Romeo & Juliet: Pompous Pep Edition

Bring out the tissues and the ice cream, for never was a tale as strange or as mournful as this one can get-then this of Vlad, and of Danny, his Juliet. Shakespeare's timeless favorite reenacted by your favorite DP characters.

~(*0*)~

I very nearly gave up on this project after I accidentally lost the original file on the computer. :'( Stupid, stupid power-outage….but this piece was inspired primarily by one of xechoheartx's pieces on DeviantArt. (Will have TLT updated soon, I promise!)

As following the immortal bard's tradition, I decided to put a playbill of all the characters before the actual storyline, so that you can get some idea of what's going on. (Needless to say, the original story had to be tweaked in order to include some ghosts…) For those of you who think I'm spitting on a timeless classic , please turn back now, because any and all flames will be ignored.

As soon as I finish this story, I will update it once every Saturday with a different act. I also changed the language just a little so that people would have an easier time understanding what people are saying.

Really hope you all enjoy. Much love. Obviously, don't own either Danny Phantom or Romeo and Juliet….

Playbill

~(*0*)~

The Neutral Parties

The Fate: Played by Clockwork

A somewhat wistful servant in the threshold of time and space, who narrates the story. A neutral party to the bitter struggle between Capulet and Montague.

The Prince: Played by Prince Aragon

The much-loved head of political power in Spectral Verona. The Prince knows of the antagonism between the esteemed Houses of Capulet and Montague, but has only ever managed to achieve a grudging truce between both parties. (Those of the House of Montague are to remain up North in Spectral Verona, and those of Capulet do not leave the South.) His purpose is to maintain public peace at all costs.

Friar Frostbite: Played by Frostbite

A Franciscan monk and a fuzzy, nine-foot tall snow monster. A kind and civic-minded soul, friend to both Vlad and Danny. He has some doubts as to whether or not marrying two males of different races is sacrilege, but ultimately believes that he is doing the right thing for the impassioned lovers, and hopes that their marriage will mean peace for Spectral Verona. As well as being a holy man, Frostbite enjoys experimenting with various herbs and potions

The Apothecary: Played by Nocturne

An extremely talented apothecary whose concoctions are feared and well-known all over Spectral Verona. His specialty are sleeping aids, although there are a few potent poisons he can be occasionally persuaded to make, although it definitely doesn't leave him with a clear conscience. Vlad goes to enlist his services at one point….

~*Those of the House of Montague*~

Vladimir of Montague: Played by Vlad Plasmius

Son of the present Lord and Lady of Montague, and heir to the House of Montague. Like many of his House, Vladimir is handsome, intelligent, and accomplished with a sword, but also rather arrogant and easily made passionate. In the beginning of the story, Vladimir is bemoaning his unfortunate love of Lady Madeline of Capulet, and spends much of his time in melancholy, adoring her. That soon changes when he appears at a masked ball hosted by Capulet, and meets the young heir of his father's worst enemy, with whom he immediately falls in love with and forgets Madeline, despite the fact that Daniel is both a boy and a human. Vlad is a patron of the arts with little to no interest in violence. His only pursuit is love.

Lord Dan Montague: Played by Dan Phantom

Vladimir's father. He has been well-versed by his ancestors to hate those of the House of Capulet. He knows nothing of Vlad's crush on Lady Maddie of Capulet. Dan wants his son to marry soon and to continue the family's legacy. Lately, his son his has been acting rather downhearted, which annoys him. He also wishes that his son would spend a little more time sparring and flirting rather than skulking about with his scholarly friend. But Dan soon becomes appeased; Vlad becomes much improved and extremely buoyant as of late, which probably means he's been ensnared by the heart of a young lady…

Lord Pariah of Montague: Played by Pariah Dark

Vladimir's ancestor. The sadistic founder of the house of Montague, who helped ignite the feud between Spectral Verona's two noble families. Pariah Montague is a handsome, haughty ghost who finds the fact that humans can reside in Spectral Verona an abomination. He sees humans as little more than fodder, and he holds a deep grudge against the human Lord Jacques of Capulet, who seeks to destroy much of his kind. Pariah and Jacques held a lifetime enmity, and both believed that the destruction of the other's House would mean expulsion of the enemy's race from Spectral Verona.

Andrew Mercutio (Ghostwriter): Played by Ghostwriter

A kinsman to the Prince, royal historian and scribe to the Montague family, and Vlad's closest friend. Mercutio is better known as Ghostwriter to his few friends, because of his habit of drifting around the library and spending much of his day consumed by his work. He always takes a moment out for Vlad though, and has been worried for his friend as of late. Vlad has a dangerous obsession for Madeline of Capulet, which Ghostwriter believes is nothing more than a "forbidden fruit" complex in sexual appetite. A brooding, dry, satirical soul, Ghostwriter loves wordplay, especially sexual innuendos. Despite his nickname, Ghostwriter is not a romantic, is somewhat hotheaded, and quick to react if he feels he or his masters have been slighted in some way. While he prefers the pen, Ghostwriter is not a bad hand with a sword.

Balthasar, Sampson, and Gregory: Played by the three vultures

Okay, so they're not the best, nor are they the brightest, but Vlad's willing to take what he can get right now. These Montague servants send secret messages from Vlad to Nurse Jasmine, and have sworn a vow of silence concerning Vlad's relationship with Danny. They think it's remarkably creepy, and are somewhat annoyed that they've been reduced to being carrier pigeons, but what are you going to do? Thankfully, the birds are usually too busy arguing with each other to talk about their master's romance amidst prying ears.

~*Those of the House of Capulet*~

Daniel (Danny) of Capulet: Played by Danny Fenton

Only son to Lord and Lady Capulet, heir to the House of Capulet, and known as Danny to his close friends and parents. While told hideous tales of the Montague all of his life, Danny doesn't seem to harbor any negative feelings for the Montague ghosts, nor of ghosts in general, much to his father's anxiety. Danny is an intelligent, intrepid aristocrat with a generous heart; he'd much rather be participating in charities than in jousts or fencing competitions. He's light on his feet, and very capable of using a sword, but he's not fond of fighting. While his parents talk of him someday expelling the wicked ghosts of Spectral Verona, Danny filches books of ballroom dresses from the seamstresses and dreams. After years of trying to fit into the mold his parents have set for him, he's inwardly stopped trying, and will occasionally step out of the House disguised as a young woman, risking his parents' and his House's humiliation. His great friend Nurse Jasmine is the only person who knows Danny's cross-dressing interests, and has even gone so far as to bring him various disguises for meeting up with his forbidden lover, the aristocratic heir of Montague. He takes care that his parents should never find out his true self, lest he break their hearts, but very often feels small and trapped inside. He doesn't spend much time in the Capulet house, dressed as either a boy or a girl. While Danny is very fond of quiet activities like painting, playing the piano, gardening, and reading, he proves that he has a tremendous amount of courage by marrying his blood-enemy, and immediately dismisses Jasmine when she brings reports of Vlad's crime. While initially shy and naïve, Danny goes to staggering means to be with his husband, in or out of the grave.

Lord Jack of Capulet: Played by Jack Fenton

A somewhat beefy man who is a little worried by Danny's lack of interest in more masculine things, and spreads boasting rumors of his son's manliness around the House, trying to mask his own insecurity. He hopes to marry off Danny soon to his young niece, whom shares his hatred of ghosts and is a vicious warrior. He pushes the two together as much as he possibly can in social events. Normally a jovial, somewhat goofy man, Jack is unacquainted with much of Danny's thoughts or feelings, and believes the "best" thing for him is a match with Valerie of Paris, along with him adopting the family legacy of ghost-hunting. Very often irrational, irresponsible, and quick-tempered, he will occasionally fly off the handle at the smallest of triggers, which usually means his wife has to bring him back in line.

Lord Jacques of Capulet: Also played by Jack Fenton

Danny's ancestor. A very absentminded soul who, after an unfortunate incident with Dark of Montague, loathes ghosts and believes that all ectoplasmic creatures should be banished from Spectral Verona forever. A man who harbors a deep grudge against the House of Montague, and actively seeks to destroy them. Paranoid, irrational, proud, boastful, and often made easily angry. Well-known for accusing random people of being ghosts.

Lady Madeline of Capulet: Played by Maddie Fenton

The unsuspecting bearer of Vlad's affections in the beginning of the story; Jack's wife. While Jack has the official title of head of the House, it is really Maddie who runs the business of the day, and normally encourages an unsuspecting Jack to stay out of the way. Like Jack, Maddie wants her child to marry soon, although she is perhaps a little more understanding and romantic than her husband. However, she still remains blasé to much of Danny's hopes and dreams, and due to the busy schedule of running the House, very rarely gets to see him.

Nurse Jasmine: Played by Jazz Fenton

Danny's nurse ever since he was an infant, his closest confidante and friend. While Danny is more intense and idealistic, Jasmine (Jazz) is much more down-to-earth and realistic. She believes a good match is someone wealthy enough to support you, whom you can stand to be together with in the same room for more than two minutes. However, she is still willing to pass messages between Danny and his secret lover, as she is still somewhat romantic herself. She also acts as the Devil's Advocate by buying the heir of Capulet's gowns for him, which he wears at night, and in secret rendezvous around the city.

Dash Tybalt: Played by Dash Baxter

Danny's male cousin from his mother's side. Dash is crude, boastful, vain, and a man of fashion. He is intently aware of respect or lack thereof. He becomes violent and hot-headed very easily, and is one of the best swordsmen in all of Spectral Verona. His sword is immediately drawn when the noble feels some slight to his pride, although it must be said that Dash is more muscle than brain. Like most of his family, he hates Montagues.

Valerie of Paris: Played by Valerie Gray

Danny's female cousin from his father's side. Although her spineless father tried to have her carefully protected away from society after her mother passed away, Valerie ran around the streets of Paris at an early age, getting into plenty of trouble for her unladylike behavior and her aggressive nature. Refusing to do things like needlepoint or other more feminine activities, Valerie bullied the swords-master into teaching her how to fight. She became France's best known fencer and ghost hunter, although she was severely injured in a duel with a ghost, crippling her right arm. After that incident, her father put his foot down and insisted on sending her away. Destitute after an angry spirit destroyed his home, he had no choice but to send his only daughter away to his annoying brother-in-law's care, with the knowledge that he would give her everything she needed. Valerie harbors a blazing hatred of all ghosts, and has learned to duel with only one arm, intent on restoring her pride one day. She has met Danny several times in her youth, and is very fond of the gentle and somewhat effeminate Danny, as he doesn't treat her any differently for being a girl. It's her dream to one day marry the boy, and has decided that if he won't propose soon, she'll break etiquette and simply ask him. Needless to say, Valerie despises the House of Montague, more for the fact that they are ghosts rather than recognizing the family vendetta.