Fanfic / The Steff Pearce Series

The Steff Pearce Series is a Sing fanfiction series written by ItNeedsMoreGays.

The series adapts the Sing franchise but with a new addition to the Moon Theater Troupe: a pansexual teenage skunk named Steff who was best friends with Ash in high school, and eventually becomes her girlfriend.

The series can also be found on Fanfiction.Net.

Entries in the series are:

• I’ve Gotta Be Me: A young skunk named Steff works as a waitress at her parents' café, dreaming of becoming a singer one day and living up to her late grandma. That chance finally comes when the Moon Theatre hosts a singing contest. On the road to discovering herself, an old crush is reignited when her high school friend Ash enters too...
• Three Dates: Whilst the Moon Theatre is being rebuilt, Ash and Steff go out on their first couple of dates together, with varying results.
• Let Me Kiss My Girlfriend, Karen: Ash and Steff pay each other a visit at their places of work.
• Our First Gig: After weeks of waiting, Ash and Steff finally manage to land their first gig together.
• More Snuggles With My Angel: After months of rebuilding, the Moon Theatre has officially been reopened. While cuddling on Ash's couch that evening, she and Steff think about their exciting future together... and come up with new nicknames for each other.
• Observing From A Reasonable Distance: After learning she's looking for romance, Johnny and Steff help Miss Crawly create an online dating account and get her set up with some guys. Unfortunately, being the hopeless romantic she is, Steff is eager to see how she does and drags Johnny along to watch Miss Crawly's dates. Things can only go smoothly.
• Dear Ashlynn: During the Moon Theatre Troupe's rehearsal for their next show, Ash gets an unexpected surprise: her mother contacts her two years after they last saw each other, asking to meet up to talk... and apologise to her daughter. Extremely conflicted, Ash turns to Steff, Johnny and Rosita for help.
• Happy Birthday, Grandma: Accompanied by Ash, Steff takes a break from Moon Theatre rehearsals to visit the cemetery for what would have been her Grandma Julie's 80th birthday.
• That’s A Lot Of Blood: Unlike Ash, Steff has never been a fan of horror. But when their first Halloween rolls around, she decides to face her fears and watch a scary movie with her girlfriend that night.
• Gifts From The Heart: Both Ash and Steff's 19th birthdays are merely eleven days apart from each other. And both agree that their girlfriend deserves nothing but the best on their special day.
• A Great Way To Spend Christmas: After the Moon Theatre's winter production turns out to be a big hit, Steff thinks of a nice way for her and Ash to spend the holidays with one another.
• The Worst Disease A Singer Can Catch: Along with their next upcoming show at the Moon Theatre, Steff and Ash are greatly excited for their first Valentine's Day together: dinner followed by a movie. Unfortunately, those plans are unexpectedly sabotaged when Steff wakes up the next morning to a horrible surprise.
• Don't Think, Just Feel: As much as Steff loves her keytar that Ash gave her, she doesn't feel quite ready to perform solos like her girlfriend does on her electric guitar. But the opportunity for her to take centre stage comes sooner than expected when their latest gig hits a nasty snag...

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The Steff Pearce Series provides examples of:

In General

• Actor Allusion: Ash shares the same surname as her actress.
• Adaptational Sexuality: While Ash’s orientation is never specified in the movies, she is written as bisexual in this series.
• Furry Reminder: Steff, being a skunk, sprays a green gas involuntarily when she’s startled.
• Interspecies Romance: Between Ash (a porcupine) and Steff (a skunk), along with Steff’s moms Cassie and Andrea.
• Like Brother and Sister: Johnny and Steff become friendly during the competition, eventually sharing a sibling-like bond, helping each other and getting into mischief together.
• Original Character: Steff is a skunk character created entirely for this fanfic series.
• Series Fic
• Shout-Out: Many over the series.
• Title Drop: Nearly all the titles and chapters are derived from specific lines of dialogue in each story.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Ash and Steff respectively.

I’ve Gotta Be Me

• Actor Allusion: Steff sings a piano rendition of "Thank You For The Music" at the auditions, a nod to Amanda Seyfried (the author’s ideal actress for her).
• Be Yourself: Cassie says it best once Steff opens up to her and Andrea about her failed attempts to copy her grandma:
  Cassie: Steff, don't concern yourself with trying to be the next Julie Pearce. There was only one her. Instead look inside and ask yourself: what are my strengths? What does Steff Pearce bring to the stage?
• Break the Cutie: Steff starts off determined that she can copy her late grandma’s stage movements exactly. As the rehearsals go on, however, she gets frustrated when her attempts at imitating them come off as stiff and unbalanced. It all comes crashing down when Steff trips while trying to do Julie’s signature spinning move during the practice run, prompting her to run to her rehearsal room in tears and call herself a failure. Fortunately, Ash comes to comfort her.
• Childhood Friend Romance: Steff meets Ash in their first year of high school together, Ash having recently moved to Calatonia thanks to her mother’s new job. It isn’t until junior year that Steff develops a crush on Ash (also realising she’s demiromantic) but by then, she’s already met and started a relationship with Lance.
• Crush Blush: Steff turns red whenever Ash gives her the tiniest compliment. Later, Ash also blushes when Steff first listens to her practicing “Set It All Free” and they hold eye contact for a long while after hugging.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: After spending so long fretting over living up to her late grandma’s legacy, as well as keeping her feelings for Ash inside, Steff finds the confidence to dazzle the crowd with her own rendition of “I’ve Gotta Be Me” and manages to ask Ash out on a date.
• Family Business: Steff works as a waitress at her moms’ café Brewtiful.
• I Don't Want to Ruin Our Friendship: After Ash hooks up with Lance in high school, Steff keeps her crush on her a secret out of worry it’ll make things weird between them.
• I Just Want to Be You: Having been close with her late grandma Julie and adored her stories of singing in her glory days, Steff longs to do her proud by being a singer exactly like her. She wears a blue dress just like she used to, all her song choices before the final show are associated with Julie in some way, and she attempts to copy her stage movements exactly.
• Love Confession: While having tea at Ash’s apartment, Steff finally admits that she’s had a crush on her since high school, rambling about all the things she loves about her. Ash even reciprocates her feelings when she reveals that she finds Steff cute.
• Loving a Shadow: After the Moon Theatre collapses, Steff goes over to Ash’s apartment for tea and can’t help but ask what she ever saw in Lance. Ash confesses she liked the idea of having a rocker boyfriend in spite of how badly he treated her.
• Malicious Misnaming: Mike makes no effort to call Steff by her name, instead dubbing her ‘Stench’ much to her annoyance.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Cassie and Andrea tearfully apologise to Steff when they learn that their constant talk about how amazing Grandma Julie was inadvertently made her run herself ragged at rehearsal and feel pressured to be exactly like her to make them proud.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: A lot of famous singers’ names are parodied, including Carla Mae Jetson, Alisha Locks and Frank Siratna.
• Oh, Crap!: During their hangout at Brewtiful, Steff has this reaction when Cassie nearly reveals her crush on Ash directly in front of her. She quickly saves face by playing it off as her mom making a bad joke.
• Official Couple: Following their performance in the Moon Theater ruins, Steff and Ash finally get together when Steff asks Ash out on a date after having a crush on her for so long.
• Pimped-Out Dress: Steff performs in the final show wearing a purple dress with shining satin stars woven into the fabric.
• Significant Wardrobe Shift:
  • Throughout the story, Steff dons a blue lily-patterned summer dress similar to what her grandma wore. When she eventually learns to be her own person and embrace her own skills onstage, she switches to a purple short-sleeved dress with shining satin stars for the final show.
  Steff: (thinking) Now this color is definitely me.
  • Ash wears brighter colors including a red jacket when she first meets Steff. When she meets Lance and loses contact with her after dropping out of high school, she switches to her mostly-black clothing seen in the first movie, signifying how she's started living in his shadow. It's only after she dumps him that she regains her confidence and self-worth, changing back to wearing her red jacket again for the final show.
• Single-Target Sexuality: Despite being pansexual, Steff has never been interested in anyone except Ash. Justified as Steff figured out that she was also demiromantic.
• Shout-Out: While at work, Steff serves a wolf and a snake named Sam and Marc, named after their respective voice actors from The Bad Guys (2022).
• Suspiciously Apropos Music: Steff sings Sammy Davis Jr’s “I’ve Gotta Be Me” in the final show, an empowering song about embracing one’s individuality and staying true to yourself.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are:
  • During their hangout at her parents' café after a stressful rehearsal, Steff is quick to shoot down Ash's doubt that she would be any good at writing a song.
  Steff: You are the most talented, musically-gifted girl I've ever met. You're already a whizz on the guitar, you could definitely write a song if you wanted to. I mean, how do you know you aren't any good at song-writing if you don't give it a shot? Heck, for all you know, you could write a masterpiece right off the bat. I just can't stand to see you limiting yourself like this when you have so much potential. If it's something you really want to try… I say go for it, Ash.
  • When Steff breaks down crying after her disastrous rehearsal, Ash asserts that she’s not a failure and gently encourages her to open up to her parents about the pressure she feels to be like her grandma.
  Ash: To be honest, Steff, slow and sultry really doesn't feel like... you. The way I see it, if you're up on that stage expressing yourself through singing, something I can see that you love doing as much as she did... you're already honouring her memory.
• You Are Not Alone: Steff, Rosita and the others comfort Ash following her breakup with Lance, letting her know that she isn’t a burden for reaching out for help.

Three Dates

• Bad Date: Their first date is hardly terrible, but it doesn’t go as perfectly as Steff wants it to. She wastes time by being indecisive about what to wear, arrives at the movie theatre late after her taxi gets stuck in traffic, the snack bar is out of Ash’s favourite soda, Ash is forced to wait a while for a unoccupied bathroom stall, a crocodile’s tail causes Steff to trip and spill half the popcorn and the movie turns out to not be very good. Fortunately Ash considers it the best date she’s been on in ages, due to being able to spend it with Steff.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Steff becomes genuinely angry and punches Lance in the jaw when he almost calls Ash a homophobic slur.
• Costume Evolution: For both Ash and Steff.
  • Ash ditches her black clothing and starts wearing her Sing 2 outfit while the Moon Theater is being repaired, showing how she's moved on from Lance. She even adds a bi flag pin onto her jacket, displaying even more her boldness to express her individuality.
  • While still keeping her silver bow boat shoes, Steff changes her look to a purple 3/4-sleeve dress with a lavender sash-like floral pattern and a dark purple suede belt with matching leggings, showing how she's grown into her own person.
• Curse Cut Short: Lance nearly calls Ash the D-slur but gets cut off by Steff punching him.
• Interquel: This story (along with the next two) takes place before the first movie's ending, during the period of time when the theater is being rebuilt.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Ash and Steff are revealed to be fans of Movie Pitches by Bryan George.
• Official Kiss: Ash and Steff have their first kiss on their third date at the park.
• Rejection Affection: Lance, having split up with Becky, follows Ash on her second date with Steff in hopes of winning her back. It doesn’t work.
• Take That!: The movie Ash and Steff watch on their first date is described as a “glitzy musical based around a real-life swindling circus entertainer”. After it’s over, they spend the walk home laughing about the romanticised story, although saving some praise for the songs.
• Terrible Pick-Up Lines: While eating ice cream at the park, Steff and Ash jokingly trade cheesy pick-up lines and laugh at how corny they both sound.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Ash lays into Lance hard when he follows her and Steff on their date at Les Calmars, hoping to win her back.
• Tranquil Fury: After punching Lance to the ground when he tries to insult Ash by calling her the D-slur, Steff threatens him to never show his face again, all while never raising her voice.
• Twirl of Love: Upon seeing Ash’s new outfit, Steff spins her around while squeeing about how pretty she looks.
• Watching the Sunset: Ash and Steff end their third date sitting on a bench overlooking the sunset-lit park.
• You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Steff has this reaction when the movie theater's concession stand is sold out of orange soda (Ash’s favourite flavour).

Let Me Kiss My Girlfriend, Karen

• Bear Hug: Ned, the manager of Tunes Through Time and an old friend of Steff’s grandma, gives her one when she comes to visit Ash on her lunch break.
• Cool Old Guy: Ash’s manager at her job, a kangaroo named Ned, is extremely friendly and doesn’t interrupt her and Steff’s chat.
• Pop-Cultural Osmosis Failure: The complaining beaver at Brewtiful has never heard of the term ‘Karen’.
  Beaver: Hey, would you two hurry up? I wanna order something!
  Ash: Let me kiss my girlfriend, Karen.
  Beaver: Wha-Why do people always call me that?! My name is Helen!
• Sickening Sweethearts: Ash and Steff are now this, unashamedly showering each other with compliments and affection in public.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: When Steff wishes she had more courage to stand up to jerks, Ash tells her that she’s assertive when it counts, reminding her of when she punched Lance.

Our First Gig

• Actor Allusion: Ash performs a solo rendition of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’”, a reference to Scarlett Johansson’s cover of the song with Craig Campbell.
• Call-Back:
  • Harry’s Bar, the establishment where Ash and Lance failed to land a gig, makes a comeback when he asks Ash to perform after watching her sing “Set It All Free” on TV.
  • The red panda group from the first movie are in the audience watching Ash and Steff perform.
• Is the Answer to This Question "Yes"?: Steff teases Ash with a coffee-based rhetorical question before they start their gig.
  Ash: You ready to rock this bar, Steff?
  Steff: Does Finland drink the most coffee?
  Ash: Please just answer ‘yes’ for once.

More Snuggles With My Angel

• Affectionate Nickname: Ash and Steff give each other new pet names, with Ash choosing to be called ‘rock star’ while Steff picks ‘angel’.
• Call-Back: Steff decides her nickname to be ‘angel’, remembering when Ash heard her sing for the first time at the singing contest auditions and said she had a voice like one. Likewise, Ash remembers how good Steff calling her 'rock star' back in high school made her feel.
• Cuddle Bug: Ash and Steff spend the whole story snuggled up on the couch together.
• Immediate Sequel: The story picks up where the ending of Sing left off with the Moon Theatre's grand reopening.
• Shout-Out: During their cheesy nickname banter, Ash calls Steff ‘precious’ which prompts her to say “Now you sound like you’re after the One Ring”. Ash even does a bad Gollum impression, making them both laugh.
• Volleying Insults: Ash and Steff have a spot of banter, teasingly calling each other the cheesiest nicknames possible like 'pookie' and 'sugar'.

Observing From A Reasonable Distance

• Date Peepers: Steff eagerly drags Johnny along to see how each of Miss Crawly’s dates go, wearing costumes and wigs so she won't recognise them.
• Insistent Terminology: When Johnny expresses hesitance about spying on Miss Crawly’s dates, Steff asserts to Johnny that they’ll be ‘observing from a reasonable distance’.
• Oh, Crap!: When Johnny and Steff sneak back into the Moon Theater to return the costumes and wigs, Buster catches them in the act.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: Johnny and Steff wear a variety of silly disguises while watching Miss Crawly’s dates, ranging from ridiculous wigs to Steff hiding behind a newspaper in the movie theater.
• Perspective Flip: This story adapts the short film “Love At First Sight”, partly told from Steff and Johnny’s perspective.
• Shipper on Deck: Steff. Big time.
• Shout-Out:
  • Johnny’s surname is revealed to be Margeson, a reference to Matthew Margeson who composed the music for two movies starring Taron Egerton.
  • When Miss Crawly almost recognises Steff and Johnny at the dance club, Steff claims their names are Cosette and Gary, named after their actors’ respective characters from Les Misérables and Kingsman: The Secret Service. She even speaks in a bad French accent to boot.
  • Steff finds the movie Miss Crawly and her date are watching boring, wondering why it has a high score on Rotten Produce.
• Took a Level in Smartass: Steff makes a snarky comment about Johnny’s bad American accent.
  Steff: (thinking) Wow, Ash’s sarcasm is rubbing off on me.
• What the Hell Is That Accent?: To keep Miss Crawly from recognising them at the club, Johnny fakes a drawling American accent while Steff puts on an over-the-top French accent.

Dear Ashlynn

• The Atoner: Rachel gets in contact with Ash after two years to offer her a face-to-face apology and ask to be given a chance to prove she can be a better mother.
• Call-Back: Ash teasingly calls Steff ‘Cosette’, having heard about her and Johnny spying on Miss Crawly’s dates in the previous story.
• Calling the Old Man Out: Ash doesn’t let Rachel off easy, calling her out for never talking with her about any of her interests after she and her dad divorced, as well as talking down about her dreams of pursuing a career in music.
• Do Not Call Me "Paul": Ash detests being called by her full name Ashlynn.
• Fantasy-Forbidding Mother: Worried that Ash’s interest in music would lead to her going through the same hardships as her dad, Rachel tried to encourage her to pursue a more ‘reasonable’ career instead.
• Heel–Face Turn: Rachel goes from dismissing her daughter’s passion for music as a ‘hobby’ to realising how much it truly means to her and wholeheartedly supporting her after watching her sing “Set It All Free”.
• Heel Realization: After their last conversation, Rachel takes the time to realise about how much her words and actions hurt Ash.
• Like Father, Like Daughter: Ash gets her talent and love of music from her father, having gotten her guitar as a birthday present from him.
• Must Make Amends: Rachel confesses to Ash that she raced to the Moon Theater just in time for her song but left after the show finished, believing Ash didn’t want her in her life again and thinking "Set It All Free" was directed at her. But she still couldn’t shake the guilt of her past actions and finally contacted Ash months later to formally apologise.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Rachel confesses to Ash she spent a lot of time ruminating after their argument, realising her actions to guide Ash onto what she saw as a more sensible path were actually pushing her away.
• Parents as People: Ash’s mother, Rachel, often tried to convince her daughter to not pursue music due to witnessing what her father had gone through trying to become a professional musician. This led her to accidentally demean and insult Ash’s dreams, causing them to not speak for over two years.
• Parting-Words Regret: The last thing Rachel said to Ash was claiming she was throwing her life away for a ‘stupid musical fantasy’.
• Shout-Out: Rachel meets up with Ash in casual clothing, wearing a Ziggy Stardust lightning bolt T-shirt.
• Significant Name Shift: When Rachel leaves the café and says goodbye to her daughter after their meetup, she finally calls her Ash rather than her birth name.
• So Proud of You: Seeing how far her daughter has come and how much happier her life is, Rachel lets Ash know how proud she is.
  Rachel: I'm proud of you. Truly. And I know your dad would be too.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Ash looks almost exactly like her mother, Rachel. The only differences are Rachel having hazel eyes and longer quills.
• Tears of Remorse: Rachel breaks down crying when she apologises for how her words and actions affected Ash, calling herself a horrible mom.
• Took a Level in Kindness: When Ash meets up with her mother for the first time in two years, she’s a lot more supportive of her passion for music.
• Wham Line: After apologising to Ash, Rachel reveals that she was at the show in the Moon Theater ruins:
  Rachel: Well… for what it’s worth… I liked your song.
  Ash: My song?
  Rachel: ‘’Set It All Free’’.
  Ash: (stunned) You… you saw the show?
  Rachel: (smiles) The whole thing.

Happy Birthday, Grandma

• Five Stages of Grief: Eight-year-old Steff goes through the first four when her moms inform her of Grandma Julie’s death. First she refuses to believe she’s really dead, claiming she saw her last week (denial). Next she weakly hits Andrea’s stomach, accusing her of lying (anger). Steff then tries desperately reaching for Cassie’s phone to call Grandma and prove that she’s still alive (bargaining). Finally she breaks down crying as the reality of the situation finally hits her (depression).
• Gag Haircut: Steff recalls how she cut off her ponytail when she was four, leaving her with what Grandma called a ‘punk haircut’.
• Grave-Marking Scene: Steff, her moms and Ash all visit Julie’s grave, recapping the events of the past year to her headstone.
• Shout-Out: Grandma Julie’s middle name is revealed to be Veronica, the same as Shirley Bassey who performed “Diamonds Are Forever” (the song Steff knew her best for singing in her glory days).
• Transparent Closet: While reminiscing on their favourite memories of Grandma, Andrea recalls when Cassie came out to her as a lesbian. Julie’s response, given how Cassie used to stare at girls in high school? “Well, yeah, no kidding”.

That’s A Lot Of Blood

• An Aesop: Your romantic partner isn’t going to share the exact same interests as you and that’s perfectly fine.
• Blatant Lies: Steff claims she’s enjoying the horror movie her and Ash are watching, all while petrified and shuddering at the onscreen carnage.
  Ash: Steff, you alright?
  Steff: (fumbling for a candy) Are you kidding? It’s a chainsaw-wielding maniac in a hospital. What’s not to love?
• Friend to All Children: Ash playfully scares the trick-or-treaters at her door, complimenting their costumes as she hands out candy to them.
• Shout-Out:
  • Steff dresses up as Rapunzel from Tangled for Halloween while Ash wears a Freddy Krueger costume. Due to Steff not being as well-versed in horror, she mistakes her for Jason Voorhees.
  • After telling Steff it’s okay that she doesn’t share her interest in horror movies, Ash puts on The Addams Family for them to watch instead.

Gifts From The Heart

• Actor Allusion: The dates for Ash and Steff’s birthdays are the same as their actors (Scarlett Johansson and Amanda Seyfried).
• Birthday Episode: For both Ash and Steff on their 19th birthdays.
• Call-Back: Rosita (encouraged by her kids) gets Steff a Rapunzel diary and pen as a present, her kids knowing that she dressed up as her on Halloween.
• Gift of Song: Ash’s present for Steff’s birthday is an original song she wrote especially for her, titled “Fly With Her”.
• Shout-Out:
  • The gang hosts Ash’s birthday party at an ice cream parlour run by Carlo, a penguin with an Italian accent, as a subtle nod to the late Carlo Bonomi (the voice actor for Pingu).
  • Rachel’s present for her daughter is a record of Boy, the debut album of U2 (Clay Calloway in-universe).
  • Ash is given a Beetlejuice T-shirt by Buster, both because she loves horror and because he’s excited for the upcoming musical adaptation.
• Surprise Party: Ash is given one. Subverted with Steff who prefers smaller-scale intimate parties.
• Sweet Tooth: Along with her taste for bubblegum and soda established in the movies, Ash is revealed to also have a love for ice cream.
• Tears of Joy: Both shed plenty on their birthdays:
  • Ash gives both Rachel and Steff a tearful hug after receiving an autographed record of Clay Calloway’s debut album and a customised guitar pick with her name on it.
  • When Ash sings Steff a song written specially for her, Steff listens in stunned silence with tears in her eyes.

A Great Way To Spend Christmas

• Call-Back: Ash gets Steff a keytar for Christmas, remembering how she used to play a little keyboard back in high school.
• Character Tics: While making gingerbread houses together, it’s revealed that Steff sticks her tongue out the side of her mouth when concentrating hard on something.
• Good-Times Montage: Ash joins Steff’s family for their Christmas Eve traditions, ranging from baking gingerbread houses, playing music charades, laughing over stories at dinner and watching a holiday movie.
• How Dad Met Mom: In this case, ‘How Mom Met Ma’. While having dinner, Cassie and Andrea tell Ash how they first met when she asks them about it: Andrea accidentally got covered with paint and Cassie brought her inside her mother's house to clean her up, offering to replace her ruined library book and eventually letting her stay for dinner.
• Shout-Out: During their game of music charades, Ash tries to act out the final word in "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by pretending to wield a staff and holding her hand over her head like a cloak. Andrea guesses at random "Don't Fear The Sith".
• There Is Only One Bed: Steff plans to sleep on the floor and let Ash have her bed, but Ash implores her to have them share the bed together.

The Worst Disease A Singer Can Catch

• Actor Allusion: One of Steff's songs in the Moon Theatre's Little Mermaid show is "I Have A Dream", a song sung in Mamma Mia! by Amanda Seyfried (the author's ideal actress for her).
• Adaptational Sexuality: Johnny is revealed to be gay, stating he "hasn't found the right bloke yet".
• Call-Back: Ash buys a tub of Steff's favourite flavour of ice cream (mint) for after dinner to soothe her throat.
• Relationship Reveal: Buster and Eddie are quietly confirmed to be a couple, having booked a table at Les Calmars for Valentine's Day.
• Shout-Out:
  • Steff plays the lead role in the Moon Theatre's version of The Little Mermaid named Esther, a nod to actress Esther Williams who played famous swimmer Annette Kellerman in the biopic Million Dollar Mermaid.
  • Steff jokes that she wouldn't be opposed to Buster changing the show to Bathound because of her illness, saying "I am vengeance! I am the night!" in her raspy voice.
  • After they have dinner at Steff's house, she shows Ash Moana for the first time.
• Valentine's Day Episode: Mixed in with a sick day when Steff catches tonsillitis and has to cancel her and Ash's previous plans for a dinner and movie date. Thankfully Ash salvages it by cooking them both dinner at Steff's house and watching a movie from the comfort of her couch.

Don't Think, Just Feel

• Call-Back: When Steff asserts she wants to try playing a solo, Ash replies just as Buster did to Meena saying the same thing in the first movie:
  Ash: Good. 'Cause I wanna see it.
• Don't Think, Feel: Much like Gunter's advice to Rosita in the first movie, Ash tells Steff that this is how she performs her guitar solos: knowing the basic notes and length in the original song and then improvising her own rendition. Steff takes this advice to heart when covering for Ash and performs a stunning version of Sweet Child o' Mine on her keytar.
• Mama Bear: When Steff races to get some ice from Harry, him and Rachel are confused at first until Steff explains to them that Ash is hurt.
  Rachel: (slams her hands on the bar, startling Harry) You heard the girl! Ice! Now!
• Shout-Out: The story starts with Ash and Steff finishing off a performance of All I Want Is You, said to be one of Clay Calloway's classic songs.
• The Show Must Go On: Ash's foot gets caught in a loose cable backstage, causing her to fall and sprain her wrist. This prompts Steff to step up and perform her solo in her place for the encore.
• Team Mom: The second she hears that Ash has injured herself, Rosita (along with Rachel) tends to her with a makeshift icepack.