Tales of the Disneyverse - Tale #15 (w/ Commentary Notes)

The Secret of Victoria (The Gathering – Part Five)
(The Realm of Frozen)

(Biographical Note: This tale introduces "Victoria," based on and inspired by the talented English actress, model, and singer-songwriter Victoria Summer, who Livingston had met over Twitter while promoting Saving Mr. Banks, the 2013 Disney biopic in which she portrays Julie Andrews. Summer's other notable films include the 2014 summer blockbuster Transformers: Age of Extinction.)

            Thirteen years I have lived in this little mountain cottage near the kingdom of Arendelle. Every night, in those thirteen years, I sleep and dream. But the dreams have not exactly been dreams anymore – not in the way that they should be. The dreams have turned into memories…memories of another life. Each dream is a new memory. Piecing them together, I have discovered in this other life I have a wife by the name of Christina, a very gorgeous woman with dark blond/brown hair, fair skin, and eyes that are as blue as mine. We have a daughter named Brandy, who grows into a woman just as gorgeous as her mother with the same eye and skin color but hair as black as mine. I have seen their faces before in the antique locket that I’ve kept around my neck all my life, but only at the start of these dreams have I realized who they are.

(Narrative Note: This locket is the very same one that Genevieve had given to Russell in Tale #12.) 

            But the strangest detail in this alternate life that I live in my dreams is the fact that I’m a six-foot, five-inch African American man. It goes in complete contrast with my real identity as a Caucasian Englishwoman, who is barely near five feet, nine inches! The dreams have come so frequently now that I can hardly recognize myself when I look in the mirror. I see his face – his features. His short, curly black hair replacing my short, straight black hair. His dark brown eyes replacing my bright blue eyes. His dark skin replacing my light skin. His reflection replacing my reflection.

(Character Note: Victoria's experience counted in this tale almost mimics that of Chrissy Ryder, who had recurring dreams of Sean Thomas's life that were in actuality his memories.)

            Even his name replaces mine in my head: Sean. Who are you, Sean? Why do you keep haunting me with your life when I sleep?

            Whenever I feel like I’m losing myself in this other persona, I simply look in the mirror and repeat enough times to engrave it to my memory, “Your name is Victoria. You are a woman true and true. You live in the mountains near the kingdom of Arendelle. You are alone, but you are happy.”

            And I find that it works every time. I finally see that familiar young Englishwoman staring back at me, smiling.

            But it gets harder and harder each time that I wake up from another memory. This life of his is nearly a nightmare in every sense of the word. He works tirelessly at this decrepit theater in a land called “Hollywood” with these creatures called “Muppets.” Some of them are horrifying, some are baffling, and some are even cute in a way. I don’t know exactly why he has chosen this profession for himself, but – from the way I feel what he feels in these dreams – it seems to be stressful yet enjoyable to him. These Muppet creatures are my very best friends, but my closest one goes by the name “Genevieve,” a young woman with bright blond hair and stunning blue eyes. That is another name that continues to ring in my head as of late.

(Narrative Note: This not only sets up the events to come in this miniseries, but it foreshadows those to follow after in Marvel Mayhem, in which Genevieve and Victoria establish normal lives while working alongside Sean Thomas in the Muppet Theater.)

            My life – my real life, that is – could practically be superior to Sean’s in every way. Where I live, I am free from stress and work, only surrounded by the comforts of nature and solitude. My little cottage has the most magnificent view of Arendelle’s entire kingdom one can imagine. Many times I have been tempted in going to Arendelle and meeting the famed princesses Anna and Elsa; but there is this insufferable need for me to stay home. It’s where I’m really happy. Take today, for instance – it’s the day of Elsa’s coronation, and here I am enjoying my copy of The Ugly Duckling on a beautiful warm evening.

(Disney Note: The Ugly Duckling was a fairy tale written by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen, who also wrote The Snow Queen, which inspired its own adaptation in Frozen. Andersen's literary work has been adapted more than once by Disney, with a 1939 cartoon based on his Ugly Duckling story, the 1989 animated classic The Little Mermaid, and the 2000 animated film The Emperor's New Groove, which was inspired only by the title of his short tale, The Emperor's New Clothes.)

            At least it was warm, until the cold snap hit.

            Before I know it, a bizarre (and sudden) winter storm shot through Arendelle. A massive blizzard comes through the mountains, and I am suddenly trapped in my own home by the snow that has engulfed it. As much as I want to keep inside of my home, this isn’t what I had in mind. In a matter of seconds, summer transformed to winter for no reason whatsoever. There was no warning that came with it – no time for me to prepare for the worst that has already come. There is no wood that I can start a fire with, except for my relatively small collection of wood carvings, which unfortunately isn’t enough. Very soon I begin to freeze, my body practically quivering in my short-sleeved summer dress. The very best I can do is sit on my bed, bundling myself in my quilt, and hope that the blizzard passes soon.

            I wait for ages for things to settle down outside, but there is just no sign of this blizzard stopping.

            The temperature drops low in my freezing cottage – down to well below zero. I can see my own breath every time I exhale. It gets harder and harder to breathe with the air being so dense and frigid. My god! This is how it ends for me, eh? Trapped in my home, with no one by my side, dying from hypothermia. I can feel it setting in as I speak. With all of Arendelle frozen, they might as well change the name of the kingdom to “Hypothermia.” Welcome to the kingdom of Hypothermia!

(Authorial Note: Livingston had chosen this tale to be told in the first-person perspective to "introduce a brand new character with a simplistic view of her world before it turned completely upside down." He mostly enjoyed conveying the emotions of the character through her narrative, which happens completely in her thoughts, "letting her take control of the story for once and tell the audience what she's seeing right now.")

            Here it comes – the killing blow. I almost wish there was someone here with me as I spend my final moments. As much pride and comfort I take in being alone, I suddenly find myself hating the idea of dying alone. Tears stream down from my face, not doing my skin much favor as they dry out before they could reach midway down my cheeks.

            And then, as I dangerously edge ever so close to death, I hear an elderly yet powerful voice tell me: “Your first cycle – and you choose to end it this way?” He speaks from right in front of me, but between the darkness and the loss of focus in my vision, I cannot see who or what is speaking to me. Then a shimmering blue form appears before my unfocused eyes. Blinking and wiping them, after they were soaked with my tears and ruined from exhaustion, I see a slender, elderly, half bald man with a long gray beard, small eyes with tiny pupils, and both gray hair and thick eyebrows, wearing a blue robe standing there in front of me. No doubt he’s a hallucination, brought on by the fact that I’m dying. Although I can’t figure on why I’m hallucinating this guy. Is he what God really looks like? I dread to think he’s that other guy!

            “Go away, hallucination.” I tell him, even though I doubt it’d help.

            “I’m no hallucination.” He tells me. “I really am here with you now.”

            He then does something that takes me completely by surprise: with a snap from his fingers, he causes the climate of the cottage to slowly warm up, saving me from my hypothermia and impending death. This man, whoever he is, has the very power that I wish I could’ve had minutes ago. “How did you do that?”

(Narrative Note: The events of this tale happen simultaneously with those in the story of Marla's death and Theresa's rebirth in Tales of the Guardians. In that tale, Marla inadvertently gets caught in Elsa's winter spell, causing her literally freeze to death - her form overtaken by ice and snow. Theresa emerges thereafter as the new reincarnation of Sean Thomas's Guardian.)

            “It’s the same type of magic that created Arendelle’s sudden winter storm.”

            “It’s you who made it winter outside?”

            “Not I, but Elsa, the newly-christened queen of Arendelle. She has powers far beyond this world – but yours go even further.”

            A giggle escapes from my mouth as I hear this. “Me? I’m capable of sorcery? I’ve never used it my whole life!”

            “You have, but you cannot remember it. You are the most important piece to a large, complex puzzle. Your skills are needed now more than ever.”

            “I have no ‘skills’ of any kind, good sir. And I’m certainly no one important. Just a lonely woman who lives in the mountains.”

            The old man grins at me and says, “Your life should’ve ended by now after days of freezing in this cottage.”

            The shock of this hits me like a ton of boulders. I was certain up until that moment that only hours had passed in my time of freezing my butt off. But days? Dear lord! “How did I survive days without food, water, or warmth?”

            “Your power had kept you alive long enough for me to reach you. I’ve searched throughout many lands to find you.”

            “Who are you?”

            “My name is Yen Sid. And I am the answers to the memories that have driven you mad, Sean.”

            I cringe a bit as he calls me by that name. “My name is Victoria!” It soon dawned on me that he knows about my “dreams.”

            Before I even have a chance to ask how he knows, he tells me, “You have gone by many names with many faces, but there will always be the one that reflects the soul of a man who is still desperate to regain his original identity as he lives within a new body. The Disneyverse is in danger, and he knows you and his other lives must gather to save it.”

(Character Note: Victoria is what has been known as the "surprise reincarnation" since her introduction in this tale. Whereas most of the incarnations of Sean Thomas introduced so far have come after Sheryl, who was up until this point the first reincarnation, Victoria's presence retooled the mythology, establishing her as the "official" first reincarnation.)

            Paying close attention to that one term that stuck out from everything he told me, I ask this old man, “What’s the ‘Disneyverse’?”

            “It’s better to show than tell,” he says, offering his right hand out to me.

            At first, I’m apprehensive in touching his hand. I still don’t know who this strange old man is with his sorcery, but something within me begs for me to trust him. So, removing the quilt from my thawed-out body, I get up from my bed and walk up to the old man, reaching out and touching that hand of his. An incredible surge goes through my body while I’m engulfed in a bright light.

            I certainly hope that I didn’t just willingly permit Death to take me.

(UP NEXT: Donald Duck and Goofy play detectives!)

Tales of the Disneyverse - Tale #14 (w/ Commentary Notes)

Dumbo Gumbo (The Gathering – Part Four)
(The Merged Realms of Tarzan and Dumbo)

            “Can’t believe just how many more worlds have merged now – especially after we just closed two rifts that tried to put four other worlds together!”

            “I know. It’s starting to become a huge pain in my butt!”

            “Yeah. Mine, too.”

            Theresa and Tiffany walked through the African jungle that was a part of the Tarzan side to the amalgamated worlds between it and Dumbo. The Dumbo side was there in the railroad tracks they came across – obvious spots where the Casey Jr. circus train had passed. The two women had arrived just a short moment ago, responding to the insanity that plagued the Disneyverse and also brought them together. They both were aware of each other being reincarnations of their original entity – Sean Thomas (Tiffany more so than Theresa, being eleven life cycles ahead of her).

(Biographical Note: "Theresa" and "Tiffany" are based on and inspired by Theresa Rousselot-Vandiver and Tiffany Amber Bertrand respectively. Both good personal friends of Livingston, both women were brought into Tales of the Disneyverse from the random selection of Facebook and Twitter friends conducted during production of the miniseries. However, Theresa has previously collaborated with Livingston on the final story from The Disney Ghostbusters, in which she was portrayed as a half-demon/half-mortal entity that carried the moniker of her real-life stage name.)

            There was distinctness to their attires to suit with their incarnations. Theresa was donned in a paperboy- styled blue cap with a white crescent moon and stars design and multi-colored scarves with a long violet boatneck fishnet top featuring a cotton violet boatneck shirt that had a tendency to fall off one shoulder, a short-pleated tartan style skirt with sewn-in holster straps that were let down, thigh- high fishnet stalkings, and knee-high socks under black strapped street stomping boots with hearts on the soles – all worn beneath a red robe. Tiffany wore a blue robe with the same white crescent moon and stars design that matched with Theresa’s hat, gray corduroys, a jean jacket, a flower belt, and a black long sleeve shirt with ankle boots.

(Character Note: Theresa's character attire is notably different in her first appearance here from her first appearance in the Tales of the Guardians miniseries. In Guardians, her attire is based upon one Theresa had worn for another one of her photo shoots.)

            As far as age went, Theresa was noticeably younger in appearance to Tiffany – looking to be in her early-thirties with bright blue eyes, long, straight brown hair with strands that covered her right eye, bright pink lips that glistened, and light skin. Tiffany, somewhere between her early- to mid-forties in her physical appearance, was curvy and somewhat muscular with long, straight dark reddish brown hair, long eye lashes, slightly tanned skin, big blue eyes, and pouty lips, standing slightly taller than Theresa at five-foot, nine inches.

(Authorial Note: Livingston gave the muses for his characters a chance to provide descriptions of themselves to stay true to their actual appearances. Tiffany's physical characteristics depicted in this scene are based directly from Bertrand's own view of herself.)

            “You think he still remembers?” Theresa randomly asked.

            Tiffany gawked at her puzzlingly. “He who?”

            “Clayton.” Theresa clarified. “We are back in his world. Heck, with all the craziness going on, what’re the chances we might run into Gigi or our ‘friend’ Agent Livingston?”

            Tiffany shook her head negatively. “I highly doubt that could happen.”

            “Could happen? You said ‘could,’ which means that there’s a chance it can happen.”

(Authorial Note: Livingston originally played with the notion of the rift opening paths into events from previous World of Disney stories, as well as future ones. Theresa and Tiffany's reference to Gigi and Agent Sean Livingston's visit to the Tarzan realm in The Marvelous World: World of Disney 2 pokes at the idea, but it doesn't actually happen. Livingston opted to leave the events untouched for the sake of maintaining continuity.)

            “Are we gonna have this conversation all the way to the—?”

            KURR-POW!

            The sound of gunfire rang throughout the heavens, indistinctively stopping Theresa and Tiffany in their tracks to listen and recognize its register.

            “Well…speak of the devil.” Tiffany said with a grin.

            “Who’s not to say that blast is what wounded Livingston?” Theresa indicated.

            “Oh, will you stop? It’s dimension-travel, not time-travel. We rebooted the Disneyverse after we stopped Facilier from taking it over. Events are just playing out as they’re originally supposed to – end of story.”

            Theresa frowned over her disbelief. “Then how do you explain us meeting like this? If you’re part of my future – or one of them, wouldn’t that make what’s happening here a result of the space-time continuum in a flux?”

            Tiffany moaned. “I suppose you believe in the legend of Cthulhu, too?”

            “Oh, we both know the answer to that.”

(Biographical Note: In reality, Theresa Rousselot-Vandiver has a fascination with Cthulhu. Livingston picked up on this from her Facebook posts and integrated it for her character, despite her being the reincarnation of his fictionalized self.)

            Tiffany knew Theresa got her on that one – regardless of a difference in personalities, they still shared the same thoughts and beliefs as when they were Sean Thomas. “Alright. I’ll give ya Cthulhu, but I one-hundred-percent guarantee that what we’re dealing with now is not time-tra…”

            They both stopped once again when they caught sight of something that sent chills down their spines: Dumbo himself pinned to the ground by a large net in a nearby clearing. “Oh, no,” Theresa whispered just as she and Tiffany rushed to the famous elephant’s aid. Theresa looked into Dumbo’s teary eyes and saw how much fear was in them. “Poor baby. Who could’ve done this to him?”

            “I can give you one guess, and his name rhymes with ‘Clapton.’”

(Pop Culture Note: This line is an indirect reference to English musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist Eric Clapton, whose music has appeared in multimedia, including film and television.)

            Theresa was a bit unsettled by her deduction. “Clayton’s many things, but he isn’t an elephant hunter – he’s a gorilla hunter.”

            “He’s a hunter no matter what, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it were him that trapped this poor lil’ fella for sport or something far worse.” Tiffany commenced in using her right index finger in cutting the net ropes, summoning another spell that enabled her to do so. “Try to keep him calm while I get him free, O.K.?”

            Theresa knelt down beside the trapped baby elephant and gently rubbed her hand up and down his small trunk. “It’s alright, Dumbo. We’re here to take care of you. Nobody’s gonna hurt you.”

            “GET AWAY!”

            The loud, furious booming voice immediately prompted Tiffany and Theresa to stop what they were doing and face the angry speaker. Both women expected to have seen Clayton standing there in the clearing to confront them, but they found another Caucasian male entirely. This man looked just as imposing with low-cropped brown yet slightly grayed hair and stubble facial hair (a “five o’clock shadow”), standing at average height and build and wearing nothing more than a red t-shirt, blue jeans, and black boots. There were dark circles around his dark brown eyes, which made him look threateningly unhinged.

            Theresa clearly did not recognize this man, but Tiffany seemed to have from the alarmed look on her face. “No…not him…not now,” she muttered whilst gazing upon the unbalanced stranger.

            Hearing her, Theresa looked over to her and saw how troubled she was. “Tiff? You know this guy?”

            “His name’s Michael…he’s another reincarnation.”

(Biographical Note: "Michael" is based on and inspired by Michael Vandiver, the husband of Theresa Rousselot-Vandiver. Other than Livingston himself, Michael is the first male to be included into the series. After casting several women for different roles, Livingston desired to broaden out the genders of his original characters, choosing Vandiver to be the one that would give way for another later in the series with the casting of Jatniel Gonzalez for The Disney Access. The aspect of two characters based on a real-life married couple interested Livingston, particularly since they are both representations of his character.)

            Theresa’s eyes grew wide with interest on this revelation. “H-He’s us? B-But he’s…he’s a guy…a dude! We finally get to be a dude again! Which one is he? Must be before you since you know—”

            “I SAID GET AWAY FROM MY DINNER!” Michael screamed, his voice hollowed and his eyes glowing white.

            Theresa flinched from his intimidating demeanor. “Certainly not the type to say ‘Please,’ is he?”

            “Theresa, there’s something you have to know about this one – the reason why he’s different from the rest of us, not just from gender: Michael wasn’t ‘born’ naturally. One of my previous lives – one of your future ones – tries something dangerous to break the cycle…return us back into Sean Thomas. The reincarnation was disrupted…and he’s the result.”

(Narrative Note: Michael's botched reincarnation is the focus of two tales in Tales of the Guardians that center on the death of Tasha and his reincarnation from her attempt to "break the cycle.")

            Theresa swallowed very hard, her interest in Michael quickly transforming into horror as she saw the animalistic expression on his face. The thing that sickened her most was what he addressed Dumbo as. “And he wants to eat Dumbo?” Her nurturing instincts suddenly kicked in as she stepped forward and stood between the trapped baby elephant and the savage man. “Well, I’ve got news for you, dude: that ain’t gonna happen!”

(Spoiler Note: The animalistic nature of Michael's reincarnation stems from his "upbringing" by Scar in the Lion King realm, which functions as the setting of his rebirth.)

            Her defiance only made Michael even more furious. Letting out an ungodly howl, he charged at Theresa, just as his body transformed into a bolt of lightning that struck her and sent her out of the clearing. As Theresa and Michael vanished beyond a collection of trees, Tiffany looked on helplessly. She saw the trees violently shift from the unseen battle taking place between Theresa and Michael – some of them even collapsing. The groans of both combatants echoed throughout the jungle as blows were received, although Tiffany heard more grunts from Theresa than Michael. He was clearly getting the upper hand over her, and Tiffany wanted desperately to step in to help; but she did not want to abandon Dumbo while he was still under the net.

            It was then that she noticed someone passing by from her left, tossing her something that she barely managed to catch. “Here,” said the unexpected visitor – a woman wearing a blue silk sweater, a maroon miniskirt, and a gun belt. “Use that to set the elephant free. I’ll take care of ‘Hungry Eyes.’”

(Pop Culture Note: Adrienne wittingly references the 1987 song by Eric Carmen that was featured on the soundtrack to the Patrick Swayze/Jennifer Grey film Dirty Dancing.)

            She disappeared into the trees and joined in on the fight happening within them. Tiffany gazed at the object she tossed to her – a lightsaber hilt. It was the only evidence she needed to know who the woman was. “Adrienne!”

            “Don’t tell her I said this, but she seriously needs to prep up on how to get around the Disneyverse again. I’m getting a bit tired of ending up in the wrong place.”

            Tiffany heard the familiar voice speak from behind her and turned to see Shelly, accompanied by Marla. “Oh, my goodness,” Tiffany reacted upon seeing two of her previous lives there in the flesh.

            Knowing what Tiffany was, Marla did not hesitate in asking, “Which one are you?”

            Tiffany smirked, pointing to herself and answering, “Fifteen.”

            Shelly nearly choked on the chuckle that escaped her mouth in surprise of Tiffany’s response. “Fifteen?”

            “Good lord! It’s never gonna end, is it?” A greatly distraught Marla uttered.

            “What’s Dumbo doing in this net?” Shelly asked while looking down at the snared baby elephant.

            Reminded of why she had the lightsaber hilt in her hand, Tiffany switched it on, extending the glowing orange blade. She carefully brought it down to the net and cut through the ropes with great ease, finally freeing Dumbo. The baby elephant stood right up, gratefully rubbing his small trunk up at Tiffany’s face; she giggled from the way it tickled her face. “Aww! You’re welcome, lil’ fella.”

            A loud explosion rang from within the trees, bringing their attention to them as Theresa’s smoking body flew back into the clearing and landed with a hard thud on the ground. Shelly instantly recognized the smoking form of her past incarnation and rushed to her aid. “Theresa! Are you alright?”

            Coughing out a puff of smoke that had been trapped in her mouth, Theresa looked up at the blonde with the aquamarine eyes and said in a hoarse voice, “Sure. Never better. Just answer me one question: who are you?”

            “Oh, great.” Marla said. “She’s got amnesia!”

            “No, silly.” Shelly remarked. “She doesn’t know me because she hasn’t lived as me yet. This woman is who you’re going to become the day your cycle is over.”

            Marla curiously looked on at Theresa as she picked her battered and bruised body up off the ground, with a little help from Shelly. She admired how much younger and gorgeous she was – even in her damaged state. Her choice of clothes was something to be determined for Marla though. I must be going through a “punk stage” with this one, she thought.

            Marla’s eyes and those of her fellow reincarnations refocused on the trees as Adrienne emerged from them, dragging the smoking, unconscious body of Michael along with her. She roughly threw him down, causing the back of his head to bounce off the ground, and took a deep, satisfied breath. “That makes five so far,” she said.

            “Is he…dead?” Tiffany asked her, gazing at Michael’s inert form nervously.

            “If he was, then I’d be standing in his place right now.” Adrienne replied. “And if you think he’s horrible, you should’ve seen me when I came after him.” She took another deep breath and then said, “Now then, ignoring the fact that I brought us to the wrong place again, I’m in a pretty good mood right now and willing to let one of you take us where we need to be.”

            “And where is it that we need to be exactly?” Theresa inquired.

            “Somewhere between the Up and Peter Pan worlds.” Shelly said. “That’s where the other four of us are.”

            “Four more?” Theresa exclaimed. “That’s ten altogether!”

            “Eleven actually.” Adrienne corrected. “There’s also ‘Little Miss Thang’ I left back between the Brave and Sword in the Stone worlds.”

            Tiffany was baffled from Adrienne’s reference. “Who?”

            “It’ll all make sense later.” Adrienne quickly said. “Right now, we need to haul it over to Never South America Land and find our other four selves.”

            As Adrienne took command of the group, Theresa felt something rub against the palm of her right hand. Looking down, she saw Dumbo gawking up at her with sad baby blue eyes. Her heart sank for the little elephant, who would be left all alone once she and the other reincarnations disappeared from the merged worlds. “Wait!” She called to their attention. “We can’t leave – not without helping Dumbo find his mother.”

            Adrienne glared in the direction of Theresa. “What?”

            “She’s right.” Marla said. “I’m not just gonna leave this poor sweet little thing alone like that.”

            “Me neither.” Shelly added.

            “Yeah. Ditto.” Tiffany made the vote unanimous.

            Adrienne groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me! You’re all actually worse than Genevieve!”

            Theresa, Marla, Shelly, and Tiffany all reacted to the name in familiarity, all having heard it like a beacon that called to them and brought them together as they were that moment. Speaking for herself and her more agreeable reincarnations, Theresa told Adrienne, “Well, Genevieve sounds like the wisest one out of all of us…you could learn from her, it sounds.”

(Authorial Note: Livingston had picked Genevieve to be the "unofficial leader" of the reincarnations, believing her prolonged lifelong experience in the worlds in and out of the Disneyverse made her qualified to be the "boss of herself." This aspect changes by the events of Marvel Mayhem, due to the loss of her Guardian power, causing the other reincarnations to appear more independent of themselves.)

            Adrienne did not take too kindly to Theresa’s words. She continued to glare at her as she brutally grabbed the still-unconscious Michael by his shirt and made both him and herself vanish from the clearing in a quick flash of light.

            The departure of Adrienne brought some comfort over Shelly, who voiced her disgust over her future reincarnation. “Is it just me or does anyone else feel like it’s pretty messed up how we’re going to be her one day?”

            “She may seem like hardhead at first, but she still has the soul of that good man we all once were in her.” Tiffany said. “Trust me – I was her that one day.”

(UP NEXT: The Unexpected Reincarnation!)

Tales of the Disneyverse - Tale #13 (w/ Commentary Notes)

Wrong Turn (The Gathering – Part Three)
(The Merged Realms of The Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo)

            The clouds in the sky were graying and blackening right over the sea; bolts of blood-red lightning flashed within them, ready to strike out from the puffy yet deadly mass of liquid droplets. Even the wind and seas became restless in response to the frightening development in the skies. The rift had taken its toll on the merger of these two worlds, which had been fused for quite some time now, and it was just a matter of time before both would be destroyed.

            But that did not seem to trouble Shelly very much. She sat on the beach, her toes buried in the sand and her eyes focused on the chaotic scene happening before her. As frightening as it should have been, it somehow seemed soothing to her. The wind blew right past her, sending the locks from her medium blond hair moving in all directions; she had to brush some of the locks away from her aquamarine eyes as it had obscured her view of the chaos. It also ruffled her unique blue robe, which presented a white crescent moon and stars design to it; but the robe did not matter as long as the short-skirted aquamarine sundress she wore beneath it was not ruined; it had a delicate floral design – clean, crisp, airy, carefree, and pure – and fitted well with her petite, toned, and athletic body type.

(Biographical Note: "Shelly" is based on and inspired by Florida fitness and commercial model Shelly Cannon, who Livingston had collaborated with on his first-ever original "supernatural fiction" The Holidays. He reached a block with the story three chapters in and has not since returned to work on it, due to commitments to other fiction. Realizing that Shelly, who was featured as a main character in the story, was robbed of her chance to be showcased in one of his projects, Livingston gave her the role of a reincarnation of Sean Thomas in World of Disney as compensation.)

            What made the atmosphere even more soothing to Shelly was the music played and sung by the gorgeous redhead accompanying her there on the beach – the living embodiment of a previous life she lived in her thousand-plus years as Guardian of the Disneyverse. “Marla” was what she called herself in this incarnation – her third one; even looking at and listening to her now, Shelly could remember why she enjoyed being her. Long flowing red hair, light peach skin, bright pink lips, and blue eyes all made up her glowing beauty; she was tall as well – standing at five feet, eight inches – although no one who could have observed them at that moment would have noticed as they were sitting down on the beach. But it was Marla’s sense of fashion that Shelly loved the most about her: a blue fedora-style sorcerer hat with the same white crescent moon and stars design as Shelly’s robe, a blue overcoat in place of a robe, a black sweater, blue jeans, and brown boots.

(Biographical Note: "Marla" is based on and inspired by Texas singer and songwriter Marla Martin. Impressed by Marla's beauty, tall stature, and angelic voice, Livingston incorporated these aspects to her character, believing them to suit with the Disney-motivated atmosphere of the series, as well as - in the case of her height - a representation of his character in another form. One of her songs both inspired and was featured in a tale out of the Tales of the Guardians miniseries, performed by her character through italicized lyrics.)

            Then there was her voice, which brimmed with soul as she sang along to the tune that she played to the acoustic guitar she always carried with her on her journeys. During their time there on the beach, she put her soulful spin on at least a dozen tunes out of The Little Mermaid, which was fitting since the beach they sat upon was on that side of the merged realms, Prince Eric’s castle standing majestically behind them. Meanwhile, across the sea – miles ahead of them – the Sydney Opera House could be seen, representing the Finding Nemo side of the two merged realms. It would have been the most bizarre thing Shelly or Marla had ever seen, if the two ladies had not already seen their shares of strangeness in the Disneyverse.

            After a performance of her soulful rendition of “Kiss the Girl,” Marla sighed and looked out to the sea with Shelly. “When is she going to get back here?” She asked, her southern accent being another memorable trait to Shelly. “It’s gettin’ even worse out here than it was an hour ago.”

            “It’s not too bad.” Shelly said.

            KURRR-BOOM!

            A powerful rumble of thunder sounded over them like the sound that accompanied an intense explosion. Marla frowned over at Shelly and said, “You were saying?” She noticed how Shelly’s face had expressed surprise and confusion as her aquamarine eyes were directed to something behind Marla. Turning around, Marla was startled for a brief moment when she saw a woman with a piercing stare in her light blue eyes standing near them. “Oh, my goodness! Girl, you scared the daylights out of me!”

(Authorial Note: Adrienne's "piercing state" is a character trait Livingston emphasized in homage to the aggressive characters Wilkinson has portrayed on screen, particularly her main inspiration, Livia/Eve from Xena.)

            “Who are you?” Shelly asked the woman.

            “I’m Adrienne.” The woman answered. “And I’m one of you – or you two will be me one day.” She groaned when she realized how she was talking. “Gah! I hate it when I get like this – always wanting to sound cool, when I just come off as an idiot!”

            Following on what she said, Shelly stood up and said, “You’re another reincarnation? Which one?”

            Adrienne tried to focus and remember. “Twelve…no, ten…no, eleven! Definitely the eleventh one!”

(Authorial Note: Adrienne's response is an inside joke to the actual difficulty Livingston had in keeping up with the number of reincarnations he has integrated through this miniseries. Often when the topic of the number would come up, Livingston would review it each time for the sake of continuity.)

            Marla stood up from her spot on the beach, her towering over Shelly and Adrienne now evident. Adrienne swallowed hard as she looked at her, having forgotten how tall she was when she was Marla. “Well, it’s nice to meet another of my future selves,” Marla acknowledged. “Shelly over there is just three lives ahead of me.”

            “Yeah, I know. I’ve just done the math.” Adrienne remarked. “So, let’s just cut to the chase – where are Dug and Carl Fredricksen?”

            Shelly and Marla both gave befuddled looks. “What?”

            “Let’s not play games. I am really not in the mood to play games.” Adrienne’s hands went to her gun belt – her left over a saber hilt and her right over a holstered blaster.

            Shelly saw how the woman was on the verge on turning violent and quickly spoke up. “No, no! We’re seriously not playing around! You’re in the wrong realm…or realms!”

            Marla, who also saw how violent Adrienne was about to become and hid behind Shelly, added to the fact: “Y-Yeah. You’re somewhere between Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo.”

(Character Note: Each of Sean Thomas's reincarnations has a unique mentality attributed to them, in some cases attributed back to him. Marla possesses a cowardice side of herself, which contradicts her empowering stature. Her reincarnation has lived the longest, due to living a highly cautious lifestyle. In World of Disney, Sean Thomas was the most heavily cautious character of the story.)

            Hearing this, a fierce glare appeared upon Adrienne’s increasingly infuriated face. The bodies of Shelly and Marla stiffened when they both saw how much angrier she had become, her hands now gripped on both saber hilt and blaster. Finally, after rapid, deep breaths that reflected from her developing rage, Adrienne screamed into the heavens, her loud, ear-piercing, rage-induced shriek echoing throughout the already-chaotic atmosphere. Once her shrieking had ceased, she fell to her knees and slammed her fists into the sand, burying them in it.

            Shelly and Marla stood perplexed and terrified; neither woman was certain what to make of Adrienne’s sudden flare-up other than the fact that she made a miscalculation. After some hesitation, Shelly found the courage to tell her, “Hey, it’s…it’s O.K. T-The Disneyverse…it’s a really big place. Even I sometimes…”

            “Shut up.” Adrienne softly demanded.

            “Yes, ma’am.” Shelly quickly complied.

            They kept silent for six minutes, which was enough time for Adrienne to take slow, steady breaths (inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth) and return tranquility to her body and mind. As soon as she was done, she lifted herself off the sand, dusted grains off her hands, and focused on Shelly and Marla. “Alright. Here’s what we’re gonna do – you two are going to come with me to where the Up and Peter Pan worlds are merging.”

            Her sudden command caught Shelly and Marla off guard. “Uh, well,” Shelly uttered, “Sure we can.” She gestured to the raging sea and added, “But our friend is out there and we’re…”

            “Look!” Adrienne bellowed, her rage returning. “I am trying really hard not to turn either of you inside-out right now! It’s frustrating already that I came to the wrong place – I don’t need to waste more of my time spending it here! Now let’s…GO!”

            On the word “Go,” the sand kicked up to twelve feet around them. When it had fallen back to the ground, Adrienne, Shelly, and Marla no longer stood there on the beach. Just as their disappearance occurred, a blond-haired mermaid by the name of Mindy came up through the surface of the raging sea, facing in the direction of the now-abandoned beach.

            “Marla? Shelly?” She called but received no answer, much to her immediate surprise and confusion.

            Another incredible rumble of thunder erupted from above, directing her attention to the darkening skies that raged just as madly as the seas did. Alarmed from this evolving chaos, Mindy ducked back underwater and swam to where she left Marlin and Nemo floating.

            “Did you find your friends?” Nemo asked.

            Mindy shook her head, still looking very confused and even a little disappointed. “No. They weren’t where I left them. Where are they?”

            Marlin let out an exasperated sigh. “I’ve had enough craziness for one day. Nemo, let’s go home. Hopefully we can have a better start with school tomorrow.”

            Nemo and Marlin began to swim away from Mindy, who quickly protested. “No, wait! I don’t know where my friends are, but I do know things are going to get bad very soon!”

            Leaving Nemo’s side and swimming back to Mindy, Marlin furiously got in her face. “You are crazy! Certifiably nuts! Why should we trust any of what you say? You’re not even normal!”

            The last statement in his ranting struck a chord with her. “Now you listen here – the things you’ve seen today haven’t exactly been ‘normal’ either, have they? And you have no idea how abnormal it’s about to get, unless I do something! I’m alone in this now, and I’ve got only you and your son to help me! Now will you or won’t you?”

            Marlin glared right into her eyes and boldly said, “I won’t.” He then turned to join with Nemo again, but he stopped cold as soon as he saw that his son was no longer floating where he left him. “Nemo? Nemo! NEMO!” Looking around the vast blueness, he cried out his son’s name multiple times in multiple ways, but there was no response.

            Mindy’s eyes searched through the blueness as well and did not see any sign of Nemo anywhere. But there suddenly came a disturbing feeling over her that alerted her to the reason behind Nemo’s unexpected disappearance. Sadness in her twinkling blue eyes, she whispered, “Oh, no.”

(UP NEXT: One mentally unstable reincarnation tries to make a meal out of Dumbo!)