explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

User:Maoman

2012-12-29T00:11:51Z

Maoman:

Long time lurker, just made my first edit, i'll probably make more at some point. *shrug* I'm very experienced on other wikis (mainly The Tekkit wiki, Technic Pack wiki, and Legened of Dragoon's wiki).

User:Maoman

2012-12-29T00:00:42Z

Maoman: Created page with "Long time lurker, just made my first edit, i'll probably make more at some point. *shrug*"

Long time lurker, just made my first edit, i'll probably make more at some point. *shrug*

Talk:1149: Broomstick

2012-12-28T23:59:18Z

Maoman:

Whichever user removed the category "Comics featuring Black Hat," commenting that his hat is taller and has a white stripe on it, kindly refer to comic 954, 377, 498, or ANY other comic involving him, and you'll see you're... well, wrong. He has never had a white stripe, and his hat is usually short, but occasionally slightly taller (mostly in the older comics). [[User:Maoman|Maoman]] ([[User talk:Maoman|talk]]) 23:59, 28 December 2012 (UTC)

Anyone have any thoughts on the title text? Is that intended to suggest that Toto was an annoyance that Dorothy was happy to be rid of? I'm not really sure why (if) it's supposed to be funny... [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 15:50, 19 December 2012 (UTC)

:I figured it was a kind of loophole closing. With a lot of movies, you have viewers that go "well if the protagonist had just done 'this', then they could have saved a lot of trouble." But in this "easier" scenario, what reason would the witch have to trust Dorothy? Collateral is often used to ensure that one party will keep up their end of a deal, so it helped to seal this one. [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]] 16:11, 19 December 2012 (UTC)

:I agree that the intention was to close a loophole, but I also was unable to fathom that Dorothy would leave Toto behind. It would be ''way'' out of character for her. If Dorothy had been a more self-centered character, then the title text would be a lot funnier. [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 11:38, 19 December 2012 (EST)

:Definitely to close a loophole. Dorothy has something the Witch wants that Dorothy doesn't need except the crazy witch wants to hurt her for them. The Wizard seems to have what she needs but won't give it except for what the witch wants. A trade seems much easier. But of course, who would trust the witch (and why would the untrusting witch start trusting)? All things considered, if you're in a strange land with freaky creatures and frighteningly perverse singalongs, you might consider a Scottish terrier a small price to pay to return to a Kansas farm which, while dull, is far superior to that crazy place. :) [[User:Chriss|Chriss]] ([[User talk:Chriss|talk]]) 16:49, 19 December 2012 (UTC)Chriss

:Cairn Terrier, original to the books and continued in the movie. Smaller and less feisty than a Scottie.A loyal breed, he probably escaped from the WWW after the trade, and is flying home with Dorothy and the Professor, unseen down in the bottom of the balloon basket.[[Special:Contributions/24.79.11.46|24.79.11.46]] 21:52, 19 December 2012 (UTC)

:Megan never struck me as much of a dog person. [[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 17:19, 19 December 2012 (UTC)

:Just wondering if Wizzard wants to see the broom, why not to show that to him, even let him touch that, than return it to the Witch, collect the pupy from her and merry on my way ? Kind of complicating the quest again, but retaining the all-for-friend appearance. [[User:prom|prom]] 1:13, 20.12.2012 (CET)

Since the book had {{w|Silver Shoes}} and the movie had {{w|Ruby Slippers}}, I think it's probably best to avoid discussion of the book... I've removed the reference to the Nome King - who doesn't appear in the movie or even that first Oz book. – ''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' <sup>[[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]]</sup> 18:02, 19 December 2012 (UTC)

Anyone else notice Black Hat Guy in the balloon? How do you add the tag for "Comics with Black Hat Guy"?

:I dont think that is Black Hat Guy.. This guy's hat is taller. It also wouldn't fit into Black Hat Guy's character, as Megan is essentially tricking him into thinking she's killed the witch.

Due to the absence of lyrics, I assumed it was humming or whistling, not singing. --BigMal27 // [[Special:Contributions/192.136.15.178|192.136.15.178]] 12:31, 20 December 2012 (UTC)

The irony here is her ruby slippers have the power to take her home, but she's trading them away for a broom, in the hopes that the wizard will take her home. She says "that was easy" although it was far more effort than just clicking her heels and repeating "there's no place like home".
[[User:Twifosp|Twifosp]] ([[User talk:Twifosp|talk]]) 02:22, 21 December 2012 (UTC)twifosp

I'm still confused by this one - or maybe I just don't remember the movie well enough. She has the ruby slippers which would let her fly home by clicking them - so what has she gained by exchanging them indirectly for a flight home in a balloon? Has she traded her three companions and dog for the wizard's company? I feel I'm missing something. Also, to the person above saying it would be "out of character" for Dorothy to trade in this way, isn't that the point? That a sociopath version of Dorothy would resolve the problem completely differently? [[User:Stevage|Stevage]] ([[User talk:Stevage|talk]]) 23:48, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

Which version of Dorothy is the sociopath? Can't WoO be summerized as "Young girl arrives in strange land, kills first person she sees, then sets out to kill again."?

Dorothy didn't know till near the end of the movie that the ruby slippers could get her home. I also want to point out that the Wizard never actually demanded the destruction of the witch. He just asked for her broomstick. The Tin Man suggested "But if we do that, we'd have to kill her to get it". The Wizard neither confirmed nor denied this, merely restating "Bring me her broomstick, and I'll grant your requests". So Dorothy trading for it without killing the witch is perfectly acceptable according to the terms outlined. {{unsigned|24.72.12.221}}
:Furthermore, the good witch was (likely) not going to tell her how to get home until she had learned some valuable lesson. This bypasses the whole ordeal. [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]] 05:36, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

1149: Broomstick

2012-12-28T23:52:28Z

Maoman: Black Hat may not be prominent in this comic, but he is seen in the balloon in the last panel.

{{comic
| number = 1149
| date = December 19, 2012
| title = Broomstick
| image = broomstick.png
| titletext = 'Broom first, then slippers.' 'How do I know you'll return the broom once you've secured your ticket?' 'I'll leave my little dog as collateral.' 'Great. Pleasure doing business!'
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, [[Megan]] plays the part of {{w|Dorothy Gale|Dorothy}}, the {{w|protagonist}} of ''{{w|The Wonderful Wizard of Oz|The Wizard of Oz}}''. Dorothy has been trapped in the {{w|Land of Oz}} due to {{w|Tornado|extreme weather}} and must obtain transportation home. An off-screen character, presumably the {{w|Wizard of Oz (character)|Wizard of Oz}} himself, offers her a ride if she obtains the {{w|The Wicked Witch of the West}}'s magic broom. Megan wears {{w|Ruby Slippers}} and uses them as a bargaining chip to obtain the Witch's broom.

The "little dog" offered in the title text is Dorothy's faithful companion {{w|Toto (Oz)|Toto}}.

{{w|The Wicked Witch of the West}} is a fictional character and the most significant antagonist in ''The Wizard of Oz'', which is based on L. Frank Baum's children's book ''{{w|The Wonderful Wizard of Oz}}''. In the 1939 version of ''The Wizard of Oz'', the Wicked Witch flies on her broom over the Emerald City demanding Dorothy's surrender, and the Wizard demands the destruction of the Witch with her broom as proof, in exchange for granting the wishes of Dorothy and her companions.

The point of the comic is to show how easily Dorothy could resolve the situation if she was willing to forsake both her traveling companions and her pet. She leaves Toto with the Witch, who will presumably do something unpleasant to him when she realizes that Dorothy has stolen her broom and she will also leave Oz completely at the mercy of said witch by giving her the Ruby Slippers and leaving with the Wizard.

==Transcript==
:[Megan wearing red shoes talking to somebody off-screen]
:[Off-screen]: ''Bring me the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West and I’ll take you home.''
:Megan: Got it.

:[Megan wearing red shoes standing before steps]
:Megan: You can have the slippers if you let me borrow your broom.
:[Off-screen]: Deal.

:[Megan carrying a broom and singing]

:[Megan flying in a balloon over three ''Wizard of Oz'' characters]
:Megan: That was easy.
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]