Mary Jane Fitzgerald

"There are moments when we cannot believe that what is happening is really true".- Mary Jane Fitzgerald

Mary Jane Fitzgerald is a beautiful, pure, and severely damaged soul holding on for the good and a force from beyond. She is a leading character in Don’t Let the Darkness Consume You, where she is the main protagonist.

A gentle and pure, but burdened young lady, Mary Jane attempts to thrive in society and joins a group known as the Liars Club in order to find her place in the world, but she is constantly haunted by the memorial of her parents' murders in 1973 and soon stalked by evil. However, she is aided by an ethereal entity that encourages her to face her forsaken past to see a brighter future.

Background
Mary Jane Fitzgerald was the only daughter conceived by Alan and Janet Fitzgerald in San Francisco, California on March 31st, 1963. Despite the fact that Mary Jane was the most intelligent student in her class, coming in first in many subjects, she fet very lonely, something her parents swiftly noticed, and moved her to another school, where she gained a decent number of friends. Since 1970, Mary Jane and her parents came every summer to the Firefly Summer Camp, where she bonded with many of the staff members and campers such as Abigail Kraenen, Edward Sexton Church, the priest Father Michael Campbell, and Benjamin Franken, whose life was saved by Alan and Janet from a car accident near the camp. She was also frequently visited by her maternal cousin Carmina Montgomery.

In 1973, ever since the promotion of Alan and Janet to possible candidates for inheriting the ownership of the Firefly Summer Camp, Mary Jane started to get more prominence and friends, knowing the good nature she brings to the campers. However, the happiness would come to an end on October 25th, when camp counselor Randy Cavanaugh, driven by his seething thirst for power and control over the camp, murdered Alan and Janet, alongside other eight camp counselors and forest rangers under the New Moon, leaving Mary Jane completely traumatized and forcibly independent.

Three days after the incident, after unsuccessfully moving on from the grief of her parents’ deaths, Mary Jane tried to commit suicide for the first time, using a glass shard to do the raw attempt. She was found by a group of police officers and rushed her to the nearest hospital. Mary Jane’s life was saved and she was hospitalized for five days before being sent to the Saint Damian Psychiatric Hospital, where she was under constant surveillance by Dr. Albert Wayans. He, alongside many psychiatrists, diagnosed Mary Jane with Major depressive disorder and self-harming tendencies, and also displayed signs of Psychosis due to several head injuries she caused to herself and claiming that she was "seeing things".

During the night of April 10th, 1974, a spiritual entity known as Anastasia Wynter infiltrated into the psychiatric hospital, while orderlies were oblivious to her presence. As she entered her cell, Anastasia told the young Mary Jane that she "answered the call" and will bring her home to protect her. Concerned, but at the same time convinced, Mary Jane accepted the purpose and silently left the psychiatric hospital without leaving a trace. Although she still misses her parents, Mary Jane accepted Anastasia as her "mother figure".

On April 11th, 1974, Mary Jane was reported to be missing from the psychiatric hospital by the staff. As the police were investigating her disappearance, they found traces of an unknown, glowing azure substance. When forensic serologists attempted to analyze the substance, the technology used suffered a highly dangerous jolt of energy, to the point of causing it to suffer short circuit and preventing the analysis. Reports stated that a ghostly creature took Mary Jane away, and the substance was ectoplasm. The theory was billed as a hoax, and the police fined the psychiatric hospital for negligence. However, despite the rumors of Mary Jane billed as deceased, residents confirmed that she is still alive.

Appearance
Mary Jane Fitzgerald is an extremely beautiful young lady who is almost pale-skinned and has long wavy golden blonde hair, icy hazel eyes and a very slender body. She likes to wear simple, colorful and white-related outfits, like sweaters, blouses, and shirts. The jewelry she uses is a glass-like pendant with the portrait of the Fitzgerald family, which glows only with the presence of the supernatural. Mary Jane's wrists are cicatrized due to her self-harming tendency. However, that would be the tip of the iceberg because, as seen in the memories that took place in Saint Damian Psychiatric Hospital, Mary Jane caused dreadful injuries in her head and body.

After the events of 1984 and getting physically and mentally tortured by Richard Ramirez, Mary Jane became well known for her great scar in her chest left by The Night Stalker, "symbolized" by the dry blood stain in her iconic red hoodie. She often uses black jeans and white sports shoes. For the final confrontation with Randy Cavanaugh, Mary Jane used a black tank top, a pair of black leggings, a pair of green leg warmers, and black boots.

Personality
Mary Jane Fitzgerald is a sweet, pure and gentle girl, known for her beauty and inner strength through compassion, love, kindness, and resilience. She has a strong sense of morality and cares about making the world a better place. When she was a child, Mary Jane was very innocent, curious, and dependent on her parents, where she often remembers the advice that Alan and Janet gave to her. Despite her growth, Mary Jane has still displayed signs of curiosity and cautiousness. In contrast to her purity, Mary Jane happens to be very shy and fragile, considering that her life was a living hell from the beginning and it just gets worse and worse for her. Mary Jane showed signs of instability and low self-esteem, and questions her life very often. She is also deeply remorseful when her actions cause harm to others and does her best to fix things.

Described as "a lonely, burdened young girl that is trapped in the life of an adult", after she lost her parents in the New Moon Massacre of 1973 and being rescued from the Saint Damian Psychiatric Hospital by Anastasia Wynter, Mary Jane has attempted to thrive in society independently, but she is constantly haunted by her parents' memorial and the disappearance of her cousin, Carmina Montgomery. As a teenager and young adult, Mary Jane has considered herself sexually unavailable, and often avoids vices like illegal drug use. However, she is easily peer-pressured into drinking by her newfound friends. When defending herself against her attackers, Mary Jane was somewhat less aggressive than them. In relation to the unknown, Mary Jane holds a deep, profound respect for the supernatural creatures.

After the events of the 1984 massacre in the Firefly Summer Camp, Mary Jane is shown to be considerably more aggressive and hellbent than before, refusing to get help from people and isolating herself. She considered that her friends never cared about her and only used her for their own sake. However, this change of attitude almost cost her life, as she retained much of her purity and refused to let the darkness corrupt her during the torture she suffered at the hands of Richard Ramirez. Despite having her chest ravaged by The Night Stalker, Mary Jane's survival skills ultimately saved her life and eventually brought her back to Anastasia Wynter and Jay Ambrose.

Throughout the years towards to 1989, Mary Jane changed her attitude for the better, retaining the realistic view of how life works, but also becoming hopeful and positive, ultimately finding true strength and real courage within herself. She improved in her defensive skills, giving her a "battle-hardened" sense, and also demonstrating a witty side that responded with passive-aggressive sarcasm towards those whom she disliked. After ending the unnerving curse of Willow's Bell, Mary Jane moved on to a normal and peaceful life, but she still remembers Anastasia Wynter with care and expressed her desire to see her again someday.

Medical Profile
Mary Jane Fitzgerald was diagnosed with Major depressive disorder at the age of 11, causing her to have an extreme tendency of self-harming. Mary Jane was also heavily affected by Psychosis, making her susceptible to hallucination, having dark visions of her past, including traumatic moments, and also imagining situations that are not real. The cause of her Psychosis is because of all the head injuries she caused to herself. She appeared to have anxiety attacks before hallucinating.

Story
Mary Jane Fitzgerald is present in a mental health talk organized by TLS (Talk, Learn, Spread) at City College of San Francisco. While the host, professor Alfred Lennox, was asking questions, Mary Jane is able to deliver a powerful speech about mental health awareness, being given a standing ovation by the people in attendance. After the talk, Mary Jane finds one of the few photographers of the talk, and both enter into a friendly conversation. He introduces himself as Jay Ambrose, a street artist and member of a revolutionary group known as the Liars Club, as he further explains his quest. The conversation is halted after Jay is called out by a duo of young adults, and leaves his club card to Mary Jane to have another meeting. Jay tells her that he will be at a bar to share a Texas-style barbecue and chili, if she wants to go. Mary Jane said that she will be thinking about it.

In the streets of San Francisco, Mary Jane walks into a grocery store, encountering a close friend, Maggie Romero. After asking for a Dr. Pepper and some mint chocolate tablets, Mary Jane takes a look at the pendant that her mother Janet gave her eleven years ago. Maggie notices Mary Jane’s saddened face, and asks what is wrong. Mary Jane explains that she wishes that her parents were on her side. After getting consoled by Maggie, Mary Jane leaves the store, and arrives at her home. She prepared her dinner while listening to "Loving Arms" by Elvis Presley on the radio.

Powers and Abilities
Although she is a human being like everyone around her, Mary Jane Fitzgerald has a variety of abilities that allow her to coexist with supernatural beings.


 * Empathy - Mary Jane can interpret the emotions, moods, and temperaments of others without reading apparent symptoms, allowing her to understand introverts or discover one emotion is actually hiding another.
 * Entity Bonding - Mary Jane shares a bond with the entity known as Anastasia Wynter since the latter rescued her from the Saint Damian Psychiatric Hospital, allowing her to call upon her when she needs her. This can be alluded to due to Mary Jane's ancestors connecting with many beings from the Realm of Beyond.
 * Pain Suppression - Mary Jane is capable of suppressing physical pain from injuries. However, it does not stop her from feeling it.
 * Supernatural-Induced Insanity Immunity - Due to her connection with Anastasia Wynter and the beings of the Realm of Beyond, Mary Jane has become immune to losing her sanity upon connecting with Ghosts and other supernatural beings.

Weaknesses
Despite the abilities Mary Jane has, it does not mean without limitations.


 * Mortality - Like all human beings, Mary Jane is attached to mortality.
 * Lingering Anxiety - Partially due to her mental illnesses, Mary Jane can be seriously weakened by anxiety or panic attacks, rendering her unable to think fast or even use her abilities.

Quotes

 * To Alan and Janet Fitzgerald: "I know you told me to not believe in a world of "what ifs", but what can I do if something bad happens to you?".
 * Mary Jane Fitzgerald, about society: "We live in a society, where nobody cares about your inner world, your emotions, and what you need. What matters to them is that you dress well, that you laugh at their jokes, and that you fit in their doors".
 * Mary Jane Fitzgerald, about mental health awareness: "Why spread a stigma, when you can spread awareness and acceptance. That's the biggest quest that humanity has from now on".
 * To Jay Ambrose: "I'm happy that you are actually one of few that understands me".
 * To Ashley Murray: "Is it me? Have I lost that big a step to live? Am I the reason why this stuff is happening?".
 * To Ashley Murray: "How can this be God's plan for me...?! I don't understand!".
 * About Anastasia Wynter: "She saved me when I could not save myself".

Trivia

 * Mary Jane Fitzgerald is the first character to be announced in the ParaVerse.
 * She had a prescription of 50 mg of Trazodone, as seen in Illusions and Delusions.
 * Mary Jane is based on Brooke Thompson from American Horror Story: 1984 (2019) and Sarah Bailey from The Craft (1996) in terms of backstory and personality.
 * If counting the Prologue and Epilogue chapters, Mary Jane is the only character that appeared in all chapters of Don't Let the Darkness Consume You.
 * Her favorite song is "The Air That I Breathe" by The Hollies.
 * Mary Jane is the object of attraction for supernatural creatures (specifically Spirits) due to her good and pure attitude towards her surroundings. In return, she demonstrates empathy and trust in them in some sort of way.
 * Mary Jane revealed that this is also because her ancestors have made various connections with beings from the Realm of Beyond.
 * In The Greatest Fear, Mary Jane said that Alan and Janet did have "something going on" with beings of the Realm of Beyond. This was ultimately confirmed in Retribution, where Alan and Janet Fitzgerald recognized Anastasia Wynter as one of the beings they have meet before.
 * Mary Jane's birthday is March 31st, 1963, the same date where Don't Let the Darkness Consume You started to be prepared and written in 2021, and is also a reference to the American release date of Godzilla vs. Kong (2021).
 * "Dying Light", which is Mary Jane's famous nickname, served as Don't Let the Darkness Consume You's working title during writing.
 * According to Brooke Redwood:
 * Among the characters in Don't Let the Darkness Consume You, Mary Jane was intended to portray the role of the Nice Girl.
 * Mary Jane has blonde hair to represent the Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold trope, which is rarely seen in slasher movies.
 * It seems like Mary Jane has developed a fear of mental asylums following her past experiences in Saint Damian Psychiatric Hospital.
 * According to the novel, Mary Jane despises Gaslighting, a type of manipulation where a person tries to get someone else (or a group of people) to question their own reality, memory, or perceptions.
 * This might explain why Mary Jane started her quest to unearth the clues of the New Moon Massacre.
 * Also, because of her empathetic ability, Mary Jane can easily notice if someone attempts to gaslight her or another person.
 * Also, because of her empathetic ability, Mary Jane can easily notice if someone attempts to gaslight her or another person.