Fanfic / Porsha Crystal: Love And Pain, Pride And Shame

Porsha Crystal: Love And Pain, Pride And Shame is a Sing Fanfic written by MysteryWriter2187.

Set after the events of Sing 2, the story follows Porsha as she begins a new chapter of her life in Calatonia with the New Moon Troupe.

Porsha Crystal: Love And Pain, Pride And Shame provides examples of:

• Abusive Parents:
  • The story's flashbacks expand on the second film's implications surrounding Jimmy's treatment of Porsha, and the effect that his negligence and cruelty had on her mental health and self-esteem. On at least one occasion, he's shown furiously scolding a seven-year-old Porsha for simply walking in on one of his meetings, dismissing her as a "stupid little brat" when this outburst drives her to tears.
  • Her mother Stephanie serves as a more tragic example. Suki tells Ash about an incident during Porsha’s childhood where Stephanie, having gotten drunk after learning of Jimmy's infidelity, angrily struck Porsha when the latter innocently used one of Jimmy's usual Berserk Buttons against her. Stephanie immediately burst into tears after realizing her mistake, and is shown apologising to Porsha in a later flashback.
• Actor Allusion:
  • During the Romeo And Juliet show, Johnny and Porsha sing a duet of The Chainsmokers' "Closer”. Halsey, who voices Porsha in the film, was the collaborating artist on that song.
  • Stephanie's maiden name, which Porsha takes on in the ending, is Frangipane. This is once again done in honor of Halsey, whose real name is Ashley Frangipane.
  • Ash is revealed to be Jewish, like Scarlett Johansson.
  • When Johnny and Ash perform a duet of "Don’t Go Breaking My Heart", Porsha notes that Johnny is great at singing Eel-ton John’s music. Taron Egerton, who voices Johnny in the films, portrayed Elton John himself in Rocketman (2019).
• Affectionate Nickname:
  • Rosita frequently calls Porsha “Sunshine”, and it's later revealed that Porsha's own mother gave her the same nickname.
  • Ash and Porsha occasionally refer to each other as "Roomie". After Porsha saves Ash from the fire, they begin referring to each other as "Buddy", showing how much stronger their friendship is.
• Ambiguously Bi: Ash recalls a time when she kissed her friend Katy in high school. Though it’s implied they both enjoyed it at the time, Ash shows no attraction towards women for the rest of the story ^note She does pretend that she and Porsha are an item, though it's mainly to spite Lance, and we already know by this point that Katy has married Ben.
• Amicable Exes: Ash and Lance are ultimately implied to become this. Lance gives up his mission to win Ash back and Ash forgives him for his mistakes, and he's last seen attending the party to welcome back Porsha after the fire.
• Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Even though Ash tries to keep her distance at the start of the story, there are many early hints at her developing a protective sisterly instinct towards Porsha. She shows sincere concern after Porsha's injury, genuinely panics when she wakes up and finds out Porsha has left early, and even sleeps in Porsha's bed with her when she learns that the latter is having nightmares.
• Berserk Button: One of Jimmy’s frequent insults against Stephanie was to dismiss her moments of anger and emotion as being in "one of [her] moods". A four-year-old Porsha once innocently used this term during one of Stephanie’s particularly bad days, prompting her mother to violently retaliate. When Jimmy himself says this during their argument on Suki’s tape, Stephanie responds by shattering a glass object against the wall.
• Bittersweet Ending: Stephanie is revealed to have died penniless long before the story’s events, preventing Porsha from ever truly reuniting with her mother. Despite this, Porsha has found closure after fourteen years of unresolved trauma and completely divorces herself from her father's influence, finally feeling at home in Calatonia with her new friends.
• Bloodier and Gorier: Downplayed. Blood is mentioned in both incidents where Porsha is injured, but it's only the first one - cutting her forearm during a botched rehearsal - where it's described in any graphic detail.
• Call-Forward: During their taped argument, Jimmy can be heard threatening to throw Stephanie out the window, before calling her a "low-life little loser". He would later go on to say both these things to Buster in the second film.
• The Cameo:
  • When Derek cancels his planned performance at Ash’s reunion, Porsha gets Clay Calloway to perform instead.
  • The unseen driver that hits Ash’s car outside Les Calmers is all but shown to be Mike.
• Cerebus Retcon: Certain revelations from this story cast minor details and events in the second film in a darker or sadder light.
  • Suki's detached, impersonal treatment of Buster when they first meet, and her actively discouraging him from pursuing the big leagues, can be seen as her learning from her past experience of getting close with Stephanie and introducing her personally to Jimmy, and how she had to watch while her friend's mental health gradually deteriorated.
  • Jimmy cuts off the Moon Troupe's first audition because he refuses to be associated with "ordinary" and "school" in any way. His disinterest in education is implied to be the reason he paid no attention to Porsha's struggles in school, forcing her to suffer with her undiagnosed dyslexia without getting the help she needed.
  • During the climactic performance of Out Of This World, Porsha performed The Struts' "Could Have Been Me", and even sang directly to Jimmy's face when he tried to get her off the stage. This story reveals that the song was one of Stephanie's favourites, and they often sang it together when Porsha was younger. By singing this song Porsha wasn't just defying her father, she was honoring her mother.
• Chekhov's Gun:
  • During their lunch at Les Calmers, Porsha casually tells Ash her mother's maiden name, Frangipane, and Ash later learns from Suki that Jimmy and Stephanie only had a civil partnership rather than being legally married. When the Troupe's search for "Stephanie Crystal" proves fruitless, Ash correctly deduces that Stephanie never took Jimmy's surname, and was living under the name Frangipane the whole time.
  • When walking to the Theatre with Ash, Porsha refuses to take a shortcut through the local cemetery, as she finds the thought of dead bodies disturbing. She later learns that this very cemetery is where her mother is buried, and finally goes there in the penultimate chapter.
  • When cleaning out his office, Buster shows Porsha a picture of Nana's old theatre troupe, taken a few years before he bought the Moon Theatre. Following the revelation that Porsha's mother was from Calatonia, Buster recognizes her from the picture and realises that Stephanie used to perform at the Theatre.
• Continuity Nod: The story features several references to both Sing films, and MysteryWriter2187’s other Sing fanfics set in this continuity.
  • Porsha is still living in Ash's apartment after the events of Roomies!. The Star Of David hung on Ash’s wall in that story is also mentioned when Porsha learns that Ash is Jewish.
  • The story begins with Johnny and Porsha co-starring in the Moon Troupe's production of Romeo And Juliet, paying off the major conflict from Cute, But Very Clingy!. Porsha later explains to Ash how she and Johnny were able to perform romantic scenes together despite having no actual romantic interest in each other.
  • Porsha has apparently heard three separate stories regarding the destruction of the original Moon Theatre in the first film.
  • During her talk with Buster, Porsha worries that Rosita resents her after Porsha temporarily took her starring role in the Out Of This World show. Buster assures her that this is not the case.
  • Buster is subtly implied to have some lingering trauma after Jimmy Crystal's attempts on his life in the second film. When picking outfits for her reunion, Ash jokingly tells Porsha not to wear a black suit like her father’s to avoid giving Buster a panic attack.
  • Porsha's heavily implied sweet tooth from the second film is frequently shown and mentioned throughout the story.
  • Johnny is visibly uncomfortable when Nooshy jokingly suggests that Buster's guest may be a dance choreographer, implying that he's still not gotten over Klaus Kickenklober's harsh treatment of him in the second film.
  • When waiting for Suki during their date, Buster recalls the time when Gunter took care of Rosita and Norman's piglets, which was shown in the Gunter Babysits short.
  • Johnny continues to sing songs by Elton John (called Eel-ton John in-universe) after his performance of "I’m Still Standing" in the first film.
• Curse Cut Short: Both Ash and Porsha have multiple occasions where they nearly swear during passionate rants, only for other characters to interrupt them.
• Daddy's Girl:
  • At the beginning of the story, Ash reprimands Porsha for still calling Jimmy "Daddy", claiming that grown adults shouldn't be calling their parents those terms. After learning what he did to her mother, Porsha distances herself from Jimmy for good.
  • Katy later mentions at the reunion that Ash herself was once a Daddy's Girl and is really close with both her parents, though a flashback reveals that Ash stopped using this term because Lance made fun of her for it.
• Darker and Edgier: With it's more in-depth look at Porsha's upbringing, an exploration into the lingering effects of abuse and toxic relationships, and an intense scene involving a burning building, Love And Pain, Pride And Shame goes to much darker places than the two films. The story also serves as this to MysteryWriter2187's other Sing fanfics, which are much more focused on light-hearted shenanigans with only minor hints at the deeper, more tragic themes shown here.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: Though Ash is civil and accommodating with Porsha from the start, she still tries to keep her distance at first and occasionally expresses annoyance with Porsha's immaturity. Over time, the two gradually grow closer and more fond of each other, and are heavily implied to be Heterosexual Life-Partners by the end of the story.
• Demoted to Extra: Meena, Miss Crawly and Gunter get significantly less attention and dialogue than the rest of the New Moon Troupe.
• Double-Meaning Title: Love And Pain, Pride And Shame references the lyrics of "Could Have Been Me", the song Porsha sang in the second film, and this story also reveals that she often sang it with her mother as a child. It also refers to the entire premise of the story, which focuses on Porsha's struggles and successes while adjusting to her new life in Calatonia.
• Drowning My Sorrows: Said verbatim by Suki, who explains that Stephanie turned to alcohol to cope with her miserable life under Jimmy’s thumb. On one occasion, Stephanie spent an entire night sitting alone in the living room, finishing nearly two bottles of wine before she cried herself to sleep.
• Early-Bird Cameo: Florence Fletcher, a famous gorilla singer who was mentored by Nana, is shown on Buster's photograph of the old theatre troupe. The Stinger at the end of the story implies that she will play a much bigger role in the upcoming follow-up.
• Engineered Heroics: Implied, but not confirmed. When Derek cancels his appearance at Ash's reunion, Lance insists on calling him to demand that he honor his commitment. Though the night is saved by the Moon Troupe's impromptu performance, in their later conversation Ash indiscreetly accuses Lance of telling Derek to cancel on her in the first place.
• Fauxshadowing: Suki warns Buster that Porsha has always been very protective of her when it comes to her dating life, implying that Porsha will pose a serious threat to their budding romance. This ultimately doesn’t happen, and Porsha is utterly thrilled when she learns that Buster and Suki have become an item.
• Foreshadowing:
  • In the opening Romeo And Juliet production, Rosita fills in for Meena in the role of Juliet’s nurse. The nurse's role in the play is to be Juliet’s Parental Substitute, hinting at the role Rosita goes on to play in Porsha’s actual life.
  • Porsha’s diary entries are full of spelling mistakes and haphazard corrections, and she frequently mispronounces multiple words out loud, long before it's revealed that she's dyslexic.
  • When Buster first shows Porsha the photograph of the old theatre troupe, she briefly notices that one of the members is a wolf. She later realises that this wolf was actually her mother, Stephanie.
  • After the car accident, Porsha casually recalls a time when she bumped her head as a child, and her mother cried instead of her. We later see this incident in its full context via a flashback, which reveals that Stephanie actually hit Porsha.
  • When visiting Lance at The Fat Cat, Ash immediately notices the exposed wires at the top of the ceiling, which ultimately cause the fire.
• Foster Kid: When she finds Stephanie’s records, Ash learns that Porsha’s mother had no known family and grew up in the foster care system, spending most of her childhood being taken in by different families before she was old enough to live on her own.
• The Ghost: Though he's mentioned several times, Ash's friend Derek never appears in person, and we never even learn what species he is.
• Gosh Dang It to Heck!: Carrying on from the second film, Porsha often tries to soften her language rather than using outright curse words.
• Heroic Fire Rescue: Subtly Deconstructed. The club where Lance performs, The Fat Cat, is set ablaze due to an electric fault, and Porsha rushes in to save Ash when the latter is trapped inside. Though Porsha is celebrated for her heroics, Rosita furiously reprimands her for putting herself in danger, right before Porsha passes out due to smoke inhalation.
• Hollywood Fire: Played with. The fire at the Fat Cat is presented in an over the top manner with the blaze completely consuming the entire building, but neither Ash or Porsha are burned or injured by the flames or falling debris. Although they get out physically unscathed, Porsha suddenly faints from smoke inhalation and spends two days unconscious in the hospital.
• How Dad Met Mom: During Suki's date with Buster, we are shown several flashbacks showing how Suki introduced Stephanie to Jimmy, and how their relationship deteriorated over the years.
• Informed Judaism: Ash casually mentions that she's Jewish when Porsha finds several textbooks related to Judaism in their apartment. Aside from the Star Of David displayed on the living room wall, Ash never shows any stereotypical Jewish traits and her cultural heritage is never brought up again after this point.
• Internal Reveal:
  • Suki and Porsha are both surprised to learn that Buster wasn't the original owner of the Moon Theatre, or that it wasn't always called that. This was already shown in the first film, before either of these characters were introduced to the rest of the cast.
  • Suki tells Ash about the time Stephanie hit Porsha in a drunken rage around the midpoint of the story. Ash causes Porsha, who is heavily implied to have forgotten or repressed this incident, to finally remember it during her pep talk in a later scene. Likewise, the other characters don't learn about this until they hear Stephanie herself admitting to it on Suki’s tape.
  • Porsha and the reader both know that her injury at the beginning of the story was caused by her dropping her prop spear, and carelessly reaching into the crossfire of Nooshy’s blade while the latter was performing. Nooshy, who was too focused on her dancing at the time to see this, doesn’t learn about what Porsha did until their argument later.
• It's All My Fault: After accidentally wounding Porsha during their botched dance rehearsal, Nooshy spends most of the story avoiding her and putting off any further rehearsals. When Porsha finally confronts her about this, Nooshy breaks down and expresses the guilt and trauma she feels for what she did, even comparing herself to a villain from a Slasher Movie. This prompts Porsha to explain what really happened and how she herself was the one at fault, restoring Nooshy's confidence and allowing them to reconcile.
• Karma Houdini: Mike is never caught by the police after his hit-and-run on Ash’s car.
• Like Father, Like Son: Suki frequently talks about how similar Porsha is to her mother, though she does reluctantly admits that she takes after her father in a few aspects too.
• Missing Mom: Averted. Though she is never seen or alluded to in the second film, a significant chunk of this story revolves around developing Porsha's mother and revealing her current whereabouts. In a similar vein, Buster's mother, who also goes unmentioned in both films, is said to be living in a care home.
• My Beloved Smother:
  • Played for Laughs with Ash's parents, Larry and Susan. Both are very affectionate and fussy with their daughter, though it may be Justified, given that she'd almost been killed in a burning burning only days before this. But Ash is clearly very close to them, and still goes out of her way to introduce them to Porsha.
  • Played for Drama with Porsha's relationship with Rosita. While Porsha has spent most of the story getting used to Rosita's affection, she tries to keep her distance again after Nooshy suggests that Rosita is "smothering" her during their argument. After seeing Linda Le Bon's hit piece against her on Hot News, Porsha continues to brush off Rosita's attempts at comforting her, finally resulting in an intense argument where Porsha accuses Rosita of trying to replace her mother.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Said nearly verbatim by a tearful Stephanie after realising that she just hit Porsha.
• Offscreen Breakup: Becky, the porcupine Lance cheated on Ash with in the first film, apparently dumped Lance over his immaturity sometime before the story's events. Lance now claims to have turned over a new leaf and is trying to win Ash back.
• Parental Substitute:
  • Rosita fully embraces her role as the Team Mom of the Moon Troupe, and she goes out of her way to be a positive motherly figure in Porsha's life. Porsha is reluctant to allow this, still suffering lingering trauma from her actual mother’s departure, but gradually comes to accept Rosita's help and affection.
  • Suki also plays this role to an extent, with Porsha almost exclusively referring to her as "Aunt Suki". Buster becomes Porsha's honorary uncle when he and Suki officially become an item at the end of the story.
  • Nana Noodleman is also implied to be one for Buster, to the point where Porsha initially assumes that Nana is his mother.
• Parents as People: Though Stephanie loved her daughter, she found it hard to cope with her miserable life in Redshore City and often struggled to hide it for Porsha's sake, and even physically harmed her on one occasion.
• Platonic Declaration of Love: When Porsha falls into a near-cataonic depression following the revelation about her mother's departure, Ash finally cheers her up with this.
  Ash: Maybe you were right. Maybe your parents don't love you, but why's that have to matter? I mean, Suki loves you, Moon loves you, Rosita definitely loves you, and... and uh... well, I love you, Porsha."
• Posthumous Character: After multiple flashbacks and stories developing her backstory, Porsha’s mother Stephanie is revealed to have died seven years before the story’s events.
• The Reveal: Multiple major discoveries are made throughout the story surrounding the characters and their upbringings.
  • Buster casually mentions to Porsha that his mother, who has gone completely unmentioned in the films, lives in a care home, though their relationship is implied to have strained over the years.
  • After getting a look at her journal during their shopping trip, Rosita suggests that Porsha may be dyslexic, which is confirmed after they get her tested by a doctor.
  • Porsha reveals to Rosita near the end that she overheard her mother before she left, apparently saying that she regretted having a daughter. Suki then shows the group the full context behind this, revealing that Stephanie only regretted having a child specifically with Jimmy, who then had her forcibly removed from the mansion when she tried to take Porsha with her.
  • Buster decides to give Porsha closure by helping to track down her mother, and they ultimately learn that she grew up in Calatonia, and spent the rest of her life there after leaving Redshore City.
• Ruder and Cruder: Downplayed. Though there are more adult-oriented innuendos and narrowly interrupted cursing, as well as an entire scene where Porsha only wears a blanket, the dialogue is still family friendly, like the two films.
• Rule of Funny: When Buster reveals that his mother is still alive, Porsha initially thinks that he's referring to Nana Noodleman. Whether she assumes that Buster is adopted, or genuinely believes that a sheep could somehow be the biological mother of a koala, is not elaborated on, but it does make for an amusing misunderstanding either way.
• Screwed by the Lawyers: In-Universe. When deciding to do a production on Beauty And The Beast, Buster openly acknowledges that they don’t have permission to use the songs or character names from a certain other adaptation, which is all but stated to be the Disney version.
• Shout-Out:
  • Disney's adaptation of Beauty and the Beast is alluded to in all but name, with Buster remarking that the Moon Troupe’s production can't use any of its songs or characters. Though some subtle similarities are still present, such as a Gaston-esque hunter (played by Porsha) who isn't in the original story.
  • Porsha is revealed to be a fan of Harry Plopper. This doubles a nod to a nickname that Homer gives his pet pig in The Simpsons Movie.
  • Suki is shown meeting Stephanie at a bar called Peralta's, named after Jake Peralta from Brooklyn Nine-Nine. This also doubles as an Actor Allusion since Suki's voice actress, Chelsea Peretti, also portrays Gina Linetti in that show.
  • When Porsha wonders why they didn’t use Elton John's songs for their Romeo And Juliet production, Nooshy remarks that another adaptation already did that.
• Sleeps in the Nude: Like her father, Porsha is revealed to do this, which Ash learns the hard way when she tries to get her up one morning. After they have an intense row about it, ending with Ash storming off to her room, Porsha agrees to buy some pyjamas.
• The Stinger: After the story’s conclusion, the writer posted an extra chapter thanking the reviewers for their feedback and support, before sharing a brief extract from their upcoming sequel, One Way Left To Go.
• Surprise Car Crash: Ash's new car is suddenly rear-ended when she and Porsha are leaving Les Calmers, and the other driver - heavily implied to be Mike - quickly takes off. Neither are seriously harmed, with the exception of a small cut on Porsha’s head, and the insurance is valid since Ash wasn’t at fault, but the other car is later found destroyed in a junkyard, and Porsha suggests that the driver has skipped town.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Played with. Lance seems more mellow and mature than he was when he and Ash were together, and openly states that he’s making an effort to be a better person now. Though there are subtle hints at his more bullying and spiteful attitude slipping through, leaving it for the reader to decide whether he’s simply relapsing to his old ways, or if his newfound maturity is just a ruse and he's just the same selfish Jerkass that he was in the first film.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Porsha's is all but stated to be French Toast. She mentions wanting some during her first scene in the second film, and Ash makes it for her multiple times during this story.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Darius is shown playing Mercutio in the opening production, but is never seen or mentioned again for the rest of the story.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Porsha receives multiple pep talks from both Rosita and Ash to recognise her own self-worth.