, and slightly insane.
