0th to 66th Wonder Years
Where better to start than where it all started? Oho~! You wouldn't think it by looking at me, but I actually met our great Chester Williams when I was but a wee kitten — yes, I'm a bit older than I look, and don't let me catch you discussing it! Though our founder, Chester Williams, was the first official Wondertainment, it is said the title honorarily includes the cofounder Maria Herring. The two met in the early 20th Century — the very first Wonder Year, in fact, 1910 to the [Come Back] — in Boston, and became fast friends and business partners, and later even romantically intertwined, meow! Chester was the face of the company, and Maria put the magic in the toys.
They were turbulent times, and a Black storeowner, especially one with a connection to a white woman… well, you can be sure that did not go unnoticed. While the brand was still getting its bearings, we regret to admit that we got involved with some off-color characters — namely, the local magic mafia, the Chicago Spirit. (You'd think they'd stick to their namesake city, but luckily for us they had a little more reach than that!) Separating from their web was a doozy, but as the company grew, so did its self-sufficience, in large part because of our accumulation of Wondrous individuals under our umbrella — a process the Chicago Spirit attempted to stimy, in order to keep us dependent on their protection. Even into the modern day, there seems to be a lasting — pardon my meat-language, but — beef with the remnants of that old organization.
You can see our historians decorated this section of the archive with cardinal red, canary yellow, and plum purple! (We too are sad to learn that there wasn't a snappy bird-related c-word for purple.) Color is very important to us Wonders, so allow me to explain their meanings to the less artistically inclined of you. First it must be mentioned that the colors are Maria and Chester's colors — in that order! Red was Maria's signature garb, quite possibly because no one in her position could resist the pun of "Red Herring," while purple was Chester's! Each, however, shared a propensity for yellow, and so that was their connecting theme.
Red, purple and gold are classically kingly and queenly colors, and so how better to honor our old king and queen! Not to mention, red is the color of passion, of which Maria was known for, and that passion drove the company's humble beginning and unprecedented success. It was also the passion shared between the refugees Wondertainment began to house — the yellow itself representative of the warming sun, the comfort of company and basic warmth. Purple has to stand in for the magic and whimsy, Chester's arena — not of literal magic, as was Maria's, but instead a magic of characer, a magic of hope and aspiration and optimism. (Optimism, yes! I knew I forgot something about the yellow — the same yellow as those little smiley faces you see everywhere, mm~?)
Chester Era Writings
01. The Workshop ~~ by RockTeethMothEyes & Uncle Nicolini
02. Lord Blackwood in the Land of Wonder ~~ by Raddagher & Uncle Nicolini
03. Extradimensional Purchase: "Wondertainment Vacation Spot!" ~~ by Ellie3
04. Cardiac Myxoma ~~ by DarkStuff
67th to 89th Wonder Years
Ah, well, we don't have to do this section of the archive if you'd rather not — the entrance is so small, it might be a nuisance to get our whole tour group inside anyways — but, ah, oh, well, I see that some of you have already — well if I want to keep the group together I suppose we must — alright, alright! But let's not stay here too long, it makes my hair stand on end!
Ahem. So~! Chester was planning on handing the title of Wondertainment to Maria when he passed, but Maria — despite her nigh-magical vitality — succumbed to a fate never released to the public. Needless to say, it was tragic — and it must have been doubly so, to have remained private between herself and Chester, but the public simply knows that it took only a few months for Maria's health to dwindle and then for her to finally pass. Chester followed her shortly thereafter, perhaps of heartbreak, it's hard to say. In his will, he left the title to an up-and-coming Publicity Puppy — and I should say, he earns the title of a dog — someone known for their knack in advertising and business relations. His name was Cornelius Młynarczyk, and he became our second ever Wondertainment.
Among other things, he was the creative mind behind our local musical superstars, the Little Misters, so perhaps that should tell you something about where his head was at. Of course, at the time, people didn't really know any better, and their predicament was a celebrated success, all the while they suffered behind the scenes. Still today, Wondertainment has a strict no-sentience policy for toys! And, of course, the Little Misters are, legally, no longer toys themselves.
Cornelius' time as Wondertainment was thankfully brief, though he's generally regarded as Chester's last mistake — surely, our great Dr. Wondertainment the First had perception for seeing the good and Wondrous in people, and it was the heartbreak and his failing health that hid Cornelius' nature from his sight. After Cornelius' passing in the 89th Wonder Year, even more ludicrous things were discovered about his time as Dr. Wondertainment, including some… well, maybe I shouldn't give you such a negative impression of our company so soon~!
The historians colored this section a fitting ash gray, sickly green and noxious purple. Well okay, the purple is more dark than noxious, but it's a corruption of the original purple is what I am saying! Undoubtedly, the gray represents the atmosphere that hung in the air of Wonder World! Tee emm, during this period of time. Things seemed blotted, the way clouded. The green alternatively speaks both to the sick feeling in everyone's stomachs, and that which drove Cornelius most: money. Well okay sure, our dollars are pink, but that hardly matters — well okay yes, most people didn't literally know the horrid things happening in Wonder Tower during the Cornelius era until well afterwards, but surely everyone knew something! Bits and pieces, however, shrouded in mystery — yes, purple, the color of twilight, dim lighting, and thus the unknown. No one knew quite enough to be afraid, no, just felt dim awareness that something was wrong, and so that's why these colors are so dim, dim, dim. Dim in the loss of our lights, Maria and Chester, and the replacement of their warm candles with Cornelius' cold and efficient fluorescence.
Cornelius Era Writings
01. Take-A-Wish ~~ by Uncle Nicolini & DarkStuff
02. Cornelius the Collector ~~ by DarkStuff
03. X-Men Syndrome ~~ by Shaggydredlocks
04. We Stopped Making Socks (But What if We Made Something Better?) ~~ by Ellie3
05. What do you want to be when you grow up? ~~ by Uncle Nicolini
06. When It Rains, It Pours ~~ by Captain Kirby
07. I Get It ~~ by DarkStuff
08. Señor Taste ~~ by Uncle Nicolini
09. The Good Ending ~~ by Uncle Nicolini
10. Spread the Word ~~ by HarryBlank
A Mysterious Nook
Hm? What is it, oh curious tourist? Oh, this? …Hmm, I must admit, I don't think I've seen this plaque, probably because it's buried in the back of my least favorite part of the archive. Oh, so I'm supposed to know everything? Well let me tell you, this isn't part of my tour! I'm here to spread Wonder and fantastic stories of glory and hope, not dreary retellings of old egoists' dreams of themselves! Yes, this is coming back to me, I remember these books — these are compiled from the delusions of Cornelius. See, he had this idea that he was indispensable to the company before he became Wondertainment, and I suppose getting the helm made his head grow five times as large. Here, he talks about how he is actually responsible for the creation of the company, and speaks gibberish about timelines and alternate realities, which we more modern magicians agree is preposterous. But if you want to feed his ego in the afterlife, go right ahead — if nothing else, it must be a good character study.
Unfortunately, the historians seem to have taken this section seriously enough to reinforce the themes of color. If I were to guess… no, I'm sure I know. Gray smoke, green skin and purple heads. Well I don't want to be morbid, but purple, the color of bruising, of inner injury, that which Cornelius probably so fondly recalls in these memoirs, his tortured past and why everything he did was so important and just. Well sure, I don't deny that Cornelius had some wound, somewhere deep and irreparable, but that hardly seems to excuse anything. Smoke for his industry, green for his poisoned intents. There, that's what I have to say about this. I'll be taking my leave, and you can follow if you like — I won't waste another second in this piteous tribute to the worst Wondertainment there was.
Wondermaker Era Writings
01. This Toy Facsimile of Life ~~ by DarkStuff & DeviantDharma
90th to 131st Wonder Years
No, I wouldn't want to celebrate someone's passing from this life to the next, but is it really so mean to say the end of Cornelius Wondertainment's time in office came as a boon to the company? In his will, he left the title to a distant relation — thankfully distant enough, she doesn't seem to carry any of his neuroses — Holly Light, our newest and current Dr. Wondertainment! The first some-odd years of her time in the helm have seen her mostly worrying about undoing the damages Cornelius did to the company's internal workings and public image, but it's beginning to look better and better, and we're seeing really successful new products again — well, not to say Cornelius wasn't good at making commercially viable products, but let's say that there's heart in them again, and our tune has changed here in Wonder World! Tee emm.
Oh, I wouldn't like to give you such a color so early, but it wouldn't be fair not to tell you the truth, and the truth is that our current era is marked by a great deal of anxiety. Surely, should it be able to get so dreary, so gray so fast… well, we're all just a bit worried about what's stopping it from happening again! Holly's made a quick solution, she's instated that successors are no longer singularly appointed by the previous Wondertainment, but instead elected by the Board of Directors. I'll say, I acknowledge its use, but I've always been partial to whims — the whole codification makes the new election just so much less dramatic, so it looks like our history might forever carry a bit more gravitas than our present.
Is it the natural trajectory for excitement to abate, for fervor to falter? Well, if it is, then you may be joining us at just the right time in history — when things are still fresh, exciting, new! But while we're working to make things safer, nicer, more humane. A perfect balance — it may come only once a millennium, so drink it up~!
The first you will notice are the baby pink and blue! Yes, our Holly Wondertainment has this motherly quality about her that we're honoring by… well now it sounds weird as I say it out loud, but by painting ourselves as her babies. Well, thinking over it, maybe I'll talk to the archivists about that one, but it did sound good in my head, I swear. The pink is the return of Maria's passion, but this time in a fashion that doesn't also suggest a fight or a fire, just simple loving passion. The blue — well, the blues! — are representative of the serenity felt when one has a strong, forward-thinking leader again! The powdery blue is symbolic both of the sky, cleared from Cornelius' ash — the blue of clear vision — and also of the gentleness with which we are held in this tender era. These colors promise safety and warmth once more — even safer than Chester's era, where once we were hounded by radicals and mobsters alike!
Hmm, it occurs to me, is it good to give Holly such a motherly quality, when Maria is so clearly the mother of Wondertainment? Perhaps Maria is like the mother bear, willing to tear into any incoming threat, and Holly is more like the… what's a gentle mother animal… hmm, come to think of it, animals tend to defend their young with ferocity, if they defend them at all. Maybe she's like a — eugh — a mother dog. I'm unsure, and I'm losing confidence in the comparison by the second, so we're going to call it off there~!
Judy "the Tongue" Papill & Dr. Holly L. Wondertainment by katlovesshrimp (NSFW warning)Holly Era Writings
The Vend-a-Friend Series ~~ by DarkStuff
01. We Just Make Toys
02. To Think I've Spent My Whole Life Waiting
03. I Don't Get It, I Functioned Before
04. You Can't Win Them All
05. Be Strange or Be Forgotten
06. Sometimes the Best Intentions are in Need of Redemption
07. Life's a Show
08. ...And I'm the Star!
09. Back in Habit
10. Pepper's Lament
11. Souls & Somas
12. Deceptive Cadence
13. And I Think To Myself... (technically set in the Cornelius era)
14. Everything Will Be Okay
15. Holding an Umbrella but the Sun's Still Shining
01. Do They Know It's Christmas Time At All? ~~ by Elenee FishTruck
02. Wonder World Dossier ~~ by Uncle Nicolini
03. City of Wonder™ ~~ by DrChandra
04. Musical Jolly Ape™ by Dr. Wondertainment ~~ by Uncle Nicolini
05. Nobody's Observations on Temporal Displacement, Family, and Waffles ~~ by HotColes & DrAnnoyingDog
06. Choco-Wonder Explosion Marshmallow Bites!™ by Dr. Wondertainment ~~ by DarkStuff & Uncle Nicolini
07. We're All Mad Here ~~ by DrChandra
08. Phoenix à La Mode ~~ by RockTeethMothEyes & Uncle Nicolini
09. Fanfa ~~ by Uncle Nicolini
10. Wilson's Wildlife Solutions Orientation ~~ by Uncle Nicolini
11. Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart by Uncle Nicolini
12. Two Coffins~~ by Uncle Nicolini
The Stories My Dad Told Me Series ~~ by DarkStuff & Uncle Nicolini
01. Elliot & Edna Had a Son Named Tim
02. Dad Goes to the Zoo
03. Blake Tillerson
04. Diving in the San Diego Sea
05. The Beginnings of Love
06. & the Endings Thereof
07. Alice Özdemir
08. Anders & Robin
09. Wilson's Wildlife Shelter
10. Letters from Oregon
11. Audrey Fuchs
12. The Supervisors
13. Disconnect
14. Fae Goes to the Shelter
15. The Years Between
16. Tim Wilson
17. Escapism I
The Stories I Tell Myself Series ~~ by DarkStuff
01. Tim & Audrey Had a Daughter Named Fae
02. The Old New
03. Out of Stasis
04. Old Connections
05. The Fundraiser
06. A Welcome Distraction
132nd to 154th Wonder Years
Ah, and you'll see, we're now into the world of the future! Put on your speculacles — that's speculating spectacles, was that clear? You're the first group I've tried that on — oh anyways, put them on and walk through this door, and we'll catch a glimpse of what might come to be! And oh, woe is me, it seems the historians have confirmed my worst suspicions — yes, yes, the future of Wonder World! Tee emm, might as well lose the exclamation point in its name!
It's projected that in some decades, Holly might lose the light within her, and instead of waiting until her passing for the position to change heads, Holly will step down. The Board of Directors will then appoint her successor, Judy the Tongue — the first non-Publicity Puppy to hold the title, if you don't count Chester — but, although he precedes the department, wasn't he a Puppy by virtue of being the face? Chester, the first Publicity Puppy, Maria, the first Toy Tinker? That's my perspective, anyhow. But Judy is a Candy Catalyst, a member of our Sweets Department! Isn't that novel? It's she who will have the practical approach of Cornelius' bookishness, but with the humanitarian edge of Holly's motherly rule, and we will discover that the combination of these aspects will open a window into a future we may not have wished to ever see.
Is it better to peter out with hope and naivety? How precious our innocence that we will lose! Is it worth it? To live lives of mundanity, instead of suffering only some years at our ends when we have to face what we've put off facing all the rest of the while? Why, I think I'd rather be ignorant. Damn my tour-guiding job, enlightening me to the contents of this archive! But, ah, I've put it off long enough.
Wonder World! Tee emm, is a city of refugees. Refugees from what, exactly? Well, from the Veil and the ever-hungry, ever-hunting organizations that support it. From the eyes of greedy governments who want our special powers for themselves, from those who want to keep us out of the public eye. Well, we may have escaped their hair-pulling, but they — let's name them, shall we? The SCP Foundation, the Global Occult Coalition, they have hindered our ability to do business forever, and it is Judy who will realize that our stated goal, to reach as many children as possible, to enrich the lives of the many, is better attained by… oh, it's nearly too horrible to say. Why don't you just read some, will you? My voice will fail me should I say it out loud. Let me tell you, I'm glad to be an old cat — maybe I can spend my nine lives before the worst should come to pass, eh?
Is it just me, or do these colors look a little faded, a little desaturated? It was foreshadowed in Holly's sky blue, wasn't it? Well, these colors are a fuchsia, minty green, and stark white. I should hardly need to tell you why a minty green was used, given the origins of this era's head honcho! That said, the green is in reference to growth as well. But look at me, going out of order! The first color is fuchsia — a hot pink, the color of love, the love that Judy undoubtedly feels for her predecessor and partner Holly, as well as the love she has for Wonder World! Tee emm, and all of its inhabitants. It is because of this love, the most vibrant of the three colors, that we see her push for growth, for the expansion of Wondertainment's faculties… which then leads to the bleak white color of bone, the final and least saturated of the colors, as the means to attain this end are discovered to drain Wondertainment of its colors.
Well, indeed, white is also the color of the oppressor, of the Foundation, isn't it? Just like Cornelius' gray was also the color of the Factory, our horrible, brief collaborator. At the very least, Judy leads with love — whereas Cornelius' first color was ash — but don't they both have green at their core? Growth — money? The similarity is uncomfortable, and in those Judy era days, things may seem to improve by one hand and degrade by another.
Faeowynn Wilson and Dr. Jay Everwood by EmperorFaust
Judy Era Writings
01. The Word of the Day is Hope ~~ by DarkStuff
02. Mr. Brass ~~ by DarkStuff
03. Legacy of Love ~~ by Ralliston
The You Made It Series ~~ by DarkStuff
01. New Life
03. Austin "Aggy" Genadew ~~ by DarkStuff & DeviantDharma
04. The Really Really Real Adventures in Capitalism ~~ by DarkStuff
05. Curtain Call ~~ by DarkStuff
156th to 157th Wonder Years
Oh, but perhaps I should not have been so hasty to say the worst, for there are yet more horrible fates! Oh, I shudder to say it, but… it appears Judy will be the first and last Wondertainment to be elected by the Board of Directors, as an outsider will come in and overtake the company, a Lady Redd, then Lady Redd Wondertainment. In all honesty, the tales in this section of the archive are so worrisome and harrowing, I just don't find I have the heart for them! These chronicles surely highlight the hurtful nature of the historians, as surely, reading them does smart.
Thankfully, nothing so terrible could actually happen, and we can chalk these imaginings up to the pessimism of the archivists. They clearly have lost their minds, confining themselves to their studies day in and day out, tricking themselves into seeing ghosts! (I don't believe in such silly things.) They believe Redd Wondertainment will truly set her sights on using the company and Wonder World! Tee emm as a whole as a base for her militaristic operations against the Foundation, and she will be aiming to destroy the company after its resources have been used up for her own personal gain. Why, they've prophesized our apocalypse, don't you see? That has to be bad luck, and if it should come to past and I'm here to see it, I know without a shadow of a doubt who I'm blaming!
Is it any surprise the main color is red? And not the red of passion — a crimson, ah, well, excuse my language, but a bloody red. The red of anger and war, and on its other side is the hopeless black of destruction and ruin. Truly, the Redd era promises only pain and loss. I think these historians had really to keep to their specialty and stay in the past! They have only the worst ideas of the future.
What? The green? Ah well, that's where I agree with the historians the least! This green, I might call it a pear green, is supposed to represent a kind of renewal. Like grasses rise in the aftermath of a wildfire, below the charred remains of the conventions that are will grow a bed of new life, fertilized by that which left it. It promises that the change, though violent and tumultuous, will not be without its silver linings. Well, green linings. Will not be without its mossy, green linings. Whatever, I don't have much attachment to this interpretation, let us say. And so soon! They didn't even have the decency to prognosticate a later end? And could they not display such disloyalty, discussing hope in the wake of the destruction of everything we hold dear!?
Ah… sorry, that was an embarrassing display of emotion! Hm, perhaps I will just leave you to it. I've got to go… breathe a little.
Redd Era Writings
No writings yet… perhaps you could fix that!
158th Wonder Year and On
Not even the chroniclers have a clear idea on what happens after that. Maybe this is simply peering too far into the future — or maybe their appetites are sated by writing our own destruction, and ideas of happily-ever-afters don't much catch their interest. Tsk tsk, I say, if that is the case, and let me tell you, I don't find the notion that it isn't particularly convincing.
But surely, life must go on, so there are stories to be told here as there are for any point in history. What does the future hold for Wondertainment? Who next might hold the title, if anyone? What will the company do, should it still exist? The archivists seem open to suggestion here.
The colors here are black and white — and as I've heard it described, this is not to paint the future in a drab monochrome, no. The idea is that this is a canvas. Unpainted, untouched. Anything can go here. Take out your paint brush, and use whichever colors you want. There is no established theme of the future, it must just be imagined. Here, you are free to imagine it. Well, isn't that nice? I guess this place might not be as saddening as my first impression.
& Everything After Writings
No writings yet… what do you say, eh, archivist?
Everything & Everything Else
On our way back to the lobby, I'll just point out the alphabetically ordered catalogue at the front desk. If for whatever reason you've found yourself looking for a book and you aren't able to find it among the shelves, you can check if the archives has it here. Besides, it's nice to look over it and get a sense of just how big this place is!
