Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Story Remake Announcement

Like Lilo & Stitch, the story behind my next story, Steven and Phoebe has two sides. The first side started back in March 2012, with a then new Adventure Time character named Flame Princess. I instantly fell in love with her, hoping she would become Finn's true love. The best way to describe her is like a cross between Rapunzel from Tangled and Lavagirl from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl with a hint a Stitch from Lilo & Stitch. After watching the episode 'Hot to the Touch', however, in which she told Finn that they can't be together, because they were opposite elements (Flame Princess thought Finn was a water elemental because of his constant crying), I became depressed as ever. I was hoping that she would appear in the next episode, but she didn't show up. For three months, I lost all hope, until July 30th, 2012, when Flame Princess returned. I was hoping that she and Finn would finally become lovers, which actually happened, but they didn't explain what happened. At the end of 'Hot to the Touch', Flame Princess clearly said she and Finn couldn't be together. After that incident, I decided to stay away from Adventure Time. However, I still had a soft side for Flame Princess.
File:S4e1 Fry.png
The other side of the story started back in late 2014. I had a friend at school, who also happens to be an amazing illustrator, and likes the Cartoon Network show Steven Universe. The titular character of the show, Steven Universe, is like a cross between Lilo from Lilo & Stitch and Po from Kung Fu Panda. The only thing I truly appreciate about Steven Universe is that Gems can fuse with other Gems, usually resulting in a larger and more powerful Gem; Varying from 10 to 35 feet tall! Ever since then, I wanted to see at least a fan art of what a fusion of Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl looked like. But then, one afternoon, on November 7th, 2014, I saw my friend drawing a pink figure with six arms, blue hair, and four gemstones. One on her forehead, one on her chest, one in the left palm of her hand, and one in the right palm. I couldn't help but ask.
Me: Is that all three of them fused together?
Friend: Yes.
Me: What do you call her?
Friend: Alexandrite.
I initially thought it was a head-canon, but on Monday, I discovered that Alexandrite was true! I looked her up and found out she appeared in an episode called 'Fusion Cuisine'. In that episode, Connie's parents demand to see Steven's mom, but since Steven's real mom, Rose Quartz, passed away after giving birth to Steven, Steven has to make a choice between Garnet, Amethyst, or Pearl. Since none of them are perfect (Garnet is the silent type, Amethyst is a glutton, and Pearl is a bit neurotic and hates eating), Steven insisted that the three should fuse into one to pretend to be Steven's mom, unaware of the monstrous results. Embarrassed by the party gone wrong, Steven and Connie run away. However, they got caught by Alexandrite, who splits into three and grounds Steven for ONE THOUSAND years. That's longer than he can live! I knew it was just a cartoon, but it made me depressed. So depressed that I wanted to listen to the music from one of the scenes of Disney's Lilo & Stitch. That is when creativity stroke: I should write a Cartoon Network version of Lilo & Stitch.
Right after watching Fusion Cuisine on my laptop, I went to the computer in the living room of my house to type a casting list for the Cartoon Network version of Lilo & Stitch. I reimagined Flame Princess as a creature with a design similar to Flambo (from Adventure Time), but because her real name was not yet revealed, I initially named her Sienna, after the color burnt sienna, which I previously purchased at an arts and crafts store two months earlier. However, after reading an online review of the AT episode The Cooler, I discovered Flame Princess's real name was Phoebe.
For Lilo Pelekai, the youngest Disney heroine to date, I of course, used Steven Universe, but instead of being obsessed with Elvis Presley, I made Steven obsessed with Elton John. I am aware that Sir Elton is British, but I like his music so much that I wanted to use him.
Steven Universe.png
I also made Steven 100% human, rather than half human and half Gem.
For Nani, Lilo's older sister, because Steven didn't have a brother in the show, I made an OC named Evan Universe. I based his hairstyle off of Jim Hawkins from Disney's Treasure Planet.
I'm sorry if my drawing's not the best. I guess I take after Walt Disney. I may not be the best artist, but I'm a very talented storyteller.
For Jumba Jookiba, Stitch's four-eyed creator, I used Dexter (from Dexter's Laboratory), but instead of being human, he will be a pink grub, just like in the episode 'Monstory'.
For Pleakley, the neurotic Earth expert with one eye, two tongues, and three legs, I used everyone's favorite sock head Double D (from Ed, Edd n Eddy) and made him into an alien with a design similar to both Pleakley and Double D, except he's referred to for the most part as Eddward.
Eddy was right! Double D isn't human!*
I know some people would've probably chosen Pearl, but I made a rule for myself to use no Gems, though Opal (a fusion of Amethyst and Pearl) makes a cameo as a lamp.
For David, the surfer who's in love with Nani, I used Fionna, Finn's fictional gender-bent in Adventure Time.
For the Grand Councilwoman, I used Mr. Harriman (from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends), the stubborn rabbit and head honcho of the adoption center. In the original show, he had a habit of calling everyone either Mister, Miss, or Master, which I incorporated into the story to make him stay in character.
Image result for Mr. Harriman from Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends
For Captain Gantu, I used Mojo Jojo (from The Powerpuff Girls), but made him into a gorilla.
Mojo Jojo
And finally, for Cobra Bubbles, the social worker who threatens the relationship between Lilo & Nani, I used Dana Tabes from We Bare Bears, also known as Ranger Tabes.
File:RT 135.png
In the original Steven and Phoebe, Hoagie, a dog cop from Chowder, took the place of Bubbles.
Image result for Hoagie from Chowder
However, after discovering that he was basically a Chief Wiggum^ clone, I decided to use Ranger Tabes (who didn't exist yet when I first wrote the story) instead. I also wanted there to be an equal amount of male characters and female characters.
For everyone else, I used characters from many different Cartoon Network shows, both old and new, like Steven Universe, Ed, Edd n Eddy, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Chowder, Clarence, Regular Show, Cow and Chicken, Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends, Camp Lazlo, and many more. There's even two Looney Tunes characters that appear as aliens, a bit of a homage/reference to Duck Dodgers. I wanted to make a story that would appeal to generations of both classic and modern Cartoon Network.
Steven and Phoebe may be my next story, but it was actually the first to be completed. I wrote it from January 15th to January 22nd of 2015, and now, it is getting revised.
I will post Chapter 1 of Steven and Phoebe on May 7th.
*Just in case you didn't get my reference, in the Ed, Edd n Eddy episode "Eeny Meeny Miney Ed", Eddy tricked Ed into thinking Edd was a 'lizard man'. Ed's first reaction was "Double D's not human?! No way!"
Image result for Ed, Edd n Eddy Lizard Man gif
^Chief Clancy Wiggum is a Simpsons character. He is an officer at the Springfield Police Station who is lazy, incompetent, overweight, and kind of dumb. He is NOT how police officers are depicted in real life.
Chief Wiggum.png
Because of his popularity, however, other shows tried to make characters similar to Wiggum. Hoagie from Chowder is one of them.