Trivia and In-Jokes

About the Story:
I’d planned on writing a fourth Secundus-based story for a while and the idea of the fair is something I’d wanted to incorporate with AL for a long time, but instead of running a petting zoo she’d use her powers to put on a show with her animals doing tricks. Since Secundus!AL is trying to keep her abilities a secret, a petting zoo was good for this version of her.

Chapter One:
The mare: The mare was a sale horse I rode in 2004 before I bought my horse, Shada. As a sale horse, she had no name, but I picked Dragonfire after the Doctor Who episode since she was red.

The Secundus County Fair: The inspiration for the fair is the Sussex County State Fair and Horse Show that is held in North Jersey every August (hence why Secundus’ fair is in August). Once I found out that Secundus itself takes place in 1880, I was then able to Google an August 1880 calendar to figure out the days.

“I have a petting zoo with tiny ewes!”: This is from “The Ballad of the Crystal Empire” from the two-part third season premiere of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Actually part of the purpose of this story was just so I could use that line. :)

The sheep: Ashley and Wilson are named after my friend (miss you!), as is Stella. She’s the one who started the whole AL-speaks-to-the-Doctor-telepathically-a-lot thing.

“I sell bags full of crumbs so people can feed the birds for tuppence a bag.”: Lyrics from “Feed the Birds” from Disney’s Mary Poppins.

Adam: Secundus!AL’s boyfriend in this universe is Adam Steel. He would have come from the show Cybertron and would have been played by Jason David Frank (Tommy from Power Rangers) had the show not have been rehashed into what is now known as VR Troopers and JDF’s Adam Steel became Brad Hawkins’ Ryan Steele.

Frozen in Tyme and Butcher Boys: These are real places in the Sussex County State Fair. I am not affiliated with either; I just love them.

Chapter Two:
a very large mechanical blue-eyed bear standing in front wearing a top hat and a bow tie: My newest obsession is a video game franchise I won’t play because I’m a wimp. I’ll watch Markiplier play them, though. Anyways, Freddy Fazbear from Five Nights at Freddy’s, an indie survival horror game series developed by…

“Hello, hello!”: Scott Cawthon, who was the voice of the affectionately nicknamed “Phone Guy” in the first, second, and third game (also “Phone Dude” in FNaF 3 as well). Phone Guy’s verbal tic/catchphrase was always starting his calls with “Hello, hello!”

“What on Earth is a ‘Scion’?”: The band Victor and Alice encounter is Train and the song they’re singing is “50 Ways to Say Goodbye”. The official video is here, but a more “acoustic” version as would be heard at the Secundus Fair (without the mariachi band and electric guitars) can be found here.

Back *~*~* Chapter Two