Broadway Mystery Dungeon: Red/Blue Rescue Team: The Witch of Mt. Steel
Haaaaaah I’ve had this half-done for FOREVER and I finally got it! This is a little fic of myself in the Red/Blue version of BMD. My partner is Veronica here and this is basically the equivalent of the Skarmory mission in that game. Also quick AU changes for those who actually know the Little Jo musical, Jo is a child here and Jordan and Sarah are her adoptive parents. It’s a change I wanted to here it is. Enjoy!
I stretched and yawned as the sun shone through the window, gently waking me up. Another day in this world. It still felt surreal even though it's been a good while.
I got up, got dressed and headed out the door to check the mail, only to find the mailbox empty. No rescue requests today, it looked like.
“Excuse me?” I turned away from my mailbox to see a young lady walking towards me. She had blonde hair tied up in a ponytail and wore a grey dress with a blue apron; she looked like she had come right out of the 1800s. I looked down and spied what looked like a little boy walking behind her, head down and his cowboy hat casting a shadow onto his face as he held the woman’s skirt.
“Is this where Rescue Team Crystalline is?” The woman asked with a western twang in her voice. I blinked; this was the first time someone had come up asking for us in person instead of through a letter or a request.
“Uh, yes, this is the place,” I said. “Um, can I help you?”
“We need your help,” The woman said; that’s when I noticed that she looked pretty worse for wear. Her eyes were slightly red, like she’d been crying, and she had slight bags under her eyes like he hadn’t slept.
“Kirsty!” I turned to see Veronica coming towards me.
“Hey, Veronica,” I greeted before glancing back at the woman and the kid, “Uh, good timing; these two are asking for us.”
“Oh yeah?” Veronica asked.
The woman nodded, “My name is Sarah Ellis, and this is little Jo,” She said. “We need your help; my husband, Jordan...he’s in real trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” Veronica asked.
“He was kidnapped,” Sarah said, her voice shaking with rage. “The Witch took him.”
“The Witch?” I asked.
“You mean The Witch from Mt. Steel?” Veronica asked in surprise. “That Witch?”
“Yes,” Sarah nodded. “Not nearly a day ago, Jo here came running back to me, almost in tears, blubbering about how that devil woman came down and took Jordan away.”
“Who is this Witch?” I asked.
“Well, she’s a witch, obviously,” Veronica said. “She lives on Mt. Steel; she usually just minds her own business and doesn’t really magic anybody unless they trespass on her territory.”
“Yeah, but Papa didn’t!” Jo suddenly stepped out from behind Sarah. “That witch took her, and Papa didn’t do anything wrong!” The boy was clearly upset.
“What happened?” I asked gently. “Did you really see this witch take your dad?”
Jo nodded, his eyes glassing over slightly. “It...it happened when Papa and I were out mining…”
Little Jo dragged his hammer behind them, huffing and puffing as he tried to keep up with his father. Jordan was a few feet away from him, hammering away at a large boulder like it was the easiest thing in the world, sweat staining his clothes from a long day’s work.
Jo was sweaty too, but not because he had been hammering away like Jordan. Jo could barely lift the thing above his head! Jo found a rock of his own and raised the hammer with a large breath before letting it drop on the rock. Barely a dent was made.
“Havin’ trouble there, kiddo?” Jordan asked, wiping his forehead.
“I can’t do it, Papa,” Jo whined. “It’s always too heavy and I can’t make it light up either!”
Jordan chuckled, “Jo, you’re tryin’ to take on more than you can handle; work on getting a good swing behind that hammer before you worry about using any powers.”
“But it’s hard!” Jo protested.
“Try to watch me,” Jordan said, lifting his hammer. “Watch how I stand, how I move my shoulders; you gotta position yourself if you wanna even move that hammer.”
Jo nodded and watched as his father began to swing his hammer again. Jo had always admired how Jordan could easily take charge. Everything he did felt certain, powerful, and large. Jo altered their position and tried again, slowly raising the hammer, trying to mimic Jordan. Jo swung the hammer and it hit the ground, but the sudden shift in weight all but threw Jo off his feet. Jo toppled over, their hammer harmlessly falling to the ground.
Jordan laughed while Jo pouted in frustration, crossing their arms. “That was a pretty good start,” Jordan said. “Keep that up, and I’m sure you’ll get a good strike in someday, now let’s try again.” Jo didn’t respond and turned up his nose.
“Oh come now, you’re not givin’ up before I do, are you?” Jordan asked with a smirk.
Jo’s eyes suddenly blazed with determination and they got to their feet, “No way!” He exclaimed, grabbing their hammer once more. But before either of them could get back to work, the ground began to shake. Another earthquake! Jo yelped as he barely kept his balance, but Jordan quickly steadied him,
“Outside, quick!” Jordan took his hand, picking up Jo’s hammer along with his own and they hurried towards the exit. They ran outside the cave and gazed up at the mountain just as the shaking died down.
Jordan sighed in relief, “You alright, kiddo?” He asked.
“Yeah,” Jo nodded.
“They’re getting worse,” Jordan said, looking back at the mountain. “If these tremors keep up the whole mountain might cave in at this rate.” Jo swallowed as they gazed at the entrance to the mine that standing on its last legs. If they couldn’t get back into the mines, how would they find silver and minerals to live? So many other miners were already too scared to go back into the mountains out of fear that they would collapse on them. Would they end up doing the same thing?
Jordan put his hand on Jo’s shoulder, “Well, I think we’ve done enough work for today,” He said. “Let’s head home; I’m sure your mother will appreciate some extra hands around the house for dinner.”
Jo nodded and Jordan handed him back his hammer and they started heading home. They had only walked a little ways away from the mountain when a shadow glossed over him. Jordan stopped, making Jo stop in confusion. “Papa?” He asked.
Jordan turned and gazed at the sky, his eyes becoming hard as the clouds covered the blue sky. Jo swallowed as everything seemed to fall silent. He looked up at the sky with Jordan, hoping to see whatever his Papa was seeing, and figure appeared for a brief moment. A second later, a black mass was zooming towards Jo.
“JO!” Jordan tackled the small child, rolling out of the way as something huge zoomed right past where Jo was standing. They both looked up to see a giant black bird flying around them, circling around for another blow.
“What is that?!” Jo cried.
“Stay down, Jo!” Jordan got to his feet, hammer in hand as the bird swooped back down towards them. The head of Jordan’s hammer lit up silver and Jordan stomped on the ground, making small chunks of earth fly out of the ground. With quick strikes, Jordan whacked each of the piece with his hammer.
The bird managed to dodge them, but one piece grazed the bird’s wing, forcing it to land. The bird screeched and moved it’s massive beak to peck Jordan, but the miner caught its beak.
Jordan grunted as he held the bird at bay, a tight grip on his beak; as he did, he glanced at the bird’s eyes and something reflected in it that he recognized. “The Witch…!” Jordan almost let go of the bird, but kept it up.
Meanwhile, Jo slowly got up, watching Jordan struggle with the bird. That was a witch? Could it be the witch that Mama always told Jo stories about? The one who lived in the mountains and could be a force of terror? But why was she here?! Jo picked up his hammer and watched the bird push against Jordan, slowly overcoming his strength; Jo had to help!
Jo raised their hammer and tried to concentrate, “C’mon…!” He grunted, squeezed his eyes shut. “C’mon, light up!”
The head of his hammer hummed slightly; even just a little would be enough! Jo swung back and made to hit the ground, but the weight of the hammer, along with the vibrating traveling along the handle made his hands slip. Jo slipped and the hammer hit the ground, sending a visible crack along the ground. The crack headed right for Jordan and the bird, causing Jordan to lose his grip and the bird to toss him away.
“Papa!” Jo cried. The bird then looked right at the child and began moving towards him. “No!” Jo screamed, trying to get up, “Get away!”
The bird was then stopped in its tracks and it turned around to see Jordan holding onto its tail. Jordan grunted and dragged the bird back a foot before managing to toss it aside. Jordan then ran towards Jo, scooping him off the ground, leaving their hammers behind. Jordan spied a small cave, hidden away in a nearby wall of stone and all but shoved Jo inside before following.
“Papa?”
“You listen to me, Jo,” Jordan said seriously. “You stay in here and don’t you move, ” “What?” “You stay put; if I tell you to run, you run, understand me?”
“But Papa-”
“You understand me?” Jordan repeated dangerously.
Jo blinked and scooted further inside, “Yes sir,” He said softly.
“Good, I-”
The ground shook as a shadow appeared at the mouth of the cave. A large beak entered the opening and Jordan shoved Jo as far back as he could go before the beak clamped down on Jordan’s legs.
“Papa!” Jo scrambled towards him, but Jordan was dragged quickly out of his reach. The bird dragged Jordan back out into the open and immediately began to pummel him.
Jordan yelled out and tried to defend himself as the bird’s claws, wings, and beak hit him like multiple bullets while Jo watched and listened in horror. Jo wanted to scream, wanted to yell for the bird to stop hurting his Papa, but it was like he was frozen in fear.
Finally, the bird stopped, and Jordan groaned. Jo lit up as Jordan managed to get on all fours despite his injuries, but it was quickly dashed when the bird’s foot reached out and stomped onto Jordan. The claws closed around him, making the man yelp in pain. The bird screeched and spread its wings, Jordan secure in its talons. He was taking him away!
“Papa!” Jo abandoned hiding and ran towards the bird, but as he neared it, the bird took off.
“No!” Jo screamed and reached towards the sky as the bird and Jordan vanished into the clouds. “Papa! PAPA!” Jo kept screaming at the sky until his voice disappeared, Jordan’s hammer sitting alone on the ground.
“After that, I ran home and told Mama what happened, and then we came here,” Jo finished.
“We heard that you two were a reliable Rescue Team,” Sarah said. “And while the two of you are nothing but children that I don’t want to send after that devil woman, no one else wants to risk going up to face her; I’ve got no one else to turn to.” Her eyes seemed to fill with desperation. “Please, will you bring my husband back?”
Veronica and I exchanged a glance; honestly, after hearing that story, how could we say no? And besides, we had never turned down a plea for help before.
“We’ll do it,” I said.
Sarah seemed to light up with relief, “Thank you...I can’t offer you much, but-”
“Hey, it’s no problem,” Veronica said with a hand wave. “We make a point to not turn down requests, no matter what we’re asked.”
Sarah nodded, tears gathering in her eyes, “Thank you...thank you so much.”
Mt. Steel was definitely named literally. The whole place was smooth, grey, and harder than anything, like the whole place was made of steel. Luckily, the travel wasn’t too treacherous and the Shadowlings were sparse.
“Probably because of The Witch,” Veronica had said. “Even those assholes know not to mess with her.”
But after a while, I stopped and looked behind us. “What’s up?” Veronica asked.
“I feel like we’re being followed,” I said. I moved back the way we came just as I heard some shuffling from behind a boulder. Covering my hand with electricity, I looked behind the coulder to find-
“Jo?!” The little boy looked up at me like a deer in the headlights.
I pulled him out of his hiding place and Veronica came over, “What the hell are you doing here?” She demanded.
“I followed you,” Jo said in defeat.
“You’ve been following us this whole time?” I exclaimed.
“Wait, does your mom know you’re here?” Veronica asked. Jo shook his head and Veronica and I exchanged terrified glances.
“Jo, what were you thinking?!” I demanded. “Your mom’s probably worried sick about you! You think she wants her kid in the same place as the Witch that took your dad?”
“I know but I…” Jo looked away, rubbing his arm, “I...I wanna come with you.” His hands them moved to fidget on the handle of his hammer. “Maybe if I was braver, she wouldn’t have taken Papa; Papa never left me so...I don’t wanna leave him either.”
I sighed as tears seem to be brewing in his eyes, “Okay, you can come with us.”
“What?!” Veronica exclaimed.
I took her aside and spoke softly, “Look, we can’t send him back down through the mountain alone,” I pointed out. “He’ll be safer with us.”
Veronica looked like she wanted to protest, but deflated, “Good point,” We turned back to Jo, “Let’s go, kid,” Veronica said. “Stay close to us, okay?”
Jo seemed to light up, “Okay!” I let Veronica lead the way so I could hang back and keep an eye on Jo. The kid carried his hammer with a slightly frightened but determined look on his face; he really wanted to save his dad. It was super sweet.
We hiked onwards, Veronica shooting down any Shadowlings that came our way. At long last, the path came to an end, and we found ourselves in a large clearing.
“Is this the summit?” I asked.
“It should be,” Veronica said. We moved forward, seeing and hearing nobody, until something up ahead caught our eye. A man was tied tightly to a boulder, sitting in the middle of an alcove of sorts. His posture was slumped and his head was low; it looked like he had all the energy sucked out of him.
“Is that Jordan?” I wondered out loud.
“Papa!” Jo cried, hurrying forward; well, that answered that.
“Jo, wait!” Veronica called frantically and we ran after.
Jordan lifted his head, revealing a few cuts and bruises on his face and his eyes widened, “Jo?!” He exclaimed. “What the hell are you doin’ here?!”
“We came to rescue you!” Jo said as Veronica caught up and grabbed his shoulders. “Mama and I asked a Rescue Team for help and we-”
“Jo Monaghan Ellis, you turn around and get out of here right now!” Jordan yelled, fear in his eyes.
Jo blinked, “Huh?”
“This place is dangerous, you need to leave, right now, all three of you!” Jordan yelled.
“We’re here to get you out!” I called towards him. “Veronica and I are a Rescue Team, we can-” The area suddenly became dark and Jordan softly swore.
“Papa?” Jo squeaked.
“She’s comin’!” Jordan cried. “Please Jo, run, now!”
We looked up to see a giant black bird appear in the sky. Veronica scooped up Jo and we ran back to safety as it landed between us and Jordan. Veronica and I pushed Jo behind us, making a protective wall as the bird folded its wings and shrunk, forming a woman with long brown curly hair and black flowing robes.
The Witch in all her glory. “Who are you, and what do you mean by trespassing here?” She demanded. She was definitely more intimidating in person; even Jordan seemed a shade paler as he watched with wide eyes.
“We’re a Rescue Team; we came for Jordan!” Veronica said loudly. “Let him go, now!”
“You dare make demands of me?!” The Witch exclaimed. “Especially when they brought this on themselves; both him and that brat!” Her eyes fell on Jo who squeaked and hid further.
“What are you talking about?” I asked. “They didn’t do anything to you!”
“They most certainly did! I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in weeks because these damned earthquakes!” The Witch ranted. “And it’s all because these miners keep hammering away under the mountains! I can’t take it anymore!”
Veronica and I blinked, “What?” I asked flatly.
“That makes no sense,” Veronica said dryly. “It would take a lot more than a few miners to-”
“Silence!” The Witch roared.
I chuckle uneasily, “I guess that means you won’t give Jordan back, even if we ask nicely?” I try.
“Keeping Jordan here won’t solve anything!” Veronica tried.
“Is that so?” The Witch asked. “In that case, perhaps I’ll also take that brat you’re protecting!” Veronica and I tensed, suddenly on alert and I felt Jo cling to the back of my shirt.
“No!” Jordan nearly screamed. “Please, do what you want with me, but leave Jo outta this!”
“Silence, or I’ll shut you up myself!” The Witch snapped.
“You’ll have to get through us if you want the kid,” Veronica said dangerously, icy mist surrounding her hands.
I nod, electricity starting to surround me. “You want a fight? We’ll give it to you!”
The Witch laughed, “You really think two children can defeat me? I’d like to see you try!”
“Jo, stay back and hide,” Veronica said firmly, “We won’t let her take you and we’ll get your dad back.”
Jo nodded, “O-Okay!” He quickly scurried behind a boulder and Veronica and I prepared to fight.
Jo watched as the fight commenced. The Witch wasted no time, shooting black shadow magic at Kirsty and Veronica, while the two girls tried their hardest to land a hit. But with how much magic she was throwing out, and with most of her magic being able to attack and block any incoming attacks, it wasn’t long before Kirsty and Veronica started to tire.
Jo bit his lip and his eyes fell on his hammer; this was just like when the Witch attacked him and Papa. He had to hide while those bigger than him fought, because he was too small and weak. He looked past the fight to see his Papa, completely helpless.
Jo looked back at his hammer and slowly frowned as he picked it up; he was tired of being a helpless little kid! He wanted to help, but if he messed up again...no! He wouldn’t mess up again! He couldn’t! Jo moved out into the open, hammer in hand.
Jo squeezed his eyes shut and his mind went straight to Jordan back in the mines; they remembered how he moved his shoulders and how he stood. Jo’s feet unconsciously moved, mimicking how he remembered Jordan did it.
He focused on how he held his hands on the hammer and Jo spread his hands, tightly gripping the handle on the top and bottom of the hammer. He remembered Jordan holding the hammer with his large and powerful hands, taking charge the moment he entered the area.
‘Think like Papa…!’ Jo grit his teeth. ‘Hear him…’ He tightened his grip. ‘See him…!’ The hammer’s head began to glow silver as they reared back. ‘Be him!’ With a cry, Jo swung his hammer onto the ground as hard as he could.
A rumbling sound suddenly filled my ears and we all stopped as the ground started to shake. We turned around to see none other than Little Jo, hammer on the ground, shining a bright silver.
A giant fissure appeared in the ground and traveled from Jo’s hammer, right between Veronica and I, silver energy shining from within. The fissure ended right under the Witch and she screamed as the silver light seemed to burn her, along with her head hurting from the shaking.
“Now’s our chance!” I yelled. Veronica and I immediately began powering up, forming a beam between our hands. “Now!” I yelled.
I shot a beam of electricity from my hands, and Veronica shot a beam of ice. Both attacks hit the Witch, her screams nearly shattering the our eardrums. All three of our attacks eventually ended, and the Witch collapsed in a heap on the ground.
“They did it…” Jordan said softly, a disbelieving smile appearing on his face. The Witch slowly began to get up on all fours and glared at us, breathing heavily.
Veronica and I got ready to attack, just in case, but the Witch growled. “This isn’t over…” She hissed, before shooting into the air as a stream of shadows, lightning and thunder signaling her exit. Veronica and I watched the sky for a minute, just in case she was coming back, but everything was quiet.
“Oh my god, we just chased away the Witch of Mt. Steel,” Veronica said with a dumbfounded smile on her face.
“Yeah we did!” I cheered. We then hurried up towards Jordan, who seemed both shocked and relieved.
“Are you okay?” Veronica asked.
“Yeah, I’ll live,” Jordan said.
“Awesome, let’s get you out of here.” I said. We both worked the knots and finally, the ropes fell away. Jordan sighed in relief and rubbed his wrists and a small child ran up to him before we could even help him up.
“Papa!” Jo threw himself at Jordan, wrapping his arms around his neck. “Papa, I’m so glad you’re okay!”
Jordan wrapped his arms tightly around the child, “I’m alright, Jo, I’m alright, thanks to you all,” He said, glancing at the two of us as well. Tears appeared in the corner of his eyes as he seemed to squeeze the child tighter. “Jo...my little Jo...god almighty, I thought I’d never see you again…” He said softly.
“I missed you, Papa…” Jo sniffed.
“I missed you too, kiddo,” Jordan said, before pulling away. “And god damn, that was one mighty hammer swing!”
“R-Really?” Jo asked, his eyes lighting up.
“He’s right,” Veronica said. “You nailed her.”
“I can’t remember the last time I saw a blow that powerful,” Jordan agreed. “I always knew you had it in ya.” He nudged Jo’s chin, making him blush slightly.
“Well, how about we get off this mountain?” I suggested. “Can you stand, Jordan?”
“I think so,” Jordan said, with a slight wince. Jo moved off him, letting Jordan use the boulder to help himself up. “That devil woman really got me good; I tried to put up a fight when she brought me here, but she was just too much.”
“You were really hurt, Papa,” Jo said softly, gripping his hand. “It was so scary…”
Jordan’s face fell as he probably realized the impact of what had happened, “It’s alright kiddo,” He said softly. “I’m alright now, ain’t I? Thanks to you and this Rescue Team here.” He looked back at us. “Although I have to ask, what on earth were you thinking, bringing Jo to this dangerous place.”
“We didn’t bring him,” Veronica said, her eyes narrowing. “He followed us.”
“What?” Jordan looked at Jo in shock.
“You were in trouble Papa!” Jo protested. “I wanted to help save you!”
“Yeah, but don’t forget, you didn’t even tell your mom that were coming up here, bucko,” I scolded.
Jordan took a deep breath, probably trying to calm the anger brewing inside him, “You little…” He muttered. “We’ll deal with this when we get home.”
“Yes sir,” Jo said guiltily. Jordan sighed and picked Jo up, “Now c’mon; let’s alleviate your mother of all the worry she’s probably got stewed up.”
The journey back was easy, and by sunset, we were arriving back at our Team Base. Pacing around in front of the entrance was none other than Sarah, looking more worried and stressed than ever. Luckily, any worry I had was crushed by the fact that she would be relieved of it soon.
“Mama!” Jo called and waved.
Sarah looked up and deflated in relief, a hand on her chest. “Jo!” She started towards us, but stopped once she realized who else was with us. Tears came to Sarah’s eyes and she covered her mouth her one hand, “Jordan?!” She began running towards us.
“Sarah!” Jordan exclaimed, his face drawn with joy. He ran towards her and she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Jordan lifted Sarah and spun her around before hugging her close, the two of them coming together for a deep kiss.
They pulled apart just as Jo hurried up to them and Sarah scooped him into her arms before the couple hugged again, sandwiching their child between them. I smiled at the sight, almost melting at how cute a family they were.
Eventually, they turned back to us, Sarah still holding Jo. “Thank you so much, Team Crystalline,” Sarah said gratefully. “For bringing back Jordan and Jo.”
“It was nothing,” I said with a smile.
“It wasn’t nothing,” Jordan said. “I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done; I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Just doing our job,” Veronica said smoothly, and thank goodness; I’ve never been good with taking praise. Sarah and Jordan insisted on giving us something for our efforts, though we tried to take the humble route, but we ended up with some silver.
“Now then, I think it’s time we head home and discuss a certain someone’s punishment,” Jordan said, glaring at Jo. “You may have been brave and put up a good fight up there, but you ain’t off the hook.”
“You fought?” Sarah asked, almost in horror. “My baby fought that devil woman?!”
“To be fair, we did most of the fighting,” I piped up.
“I finally swung my hammer, Mama!” Jo said. “I finally used my powers and made a strike, just like Papa!”
Sarah blinked, an impressed look coming to her face. “Oh, well, that’s all well and good, but you’re still in big trouble, Josephine Ellis,” She said firmly. “You scared me half to death, running off like that!”
“Scared me too,” Jordan agreed.
Veronica blinked, “...Josephine?”
“Wait!” I exploded, pointing at Jo, “You’re a girl?!”
“Yeah, duh,” Jo answered simply.
“You ain’t the first folks she’s fooled,” Jordan said. “She just likes dressing this way.”
“I can’t help Papa mine in a dress!” Jo protested. “I can’t swing my hammer like that!”
“Well then, maybe your punishment should be not only no mining for a week, but also wearing dresses,” Sarah remarked.
“What?! No, Mama, please not that!” Jo cried.
“We’ll see,” Jordan said. “Besides, you know they don’t allow girls in the mines; when you get older I won’t be able to let you in with me.”
Jo frowned and looked at us, “Then when I get bigger, I’ll join Rescue Team Crystalline!” She proclaimed. “Then I can be strong and not have to wear dresses neither!”
I smiled at how adorable she was, exchanging a look of adoration with Veronica. “If that’s what you want, we won’t stop you,” I said.
“Well, I say that out of all those Rescue Teams, Team Crystalline is a fine choice,” Jordan said.
“I’d say so too,” Sarah said with a smile.
“Thank you for saving my Papa,” Jo said to us softly. “And for letting me come with you.”
“No problem, kid,” Veronica said with a smile.
“We look forward to you joining us when you’re older,” I added.
“It’s a promise!” Jo said with a nod.
“We won’t ever forget what you did for us today,” Sarah said.
“Not a chance,” Jordan said. “Thank you.”
And with that, we went our separate ways, Jo waving at us as she walked alongside her parents.
I can’t help but smile and wave back; it feels like every day we make the world just a little better for those around us. That’s a feeling I could definitely get used to.
Broadway Mystery Dungeon: Kirsty’s Adventure Part 7
—————
“Dude, took you long enough.” // “Hey, I had to make sure I wasn’t followed if I wanna keep this scam goin’. You got the money?”
“If you need more blue gems, I’ll just send those two fools back for more; as long as I keep up the act that I’m gonna actually build them a house.” // “Okay, let’s do your plan Sonny; let’s take ‘em down!”
*FIGHT!*
“You may have gotten the best of me...but I ain’t goin’ down easy!” // “JORDAN, STOP!” *A wild Jo appears!*
“What the hell are you doin’ Monaghan?” // “ Jordan, I'm beggin' ya, stop doing this! I can't bare to watch anymore! For so long all we've done is work these scams! We never do any honest work anymore like we used to! And it's taken a toll on you Jordan! The Jordan I knew loved good, hard, honest work and would NEVER stoop this low!”
*Jordan punches Jo* “This is the new me, Jo, and if you don’t like it, then just get out of my sight. You should know better...you can’t just go back to the way things used to be...”
Okay, how about a Ballad of Little Jo AU where everything is the same except Jordan has a secret crush on Jo, but he doesn't tell anyone
YEEEEEEEEEES!!! You know the way to my heart :3
Okay, so we got requited love which is great so hopefully no sad endings if we do this right. So Jordan would probably hang out a lot with Jo while also CONSTANTLY questioning why he has feelings for him when he’s never had feelings for men before.
And meanwhile, Jo’s going through her own HUGE inner conflict like ‘fuck fuck fuck fuck what do I do? Do I tell him? Do I not? I like him and he likes me but he’ll get in trouble if I don’t tell him but he may leave me if I tell him and AHHHHHHHH!!!’
You can’t imagine how RELIEVED they were when Jo finally said ‘fuck it’ and told Jordan the truth about herself cause she loved him back and it KILLED her keeping secrets from him. Thankfully this happened after only like a year or two after Jo moved there so it’s not as big a blow as finding out after like twenty years.
I’m not sure what would happen after that. Like if Silver City is still young and barely growing Jo could PROBABLY get away with telling the people the truth and going back to being a girl or lie that she’s Jo’s sister and that the real Jo left. Or she and Jordan could just move :/ *GASP* :O And I just realized either way this means Jo could go back for Baby Lawrence!! With Jordan and her being a couple and Jordan having his job she could go back early and get her baby back!! Ooh! And Sarah would help Jo take care of him while Jordan goes out and mines! Sarah could be Lawrence’s godmother!! And they could still help Tin Man when he comes along and he could help raise little Lawrence too!! It’s perfect!!
Okay, here’s a really weird Ballad of Little Jo AU thing; basically Jordan hears rumors of a place that has “unlimited gold and silver” and he sets out on a journey to find this place. He goes through a long journey until he finds this place, he starts mining like crazy, taking large chunks of gold and silver in mine carts he found that were just laying around. However, it turns out this place is called “The Miner’s Trap” basically some weird magical limbo dimension that traps miners in an infinite mine for the rest of their lives, so Jordan basically fell into a magical trap and he didn’t even know about it. But one day, a group of explorers, in the modern day, find this place and finds Jordan, still mining away. And somehow the explorers manage to get Jordan and convince him to leave, and then these explorers told him that he was basically stuck in miner limbo. So now Jordan’s in the modern world with no idea what to do.
Ooooooooh that’s reeeeeeeally cool bro :0c
God imagine the confusion! Also Jordan, dick move, vanishing like that into mining limbo and leaving your wife and kids behind! Technically this isn’t your fault, but still! Not cool! >:(
For some reason, I don’t think Jordan would TOO much trouble adjusting. Mostly meaning I feel like he wouldn’t stick out too terribly since he’s still in Idaho and men’s fashion has ALMOST remained consistent in the middle and lower class category. But I think would be the MOST compelling is him meeting reincarnations of characters like Jo and/or Sarah. Wouldn’t THAT be a trip? (My shipper heart lowkey wants him to meet reborn!Jo who’s a regular girl and fall in love tho XP)
Welp, you’ve heard me rant and rave about this musical and now, thanks to this beautiful little PDF that was so graciously recommended by an amazing anon, I FINALLY have enough context to make possibly the very first Ballad of Little Jo AUs.
(Seriously, read through the summary and be amazed, a LOT of unexpected shit goes down in that musical. O_O)
SO without further ado...let us begin; Ballad of Little Jo AUs! (subject to additions in the future)
Jo Doesn’t Die AU: This one’s pretty obvious and kinda a cheap shot but I don’t care, Jo DID NOT need to die in the way that she did. Just wasn’t enough for her to die of natural causes like in real life, was it musical? No, let’s BURN HER TO DEATH instead!! ...Yeah, I’m a touch salty about that mostly because fucking brutal so yeah. Let’s have an AU where Jo escapes the mob with Tin Man and grows old with Jordan and Sarah and maybe makes good by her son Lawrence too, because Jo loves her baby boy, and that’s sweet.
Threesome AU: As in Jo x Jordan x Sarah. I’m mostly throwing this out there because if this musical ever somehow gains a massive cult following like BMC or Heathers, you KNOW this is gonna be among the ships (possibly along with a poly ship of Jo, Jordan, Sarah, and Tin Man). Plus I think it’s kinda cute that Jo actually has a crush on Jordan in the musical, which just makes the relationships in this show kinda hilarious. Jo likes Jordan, Jordan likes Sarah, and Sarah likes Jo. Honestly the three of them deserve each other. Platonic or romantic, I love them and I want them to stay together forever and be happy. :3 (Also I’m totally with the headcanon that everyone in this show is Bi so yeah X3)
Child!Jo AU: This is the AU I’ve had in my head ever since I listened to the soundtrack and fell in love with the adorable friendship between Jo, Sarah, and Jordan. Basically, the story is PRETTY MUCH the same, only Jo runs away from home as a child (maybe around eight or nine) and winds up in Silver City disguised as a boy, and is taken in by Jordan and Sarah (who are already a couple early on and living together). I’m not sure how this whole story would play out so I may make a bigger post about it later, but yeah, it basically ends with little babu Jo being adopted by Jordan and Sarah and everyone lives and is happy cause dammit, let these people be happy.
Time Travel AU: This kinda feels like a crack AU since I came with it while listening to a cover of The Song of Healing, but bear with me. Basically this takes place after the musical ends. Jordan, Sarah, and Tin Man are all torn up about Jo and how they probably could have changed her fate had they done something. But then they hear rumors or legends about a witch hiding in the mountains near the city so they go seek her out and find her and the witch agrees to send them back in time to save Jo three days before she died, so they have that long to figure out a way to save her.
Jordan x Jo AU: Hear me out. I honestly think this would be a sweet and also lowkey hilarious AU. So we know Jo has a crush on Jordan for pretty much the whole damn musical. Jordan likes Sarah buuuut we still don’t know much about her relationship with Jordan except that she’s conflicted about it and their marriage (Honestly, I need to see their relationship in practice to get a good grip on Sarah’s character; I need to know if I need to be mad about her marrying Jordan :/) Anyway, what if Jordan somehow started realizing he was getting feelings for Jo but he thinks he’s going crazy because Jo’s a guy but they end up getting closer until maybe the truth comes out? I dunno, maybe workshop this one a bit :/ (Plus you could reverse this AU for a Sarah x Jo AU if you please ;))
Roleswap AU: Not too sure on the details for this one or how I would switch everything up. Like maybe Sarah could be in Jo’s place, Tin Man could be in Jordan’s place, Jordan could be in Tin Man’s place and Jo could be in Sarah’s place?? I’ve never really done roleswap AUs that much XP
Alright, those are AUs of the canonical musical itself; let’s dive into LEGIT AUs involving other franchises X3
Pokemon AU: Cause I love imagining characters with their own personalized Pokemon team, and what’s better than Jo and her two best friends Jordan and Sarah traveling the Pokemon world together? :D (Pictures of their teams may come soon :3c)
Soul Eater AU: I don’t think I’ve ever said this before, but Soul Eater AUs are great and I don’t think they get enough love. For those who don’t know, the premise revolves around people who are either Meisters or Weapons, these two are paired up and wield whatever weapon that Weapon person turns into and it’s a lot of fun thinking up who would be a Meister or a Weapon and what weapon they would turn into. In this case, I think we could keep the basic premise of the musical, Jo going to a new place to start a new life but disguised as a boy and she’s a Weapon (A sledgehammer) that hasn’t found a Meister yet; enter Jordan who is a Meister and wouldn’t you know it, their souls are almost perfectly compatible. I’m unsure if Sarah would be a Weapon or Meister but she can still hang out with Jordan and Jo (same goes for Tin Man). If she’s a Meister she can also wield Jo (not as well as Jordan but it’s possible to have more than one Meister) or if she’s a Weapon, Jordan can also wield her. I just think this would be a fun action packed AU for them to be in.
Fantasy/Adventure Kinda AU: This one is very bare bones at the moment, but I’m thinking this could be a fun AU involving old American mythology with the cast of Little Jo defending their town from the Supernatural, like I dunno, Wendigos or Chupacabra’s and stuff. Just a fun romp involving monsters, guns, and saving others and each other from the monster of the week, ya know? Think Gravity Falls meets Supernatural :3
Zombie/Apocalpyse AU: Ah the classic ‘end of the world and survival AU’ X3 Our lovable cast of characters wind up running into each other while trying to survive on their own and end up having to learn to coexist and work together in a time where one wrong move could cost you your life. The drama! Especially since Jo is a big loner, she would probably have the most trouble adjusting to having people have her back.
