Things are getting pretty crazy here at the Wall household. For one thing, the household is moving to another house. Also, I have recently changed jobs to something that is hopefully much less stressful. And most exciting of all, I have become engaged to the most charming girl and am hip-deep in wedding preparations. I apologize if any of these causes the blog to suffer.
For this month’s Oz Character of the Month, we bring you a character you may not really think of as a character.
Name: The Thing
First Appearance: The Marvelous Land of Oz
Template: Large Animal
Size: 4
Athletics: 3 (Long Distance Flying)
Awareness: 3
Brains: 1
Presence: 1
Sneaking: 2
Wits: 2
Traits: Crafted, Flight, No Arms
Friends List: Ozma
The Thing (sometimes called the Gump, though this isn’t wholly accurate) was assembled as a vehicle of escape when the Emerald City was under siege from General Jinjur and her army. Two couches form its body, while four palm fronds function as wings. A broom serves as a rudder, and the mounted head of a Gump provides intelligent guidance. This entire assemblage was animated with the power of the magical Powder of Life owned by the boy Tip. Once the emergency was over, the Thing chose to be disassembled into its components. While the Gump’s head still bears the enchantment of life and speaks whenever he chooses, all of the Thing’s other pieces have resumed their previous, unliving, roles around the palace.
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2 comments:
The Thing? You mean Ben Grimm?
Seriously, I did think it kind of weird that "Gump" was used as the name of both the animal AND the flying machine with the animal's head. Just calling it "The Thing" is a little confusing, though. In The Blue Emperor of Oz, we find out the Gump's name is either Muab or Namyl. (The Gump's head and a full-bodied Gump both feature, and Blossom mixes up which one is which.)
I went with "The Thing" because that's the closest thing (pardon the pun) to an individual name it had in its public domain appearance.
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