Post by RandallBoggs on Dec 21, 2012 0:07:03 GMT -5
I was going to post this some other time but figured get it out there in case of stormy weather continuing on through the weekend.
This is a bit I've been meaning to write up, took me a few minutes actually, that's my theory or rather a good way on how MU would start out. It all begins with Sullivan, CEO, in his office...
There's a lot of fluff that details what Sullivan is currently facing and WHY he decides to dive into old memories....good and bad. There's some "cut" moments that can happen when the memories actually "come to life" wherein the prequel shows up (not actually IN here, this just sets the opening premise)
=======================================
"There", though Sulley, placing another stack of official forms on the end of his desk. Sighing, he leaned back in his gigantic, yet comfortable (but not in the emotional sense), cushioned chair. The sighing was both because he was tired, but also because that wasn't the last of the forms he had to fill out this late night.
Looking up from the claw tips of his thumbs, he gazed around the CEO office, feeling lonely, and for some reason, cold. It was night now, he check the clock on his desk to make sure of the time.
10:21 PM
Sighing again and running a hand over his disheveled face, he looked at the office again, knowing he would be around much longer. He hadn't had time to remodel it, but regardless of that, the room was too big, even for a monster of his size. It looked more like a hall than a room. His desk was at the back, complete with everything a busy CEO would require so conveniently on it's top. A large rug spanned the floor before it, heading almost to the other end of the room. A large obsidian meeting table was settled on it, with wheeled chairs spaced evenly together, tucked in. Sulley had done it himself on occasion, making the chairs straight and out of the way in case somebody came in. He didn't know why he did it, it was something he had done a few times without noticing.
The door was beyond the table, large and intimidating, red and gold colored with designs of popular monsters that had created the fear in humanity during the scare industry. Sulley didn't like looking at the door when he went to open it. He had his guesses as to why, but he always told himself he "just" didn't like it.
Looking to his left, Sulley saw the row of windows that dominated the wall, aside from the section adjacent to his desk. He didn't know why big players in an industry wanted a window wall, but maybe it was to gaze out on the city they provided for...or that depended on THEM.
Right now, it was night, and Sulley could make out the bright lights from the city below, all running off, for the most part, Laugh Energy, making the city gleam like the starlight in the sky. The moon was out, of course, and it's light pushed through the windows, bathing the mostly darkened CEO office in bluish rays. Sulley sighed nervously. The darkness, the moonlight creeping through the windows, it reminded him of several rooms he had been in to scare children.
Right now, he was feeling a little terrified himself actually.
Looking up past the cabinets and bookshelves that took up the wall to his right, he say the dusty outlines of several rectangles. Whatever was there, was moved recently, but Sulley never forgot WHAT was there. It was where the several portraits of Waternooses had hung. Mostly of Henry and Floyd Waternoose, but regardless, still in the family. Sulley had battled with the decision to remove them, for obvious reasons as to why he would. He would have thought they should remain because the Waternooses technically DID make M.I. what it was today and deserved to hang in prestige but...
In truth, Sulley didn't want to look up and see a Waternoose starring down at him, scornfully judging him. He didn't need that. So, he asked them to be put into storage and be done with it. But starring now, even at those empty spaces, it was as if that didn't make the feeling go away.
He placed his elbows on the desk and placed his head between, hands on his head, closing his eyes to get some confidence built up to get through another night.
He didn't want M.I. to go under. He didn't want somebody like Waternoose coming in and secretly plotting something hideous and dangerous. He didn't want others to lose their jobs because of a scandal he had involved himself in. He may not even still have a job right now if it wasn't for the C.D.A. and Scare Co.'s intervention. If it wasn't for them and his lucky guess on Laugh Energy, he would have been as easily as sentence to prison, or worse.
But...he wasn't prepared for this. He was a Scarer...or was rather. He didn't have the experience to handle these matters. Most of the time, he had help...but others he had to place his trust in. People who had worked for Waternoose, whether they wanted to or not. Was it a good decision to place his trust in these people? He didn't know...he just didn't know. He didn't know a lot.
The meetings, the decisions, the late nights just like this one, he wasn't sure if he could continue...
*
"Hey Sulley!"
Sulley jerked a bit, but recognized the voice as the huge door budged a little. It was Mike, it had to be. He was the one who had the most trouble opening such a big door. Surprisingly he managed to creep it open, holding something in his arms, just enough to come through. He looked happy enough, and Sulley, for the moment, was happy he was happy.
Mike came walking on the window side at a brisk pace, carrying a carboard box with some stuff sticking out of it. "Oh jeez, we gotta shorten this room," he heard Mike mutter as he finally came to the desk, placing the box down and taking a breath as if he had walked a mile. Maybe a bit true.
"Hey Sul...Frankie said you were still in the office. What'd are ya still doing here?" Mike asked, gesturing out with his arms as if it was an actual question.
Sulley's smile faltered, but he grabbed the next form he had to fill out. "Lot of work to do Mikey..."
"Oh that so?" Mike asked, seeming a little disbelieved. Sulley was a tad annoyed by that. Didn't Mike realize how much there was to be done.
To curve a snide comment, Sulley gestured to what Mike had put down. "What's that?" he asked, leaning over to look. One of the items sticking out looked to be shining in the moonlight. Golden. It looked like an award.
"Oh yeah! This uhh...this was a box your dad dropped off at-" Mike began.
"My dad was here?" Sulley interrupted, surprised and slightly hurt, looking at Mike now. "Why didn't he call me? Or come up? He could have come up"
"Oh...well..." Mike started, thinking. "I dunno...he just dropped this stuff off at reception when I was going to get Celia. He seemed in a rush or something," he explained. "Now that I think of it, he seemed a bit...how'd Smoothsie put it? Distressed?"
Sulley looked away. His father had come this late and not even bothered to come see him? That wasn't like him. His father was always supportive of him ever since he cleaned up. He didn't so much as call to say he was coming?
"Yeah he just dropped off this stuff. I remember you said he was going to give you some stuff to liven up this..." Mike started, looking around. "Wow...this room is really depressing."
Sulley sighed, holding his head as if a headache was starting.
"Sorry but we uhh kinda peeked," Mike admitted, chuckling to himself. "It's some stuff from our old college days...so well, I was there, Celia was there, so technically it's not-" Mike began, as if trying to explain the invasion of privacy, till he got a panicked expression. "OH! Celia's waiting I should...!" Mike started, ready to turn and run out, before he glanced back and noticed Sulley's expression of hurt.
With a bit of concern, Mike glanced at him. "Uhh...hey Sul, do you want to come with us?" he asked. Sulley looked up, but still had the same expression. "Celia wouldn't mind, we can-"
"No that's...alright Mike..." Sulley admitted, looking down at the papers as if they were something he had forgotten, or wanted to forget but couldn't. "I have...a lot I have to do tonight."
"Are you sure...?"
Sulley thought briefly. He didn't have anybody. He didn't have a Celia himself. Mike had been spending more time with her than him. He wouldn't be surprised if Mike moved out soon to live with her. He wanted to go, to get away from this responsibility, but he couldn't. He didn't want to ruin their relationship when he didn't have time for one himself. In some ways, he was jealous, and he didn't want that to get out of hand.
"Yeah...I'm sure."
"Well...ok," Mike started, walking backwards slowly. "Well if you change your mind or...get done early or whatever you just call me--ah!" Mike bumped into one of the chairs, misaligned now. Rubbing his side, Mike continued back. "Uh like I said, just call me ok?" he said, coming to the door, ready to close it. "You sure right?"
"Yeah...go on." Sulley replied a moment later.
With a regretful look, Mike closed the door, and Sulley was left along again. After a few moments, he rose from behind the desk and dragged himself over to the unaligned chair, moving it back in place. What was he doing? It's a chair for claw's sake. Looking down at the table, his eyes drifted to the box Mike left. Maybe a break would get him through.
Picking up the box and setting it down on his desk, Sulley sat down again and dug through. The award he saw earlier was for a Scareing competition. With a slight smile, he remembered. That was in a later year of college. He had cleaned up by then and was working hard. It was surprising when he put his mind to it, he managed to do something great. Maybe that would apply to being CEO now...maybe.
He dug through more, noticing that it seemed the later stuff was on top. Commendations, awards, ribbons, all those praises he got. That was a good time, a time when he knew he'd be able to make something of himself.
He dug through more, seeing some old photographs. He picked one of himself holding up Mike and Archie the Scare Pig with others gathered around them, the lights in the background showing a night scene at the university. He remembered that...Archie had taken Mike's had and it was a chase around the grounds. He allowed himself a slight laugh at that, that was fun. He looked at more, remembering those later years, and feeling better than he had in a long while.
Then he saw others, of the pranks he did. To others, and especially to Mike. He remembered a few of them. He remembered he was such a jerk. He got out of High School and his parents paid for him to go to college to clean up and...at first he didn't. His parents weren't there, he wasn't in to being told what to do. College was for freedom, for fun, to do what you wanted. And he DID what he wanted. He recalled those days...his first day of college...pranking the heck out of everyone...getting reprimanded, tossed out of class, and getting stuck in the "geek" fraternity with Mike...it was like yesterday....
-
It was fun for...a while...then...
Sulley stopped. He remembered. Digging through a couple more, he realized he didn't have anything of "that" moment but then he found something that would do enough. There it was. Slugma Oozma Python. The "geek" fraternity. It was a group picture that was made early in the year to welcome new members. Sulley could see that his younger self here was in no mood to be photographed and was not in the least excited to be a member among "nerds". Wazowski was there, and he wasn't too keen either but at least making an effort to appear "manly", figuring with all the "geeks" he would stand out light the sun in a darkened room.
But off to the side, there he was, nervously holding his hands and looking apprehensive but proud to be in the picture. In the years, Sulley had almost forgotten. Seen as very talented and intelligent among the Slugma Oozma Python peers, he would go on to be one of the most successful scarers of the new millennium. But looking at this picture, Sulley, for a moment, wondered how this shy looking individual became that person.
Randall. Randall Boggs. Sulley couldn't believe, for a moment, how such a meek person could be the Randall he knew now. But then...he remembered how...
He wanted anything to get into Roar Omega Roar, the most popular, jock-filled fraternity on campus, not be stuck in the geek infested dorm he had been put in. He remembered Al, the big purple jock, leader of the fraternity, and a self-important lady killer. He was popular, of course, but also a mean-spirited jerk. Now, Sulley couldn't believe he looked up to that sort of person.
Al saw Sulley's potential. He wasn't a geek, he was a jock, and Sulley knew that himself. With those muscles, that build and brawn, he BELONGED in ROR. But Al wasn't going to make it easy, had to follow "protocol". Sulley had to pledge himself. Al was a pranker himself, but he could be more nasty than Sulley would ever be. And Al had a target. A certain new monster who was making the jocks look bad academically and he need to be "taken care of". Of course the prank wasn't so far as to LITERALLY "take care of" the person, but to get them to leave the University.
The target, was Randall.
Sulley, at the present, leaned back in his chair, remembering. It was a terrible thing he did. Randall was so humiliated and disheartened that nobody knew what happened to him. When Sulley realized how cruel Al could be, he knew he didn't want to end up like him. He wanted to change. He wanted to stop what had happened, but he wasn't able to. The deed was done and Randall disappeared, quite literally.
It was his change of heart and what happened to Randall that got Sulley to stay in Slugma Oozma Python and take ROR down, revealing them for the jerks they were and getting things to change for the better...
And things did...Sulley cleaned up his act, and him and Mike graduated.
But Randall...he didn't know what happened to him. Next time Sulley saw him, it shocked him. When going into Monsters Inc., he discovered in surprise that Randall was his trainer. But he wasn't the meek, uncertain, labeled "geek" he was in college. No. This Randall was colder, more secluded, more aggressive. That's not to say he became an outright jerk, but he just didn't seem like he was before. That kind, some-what optimistic, cherry little glasses-wearing reptile appeared to be gone. What had happened, had made Randall close himself off to other people. He was looking out for himself now and didn't really care about anybody else. Sulley remembered trying to apologize, but Randall was having none of it, partly acting like the incident hadn't happened.
But it did happen, and Sulley had his claws in it.
It was...his fault. He caused what had happened. All those times he got ahead in something Randall was involved in, all those times he was angry or stressed because of it...it was his fault. He broke that person he was nearly a decade ago.
Sulley forced himself to stare at the picture, at that innocent little guy who just wanted to be accepted by others because he didn't have much confidence in himself to begin with...
Starring at the person he helped break.
This is a bit I've been meaning to write up, took me a few minutes actually, that's my theory or rather a good way on how MU would start out. It all begins with Sullivan, CEO, in his office...
There's a lot of fluff that details what Sullivan is currently facing and WHY he decides to dive into old memories....good and bad. There's some "cut" moments that can happen when the memories actually "come to life" wherein the prequel shows up (not actually IN here, this just sets the opening premise)
=======================================
"There", though Sulley, placing another stack of official forms on the end of his desk. Sighing, he leaned back in his gigantic, yet comfortable (but not in the emotional sense), cushioned chair. The sighing was both because he was tired, but also because that wasn't the last of the forms he had to fill out this late night.
Looking up from the claw tips of his thumbs, he gazed around the CEO office, feeling lonely, and for some reason, cold. It was night now, he check the clock on his desk to make sure of the time.
10:21 PM
Sighing again and running a hand over his disheveled face, he looked at the office again, knowing he would be around much longer. He hadn't had time to remodel it, but regardless of that, the room was too big, even for a monster of his size. It looked more like a hall than a room. His desk was at the back, complete with everything a busy CEO would require so conveniently on it's top. A large rug spanned the floor before it, heading almost to the other end of the room. A large obsidian meeting table was settled on it, with wheeled chairs spaced evenly together, tucked in. Sulley had done it himself on occasion, making the chairs straight and out of the way in case somebody came in. He didn't know why he did it, it was something he had done a few times without noticing.
The door was beyond the table, large and intimidating, red and gold colored with designs of popular monsters that had created the fear in humanity during the scare industry. Sulley didn't like looking at the door when he went to open it. He had his guesses as to why, but he always told himself he "just" didn't like it.
Looking to his left, Sulley saw the row of windows that dominated the wall, aside from the section adjacent to his desk. He didn't know why big players in an industry wanted a window wall, but maybe it was to gaze out on the city they provided for...or that depended on THEM.
Right now, it was night, and Sulley could make out the bright lights from the city below, all running off, for the most part, Laugh Energy, making the city gleam like the starlight in the sky. The moon was out, of course, and it's light pushed through the windows, bathing the mostly darkened CEO office in bluish rays. Sulley sighed nervously. The darkness, the moonlight creeping through the windows, it reminded him of several rooms he had been in to scare children.
Right now, he was feeling a little terrified himself actually.
Looking up past the cabinets and bookshelves that took up the wall to his right, he say the dusty outlines of several rectangles. Whatever was there, was moved recently, but Sulley never forgot WHAT was there. It was where the several portraits of Waternooses had hung. Mostly of Henry and Floyd Waternoose, but regardless, still in the family. Sulley had battled with the decision to remove them, for obvious reasons as to why he would. He would have thought they should remain because the Waternooses technically DID make M.I. what it was today and deserved to hang in prestige but...
In truth, Sulley didn't want to look up and see a Waternoose starring down at him, scornfully judging him. He didn't need that. So, he asked them to be put into storage and be done with it. But starring now, even at those empty spaces, it was as if that didn't make the feeling go away.
He placed his elbows on the desk and placed his head between, hands on his head, closing his eyes to get some confidence built up to get through another night.
He didn't want M.I. to go under. He didn't want somebody like Waternoose coming in and secretly plotting something hideous and dangerous. He didn't want others to lose their jobs because of a scandal he had involved himself in. He may not even still have a job right now if it wasn't for the C.D.A. and Scare Co.'s intervention. If it wasn't for them and his lucky guess on Laugh Energy, he would have been as easily as sentence to prison, or worse.
But...he wasn't prepared for this. He was a Scarer...or was rather. He didn't have the experience to handle these matters. Most of the time, he had help...but others he had to place his trust in. People who had worked for Waternoose, whether they wanted to or not. Was it a good decision to place his trust in these people? He didn't know...he just didn't know. He didn't know a lot.
The meetings, the decisions, the late nights just like this one, he wasn't sure if he could continue...
*
"Hey Sulley!"
Sulley jerked a bit, but recognized the voice as the huge door budged a little. It was Mike, it had to be. He was the one who had the most trouble opening such a big door. Surprisingly he managed to creep it open, holding something in his arms, just enough to come through. He looked happy enough, and Sulley, for the moment, was happy he was happy.
Mike came walking on the window side at a brisk pace, carrying a carboard box with some stuff sticking out of it. "Oh jeez, we gotta shorten this room," he heard Mike mutter as he finally came to the desk, placing the box down and taking a breath as if he had walked a mile. Maybe a bit true.
"Hey Sul...Frankie said you were still in the office. What'd are ya still doing here?" Mike asked, gesturing out with his arms as if it was an actual question.
Sulley's smile faltered, but he grabbed the next form he had to fill out. "Lot of work to do Mikey..."
"Oh that so?" Mike asked, seeming a little disbelieved. Sulley was a tad annoyed by that. Didn't Mike realize how much there was to be done.
To curve a snide comment, Sulley gestured to what Mike had put down. "What's that?" he asked, leaning over to look. One of the items sticking out looked to be shining in the moonlight. Golden. It looked like an award.
"Oh yeah! This uhh...this was a box your dad dropped off at-" Mike began.
"My dad was here?" Sulley interrupted, surprised and slightly hurt, looking at Mike now. "Why didn't he call me? Or come up? He could have come up"
"Oh...well..." Mike started, thinking. "I dunno...he just dropped this stuff off at reception when I was going to get Celia. He seemed in a rush or something," he explained. "Now that I think of it, he seemed a bit...how'd Smoothsie put it? Distressed?"
Sulley looked away. His father had come this late and not even bothered to come see him? That wasn't like him. His father was always supportive of him ever since he cleaned up. He didn't so much as call to say he was coming?
"Yeah he just dropped off this stuff. I remember you said he was going to give you some stuff to liven up this..." Mike started, looking around. "Wow...this room is really depressing."
Sulley sighed, holding his head as if a headache was starting.
"Sorry but we uhh kinda peeked," Mike admitted, chuckling to himself. "It's some stuff from our old college days...so well, I was there, Celia was there, so technically it's not-" Mike began, as if trying to explain the invasion of privacy, till he got a panicked expression. "OH! Celia's waiting I should...!" Mike started, ready to turn and run out, before he glanced back and noticed Sulley's expression of hurt.
With a bit of concern, Mike glanced at him. "Uhh...hey Sul, do you want to come with us?" he asked. Sulley looked up, but still had the same expression. "Celia wouldn't mind, we can-"
"No that's...alright Mike..." Sulley admitted, looking down at the papers as if they were something he had forgotten, or wanted to forget but couldn't. "I have...a lot I have to do tonight."
"Are you sure...?"
Sulley thought briefly. He didn't have anybody. He didn't have a Celia himself. Mike had been spending more time with her than him. He wouldn't be surprised if Mike moved out soon to live with her. He wanted to go, to get away from this responsibility, but he couldn't. He didn't want to ruin their relationship when he didn't have time for one himself. In some ways, he was jealous, and he didn't want that to get out of hand.
"Yeah...I'm sure."
"Well...ok," Mike started, walking backwards slowly. "Well if you change your mind or...get done early or whatever you just call me--ah!" Mike bumped into one of the chairs, misaligned now. Rubbing his side, Mike continued back. "Uh like I said, just call me ok?" he said, coming to the door, ready to close it. "You sure right?"
"Yeah...go on." Sulley replied a moment later.
With a regretful look, Mike closed the door, and Sulley was left along again. After a few moments, he rose from behind the desk and dragged himself over to the unaligned chair, moving it back in place. What was he doing? It's a chair for claw's sake. Looking down at the table, his eyes drifted to the box Mike left. Maybe a break would get him through.
Picking up the box and setting it down on his desk, Sulley sat down again and dug through. The award he saw earlier was for a Scareing competition. With a slight smile, he remembered. That was in a later year of college. He had cleaned up by then and was working hard. It was surprising when he put his mind to it, he managed to do something great. Maybe that would apply to being CEO now...maybe.
He dug through more, noticing that it seemed the later stuff was on top. Commendations, awards, ribbons, all those praises he got. That was a good time, a time when he knew he'd be able to make something of himself.
He dug through more, seeing some old photographs. He picked one of himself holding up Mike and Archie the Scare Pig with others gathered around them, the lights in the background showing a night scene at the university. He remembered that...Archie had taken Mike's had and it was a chase around the grounds. He allowed himself a slight laugh at that, that was fun. He looked at more, remembering those later years, and feeling better than he had in a long while.
Then he saw others, of the pranks he did. To others, and especially to Mike. He remembered a few of them. He remembered he was such a jerk. He got out of High School and his parents paid for him to go to college to clean up and...at first he didn't. His parents weren't there, he wasn't in to being told what to do. College was for freedom, for fun, to do what you wanted. And he DID what he wanted. He recalled those days...his first day of college...pranking the heck out of everyone...getting reprimanded, tossed out of class, and getting stuck in the "geek" fraternity with Mike...it was like yesterday....
-
It was fun for...a while...then...
Sulley stopped. He remembered. Digging through a couple more, he realized he didn't have anything of "that" moment but then he found something that would do enough. There it was. Slugma Oozma Python. The "geek" fraternity. It was a group picture that was made early in the year to welcome new members. Sulley could see that his younger self here was in no mood to be photographed and was not in the least excited to be a member among "nerds". Wazowski was there, and he wasn't too keen either but at least making an effort to appear "manly", figuring with all the "geeks" he would stand out light the sun in a darkened room.
But off to the side, there he was, nervously holding his hands and looking apprehensive but proud to be in the picture. In the years, Sulley had almost forgotten. Seen as very talented and intelligent among the Slugma Oozma Python peers, he would go on to be one of the most successful scarers of the new millennium. But looking at this picture, Sulley, for a moment, wondered how this shy looking individual became that person.
Randall. Randall Boggs. Sulley couldn't believe, for a moment, how such a meek person could be the Randall he knew now. But then...he remembered how...
He wanted anything to get into Roar Omega Roar, the most popular, jock-filled fraternity on campus, not be stuck in the geek infested dorm he had been put in. He remembered Al, the big purple jock, leader of the fraternity, and a self-important lady killer. He was popular, of course, but also a mean-spirited jerk. Now, Sulley couldn't believe he looked up to that sort of person.
Al saw Sulley's potential. He wasn't a geek, he was a jock, and Sulley knew that himself. With those muscles, that build and brawn, he BELONGED in ROR. But Al wasn't going to make it easy, had to follow "protocol". Sulley had to pledge himself. Al was a pranker himself, but he could be more nasty than Sulley would ever be. And Al had a target. A certain new monster who was making the jocks look bad academically and he need to be "taken care of". Of course the prank wasn't so far as to LITERALLY "take care of" the person, but to get them to leave the University.
The target, was Randall.
Sulley, at the present, leaned back in his chair, remembering. It was a terrible thing he did. Randall was so humiliated and disheartened that nobody knew what happened to him. When Sulley realized how cruel Al could be, he knew he didn't want to end up like him. He wanted to change. He wanted to stop what had happened, but he wasn't able to. The deed was done and Randall disappeared, quite literally.
It was his change of heart and what happened to Randall that got Sulley to stay in Slugma Oozma Python and take ROR down, revealing them for the jerks they were and getting things to change for the better...
And things did...Sulley cleaned up his act, and him and Mike graduated.
But Randall...he didn't know what happened to him. Next time Sulley saw him, it shocked him. When going into Monsters Inc., he discovered in surprise that Randall was his trainer. But he wasn't the meek, uncertain, labeled "geek" he was in college. No. This Randall was colder, more secluded, more aggressive. That's not to say he became an outright jerk, but he just didn't seem like he was before. That kind, some-what optimistic, cherry little glasses-wearing reptile appeared to be gone. What had happened, had made Randall close himself off to other people. He was looking out for himself now and didn't really care about anybody else. Sulley remembered trying to apologize, but Randall was having none of it, partly acting like the incident hadn't happened.
But it did happen, and Sulley had his claws in it.
It was...his fault. He caused what had happened. All those times he got ahead in something Randall was involved in, all those times he was angry or stressed because of it...it was his fault. He broke that person he was nearly a decade ago.
Sulley forced himself to stare at the picture, at that innocent little guy who just wanted to be accepted by others because he didn't have much confidence in himself to begin with...
Starring at the person he helped break.