Wizard of Oz parody

This is a story arc parodying *The Wizard of Oz* with Single-Celled Organisms.

## Plot

The arc begins with Thaddeus Euphemism and another scientist working on a shrinking machine that another scientist, Dr. Albert, was working on earlier but disappeared. The other scientist explains that Dr. Albert was planning to shrink scientists so they could study microbes in person. Bob is nervous but the other scientist doesn't see what could go wrong as they are shrinking mice first. Bob just states that the scientist must be new. Thaddeus then observes some components falling out of the machine but brushes it off.

In the next strip, the scientists try to shrink a mouse but enlarge it instead.

In the following strip, Thaddeus tries to fix a loose wire but they end up both being zapped and shrunken.

The next strip sees the unnamed scientist being excited upon being microscopic, but then being eaten by a microbe.

In the next strip, Thaddeus lands on the microbe who ate the other scientist, squashing it. Some smaller microbes thank him for "saving" them.

The next strip has the smaller microbes explaining that the larger one was called a "boog" and ate them. Thaddeus then identifies the "boog" as a kind of microbe that eats harmful bacteria, which would logically mean that the smaller bacteria are harmful.

In the next strip, a microbe about the size Thaddeus currently is apologises for the "widdles"' behaviour and notes that he's supposed to scare them away from the "pooflax" crops but isn't very smart.

In the following strip, Thaddeus wants to go home. The unintelligent microbe wonders if he lives in the sky, to which Thaddeus replies, "It's complicated." A "widdle" says that maybe the "Great and Powerful Awz" could help. Thaddeus thinks he's talking about the Great and Powerful *Oz*, but the unintelligent microbe says that it's different. He then breaks the fourth wall by saying that the difference is "a copyright lawsuit".

In the next strip, a widdle says to follow the "Green Circuit Road". Thaddeus and the unintelligent microbe do so, the latter singing about it, which Thaddeus disapproves of.

In the next strip, Thaddeus and the microbe encounter another microbe who is trapped in the mucus resin of a thing called a "poonooboo tree". Thaddeus wonders if the tree is sentient, but the unintelligent microbe says it is not.

In the next strip, the unintelligent microbe gets the idea of getting the trapped microbe to grab hold of a tendril and be pulled out, which works. The microbe offers Thaddeus a "poonooboo berry", but he just responds, "You're sitting on my bladder."

The following strip has the unintelligent microbe asking the one they rescued how he got stuck in the poonooboo tree. He replies that he loves poonooboo berries so much that he forgets what he's doing when hunting them.

In the next strip, the unintelligent microbe asks the other microbe to accompany them because he thinks it'd be safer. The rescued microbe asks where they're going and they reply that they are going to see the Great and Powerful Awz, who will send Thaddeus home and make the unintelligent microbe smarter. Said microbe then suggests that the other one ask for common sense but he wants more eyes and tentacles.

The next strip takes place at night with Bob turning the lights off. Thaddeus suggests stopping for the night and hopes they don't see anything scary, while a microbe stares out from the darkness.

In the next strip, the microbe tries to scare the other microbes and Thaddeus, but they laugh instead.

The next strip sees the microbe bite Thaddeus's foot, but that only annoys him. The other microbes suggest the third one accompany them and ask to be scarier. It then tries to headbutt the one who wants to be smarter and the other one jokes that it needs anger management counselling.

In the next strip, the third microbe agrees to accompany the others, but calls them losers and offers to protect them, annoying the one with the tentacles. A huge parasite arrives, scaring away Thaddeus and the first two microbes, but the third one thinks they're running from him.

The parasite then corners them in the next strip, however, in the strip after that, Bob turns on the lights, scaring the parasite.

In the next strip, the road leads up. The tentacled microbe inflates like a balloon due to having gas and carries them up.

In the next strip, the microbe deflates and they land with a bump, finding another shrunken scientist, who is apparently the Great Awz.

The next strip reveals that the "Great Awz" is actually Dr. Albert and the tentacled microbe acts excited.

In the next strip, Albert implies that the title "Awz" comes from his initials (which stand for Albert William Zimmerman) and that he doesn't have powers; the microbes were just impressed by his scientific skills. This worries Thaddeus as he believes he and Albert are doomed.

In the next strip, however, Albert finds the remote control for the shrinking machine in Thaddeus's pocket.

The microbes are dissatisfied in the next strip, so Albert gives the one who wants to be smarter a smartphone.

In the final strip, Thaddeus gets enlarged, but so do the microbes.