Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"It's that time again - time to watch our next cinematic film." the FilmMaster said to the crowd.

"Ya got that right." said Ratchet. "What film are we watching now?" he asked.

"Well," the FilmMaster said, "I did say it's a tale of love, emotion, and being there when needed."

"And what's the name of the film?" asked Clank.

"It's...." 

The FilmMaster paused impressively.

"Inside Out!" he declared.

the Emotions lit up excitedly. "Wow!" said joy. "Our Movie's up next!"

"Alright." said Fear.

"This movie is the first Inside Out movie, with Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger." the FilmMaster said. "They, of course, are your Emotions."

"Emotions?" said Clank.

"Yes." the FilmMaster said. "This is where we see what the emotions, or as some people put it, the little people inside your head."

"Do we have people in our heads?" asked Libby.

"Everyone does." the FilmMaster said.

"Sounds quite weird if you ask me." said Libby.

"I find it perfectly sensible." said Templeton. "After all, in our school, we found a portal into our headmaster's head."

"Really?" said Rivet, incredulous.

"Really really." said Mitchell.

"This film focuses on the first 5 in Riley's mind - Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger." the FilmMaster said. "This was before Riley became a teen, so Anxiety, Ennui, Envy, and Embarrassment, and Nostalgia [to a lesser degree] weren't there yet."

"This is gonna be amazing!!!!!" Envy said excitedly. "We're gonna see what Joy and the others were like before we came up!!!! Oh yeah!!!!!!"

Everyone went quiet so the film could begin.

The FilmMaster activated the Inside Out Film, which soon played on the projector. And once again, all the lights in the theater dimmed down, and he flew his seat to be above the crowd.

"Showtime." said the FilmMaster, as the film began.

[The film starts with the opening titles]

Joy: (narrates:)  Do you ever look at someone and wonder, "What is going on inside their head?" Well, I know. ...Well, I know Riley's head.

(Fades up in a white space, likely a hospital ward; where a couple called Mr. and Mrs. Andersen are admiring their newborn baby girl, Riley, who wakes up and coos happily.]

"Oh wow." said Thomas in awe. "Is that Riley Andersen?"

"Certainly is, Thomas." Joy said. "That's her when she was a baby."

Everyone aaawed and cooed at how cute Baby Riley was.

"I've seen cuter minions than that." Cortex deadpanned. "and they were better than her."

"We can hear you, Cortex!" Coco shouted.,

"I wonder if we're gonna read a story about how Riley's parents got the news when Mom was pregnant with Riley." Anxiety said.

[Zoom in on Riley's head. In Riley's mind, everything is black. From out of the darkness steps a glowing figure, Joy. She comes forward and sees a blank screen above her; below her is a single button. She presses it, and it turns yellow like her. Riley is heard cooing.)

Joy: Hmm?

Everyone marvelled in awe at Joy's First appearance.

"Is that what we all have in our heads, Papa?" Antonio asked his dad.

"Si." Felix said. "I guess we all do."

(Zoom back from Joy to the real world, showing baby Riley as she coos and giggles happily.)

Joy: (narrates:)  And there she was...

(On the screen, Mr. and Mrs. Andersens' faces materialise into view.)

Mrs. Andersen: Hello, Riley.

Mr. Andersen: Oh, look at you. Aren't you a little bundle of joy?

(A ding is heard, and a glowing yellow orb of what just happened is formed from behind the screen. Joy examines it.)

Memory Mr. Andersen: Aren't you a little bundle of joy?

Joy: Whoa.

"I guess that must be how the memories are created." said Princess Fiona. 

"Yup." said the FilmMaster. "Well, technically, it's in a film universe, and not real, but it's likely."

(Joy puts the memory back in place, and it rolls across a rack around the area, making the lights come up and revealing a red-violet space of gears, as Headquarters is starting to form. Joy is astounded; she presses the button again, and Riley coos in response. Joy beams.)

Joy: (narrates:) It was amazing. Just Riley and me... Forever.

(Riley keeps giggling and Joy smiles in reply]

"Not for much longer." said the FilmMaster.

"Why?" asked Mirabel.

Needless to say, she found out soon enough.

[Suddenly, Riley starts crying, which confuses her.)

(Riley, now a toddler, runs through the house pulling a wagon and giggling. In her mind, in the now-formed Headquarters, Fear, a thin purple figure, comes out from behind Joy. The single button is now replaced with a control console.)

Fear: Very nice. Okay, looks like you got this. Very good.

(The screen shows everything through Riley's eyes, as she is running.)

Fear: Whoa, sharp turn! NO, LOOK OUT! NO!

(He takes action; the console turns purple in response.)

Joy: (narrates:) That's Fear. He's really good at keeping Riley safe.

(Fear's actions prompt Riley to stop running and notice the plugged cable, and step over it slowly.)

Fear: (voiceover) Easy, easy. AGH! OH MY! Oh, we're good. We're good.

"Wow." said Pepa. "And I thought I overreacted a lot."

"That's what Fear does, Tia Pepa." Mirabel said. "He keeps us safe so we don't get injuries."

"Injuries that I often heal." Julieta said.

(In Headquarters, the memories have been nestled on a shelf off to the left; a purple memory, indicating a fearful one, rolls in to nestle against the yellow one on the right.)

Joy: Whew!

Sadness: Good job.

Fear: Thank you. Thank you very much.

"I can see the Memories are different colours." said Bruno. "They're like our clothes."

"Yes." said Joy. "I'm yellow, and yellow means Joy. That's me."

"The sad memories must be the blue ones." Carla Delgado said.

"And the purple memories must be the fearful ones, if I'm right." said Luisa.

"Certainly, Luisa." said the FilmMaster.

Joy: And we're back!

(She takes over, prompting Riley to resume her silliness, knocking over a lamp in the process. Mr. Andersen picks her up.)

Young Riley: Oh!

(She is put in her high chair for lunch; she is served a bowl full of broccoli as Mr. Andersen tries to feed her a stalk.)

Mr. Andersen: Here we go. All right, open.

Joy: Hmm. This looks new.

Fear: You think it's safe?

Sadness: What is it?

(On the screen, Mr. Andersen brings the spoonful forward.)

Mr. Andersen: Ahh...?

(Here comes a green feminine figure, Disgust, who takes control.)

Disgust: Okay, caution! There is a dangerous smell, people! Hold on. What is that?

Joy: (narrates:) This is Disgust. She basically keeps Riley from being poisoned. Physically and socially.

Isabela eyed Disgust on the screen doubtfully. An Emotion that snooty seemed to remind her of her old self. Her old vain, entitled and self-absorbed self.

Carla began to remember her arrogant attitude long before she changed her ways, back when she and her father, Victor, used to be evil.

Disgust: That is not brightly coloured or shaped like a dinosaur. Hold on, guys. It's broccoli!

(She retches and works the console, turning it green; this prompts Riley to react.)

Young Riley: YUCKY!

(She flips her bowl, spilling the broccoli into Mr. Andersen's face.]

Everyone recoiled in disgust.

"Gross!" said Cindy.

[On the memory shelf, a green memory rolls in, indicating a disgusted one.)

Disgust: Well, I just saved our lives.

Fear and Sadness: Whew!

Disgust: Yeah. You're welcome.

Mr. Andersen: Riley, if you don't eat your dinner, you're not gonna get any dessert.

(Shifts to a red firebrick-like figure, Anger, who sits and reads a newspaper with a headline "NO DESSERT!"; he puts it down lividly.)

"And let me guess - the short red gremlin is Anger, right?" Camilo asked.

"I AM NOT A GREMLIN, YOU LITTLE CHAMELEON TWERP!" Anger shouted angrily.

"Don't you dare start a fight!" Pepa shouted to Camilo and Anger, stopping the fight before it began.

"Si, Camilo, that's Anger." said Mirabel.

Anger: Wait. Did he just say we couldn't have dessert?

"Uh, yeah." said Mr Potato Head.

(He puts down the newspaper and steps up to the console; his head begins to flame up.)

Joy: (narrates:) That's Anger. He cares very deeply about things being fair.

Anger: So that's how you want to play it, old man?! No dessert?! Oh, sure, we'll eat our dinner! Right after YOU eat THIS!

(The console turns red as he mans it, and, letting out a furious yell, does his thing as a heavy drumroll is heard in the background score. This prompts Riley to scream in her chair as well, and a red angry memory rolls in on the shelf.]

Everyone seemed to get quite scared when Anger's head lit up in flames.

"Oh my!" Clank said, shocked.

"Holy cow." Woody said.

[Toddler Riley keeps throwing a fit when Mr. Andersen intervenes.)

Mr. Andersen: Riley, Riley, here comes an airplane!

(He makes the sound of an airplane flying; Anger immediately calms down.)

Anger: Oh, airplane. We got an airplane, everybody.

Joy, Sadness, Disgust: Oh!

Fear: Airplane.

(Mr. Andersen successfully feeds Riley, who has also calmed down; a yellow memory appears on the shelf.]

Everyone sighed in relief.

"I still think that was scary." said Percy.

[Sadness then lounges next to Joy, who is obviously not pleased by her presence.)

Joy: (narrates:) And you've met Sadness. She... Well, she...

(Quick intercuts of Riley bawling like mad over various mishaps: Ripping her teddy bear, spilling her ice cream, being dragged out of the store, and being strapped in her car seat. Back to Headquarters.)

Joy: (narrates:) I'm not actually sure what she does.

(She smiles meekly at Sadness, who promptly exits.)

Joy: (narrates:) And I've checked, there's no place for her to go, so... She's good, we're good. It's all great!

"Is it all great, now?" Mirabel said with a stern tone toward Joy, who looked quite sheepish.

"Ok, so I wasn't best with Sadness then, but yes, we've all made mistakes along the way." Joy said innocently.

"I don't really think it's fair, though," Mirabel said disapprovingly. "I mean, to not have a purpose like the rest of your kind/familia - it kinda makes you feel like you don't belong. And I've been there."

Her parents knew this was true, of course, and so did her uncles, aunt, her cousins, her sisters, and her Abuela. Since Mirabel didn't have a gift like her family, it made everyone believe she had no purpose in it.

"I had that feeling before too." Scamp said, remembering the time when he believed that he didn't belong with his family.

(She goes over to the left side of Headquarters, shelves lined with various memory orbs. Most of them are happy and yellow.)

Joy: (narrates:) Anyway, these are Riley's Memories, and they're mostly happy, you'll notice. Not to brag.

"You certainly aren't." Dolores said.

(She inspects one memory of Riley and her friend Meg playing on a playground slide.)

Memory Young Meg: Whoo-hoo!

Memory Young Riley: (giggles)

(She rewinds the memory like a touchscreen with her finger.)

Memory Young Meg: Whoo-hoo!

Memory Young Riley: (giggles)

"Wow." Mirabel said. "Riley must've been lucky to have a friend like Meg."

"Andy had friends, too, in his old neighbourhood." Woody said, "And they loved playing with him and us too, like Bonnie did."

Buzz and the other toys agreed, thinking back to the time of Andy and Bonnie's playtime, before Andy left for college.

(She hugs the memory and puts it back; then goes over to the center of the room to a big round setting of five round lights shooting out beams to the windows outside.)

Joy: (narrates:) But the really important ones are over here.

"What are those?" asked Aku Aku.

(She pushes down a slot; this brings up a pedestal of five dazzlingly bright yellow memory orbs arranged in a circle.)

Joy: (narrates:) I don't want to get too technical, but these are called Core Memories. Each one came from a super important time in Riley's life. Uh, like when she first scored a goal?

(Flashback to Riley and her parents ice skating on the lake, playing pretend hockey.)

Joy: (narrates:) Oh, that was so amazing!

(A stumble, she unknowingly hits the puck and scores a goal.)

Mr. Andersen: Hey! Would you look at that? Very nice! We got a future center here!

Mrs. Andersen: Nice job!

"That explains why Riley loves hockey." Jack Skellington said, remembering when it snowed in Halloween Town, and the Vampire Brothers played ice hockey.

(In Headquarters, the emotions cheer in response. Suddenly, a loud ding and bright light catches them off guard. From behind the screen is a brightly glowing orb of the memory, which slips into the floor and slides through an underground track to the pedestal, which shoots out a beam of light and creates a floating island outside decorated with various hockey equipment.)

Joy: (narrates:) And each Core Memory powers a different aspect of Riley's personality. Like... Hockey Island!

"What are those island things?" Camilo asked.

"Those are Personality Islands," the FilmMaster said to the crowd. "Everyone has them. The Core Memories power different aspects of your personality, and creates floating island-like places to view from Headquarters."

"Wow!" said Thomas. "I remember my super important time was when I saved James when he had his accident, and I got my branch line."

"That's what it is, Thomas!" The FilmMaster said. "That's what a Personality Island is  - something that makes up your personality."

(The emotions go to observe the five islands outside, with the hockey one in the middle. To the far left is an island of various toys and silly things, and a big clown's face.)

Joy: (narrates:) Goofball Island is my personal favorite.

(Flashback: Riley runs through the house naked as her parents chase her.)

Mr. Andersen: Ah, come back here, you little monkey!

"HOLY COW!" shrieked Mrs Potato Head. "Naked toddler on the screen!!!!!!"

Everyone quickly hid their eyes.

"TONITO SHIELD YOUR EYES!!!!" Pepa shouted, covering Antonio's eyes with her hands.

(This act of silliness is what sets Goofball Island in action, showing the clown's eyes spin around and its tongue sticking out, a mallet hitting its head, and a series of practical jokes like a Ferris wheel of shoes honking a horn and a monkey centerpiece spinning plates.)

Mr. Andersen: (laughs) Oh, you're silly!

Joy: (narrates:) Yep, Goofball is the best.

"That's why Riley likes her father's goofball antics." The FilmMaster said. 

"And the monkey thing," Bob said, "That must be the animal Riley's dad likes."

"Exactly." The FilmMaster said.

"I bet it'd be cool if Riley's Dad could say, I dunno, turn into a monkey?" Camilo said.

"That would be weird," said Mitchell. "But cool. We once turned our headmaster into a toad-headed monster that nearly took over our school, alongside giant versions of science lab animals."

(Just to the left is an island showing two heads of people talking to each other, along with various "friendly" material, like hearts, stars, and statuettes of people dancing.)

Joy: (narrates:) Friendship Island is pretty good too.

(Flashback: Riley and Meg walking arm-in-arm, leg-over-leg, down the sidewalk.]

"Just like the friends I have on Sodor," Thomas said. "And I have loads of them."

[To the left of Hockey Island is an island with various integrity memorabilia; scales, gavels, and a courthouse on a hill, designed like in Ancient Greece.)

Joy: (narrates:) Oh, I love Honesty Island. And that's the truth!

(Flashback: A guilty Riley stands near a broken plate and holds up a hammer, admitting she was behind it.]

"We all have Honesty Islands," Mirabel said. "That's what makes some of us likable."

"And some lose them when they're evil," said Sly Cooper, motioning to the villains on the top row.

[The last island to the far right features various family-oriented landmarks, such as a family tree, a board game, the Andersens' car hauling a trailer, three figures jumping on a trampoline, and a trio of gigantic statues representing the Andersens in a warm embrace.)

Joy: (narrates:) And of course, Family Island is amazing!

"That's the main island." the FilmMaster said. "The most important Personality Island always goes into the middle of the viewing area."

"And we all have Family Islands." said Mirabel.

(Flashback: Riley and her parents decorate cookies together. Riley stuffs her cookie in Mr. Andersen's mouth.)

Joy: (narrates:) The point is, the Islands of Personality are what make Riley... Riley!

(Quick intercuts: Riley in the bath.)

Young Riley: Look out, mermaid!

(She makes a big splash; Riley is now in the living room, crawling across the couch. In Headquarters, Joy inserts a flower chip into the console, which projects a daydream from Riley's view; the floor becoming imaginary lava.)

Young Riley: Lava! Whee!

(She jumps to the chair]

"Don't worry, audience," the FilmMaster said, "It's just imaginary."

"Also," he added, "This is part of the popular children's game 'The Floor is Lava'."

"What's that game?" asked Bentley.

"Well," said the FilmMaster, "It's a game in which players pretend that the floor or ground is made of lava (or any other lethal substance, such as acid or quicksand), and thus must avoid touching the ground, as touching the ground would "kill" the player who did so. The players stay off the floor by standing on furniture or the room's architecture. The players generally may not remain still, and are required to move from one piece of furniture to the next. This is due to some people saying that the furniture is acidic, sinking, or in some other way time-limited in its use. The game can be played with a group or alone for self self-amusement. There may even be a goal, to which the players must race. The game may also be played outdoors in playgrounds or similar areas."

"Now that sounds cool," said Mitchell. "We should totally try this after this movie."

[Now Riley sits and draws a doodle of a pink elephant creature on the living room wall.)

Young Riley: ♪ Who's your friend who likes to play? Bing Bong, Bing Bong! ♪

"Who is that?" asked Becky.

"Soon," the FilmMaster said.

(On a frozen pond, the six-year-old Riley skates for her parents.)

Mr. Andersen: Hey! Very nice!

Mrs. Andersen: Where'd you learn that?

(In Headquarters, Joy "skates" around the floor.]

Everyone was in awe at Joy pretending to ice skate along the floor.

"Wow!" Lucius said. "I loved Ice skating when I was Riley's age."

"That's clever!" said Carla Delgado, clapping in joy. 

"Joy, you should totally teach us how you do that!!!!" Envy said.

[On the front doorstep, the 11-year-old Riley and Meg drink Slushees; suddenly, Riley gets a brain freeze from drinking too fast.)

Riley: Ahhh!!!

(In Headquarters, everything and everyone begins to ice over.)

Fear: BRAIN FREEZE!!!

(The emotions scream as they succumb to the freezing; first Anger, then Fear, and finally Sadness, whose eyes remain the only part active once immobile.]

"That's something to worry about - brain freeze." Anxiety said.

[On the ice pond, Riley is now participating in a hockey game; she successfully scores as the crowd cheers.)

Riley: Yeah!

Joy: Yay!

(Riley is now tucked in bed; Mr. Andersen clicks off the light.)

Mr. Andersen: Good night, kiddo.

Riley: Good night, Dad.

(The door closes; Riley looks at the glow-in-the-dark stars on her bedroom ceiling as Joy watches. The screen dims out like a TV switching off as Riley falls asleep.)

Joy: And... we're out. (She goes to examine all the memories on the shelves.) That's what I'm talking about! Whoo! Another perfect day! Nice job, everybody! Let's get those memories down to Long-Term.

(Joy presses a button on the floor with her foot; the memories begin to slide off the shelves and across the roof trails.)

"So that's where the memories go when the day is up," Mirabel said. "Clever."

Fear: All right, we did not die today! I call that an unqualified success.

"Die?" said Luisa, shocked.

"Why did I just have to say that?" Fear wondered to himself.

(Disgust observes as the memories continue to pachinko and flush out, then sink into the floor through the underground trails as the recall tube in the roof covers the hole in the floor and sucks the memories up right through it. Joy goes to the window and watches the memories rain down across Long Term Memory like falling stars.)

Joy: (narrates:) And that's it. We love our girl. She's got great friends and a great house. Things couldn't be better. After all, Riley's 11 now. What could happen?

"So now we've seen the first glimpse of the Inside Out world." The FilmMaster told the audience. "Any thoughts?"

"It was kinda cool how the memory orbs rolled down into Long Term at the end," Scamp said. "They were like balls! Balls that humans throw for dogs to chase!"

"I certainly love Riley." Joy said. "Also, we love her."

The Emotions agreed.

"I wonder what all of our Headquarters are like." Donkey said.

Zoom into Libby's head - All of Libby's Emotions looked like Libby - all matching her dreadlock hairstyle.

"I have to say," said Libby's Joy, "This Filmmaster knows how to appeal to the crowd for these movies."

Libby's Emotions agreed.