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Rock and Roll is the het ship between Arnold Perlstein and Wanda Li in The Magic School Bus fandom.
Canon[]
Arnold Perlstein and Wanda Li are two of the eight (nineteen in the books) core students in Ms. Valerie Frizzle’s class at Walkerville Elementary School, introduced in the original Magic School Bus book series and featured prominently in the TV series that aired from September 10, 1994, to December 6, 1997. Arnold and Wanda can be somewhat "frenemies" and the latter can be seen as somewhat of a foil to the former.
In "For Lunch," Arnold chews gum to break the school's record and win Action Mountain tickets—Wanda’s dream ride—when Ms. Frizzle announces a field trip, thrilling Wanda but dismaying him. Turning away, he eats Cheezie Weezies, unaware the shrunk bus is heading toward him. He picks an olive from a jar and chews it, not realizing his classmates are inside his mouth observing digestion. Swallowing the olive and Cheezie Weezies, he takes the bus with them, then finishes the jar, plotting to break the olive-eating record to impress Wanda. His fantasy of earning a trophy and Wanda’s hug fades when Liz shows him the record book, revealing the top mark at 978 olives.
They share several moments in "Holiday Special". Before winter break, Arnold suggests recycling items, annoying Wanda, who wants to see The Nutcracker with her toy soldier donation. Arnold gives her a rock—his Hanukkah gift—which she likes. At the recycling center, run by Ms. Frizzle’s cousin Murph, Arnold accidentally recycles Wanda’s soldier, angering her. She wishes recycling away, and the Un-Recycler turns everything into trash, cutting trees and trashing the school. Wanda regrets it as the Bus becomes recyclables, which the class melts to rebuild it, learning recycling’s value. Back to normal, Arnold suggests making toy soldiers from pellets, and they do. He skips The Nutcracker for his sick grandmother, and Wanda joins him for Hanukkah with his rock gift, singing about recycling with Murph.
There are other moments that possibly hint at Wanda's feelings. At the close of "Gets Charged," following the Producer Segment, Arnold dons an Eros/Cupid costume, and Wanda, similarly dressed as Eros/Cupid, chases after him with a bow. She soon fires an arrow which strikes him, and his off-screen "Ow!" echoes as the episode ends.
Fanon[]
Rock and Roll is a somewhat popular pairing in the Magic School Bus fandom. They are the third most popular ship under Magic School Bus & Magic School Bus Rides Again AO3 tag with about 8 works. It is also the most written ship for both characters. The ship rivals PhoeNold and Rwanda.
Fandom[]
- FAN FICTION
- Wanda Li/Arnold Perlstein tag on AO3
Trivia[]
- "Rock and Roll" is a reference to Arnold's love for rocks and Wanda' love for rock music.