#belle/jane doe fanfic

[singedsage]

My Dear Acquaintance: A Belle and Jane Doe New Year’s Fic

Summary:

Belle is stuck watching the store all alone on a snowy New Year’s Eve, while Wise is out with his boyfriend. Her lonely night might be saved when a dear acquaintance stops by unexpectedly.

Notes:

Surprise! Another fanfic before hiatus, and just in time for New Year’s day! This time, it’s a fluffy, sappy, straight-to-TV holiday special.

I recommend listening to Auld Lang Syne or My Dear Acquaintance while reading :3 Preview below, full fic at the link above!

*****

Belle sighed as she watched the snow dance around the window to Sixth Street like she was trapped in a snow globe. It was rare to have snow in New Eridu, so to have festive weather on a holiday like New Year’s Eve was especially a treat for those who celebrated.

Instead, Belle wandered the shelves of Random Play, festive music quiet in the background, and picked the holiday movie titles off the shelf to stow away until the next season. She paused to stare at the cover of one of her favorite holiday movies, The TreCarl’s Christmas Carol , a retelling of an urban legend from the Old Civilization, but with a ton of Bangboo actors alongside human counterparts and silly little songs. She smiled fondly as she brushed dust off the cover.

“Another Christmas where you haven’t left the shelf, again, huh?” Belle asked the VHS tape. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get one play in this year.” Belle walked to the backroom as 6 propped open the door for her.

She set up the movie to play loud and clear as she and the other Bangboos continued their annual holiday tidy. As the movie’s overture filled the air, Belle smiled a bit sadly. The horns and gentle bells immediately brought back the sweetest of memories long past. The nostalgia of the violins pulled at her heart as she remembered days filled with warmth and comfort and the magic of the holiday.

Instead, Belle wandered an empty Random Play instead of enjoying the season’s grand farewell. The snow continued to swirl outside the window, and the chilly wind sunk through the cracks in the front door, yet another reminder of the thrilling to-do list of a video store manager.

“This would be pretty romantic if I wasn’t here alone,” she sighed to 18, who was sorting the boxes of seasonal movies in alphabetical order. “Anyways, back to reorganizing the shelves,” she mumbled. Belle only managed to switch out a few movies before her antsy mind won out, and she glanced back at the clock. It read only 8 o’clock, and Belle groaned.

I shouldn’t have insisted on keeping the store open… Belle said to herself. No one is going to come grab a movie in the middle of a blizzard on New Year’s Eve. She pulled out her phone, scrolling through the sea of notifications–wishes for a happy year ahead and cute group photos at parties she didn’t really want to go to, but nothing more. No last-minute invites, no wondering what she was doing for New Year’s Eve.

[dead-girl-prolific]

Headcanons! pt 1. (Jane The Killer)

first up is Jane the killer and Jane Everlasting!

My beloved<3

Jane Elizabeth Arkensaw (Jane Everlasting/The SpinOff)

Faded green eyes - Lost her eye pigmentation from the fire. ( why does she have black eyes? it’s a choice ig) the black color of her “eyes” comes from the mesh of her mask.

5’6 (tall-ish and slim with slight curves)

her usual wardrobe is turtleneck shirts that fit decently tight, black or grey bell-bottoms

when she's on missions she wears her black turtleneck dress with black gloves and black fleece tights. she usually wears flats/loafers or pumps(heels)

her burns are very visible and she can't really do much to hide them

her skin is very sensitive and she hates wearing certain materials, but in some areas she can't feel at all.

Born on december 2nd 1995 and she is currently 28 years old.

She is indeed a she/they, she is pansexual leaning towards those who identify as women.

She’s basically the mansion’s therapist (only for a select few.)(everyone but jeff basically.)

Her personality is cold, distant, motherly, calculated, she rarely loses her cool and when she does it’s when a mission fails or goes wrong. She can be sweet when she wants to be, she originally wanted to be a therapist so she’s a great listener, she gives great advice, and she usually is the one stopping fights. 

She rarely comes out of her room, she doesn’t eat much, that or she has food supplies in her room, no one is really sure.

When she is around Jeff she gets mean, agitated and very impulsive, she can barely control her blood lust when she’s around him and he just pushes her further.

This is the character I will usually use for fanfictions. (unless stated otherwise)

She is 3 years older than Jeff.

She does wear wigs, guys. Her natural hair can and does grow, but it's very brittle, damaged and thin.

Good at tracking and hunting.

above average intelligence for a pasta (let alone a human)

Endurance is immaculate

agile (as agile as you need to be for her job lol)

she's very oblivious to hints of attraction and won't know to do anything unless she's the one pulling the strings or unless something is directly said.

in each fanfic /oneshot she may or may not be a proxy and have a slightly different personality depending on her role. she could also very well be a part of the zalgo army in some fics/oneshots i’m very indecisive.

I think that's it??? (I might add more)

another picture of a very attractive woman. i gotta say, i love both Janes equally.

Jane Tod Richardson(Jane the killer)

She loves watching true crimes documentaries, or listening to true crime podcasts.

She is 5’9 and her muscles are very well concealed.

She is a muscle mommy.

Jane and Mary are 3 years apart (canon)

She can not sunburn or tan due to the liquid hate changing her skin pigmentation.(canon)

Big church girly. (she’s canonically christian)

Yes, she and Mary Vaughn are married.

She’s a girl boss guys!

Lesbian

She frequently vomits black ooze from the liquid hate

She did kill Jeff the killer.

She kills criminals

She does not live with everyone in the mansion, in fact does not know any of the pastas.(determines on the fic)

she wears metal band-T's and sweatpants almost all the time when shes not doing something important.

i might use her in some fanfics i haven't decided.

those are my only headcanons for this character if you want to know more about Jane Richardson i suggest going to the actual creator of her character! remember these are just my little ideas i made up in my pea brain!

[free-for-all-fics]

Obscure Characters List - Female Edition (A-M)

Obscure Characters I love for some reason - Female Edition (A-M). (By obscure I mean characters that have little to no fanfic written about them. Not necessarily characters nobody’s ever heard of.) Don’t ask me to explain why. UPDATED: I had to split these up into separate posts because tumblr is being a butt about post length or something and won’t let me add more to either list idk.

A

Abigail Bishop/Emily (Let’s Scare Jessica to Death)

Agnes (Downfall Redux)

Agony Symbiote (Marvel Comics)

Alice (Apsulov: End of Gods)

Amanda Ripley (Alien Isolation)

Amelia (Underworld)

Anastasie “Tasi” Trianon (Amnesia Rebirth)

Annalise, Queen of the Vilebloods (Bloodborne)

Anna Valerious (Van Helsing 2004)

B

Baroness Clarimonde Catani (The Vampire Happening)

Belle (A Christmas Carol)

Black Canary/Dinah Drake/Dinah Laurel Lance (DC Comics)

Blackfire/Princess Komand'r (DC comics/Teen Titans)

Blind Mag/Magdalene DeFoe (Repo! The Genetic Opera)

Brides of Dracula (any version)

C

Cala Maria (Cuphead)

Calendar Girl/Page Munroe (DC Comics/The New Batman Adventures)

Catherine Chun (SOMA)

Charlotte Elbourne (Vampire Hunter D)

Charlotte Thornton (Nancy Drew, Ghost of Thornton Hall)

Chrissy/Mildred Pratt (Deadstream)

Constance Blackwood (We Have Always Lived in the Castle)

Cora (Devil’s Carnival 2)

Countess Marya Zaleska (Dracula's Daughter)

D

Dana Newman/The Angry Princess (Thirteen Ghosts remake)

Dolirra (Fariwalk: The Prelude)

Doll Face (The Strangers)

Dollisa (Fariwalk: The Prelude)

E

Edith Finch (What Remains of Edith Finch)

Elisabeth Williams (Maid of Sker)

Elizabeth Eilander (Rusty Lake Paradise)

Elizabeth Shelley (Frankenhooker)

Empress Tihana (Amnesia Rebirth)

Erin (You’re Next)

Estella (Great Expectations)

Esther/Leena Klammer (Orphan 1 and 2)

Evelyn “Evie” Carnahan O' Connnell  (The Mummy series)

F

Faith (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

G

Ginger Fitzgerald (Ginger Snaps)

Glorificus “Glory” (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Goody (Vampires)

Grace Le Domas (Ready Or Not)

Gwendolyn “Gwen” Grayson/Royal Pain (Sky High)

H

Harper Thornton (Nancy Drew, Ghost of Thornton Hall)

Hel (Apsulov: End of Gods)

Hero (Much Ado About Nothing)

I

Imogen “Idgie” Threadgoode (Green Fried Tomatoes)

Iris (30 Days of Night)

Isabelle/The Bride (Spookies)

J

Jane Doe (Autopsy of Jane Doe)

Jayme/Red (Blood Fest)

Jennet Humfrye/The Woman in Black (The Woman in Black)

Julia/Subject Three (TAU)

Juliette Waters (Sylvio)

Justine Florbelle (Amnesia the Dark Descent)

K

Kate Drew (Nancy Drew, The Silent Spy)

Kathy Rain (Kathy Rain)

Katrina Van Tassel (Sleepy Hollow)

Kissin’ Kate Barlow (Holes)

L

Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower (Bloodborne)

Lady Sybil Crawley/Branson (Downton Abbey)

Lamia (Stardust)

Laura "Lorelai" Wood (Lorelai)

Laure Richis (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)

Laurie (Trick ‘r Treat)

Leech Woman (Puppetmaster series)

Lena (Underworld: Blood Wars)

Lily (V/H/S Amateur Night/SiREN)

Lily Munster (The Munsters)

Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree (Elden Ring)

Lucille Sharpe (Crimson Peak)

Lucy Billington (The Invitation)

Lunar Princess Ranni (Elden Ring)

M

Malenia the Severed (Elden Ring)

Marni Wallace (Repo! The Genetic Opera)

Mary Katherine “Merricat” Blackwood (We Have Always Lived in the Castle)

Mel (Nancy Drew, Warnings at Waverly Academy)

Melanie Ravenswood (Phantom Manor)

Melina (Elden Ring)

Millicent (Elden Ring)

Milk Maiden (2001 Maniacs)

Mirror Queen (The Brothers Grimm)

Miss Brixil (Level 16)

Moder (The Ritual)

[valiantsuitcaseskellington]

Not in any particular order. Fandom tags will be in order.

Mulan from Mulan

Muffet from Undertale

Wendy, a koopaling from Mario

Hagakure from Bnha/Mha

Clara Valac from WTDSIK

Jane Doe from Ride the Cyclone.

Furina from Genshin Impact

Morticia and Wednesday fro any addams family movie, but especially The Addams Family(1991)

Mitsuri from Demon Slayer

Robin from Stranger things

Now, some of these are a stronger like than others. And there are more I could've added, but either I already put a character from there fandom on here, or I haven't even seen a bit of the original material, so I didn't want to pit them up. Robin is a bit of a difference here because I haven't really seen stranger things, but I've watched a bunch of YouTube videos about her and about Steve Harrington, and I really like fanfics with her as well. But she's definitely a much lesser like.

There are some characters I really like fanfiction interpretations of, not saying I don't like their interpretation in the movie or show or etc, but I really like their fanfic personalities more. Often seeing different interpretations as well. Sometimes I see it as a result of liking a different character a lot and they are often paired up and showed together. Mitsuri is like this, with Giyuu mainly, but I look for fanfics with Rengoku as well. Robin is this with Steve.

Also, that kind goes with Wendy slightly, since the koopalings' personalities aren't SUPER focused on, ofc.

Also, there are characters I REALLY like, but there either aren't really fanfics on then, or focused on them. Or I don't really look hard for them. This is Muffet and Hagakure btw, with Mulan to a lesser extent. I've never looked for a WTDSIK fanfic at all expect like, once or twice. So Clara to the biggest extent.

Here's some extras tho! Also un no order. And includes ones I decided to exclude up above! (Not including characters I'm unsure the gender of, is abmiguous, or has a female body but identifies as something else. Examples are Chara and Frisk from Undertale, and Bon Clay from One Piece. As much as I love them, is won's include them this time.) Tags not included.

Sam Manson from Danny Phantom

Uraraka from Bnha/Mha

Any class 1-A girl really. From Bnha/Mha

Toga from Mha/Bnha

Magne from Mha/Bnha

Ember from Danny Phantom

Kitty from Danny Phantom.

Diana/Wonderwoman from DC

MJ/Mary Jane from Spiderman, specifically Tom Holland's

Lili from Psychonauts

Milla from Psychonauts

Alphys and Undyne from Undertale

Toriel from Undertale.

Nico Robin and Nami from One Piece

Bell-mere from One Piece

Perona from One Piece

Stephanie Brown from DC/Batman

Cassandra Cain from DC/Batman

Catwoman from DC

Daria Dudley and Mary Bromfield from Shazam(2019)

Zelda from The Legend of Zelda(any really)

Yosano Akiko from Bungou Stray Dogs

Shinobu Kocho and Kanao Tsuyuri from Demon Slayer

Amane Ubuyashiki from Demon Slayer

Tamayo from Demon Slayer

Nezuko Kamado from Demon Slayer

Niki/Nihachu from Minecraft/Dream SMP(DSMP)

Miss Pauling from Team Fortress 2

The Administer from Team Fortress 2

Hinata from Naruto

Haruhi from Ouran High School Host Club

Paimon and Lumine from Genshin Impact

Klee from Genshin Impact

Sakura from Naruto

Peni Parker from Spiderverse

Gwen Stacy from Spiderverse

Erica from Stranger Things

Gwen Blake from Black Phone

Luz and Camila Noceda from The Owl House(TOH)

Amity and Emira Blight from TOH

Edalyn and Lilith Clowthorne from TOH

Willow from TOH

Unasaka Miri from Buddy Daddies

Anne Weying from Venom

Mrs. Chen from Venom

There's a hell of a lot more, and from more fandoms but here's the bunch.

Name ten female characters you like, you get zapped if it's jsut a male character you call a babygirl or other feminine nicknames because I can't see people calling Lestat coquette again

[bylerchoseme]

lonnie byers was right! will is gay😂 and his crush doesn’t even love him lol! pathetic! when he’ll be 40 yo he will go to these weird gay club with naked man … gross! while mike is married with jane and has 5 kids 😘

It is a pleasure to get a message from a Milkvan shipper. You’re the first one. Congratulations snowflake. Are you proud of yourself? What are you hoping to accomplish with this message?

Lonnie Byers doesn’t deserve the title of a father (much less dad) because a dad is more personal. He isn’t in the picture anymore. I don’t know this dude. Lonnie who? Who is this man? I don’t recall. Your support of an egoistical maniac shows what kind of a person you truly are. He made his son hate himself. Are you happy Will is hurting? Are you happy Will’s father is a douchebag? You’re a disgusting troll. You’re sick for celebrating a broken kid at the cost of having a real father figure. Lonnie Byers is an imbecile. He is a pathetic loser.

Will has always been gay. His father knew one thing. Do you wanna give him a pat on the back for figuring out his son’s sexuality? Not only is Will gay but Mike is the only person in the world that teaches him it’s okay to be different. He loves Will for Will. He doesn’t try to change his best friend which is exactly one of the many reasons Will fell in love with Mike. Mike doesn’t make Will feel like a mistake. Will doesn’t feel worthless with Mike. Do you wanna know something else? Mike is irrevocably in love with With Will. He is so in love with that boy. You don’t understand just how much Mike is in love with Will. You don’t understand the extent of Mike’s love for Will. Mike loves Will unconditionally. He loves him with his entire heart and soul.

You’re funny anon. You think a Milkvan marriage is possible? And 5 kids? You’re overestimating yourself there. Oh wait but you’re saying Jane and Mike? I am sorry to break it to you but Jane is a privilege. Mike will never marry Jane. He can’t even call her by her first name. Does he even know her first name and if he does, why does he call her by a number? Why not by her real name? There won’t be wedding bells for Milkvan or Mike and Jane. There won’t be a future for them romantically. Milkvan is an illusion. They’re not real. Have fun with that fanfic idea. That’s the only way you’ll see a Mrs. Jane and Mr. Mike Wheeler. Your confidence level is at a peak right now and I can’t wait until all of your hopes and dreams are crushed and stomped upon when Michael Byers pursues a relationship and eventually marriage with William Byers.

Tell me anon......what is it like to be delusional? How do you invent stuff out of your *** and lack any cognitive development? Enlighten me.

[tragically-jane-doe]

I've been thinking about what the choirs hobbies are

Jane is beads stuff all the other choir members have 20 things minimum from her(jewelry, pearler art, Kandi)

Constance gives off "I'm willing to stab this thing a million times so thread and needle stuff (crossstitch, embroidery, sewing)

Ricky is of course writing (specifically fanfics of warrior cats and she-ra) I also think he had a period in time where he wrote fanfic of the choir members and would post it on Wattpad

Noel he might hate his job at taco bell but damn does he love to cook (french cuisine mainly but he does a lot of Mexican cuisine for his mom)

Mischa is definitely a baker (he can only really make pies and honey cake everything else he burns or messes up ingredients)

Ocean has early onset arthritis so that meansss fiber crafts! (Crochet, knitting) she has a million and one sweater vests

[sleepyowlwrites]

find the word tag CCLXVI

okay! I got new seaweed snacks, I got milk tea mochi that are SO GOOD, I got the complete works of Jane Austen and I got a pair of leggings! today's errands were acceptable. @talesofsorrowandofruin @josephinegerardywriter

trail (the illusion, 2012)

Torash ran in front of me, pushing branches aside or hacking at them with his sword when they wouldn't give way. Our pursuers had dogs tracking our smell anyway, so no amount of caution would hide our trail until we reached the river. Speed was what mattered now. Verain ran behind me, making no sounds while Torash and I crashed through the bushes that blocked our path. I couldn't even hear her breathing, but knew she was there, protecting my back just like before. My own heart thudded against my ribcage, beating for all it was worth, my lungs trying to give me the air I needed to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

tomorrow (youth story d0)

“I’ll perish without your touch on my skin!” He raked a hand through his hair. “And I can’t perish because I’m fighting Isanz tomorrow night.”

“What, again? Stop trying to make him your mortal enemy, R. You can’t even bring yourself to steal his food at lunchtime.”

R slumped back against Evie despite her groan of protest. “You’re right. And Lucas already called him anyway.”

“Daniel hates when you call him that.”

“Which is exactly why I call him that. Walk forward.”

tact (I know I have this in a fanfic but I don't wanna open the doc)

thunder lightning (youth story d0 - I know I have thunder in a fanfic but I don't wanna open the doc)

“Does Nyks require body to body contact to exist?” Jae wrote next to the doodle of a hedgehog.

R drew a bad, generic lightning bolt and shook his head. “He’ll exist without it, but he draws energy from living beings, especially humans, and it’s easier to get that energy if there’s contact, and before you ask, no, it doesn’t hurt us to have our energy stolen. It’s more like, uh, shared? Instead of him just taking energy and burning through it, we can share energy if we’re very close in the same space, so it’s not exhausting for us to energize him.”

found (always never, never always, 2021)

the thing is:

that he never had eyes. he never had eyes but he could always see. he never had eyes and he could always see, especially when he saw right through me

and he never had fingers but he could hold my hand he never had fingers and he held my hand, especially on days when I found it harder to stand

and he never had memory but he could remember me he never had memory and he remembered me, especially when I thought I had maybe stopped existing

follow (youth story d0)

Nyks thought it was Evie’s hand that pinched Daniel, making him yelp, but there was elated giggling to follow and the mood only got warmer from there. R crashed into them with all the force his skinny, gangly limbs could muster, gracefully catching Bell before she could land hard on concrete.

“Where’s Mark?”

“Late.” Daniel sounded sour, so Nyks rubbed his head on his shoulder. Daniel pat him in thanks.

“I’m right here,” Mark said behind them, and Nyks could feel Daniel already turning around to scold him, so he acted first.

“I missed you!” He said joyfully, jumping on top of their slightly late friend knowing he’d be caught. “It’s been so lonely without you.”

Mark coughed a little. “You saw me last night, though?”

“Too long.”

fine (summon story d0)

“If I don’t like something you’re doing, then-?”

“Then tell us, idiot.” Zan placed his hands back on his hips, his eyebrows challenging Wryn to reply correctly.

Wryn almost smiled. “Alright. I’ll tell you. When you help with breakfast-”

“No, that doesn’t count! I burned your breakfast one time because you snuck up behind me and startled me!” Zan glowered at them. “Every other time it’s been fine. I’m a good cook, better than Erin or Shae. So no more complaining about that.”

Wryn did smile, their lips widening without peeling back once. “Fair.”

figure (summon story d0)

“You’re mad to do that out in the open.”

Shae whirled around, one foot dragging through the ashes behind her, destroying the effectiveness of the array in seconds.

The voice had come from above her, a lump of shadow perched on the roof. The lump shifted and stretched, finding form while accompanied by the sound of bone on stone. Shae rolled her shoulders uncomfortably as the figure dropped down in a coordinated heap. As per usual, Shae had nothing on hand except her ruby knife, which she was loathe to use as a weapon.

What moved toward her wasn’t a person, or at least, not a whole person. Their clothes - only a coat and trousers reminiscent of a boat captain - hung off their frame loosely. As they stepped into the lantern light, Shae could see why. They had no body, or no flesh, rather. In place of muscle and skin swirled a miasma of dark red smoke. It was mostly opaque and seemed to keep the bones of the skeleton linked and able to move. Shae had no idea what to call such a thing. Her books had never suggested this was even possible, much less something just hanging out on rooftops like a spare chimney.

remember, return, relate, repair, respond. BONUS: rescind, rearrange. @drippingmoon for Grimes content, @akindofmagictoo for Nyks content, @diphthongsfordays for poetry content @writing-with-melon because I had honeydew today @gottaenjoythelittlethingzz because we were talking about Wryn

[oepionie]

݁ ˖♱  ࣪ . ⊹ thankchu for the tag!

last song: bells of notre dame<3<3

last movie: frozen 1 & 2

last show: hmm does helluva boss count?

currently watching: snow white! doing a disney marathon rn as you can see ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

currently reading: jane eyre by charlotte bronte and a bunch of fanfics

current obsession: twisted wonderland, obey me, and genshin my beloveds hehe

tagging @keedas, @the-dumber-scaramouche, @spadecentral, @cross-crye, @jeidoleech, @twistedchatterbox <33

Tag 9 people you want to get to know better.

Tagged by @seleneastra

Last song: I wanna be adored - The Stone Roses

Last movie: Saptapadi (1961)

Last show: Abbott Elementary S1 ( i was obsessed)

Currently watching: The Last of Us, Abbott Elementary S2

Currently reading: Maurice - E. M. Forster ( rewatched the movie recently and I had to check out the novel)

Current obsession: I've been obsessed with old Uttam Kumar movies recently, I mean you can't blame me, just look at the guy <3

Tagging: @beingdevipdf @deesi-academia @borah @rone-do-please @torivegafromindia @buckley-robin @little-wlw-froggie

[catgirlthecrazy]

Imposter Syndrome

Fanfic partially inspired by episode 161, and also these excellent bits of Archivist Sasha AU/Not!Jon related fanart by @skyberia

AO3

Summary: Martin doesn't have much left of the real Jonathan Sims. He doesn't even have a face. Not a real one. Just a recording on a tape recorder.

************************

"Come on…" Martin strains against the super glue cap. "Come on." The damn thing won't move. Frustrated, knowing it's a dumb idea but with no better ones to hand, Martin grips the cap between his teeth and twists.

"What are you doing?"

Martin yelps and fumbles the glue bottle. He frantically grabs for it, but his flailing arms just knock the tape recorder off the table and send it clattering onto the floor. He scrambles to pick it up. Please don't be broken, please don't be broken. There doesn't seem to be any damage. No new damage, anyway.

(He fails to notice that the record button was pressed on by the fall)

Jonathan Sims, Martin's fellow archival assistant and target of an extremely inconvenient crush, raises an eyebrow at him. "Um, sorry, I didn't see you there. You startled me." Curse Jon and his inconvenient good looks. He'd always had a weakness for dark hair and hawklike features.

Jon grunts. "I suppose that's to be expected, given the circumstances." He glances around the storage room. "No worms?"

"What? No, not in here, anyway. I've seen a few around the institute. Been stomping on all of them. Kind of satisfying, really."

Jon grimaces. "Lovely. You never answered my question by the way."

Martin racks his brain, but the last few minutes are a fuzzy, giddy panic to him. "Sorry, which question is that?"

Jon makes an inpatient noise. "What you were doing just now." He motions with his hand.

Martin glances at the tape recorder. "Oh, that. Just trying to fix the tape recorder."

"You? Fix a tape recorder? I thought your degree was in parapsychology."

Guilt gnaws at his insides. Martin does not want Jon thinking too much about his qualifications. "It's nothing complicated! Just one of the buttons broke off. Thought I'd try and glue it back on." He looks at the glue bottle morosely. "Or at least, I was. This seems to be glued shut."

"And you thought you'd pry it off… with your teeth? You do realize that's a good way to end up in A&E with your mouth glued shut." The raised eyebrow is back. He's good at that. Unfairly good at it. It makes Martin's insides leap with excitement. It also makes him want to curl up in a corner and die of embarrassment.

"I know, I know, it was stupid. I'm just frustrated, I guess."

"Understandable, I suppose. Not exactly pleasant accommodations here in storage." Jon pauses. "Are you alright down here? Do you have everything you need?"

"What, me? Oh I'm fine. Totally fine. No need to worry about me." He laughs nervously.

"I believe current circumstances have proven there is plenty of cause to worry." Jon coughs and looks away, his cheeks darkening. Martin has to suppress a lovesick grin. Jon always does this when he crosses his own personal definition of professional boundaries. Which as far as Martin can tell, encompass pretty much anything approaching genuine friendship. Not that Jon is very good at staying inside those boundaries these days. Not since the Prentiss incident.

"Anyway," Jon says, recovering himself. "Do you still have those files on Pinhole Books? Sasha said she'd assigned them to you." He's all business now, as if he hadn't just unbent enough to be outright friendly.

"Those? I think they're somewhere in my desk. Why?"

"Just looking into a few things related to Leitner."

"Alright. I'll try to find them after lunch."

Jon nods, and starts to leave, but hesitates. "You might want to try hot water." He leaves.

Martin heaves a heartfelt sigh. Then he realizes the tape recorder has been recording the whole time.

***

Months later, Jane Prentiss attacks. Jonathan Sims flees into Artifact Storage to hide. Something else comes out.

***

"Here you are Martin."

Martin blinks bleary eyes at the steaming mug that's just been set in front of him. He looks up to see Jon, a kind expression in his eyes. "You made me tea?"

"Of course." Jon smiles down at him. "You do it for me often enough. Seemed only fair."

"Wow, um. Thanks." Martin sips the tea. It's brewed exactly how he likes it: hot and strong with plenty of cream and sugar. "This is… this is really good!"

"Glad to hear it. And how've you been doing? It must be good to have your own place again."

"Not bad. Got a new flat not far from the old one." He'd lost the lease on the old place during his months in the archives. Not that he could have stomached going back there. There might still be worms. "Still unpacking boxes from the old place. At least the neighbors are quiet."

Jon nods. "Say, Tim and I were going to step out a bit early for drinks tonight. You want to come?"

Martin straightens. "Y- yeah, that'd be great." At that point, Sasha pops in with questions about the Herbert Knox file, and the conversation ends. Jon gives him a little wave and wanders back to his desk.

It isn't until later that Martin realizes: the rushing giddiness is gone. He'd had an entire conversation with Jon being nothing but nice to him, and his insides hadn't done one single swoop. He's still plenty fond of the man, but only that. Is his crush evaporating already? That was quick. Martin had expected to be pining after Jon for months yet.

It's probably for the best. Nothing would have come of it, except possibly Martin making a fool of himself. More of a fool of himself. And really, it's remarkable Martin ever had a thing for him to begin with. He doesn't usually go for blond hair.

***

Sasha takes Tim and Martin out to lunch. That's not particularly unusual. Jon is out following up a case, so he can't come, but that's not unheard of either. It isn't until she leads them away from their usual place and towards a park that Martin worries. He's not at all prepared for what she tells them.

"What do you remember about 0070107? Amy Patel's statement?"

Martin and Tim glance at each other. "That's the one where her neighbor was eaten and replaced by an evil drain pipe, right?" Tim said.

"I remember something about… changing photos?" Martin ventures.

Sasha pulls out a tape recorder. She doesn't look at it as she presses play. She doesn't even look at them. She's staring at some indefinite point in space to Martin's left, like it's a window to hell. The recorder plays.

"You're aware it's pronounced Kuh-ly-o-pee, right?" A man's voice, acerbic and dry, that Martin doesn't recognize.

"Really? I've always heard it pronounced ka-lee-o-pee." Sasha's voice.

"I suppose technically there's no correct pronunciation. But the organs are named after the Greek muse Calliope, so…"

Tim frowns. "Isn't that Leanne Denikin's statement? Who's that you're talking to?"

Sasha closes her eyes. "Jonathan Sims. The real one."

***

It takes them a week to find a way to deal with NotJon. During that week, Martin has to pretend that nothing has changed. That he isn't aware that his coworker and one time crush has been replaced by this… thing that calls itself his name. Martin has to smile when he says hello. Thank him when he brings tea. Laugh when he tells a joke. Just like normal.

(Were any of those things normal Jon behavior?)

Sasha's background in artifact storage provides the answer: an old diving bell with a penchant for disappearing people to infinite crushing depths. In his nightmares, Martin can still the the way the thing distorted, when it realized it had been caught. The way its limbs stretched into a grotesque parody of the human form as dark water sucked it in.

And then… things are normal again. There isn't even a police investigation. Jon apparently had no surviving family to raise a fuss about his disappearance. They get drinks, but even that is hard. It's hard to remember which of their fond stories belong to the real Jon, and which to the imposter.

***

One day, Martin finds an unmarked tape in the storage room. Thinking it's an old poetry tape he forgot to label, he pops it in a recorder to play. He could use a pick me up.

It's not poetry. The recording starts with a loud clatter, like the recorder being dropped. Then, Martin's voice. "Um, sorry, I didn't see you there. You startled me ."

"I suppose that's to be expected, given the circumstances ." A man's voice. Acerbic and dry. Martin can't breathe. He remembers this conversation. The voice on the tape is saying all the words that Martin remembers. It's not the same voice.

How long has this tape been sitting here? NotJon had hidden all the tapes containing the real Jon's voice, but apparently he'd missed this one. If Martin had found this earlier, if he'd managed to keep his poetry tapes in some kind of order for once … But Jon had already been dead by the time Martin had first met the imposter. His research on the NotThem made that abundantly clear. They might have caught on sooner. But it wouldn't have saved him.

"You never answered my question by the way."

"Sorry, which question is that?"

God. Had it really been that obvious, how much he'd liked Jon? Martin on the tape sounds like his head has floated off like a child's lost balloon. Jon's annoyance is audible even via tape. He remembers recognizing it as cover for genuine concern. It's so totally unlike the kind, smiling man Martin has known for the past year. How the hell did he never notice the switch?

Maybe he had. Hadn't his crush dissipated around that time? That makes Martin queasy to think about, but he clings to it anyways. That crush might be the truest thing he has left for Jon.

"Are you alright down here? Do you have everything you need?"

Martin blinks away wet, stinging tears. He remembers clear as day the kind and concerned look on Jon's face as he'd said these exact words. Except… those memories were fake. Had the real Jon looked at him like that? What would that even look like? Martin still doesn't know what the real Jon looked like. All he has is Melanie's vague description ("Short. Greying hair. Bit of an arsehole. Definitely not white."). All Martin's photos show only the imposter. He hasn't been able to find any Polaroids. God knows he's tried. He spent a week tracking down old yearbooks and photo albums and anything else he could think of. Plenty of photos of the imposter at varying ages. Nothing else.

Martin tries to construct an image of Jon. Take the few details he does have and paste them over the memories of the imposter. It feels less real than the fake.

Maybe that's the real horror of this monster. When someone you care about dies, you can normally take comfort in your memories of them. The NotThem has stolen that from him. No, worse than stolen. Corrupted. Taken Martin's memories of Jon and plastered them over with a false, smiling face.

All he has now is a tape and a voice.

[hopes4gf]

Thievery and Mischief (a marvel/ descendants crossover)

TW: (applies for series: discussions and mentions of rape, underaged sex, cheating, suicide, mental health)

AN: hi! this is a work in progress fanfic i’m uploading in advance of 15 chapters, so please show this some love, also sorry in advance for typos and spelling errors, my grammar is shit ;/ please enjoy!

I was so young. Too young. I didn’t understand why anything happened. I grew up in Agrabah with my parents and my brother, Aziz. But it wasn’t the dream vacation destination everyone in Auradon sought it out to be. It was a wreck. Jafar and Hades had invaded Agrabah and fought against my parents for revenge. Agrabah was damaged after their attack and our government had struggle to repair itself. So we had to live in a semi-permanent safe home for quite some time. By the way, I was also cursed by Jafar as a kid and I could shape shift into a tiger and develop other powers in the future. In my home, Mom was always stressed. Yelling and screaming how we needed to be better than they were to protect our city, especially me with my powers. My brother and I both took fencing classes, martial arts, learn how to shoot, every survival skill in the books before taking boys and girl Royal etiquette classes. Mom was the one who was particularly hard on me and my older brother throughout our childhood. Dad, not so much. He spent a lot of time in meetings in Auradon City. That’s how my first friendships began. He was great friends with King Adam and Queen Belle, elected leaders of Auradon. Ben, their only child was shy around me at first. He was intimidated by my mature stature. He like horses, painting, books, and food. I liked singing, fencing, and dancing but I also had a love for food and books so we got along through those things. We would always talk about the different ingredients in our cultures foods. His French pastries and my Arabian comfort foods. We were an inseparable pair of friends. And then I was introduced to Audrey. She joined our group soon after King Adam and Belle has decided to promise my parents and Audrey’s parents to a trust bond. A promise that would have one of us marry in the future. 9 year old me definitely didn’t want ANYTHING to do with dating my best friend. Neither did Ben. But Audrey, she was so persistent. She would constantly try to grab his attention. She was such a cheeky little girl. Raised to be such a lady compared to my more loose and carefree attitude. Somehow, Ben was happy around her. Our group soon expanded, and I met the greatest person ever. Li Lonnie, my greatest friend ever. Daughter of Fa Mulan and Li Shang, she was like me. Mature, strong, intelligent, and such a beautiful kid. Sure, she didn’t have my hazel eyes but she was such a pretty girl. She spoke so intelligently and when she spoke it was law. She was one of my inspirations as a kid. And still is :)

Time passed and we realized we weren’t kids anymore. My brother had to go away to a school in Auradon. And I was alone soon again. But I had my friends. But my child-like manners went away when I realized it was soon my turn to go to Auradon. So, I ran away. But you’ll hear more about that in the future.

Freshman year of high school. Audrey and Ben has broken off from our group and started dating in High School. Audrey has changed so much. She was such a sweet girl with a big heart but had begun to morph into a self-absorbed teen. Lonnie was still the same kind-hearted best friend. When I arrived in Auradon, I had a familiar face to help me. My cousin, Jordan. Daughter of the Genie. Everyone in that school was so nice that it hurt. My mother had raised me not to believe everything in front of me. But one particular thing or something changed that. A blonde boy with short curly hair and beautiful blue eyes had captured my attention. I still remember when our eyes had locked for the first time in the school courtyard. It was a whole new experience for me. I suddenly felt happy inside. Like a new found confidence in me was discovered. But my cousin Jordan advised me not to approach the boy. Chad Charming, son of Prince Charming and Cinderella. The most popular boy at Auradon Prep. Every girl would fawn over him endlessly. One day I had found a note from him on my lunch tray to meet him in the gardens. I swear we talked for hours about everything. We talked about our dreams, our experiences, our hopes. He made all my dreams happen. I wanted my first date to be at a carnival and he made that happen. I wanted something from the mall and he got it for me. I thought everything with him was just fine. Until that party. Ben had thrown a party for all his friends at Auradon Prep and Chad and I were there. Everyone was drinking except me. Imagine, prestigious kids of Royalty breaking illegal drinking laws. I didn’t know at the time but the punch was spiked heavily with Vodka. I never drank Vodka after that damn party. Jane, the headmistress, Fairy Godmother’s daughter had come to my dorm crying. She kept saying “I can’t take this anymore”. She had gave me the worst news of my life. She had seen Chad take me upstairs while I was drunk and touch me in explicit manners. Essentially, my boyfriend decided to rape me at my best friend’s party. I was sickened by that. And when my family pressed charges and got a restraining order on him, the case ended in a settlement. He didn’t even serve time. Because the judge was a family friend of the Charmings. I was devastated. I cried for weeks. I didn’t eat. I didn’t sleep. I just cried. Lonnie visited me every day while I was out of school. She had told me that Chad had moved on and was doing perfectly fine. I was miserable for all of Sophmore year.

By the way, my name is Adri Ababwa and I’m the world’s stupidest masterpiece. But you’ll see why later.

------------------------------------------------------------

“Adri,” My best friend, Ben called out.

My eyes widen, suddenly alarmed from my name being called.

“What’s up?” I say striding over to Ben’s side as he looks out the window of his parlor.

”I spoke with my parents about the proclamation,” Ben says.

I roll my eyes, realizing what’s about to happen.

”I told you your idea was stupid. Your dad would never let you bring Villain kids over-“

”They approved it,” Ben says, stopping me between my sentence.

My eyes widen in disbelief.

“Oh. Oh! I guess that’s good for you I guess,” I say nervously.

Ben takes both of my hands in his.

”Listen, I know things were rough for you last year, but this year we need change in this world. And I’m gonna be the one to establish that change,” Ben says.

”Even if that means bringing the daughters of Maleficent and the Evil Queen and the sons of Cruella de Vil and Jafar to Auradon Prep?” I ask nervously.

”What did I say about that?” Ben asks cheekily.

”They’re not their parents,” I reply in a mumble.

”Right,” Ben says, patting my shoulder. Ben opens his mouth to say something but hesitates.

”What?” I ask.

”That‘s why your going to be my advisor,” Ben says.

I take a step back.

”Your crazy but okay,” I giggle.

Ben chuckles softly and goes to the phone to ask his secretary if Audrey is on her way to the room for her Coronation fitting.

I walk through the door and wish Ben good luck.

As I stride down the hall, I hop onto my sticker filled skateboard and race down the halls. I greet the guards surrounding the castle and slide the down the handlebars of the stairs. I see Audrey and stop to walk the rest of the way.

”Adri! It’s a pleasure to see after so long. Out of your depression, I see,” Audrey says snarkily.

”Sure! I’m fine. And I see your makeup is looking as creased as ever,” I reply in the same fashion.

Audrey huffs and rolls her eyes.

I strut off.

”Fucking bitch,” I mutter to myself, hopping on my skateboard and skating back to my dorm.

As soon as I reach my dorm, Fairy Godmother is standing by my door.

“Can you please give me the board?” Fairy Godmother asks.

”Can’t have any fun around here, can I?” I ask, giving her my board for the fifth time this week

“Not for the first week of school. Remember we have-“

”Press coming in to report on the school, I know Jane told me,” I say at the same time as Fairy Godmother.

“Good. Then I’ll see you soon,” Fairy Godmother says dismissing herself.

I turn around and head for the courtyard where I spot Jordan under our gossip tree.

”What’s new, pinky-Lou?” I ask.

”Hey, cuz. Just doing some newspaper projects. I writing about the secret camera web series of our school and the new kids coming to the Isle,” Jordan says.

”Damn, news does travel fast,” I scoff.

”Ben posted an announcement a couple minutes ago,” Jordan says.

I roll my eyes in disbelief.

“What if one of them is cute? You gonna go for it?” Jordan asks cheekily.

”HELL NO. I am never making the same mistake of opening up to a person ever again,” I yell.

”It’s gonna happen...” Jordan says in a song-like manner.

”Shut the fuck up!” I say.

The night I sneak out of my dorm and go to the kitchens to get a snack for Roxie, my baby tiger.

”Insomnia?” A voice says behind me.

I’m startled by the voice and I turn to see Lonnie standing over the counter.

”Yes, you asshole,” I sigh.

Lonnie laughs silently.

”You know someone’s gonna find out that it’s you recording the videos at lunch,” I say.

”Stop it. That’s top secret,” Lonnie says.

”Who cares? Everyone knows that they’re asshole and dickheads anyways. And your very lucky that I haven’t ratted you out to Jordan. She’s persistent,” I say, grabbing some bacon from the fridge and putting it in a pan

”That’s for Roxie, right?” Lonnie asks.

”Maybe not,” I say.

Lonnie laughs and I take a piece of cooked bacon and put it in my mouth.

I hum softly at the taste.

”Hey. Don’t be afraid to talk to me sometimes. Especially after what I saw,” Lonnie says.

Ah. The thing. After some time in my self-quarantine of Sophmore year, I decided it was time for everything in my life to end. So, I grabbed some pills and I did something I regretted. Lonnie saved my life that day. That’s why I love her so much.

“I know, mama,” I say softly as I cook the rest of the bacon.

”You have no idea how much I care, Adri,” Lonnie says, hugging me from behind me.

”Thats probably why I love when you’re around,” I chuckle.

Lonnie lays her head on my shoulder.

”By the way I signed ya up for the welcoming comitee with Audrey,” Lonnie whispers.

”What!” I yell.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two weeks later...

Someone starts banging heavily on my door. I open my eyes and the sound in my ears clears.

”ADRI! Wake up! Your late for the Vk’s welcoming,” Audrey screams from behind my door.

Maybe I should have stayed asleep. Damn you, Lonnie.

I put on this:

pin.it/5uiV7hV

And I walked out my door.

“Ben shouldn’t have made you his advisor if you were gonna sleep in,” Audrey says.

”I’m here aren’t I?” I reply.

”Shut up, let’s go,” Audrey says, grabbing my hand and dragging me down the stairs to the courtyard.

Oh god this is gonna be terrible.

Ben sees me and Audrey coming up next to him.

”What happened to you?” Ben asks.

”Slept in,” I mumble.

Ben chuckles and Audrey takes his arm.

”It’s fine by the way, it’s actually the first time in a while,” Ben says.

Fairy Godmother begins to greet everyone in the small group of band kids and cheerleaders until she reaches our trio.

”Ben, Audrey, Adri, how are you?” Fairy Godmother.

“Good,” We all say.

The limo pulls up and the band starts playing. The limo stops and two boys pop out fighting over a scarf.

My eyes glance towards to girls who come out of the other side of the car. One has short plum hair with a plum leather outfit to match. The other girl has long wavy blue hair with two crown braids at the front.

“Why do you want whatever this is?” One of the boys with gray hair says.

”Because you want it,” The other boy in a red beanie says.

Right off the bat you notice who’s who. And the boy in the beanie is definitely Jafar’s son.

“Leave it where you found it! And by that, just leave it.” Fairy Godmother says.

”Just cleaning up!” The boy with the red beanie says.

He puts the scarf back in the limo and his eyes immediately catch mine.

He catches me as I stare at his frame. His brown hair, his dark brown eyes, his muscular form and his leather outfit all catch me off guard.

His frown turns into a smirk and he strides towards me.

”Hello, foxy~ The name’s...Jay,” The boy introduces, attempting to flirt with me.

I laugh softly at his action.

”Your quite the catch aren’t you?” I remark with a smirk.

“Welcome to Auradon Prep,” Fairy Godmother says, stepping between us.

I whisper a little thank you to her and she nods.

”I’m Fairy Godmother, the headmistress,” She curtsies.

”As in, the Fairy Godmother? Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo?” The girl with plum hair asks.

”Bibbidi-Bobbidi, you know it,” Fairy Godmother says.

“Does she ramble like this much?” I ask Ben.

”All the damn time,” Ben says.

We snicker in unison.

Audrey nudges Ben.

”It’s so nice to meet you all. I’m Ben,” Ben introduces.

”Prince Ben. Soon to be King, right Bennyboo?” Audrey interjects.

I fake-vomit at the nickname and roll my eyes.

”You had me at Prince. My mom’s a queen so that makes me a princess,” The blue haired girl says, fawning over Ben.

”The Evil Queen has no Royal status here and neither do you,” Audrey smiles cheekily.

”Yes she does, otherwise Snow White would cease to be Royalty and she is her step-sister,” I comment with a smile.

Audrey raises a brow to stop me and I wink in the girl’s direction. She gives me a smile in return.

”This is Audrey. My-“

”Girlfriend. And future queen,” Audrey says.

”Last but not least, this is Adri. My advisor and my best friend,” Ben says.

”Your new wickedly cool best friend,” I say with a smirk.

”These three are going to show you all around and I’ll see all tomorrow. The doors of wisdom are never shut! Except library hours are 8:00 to 11:00 and you know I have a thing for curfew,” Fairy Godmother says, excusing herself.

”She tends to drag things out of proportion. Don’t mind her,” I say.

Ben chuckles and Audrey nudges his arm.

“It is so, so, so good to finally me... meet you all,” Ben starts as Jay hits his chest with a light punch.

“ This is a momentous occasion, and one that I hope will go down in history... Is that chocolate?” Shaking the gray haired boy’s hand that is covered in chocolate.

”As the day our two peoples began to heal,” Ben finishes.

“Or the day where you showed four peoples where the bathrooms are,” The plum haired girl says.

“A little over the top?” Ben asks her.

”More than a little,” She says.

”So much for my first impression,” Ben says awkwardly.

“You're Maleficent's daughter, aren't you? Yeah, you know what? I totally do not blame you for your mother trying to kill my parents and stuff. Oh, my mom's Aurora. Sleeping...“ Audrey starts.

”Beauty! Yeah I’ve heard the name. You know, I totally do not blame your grandparents for not inviting my mother to their stupid christening,” The girl responds.

”Water under the bridge!” Audrey fakes.

”Totes!” The girl replys in the same tone.

They laugh together pathetically.

“Jeez, can we get this over with?“ I scoff.

” OK. So how about a tour, yeah?“ Ben starts.

We start to move towards the front of the school.

“Auradon Prep was originally built 300 years ago before my father turned it into a high school when he was elected King,” Ben says, clapping his fingers to morph the statue.

The gray haired boy jumps into Jay’s arms.

”Carlos, it’s okay. My father made the statue to remind us that anything is possible,” Ben addresses.

I laugh at the boy’s banter. Jay sees this and drops Carlos to the floor. I can feel him lurking by me as we continue inside the school.

“ So do you guys have magic here? You know, like wands and stuff?” Mal asks.

“All that stuffs pretty much retired. Most of us are just ordinary mortals,” Ben says.

”Unlike me. I was cursed so...” I say clicking my tongue.

”And you happen to be kings and queens?“

“That’s true. Our royal blood goes back hundreds and hundreds of years,“ Audrey says, placing an arm around Ben.

”Doug,” Ben calls Dopey’s son down.

“Doug, will be showing you to your dorms. If you have any questions-“

”Ask Adri or Doug,” Audrey says, whisking him away.

“Um, hey guys. Hi, guys. I'm Dopey's son. As in Dopey, Doc, Bashful, Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy, and... Heigh-ho.,” Doug starts, his eyes landing on the blue haired girl.

I take the clipboard from him and read their names.

”Mal Bertha. Evie Grimhilde. Carlos De Vil. Jay Farr,” I read to myself.

I interrupt Doug as he talks about classes.

”I’ll be showing you to your dorms,” I say, walking up one staircase.

”Guys, it’s actually this way,” Doug points towards me as the go in the wrong direction.

They follow me until we stop at their dorm rooms.

”Boys, you have the larger dorm here,” I point.

”Sweet!” Carlos says, hopping inside.

”What’s in it?” Jay asks, me

”Two full size beds, a flat screen tv, mini fridge, 3D printer, gaming console, a bathroom for two, fireplace, and double closet,” I say off the top of my head.

”Thank god, that’s enough to keep them busy for hours,” Mal says.

Me and the girls turn away from their room but someone places a hand on my shoulder.

”Hey, can we talk after?” Jay asks.

”Why?” I ask, raising a brow.

Jay gives me a pleading looks and I roll my eyes, walking away.

”Girls, this is your dorm. With roughly the same things as the boys except a bigger closet and bathroom and no gaming console,” I say.

”This room needs more-“

”Purple? I supposed you would agree. Love your outfit by the way,” I compliment.

”You don’t look to horrible yourself,” Mal smirks.

”I made it by the way,” Evie adds.

“Fashion Designer, huh? You could make some bank with that,” I comment.

Evie smiles.

”If you need anything, I’m the first door down the hall,” I say.

I close the door to the girls dorm and turn to see someone completely unexpected. My smile turns into a frown as I see Chad Charming at the end of the hall. As I try and stride down the hall to Jay and Carlos’s room, his gaze meets mine.

”Well, well. Look who it is. Little miss court case,” Chad says, his lips curving into a smirk.

”Your lucky my restraining order is expired, Charming,” I snark as he draws near to me.

”You know, you’re lucky Ben and Lonnie are friends with you. Otherwise, everyone here wouldn’t give a damn about your little charity case,” Chad says cockily, running a hand through my hair.

My body tenses and my teeth clench as he touches my hair.

“Don’t do that,” I say through my clenched jaw.

”Or what?” Chad says, pinning me against the wall. His frame towering over me.

”You gonna sue me again just so that I could give your pathetic ass more money?” Chad asks.

”Get your fucking hands off of her,” A voice says from behind Chad.

I look over Chad’s shoulder to see Jay standing behind him with a scowl on his face.

I can practically feel my eyes change shape, pleading to Jay to help me.

Chad gets off of me and walks towards Jay confronting him.

”Is that a threat?” Chad asks.

”You gonna punch me if it is, Princey? You know, you probably shouldn’t mess with someone you barely know. I’m sure it’ll have serious consequences,” Jay growls.

Chad backs off, intimidated by Jay.

”Whatever, man,” Chad scoffs, taming a step back.

He turns to me, his smirk returning.

”I’ll see you later, babe,” Chad says, winking at me.

He walks away and I can practically feel the tears coming to my eyes.

”Who the hell does he think he is?” Jay scoffs.

My legs start to move down the hall, trying to get away.

”Hey! Where are you going?” Jay calls behind me.

”Leave me alone!” I choke.

Jay’s footsteps chase after me and he grabs my wrist.

”Stay out of my business and leave me the hell alone,” I say in a serious tone.

”What was that about though? And why do you look like your about to cry in any second?” Jay asks deliberately.

I growl under my breath.

”Because he’s my abusive ex-boyfriend who raped me while I was blacked out at Ben’s party! And now everyone pities the hell out of me and treats me like a child because I tried to commit suicide. Is that what you’re so desperate to get out of me?” I yell.

Jay is taken aback by my words. His brown eyes widen as he looks at me. Searching through my eyes and seeing the pain in them.

”Shit, I’m so sorry. Look, I will never ever do that to you ever again,” Jay says, concerned by my action.

”Listen, don’t make promises you know you can’t keep,” I say.

Jay turns to leave but I grab his wrist.

”You forgot you tell me what you wanted to speak about,” I say with a smirk.

Jay scratches his neck nervously.

”Sorry. I was just so concerned about the way that guy was talking to you that I didn’t even realize,” Jay explains.

I chuckle lightly at his concern. How is he so chill after that? After I just yelled at him?

“I was just wondering if I could learn a little more about you. I mean-since we know a little bit about Ben and Audrey so,” Jay says.

I giggle lightly at his question. Then I hesitate, remembering this is the son of my parent’s enemy. But suddenly, my new found confidence tells me “Fuck it”.

”Well, I’ve lived in Auradon for 3 years. I like Art a lot. And um, I’m the daughter of Aladdin and Jasmine,” I say shyly.

Jay erupts in a light chuckle. My brows furrow at his actions.

”Did I say something wrong?” I ask.

”No, but that does explain everything,” Jay says with a smirk.

”Explain what exactly?” I ask, confused by his action.

”The comebacks, the way you roll your eyes, the outfit, and the way you act around danger. You have that “I really don’t give and shit sometimes attitude”. I’m assuming it’s family trait,” Jay laughs.

I roll my eyes at his banter.

”Sure, dipshit. And you know wanna know what gives you away?” I ask cheekily.

”What?” Jay says, playing along.

”The fact that you prance around me, eyeing me just like your father did to my mother when she was my age,” I say with a smirk.

His eyes widen, catching him off guard.

”And I promise you, your little concerned or flirtatious act isn’t gonna always cut it with me, pretty boy,” I say, tapping his shoulder and turning to leave.

I look behind me and see him smirk behind me as I walk to my dorm.

That boy is gonna keep trying to win me over. And I’m in for the long game...

[singedsage]

Stay With Me - Chapter 2: Interlude

In the late morning sunlight, Jane Doe sat with Belle on her lap.

Belle’s legs circled Jane’s waist as they sat tangled up in each other and their feelings. Jane watched the sunlight move the shadows slowly, the dust dancing in the sunlight.

Summary: Jane Doe and Belle find themselves tangled up in each other and their feelings, as the time Belle has left before Hollow Zero ticks away.

Pairing: Belle/Jane Doe (Zenless Zone Zero)

Relevant tags: Hurt/comfort, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Overprotective Jane Doe, Emotional Belle, F/F

I worked really hard to get this out on Christmas/before the end of the year! I hope you’ll take a peak and enjoy!

[julessworldd]

Little Rose ch. 5

Warnings: cursing, angst, fighting, overdose, flashbacks(if that’s a warning?), a happy ending..

A/n: I wrote down what this chapter was supposed to be focus on, but I got to writing and the focus changed. This fanfic has really fucked up the original timeline of the band, but it’s fanfic so you gotta do spin offs. Not sure how long, I’ll keep writing for this fic. I love this universe along with my others, I’ve created since bringing my work to the public. I’ll stop talking now. Hope you enjoy! :) sorry i missed any grammar errors, what should be warning. I was starting to have a migrane as I was finishing editing. 

I loved being on tour, seeing the world, watching my brother and his band doing what they enjoy so much. This tour was different from any other before, Erin, my sister-in-law is pregnant. Axl had updated me about her and my peanut, Erin had braxton hicks the last couple months. Peanut loved kicking the hell out of her ribs all through the day and night, heartburn from hell, swollen ankles, sore feet. Poor Erin was exhausted and she wasn’t even due for another 3 weeks. Axl had been on edge, worrying that he would miss the birth of his first child. Their manager told him that we would be back in  LA around a week before she was due. It had helped him some but he was still on egg shells, Axl’s behavior was affecting the band. They never seen him so worrisome before, sure that time I had the flu and food poisoning at the same time. We’re all still so young, none of us really knew what to expect with his daughter on the way. 

Duff was in the shower, I was sitting at the table that was in our room, looking over dates. Some many shows and interviews, I don’t see how they function this shit especially on tour. “Hey Pumpkin, what are you doing over there?”, Duff said. I looked up to see a white towel low on his hips, “Just passing time. Get dressed, you’re dripping all over the floor”, I said. “When is baby Rose due again?”He asked. “Huh oh uh”, I flipped through the planner. “September 24th, if she’s not stubborn. Poor Erin is miserable right now”, I smiled, thinking of Erin all swollen belly, waddling around, mental cursing Axl for making her pregnant. “Izzy and I are betting against Slash that Axl will faint when he’s in the room with Erin”, Duff grinned. “Don’t do that. They’re both scared having their first kid”, I sighed. “I’m sorry I already put 30 bucks on Axl fainting and Erin crushing his hand”, Duff stuck his tongue out. There was a knock on the door, Duff walked over to answer it. 

“Hey Izzy”, Duff said, shutting the door. “Hey Izzy, sleep good?”, I asked, shutting my planner. “We need to talk, Jane”, Izzy gritted his teeth. “What now?”, I sighed, trying to read his body language for signs of withdrawal. Izzy was gonna speak but he fainted, He hit the floor hard and started jerking around. “Izzy!”I ran over to him and tried to get him before he hit the floor. 

I looked over at him, his lips were blue, he was fighting for air, his heart was beating hard as I felt his chest. “Shit!”I started to panic, I looked at Duff. He was stunned and rubbing his chest. Possible overdose and panic attack, great. “Duff, baby. I need to breathe okay? Breathe with me”, I said. “1,2,3 and breathe out on 4. Duff, I need to call the front desk and have them get the paramedics here”, I said calmly. Duff walked over to the phone, “Izzy, come on wake up”, I looked for bloody track marks or a needle stuck in his clothes.  “Ma'am, I need you to move for me. Your friend needs help”, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see a tallish, dark haired behind me. “Yeah, sorry”, I said, walking over to Duff. He tears in his eyes, his breathing was out of rhythm again. “Duff, baby I need you to focus on me, okay? Izzy is gonna be alright. Hey look at me”, I whispered, rubbing his arm. “Miss?”, a tiny femme voice asked. I tore my attention from Duff, “Yeah?” “What’s your friend’s name?”She asked. “Izzy Stradlin, 26, April 8th, 1962”, I realized what she was doing. “Okay thank you. What happened? You two didn't take anything right?”

“He came into our room, said he needed to talk to me about something, he collapsed before he got to me and said what he needed. We didn’t take anything. I’m just gonna save you and your partner trouble. Izzy is on heroin and some sorta pills”, I said, looking at Izzy being pulled on the stretcher. “Alright, thank you. I’m sorry you two witnessed his overdose”, She gave a small smile. “Thanks. I have to tell my brother what happened and we’ll be at the hospital”, I said as Izzy was pushed out of the room. “What the hell?!”, I heard Axl yell. “Janiee!!”He rushed into the room. “What happened to Izzy?”, Axl yelled. “Knock it off, you’ll trigger another panic attack for Duff. Izzy collapsed when he came in here, apparently it’s an overdose according to the medics. Axl, I’m so scared”, I cried, Axl pulled me into his arms. “Shhh, it’s okay. We’ll go see Izzy when we can. I’m not gonna let him join the 27 club a year early or ever”, Axl brushed my hair. 

The doctor finally told us what happened to Izzy, he swallowed his entire pill stash, overdosed into a coma. Highly recommend we cancel our show this week. “You can go see him, but one at a time”, the doctor said. “Janie, you go”, Axl gave a weak smile. “Alright”, I turned the knob and shut the door behind me. Izzy laid still on the bed, wires stuck in him, IV bag by his beside with other machines. His face was pale like a ghost, he looked skinnier than usual. “Izzy, it’s me Janie. Can’t believe you overdosed, I thought you were wanting to get clean. You were over the heroin shit and you started pills. Please wake up Izzy! I need you just a bit longer, you’re my big brother. Who else is gonna listen to me when I’m pissed off at Duff?”, I held his hand. Machines just beeped and oxygen was flowing in his nose. “I read where coma patients can hear what’s going around them. I hope you can hear me because I want you to know that I love you very much. Please get better soon. I’m gonna go now, Axl will be pitching a fit if he doesn’t get to see you”, I smiled.  “Normally you would bitch if I hugged you without asking, but tough shit”, I walked up his bed, to hug him. I held Izzy to me the best I could. His heart was still beating fast, but was slower than this afternoon. His bourbon, smoky, vanilla scent was comforting as always but I was the one having to comfort him. 

“You okay?”, Duff asked. “Oh yeah, I just hate seeing him like that”, I said. “I’m gonna see him now”, Axl whispered. I slid down the wall and brought my knees to my chest. Duff pulled me into his lap, “Is he gonna be okay? He looks so pitiful, Duffy”, I asked, holding his hand. “He’s a fighter, little scrappy but yes, he’ll be okay. I know you told him to get better, he always listens to you. Izzy bitches about it but he does it anyways”, Duff whispered. “Yeah”, I smiled a little

 “Now, Janie, I have a friend coming over. Please don’t bother us, I don’t want the little sister crap.”, Bill said. “Alright Billy, I’ll stay out but I wanna meet the poor soul that decided to be friends with you, chicken legs”, I rolled my eyes. “Fine, you can say hi but then you go to your room or go talk to Amy”, Bill groaned. The doorbell rang, “I got it”, Bill said, racing to the door.  “Hey, glad you could make it.”, Bill said. “Hey. Sorry it took so long, mom wasn’t at home. She doesn't like my brothers to be alone”, a voice said. “I understand that. I have three siblings”, Bill laughed. Bill’s friend walked in as Bill shut the door. “This is my younger sister, Janet, but we call her Janie for short”, Bill said, rolling his eyes. “Hi”, I blushed. “Hi yourself. My name’s Jeff, but everyone knows me by Izzy”, the brown headed boy said. Izzy was looking at me, I felt weird and pulled my sweatshirt sleeve down. “Alright, Janie. Leave now”, Bill said. 

Another flashback

I was searching for Bill, he was nowhere to be found. “You promised me that you would bring me home, Billy”, I cried even more. My boyfriend had broken up with me because he wanted Jackie Anderson, head cheerleader. I passed the bleachers heading towards home. “Janie?”, I heard a familiar voice. I turned around and saw Izzy with the stoners(his buddies) and Pam Macy hanging on his arm. “Hey, what happened? You’re crying”, Izzy threw his cigarette bud down and walked towards me. “Eric broke up with me. Said I wasn’t good enough and that I wasn’t a cheerleader, he wanted to be with the head cheerleader instead.”, I tried to hold my tears back. “I’m sorry Janie, he was an asshole anyways. You’re a good girl and any guy would be lucky to have you. It’s his lost and Bill and I hated him.”, Izzy reached up to pet my hair. “Thanks Iz. I’m gonna go home now”, I tried to push by him. He had my wrist, “Come on, I’ll take you for food. My treat”, Izzy smiled. “What about Pam?”, I asked. “You’re my favorite girl and you’re heartbroken, I gotta pay attention to you now”, Izzy smirked. 

“You’ve never listened to the Stones? Janie!”, Izzy threw his head back groaning. “I’m sorry that my step dad thinks that rock n’ roll is devil’s music”, I said. The bell rang, someone had walked in. “Janie! There you are!”, Bill said, rushing to our table. “Bill, lay off. I found her”, Izzy said. Bill looked at my face, “What happened? You were crying” “Eric broke up with me today for a cheerleader”, I said almost crying. “She passed the bleachers and I saw her. I decided to bring her for food”, Izzy said. “Thanks Izzy. I’m sorry about Eric, he was just an asshole anyways”, Bill pulled me into his chest. “Izzy said the same thing”, I said. “I know, I was at the meeting”, Bill laughed. I looked at Izzy and smiled. He winked at me. 

That was when I realized  Izzy was the older brother I always wish I had besides Axl. He was protected and took care of me, I love him for it. “Janie”, Axl said. “Yeah?”, I looked up at him, Duff was holding his hand out for me. Management had come to me about Izzy overdosing well fainting in my room. They wanted to know if I knew what caused Izzy to swallow his entire pill stash. I decided to turn on the radio for a while, sure enough ‘Paint it Black’ came on. First Stones’ song Izzy showed me, it was in his car when he brought me to smoke weed with him near Chicago. 

It had been 96 hours since Izzy was in a coma, he finally woke up and we all rushed to the hospital to see him. “Janie, you go in first”, Axl said. “Why? He’s your best friend”, I sassed. “Lady’s first”, Slash grinned. “Fine”, I walked in. There was a nurse taking Izzy’s vitals when I walked in. “Are you family?”, The blonde nurse asked. “Baby sister”, Izzy answered before I could think of something. “Oh well. I’m done here for now, you can come see your brother”, She smiled. “Thank you”, I said. “Hey Kid, just woke up from a killer nap”, Izzy joked. “Jeffery Dean! You fucking overdoesed because you decided to swallow your pills like candy. Don’t joke about that, you could have actually died. You know what? Fuck your joke, you had us worried to death. Izzy, you fell in mine and Duff’s room in front of us. You came in and said you had something to tell me. Duff barely closed the door before you collapsed on the floor”, I was fuming. “I’m sorry Janie. Management told me to get rid of them, housekeeping found one of my stashes. I panicked.”, Izzy said. “So instead of flushing them like a normal person you popped them like Tic Tacs like some manic?”, I rolled my eyes. Izzy stayed silent. “Your turn Ax”, I said walking out. 

Axl and the boys walked in and I decided to go get a coffee from downstairs. I walked up to the nursing station, “Uh hi. Do you have any idea when Izzy Stradlin is being discharged?” “Hi, what’s the birthday?”, a petite brunette smiled. “7-8-62”, I nodded. “Looks like he needs a doctor to talk to him about his overdose and a last check up then he should be released maybe this evening”,She said. “Are they gonna send him to rehab?”, I asked. “Looks like it might be possibly, he was in a coma for 4 days”, She said. “Are you his girlfriend?”She stood up. “No, more like the baby sister he never had”, I gave a small smile.  “Janie?”, Steven said. “Yeah? Izzy okay?”, I walked over to him. “Izzy’s fine, but we need to talk to you”, Steven said. “Okay”, I followed behind. “Listen, this is your sister, friend and now girlfriend talk not our assistant right now”, Steven stopped, before we reached Izzy’s room. I nodded my head. Everyone was sitting down, Izzy was lying down. “Hey”, I shut the door.

“What happened four days ago was hell, we almost lost Izzy. After, you left Izzy told us how you yelled at him for his drug stash. We’ve made the decision to go to rehab together”, Axl said. “That’s great, but you have a kid on the way.”, I said. “We’re going after she’s born, pretty sure Izzy is going first anyways. We’re gonna go to the same place together”, Axl reassured. “Not to be a bitch, but why was I brought into this. This is a band thing not the singer’s sister and the band”, I looked at Izzy. “You’ve been here since the beginning, we value your opinion”, Slash finally spoke up from leaning on the wall. The doctor came into the discharge Izzy, the band went different ways.  “Seeing Izzy overdose in our room, you run to him with fear in your eyes. I realized that I don’t want that to be me and you freaking out”, Duff said. “Not sure what to say, but I really hope you guys get clean and stay clean. I don’t want to lose my boys so soon”, I hugged him. “You can’t get rid of me that easy, Janie”, Duff held me. “Good, I don’t want to get rid of you yet either”, I said, inhaling his scent. 

Izzy got discharged and we flew back to L.A. before Erin gave birth. Almost 5 days that we got back, Erin gave birth to the new addition to the Guns N’ Roses’ family.  Sarah Aless Rose-Everly, 7lbs and 4oz. 

[free-for-all-fics]

Obscure Characters List - Female Edition

Obscure Characters I love for some reason. (By obscure I mean characters that have little to no fanfic written about them. Not necessarily characters nobody’s ever heard of.) Don’t ask me to explain why. 

A

Abigail Bishop/Emily (Let’s Scare Jessica to Death)

Agnes (Downfall Redux)

Agony Symbiote (Marvel Comics)

Alice (Apsulov: End of Gods)

Amanda Ripley (Alien Isolation)

Amelia (Underworld)

Anastasie “Tasi” Trianon (Amnesia Rebirth)

Annalise, Queen of the Vilebloods (Bloodborne)

Anna Valerious (Van Helsing 2004)

B

Baroness Clarimonde Catani (The Vampire Happening)

Belle (A Christmas Carol)

Black Canary/Dinah Drake/Dinah Laurel Lance (DC Comics)

Blackfire/Princess Komand'r (DC comics/Teen Titans)

Blind Mag/Magdalene DeFoe (Repo! The Genetic Opera)

Brides of Dracula (any version)

C

Cala Maria (Cuphead)

Calendar Girl/Page Munroe (DC Comics/The New Batman Adventures)

Catherine Chun (SOMA)

Charlotte Elbourne (Vampire Hunter D)

Charlotte Thornton (Nancy Drew, Ghost of Thornton Hall)

Chrissy/Mildred Pratt (Deadstream)

Constance Blackwood (We Have Always Lived in the Castle)

Cora (Devil’s Carnival 2)

Countess Marya Zaleska (Dracula's Daughter)

D

Dana Newman/The Angry Princess (Thirteen Ghosts remake)

Dolirra (Fariwalk: The Prelude)

Doll Face (The Strangers)

Dollisa (Fariwalk: The Prelude)

E

Edith Finch (What Remains of Edith Finch)

Elisabeth Williams (Maid of Sker)

Elizabeth Eilander (Rusty Lake Paradise)

Elizabeth Shelley (Frankenhooker)

Empress Tihana (Amnesia Rebirth)

Erin (You’re Next)

Estella (Great Expectations)

Esther/Leena Klammer (Orphan 1 and 2)

Evelyn “Evie” Carnahan O' Connnell (The Mummy series)

F

Faith (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

G

Ginger Fitzgerald (Ginger Snaps)

Glorificus “Glory” (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Goody (Vampires)

Grace Le Domas (Ready Or Not)

Gwendolyn “Gwen” Grayson/Royal Pain (Sky High)

H

Harper Thornton (Nancy Drew, Ghost of Thornton Hall)

Hel (Apsulov: End of Gods)

Hero (Much Ado About Nothing)

I

Imogen “Idgie” Threadgoode (Green Fried Tomatoes)

Iris (30 Days of Night)

Isabelle/The Bride (Spookies)

J

Jane Doe (Autopsy of Jane Doe)

Jayme/Red (Blood Fest)

Jennet Humfrye/The Woman in Black (The Woman in Black)

Julia/Subject Three (TAU)

Juliette Waters (Sylvio)

Justine Florbelle (Amnesia the Dark Descent)

K

Kate Drew (Nancy Drew, The Silent Spy)

Kathy Rain (Kathy Rain)

Katrina Van Tassel (Sleepy Hollow)

Kissin’ Kate Barlow (Holes)

L

Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower (Bloodborne)

Lady Sybil Crawley/Branson (Downton Abbey)

Lamia (Stardust)

Laura "Lorelai" Wood (Lorelai)

Laure Richis (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)

Laurie (Trick ‘r Treat)

Leech Woman (Puppetmaster series)

Lena (Underworld: Blood Wars)

Lily (V/H/S Amateur Night/SiREN)

Lily Munster (The Munsters)

Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree (Elden Ring)

Lucille Sharpe (Crimson Peak)

Lucy Billington (The Invitation)

Lunar Princess Ranni (Elden Ring)

M

Malenia the Severed (Elden Ring)

Marni Wallace (Repo! The Genetic Opera)

Mary Katherine “Merricat” Blackwood (We Have Always Lived in the Castle)

Mel (Nancy Drew, Warnings at Waverly Academy)

Melanie Ravenswood (Phantom Manor)

Melina (Elden Ring)

Millicent (Elden Ring)

Milk Maiden (2001 Maniacs)

Mirror Queen (The Brothers Grimm)

Miss Brixil (Level 16)

Moder (The Ritual)

N

Nepheli Loux (Elden Ring)

O

Ophelia (Hamlet)

P

Pannochka/Young Girl/Witch (Viy)

Peaches (2001 Maniacs)

Pearl (Pearl)

Pin-Up Girl (The Strangers)

Princess Daphne (Dragon’s Lair)

Princess Gemstone (Laid to Rest 1 & 2)

Princess Una (Stardust)

Q

Queen Akasha (Queen of the Damned)

Queen Jadis the White Witch (Chronicles of Narnia series)

Queen Marika the Eternal (Elden Ring)

Queen Rennala (Elden Ring)

R

Rain (Blood Fest)

Rebecca de Winter (Rebecca)

Rebecca Owens (The Mortuary Assistant)

Riley McKendry (Hellraiser 2022)

Rose Vanderboom (Rusty Lake Roots)

S

Samantha Quick (Nancy Drew, The Silent Spy)

Sarah Bellows (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark)

Sarah Fier (Fear Street series)

Sarah Martin (Night Trap)

Scream Symbiote (Marvel Comics)

Selene (Underworld series)

Shilo Wallace (Repo! The Genetic Opera)

Sinead Lauren (But I’m a Cheerleader)

Sonya (Underworld series)

Sophia Anne Lester Crain (The Haunting of Hill House novel)

Spooky (Spooky’s House of Jumpscares)

Stacy (Vampires)

T

Tanith (Elden Ring)

The Doll (Bloodborne)

The Queen of Light (Mirrormask)

The Queen of Shadows (Mirrormask)

Thorn/Sally McKnight (Scooby Doo)

V

Valerie Page (V For Vendetta)

Violet Baudelaire (A Series of Unfortunate Events)

W

Wick (Devil’s Carnival)

Winnifred “Winnie” Foster (Tuck Everlasting film)

Y

Young Woman/Lucy/Louisa/Lucia/Ames (I’m Thinking of Ending Things)

[elizabethvaughns]

so i've been mulling over this for quite a bit now, so i might as well articulate my thoughts and get them out onto this blog. so i was just thinking: subjectively or objectively, which one is better? the if/then dc preview or the broadway production? long post (1750+ words), so i'm putting a read more break <3

now, objectively at the very least, i know i have to say it's the broadway production. why wouldn't it be? it's a lot more polished, it's...the final draft, of sorts, of the production. we all know the final draft is usually better than the rough draft. but here's the thing. when it comes to an artwork that has several different versions, one tends to gravitate toward the version they saw first and have a certain bias against all the other versions. if you saw the bway version first or the dc version first, you probably like that one more. now i'm not saying this bias is conscious by any means. absolutely not. however, when one falls in love with some media, in my case at least, they take it in over and over and over again. and then they get so used to that one thing that all other versions seem weird. i can pinpoint two non-if/then instances in my life where such a thing happened.

in the summer of 2018, i watched the RENT movie on netflix. now i was fully intending to listen to the obc soundtrack before watching the movie, but i never really got to it. anyways, that movie was like love at first...watch to me. oh man, i loved it so, so much. so i downloaded the soundtrack on my phone and, you guessed it, listened to it over and over and over and over again. one fine day, (about a few weeks after, actually) i realized i never actually had listened to the obc soundtrack. so i did. and it sounded...odd to say the very least. i mean, some of the voices were different, sometimes the lines were changed, all in all, a confusing experience. to say the least, if you asked me back then which version i preferred, i would've readily said the movie version. but now, three years in retrospect, i'm not so sure. the obc version is a lot more...complete, i like the vocals more, and i'm now salty that "christmas bells" as a song was cut. evidently, i like the obc version more(but i still love the movie version hell it's still one of my comfort movies).

in the fall of 2019, i listened to falsettos. i actually listened to both the obc and the 2016 revival cast recordings. i guess that lessened the bias a bit because i was exposed to both versions at about the same time. on the fateful date of 2 october 2019, i watched the falsettos revival proshot. that's when i truly fell in love with this musical. but, even so, my initial exposure was to both recordings so even though i had a slight bias toward the 2016 version, i still loved both of them.

now, back to if/then. i actually find it difficult to pinpoint where exactly my exposure to if/then started. was it the very first time i heard about it in 2018 when i read a very meta RENT fanfic on ff.net where elizabeth made an appearance and i thought "what the fuck"(pun very much intended)"is if/then" (psst if you find the fic could you please drop the link in the replies meta fic isn't really my shit but i want to reread it for nostalgia's sake)? or was it the very first time i listened to the obc recording in 2020? or was it the boot of a broadway production that i first saw on 13 march 2021? whichever one i pick, they all lead to the same conclusion: i naturally gravitated(and sometimes still do) toward the broadway production because it was the first version of if/then that i was exposed to.

now sometime in early april 2021 over my spring break, i watched a recording of the dc production. i knew beforehand that this production is a preview, after which some changes had been made, resulting in the broadway show. since those changes were obviously made to better the production, it would be a logical conclusion that the very presence of those changes entailed a...worse production (not considering the fact that the interpretation and the very liking of art is entirely subjective). one could say i entered the watching experience with an unconscious bias, of sorts.

from the very first note, i was caught off-guard. i didn't know they changed this much. when i watched the bway production, i was just enjoying it for all it was worth. but when i was watching the dc preview, i was comparing it constantly to its broadway counterpart. oh, david's shirt colour is different here. oh, anne's wearing a pantsuit instead of a dress(cute). oh, time for hey kid! oh wait no they put "the moment explodes" right here. also, i was just humming along to the songs, just mouthing along the lyrics(because i have them all memorized), and every now and then and getting thrown way off-track when the tune remained the same but the lyrics changed. most notably, in "walking by a wedding" and "you learn to live without". all in all, i had what one could consider negative opinions about the dc production because of that bias.

but then i watched it second time. a third time. a fourth, fifth, sixth time. and over that time, i fell more and more in love with that production. as i've said before, the interpretation of art is wholly subjective–what one may consider a shortcoming of a particular piece, another may consider a strength. let me take the placement of "the moment explodes", for example. in the dc production, it's before "some other me". therefore, the line "every friend i ever knew or thought i did" doesn't hit as hard because we don't know her situation with lucas yet. even so, "some other me" hits twice as hard because lucas is an even bigger asshole now. in comparison, however, "the moment explodes" is after "some other me" in bway as you all know. so the aforementioned line holds a much greater significance when compared to its dc counterpart. however, one could also consider that line (in the dc production) as a sort of foreshadowing for the reveal in "some other me" of the new normal of beth and lucas's friendship (or the lack thereof).

obviously, some changes were most definitely welcome, "this day" to be more specific. of course, there was that little reprising of "what if?" near the end of "this day" in the dc production which i really loved, but all in all, the mood of "this day" was much more fun and enthusiastic in bway as opposed to dc, which in my opinion is an excellent way to start an act. in contrast, some changes were...not as welcome. i don't know about you, but personally, i really enjoyed two cut scenes from "the story of jane"("no more wasted time" dc version). first, the scene where kate brings her kindergarteners to beth. it was fun to see higgs squirm. second, the scene where elena and beth's interaction parallels beth and stephen's in "map of new york". narrative-wise, i think that it is an incredibly important scene as we get to see two sort of boss-employee relationships mirrored to each other, only beth does it well as a boss (if that makes any sense). we see beth as passionate but still sort of hesitant in mony but she grows to be more self-assured by nmwt, and i think the aforementioned scene only cements that notion as beth takes on the role of mentor for elena. also, "the story of jane" was a really fun song and, as much as i love "no more wasted time", i wish it still contained elements of "story of jane". and while i did enjoy the reshuffling of "the moment explodes" such that it became clear when beth and lucas made up in the bway production, they were ultimately still...not talking during "you learn to live without. as a result, we miss that one scene from the dc production where lucas and kate attend beth's awards ceremony and shoo stephen. and need i talk about the lucas/david duet verse("you get that we're connected, / i feel like you get me") in "ain't no man manhattan"? honestly, i feel like dc anmm was, all in all, better than bway anmm–especially that one verse where lucas sings to this other dude about how everyone is connected(no, not the one to stephen, the one after that. the one that ends with "[something something] / who you helped get elected").

also the situations with stephen and with kate/anne in both timelines were relatively clearer in the dc production. even so, the actual distinguishing of the timelines was better in the bway production.

in conclusion, the relative merit of each production(broadway vs. dc) is really up to the interpretation of each viewer. scenes that may seem weak to one may be considered narratively important to another. both productions have their own merits and flaws.

to me, both productions are equally good. my previous assertion/assumption that the final draft is always better than the first is not necessarily true. some things that you think were actually pretty good get lost in the editing process. some other things that should've been cut (ahem ahem, kate's referrals to lucas with "she", ahem ahem, liz's "i don't believe in independents like i don't believe in bisexuals. pick a side" line) get left in there. art is subjective. the editing process is subjective. in the end, though, the only thing that matters is that you enjoy what you're watching and find personal fulfillment in it. and i do! for both of these productions. for both of the productions, i'm smiling all the way up to "here i go". i'm slightly saddened during "you don't need to love me". i'm empowered by "the story of jane"/"no more wasted time". i'm grinning in liz-verse all the way up to "i hate you". i feel like sobbing during "some other me". my throat clogs up when "i hate you" starts. i'm actually sobbing by the time "you learn to live without" ends.

...you get the gist of it. all in all, both of these productions are phenomenal and i'm grateful for their existence and to have been able to watch them in the year of our lord 2021.

i love this show so much i swear.

i talk a bit more comparing broadway and dc here.

my other ramblings essays:

if/then appreciation

"what if?" vs. "what if?(reprise)"

character analysis of lucas

[ellcrys]

4, 15, 31, 62 ^^

ok for some reason these were all harder to answer than I anticipated lol

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you? Shy and quiet, probably. Those are the first two words that come to mind at least, so I’ll go with that. :P I was very shy in elementary school; it wasn’t until eighth grade that I really started opening up. I’m still very reserved but I definitely wouldn’t consider myself shy/quiet anymore. But yeah, I feel like I definitely remember my elementary school teachers commenting on my shyness/quietness and how I should try to speak up more/be less shy in report cards (holy shit does anybody still remember report cards) and parent teacher conferences :P (or were they called parent teacher meetings? I don’t remember)

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment? Jane Eyre! I also loved Crime and Punishment, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Odyssey. I probably owe Jane Eyre a re-read though; apparently there are some problematic bits in the novel that we obvs didn’t cover in high school and that 17yo me wouldn’t have realized.

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names? Oh, I have two work pants that are my go to when I need a pick me up or want to look good/feel good. They are so comfortable but look so chic and professional! There’s also this long tannish cream cardigan that is my go to sweater - it layers well with everything. and my black heeled ankle boots are my favourite pair of shoes. idk, I don’t really ‘kick ass’ lol. but these are some of my favourite pieces in my closet.

62. seven characters you relate to? oh boy, 7! 1. kei shindou from ef - a tale of memories. I just finished my ef rewatch so she came to mind immediately lol. she made some pretty mean decisions that I definitely wouldn’t have made but personality-wise, oof. I actually relate to both her and hiro. in terms of never sharing my deepest feelings and also waffling/being indecisive. 2. jo march from little women. jo march should really be number 1 on this list lol but I’m just going to list the characters as they come to mind. 3. belle from disney’s beauty and the beast. she’s my favorite disney princess, undoubtedly because of her bookish personality and “I want adventure in the great wide somewhere.” 4. shinako from yesterday wo uttate. this show went so bad so fast in the second half of its run lol but i related pretty heavily to shinako. i just suck at relationships seems to be the theme. def may or may not have strung a guy along for the better part of year but like. i didn’t want things to change and i didn’t want to acknowledge that things had changed. 5. kimiko tohomiko from xiaolin showdown. 90% of my fanfics were written from her perspective and I projected a lot of myself onto her when I wrote so. questionable how much I actually relate to her and how much I forced her to relate to me lol ok the rest are just characters i’ve seen aspects of myself reflected in, either in terms of personality, actions, logic/reasoning, worldview, etc 6. akane from psycho-pass 7. sayaka from madoka magica bonus: yusei from ygo 5Ds - he was my character representation for DES (old youtube amv studio I was a part of, and I did a whole MEP part on why I chose yusei as my chara rep so I felt I needed to include him here lol) (funnily enough, kei was my character rep for FSS, another old youtube amv studio I was a part of)

this was long! I always answer these with paragraphs instead of one word answers! thank you for indulging me! <3

[cowboyshit]

ashley’s (doe’s) fanfic masterlist

not all of these are uploaded onto my ao3 account, but a good portion of them are! I’ve written a little bit of fanfiction over the last year so I figured it was time to finally stick them all on a masterlist to keep better track of them! I’m only going to link the tumblr posts on this masterlist, but please feel free to go look at my ao3 account if you’d like to see them there. [LINK HERE]

HANGMAN ADAM PAGE

Stay The Night - 18+, smut fic, involves OFC Fawna Rose (first seen in Some Real Cowboy Shit)

Frayed and Worn - Mature for bad language and alcohol use, no ship, involves Matt Jackson

Without Words - No smut, but deals with alcoholism and depression; angst comfort fic; involves OFC Stella (first seen in The Cowboy Hat Stays On)

That’s Our Deal - General, maybe mature for bad language, Hangman x OFC Glitter Sidesplitter

The Cowboy and the Mustang (modern day cowboy au, long series currently unfinished) Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four - 18+ for various parts of smut sprinkled throughout, involves Hangman x OFC Jane 

The Cowboy Hat Stays On - 18+ smut fic, Hangman x OFC Stella

Some Real Cowboy Shit - 18+ smut fic, Hangman x OFC Fawna Rose

The First Night of Many - 18+ smut fic, Hangman x Female Reader

Spend the Night With the Hangman - 18+ smut fic (stripper au), Hangman x OFC Belle Foster

Christmas Catharsis - 18+ smut fic, Hangman x OFC Noelle

YOUNG BUCKS

Between the Young Bucks - 18+ smut fic, Matt Jackson x Nameless Female OC x Nick Jackson, lots of warnings on what the entirety of the fic entails so make sure you read those before you read the fic

MATT JACKSON

Are You Dreaming of Me? - 18+ smut fic, Matt Jackson x Nameless Female OC, read warnings before reading

MJF

On Your Own (titled You Sold Your Soul on ao3) - Mature for emotional abuse/manipulation, MJF x Reader (any gender or nongender)

Say Thank You - 18+ smut fic, read warnings before reading fic, MJF x Nameless Female Character

CHUCKIE T

Ocean Avenue - General/fluff, Chuckie T x Reader (any gender or nongender)

NICK JACKSON

You and Me - General/fluff, Nick Jackson x Reader (any gender or nongender)

CHRIS JERICHO

La Princesse (series, currently unfinished) Part One, Part Two - 18+ (sugar daddy/sugar baby kink themed), Chris Jericho x OFC (plus-sized) Sarah Rose, also the titled is different on part one than it is on part two but pay that no mind!