#Danny getting Real Fucked Up about possibly being a full ghost who's just really good at pretending to be human
Text
Consider this: ghosts are actually exactly what the Fentons think they are.
They're snapshots of a longing so strong, unfinished business so deep it reaches out beyond life. Lingers just a bit longer. And if it happens to meet a dense cloud of ectoplasm (invisible to the naked eye, but omnipresent even in the mortal realm), it coalesces. The ectoplasm fits into the shape of it. Which, when the desire is strong enough, it's got a rough idea of its self-image. This tends to mean a more humanoid figure, though it's more often warped in some way–a self-reflection, skewed by said desire. The warping varies on the dead soul’s perception of themselves, the intensity of their desire, how much time passed after death, and how much ectoplasm was present.
In short… no matter how “normal" a ghost looks or acts, it really, truly isn't human. It's animated ectoplasm with a single goal: an obsession. Nothing else. They're more akin to plants than animals, following a single drive with no emotion. They react to stimuli, recognize threats (including other ghosts), and can even imitate human speech and mannerisms to obtain fulfillment of their obsession.
Not “evil" by any stretch, but they're entirely driven by instinct. A tree doesn't pause to consider the rocks it breaks with its roots. A cordyceps doesn't torture its host for fun, or kill with malice. It just does. It follows code in its DNA to survive and multiply–And ghosts just follow the code in its ectoplasm to fulfill its obsession. The more powerful a ghost, the better it's able to overcome obstacles preventing this–whether through brute force, or manipulation. This power is always directly proportional to the amount of ectoplasm present at the time of formation, and how much time passed since death.
What then, does this mean for Danny? Danny, who's previously come to the conclusion that he's only half-ghost, which surely explains how he retained his mind? His independent thoughts and emotions?
What does this mean for Phantom, who experienced an entire world’s worth of ectoplasm condensed as a singularity, at the exact time of his death? Whose strength only grows and begins to exceed every limit they previously thought possible?
If a ghost was as strong as him… could it mimic a human perfectly? Down to a molecular level?
Could it, in its desire to fill an obsession… trick its own fake mind into thinking it was still human? Or half-ghost?
#Danny Phantom#zilly squeaks#it's the greyed out morality for me dude#on one hand it shows how dangerous ghosts are. how you can't reason with them. how they aren't *people*#and yet. you can still find ways to work with them. there's reason to show them mercy when possible#even if it's not really 'pain' it still cries out and bleeds when struck#i just love this kind of angle where there's a solid reason to find co-existence but also like#knowing full well these creatures are more or less. potentially deadly trees. do u feel me#when does sentience bloom from code?#what caused our ancestors to become sapient?#Danny getting Real Fucked Up about possibly being a full ghost who's just really good at pretending to be human#when really... does it even matter?#(for double the pain: add headcanon that ghosts feed off of human life for additional power)
904 notes
·
View notes
Text
Twin Cores - DP
Saw this headcanon on Tumblr… awhile ago? It stuck with me, and I ended up writing this, and now I can’t find it to give the person proper credit. Lemme know if anyone recognizes this idea and knows who came up with it. (heart)
Was gonna do this idea for the Big Bang thing, but I forgot all about signing up. ;) Wonders. So I’ll just post it and come up with new ideas.
~2,700 words.
--
Danny floated high above the clouds, up where the air was thin and cold and the stars sparkled brightly overhead. It was terribly late, and Danny knew he’d be paying for this at school tomorrow, but this was always the best part of his week. He couldn’t come up here all the time, but when he cound, he always found himself relaxing. Hands behind his head, he floated on his back, studying the stars.
He let out a breath through his lips and brought a hand forwards to massage his chest, closing his eyes. Yesterday had not been good day. An accident with some of his parents’ technology had completely ruined his day. For reasons Danny didn’t understand, his chest had felt overly full since. Almost like he needed to cough up something - which couldn’t be, because his ghost form didn’t have any real lungs to cough with.
With a groan, Danny stretched and rolled his body through a bunch of sharp loop-the-loops and twists, hoping maybe he could work out the kink. Nothing. Hopefully it wouldn’t prevent him from getting a good night’s rest. He was exhausted.
He floated for a few minutes longer, watching the sky and hoping for a meteor or two, slowly turning the overfull feeling over in his mind. He pushed and prodded at the odd sensation, trying to come up with what in the world it could be.
It had to relate to his parents’ invention. Unfortunately, the day was a fuzzy blur in Danny’s memory and if something in particular had happened to him, he wouldn’t be able to remember it on his own. All he could do on his own was a vague understanding of what had happened.
Getting zapped with one of the newer devices yesterday had resulted in Danny getting split - again. His ghost half had fallen captive to the hero-like obsession of his core, and had gone on a hero-spree. A memory of rescuing a cat from a tree in a very overblown, comic-like way surfaced and Danny buried his face in his hands, embarrassed for himself. “Ugh, I hope nobody videoed that. Or anything else,” he muttered.
His human half had wandered aimlessly through the day, not knowing what to do with no driving force behind everything he did. Vague memories of eating pizza and not noticing the ghost haunting the place next door until Sam pointed it out filtered through the shadows.
From what he remembered, it hadn’t been a horrible sort of day for either half of him. His ghost half had been allowed to play with his obsession all day and his human half had gotten to just be… human. But he’d been split for much longer than ever before; Tucker and Sam were unable to work through how the strange invention worked.
Danny didn’t remember being much help with the endeavour. In fact, he sort of remembered his human half stealing the device, passing it to his ghost half, and the thing getting placed on top of the school for the afternoon. Jazz finally got it using some of the newer modifications to the Fenton’s vehicle that allowed it to fly.
By the time the three of them figured out how to reverse the effects, it was late in the evening on the second day - more than 36 hours since being split. Phantom had started to turn more and more ghost, losing more of his humanity each hour, delving deeper and deeper into this hero obsession. His eyes had turned more ghostly, teeth sharpening, fingers turning into claws. Even a cape had started to mist into view.
Danny slowly ran his tongue over his teeth - they were still a bit too sharp - and pulled his hands far enough away from his face to glance at his fingers. They weren’t claws, not like many ghosts had, but… his fingers no longer really looked human. The changes that had happened to his ghost form the last two days appeared to be permanent, even now that they were rejoined back together.
Danny… didn’t want to think about that. Not yet.
And his human half had started to go through changes as well. Danny vaguely remembered - towards the end of the escapade, when he’d convinced himself that he didn’t want to be rejoined with Phantom - trying to avoid everyone and ending up in a tree, floating in a very inhuman way. His totally human form regaining some of its ghost powers.
Danny mentally poked at the odd, full sensation in his chest again. Perhaps it was that his ghost powers had grown while he was separated. Phantom hadn’t been exactly a half-a-ghost when they’d been slammed back together. And Danny had been just a bit of ghost too. Perhaps now he was somehow 60% ghost and 50% human… and his body was trying to adjust to being too much ghost.
His mind poked at the sensation in his chest just a bit too hard. Danny slammed his eyes shut tight as he felt the sensation of transformation travel through him - lightning sharp and aching into his phantom bones. Panic set in a second later. He couldn’t transform up here - there wasn’t enough oxygen for his human form to breathe. He’d pass out and fall to his death.
He gasped and threw his arms out, instinctively trying to grab something even though he was on the edge of the atmosphere, as the transformation arced through his arms and legs. He kept his eyes closed as he fumbled for his ghost side. He needed to transform back fast. His human side would already be aching to breathe, desperate for oxygen after the last hour of being in ghost form.
But his ghost side… was…
Danny opened his eyes as he realized he wasn’t falling. As he realized his ghost form wasn’t something to grab for, because he was still a ghost.
“But…” he whispered, startled and confused. He’d felt himself transform. There was no mistaking the sensation that had swept through him. He looked around, almost as if the answer would be written in the air next to him.
Then the stars caught his gaze. He froze, mouth falling open, as he stared up at the sky. There were more stars than before, the whole sky alight with points of light. And he knew them - with each star he focused his eyes on, he knew what that star was. How far away it was, what it’s name was, what kind of star it was…
Delight sparkled inside him as he let his gaze drift across the heavens. Stars he didn’t even know existed seemed to soak into his skin, whispering all their secrets in his ears. “How…?” he breathed, twisting around and around and looking everywhere he could. “Why?”
His gaze snagged on the moon, crescent-shaped and gleaming. He almost felt like he was drowning in it’s glow, feeling everything about it. The ice hiding in its craters. The human-built machinery peppering its surface. The soft warmth still coiling in its dying core. He could just… go there. He could be there in about three seconds. He could just…
He threw up a hand, blocking the moon’s glow, blinking hard and pushing the thoughts out of his mind. “Holy shit,” he whispered, breathing hard, focusing on Earth, on human thoughts, on normalcy. “What is this?”
Then he saw his hand, thin fingers topped with sharp claws, glove missing. His forehead furrowed as he realized both his gloves were gone, as was the logo on his chest, and the white belt around his waist. A black shirt and black pants. His boots looked like his normal shoes, just moon-lit white. Actually, minus the claws and some color changes, he looked… like he had yesterday. “Uh… What is going on with me?”
He could feel the pull of the stars overhead. He knew he could just lean back, put his arms behind his head, and float there, watching the sky forever. Just revel in space for all time. Instead, he kept his gaze down towards the tops of the clouds.
At least the first step of what he should do now was clear. Whenever he was dealing with anything out of the ordinary, Sam and Tucker knew what to say. They’d help. He’d go home, grab his phone, and call them.
Danny flew towards Amity Park-
-and suddenly drew to a stop. He twisted around, eyes wide, realizing that he’d somehow overshot his home by a dozen miles or more. “What the fuck?” he said. He’d only been flying for a moment - how was he all the way over here? “I…”
He licked his lips and tried again. He set his gaze on Amity Park and flew-
-right past Amity Park again. It was an eyeblink of time between one side of the city and the other. Danny hung in the air, confused and slightly annoyed. “What is going on?” he said. A new power, obviously - but one that had unfortunate timing. His fingers curled, the claws digging uncomfortably into his palms. “This is what I get for leaving my phone behind,” he groused. The phone wouldn’t have done well in the thin, cold atmosphere. Even if he’d have brought it with, there was no guarantee it would have still been working.
“Are all my powers wonky?” Danny asked, raising his hand and pushing energy into his hand. Instead of a steady, gas-like glow, the energy sparkled and hissed, like he was holding onto an exploding firework. “Odd.”
His powers were working differently, so it was time to try using them differently. Time to change tactics. Instead of focusing on a direction, Danny focused his mind on a destination. He closed his eyes, picturing where exactly he wanted to end up. Opening his eyes and taking a deep breath, he tried to fly as slowly as possible.
The world seemed to blur and twist, glowing uncomfortably bright for the fraction of a second Danny allowed himself to be in motion. When the world settled back into place, Danny found himself hovering about ten feet off the ground, within the city of Amiry Park, only about a half-mile from his house. “That worked a lot better,” he said, rather pleased with himself.
Instead of chancing another attempt at flying, Danny figured he’d turn himself human. A ten foot drop wouldn’t be too bad, and he could walk home. It would be the least-tricky way to get home. He took a moment to worry that this new power would prevent him from turning human as easily as normal, but then slammed that idea shut and closed his eyes.
Danny pushed his ghost form away, pulling at that warm and heavy feeling in his mind. There was a sparkling sensation in his mind, then the sharp pain that came with turning himself human again. He dropped, landing lightly on his toes, breathing a heavy sigh of relief that at least this was still normal. He bounced a few times, testing out a few basic powers - invisibility seemed to work like normal, as did phasing through things. He didn’t try floating, for fear of accidentally ending up two towns over and two hundred feet above the ground in human form.
He walked home, rubbing his chest at that strange, too-full sensation, and snuck in the back door. Despite the fact that all the lights were out, he kept himself invisible to avoid his parents. It was so far past curfew that Danny didn’t even want to think about the trouble he’d be in if they realized he was still out.
His bedroom door was still locked. Danny phased through it, flipped on the lights, and dumped himself into his bed. “Ugh,” he groaned, feeling the drain of the last two days on his body. He glanced over at the clock. Just before two in the morning. Part of him wanted to just curl up in his bed and fall asleep, try to get a few hours of sleep before tackling school tomorrow. But too much of him had a tight ball of anxious curiosity.
He groaned as he rolled out of bed and stepped in front of his mirror. He looked awful. Dark rings under his eyes and a horrible, pale tone to his skin. He looked half dead. “On the positive side, nobody will question it if I want to stay home sick tomorrow,” he muttered. He shuddered and shifted his weight, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then triggered the transformation.
His ghost form spread like lightning across his skin, slammed through his head, and settled into his chest like a cold ball of fire. He squeaked one eye open just a touch, not sure of what he was going to see.
Phantom was peering back at him. Danny relaxed, letting his eyes open, and studied himself. From more than a few feet away, he looked absolutely normal. But up close, there were minor changes from the last few days. Teeth that were too pointy. Fingers that were a little more claw-like than normal. Hair that was more… smokey. Just a little. His mouth twisted, unsure of how he felt about the changes. “At least there’s no cape,” he murmured. “I’d look too much like Vlad with a cape.”
He squared his shoulders, set his teeth, and tried flying. He floated up and moved around his bedroom like normal. “So normal.” He caught sight of his claws and shivered. “Mostly.”
“Now…” He took a deep breath and jabbed hard at the over-full feeling in his chest. He was half-hoping nothing would happen. But light sparkled along his body, that tingling almost-painful sensation changing him in very subtle ways. His clothes changed from a jumpsuit to shirt and pants, his shoes looked like they would squeak on the floor as he walked. He was still glowing and transparent. “I’m… a different ghost?” He spread out his arms, feet firmly on the floor afraid to hover. “And I have like… superspeed.”
He took a very careful step forwards, peering closely at himself in the mirror. His eyes looked the same, with the normal green glow. His teeth were sharper, canines almost like little fangs. And… he leaned in, studying his freckles. They glowed, star-like, forming constellations across his skin.
His mind veered off tangent, remembering the stars overhead, the glittering facts that swirled through his mind, the odd bubbling joy that came with even thinking about space. The freckles on his cheeks rearranged themselves into the constellation Draco, and sparks and speckles swirled into life across his clothes. A supernova that resolved itself into the stars overhead. Danny could trace the stars in his clothes, knew everything about each star. He was caught by the strongest urge to fly there. To zip through space to Alrakis, a binary star system eighty-eight light years away. It would only take him 221 years, 5 months, and 3 days…
Danny jerked himself out of his thoughts. He couldn’t fly for over two hundred years. He shuddered and blinked, settling back on his heels. The glowing freckles on his face settled down, his clothes faded back to black. The familiar sort of pitch-black of space. The sort of black Danny imagined the universe looked like before stars existed. “I have space powers now,” Danny realized, his voice slow and excited. “I have space powers! I’m a space ghost!”
Curious, Danny poked at that over-full feeling in his chest again. The world tingled and flashed, and he was back to his old self. Phantom, with the logo and the better posture and the weight of the world resting on his shoulders. “I’m two ghosts, somehow? Two ghosts… and a human...” Danny stared at himself in the mirror. “Or...” he rested his hand on his chest, feeling that strange overly-full feeling. “Or something…?”
Danny shook his head, not sure where to even begin processing that one. Then he turned himself human again, watching the world get dark as the ghost energy faded away. He scratched at his scalp, trundled over to his bed, and dropped into its softness.
There wasn’t much he knew right then. The first was that space powers were the coolest power he could have gotten. And the second was that all this would be easier to process after a few hours of sleep and a large cup of caffeine.
393 notes
·
View notes
Text
Everything Was White: Part 12
[see all chapters]
Read on: [ffn] / [ao3]
---
The alarm was blaring.
Danny recognized the noise immediately. But his eyes were still slow to open, his arms were slow to turn off the offending sound, and his brain was slow to recognize that the white ceiling above him was just his bedroom ceiling.
His body was numb. Nothing felt real.
He grabbed his phone off his nightstand and unlocked it. The screen was too bright, but he didn’t care. He’d been through worse. What was a little eye strain to him, really?
There were text messages, but Danny ignored them. The government likely already read them first, so if they were important, Danny would probably have woken up back in his cell rather than his cozy bed.
Ghosts like Danny didn’t get to have comfort. He was unpredictable. Dangerous.
“You’re a feral beast.” Operative O’s deep voice rained down on him. “You need to be trained.”
Danny opened the Twitter app only to be faced with a crushing amount of notifications and his name on the top of the trending list.
He should have felt nervous. Anxiety should have gripped his stomach. But...it didn’t.
He felt nothing.
Numb.
He clicked on his name and scrolled through the tweets. As he suspected, that damn video of him at the PHP littered his screen.
Protests have begun to break out near the health clinic Phantom is attending. [image]
I don’t understand, why doesn’t he just fly into the building or something? Can he not fly?
Is phantom over?
It’s so gross how people feel the need to harass a teenager trying to recover from trauma.
imagine being a teen trying to get emergency mental help and then THAT walks into ur class
What the fuck did the government do to him?
He was numb.
Nobody knew what really happened in there, and Danny wanted so badly to keep it that way. And the worst part was, he thought that if he just forgot about it, tried to move past it, then it would all go away. And no one would ever know.
Except Vlad did find out. Somehow, Vlad had managed to get a hold of classified government files about Danny, and if what he had implied was true, then he had learned everything.
And if Vlad knew, then…
No. He wasn’t going to think about it.
Danny knew from the moment he’d stupidly revealed himself that his life was not his own anymore. He knew that he was going to be nothing but a government possession from that moment till the day he died.
He didn’t deserve to get upset over this.
He pulled up a blank tweet and started typing. His movements were robotic. Stilted. But one slip-up, just one reason for the public to get suspicious, and Danny knew that some seedy corner of the internet would pounce on the opportunity to dig deeper into Danny’s life than he was comfortable with.
Danny Phantom @dannyphantom
Thank you everyone for the support. I’m back home with my family and am healing.
Before he could question what he was doing, his finger was already pressing send on the tweet. He watched as almost immediately, notifications popped up in his inbox.
But he didn’t open his notifications, he didn’t look at the replies. Instead, he closed the app and shut his phone off.
He didn’t care anymore.
Maddie knocked on the door and asked him a question, and he responded with the right answer for her to leave. He got up and started his new morning routine of sitting in the shower for ten minutes, getting dressed, brushing his teeth, and heading downstairs for breakfast before leaving for six hours of mandatory therapy.
He stared out the window, watching the morning traffic pass by him. He couldn’t remember if he shampooed his hair or if he just sat under the scalding water. But it was fine. He was just a government-issued robot now. Whatever.
There were people lining the highway when Danny pulled into the PHP center. They were shouting different things, holding different signs, their cameras armed and ready as soon as the GAV came into view. The police were there, making sure no one escaped into the parking lot, and there were therapists waiting outside.
They didn’t know. They had no idea what Danny had gone through, why he was there.
And it didn’t matter. Not to them, not to Danny, not to the police or the news stations filming the scene or to the government or Vlad or anyone else.
Danny wasn’t in charge of his life anymore.
He was only here because the government had decided he could stay free.
For now.
The therapists escorted him into the building. Danny felt hollow. Sick.
No, he was fine.
Maddie hugged him, told him to have a good day, that she’d be back to bring him to more therapy after, and Danny nodded. At least, he thought he remembered to nod. He might not have, though.
There was a window in the lobby. A white van was parked along the street.
The APC news van.
Jazz was right. Danny was just being paranoid about the white van outside of their house before. He was so stupid.
Even if it wasn’t a news van, what would it matter? He didn’t control his life, what would he care if they finished him off in some back alley? What would it matter if they snuck him into their van and held him captive for the rest of his life in some damp containment cell?
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Danny spaced out for the morning meeting. He couldn’t remember if he managed to read off his paper for the other teens. His voice wasn’t working today. His head hurt. His chest hurt. Everything was numb.
They had art therapy today, run by a tall, lanky man with sandy hair and a clean-shaven face. He told the group to paint what they were feeling today, to channel their emotions onto their blank sheets of paper.
But Danny felt nothing. He had nothing to give.
He must have stared at his paper for too long, because the therapist tried to talk to him, ask him if he was alright, if he was having trouble with the exercise.
Danny didn’t respond, instead choosing to pick up the green paint and squeeze some of it directly onto his paper, rules be damned. It was too dark, so he grabbed the white paint and smeared it into the green. The color still wasn’t right, but Danny didn’t know enough about art to make it right, so he just kept spreading green across his paper. A dash of yellow, then some white, more green.
Time was up. His paper was green.
“Good job, Danny. What do you think?” the therapist asked.
Danny stared at the paper, studying the streaks of yellow within the brush strokes. “It’s not the right shade of ectoplasm.”
The day continued with more emotion-managing lessons and group activities but Danny didn’t care and nobody could understand that. He was done with this, he was tired, it didn’t matter.
It was lunchtime, and Danny had no appetite. It felt like he had just eaten breakfast. His stomach was still full, but he had a sandwich sitting in front of him that he needed to eat or else they would tell his parents.
Danny held the sandwich between his fingers. It looked like sandpaper.
He didn’t want to eat it.
The therapist was looking at him. She was probably talking to him too, asking him questions about his day. But Danny ignored her. After all, didn’t he need to eat this lunch? How could he possibly eat and talk at the same time?
The teens were talking around him, but Danny blocked them all out too.
They were noisy.
It was like they weren’t even there.
Danny wasn’t human. He didn’t care.
But you do care.
He didn’t.
He was numb.
Eat up like a good little dog.
I’m not a dog.
Something inside him snapped, and he yanked on his cold core, channeling all his energy to his fingertips. His fingers tingled out of the tangible field, and the sandwich fell to the table.
“Whoa!” The blonde girl jumped, her eyes trained on Danny’s transparent skin.
“Danny?”
There was an audience. Danny had forgotten about them. His core faltered, and the power faded from his fingertips.
He should have felt embarrassed by this emotional display. He should have felt horrified that he’d allowed himself to act so inhuman and disgusting in front of these innocent bystanders.
But he was still numb.
“Sorry,” he said. “I was bored.”
“That was sick!” the brunette boy chimed in. “You can do that on command?”
“Usually.” Danny’s gaze flickered over to the therapist, who was giving him a strange look. He turned his attention back to the fallen sandwich.
Maybe he would get kicked out of the program for this. For being too dangerous. That would probably be for the better. Then he could go free into the world. No more schedule, no more therapy, no more dissecting his emotions or talking about his trauma.
Who cared about his trauma, anyway? Certainly not him.
“So you still have your ghost powers, then?” the blonde girl asked. “People were saying online that you lost them. The government took them or whatever.”
Danny brought his hand up to his face, willing his fingers to fade to invisibility. “They’re locked. But...I...they’re there. I’ll get them back.”
He would get them back. He needed them.
Especially now.
Which was how he found himself sitting quietly outside his mother’s door. Waiting. He should have knocked probably, but he didn’t. Couldn’t. He didn’t know why, he knew he should just go back to his room, go to sleep, stop bothering his parents about this, but he needed his core back.
His mom would understand. She was a ghost biology expert, right? She would get why he needed his core back now.
He raised his fist to knock, but he must have already knocked before because the door opened, revealing his mother dressed in teal pajamas on the other side.
“Danny?” She frowned, her brows pulling cautiously above her eyes. “What are you doing up, sweetie? Everything alright?”
“I, uh—” His voice was scratchy. He broke eye contact, staring down at his lap. “My—my core.”
“Something wrong?”
He licked his lips, his mouth dry. “I need it back.”
“Sweetheart,” she said in a patient tone. “We talked about this.”
“No. you talked.”
She sighed. “Danny, it’s nearly eleven. Can’t this wait till morning?”
“No. No. I need it.”
“I told you, hun, your core and body need time to heal properly first before we make any drastic changes to your physiology. Just give it a few more weeks, alright?”
“Weeks?” Danny’s voice rose in alarm.
“I promise it’ll be all worth it.”
Static rang in his ears, and a steel claw clutched at his stomach.
His mom didn’t understand. Why would she? She was human. Humans would never get it. She didn’t understand.
“No, I can’t…”
“Danny, you need to trust me. Your body needs to rest.”
“You don’t understand.”
She regarded him for a moment before opening her door fully. “Why don’t you come in and we can talk, then. You can tell me why this is so important to you.”
Danny peered inside the door, at the surprisingly average-looking bedroom before him. He could go in, tell his mother just how wrong he felt cut off from his core, how he was being blackmailed by Vlad, how there was a distinct record of every detail of what the Guys in White had done to him, how he had never felt so defenseless, so vulnerable in his life.
But he wouldn’t, and he knew he couldn’t. There was no way he could put it all into words. He was a ghost, she was a human. He couldn’t explain this to her.
Skulker and Vlad may have forced his revelation, but they gave him more secrets than he could ever have dreamt of handling.
Danny turned away. “It’s fine. Good night.”
“Hun…”
“Night, Mom.”
There was a tense silence before Maddie finally relented. “I love you, Danny.”
“You too,” he said reflexively. The words tasted sour on his tongue.
She didn’t understand. If she truly loved him, she would give him his core back right now, but she didn’t.
No, he was just being paranoid. This was just his Obsession talking. He didn’t need his core, he was just as much human as he was ghost. So what if he had to be a little more human for the next few weeks? Isn’t that what he’d always wanted?
To just be a regular human?
Maybe that was what his mother wanted. Maybe that was why she was postponing removing the chip. Maybe she was too afraid to see her son as a monster. A ghost.
But that was crazy. She loved him.
She was telling the truth.
His parents accepted him.
---
“You seem quiet today.”
Danny leaned back against the sofa, his arms crossed and his eyes looking anywhere but at the blonde figure sitting before him. The stress ball sat untouched on the table next to him.
He didn’t feel like doing therapy today. He didn’t want to talk.
His mom was human, his therapist was human. No one was going to get it.
“What’s on your mind, Danny?”
“Nothing. I’m fine.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes.”
He was fine. There was nothing to talk about. Even if there were things to talk about—and there weren’t, this was all just his Obsession going haywire—it wouldn’t matter anyway because he was defenseless and the government was going to kidnap him again. It was only a matter of time.
“You finished your first week with the PHP group today, right? How has that been going?”
“Fine.”
“Can you tell me about some of the activities you’ve been doing?”
“I don’t know.”
She sat there for a moment, as if giving him time to elaborate. But Danny wasn’t going to elaborate. He didn’t feel like talking today.
He looked out the window. The leaves had changed color, the ripe greens fading to yellows, oranges, and reds. In another few weeks, the ground would be littered with fallen leaves.
Summer had barely just begun when he was dragged from his house, drugged, and locked away. And yet, even though his entire world had come to a halt, time still moved on.
The clatter of the therapist’s clipboard falling on a side table jolted Danny out of his musing. He flinched, his eyes snapping over to see the therapist rising from her chair.
She stretched her arms behind her back and walked over to the closet. “You know what? It’s been a long day. Wanna play a game?”
“Um...are we allowed to do that?”
“I don’t see why not.” She grabbed a box out of the closet and placed it down in the center of the room.
Danny peered at it in confusion. “Jenga? Of—of all the games out there, you’re really gonna make me...make me get on the floor for Jenga?”
“Oh, come on, it’s fun.”
“You must throw some wild parties,” he remarked, rolling his eyes. Nonetheless, he slid off the couch and slowly scooched himself towards the middle of the room. As long as he didn’t have to explain why he was two seconds away from ripping his own core out of his chest, he would go along with whatever game she threw at him.
The therapist carefully tipped the box upside down, sliding the lid up to reveal a tower of multi-colored wooden tiles jigsawed together.
“So here’s our marvelous tower,” she said. “You can reach that alright?”
“Yeah.”
“So normal Jenga rules. We switch off trying to remove a piece without causing the tower to collapse. Except, for this game, after you remove a piece, you’re going to pick a card from this stack—” She pointed to a deck of large cards set up next to the Jenga tower. “—and then answer the question on the card that’s the same color. So if I take a purple tile out, I’ll answer the purple question on the card. Got it?”
Danny glanced between the cards and his therapist’s eager face. He was fairly certain Jenga never involved a set of cards before.
Maybe he’d forgotten the rules. It wouldn’t have been the first time his brain had betrayed him. “Am I being quizzed?”
“Don’t worry.” She pushed up the sleeves of her blue cardigan. “They’re just basic therapy questions. Nothing too bad.”
No. This was a trick, wasn’t it? To get him to talk?
He wasn’t going to fall for it. “I thought we weren’t—weren’t doing that...today.”
“The questions aren’t too deep. Honestly, I mostly just use this game as an icebreaker for new clients. But Jenga’s pretty fun all the same.”
He must have still looked too suspicious, because she threw him an easy smile and went, “Here, I’ll go first.” She carefully nudged a green tile out of the stack and drew a card. “Okay, so the green question on here says, ‘Describe yourself in three words.’ Well, I’d say I’m kind, I think I’m rather nerdy, and I’m a bit of a cat lady.”
That...wasn’t so bad. Maybe this would be an easy game.
He doubted any of the questions asked him about his core. Maybe he could loosen up a bit, go along with this icebreaker game, if only for an hour before sinking back into his internal panic.
“Cat lady?” he tried.
She chuckled. “I’m surprised that’s never come up! I have two at home.”
Right, his therapist had a life outside of therapy. Outside of his problems.
But it wasn’t like he knew her name. At this point, it was just too embarrassing to ask. Maybe she had told him that she had cats, and he just couldn’t remember. Maybe he would forget it again tomorrow.
Whatever. It was fine. He couldn’t care about things he didn’t remember. “Uh…” Danny pushed a purple tile out of the tower. “So I just pick up a—um, a card?”
“Yup, and read the purple question.”
Danny looked down at his card and rolled his eyes. “Oh, figures. ‘If you had superpowers, what would they be?’ Well, I’m dead. Does being dead count?”
She laughed, her voice light and airy. “Of all the questions, huh? Okay, let’s modify this a bit. If you could only keep one of your powers, which would you take?”
“Probably intangibility,” Danny said, his lack of hesitation surprising him.
“Oh? Why?”
“Well…” He rubbed the back of his neck. Where the chip was. “It’s the most useful, isn’t it? I can just...you know...I have no physical stuff in my way. I can just phase through any—anything I need. Or—no. Almost anything.”
Not shields. Those could still trap him.
Thankfully, she didn’t try to pry further, just offering him a kind nod and a “that makes sense” before pushing out another Jenga tile. “Blue! Alright, my question is, ‘What is your favorite feature about yourself?’ Hmm...that’s a bit tough, isn’t it? But I think my favorite thing about myself is my hair. When I was a teen, I used to straighten my hair, but then when I got to college, I stopped doing that and just let it be. Now I quite like my curly hair. Okay, your turn!”
“Okay.” Danny leaned over and pushed a red tile out of the tower. “Okay...my quest—question is…‘What is your biggest hope for your future?’ Oh...”
He did want to be an astronaut. But that was before, when he was still human. And then he was caught between thousands of volts of ecto-electricity and that future vanished right before his eyes.
What did he want to do with his life? What did he hope would happen?
He wanted his core back. He couldn’t let himself be so vulnerable for much longer. His chest felt like it was tearing itself apart, he needed to—
Breathe. And answer the question.
What did he hope for his future?
“I don’t know. My future’s kinda...ruined, isn’t it?”
“Try to think on a smaller scale.”
“I…” Danny ran a hand through his hair. He wanted his core back, he wanted to be Phantom, he wanted to protect Amity Park. But he couldn’t say that. It made him sound too ghostly. Too inhuman.
Humans didn’t have these kinds of otherworldly desires. She would think he was a freak if he told her. She wouldn’t know how to react.
“I want to finish PT.”
“That’s a good goal to have.”
“Your turn.”
Humming, she nudged a tile out of the Jenga tower and flipped over a card. “Okay, my question is, ‘What is something you were worried about when you were younger?’ Let me think…oh, here’s one. When I was young, my older sister moved out to live with her boyfriend. It was really scary because I had never lived without her, but we kept in touch and everything turned out okay.”
“I haven’t either. Lived away from Jazz I mean. Like—like for real. But she’s going to college next—next semester. I think she, uh...deferred a semester.”
“And you know, it’s common to feel worried about a sibling moving out. Periods of transition in life can be the most stressful for us, but it’s important to recognize that things will be okay.”
Danny looked down at the carpet. “I guess.”
Some days it felt like Jazz was the only one truly on his side. He was a lab rat, too well known and too hated to ever have a future, forever condemned to a vicious cycle of evading people like the Guys in White and Vlad for the rest of his life. Jazz was leaving him in a few months, his friends would follow in a few years, and in the end, Danny would be alone.
But he was fine with that. He’d accepted it. It was just his life now, there was nothing to say about it.
“It’s my turn, isn’t it?”
“Yup! Go right ahead.”
Danny removed another tile. “‘How do you think others view you and why?’” He paused, throwing the therapist a bitter look. “This is rigged.”
“Not rigged, that’s just a very lucky pick.”
“Lucky to who?” Danny groaned.
What was with the universe finding new ways to torment him?
“Humor me,” the therapist said patiently.
Danny glared at his card, tapping his fingers against the edge. It wasn’t like the public opinion of him was exactly a secret, but it still hurt. Constantly. Like some scab he kept telling himself to ignore, but ignoring it was impossible because the public would never leave him alone.
“Not good,” Danny muttered. “People hate me.”
“Being in the public eye is very stressful for anyone, but to be unique in your way adds on an entirely different layer. People are afraid of the things they don’t understand, and that makes them forget that at the end of the day, you’re still a person.”
“Yeah.” Danny’s eyes were trained on the colorful tower before him, which was starting to blur as the prickling behind his eyes increased. He ducked his head and blinked, hoping to save face before it was too late.
“That doesn’t mean everyone feels this way, though. But sometimes it can feel that way to you because the ones who are the most afraid, the most hateful, are the loudest voices in the crowd. But remember, Danny, you won that court case for a reason. You have more people on your side than you think.”
“I won it for now, you mean. I don’t...I don’t think…” His voice failed, and he pressed his fingernails into his palms. He took a few shaky breaths. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay, Danny. Why don’t we talk about the case for a minute?”
Tucker’s words echoed in his head, how it was televised. How millions of people all around the globe probably tuned in for it, or watched streams online, each person with their own opinion of him.
But he didn’t want to think about that right now.
“No,” he said. “Can we—can we just continue the game?”
“If you’re not ready to talk about it, then that’s okay. Thank you for letting me know.”
“It’s your turn.”
“Alright.” She pushed a block out of the tower. “So...alright, my question is, ‘What memory do you treasure the most?’ To that, I think fishing with my dad as a child. He was a big support for me when I was growing up, and I really valued our times fishing together as important bonding moments for us.”
Danny nodded politely, trying his best to not appear like he was counting down the seconds until therapy was over.
He could feel his emotions building inside him, threatening to topple the carefully constructed dam guarding his secrets. This was such a simple game, these were such simple questions, so why did he feel like he was failing?
He pushed out a Jenga tile—a red tile—from the tower and grabbed a card, scanning the questions until he found the red one.
What are you afraid of?
The words echoed back to him, and he pushed the card away. He didn’t want to look at it, he didn’t want to read those words or hear her voice because saying the question would mean he would have to talk and he only agreed to this stupid game to get out of talking.
There was so much he was afraid of that he had no right to be afraid of. Because he deserved this. Getting revealed was his fault, he was being reckless. He deserved all of it.
The experiments with the Guys in White. The pain, the way his skin was torn apart. How they threw him in a vat of ectoplasm the next day to heal, and how the ectoplasm entering his lungs made him feel like he was drowning because even though ghosts didn’t need to breathe, he still used those organs reflexively as Phantom. But he was in too much pain and his brain was too hazy to fight back. He could only sink into the darkness.
The red bag. The way it tasted, smelled, how it haunted him every day and how he revisited those moments every night in his dreams. How he would wake up each day and the drawer on his nightstand would be shimmering in the morning sun, as if tempting him to open it up, grab the bottle inside, let it help just for one day. It can take the edge off, he can be functional. Who cares if he’s cheating? It’s just for a day...
The public. The people. Their judgments, their words. How he was, on a molecular level, so vastly different from them. How he could never be the same. He would never have a normal life, he could never have a normal job, a normal family, normal friendships, ever again. There would always be something there, something alien between them.
Even between him and his best friends. There was just something... different ever since the portal accident. It had brought them closer together, sure, but in other ways it had also driven an invisible wedge between them. Because Danny would always have his powers, he would always be a half ghost, and there would always be things now that Sam and Tucker would never understand.
How much would change now? Now that he was in the public eye, now that he’d gone through government torture? Now that his brain didn’t work the same?
And his core. His humanity. Why were his parents so apprehensive about it?
What are you afraid of?
Why wouldn’t his parents let him down into the lab? What were they hiding? They said his core was damaged, but it had been months since he was ripped open. His surgical damage had healed, his broken bones were back to normal, and even though his nerve endings in his chest and spine were still fried, they had been slowly mending themselves too.
Ectoplasm healed faster than human physiology. His core should have been fine by now.
What was the truth?
“They accept me,” Danny said automatically.
“Who does?”
Who accepted him?
Sam and Tucker did.
His family…
Did they?
“I don’t know.”
“You have people in your corner, Danny. Your parents, your sister, your close friends. They all care about you. We’re all here for you, even if those loud voices in the public tell you otherwise.”
But if they cared...
“Then why won’t they let me have my core back?”
“Your core?”
“My powers. My ghostliness. Ectoplasm.” Danny let his eyes flair to emphasize his point.
If his therapist was scared of his otherworldly display, she didn’t show it. Instead, she continued to look at him with her neutral expression, free of the judgment he’d come to expect from people since the accident.
And for some reason he couldn’t explain, that irritated him.
“You mean the inhibitor chip?” she asked.
“Yes. They told me it was because my core...it was damaged but—but it doesn’t make sense! It doesn’t...”
“Have you talked to them about this?”
Of course he had. They kept repeating that his core was damaged. And they were probably right—for a time, at the very least. But that was months ago.
Why hadn’t they scanned his core recently? Shouldn’t they be happy to learn it was healed? Shouldn’t that make them relieved?
What were they afraid of?
What are you afraid of?
“Do you think it would be helpful if I talked to your mother about this?” asked the therapist. “As a way to introduce the topic? She likely doesn’t know how much it’s bothering you.”
But that didn’t make sense either because Danny brought his core up every day. His parents knew how much it was bothering him. They had to have known, right?
So why were they doing this to him?
What were they hiding?
What are you afraid of?
---
Danny tried to remember a time where walking from his living room to his kitchen didn’t require a list of steps to be taken beforehand—a time where he could just get up and walk. But those memories were far too distant now.
And besides, this was his reality now. A reality where something as simple as walking made his head spin.
He shouldn’t dwell on the memories of how easy it used to be for him, he shouldn’t have snapped at Jazz for getting a cup of water for him because he knew the glasses were too high to reach from his wheelchair, he shouldn’t allow this irrational anger to overtake him every time the creeping anxiety of his future as Amity Park’s ghost hero came into question.
He just needed to focus on where he was now. Curled up on his couch avoiding his parents.
Everything felt wrong this morning when he woke up. For a moment, he had managed to convince himself that he was just being paranoid. That it was just his damaged nerve endings freaking out as normal. That once he took his medication, his problems would go away.
But they didn’t. He still felt wrong. His chest still felt wrong.
It was manifesting in other ways too. He couldn’t walk as long today at PT. His physical therapist told him it was just a bad day and that his body was probably just tired from his busy week. But Danny knew that wasn’t right.
It had nothing to do with him being tired. He wasn’t sick. He wasn’t anxious.
His core was the problem. His parents were the problem.
He tried asking about his core again on the way home from PT, using conversation techniques he went over with his therapist at the end of their last appointment, but Maddie just brushed him off. Said they would talk about it later.
But then later came and...she didn’t.
Danny tried asking his father, but he brushed Danny off too. Said Danny needed to focus on healing first.
But how was he supposed to heal when he was missing half of himself?
He felt wrong. So wrong. His body was too bound by gravity, it was too empty, it wasn’t listening to him.
He pressed his palms into his forehead. His hands were clammy. Shaking. Speckles of cold touched them—or was that his tears? Was he crying?
No.
He pressed the heel of his hands into his eyes. What was wrong with him? Why was he acting this way?
The government had him in a cage. They tormented him in ways he would rather die than live through again. But then it ended, and he was freed. He was allowed to go home, he could live his life as a legal person again.
Except, he wasn’t free. Not at all. He was still trapped here in Amity, in his house, in his body. He had no control. Not over what he ate, when he slept, where he went, what he could say, what he could think.
Half of him was still locked up tight with no hope of escape.
His water glass was empty. It would have been too embarrassing to ask someone to help him, but he was so thirsty and dehydrated and he just really needed this to work. He needed his body to respond to him. For one moment, please, just let his body respond.
Gripping the water cup in one hand and his walker in the other, he tried to stand, to walk over to the kitchen sink. But balancing everything was so difficult, his body was still fatigued from PT, and he knew he wasn’t going to be able to do it but he just needed to try.
But he couldn’t do it in the end. The cup slipped out of his hand and tumbled onto the carpet, thankfully saved from shattering on impact by some last shred of luck the universe decided to pity him with.
And now Danny too was on the floor because he couldn’t bend down to pick the cup back up like a normal person, and he didn’t want to call for help, and he couldn’t use any of his powers, and he felt so trapped. So helpless. So vulnerable.
He tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but it was too stubborn and he was too useless.
A tear splattered against his hand, and he gripped the floor, his body trembling.
“Stop crying. Stop it.” he hissed.
He was weak.
Plasmius, once nearly his equal, had so severely overpowered him the other night. It was embarrassing. On the hierarchy of ghosts, where was he now? At the bottom with the blob ghosts?
But those ghosts could still fly. They could still turn intangible. Things that Danny couldn’t even do.
Hell, he was so weak that even the Box Ghost could defeat him now.
“Stop crying.”
He crawled back to the couch, the thought of getting water abandoned on the floor along with the last semblance of his dignity. Another tear fell from his cheek, and he desperately tried to ignore it, ignore his dry throat, ignore the pain in his chest, ignore his core and the Y-scar on his body and his new place in the ghost hierarchy as lower than dirt, ignore everything. Just focus on getting back to the couch. Shut down, go numb.
He was fine, he was okay.
He just needed to push through this. Just toughen up, quit whining. Life wasn’t fair. So what if he was now just a regular human? Hadn’t he been human for the first fourteen years of his life? He needed to suck it up.
Dragging himself back onto the safety of the couch cushions, he pulled one of Jazz’s throw blankets around his body and pressed a pillow into his face.
Never in his life had he been so tempted to scream, to curse, to finally let the last brick fall and allow hell to break loose. But his parents were in the basement, Jazz was upstairs, and he was fine.
He was fine.
---
Huge thank you to tumblr user and writer @imekitty for proofreading this chapter. She’s amazing and I owe her my life.
And as always, thanks for reading!
---
<previous chapter / next chapter>
70 notes
·
View notes
Text
danny phantom 14-20 thoughts!! I finished up s1 :D these last few eps were actually really really good!!!
-did. did tucker really just say esperanto was a dead language only spoken as a secret code between geeks. google says around 100,000 people actively speak it. oh my god...it being an auxiliary language doesn't mean its 'just for geeks to speak in code' ...it helps bridge gaps between people who don't have a language in common...
-danny really isn't pulling punches when it comes to fighting the ghost-cop possessed people huh. like he SLAMMED KWAN INTO THE CONCRETE SO HARD. HE THREW PAULINA INTO A BILLBOARD. will that...I mean it WOULD carry over to their bodies non-possessed, right? like if the ghost piloting their bodies gets hurt?? itd be so upsetting to be possessed, lose time, then wake up covered in bruises (and possibly, broken bones??) real horror movie stuff im sure wont be addressed in any way
-tuckers parents seem nice! I like them :)
-WULF IS CUTE AND I FEEL BAD. im so glad the gang realized he was only causing trouble bc of the shock collar walker put on him and helped. also, him wearing that big hoodie with the hood on, and thinking its subtle. we can tell youre still a giant wolfie :) THEN GETTING SUCKED INTO THE PORTAL AAAAH :( anxiously waiting to see Him Again....
-DANNY BLASTING HIS PARENTS THINKING THEY WERE OVERSHADOWED LMFAO GET THEIR ASSES. maddie marking how many ghosts she gets with lipstick tallies on the side of her portal gun? kindaaa iconic tho. (ALSO, SHE WAS LIKE, 2 FT AWAY FROM HIM RIGHT AFTER SHE TRIED TO SHOOT HIM. HOW DO YOU NOT RECONINZE YOUR OWN SON??? like sure, he might have diff hair/eye colors. but like, if one of my family members dyed their hair, and was wearing contacts, its not like id be like 'wHO IS THIS STRANGER!!!' ...he still has all his facial features!! same everything!!! I hate it here)
-paulina being #1 girl realizing danny's a friendly ghost immediately. smart queen. lancer and kwan ran away right after he made this sweet baby face at them:
which is hilarious.
-ok. im not saying his bullying is JUSTIFIED, but. dash looked so pleased with the (cute!) poster he just painted, and danny comes thru the wall and spills paint on his nice letterman jacket. his anger is justified maybe 65% of the time so far...(not the way he handles it, but STILL.) at least lancer is stepping in!! and them making a silly little bet was...cute?? until dash pulled out his GROSS UNDERWEAR AND SAID DANNY WOULD HAVE TO EAT THEM???? WHAT THE FUCK MAN. TUCKER WAS SO RIGHT ITS FUCKING WEIRD TO CARRY THOSE AROUND EWWW. THIS KID IS UNWELL. lancer was right, his animatronic setup was SUPER IMPRESSIVE?? hes actually pretty creative. danny meanwhile is stealing the fright knight's design...I hope dash is taking art classes or smth with his sports
-fright knight is the most bestest ghost so far i LOVE THAT DESIGN. I am biased towards knights, and characters with swords, but he fucks so severely. and should sue danny for copyright infringement for stealing his design for his haunted house. if some 14 yr old broke into MY house and stole MY sword, id also be pissed. his evil winged unicorn rules too with its FANGS. and he just CAN SHOVE THE PORTAL OPEN WITH HIS HANDS??? is he the strongest ghost weve seen so far? idk but hes my fav. SOUL SHREDDER IS SUCH A COOL SWORD NAME TOO. ANY NAMED SWORD ALSO FUCKS. 'flaming bedsheets of DEATH' funny king. ALSO he was polite to dash and tucker when just asking for directions and telling tucker 'oh maybe, just a suggestion, maybe be nicer to me and be more respectful :)' I LOOOVE HIM.
-I noticed this in the Ember ep, but jazz has an electric guitar in her room!! talent musical queen!! its cool to see hobbies just in the bg.
-fright knight's murder castle reminds me of the booby trapped murder castle in zexal!! another supposedly 'for kids' show with murder/trap castles! we love that. if you are a dp fan reading this, give yugioh zexal a try. its also got 13-14 year old protags and involves (alien) ghosts. the cardgame is just a vessel for the plot, which is really good. (I just want more people to watch my fav yugioh, man)
-danny. with a SWORD.
-danny doesnt NEED TO WIN this contest, dash didnt STEAL HIS DESIGNS AND STEAL A SWORD. he also got excited to hear lancer got sent to a dimension with his worst fears too just so he could win the contest? DANNY WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!!! BRO MAYBE YOURE 14 AND HAVENT FULLY DEVOLPED YOUR WHOLE BRAIN YET, BUT...THATS FUCKED. this kid casually says the most deranged things, I do worry for my spooky son. once again, therapy needed. that judo toss was great tho. I wonder if he actually did pick up some martial arts stuff from his mom?
-danny can fly 112 mph!!! thats so fast! I love the lil montage of him and his friends testing his abilities and stuff, very cute and a good way to showcase what he can do by now and how much more proficient he's gotten from ep 1!!! I'm sure he's going to get more abilities :)
-im glad...maddie's at least TRYING this ep. I do feel for her because her husband is a man baby. but the fact it took 16 episodes to get a kinda semblance of any kind of real concern or attempts at bonding. hmm. jack's 'BACK OFF SHES A MINOR' @ the ghost trying to attack jazz. also was very funny. and him wanting to make an action figure of her? are the parents redeeming themselves to me? slightly. they gotta Work Harder
-THE GHOST. IS FLYING. THE PLANE.
-fenton machete. but she doesnt carry a PHONE??? ???
-I mean I expected vlad when you namedrop him earlier in the ep, and also the title card picture, and dalv corp being fucking vlad backwards. but seeing him just pull up on a golf cart made me bust out laughing. WITH the gift baskets prepared. why wouldnt you at least be suspicious. also, if he wants danny to be his lil sonboy, why is he so fucking malicious?? dude you are going about this in such a bad way. stop it. get some help.
-maddie not even hesitating to drag danny out. fucking good. danny is so right, go on the internet to date. get a cat. how do you spend...how many years?? has it been since college?? at least 20, right, since the parents/vlad are in their 40s? hung up on ONE girl. my god, man. incel drama queen. her kung fu IS impressive, but dude. 'we both know hes a creep' SO right. it sucks but they do need a phone and shit being in the middle of NOWHERE. also, just stealing his helicopter was great. <3
-'you must be exhausted carrying the weight of that mistake you made years ago' 'well we all make mistakes. maybe I'll make one now!' WHY DID THIS EXHCHANGE SEND ME. AND VLAD WITH THE BREATH SPRAY EWWW BITCH. 'OLD BAIT BREATH' SOO RIGHT. both danny and his mom playing him HAHAH hes so dumb. or rather, I think he thinks with his emotions too too much and is...actually pretty gullible? lmao he believed danny was ready to give in SO fast. (which is sad hes that hopeful, like you have SO MUCH MONEY YOU COULD EASILY GET ANOTHER GIRL WHO HAS A KID. AND WOULD WANT TO BE WITH YOU AND BE SUPPORTED. GET OVER THIS (1) WOMAN ALREADY IM GETTING SECONDHAND EMBARRASSMENT AAAAH)
-GHOST BEAR GHOST BEAR GHOST BEAR. it was also in the title card, but I still got very excited. we love bears here
-SAM'S BAT SWIMSUIT COVERUP!!! her outfits are simply iconic.
-'i'd tell you to go to the mens room, but I don't think you qualify' top paulina transphobic moments. :( and him wearing a tanktop to the swim park? hmmm! (actually I think she was overshadowed by then, so, KITTY top 10 transphobic moments??)
-kitty just piloting paulina around makes me feel SO bad tho, paulina's gonna wake up and be like 'wtf do you mean I was dating this rando' like youre leading danny on to make johnny jealous, and also just POSSESSING POOR PAULINA. dude take your relationship problems ELSEWHERE. last time we saw them, they seemed like such a cute couple!! wtf johnny!! I mean, she sucks for trying to make him jealous, he sucks for looking at other girls...maybe they need a break, but Not Like This. or, you know, just. better communication...
-and the A-listers having a full packet and a stamp system. who organizes this. kwan fucking owning being the new danny though, this is hysterical. THE TUCKER/KWAN FLOWER FIELD TWIRL. UNIRONICALLY ADORABLE. and him giving it his all for the poetry slam. bless his HEARTTTT.
-Star owns. actually, all of the extra characters are shining this ep and I love it.
-INVISO-BILL??? NOOOO THEY DID HIM SOO DIRTY. DANNY SWEETIE IM SO SORRY.
-johnny and danny bein friends and staging a fake fight (which danny takes too seriously, once again this child has aggression he NEEDS TO WORK OUT) I hope these three stay friends, I said it before but danny needs more friendly ghosts to hang with.
-at this point, Danny's ghost enemies are a lot like, I dunno, batman's rouge gallery is the first thing that comes to mind. they all have their own gimmick and unique designs, but most of them are easy to beat after learning the Moral Lesson. I still get excited when any of them show up again, though. 18 is another valerie episode!!!! :D skulker really said you two will get along if I have to handcuff you together <3 and the gym teacher really said, youre married now, have a flour baby! ngl, I'm not really watching this show for the shipping stuff (which I am very scared to look at the fandom for after I finish this watch through- I feel like there's probably discourse/arguing about ships...) but. I'm gonna put my opinion out there. valerie/danny > sam/danny. maybe I just really love the enemies to lovers trope. And the secret identity stuff adds Extra Flavor.
-SKULKER JUST HAVING THE BOX GHOST AND DANGLING HIM BY A STRING. HILARIOUS. and him watching them with binoculars and making his silly little commentary. AND MAKING THE SACK BABY CRY. LMAO. THIS DUDE IS A BABY KIDNAPPER. skulker is super fun
-danny, you just...collapsed the water tower. and then attacked the nasty burger machine...mascot thingy...out of anger..I KEEP SAYING HE'S GOT ANGER ISSUES BUT. HE REALLY NEEDS A LESSON IN MANAGING COLLATERAL DAMAGE!!! So does valerie!! They're both pretty focused on each other. I mean it's good of Danny to say he's trying to make sure PEOPLE don't get hurt, but... (I mean I guess it's not something 14 year olds WOULD worry about, but as an adult im like, who's going to fix that? how much money will that take??)
-TUCKER MAKING BANK. and sam and tucker being super emotionally attached to their flour baby and being pretty good parents. that's cute...also him just straight kissing her and being like. WAIT. O_O JDSKAFHD. his mom baking them into cookies was the funniest possible result. tbh I dont feel like this is on tucker, if anything the other kid's shouldve been more responsible! He was just taking an opportunity to get that $$ which I respect
-Danny being more understanding of Valerie's situation in the end (helping her at her job, too, and trying to keep that a secret for her!!!) And seeing them work together this ep, and also her letting phantom get her out of the ghost zone...was very sweet. LOVE that. more valerie eps pls
-me when I realize vlad's big stupid house exploded because of his own carelessness with changing the ghost portal ectofiltrator or whatever: *pointing and laughing*
-me when I realize it means he's gonna go make danny's life hell for it somehow: >:(
-SCOOBY PARODY!!! I feel like there's gotta be some scooby doo/danny phantom crossover stuff, right? also, 'guys in white' men in black wishes
-'oh, that's right! dad married the love of your life! you're bitter and alone!' DANNNNNYY GET HIS ASS ONCE AGAIN WE ARE POINTING AND LAUGHING AT VLAD
-'jack, you captured the ghost boy!!' UMM. he did nothing <3 'we have a weapon's vault??' YOU HAVE A WEAPONS VAULT??? and jack didnt put a handle on the inside. of fucking course he didnt! why would you leave that to your son!! or expect him to clean YOUR LAB when its where you work with probably dangerous chemicals and weapons and hes 14!! give him normal chores, like, I dunno, vacuuming, laundry, dishes...CMON. I hate it here. But I'm glad Jack is more chill about danny while he's a ghost, and willing to work with him for this ep. AND. I DID ENJOY JACK PUNCHING VLAD IN THE FACE. AND GENERALLY JUST OWNING HIM. the ghost punchy fists are actually amazing. like yeah, just punch a ghost in the face. that rules.
-ep 20 opens with the coolest fucking ghost lady design. her tattoos can come off and fight. MA'AM. I like ur nose ring and your cape maam hello 👉👈😳
-sam's grandma is hilarious and the most valid member of her family and I love her. thats my grandma now. and tucker covering for sam by dressing as her. thats true friendship <3 also skipping school to go to a goth circus. just bestie things! sam's parents are haters but for all the wrong reasons.
-'my family has controlled ghosts with this for generations!' WAIT. WAIT FREAKSHOW /ISNT/ A GHOST? I didn't expect that...he's just a fucked up guy controlling ghosts? anyway watching danny shoot at police cars and rob banks while mind controlled. its like, the most stereotypical 'bad' things lmao. (tbh an evil ghost circus troupe is a sick concept)
this gives off big deviantart emo edit vibes
(I'm going to assume evil circus reaper danny has a lot of fan content. people love an edgy au, except this one is canon (even tho its via mind control...having the protag go evil otherwise might be hard, I guess?) but au where he stays with the troupe...that has to exist, right?)
ANYWAY. excited to start s2!! lowkey surprised by how many notes some of these posts have gotten. I've gone back and tagged them all with 'dp thoughts' so they're easier to find on my blog! ^^ and I will probably possibly do (more) fanart on my art blog after I finish the watch of the whole show, so like. @sanchoyodraws follow my art blog :)
15 notes
·
View notes
Text
Your Heart
Chapter 6 -- A Ghostophobe, a Giant Iguana, and Vegan Nacho Cheese
Word Count: 14402
READ ON AO3
As an aspiring astronaut, Danny’s dream had always been going to space.
Being able to look at the vastness of the universe, to literally look down on Earth and see every single country at once, to stargaze up close… All from the comfort of the space station as he leisurely floated around in zero gravity.
Really, that was all he asked for.
He was convinced he lost his chance when he got his powers.
Although not directly connected to his dream, the birth of Danny Phantom almost put his GPA in jeopardy several times. Before the accident, he used to be a good student, granted, not as good as Jazz, but he brought home good marks. But once the first sleepless night trying to catch rogue ghosts came, countless more were soon to follow.
Between the lack of sleep, being tardy to class or skipping it altogether, and many more instances of ‘teenage rebellion’ (all caused by his attempts to save everyone from malevolent spirits, not like anyone cared), Danny was sure his dreams of going to space had all but vanished before him.
There were no words capable of describing his joy when he miraculously pulled just the mark he needed to be accepted at Amity Park University’s Astrophysics degree. So what if he couldn’t go to a fancy college like Yale, or Stanford? That was Jazz’s dream, not his. Besides, studying at APU was perfect for protecting the town and getting access to the Ghost Zone.
He seriously doubted any of those preppy colleges would have granted him permission to build a ghost portal in their labs, anyway.
And so, he was closer to his dream than he’d thought he’d ever be during all of high school. During that time, he found solace in flying. Being one of the only two people in the whole world who could fly without help was even more special than being selected by NASA; a feat in itself. And it was so...liberating.
Even when he struggled most with his powers, just being able to fly made it all worth it. The immense relief that would envelop him whenever he just let the breeze guide him, lazily swaying in the sky and under the moonlight. The feeling he’d get whenever the adrenaline coursed through his veins as he picked up speed, sometimes even breaking the sound barrier when he felt like really challenging himself. Or just the chance to quiet the hectic voices ruling his life, even for just one moment: fight ghosts, save everyone, try to fit in, don’t let Mum and Dad find out what you are. Fight ghosts, save everyone, try to fit in, don’t let Mum and Dad find out what you are. Fight ghosts, save everyone, try toー
The mere chance to leave his worries behind, even for just a second, made the prospect of losing his one chance at his dream seem worth it.
Although...he did get the chance to be an astronaut during freshman year. But that was a story for another day.
Now, at twenty-one and with even more things to worry about, flying was still the one place he could find solace in. Tucker often told him that’d change the day he found himself a girlfriend, but let’s be real; who’d want to date someone like him?
Unlike high school, however, his problem wasn’t his look or his personality. The not-so-subtle glancesーwhich were almost predatory, might he addーand shameless gossiping and squealing he got from the girls around campus confirmed he’d grown from ‘Scrawny, Awkward Fenturd’, to ‘Tall, Dark, and Handsome Fenstud.’
The moniker stroked his ego, he wasn’t going to deny it. But the problem wasn’t his popularity with the opposite sex. The problem was how the opposite sex would react if they knew his secret.
Okay, maybe that was the wrong way to phrase that sentence. If the excited shrieking and squealing his alter ego received from the members of his fan club were anything to go by, any of those girls would faint in elation if they ever got the chance to date Danny Phantom. The polls from gossip magazines dedicated to discussing how hot the Ghost Boy was ーwhen were they gonna change that nickname to ‘Ghost Man’, anyway? When he was 40?!ー didn’t lie.
The real problem would come when his girlfriend got involved in his double life. And even if he wouldn’t want her to be involved, let alone fight ghosts alongside him like Tucker and Jazz did, deep down he knew it was inevitable. The moment his enemies found out he had a new girlfriend, they would use her to get to him. After all, what better way to defeat someone than to exploit his weakness? If Technus, of all people, could come up with that plan, anybody else could.
As he surveyed Amity Park from above, lost in his thoughts, Danny suddenly registered a source of heat coming from his right. Quickly swirling in the opposite direction to avoid the incoming projectile, a pink beam of ecto-energy, he quickly scanned his surroundings to identify his opponent. And judging by the way his Ghost Sense hadn't gone off, that could only be one person.
“Valerie.”
“It’s Red Huntress for you, spook!” A snarl, accompanied by another pink blast, came from above him. After blocking the attack with an ecto-shield, he looked up. Lo and behold, Valerie was hovering over him on her forked, black and red hoverboard, an ecto-gun protruding from her forearm and aimed directly at him.
Valerie Gray, also known as The Red Huntress. Amity Park’s most competent ghost hunter, after him. Who also happened to be his sorta-kinda-maybe-it’s-complicated ex-girlfriend. Or his S.K.M.I.C.E.G.F. for short.
Somehow, that acronym never had a good reception.
His story with Valerie was...an interesting one, to say the least. Their relationship was full of ups and downs, with the downs eventually becoming an integral and exclusive part of their interactions as Danny Phantom and The Red Huntress.
They started out as complete strangers. Well, not exactly. They both knew of each other back in the beginning to freshman year of high school, but they didn’t know each other. Valerie started out as another A-lister; haughty, self-centred, she made no effort to hide her disdain for those ‘bellow her.’ Of course, Danny, being Danny Fenton, one of the biggest losers in Casper High, was particularly low in her long list of those ‘bellow her.’
But that all changed thanks to a little ghost puppy he called Cujo.
Cujo was the ghost of a guard dog trained by Axion Labs, where Damon Gray, Valerie’s father, worked. They got rid of the dogs after upgrading the security system, with the misfortune of preparing the labs for any possible kind of assault, except for a ghost puppy with the ability to turn into a bigger, more menacing dog looking for his lost chew toy.
Needless to say, things could’ve gone better. If only because his accidental meddling had been indirectly responsible for Mr. Gray losing his job, the Grays losing their fortune and their house, Valerie falling from grace and losing her popularity, and her developing a huge grudge against all ghosts, especially him, that lasted well into present time.
If there were job applications for fucking people over that weren’t exclusively related to sex work, he’d be a pro.
As expected when someone dedicated their lives to hunting you, regardless of your attempts to befriend them or explain the situation, the two didn’t quite get along at first. Between Valerie’s newfound purpose to waste him and the fact that she never really acknowledged she’d been as terrible to him and Tucker as the A-listers were now with her, the two often butted heads even at school.
Their opinions of each other didn’t change until Skulker forced them to work together to survive his island and his attempts at hunting them both, when they actually had a heart-to-heart. Their civilian selves being simultaneously paired up for a Health class project also helped.
But what really changed things was the very same events that turned Danny Phantom into the Ghost King.
During Pariah Dark’s return, Danny Fenton and Valerie Gray really connected, and Danny learned to appreciate her in a whole new light. She was amazing while she fought Dark and the Fright Knight; the months she’d had to hone her abilities really shone through. Her attacks were intuitive, yet calculated. Her moves, nimble but they packed quite the punch. She was confident, and yet cautious enough to not get cocky.
As odd as it sounded, seeing her fight was incredibly hot.
...alright, so maybe he did have a thing for girls who could kick his ass. He blamed his dad for that one.
That day, something sparked between them...but only between Danny Fenton and Valerie; she still hated the Ghost Boy with every fiber of her being. She was positively furious when she found out he’d been chosen as the next ruler of the Ghost Zone.
Danny had to admit, anybody else with half a brain cell would have understood that crushing on a girl hellbent on destroying a part of him maybe wasn’t the best idea ever. Tucker and Jazz certainly thought so. But he was fourteen, hormones were high, and Valerie was the coolest girl he’d ever met so far, so…
Common sense be damned.
And so, they tried going out for some time. During those few dates the two went together he was over the moon, walking on air, he couldn’t believe his luck! He’d finally found a girl who liked him for him. Someone real and approachable, unlike his previous crushes on popular girlsーironically enough since Valerie herself used to be an unapproachable popular girl.
The universe itself seemed to want them to be together!
Not only did they dates suddenly get better thanks to some weird coincidenceーa blackout turning a dinner in a greasy diner into a romantic candle-lit evening, winning carnival tickets at the baseball game, the ferris wheel stopping at the most romantic point possibleーbut they seemed to be enough to get the idea inside Valerie’s head that maybe their relationship was worth giving up ghosthunting for.
Until Tucker, Jazz, and, surprisingly enough, Technus burst his little bubble. Turned out, Technus, who still didn’t respect him as his new ruler, seeing Valerie as a potential weakness, manipulated their relationship to keep him busy while he worked on his latest scheme.
The self-called ‘Master of Technology’ was also responsible for Valerie’s hatred of ghosts being renewed, for the destruction of her original suit followed by an upgrade to her current armor, and for Danny’s one-time experience in space (a happy coincidence).
Oh, and had he mentioned Technus’ meddling also led to Valerie breaking up with him before he could even ask her to go steady (hence the S.K.M.I.C.E.G.F. situation), giving him the most cliché excuse in the superheroing book, because she hated his ghost half more than she liked his human half?
Because it totally did.
Looking back, with Valerie’s icy glare set on him and a very menacing looking ecto-gun aimed straight at his forehead, maybe dating a ghost hunter set on killing him wasn’t his best idea. Fucking hormones…
“Look, Valerie, can we wrap this up? I’m really not in the mood.”
“Oh, we’ll wrap it up alright, Phantom,” she sneered, “with your ass in a body bag!” She shot at him again with the weapon protruding from her forearm. Seeing as the ghost only ducked the ecto-rays with relative difficulty, she changed tactics. Quickly typing down a command on her control panel, from between her fingers materialised three razor-sharp pink discs.
The moment her attention was focused elsewhere, Danny took the chance and flew off at top speed. Noticing his attempt to escape from the corner of her eye, refusing to let him get away, the Red Huntress stepped on the hidden button of her board’s body. With a whirring sound, the engines roared to life, allowing her to fly after him.
Once the Ghost Boy was within reaching distance and too busy trying to get away from her, with a swift motion of her arm, Valerie hurled the pink discs at him. At the sound of air being sliced, Danny turned his head just enough to notice the pink projectiles coming towards him from the corner of his eye. Maneuvering through the sky, he managed to dodge the first two, but as he ducked away from the second disc, the third came close enough to slice his upper arm.
Wincing in pain, not once stopping his flight, he cradled his arm to inspect the wound. Despite the oozing ectoplasm coming out of it, it was just a superficial cut. He’d live. As he registered the sudden heat approaching his back, Danny understood the only way to get rid of Valerie was fighting her.
As much as he hated fighting a friend, it was pointless to resist when said friend was trying to shoot holes into his body. And if he made the mistake of letting her get too close, he’d get caught in between her board’s forked ends, giving his chaser the perfect chance to activate the stinger and electrocute him.
“Hate to break it to you, Valerie. But I’m already dead, so body bags are pretty pointless!” Charging up his ecto-ray, hands glowing green, Danny shot in her direction, holding back just enough so Val would be forced to swirl around the sky to avoid getting hit. It was his signature move when facing off against Valerie: distract her with the need for an evasive maneuver in order to gain enough time to escape himself.
Just as he predicted, when the green rays of energy got closer to her, the Red Huntress willed her board to keep moving to the opposite direction of the blasts. What he hadn’t predicted, though, was that she’d change tactics and face the blasts head-on. The impact caused a plume of smoke to rise up in the air, hiding the girl from view.
Before he could fuss over her safety, however, Valerie rose up above him. Hunched down on her board before elegantly moving to stand tall, a smug grin on her face, she was surrounded by a bluish ghost shield coming from her preferred method of transport. He always forgot she could do that. “That’s too bad.” She said in a fake, sugary voice. “Guess I’ll just have to resign myself to seeing you fade.”
In an instant, she willed three metallic cubes to manifest around her head and shoulders. As the devices charged up, the Red Huntress gave chase to him once more.
Reacting almost a split-second too late, Danny resumed his own attempts of leaving her behind. Whenever an energy beam got too close for comfort, he either put all his years of flying to good use and miraculously managed to avoid getting hit, or he’d focus his energy on forming ecto-shields of different sizesーdepending on her ecto-rays' own intensity. The untrained observer would point out he could just turn intangible and the beams would harmlessly pass through him, but that was too simple. And fighting Val was never simple.
Even when she’d first got her gearーand by that he meant her old, non-Technus-upgraded gearーthe Red Huntress’ various weapons were all capable of hitting him even when he went intangible. Therefore, lowering his guard like that around her was like a clear invitation to get his ass whooped.
Getting frustrated, with Val still hot in his ghost-tail, he bellowed, “Would you just quit it?! I still got a mark from the last time we fought!”
Smirking darkly, Valerie forewent her cubic guns for her trusty ecto-grenade. “Then I know where to hit next.” She declared before throwing the dangerous device at him, hitting him square on his left shoulder.
As a burning pain suddenly spread through his left shoulder to the tip of his fingertips, not all was lost, for the resulting explosion had sent him flying across the sky to the asphalt, effectively putting some much needed distance from him and his pursuer.
Hands propped on the street and barely supporting his weight, Danny laboriously lifted his head up. All around him, people were either running away in fright of the impending battle or crowding the street as they pointed at him, whispering amongst themselves.
Lifting himself up to a sitting position, the halfa gently nursed his aching shoulder, wincing in pain whenever his fingertips touched the sensitive skin. Although whatever damage Valerie had managed to inflict upon him would soon be gone thanks to his enhanced healing factor, he knew he didn’t have the luxury to wait that long. Knowing the ghost hunter, she’d be around, looking for him. And the moment she found him, she’d waste no time resuming their confrontation.
The Red Huntress would never stop until the source of all her misery was finally banished to the Ghost Zone, or disposed off permanently.
Grunting in pain, Danny willed the cold of his core to spread throughout his body until it reached his hands. The moment his hand blazed a familiar, chilly blue he began caressing his suffering shoulder, the cold emanating from his fingertips a welcomed painkiller.
“Is there anything more unfair than being pummeled to a pulp when you’re actually holding back from hurting the other person?” He grunted, but his musings were cut short by another ecto-beam barely missing his head, a whiff of smoke coming from the asphalt that’d cushioned the hit.
His heart suddenly in his throat, the halfa gingerly looked up, only to find Valerie a few feet away from him, a smoking, double-cannoned ecto-bazooka resting on her shoulder, which only elicited the whispers around them to grow louder, more frantic. “Gotcha.” She said, her glare colder than his ice powers.
Adrenaline kicking his brain in overdrive, Danny frantically looked around, trying to find a way to escape that didn’t involve hurting Valerie or any of the onlookers. Argh, if only he could just turn intangible! As he futilely tried crawling away, his gloved hands moving against the asphalt floor below him, the sensation sparked an idea. Maybe turning intangible was useless against the Red Huntress’ weapons, but phasing wasn’t.
The only thing he needed was a distraction, and the whirring sound coming from the charging ecto-bazooka gave him an idea. It was reckless, but that seemed to be his thing lately, wasn’t it?
“Say goodbye, Phantom!” Valerie spat just as the weapon perched on her shoulder was done charging up, shooting a powerful blast his way.
Using the hand that was previously healing his wounds, Danny shot his own ecto-ray at the incoming projectile, causing his adversary to gasp in surprise. “Goodbye, Red!”
As the two forces came into contact with each other, under the stunned gazes of everyone present, they exploded into a blinding light that forced everyone, Valerie included, to shield their eyes. Wasting no time, Danny turned intangible, phasing through the floor and into the Amity Park sewer system. Once underground, he let his transformation drop, knowing Val’s Ghost Radar would find him otherwise, before making his way around the sewers in search of the nearest exit, his body leaning against the wall for support.
After what felt like an eternity, Valerie finally got her forearm out of her face. What was the point in having a dark-tinted visor if she could still be blinded? Once she’d regained the totality of her sight, that is to say, she no longer saw dark spots dancing around her vision, she quickly redirected her gaze to where Phantom stood.
Nothing.
Gasping, Valerie looked up to the sky. As her eyes scanned around for a black and white, flying figure, or even anything amiss in case the Ghost Boy had turned invisible, she soon realised the green-eyed spook was truly nowhere to be seen. Despite her growing frustration at losing her target, the Red Huntress quickly typed a command on her suit, hoping her Ghost Radar could still detect him. No such luck.
Growling in frustration with murder in her eyes, she jumped mid-air, summoning her hoverboard to appear right bellow her. Roaring the engines to life, she took off in direction to Elmerton, her home for the last seven years.
As she soared the skies, Valerie kept looking back and forth between her radar and her surroundings, looking for Phantom. “I was so close, damn it! Every time I think I finally have that ectoplasmic punk right where I want him, he up and disappears!” With a furious yell to the sky, she leaned on her board, using her feet to increase its speed.
Her gear had to be the only good thing that came out of her first encounter with that ghostly bastard. Even if she’d lost everything and her dad was constantly working long hours to keep her in collegeーher wonderful, incredible, genius dad, who deserved much more than just being a crammy security night guardー, at least what happened at Axion Labs all those years ago had given her two things: the gear necessary to become Amity Park’s most powerful ghost hunter, and the purpose to eliminate all bodiless apparitions from the face of the Earth.
Starting by Danny Phantom.
Valerie could only scoff at some people’s stupidity. Although most citizens had half the brains necessary to figure out Danny Phantom was a threat, there were still some who revered him as some kind of hero.
Oh, it was true. He saved the town from falling into that Ghost King’s claws, but didn’t anybody remember what happened afterwards? Because she did. Not even a week after ‘saving’ everyone from a fate worse than deathーand causing her some injuries and for her dad to both find out about her ghost-hunting escapades and forbid her from ever touching her equipment again, to add insult to injuryー, he ascended as the next Ghost King.
And people still celebrated him? Were they blind?!
It was clear that Phantom only ever fought the Ghost King, not to protect Amity Park, or whatever nonsense he kept trying to feed the public, but to dethrone him himself! He wanted that psycho’s position for himself, so he could keep terrorising the town with even less opposition than before!
“Hero my ass…” Valerie scoffed in disbelieving disgust.
But, apparently, only Valerie and the Fentons had any common sense on the matter. “Wow. Never thought I’d have anything in common with the Fentons…” she mused aloud. As much as she’d liked Danny when they were fourteen, his family was a whole different thing.
When she finally made out her apartment complex in the distance, the armored girl couldn’t help but carefully glide near their living room window, where she could see her father sleeping soundly on the couch after a long nightーtoo tired to even go to bed.
Carefully resting her gloved hand against the window glass, worriedly looking at the man who’d been her only source of comfort for as long as she could remember, her heart broke. “Don’t worry, Dad. I promise, one day Phantom’ll be mine. And then we’ll finally cash in that reward and leave this shit hole once and for all.”
With renewed determination, she went around her floor until she was right beside her own room. Due to her always leaving her bedroom window open, all she had to do was squeeze herself inside. Now standing in her room, she deactivated her suit, which disappeared in a swirl of electricity. Walking over her mirror, Valerie picked up a quasi-new set of clothes that were lying on her chair. “But first, let’s pay that college tuition. It won’t look good if I’m late on my first day.”
............
Phasing through the walls, Danny stumbled into his sister’s room. He would’ve fallen face-first on the floor hadn’t it been for his hands instinctively stopping the fall.
Her head snapping to the distinctive sound of a ‘thud’, Jazz immediately swirled around on her computer chair. “A little help?” Danny grunted tiredly.
Gasping at the state her little brother was in, the redhead all but threw herself at him in order to inspect any possible wounds, only to recoil in disgust when she caught a sniff of him, pinching her nose. “Ew! What happened to you to smell that horridly?! What did you do, die for real?”
“I phased through the floor and into the sewers.” The black-haired boy dryly corrected, not appreciating his sister’s skewed priorities. “Now, if you would be so kind as to help me out...”
Jazz at least had the decency to blush. Offering a hand to her brother, she helped him stand up before guiding him to her bed. Then she lowered him on top of it and resumed her previous inspection of him. She jumped back in surprise at Danny’s sudden, sharp inhale of breath when she accidentally grazed his left shoulder.
In an instant, she was basically in his face, fussing over him. “Danny? Are you okay? Is there anything wrong with your shoulder?”
“Everything’s fiー”, he stopped short when he registered her worried look. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I saw Valerie today.”
“Oh, no.” The eldest Fenton kid lamented, knowing where the conversation was headed.
“Yeah...I tried losing her, but in the meantime she landed a few mean punches on me...figuratively speaking, of course.”
“So I’m guessing your shoulder cushioned a nasty one?”
He nodded, barely turning his head to look at her. “Ecto-grenade.” He said simply, and Jazz cringed in sympathy. “Yeah. I numbed the pain a little by applying some cold with my powers, but a few real painkillers might do me some good until it’s properly healed.”
“Sure.” With a nod, Jazz got up from the bed and crossed over to the other side of the room, where her closet was located. Opening the door and standing on her tiptoes to reach the higher shelf, she grabbed her hidden first aid kit before setting it down on her desk. “Any other injuries I should know about?” She asked as she rummaged through her supplies, taking a small plastic jar with Ibuprofen from it.
“Just a superficial cut on my arm. It’s almost completely healed now, but putting a band-aid on it just in case wouldn’t hurt.”
Flopping herself down next to her baby brother again, medical supplies in hand, Jazz helped Danny out of his t-shirt. When she saw the burns on his shoulder, though, she couldn’t help but wince. “Are you sure you don’t want me to put some bandages on it, Danny? It looks pretty bad…”
The halfa sighed. He knew his sister would fuss over his health; she always did. “It’ll heal, Jazz. It always does.” Then he caught her expression from the corner of his eye. “...but if it’ll make you feel better, I suppose a few bandages just in case don’t so bad.”
Nodding readily, the aqua-eyed woman went to quickly retrieve some of the aforementioned bandages from her kit. Then she proceeded to wrap them around her brother’s left shoulder and pectorals. When Danny sent her a questioning look, she just shrugged and said, “Just in case.”
With his shoulder taken care of, Danny, almost begrudgingly, stretched his arm out to her, letting her inspect his cut. Even though he was right and it was just a flesh wound, it was still important to clean it. Pouring some disinfectant on a bunch of cotton balls, with the help of tweezers she gently dubbed the cotton against his skin, prompting Danny to wince in displeasure.
She rolled her eyes at his childishness, annoyed. “Oh, come on! You literally just faced a ghost huntress, walked around the sewers for who knows how long, and this is something to complain about? Don’t be such a baby!”
“Hey, you have no right to complain about me complaining! You’re not the one who’s routinely going through some kind of medical procedure.” And he’d never want her to go through one; not even a simple check up.
“Whatever,” she said as she put the band-aid on. She dusted her hands off before smiling proudly at him. “All done. Now, go get some rest before it’s time to go and you have to shower.”
Danny pouted. “Do we still have to go? Jazz, I’m injured…” He tried to bargain with his best sad, puppy-dog look.
Jazz wasn’t buying, though. “Should’ve thought about that before you assured me your wounds would heal soon. Come on, Danny, you know I’ve been dying to try this place out and you promised to take me.”
“Can’t you take Tucker with you while I rest, instead?”
“No, because,” she lifted three fingers up, ready to count her options off, “one, he’s not my brother, and I’d like to go with my brother. Two, if you turn your head to my nightstand ever so slightly, you’ll see it’s only 12:30 PM on a Saturday; we’re leaving at sevenーyou’ll have plenty of time to rest. And three...can you really imagine Tucker stepping foot in that sort of place even if I bribed him with $1000?”
Danny visibly deflated at that. “No…”
“Then it’s settled.” Jazz declared. “Go to your room and rest. I’ll tell Mum and Dad you came while they were working on the lab and that you’re tired from an all-nighter of working on an assignment.”
“You’d think they’d be surprised I’m not getting straight A’s with all the times we’ve used the studying excuse on them…” Danny muttered as he left his sister's room.
Standing against the door, Jazz shrugged. “Mum thinks spending so many nights awake studying is actually counter-productive, so…”
Danny chuckled before standing in front of his room’s door. Before going in, however, he called out to her. “Uh, Jazz?”
“Hm?”
“You’re the best.” He smiled at her.
She smiled back. “Anytime, Baby Brother.”
..............
A deafening roar echoed throughout the manor. Her heart pounding, Sam ran as fast as she could along the corridors, barely registering where she was going. She took so many turns around the halls she lost count, all portraits and decorations merging together so it’d look like she was running through the same, never ending hallway. But she didn’t care. All that mattered was getting to the origin of the noise.
When she finally arrived before the gates guarding the bloodcurdling sounds, she skidded to a halt so abruptly she almost gave herself whiplash. Now that she was closer to the source, Sam could also make out the sound of screaming coming from inside the room. And when she noticed just where the roaring and screaming was coming from, her heart all but stopped.
The training room.
The place where the younger members of the clan practiced and perfected their magic. Whatever happened there now had a group of kids trapped!
She had to do something!
But, being the queen and therefore not being able to afford anything happening to her in fear of unleashing a civil war, she’d promised she’d wait for Wilhelmina to arrive, or at the very least, for Paulina and Star to support her.
Anxiously, her eyes kept darting back and forth in all directions, hoping against hope that someone, anyone, would soon come to help. They couldn’t risk their kids’ lives like that. Suddenly, the roars and screams only got louder, accompanied by the sounds of thrashing and the crunching of wood being broken.
Whatever it was that was going on, it was mayhem!
The minutes felt like hours and there was still no sight of her Minister of War or her handmaidens. Fear gripping at her heart, terrified for the sake of the students trapped behind those doors, Sam threw all caution to the wind. Willing her mind to clear so she could establish a proper connection with her anima, the Witch Queen cupped her hands together in front of her chest, taking advantage of the extra dose of adrenaline to fuel her essence. As soon as she felt the familiar pull of power, she opened her now blazing, violet eyes and shouted, “Aries!”
From her open palms a host of purple light began to take form. In the blink of an eye, the spell solidified, shooting forwards to the gates and effectively crushing them by sheer force. As the dust resulting from the impact cleared, allowing Sam to finally see what was going on, all she could do was gasp.
Standing tall and imposing in the middle of the room, surrounded by a group of terrified students who were hiding from it in the furthest corner of the classroom behind a row of desks, a gigantic iguana, the size of that dragon ghost that sometimes haunted the town, roared as it shoved tables out of its wayーtheir now spilled contents cluttered the floor.
When the giant reptile’s eye landed on her, obviously taking notice of the explosion of light, Sam felt her blood run cold. And yet, in spite of the danger, she preferred having the beast targeting her than causing harm to the girls. As the creature threateningly stomped in the direction she was in, the young queen formulated a plan.
If she could just keep the iguana distracted long enough until Wilhelmina came, she could win enough time to allow the kids to escape. But she’d have to tell them her plan as well.
“And I know how.” She mused aloud with a smirk on her face. She was just glad she was currently wearing pants instead of an extravagant dress.
As she waited for the reptile to get closer to her, biding her time, Sam intertwined her fingers save for her indexes and thumbs, which were in contact with each other. Then, just as the iguana’s claw was about to strike, she mimicked the action of a gun shooting with her arms. “Ignis!” She cried out.
From her fingertips she kept shooting energy beams at the monster as she ran in the direction the girls were in. When one of her beams hit the iguana in the eye, causing it to cry out in pain and, most importantly, to be distracted, Sam quickly slid down to behind the remaining desksーwhere the girls were.
“Girls, are you okay?!” She whispered-shouted as soon as she caught sight of them. They were a small group, six girls around the ages of 10-12.
One of them, a brunette with green eyesーViolet, if Sam wasn’t wrongー, spoke up on behalf of her friends. “Your Majesty! Oh, thank Goodness...Yeah, we’re fine. As soon as that thing appeared we ran and hid here.”
The violet-eyed witch sighed in relief. “Thank God. Alright, Violet, right?” The girl nodded, the smile on her face was so wide due to the Queen remembering her name, one would almost forget they were all in danger. “Right. I need you to tell me how this happened. And why are you guys all alone, shouldn’t an adult be with you at all times?”
Lola, a shy girl with black hair and glasses, and a distant relative of Paulina, answered instead. “Uh, well, we-we weren’t alone, your Highness.”
She’d have to tell them some other time that title was for princes and princesses, not queens. But first, saving their lives. “What do you mean, Lola? Who was with you?”
“Wilhelmina.”
“Wilhelmina?!” she repeated, a little too loudly. Wincing at the realisation, she hushed the girls in case the iguana had heard them. Whimpering in fright, the kids got closer to her, and she unconsciously wrapped her arms around them. After a few minutes and no response from the monster, Sam let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Okay. Girls, can you explain to me why Wilhelmina isn’t here? It’s not like her to leave students unsupervised.”
“Class was ending, anyway.” Violet explained. “She said she had something to do and that she trusted us to clean everything up before we left.”
Sam did not like where this was going. “And the giant iguana?”
“We don’t know.” Lola said, then she pointed at one of her friends, a blonde named Tamara. “We were talking about the familiars we’d like to have when we completed our Rite of Passage while we were finishing brewing today’s potion when Tammy said she’d wish to have an iguana. And, boom!”
“Is that true, Tammy?” Sam questioned the girl.
Tammy nodded, tearing up. “Y-yes…I-I said...I-I’d like...a-an iguana and...and then...the p-potion...started b-boiling...and o-out of n-nowhere...that...that monster appeared!” She admitted between cries.
Panicking, both because of the little girl crying and the potential danger of being discovered, Sam scooted closer to her, wiping her tears away with her hands. “Shh, shh! It’s okay, Tammy. It’s not your faultーthese things happen!”
“R-really?”
The queen nodded, smiling reassuringly at her. “Really. This sort of thing happens all the time. You’ll learn what it is soon enough.”
“So I’m not in trouble?”
“No, you’re not.”
Before Sam could so much as blink, the girl threw her arms at her, hugging her. The raven-haired witch stiffened at the contact, not used to dealing with physical affection...or kids. After a minute, though, she relaxed and returned the embrace. Tammy needed comfort at the moment.
“What do we do now, your Majesty?” Violet asked, bringing her queen back to Earth.
“Is that thing going to eat us?” Lola insisted, looking positively spooked.
“No, no. None of that!” Sam assured them, letting go of Tammy. “Because I have a plan.” She motioned with her hands for the girls to get closer to her before continuing. “First of all, don’t worry. Iguanas are herbivores; they don’t eat meat, let alone humans! So listen closely, any minute now Wilhelmina, my ladies-in-waiting, and whoever else they’d called for help will appear through that door. I’ll share my plan with them and while we keep the iguana busy, you’ll run away from here. Understood?”
The group nodded readily. “Good.”
“Your Majesty, where are you?!” A familiar voice called out to her.
Crawling quietly, Sam dedicated one last look at the younger witches. “Remember, don’t move until I tell you to go, got it?”
“Got it.” The six of them said in unison.
With a nod of her own, Sam crawled out of her hiding place before standing up and breaking into a full run to the direction the voice came fromーapparently, it was Susan who’d called out to her, accompanying her mentor. The latter, as well as Star and Paulina, were blocking the reptile’s exit.
“Ignis!” repeating her actions from earlier, she shot another energy beam at the beast, before standing beside her subjects.
“What is that thing!?” Paulina asked, looking completely revolted.
“It’s the result of a spell gone awry.” The Witch Queen answered. “A girl got distracted while brewing a potion and this is the result.”
“What kind of distraction?” Star raised an eyebrow.
“What do you think?” Sam replied as if that was all the answer she needed.
Apparently, it was, because nobody else said a word until Wilhelmina’s hoarse voice broke the silence. “Your Majesty! What are you doing here!? You’re supposed to wait for help to come!”
The Goth couldn’t be bothered to pretend she cared about the protocol right now, especially not after discovering her fellow Council member had left a group of witches in-training completely unsupervised. “Not now, Wilhelmina! The kids are still here; we’ve gotta help them escape!”
“And how are we going to do that?” Star let out, trying to hold down the barrier of fiery, orange energy she’d created to prevent the beast from leaving the training room.
“I have a plan.” Sam turned her attention to the potion-maker in-training. “Susan! Do you have one of your Minisize Me potions on you?”
The Asian teenager reached for her bandolier and grabbed a spherical jar in her hand. “Always, your Majesty!”
“Good! While Star holds the barrier down, Wilhelmina, Paulina, and I will try to restrain our little friend long enough for the girls to escape. As soon as the last girl has left the room, you have to throw the potion at the monster. It’s the only way to take care of it!” She then turned to her lady-in-waiting. “Star, the moment this thing’s all tied up, you let your barrier go so the girls can leave, got it?”
“Yes, my Queen!” Both girls exclaimed in unison, readying themselves.
“Very well. Wilhelmina, Paulina,” she called out to them, “you take care of binding the reptile with me. Wilhelmina, since you’ve got the potions, you take care of its hind legs and tail; Paulina, you tie its left paw down. Ready?” Getting twin nods from her fellow witches, they all charged against the monster.
As Sam and Paulina projected their respective animas in the form of a lasso with a scream of “Conjunctionis ligaveris!”, Wilhelmina used her own essence to propel herself above the beast, landing nimbly behind it. While the young queen and the Latina struggled to keep the reptile in place, their purple and soft pink animas tied tightly around its front paws, the potion-maker rummaged through her trusty bag, looking for her BubbleBomb potion. At the same time as she tried to dodge the animal’s large tail.
Maybe Susan was right and she did need to organise her collection in a pair of twin bandoliers, just like her apprentice.
Just as she was beginning to get frustrated, her finger brushed against a sticky substance. A familiar, sticky substance. Crying out in triumph, she got the jar with the sticky, pink slime from inside of her bag, just in time to be lifted up in the air by the force behind the collision of the iguana’s tail hitting the ground. Using her momentum, Wilhelmina smashed the bottle against the floor, which then exploded in a bubble of pink slime, effectively restraining the giant reptile’s movements.
“Girls, now!” Sam cried out, struggling to keep her focus long enough to keep the iguana down for much longer.
The kids didn’t need to be told twice. As soon as their queen gave the order, they got out from their hiding spot and ran towards the door, where Star was waiting for them. Upon seeing them, she lowered her barrier, exhaling in between pants due to the physical exertion, thus allowing the group of kids to leave the room safe and sound.
Smiling at their retrieving forms, Star cupped a hand around her mouth to call out to the, now, youngest witch in the room. “Susan, it’s all up to you now!”
Determined to not let her queen and mentor down, Susan ran towards the closest wall before leaping in the air feet-first towards it. The moment her feet came into contact with its surface, the teenager propelled herself to rise high above the ginormous beast. As soon as she was within optimal range, she hurled the spherical jar at it, which broke against the iguana’s hard-as-steel scales. In an instant, a cloud of turquoise, twinkling smoke enveloped the beast.
Coughing and clearing the air around her with a wave of her hand, Sam dared look up to the direction the large creature once stood at. To her immense relief, she saw nothing. So willing her magic to deactivate, she walked over to where the, now, normal-sized iguana was.
Smiling, she picked the lizard up. “You gave us quite the scare, right, little guy?”
“What do you intend to do with it, your Majesty?” Susan asked as soon as she nimbly landed on her feet the same way a professional gymnast would.
“Why don’t you keep it? I believe you’ve mentioned Duke Scalynton needed a friend a few times now.” She suggested as she handed the iguana to the potion-maker in-training.
Looking down at the iguana in her hands, she turned to her mentor. “Would that be alright, Ms. Redring?”
“Perfectly so, Susan. Don’t worry.” Wilhelmina assured her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You did well today.”
Susan smiled brightly at that. Sam, on the contrary, could only frown at her. “Wilhelmina, the kids told me you were supposed to be looking after them, but you left them to clean everything by themselves before classes were officially over.”
The Minister of War remained impassive. “My apologies, your Majesty. I had other matters to attend to that required my immediate attention, and since today’s potion was rather simple, I supposed they’d be fine on their own for a few minutes.”
“So because you had better things to do you completely ignored one of our most important rules and risked the lives of six little girls in the process?” Sam seethed, arms crossed, her eyes blazing a dangerous, dark violet for a second.
Wilhelmina narrowed her own eyes on her. “Careful, your Majesty. I don’t believe you’re in any position to say anything. Seeing as how often you completely disregard protocol; or have you already forgotten that you should have waited for back up before facing off against the threat yourself, hm?”
Sam balled her hands into fists at her sides, knowing, and hating, that she had her there. Turning around to leave the room, she spat. “Just, don’t let it happen again.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it, my Queen.” The brunette let out, almost sinisterly.
Susan was petting her new pet when she noticed a shadow casted over her. Looking up, she almost gasped. “You did well today, girl. Just, do me a favour and keep that thing away from me.” Paulina told her with a smile, keeping a respectable distance between herself and the iguana in the teenager’s arms.
Susan’s mind, other times sharp and focused, was suddenly completely blank. Mouth hanging open and eyes blinking at random intervals, she was sure she was gaping at the beautiful woman before her. “Uh...I...I mean…,” she stammered, “y-you look good, too! I-I mean! You did good, too. Obviously. Ah! Not like you don’t look good, too! You always look good! Just...you know, yeah…” She finished lamely.
Oh, why couldn’t the iguana have eaten her before she spouted all that nonsense?!
“Okay…” The Latina drawled. “Well, I gotta go. See ya.”
“Yeah, see ya…” The teenage girl sighed dreamily, before realising what she was doing and facepalming herself.
Now that they were outside of the training room and accompanying Sam to her quarters, for they had to help her get ready, Paulina eyed her best friend’s knowing grin in distaste. “What?” She snapped.
“Somebody’s got a crush on you!” The blonde teased in a sing-song voice, the shit-eating grin never leaving her face.
But the Latina just huffed. “Please! And who doesn’t? I’ve had my fair share of admirers since we were in ninth grade, Star. Don’t make such a big deal out of it.”
“That may be true,” Star conceded, “but I think this is the first time a younger girl’s crushing on you and you’re actually nice to her. The Pauli from back in Senior year would’ve crushed her dreams in a heartbeat.” She commented offhandedly, ignoring the look of pure horror flashing through their Queen’s face.
The blue-eyed beauty just rolled her eyes. Since she wasn’t used to being on the receiving end, she often forgot how ruthless her best friend could be when she was met with some quality gossip. “I’m not eighteen anymore, Star! And Susan’s a good kid, of course I’m not going to be a bitch to her.”
“So you like her back?” The blonde asked, now feeling apprehensive.
“Are you crazy?!” Paulina snapped at her, turning her face in her direction so fast she almost gave herself whiplash. “First of all, she’s seventeen! I might like to party, but I’d never date a minor.” She sniffed in displeasure. Seriously, what was this girl thinking?!
Her fellow handmaiden sighed in relief. “Thank Goodness, I was actually worried for a second. Just...try letting her down gently, okay?”
“Who do you take me for? Besides, even if she were our age, which, again, she’s not, I just don’t swing that way.”
Star let out a hollow laugh. “Don’t try selling me the ‘I don’t swing that way excuse’, I’ve seen you throw your principles out of the window for the sake of screwing people over. And about letting her down gently, admit it Pauli, you can be a bit of a bitch.”
Sam, not daring to say a word, could only furrow her brow at what her subjects were saying. “What the Hell?”
Ignoring their queen’s silent judgement, Paulina gasped in surprise. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
Rather than backing off given her friend’s reaction, Star only snorted. “Oh, come on. Don’t pretend you don’t remember that one time in ninth grade that you agreed to go to homecoming with a complete loser just so Dash could play a joke on him.” Then, she turned pensive. “Hm, now that I think about it, we never did pull the prank on him...I wonder why.” She muttered to herself.
Paulina’s mouth made an ‘o’ shape at the reminder. “Oooooh, that’s right! Yes, I did totally do that. Such a shame the guy was a total loser; he at least had decent taste in jewelry.”
The two kept chattering away until they noticed their queen’s appalled expression, her jaw hanging low. Giggling sheepishly, Paulina tried to save some face, Star nodding with a forced smile beside her. “That was a long time ago. We’ve grown up, we promise.”
Blinking slowly at them, Sam forced her mouth shut. Doing a dusting-her-hands-off motion, she symbolically separated herself from anything having to do with their high school lives. “Something tells me we wouldn’t have got along growing up.”
“Then isn’t it great we only met outside of high school?” Star offered.
“I think I’d much rather you just talk to me either about things going on inside the manor, or whatever crazy shit you’re up to at college.” The violet-eyed witch insisted as she turned her doorknob to let them in. For that day’s appointment she wanted to spice things up a little, but she still wanted a simple look that matched with her usual self, hence why she needed the girls’ help.
“Oh. My. God!” Paulina exclaimed, raising her palms up as she entered the room. “You will not believe the drama that’s stirring at APU right now!”
Star, who was already seated on one of Sam’s chairs, made a sound of appreciation. “Ooooh! Do tell.”
As Sam went over to her closet and began to randomly pick up different clothes to ask the girl’s opinion onーt-shirts, jeans, skirts, dresses even…ーPaulina went on with her retelling, she and Star sporadically putting a stop on their conversation to give their queen some feedback. “Remember Tiffany? That two-faced, bitchy classmate of mine who’s been totally jealous of me since, like, forever?”
“Tiffany is a rather stereotypically bitchy name.” Sam commented, her focus on two different t-shirts. “As in, high school queen bee, cheerleader captain kind of bitchy.”
“I was a high school queen bee, cheerleader captain, Sam.” Paulina deadpanned.
“Oh!” Sam faulted, biting her lip in embarrassment as she wondered how she’d fix that one. “Well, your name is not stereotypically bitchy...Tiffany is. I mean, how many high school chick flick villains are dumb blondes called Brittany, or Tiffany, or Cassidy…?”
“She does have a point.” Star conceded, propping her elbow against the chair’s back.
With her index and thumb cupping her chin, the Latina ‘hmmed’ in acknowledgement. “Fair enough. Anyway, Sandra told me that Luka told her that Eliza told him that Tiffany’s out to get me ‘cause she’s so jealous it’s ripping her apart.”
As her ladies-in-waiting turned down her latest outfit, Sam arched an eyebrow, not following the conversation. “But didn’t you just say she’s always been jealous of you? What’s new about that?”
“What’s new is that now she’s jealous of me because Brad Carmichael, her ex-boyfriend with whom she broke up because he was dating a girl from Elmerton University behind her backーnot like she’s been a model girlfriend herself, if you know what I meanー, is apparently into me. And she can’t stand it.”
“But are you into Brad?” Star questioned, while Sam was busier wondering how she even managed to keep track of what Paulina was talking about in the first place. She’d already forgotten the guy’s name was Brad, for fuck’s sake! Her best guess was that keeping up with the latest gossip was some sort of ‘popular girl’ superpower.
Paulina let herself flop down on Sam’s bed with a noncommittal sound coming from her throat. “I mean, Brad’s cute, but I’m sort of seeing Matthew at the moment you know?”
“Sort of seeing?” Sam echoed.
“Yeah, he wants us to go steady but, like, I don’t know if I want to tie myself down to anyone right now, you know? I just don’t think I’m ready to be ‘Matthew’s girlfriend.’ But I know that if I tell him that, he’ll think I want to stop going out altogether, when I just don’t want to rush to label what we have. That’s all.”
“Why do you even have to become ‘Matthew’s girlfriend’? Why can’t he be ‘Paulina’s boyfriend’?” For a moment there, Sam worried the feminist inside her had ruined the conversation, if their silence was any indication, until Paulina, almost automatically, moved to a sitting position, looking like she’d just had a spiritual awakening.
“OMG, you’re so right! “ She exclaimed. “If Matthew can’t accept being labeled my boyfriend, then he’s not worthy of my time. Period. Thanks for the advice, Sam.”
“Uh, you’re welcome?” Sam said, feeling unsure. “Now, could you guys please help me get ready? ‘Cause I still don’t know what to wear…”
Both ladies-in-waiting exchanged a glance, before shrugging. Star was the one who voiced their opinion. “The clothes you have in your hands right now are fine. Just combine them with your usual look and you’ve got your casual, yet original, outfit.”
Looking down at the items in hand, Sam had to admit, they really seemed perfect. “Thanks, girls. You two are the best.”
“We know.” They said in unison.
............
The Verde Que te Quiero Verde was the latest rage in vegetarian restaurants. The establishment was owned by a couple of elderly Mexican immigrants who, per their grandson’s suggestion, had given the typical Tex-Mex food a vegan spin.
All websites reviewing the place gave nothing but praise to the meals and service, and about half of the comments recommended asking for their nachos with guacamole and vegan cheese. Its prices were also known for being very reasonable.
‘Lowly’ Mexican food turned vegan and exorbitant-prices free, the kind of place Pamela Manson would rather die than step foot in.
Which was why Sam was so thankful that Saturday night it was just her dad and her, for her mother was busy background checking anyone who wanted to rent the manor for the upcoming Halloween.
Her dad and her were already seated and looking over the menus, but she couldn’t help being distracted by her surroundings. Despite the more modern take, the Verde Que te Quiero Verde resembled the typical Mexican hacienda, with its white-chalk walls, the red tile roofs, its arches… The restaurant was even a two-story building whose second floor, which held even more tables, had balconies offering a nice view of the fountain in the middle of the room and tables surrounding it below.
It was positively lovely.
And yet...Sam couldn’t quite enjoy it as much as she’d like.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was definitely off with Wilhelmina. Leaving a group of inexperienced, little girls at their mercy while they performed magic? What was she thinking?! She had no idea how lucky she was, had anything happened to any of the girls and she would’ve been put to trial, leading to losing her position as Council member, at best, or to being expelled from the coven altogether, at worst.
Subconsciously, Sam gripped her menu a little tighter. Wilhelmina was already around when she was a kid and Grandma Ida was still queen. Back then, she remembered, she gave off this strict and stern vibe, even more so than Margaret with her by-the-book nature. But ever since she ascended to the throne, her strictiness had turned into outright arrogance.
Back when she was fourteen and had just volunteered herself as the next queen, Wilhelmina seemed the less willing to give in. She was the quickest to point out her age and inexperience, and Margaret and the, then, newly appointed Delilah miraculously managed to get their fellow member to give her a chance. If just barely.
Even know, after seven years of devout sacrifice in the name of the Amity Park Clan, that frustrating pain in the butt still hadn’t let go of her reservations towards her; often making snide comments that casted doubts on her leadershipーlike the one from earlier…ー, or looking over her shoulder with an air of superiority.
All that, Sam could, begrudgingly, put up with. But putting innocent kids in harm’s way and then having the gall to act all smug on her?! What if Phantom had been right? What if there really were witches up to no good right under her nose? What if…?
“Sammy?” Her dad’s voice cut through her thoughts like a knife cut through butter.
“Huh?” She responded, oh, so eloquently.
“Are you okay? I’ve been calling you for a while now and you haven’t answered until now. Also, it looks like you’ve tried to strangle your menu over some sort of terrible crime…” He pointed at the crumbled piece of paper in her hands to demonstrate his point.
Looking down and noticing the mess she’d made of the poor aforementioned piece of paper, she set it down gently with a sheepish smile on her face, “I’m fine, Dad. Just...thinking.”
“About what?”
“Stuff.” At her dad’s questioning, raised eyebrow she elaborated. “Frustrating stuff.”
“Kiddo, please, enter a literary contest; you’re so eloquent and articulate.” Jeremy deadpanned, setting his own menu down and propping his chin on his intertwined hands.
Sam rolled her eyes, letting out a hollow laugh. “Hilarious, Dad. Aren’t you supposed to be the preppy and optimistic one of the two?”
“I am.” He agreed. “But I’m also a Manson and your Grandma’s son. So you could say snarking runs in the family.”
Parents looking as smug and self-satisfied as her dad did at that moment should be illegal. Crossing her arms with a scowl, Sam slouched on her seat. “Whatever.”
Jeremy just shook his head fondly at his daughter. “You’re lucky your mother isn’t here right now, young lady. Otherwise, she would scold you on your posture.”
The mere mention of her mother made her straighten up, reflexively.
“But now seriously, kiddo. What’s the matter? You know you can talk to your old man about anything.” He offered her an encouraging smile.
Unfortunately, his readiness to be there for her only made her heart sank. No, I can’t, she wanted to say, but instead opted for, “I’m...having trouble with a...with a classmate.” She lied, hating herself for it. “I was elected as team leader, but she’s never quite been able to accept it. Maybe she wanted the position herself, maybe she just doesn’t think I’m good for the job...I don’t know. All I know is that she makes no effort in hiding her displeasure.
“Which, okay. I can take it, I guess. I mean, one more person who doesn’t like me! Boy is that old news...But she’s made a mistake recently and she didn’t even apologise; she just rubbed my own mistakes in my face. And I...I don’t know what to do, Dad.”
Jeremy stayed quiet for a minute, just observing his daughter with a keen eye. Maybe saying he and Sam were close was a little far-fetched; Pamela and, surprisingly enough, his mother had always insisted on signing her up for a million extracurricular activities growing upーironic, when one took the fact that she’d also been homeschooled for most of her life into consideration. But he’d learned long ago to not question it, after all, their Sammy had turned out okay and very capable in the end.
He had to admit, he didn’t always understand her, either. Like her interest in the occult, her love for loud, unsavory bands with questionable taste in names, or her insistence on being identified as a Goth since she was twelve. As a man used to making his wife happy with diamonds the size of strawberries, giving his daughter spiked collars for her birthday left him feeling a little queasy. But, hey, if it made her happy… As long as she didn’t join a cult he was golden.
But there were still moments when even Sam, his strong-willed, independent, confident baby girl, felt vulnerable against the cruel world she lived in. And it was in those moments when he had to take the lead and be the responsible authority figure in the relationship. Moments like now.
Reaching across the table, he rested his hand atop of hers, directing her attention to him. “Sometimes people will try to make our lives difficult, but we mustn’t let that stop us from doing what we think it’s right. So your friend doesn’t think you’re doing a good job leading the team? Then let her think that! If it’s only one person who feels that way, then she’s probably just trying to mess with you.
“But if the other people in your group feel the same way, then maybe you should take a moment to reevaluate things. Don’t be afraid to ask this girl about her opinion. Who knows? Maybe she does have something valuable to contribute.”
Alright, this was all great advice for actual teamwork, but it didn’t apply to her problem. She was trying to rule a coven, not decorate the gym for the upcoming prom. “What are you trying to say, Dad?”
“I just think you shouldn’t take everything on by yourself, Sammy.” He said as he patted her hand, then he leaned back on his chair at the same time as he picked his forgotten menu up. “Now, do you know what you want to eat, or should we wait a few more minutes?”
Sam couldn’t help sending her dad a small smile, even if it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She was about to answer when she caught sight of something over his shoulder that made her breath hitch. “Holy shit!”
Jeremy’s head shot up at that. “Samantha, language!”
Uh, oh. He used her full name. “Uh, sorry about that, Dad.” She apologised sheepishly, before standing up and pointing behind him, much to Jeremy’s horror. What was up with this girl’s manners today!? “It’s just that I know the person who’s just entered the restaurant.”
Turning around much more discreetly than Sam, Jeremy raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “You mean the people talking to the maître d’?”
Completely unaware of the fact that they were the focus of the conversation of two of the restaurant’s patrons, Jazz and Danny stood at the entrance, talking to the maître d’. Well, Jazz was talking to the maître d’, looking almost unhinged, Danny was just praying they wouldn’t be kicked out just because his sister had chosen now, of all times, to act as unreasonable as their dad.
“What do you mean there’s no table available?!” She screeched, causing a few customers to turn around to look at her and her brother to look away in embarrassment. “I made the reservation almost two weeks ago! Fenton, Jazz Fenton. Come on, I highly doubt there’s many more Fentons in Amity Park.”
The man tending to them had to be the most patient person on the planet, Danny figured. Or the most emotionless. “My apologies, Miss. But there really is no reservation under a Jazz Fenton.”
“Maybe you put it under another member of the family?” Danny offered before addressing the headwaiter himself. “How about under Danny Fenton?”
The employee looked through his agenda before shaking his head.
“And Maddie Fenton?” Jazz tried.
Again, the man shook his head no.
“Jack Fenton?” She was starting to grow desperate now.
And, again, no such luck.
Watching as Jazz’s eye started twitching, Danny genuinely feared he’d have to restrain his sister from doing something crazy when the sound of someone clearing their throat caught everyone’s attention. Looking at the direction the sound came from, the Fenton siblings could only gape at the sight of a middle-aged man with perfectly coiffed, blond hair, dark blue eyes, and sharply dressed with a crochet vest, light, khaki pants, and black dress shoes standing before them.
The mysterious man turned to the maître d’. “It’s quite alright, my good sir. They’re with us.”
The emotionless man suddenly developed a personality, for he smiled brightly at the other man. “Oh, I see! Would you like some extra chairs, sir?”
“If you don’t mind.”
“Of course, we’ll bring some extra chairs, utensils, and menus to your table momentarily.” And with that the waiter left them alone.
The blond turned to them, a welcoming smile on his face. “Don’t be shy, you two. Come sit with us.” And, by some sort of spell, they followed after him.
In the meantime, brother and sister shared a questioning glance. They were both obviously curious as to who these ‘us’ were. Clearing his throat, Danny ventured. “Um, excuse me sir, but do we know you?”
The mystery, well-dressed man just laughed cordially. “Oh, no. You certainly don’t. As a matter of fact, I don’t know you, either. But my daughter seems to know you, young man.”
Before Danny could so much as ask what he was even talking about, the man stopped beside a table, motioning with his hand to his companion. The halfa almost fell flat on his butt in astonishment.
Getting up from her chair was Sam. Although she had a different outfit than usual, her style was still mostly casual, as opposed to her companion’s preppy clothes.
She was wearing a simple black t-shirt with a drawing of a purple rose on it (why was it so familiar?); a neon green skirt with a spiderweb pattern; a spiked collar with a purple pendant was around her neck; and she wore fingerless, black fishnet gloves. Other than that she looked the same as always. She still had her trademark combat boots and thigh-length, purple stockings on, and her hair was still long and black on one side, while the other was shaved with purple undertones; a green ponytail in a purple scrunchie sticking up.
“Sam, is that you?” He breathed out.
The girl in question could barely believe her eyes. Right in front of her was Danny. She was almost stunned she could recognise him practically anywhere. But then she rationalised; of course she’d recognise him! He looked practically the same as always! With his messy, jet-black hair falling down his face; a pair of blue jeans, his favourite red sneakers...The only thing different about him was the hoodie he was wearing, really. It was mostly white, except for its red cuffs, zipper, draw strings, and the circle it had plastered on its front.
...well, the only thing that was different was his hoodie and the girl beside him, now that she took a better look.
She was around her height, but she seemed slightly older. She was a redhead sporting a cute pixie cut, with a lovely face and striking, aqua eyes. The girl was wearing a square, teal plaid dress over a white, long-sleeved shirt, and black tights with white boots. Her outfit was perfectly coordinated, except for a brown, leather shoulder bag that seemed oddly out of place.
Sam was sure she had never seen her before, but she was just so familiar…
Noticing she was up and Danny was still waiting for her answer, she hurriedly went over to him to shake his and his companion’s hands. “Yes! Yes, it’s me, Danny. And...I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but you are…?”
“Oh, I’m Jazz!” The mysterious girl perked up. “I’m Danny’s sister.”
“Oh, she’s just his sister,” Sam thought to herself, relieved. Wait, relieved? What did she have to be worried about? She thought best to shake those feelings off and stow them for later. “Nice to meet you. I’m Sam, a friend of Danny’s.”
Jazz’s eyes lit up in recognition. “Oh, so you’re Sam! Danny’s told me about you.”
“He has?” Both Mansons asked, but for completely different reasons. And only one of them knew exactly why they asked.
Just as they were introducing themselves, the restaurant’s staff came and set the two extra chairs and items down. His senses tinglingーonly it wasn’t his Ghost Sense, but a sense of danger he couldn’t quite put his finger onー, Danny focused his attention on the other man at the table, who seemed to be glaring daggers at him, for some reason. He swallowed the uncomfortable lump in his throat. “I’m sorry, sir. But I don’t think we’ve been introduced.”
The blond plastered a smile on his face as they finally sat down. To anyone else, it would’ve seemed friendly, but to Danny it looked oddly sinister. “Oh, my bad. I’m Jeremy, Jeremy Manson. I’m Sam’s father.”
While a primal fear clutched Danny’s heart in an iron grip, Jazz audibly gasped. “Wait, Jeremy Manson? As in, the Mansons?”
His sister’s astonished expression, as well as Sam’s mortified one, enabled him to ignore his sudden worries for a minute in favour of his curiosity. “You know them?” He asked his sister.
In turn, Jazz just scoffed, looking away from him in exasperation. Of course not only would Danny have no idea who he hung out with, he also had to embarrass them right in front of the two people in question. “Danny, I think you’re literally the only person in all of Amity Park who doesn’t know them. Ironically…” Seeing as he still didn’t get the hint, she gave up. “The Mansons are the descendants of Izzy Manson, the inventor of the machine that wraps cellophane around chopsticks, and therefore, they oversee the patent.”
“So, you’re saying…”
Ugh, somebody put her out of her misery, goddamnit! “She’s saying we’re rich, Danny. Very. Stinking. Rich.” Sam deadpanned. Well, there went that little piece of information she didn’t like her friends finding out about. Although, a part of her was about to burst out laughing at the way the boy’s eyes all but popped out of their sockets.
Danny, on his part, didn’t know what was more shocking. The fact that Sam came from a wealthy family, or the fact that she, a cynical, brooding, activism-oriented girl, was related to classy, perky, sunny Jeremy Manson. They literally had nothing in common! Not even facial features! Unless Sam was just a carbon copy of her mother, those were some weird genetics.
Danny’s prolonged silence made her grow anxious, so Sam quickly changed topics. “So...what are you doing here? You know this place serves vegetables, right?” She just hoped their usual teasing dynamics would save them from the awkwardness.
Luckily for her, it did. The halfa countered her teasing tone with an easy grin. “Yeah, I know. But Jazz was really looking forward to coming to this place and, since convincing our fudge-loving father to take her would have been impossible, she played the older sister card on me.”
Jazz just huffed in response. “Oh, shut up. Just be thankful this is a vegan, Mexican restaurant; you’re bound to find something you like.”
“Yeah, I can always just stuff my face on nachos with guacamole.” He quipped back.
The hazel-eyed student turned her focus to the older girl, her face lighting up. “Oh! You’re vegan?”
“Oh, no. I’m not. I’m just much more willing to eat healthy food than my brother, who I still don’t understand how he could’ve grown so much given his atrocious diet!” She finished pointedly.
“Hey!” Danny protested. “My diet’s not ‘atrocious’! So what if I’m not actively looking for vegan restaurants? I still eat everything I need.”
“I once saw you eat nothing but oreos and soda for two weeks when you were sixteen.” His sister pointed out, without missing a beat.
That made him wince, not appreciating the reminder. “Okay, so maybe that wasn’t my best moment. But, the soda gave me the liquids and sugar I needed and the oreos gave me carbohydrates and proteinーmaybe, if they’re baked with milk…”
“Oreos are actually vegan.” Sam pointed out.
Although her comment was meant to annul his point, it seemed to validate it, instead, for he sent a smug look at Jazz. “Ha! You heard that? Turns out I’m healthier than you, Daisy Green.”
“Oh, just shut up.” His sister grunted, exasperated.
The father-daughter duo just exchanged glances, not used to this sort of family interactions. After a beat, Jeremy spoke up. “How about we order, huh?”
Picking up his own menu, Danny’s face morphed itself in confusion. “Uh...I have literally no idea what to ask for. Sam, you’re the expert, what do you recommend?”
By his side, Jazz perked up. “That’s right! You’re vegan aren’t you?”
“Ultra-recyclo-vegetarian.” She corrected, although she wasn’t sure why; nobody ever really got the difference.
And, lo and behold, neither did Jazz. “Pardon?”
Sam was about to tell her to let it go, when Danny beat her to it. “Sam doesn’t just avoid eating anything with a face, she also eats everything on her plate.”
When he sent her a wink and a friendly smile, Sam almost puddled. She soon regained her senses, though. Alright, so it was touching that he retained that piece of information when most people tended to forget all about it, but that still wasn’t grounds to make a fool out of herself. Finally, she opted for pushing those feelings aside. “This is my first time here, too. But as the only experienced veggie-eater at the table, I’d suggest that if you’re not feeling up to experimenting with new things, then just stick to what you’d usually order from a regular Taco Bell.”
She lowered her menu for them to see as she pointed at certain meals. “For example, Danny, you could try ordering the Burrito Vegano. Judging by its ingredients, it's exactly the same as your usual burrito except for the lack of meat. So you shouldn’t miss much.
“If any of you feels more adventurous, then you could try the vegan Quesadillas, just keep in mind that rather than being exactly the same as the regular ones but with vegetables, instead of cheese they have humus.”
“What about snacks?” Jeremy asked, as enthralled in her explanation as their impromptu guests.
“Oh, I’m definitely ordering their famous nachos with guacamole and vegan nacho cheese. Everyone recommends it.”
“What’s vegan nacho cheese even made of?” Danny scrunched his face up in disgust. “Is it even edible?”
Sam scoffed. Typical carnivore response. “Not any less than the barely passable-for-human-consumption, acrylic orange paint that is the usual nacho cheese. And to answer your question, it’s made of carrots and peppers.”
“Wow.” Danny breathed, impressed once again by Sam’s ability to monologue without the need for breath. “You really have a strong opinion on nacho cheese.”
“Oh, you don’t even know half of the things she has a strong opinion on.” Jeremy muttered.
Before Sam could so much as protest at her dad’s familiar exasperation at her altruistic ways, a waiter, notepad and pen in hand, appeared behind her. “Have the ladies and gentlemen made their decision yet?”
Looking over the table and receiving nods in confirmation, the Manson patriarch took the lead. “I believe we have.”
“Excellent.” The waiter said. “What do you want to drink?”
“Well, I’d normally ask for a bottle of your best wine, but I’m driving tonight, so I’ll have a Mr. Pepper.”
“Of course, sir. And everyone else?”
“I’m driving too, so I’ll have a Lemon Nestea, please.” Jazz said.
It was Danny’s turn. “I’m not driving. I’ll have a beer.”
“We serve Coronita, is that alright with you, sir?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
Finally, he turned to Sam. “And you, Miss?”
“Another beer’s fine.”
The waiter wrote everything down. “Alright, so that’s a Mr. Pepper, a Lemon Nestea, and two beers; is that right?” At the sounds of agreement, he went on. “Alright. Have you decided on your food yet, or do you need more time?”
It was Sam’s turn to perk up. “We’ll have some nachos with guacamole and vegan cheese to share. I’ll have the Tofu Tacos; You make them yourself once they’re served, right?” The waiter nodded. “Then, yes. The tacos.” Then she pointed at her dad. “And my Dad’ll have the fajitas.”
As their waiter wrote everything down, she directed her attention at the siblings. “And you guys…?”
“Hm, I think I’ll have the vegan quesadillas.” Jazz said. “I gotta admit, when you said they have humus I’d already made up my mind! And you, Danny?”
Danny kept frantically scanning his menu. He didn’t know what half of those things were! All he knew was that it was Mexican food with extra vegetables. “Uh...I...I’ll have the Burrito Vegano?” He just hoped Sam was right and it’d be similar to the regular thing.
“An excellent choice.” The waiter commented before taking their menus away. “Your drinks and nachos will be out shortly.”
After the waiter left, they kept on chattering idly about everything and nothing. How Sam and Danny knew each other, why Jeremy had, completely out of the blue, decided to let them have dinner with them, what their parents’ did for a living… That’s when things got a little awkward. Although Mr. Manson was trying his hardest to remain neutralーSam’s constant glares served as a good incentiveーit was plain to see he didn’t think highly of their parents and their job.
Danny and Jazz would be lying if they said they weren’t already used to it, or even understood his concerns.
Just as their drinks were being served, Mr. Manson’s cell phone started ringing. He took a quick glance at the caller and immediately winced, which didn’t go unnoticed by his daughter. “Dad…? Is everything okay?”
“What? Oh! Oh, yes. Everything’s fine, kiddo. I just have to take this real quick.” He explained as he got up from his chair, about to make his way to a less crowded area of the restaurant. “I’ll be right back.”
“Is he okay?” Jazz asked, slightly concerned.
Sam could only shrug in response. “He says so.” Noticing the sudden rise in tension, she chose to change topics instead. “Um, I don’t really have any siblings to know better but, you two are close, right? I know my fair share of families who wouldn’t spend any non-essential time together otherwise.” Like mine, was what she didn’t say.
“You could say that.” Jazz replied, almost enigmatically.
Normally, Danny wouldn’t go into detail as to why he and Jazz were so closeーthree guesses why and the first two didn’t countーbut there was something about Sam that told him she would understand. Granted, he couldn’t tell her everything, let alone in the middle of a relatively crowded restaurant, but he could shed some light over her queries. He guessed he felt the need to be open and share things with her because the other day she opened up to him and Tucker.
“Well,” he started, “if I’m being honest, I’ve always been closer to my older sister than my parents…”
"How so?" Sam couldn't believe she had the nerve to ask him that when her own relationship with her parents was, most of the time, rocky, at best.
Did she really have to put him on the spot like that? “No, Danny,” he scolded himself, “you wanted to be honest with her yourself. Don’t blame it on her.” Rubbing the back of his neck, he tried to explain as best as he could while revealing as little as possible. “Uh... it's just...my parents are ghosthunters, as you know, so ghosts have always been present in my house, making things incredibly difficult for Jazz and me growing up.” Like eating savage, ecto-wieners for dinner, having every single personal problem compared to some ghost-hunting analogy, or being mortified and ostracised by his peers as a result. “And things...things only got even more complicated when I was a teenager.”
That was the part he couldn’t go in detail about. Mainly because what truly made things more complicated was the fact that all deep conversations, honesty, and family bonds were tattered the moment he became the very half-ghost whose dissection his parents often fantasized about. “As a result, I guess you could say Jazz and I ganged up together. The Fenton siblings against the world when our parents were too busy with their job.” When he felt Jazz’s warm hand on his cold one, he couldn't help but meet her concerned face with a small smile in thanks for everything she’d ever done for him.
A wave of sympathy washed over Sam at Danny and Jazz's predicament. It was easy to forget Amity Park didn't even know ghosts existed until seven years ago, when Phantom and his putrid kind appeared out of the blue, because witches never forgot their existence in the first place. She could understand being overlooked in favour of creatures of dubious existence must've caused them great pain growing up.
Noticing her heartbroken look, Danny immediately tried to lighten up the mood. “Don’t worry, though. We might not be as close to our parents as we were when we were little, but we still all love each other.”
“Yeah,” Jazz assured her, “no need to feel bad for us, Sam. It’s still nice to see a daughter being close to her dad like you two are.” Her words were meant to bring the hazel-eyed Goth comfort, but her brows knitted together in concern at the look on her face.
Albeit Sam was smiling, it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Lowering her head, almost hiding her face from view, she shook it, sadly.
After a minute or two of silence Danny was about to ask her if she was alright when she spoke. “Don’t let appearances fool you; my Dad and I aren’t exactly close, either.”
“But...but you two seem to get along so well…” Jazz started, but was cut off by Sam.
“We get along,” she confirmed, “but we’ve never been close. My parents are the complete opposite of me, and it showsーthey’ve never been able to understand me, my Grandma did.”
Danny almost regretted having to ask. “Is your Grandma…?”
The Goth just nodded. “She passed away when I was fourteen. She was the only person to ever understand me and accept me for who I am. You could say I’ve been on my own ever since, although in a psychological/spiritual sense.”
“Is that the reason why you’re Goth?” Jazz couldn’t hold herself back from asking, her psychologist instincts taking the reins of the situation. Shocked at her behaviour, Danny kicked her gently on her shin from under the table.
He ignored her glare in favour of distracting Sam from her question. “What about your mother, aren’t you two close?”
The harsh laugh she let out startled them both. “I might not be close to my Dad, but compared to my relationship with my mother, I’m practically a daddy’s girl.”
A shadow casted over her hazel eyes, other times so full of fire and mischief, and Danny didn’t like it one bit. Reaching over to grab her hand in his, making her gasp in surprise, he sent her a gentle smile. “Thank you for sharing that about yourself with us.”
She returned the smile. “Thank you for sharing that about your parents with me.”
They kept staring into each other’s eyes, not caring about anything around them, until the clatter of the nacho plate being set down on their table broke them out of their thoughts. While Danny chose to ignore her sister’s annoying smirk, Sam thanked the waiter. Then, she turned to the siblings. “Well? What are you waiting for? Dig in!”
They did as they were told, and their faces split in matching grins. Hmming in appreciation, the black-haired half-ghost dipped another tortilla chip into the vegan cheese. “This ain’t half bad!”
Sam just chuckled. “Told you.”
After a, surprisingly, rather pleasant dinner between the two different families, it was time to say goodbye. Since they were the ones driving them home, Jazz and Mr. Manson left first to look for their respective cars, leaving Danny and Sam some extra time to talk.
“Well, that was a pleasant surprise.” Danny commented, putting his hands inside his hoodie’s pocket.
“Yeah, it really was.” Sam smiled when, suddenly, a cold breeze whooshed by, making her shiver.
Noticing her hugging herself from the corner of his eyes, he immediately took action. “Here, let me help. It’s starting to get cold.” He said, even when his cryokinesis made him immune to cold years ago.
“Danny, I’m fineー” she began, but was interrupted by Danny slipping his hoodie on over her shoulders. As he lent her his jacket, their eyes locked. For a moment, time stopped. The Earth stopped moving. Nothing else mattered but each other’s eyes; Danny’s precious baby blue, and Sam’s vibrant hazel. Then, the sound of a not-so-distant honk broke the spell, causing them to quickly avert their eyes, a hint of pink dusting their cheeks.
Sam wasn’t cold anymore.
As Jazz opened the door for Danny, he waved her goodbye, which Sam returned. Now that she was alone with her thoughtsーand Danny’s hoodieーwaiting for her Dad to appear with his own car, she couldn’t stop herself from sniffing the garment. It smelled like wood and freshly rained soil, but there was something else. Something...familiar she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
Whatever it was, she liked it.
It smelled like Danny.
#Danny Phantom#DP#dp fanfic#your heart#my fic#danny fenton#sam manson#valerie gray#jazz fenton#jeremy manson#paulina sanchez#dp star#oc#ghost king! danny#ghost king au#witch queen! sam#witch queen au#enemies to friends to lovers
10 notes
·
View notes
Text
S3A-E6
Oh boy, here we go, Motel California is just full of absolute bullshit. *sigh* let’s get started then.
Read More’s are good for the environment (or so i’ve heard)
Before we start, I wanna let you guys know that I’m just not gonna comment on the Jennifer/Derek scenes. I just. I really honestly cannot do it. I don’t care. No. Also as this is well, this episode, please be advised that there will be extensive suicide mentions.
Thoughts:
I know this is random as hell, but that truck looks like mine. Oh, and look at the date, it’s only like nine years older than mine. nice.
why does it look like he’s nursing an arrow wound on his leg? Is it just me? That doesn’t look like a claw mark.
Can...can I just point out (god, i already need the tag) that....that they’re drawing a DIRECT parallel between this ARGENT HUNTER and Scott with the whole “lifting up the shirt to reveal the bite on their side’ thing? Like, it’s a perfect replica of when scott does it in the first episode. And they don’t do that with the others. Jackson’s bite was just Visible when he got out of the water and we never see Isaac, and Erica’s bites. Boyd’s was a whole sitting down thing on the Zamboni with his hoodie. They didn’t even do the same thing with Victoria ARGENT’s bite.
OH and he’s wearing the heirloom necklace from season 1.
Wait, hold up. So, he just got bitten that night, but he’s already gonna shift? What? The bite works that fast?
....he’s from MA? Why tf is he in california? Also, he’s 27 apparently, oof.
Finstock...honey...you ran out of keys when you have like 6 students behind you still.
why is Finstock paying for Allison and Lydia’s room as well? He’s just that nice, or did he honestly forget they aren’t on the track team?
Maybe it’s just the Sterek shipper in me talking, but someone wanna explain why the fuck Stiles would put Derek on the suspect list for HUMAN SACRIFICES? Let alone TWICE?
He literally just helped Derek get his pack back and has been working with them the whole time? Why???Would??He???Suspect???DEREK??? OR his sister???
I totally forgot that Scott promised Stiles he would watch Star Wars after they got back to Beacon Hills. SCOTT YOU ASSHOLE COME ON.
yeouch. You’re putting a huge damper on my Stydia brotp here Stiles. jeez.
*Movie trailer voice* He’s a hunter whose family has been torn apart by a human/werewolf war, who refuses to give up the fight against a species his clan has persecuted for centuries. He does weird detective work that makes no sense and looks like a Dark Souls ghost repeat of someone’s death. He insists on ‘staying out of things’ but then follows people around getting mad when things go wrong. Coming this summer, Chris Argent must actually learn.....to get off his ass and help.
WHY DO THEY ALL DO THE CLAW THING??? Yes, they are obviously claw marks. Why the fuck do you need to put your fingers on it?
Honestly, it makes me so sad because STiles is trying okay? Like, Boyd was pissed that Stiles acted like his friend when they never hung out, and STiles is trying to do the chill smalltalk thing, trying to point out things they have in common. He’s trying to MAKE FRIENDS and Boyd is just....uh...possessed? And still getting candy?? Huh?
Honestly, I’d do the same thing Stiles. Get that candy.
Allison, why’d you get in the shower if Lydia wasn’t back with the towels yet? How’re you planning on getting to them? You expect Lydia to come into the bathroom while you’re showering to put one there? #allydia confirmed.
WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS? I ALWAYS FORGET THIS HAPPENED. WHAT THE FUCK?
Okay, okay, look at that adaptation we got going on here.
Remember, okay, the last time Allison was harassed sexually (which, holy shit I can’t believe this has happened twice) it was by Jackson, who was possessed by Matt. So when Scott gets super fucking creepy, instead of freaking out, her FIRST instinct is to check if he’s still himself, if he’s okay. She jumps to ‘possessed’ and tries to take care of him WHILE SHE”S NAKED IN THE SHOWER AND BEING CREEPED ON.
Which, while absolutely horrendously terrifying, is also an interesting character growth. We get to see how Allison responds to the same situation, but a season later.
Really not a fan of the weird-ass focus they put on this woman’s stoma ( think that’s the word) like...are you seriously trying to make that a part of the ‘horror’ aspect of this episode? For real? what is wrong with you?
So I did the research, and actually, hotels aren’t required to tell anyone about deaths in their rooms. But they also renovate the entire room basically to clean that kind of thing up. Replacing walls and anything that can absorb liquid and even electronics. Oh, the things I google for this research. *sigh*
So, she says “since opening.” So...why does it even matter that an Argent was here? ALSO...why does the wolfsbane whistle matter? Clearly the whistle wasn’t the cause of the last howevermany (apparently 40) years of deaths, so why would it be the cause of these ones??
They gave like fifty different answers to the question of why the wolves (and only the wolves) tried to kill themselves and none of them make sense?
Hey, so...what the fuck even is this possession thing going on? What is it actually doing to these wolves? Why are they getting affected at different times? or did they all get affected at the same time, and the scene with Ethan and Danny is supposed to have been happening at the same time as the bit with Scott and Stiles?
Is it supposed to like, make them more impulsive, or just drive them to do what they want to do? Boyd wants some candy, and he will get some candy. Isaac wants to watch tv so he just sits there and clicks through static endlessly. Scott wants to......fuck Allison?
Honestly? Good dad moment here. Chris. Good Dad Moment. I just, feel so bad for Allison. That when it comes down to it, she will always end up lying to her family to save Scott’s ass. Either when they’re dating and her dad wants to kill him for it, or when Scott shows up in her bathroom and grabs her and she can’t possibly tell her dad about it without Scott getting shot.
WHY do they treat that moment like it’s a big shocker that Allison was there? She TOLD her dad she would be going to help them. This shouldn’t be a surprise to him???
....wait how was allison on the phone with her dad, fully dressed and outside, but now she’s in her bra and drying her hair in the bathroom? TIMELINES. TW doesn’t HAVE them.
OKay, so Lydia says it’s only been 40 years, which would mean that the motel was only 6 years old when Alexander Argent died in it. Plus...Lydia literally says that approx. 4 deaths a year is a reasonable number? So...either this place has a lot of suicides, or it doesn’t. WHich one?
Also, just because you have the warning at the beginning of the episode doesn’t mean you need to go into such callous detail about the different kinds of suicides that took place. God, that’s so tasteless.
As horrific as this moment is, I feel like I should point out that the behavior/conversation that Lydia hears...it’s nothing like what happened with the wolves. They’re talking about it, clearly nervous. But the wolves are stoic and silent. What?
WHAT IS THIS PLOTLINE? IS THE MOTEL causing these suicides somehow, or are the werewolves poisoned by wolfsbane?? THESE ARE TWO DIFFERENT PLOTS. WHICH ONE IS IT?
god, I just..I can’t not point out the contrast here! Lydia is saying she heard two people die in a room across the hall, and after leading Allison there they find an empty room going through renovation. All she has to say is “they were here” and Allison believes her. No hesitation.
Stiles’ childhood best friend literally shows up dead and Scott refused to believe a word he said about human sacrifice until Deaton confirmed it.
Yet Lydia and Allison have known each other less than a year, and Scott and Stiles are supposed to have been friends for ages.
I just...I hate fisheye lenses. they don’t give me any horror vibes at all, they just look stupid. Personal preference.
Boyd, honey, those things are supposed to have bags in them so they can be reused.
WHAT THE FUCK WAS THIS SCENE? WHAT THE FUCK? WHY WOULD THEY EVER BRING THIS UP JUST TO KILL BOYD OFF LATER? WHY?
Lydia is actually very correct, remember what I said about the renovating?
God, this episode has so much...just horrible shit. I’m gonna fucking ignore it for my own sanity and just focus on how wolfy it is that Isaac wouldn’t want to sleep under the covers at a hotel because it would probably smell. Plus, bare feets. Also, why’d he go to bed so early? Did Boyd go get the ice for him, since he’s sweating so much?
I love that they are roommates.
Okay, I don’t understand. Three more suicides are about to happen. Boyd, Ethan, and I guesss...Scott? So what the fuck was up with Isaac? I just...they’re supposed to like. give into their their worst thoughts or something? Boyd’s guilt about his sister. Ethan’s....something. Scott’s...uh...self-hatred? Or, I think it’s more his lack of self-confidence? He doesn’t hate himself, he just doesn’t think he can keep going. And Isaac’s ingrained guilt of doing the wrong thing? His fear of being useless...I guess?
So is it supposed to make them suicidal and Isaac’s a weird case, or does it only do that sometimes, and the rest of the time it just leaves you paralyzed with fear?
This makes literally no sense.
Where has Stiles been this entire time?
Uh...that’s not how Alphas work? Just because Derek died, it wouldn’t make Scott an Alpha. Scott didn’t kill him. Even if Derek Was dead, it would’ve been from impact or from the wounds Ennis gave him. In no universe would Scott become an alpha. If it was the impact, Cora would become Alpha, as the next blood relation. If it was Ennis, the Hale Alpha spark would be gone/soaked up by Ennis.
Okay...so, Stiles was in the bathroom brushing his teeth, and he didn’t hear Scott talking to the phone?
*snort* Stiles has a Nokia phone. How much do you wanna bet his dad bought that for him after the Pool Scene because he was trying to make sure Stiles didn’t break another phone?
Did...did Stiles just leave the room with the toothbrush in his mouth?
Okay, I get that this is a teen drama...but why does it have to be so obsessed with 16 and 17 year olds having sex? Seriously? It’s not the common occurrence people think it is? Now, if these were college age people...or, hell, even then it wouldn’t be this fucking common. Seriously. I don’t want eye-candy from someone who’s supposed to be 17 at MOST. Teenagers watching this might like the eye candy, but when I watched this at 17 I STILL was sick of the sexy scenes. Knock it off.
Also. Ethan IS STILL A FUCKING MURDERER.
.....uh....Ethan...do you not understand human anatomy? Giving Danny the bite wouldn’t remove the metal bars in his chest. It might heal the cartilage or whatever, but it wouldn’t REmove the BARS. Oh see that’s just creepy.
Wait. OKay, are you telling me that Ethan’s thing that he wants, with this possession thing, is to bite Danny?
AND HOW DOES DANNY NOT RESPOND TO THAT? HE’s supposed to know about werewolves, which means he HAS to be getting what Ethan’s going for. WTF?
...what the FUCk kind of voldemort “love and monsters” kinda bullshit was that? What does that have to do with Ethan’s deepest fear/insecurity?
I am...so confused. FIrst off, I love having Allison, Lydia, and Stiles all chillin’ trying to figure things out. THat’s amazing.
But how do they know something’s up with Isaac?
Also, it contradicts what I was theorizing before when Allison says the last time she saw Scott like that it was a full moon. Now I’m even more creeped out? WHy would they have her fully believe that it’s Scott, and just...let him be a fucking creep? Why would they openly admit that he’s been that terrifying with her before and then just...be chill about it?
Also, when did she actually see Scott act like that? When he did it on his second moon Allison never saw him bc Derek tackled him into the woods. When did Scott go all creeper on her? Is this a REgular OCCUrREncE?
I know it was wasn’t intentional, but it’s such an adhd mood for Stiles to see the paper sticking out of the bible and just snatch at it. most people would call that ‘attention to detail’ but like...I just see it as ‘wtf is this, gotta know gotta know” mooood.
Why does Stiles go running to the next room like it’s an emergency, and what is the relevance of these articles in the bibles? LIke, yeah, you knew there were a ton of suicides. How does this help??
God, it’s like they were trying to make it a mini-horror film, but they just suck at understanding what the right order is to put things. FInding those articles should’ve been something that happened at the beginningin order to create a sense of unease, not in the middle of figuring things out!
how exactly did Stiles get the damn door open if it was locked?
For that matter, how did Ethan know the handsaw was there? Was he on his way to talk to Lydia and Allison, or was he heading for Scott and Stiles’ room to get help? WHat’s going on???
Thank you Allison for not just Standing There. And Lydia for having a BRAIN. <3
HOW DID STILES HOLD BACK ETHAN? Ethan IS AN ALPHA? HOW?
OKay. I know I said I wouldn’t comment on these scenes with Jennifer, but this is just a general observation. DEREK. YOU HAVE A CELL PHONE. YOU ARE PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF CALLING PEOPLE FROM THE BED.
What...what does that mean Ethan? “You probably shouldn’t have.” WHat?
I know it’s supposed to be for the Allison/Scott angle, but I just love Lydia and Stiles heading to save the pack. *sigh*
I gotta say, I actually really respect Stiles for straight up telling Lydia about the parallels he’s seeing. Rather than hide it from her, he’s trying to get to the root of the problem, point blank and he’s being honest with her about his worries that she might be involved without even knowing it. And she listens and doesn’t get immediately defensive. This communication is SO GOOD. Stydia BROTP.
I’m fucking on the verge of tears. Sinqua, your acting is just...like, you barely speak in this scene and yet your face is just??So pained?
Bare feets. I know I point it out a lot, but like, compared to kali, who keeps her claws out all the time even in like a fucking hospital. It’s so cute to see Boyd and Isaac wandering barefoot in their hotel room. Just, the level of calm it implies, despite the situation. They feel so safe with each other.
ALSO did Boyd go through all of that while Isaac was under the bed?
WAIT WHAT? WHy is Lydia suddenly all pissed off? WHAT? That makes no sense! But then when she says his name, she doesn’t sound upset at all?? WHAT?
ALSO, I thought this was supposed to be about suicides? Why did they add this totally random (and horrific) thing? It has nothing to do with BoYD! JUST BECAUSE YOU PUT A TRIGGER WARNING DOESN”T MEAN YOU NEED TO MUSH AS MUCH FUCKED UP SHIT AS POSSIBLE INTO ONE EPISODE. GOD.
It’s like those people who assume just because they’re allowed to do R rated shit, they have to have random sex scenes in their tv show.
where did Scott get gasoline? Like...where?
God fucking damn it, how fucking demonizing can you get, fucking juxtapositioning Scott’s suicidal monologue about Derek suffering and being dead, then jumping to Derek fucking someone instead of telling anyone he’s alive? What the fuck is wrong with these people?
Why is it literally ANY TIME Stiles or Derek are in some way happy (NOT that I’m considering Derek at that moment in time Happy or in any way okay) they always make it out to be the most horrible thing ever?
It’s like I said before, Stiles smiling on the field because he actually gets to play lacrosse? Jackson’s about to die. Stiles happy because he’s going to play a game in class? His best friend is missing. Derek....I’m not even going to give what’s going on a name. But then they just layer that over Scott...what even is he doing? Everyone else actually tried to kill themselves. Why is he just...standing there?
Are they seriously trying to make the claim that his strength of will is so strong he’s the only one could can hold out against the...whatever the fuck is causing this? Jesus fucking christ do you have to turn him into Jesus every time? SERIOUSLY?
YOU DIDN”T THOUGH. SCOTT YOU LITERALLY REFUSED TO FIGHT BACK. YOU PLANNED A RENDEVOUS WITH DEUCALION BEHIND EVERYONE’S BACK BECAUSE YOU INSISTED FIGHTING BACK WAS WRONG. YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD IF DEREK AND THE OTHERS HADN”T COME TO FIND YOU.
...I get that this is supposed to be an emotional moment, but why the fuck does Scott’s monologue about how much he sucks have to drag Stiles down with him? Stiles was literally always good at lacrosse. He never got ‘better’ before being put on the field. You saying that the both of you were ‘nothing’ is a terrible, horrible thing to say because you’re implying that because Stiles didn’t get the bite like you did, the only thing that makes him more than nothing is being your friend.
How does Scott manage to be a total asshole even when he’s in the middle of explaining why he wants to die?
AGAIN WITH THE RANDOM PLOTLINES. DAVIS WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU? IS THE HOTEL HAUNTED, OR IS THE WHISTLE FULL OF WOLFSBANE OR IS THE DARACH ACTIVELY MAKING THEM KILL THEMSELVES? WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?
ANd why would the Darach be making them kill themselves?? THey don’t match any of her sacrifice requirements! This makes no sense with the plotline you follow for the rest of the season!
WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SCENE? Scott was NOWHERE NEAR Ethan? WHY THE FUCK DID HE GIVE SCOTT THE CREDIT FOR SAVING HIS LIFE? And why would he thank him for it, when he told Stiles he shouldn’t have been saved? WHAT IS GOING ON?
Also, why does Ethan have like, a bruise thing on his cheek? Is that...is that a skin thing, or like, a show thing?
This doesn’t solve the problem of Allison’s car being stuck with an empty tank at the side of the road halfway to Beacon Hills.
dude. you realize that was literally 34 years ago? Deucalion would have to be like 50. and even then he would’ve been a fucking 16 year old Alpha. So that makes Deucalion more likely in his 60s.
Also, why the fuck do you care Chris? This is such a random fucking thing. It makes no sense. What the fuck does it matter now?
Last Thoughts: What the fuck even is this episode? It’s like this steaming dumpster fire of half-assed ideas and loose ends to plots we’ll never see and really shitty horror movie vibes. We’re talking D List or maybe E list horror movies. I’m honestly disgusted? I can’t remember the last time I had to watch something so tasteless and cruel and insensitive in every single way?
.....on to the next episode, I guess. God, I need to change all of this in the rewrite, and I don’t know if I can actually make it good?
24 notes
·
View notes
Note
Hello yes, I LOVE your fic it's my favorite fic in that ship and my favorite fic in the moment, the lore, how you write the characters, your writing style in general is ✨*chef's kiss*✨
I wanted to ask, will Dan be making an appearance in this story? If so I'd love to know your takes on the character (fav headcanons and so)
(Sorry if there are typos, english isn't my first language)
Wow thank youuuu! Man I needed that more than you know! ♡♡♡
Dan may or may not appear in some way or another~ He's basically my favorite and it will be a cold day in hell if he's not at least mentioned in my DP writing. He plays a special role in Eq's plot, though, don't you worry about that.
Good God I could go on for years about him but as for fav headcanons and thoughts? None, head empty:)
Nah jk, nothing too original really, but I DO enjoy the hc that Dan isn't actually the two of Danny and Vlad's halves.
Like Vlad is just full of shit and straight up lied- he still has Plasmius and Dan Phantom is just... real fucked up Danny, or simply Danny's full ghost all by itself.
Or like, Vlad seriously fucked up the "procedure" he perfomed, and *that's* what killed Danny.
Danny's ghost is rightfully furious, vows to make Vlad pay and that's why Vlad hides in isolation. AW SHIT what if Dan told all the people who survived him what Vlad did, so they all blame him to and he has no one to turn to and is secluded to that dingy ass cave!
Sorry I'm getting ahead of myself this ain't even the hc I go with for Eq😭😭😭
Tbh I favor the OG origin story with him being the combination of Vlad and Danny's halves, their obsessions simultaneously intertwining and opposing each other and making for the absolute worst possible clusterfuck of an entity that the realms have ever known.
~ty for the ask ilysm uwu~
2 notes
·
View notes
Note
hihi i hope you’re having a wonderful day filled with sunshine n rainbows !! 🌷✨ could you pls write dbd ghostface/danny johnson with daughter ! reader ? perhaps where he’s the killer in the reader’s trial ? ooo or maybe where she finds out what he does n she gets scared ? 🥺💛
Heck yeah
.Danny found you in an alleyway, no stereotypical basket and blanket. Just a crying baby on the cold hard ground, cold and sick. You must have been abandoned there was no way a decent human being could allow you to rot in a cold alleyway. Screw work today, he felt a pull. Some sort of connection to you, he didn't know why. He wasn't one for children or kids in general.
.When he picked you up your crying didn't stop but it did quite down. How long have you been here? You felt cold, too cold. He took off his jacket and wrapped you in it. You must be hungry and afraid. He started to run to his house, he would have to call his boss later.
.When he opens the door to the house you were still whining, he walked to the kitchen and stared at the fridge trying to find something for you to eat. He sighed and opened his flip phone and called his boss, his boss had a son so he probably had an idea of what to do.
.He was getting ready to go to the store, a big list of supplies needed to give a three month old baby a decent life and you still being carried by him. He realized just how much he was unprepared, no clothes, you were covered in dirt and horrible smells and still starving. He sighed as he poured you a small bath in the sink. He scrubbed all of the mess off of you, he made a make shift swaddle for you made of one of his old shirts.
.As he walked through the Walmart he noticed all the strange looks people were giving you. He was doing his best, he didn't really know where these maternal instincts came from but they felt like something in his life was going to change for the better. He would eventually sort out all of the papers and certificates later but for now he was focused of making you a bit more comfortable. He wouldn't say it but looking for cute clothes for you was fun. He didn't care what other parents said or looked at you, he was going to make your life amazing no matter what.
.Six years have passed from then. He had gotten a different job, working as a journalist. You were his sunshine, his everything. The first victim of his was your real parents. He wanted to show them their mistakes and wrongs, he mad sure their deaths were painful and slow. After that he found it made great headlines for stories. Killing had become a side job.
.You were his main attention at all times, he would make sure you never found out about his job. The things he did were never going to be found out by anyone, especially you. You moved to different states constantly, never being able to have friends. You didn't have any other family, no grandparents, or uncles or aunt's, just you and daddy.
.your new house was smaller than the last one, you had a small room you were driving you and dad while watching a movie. He sat with you for a bit before going to his office. His office was where he wrote newspapers and did his job. You weren't allowed in the room, you didn't know why but you didn't want to fight with your dad.
.Danny sat in his office gearing up to start the next job, he grabbed his camera, knives, and suit throwing them in a duffle bag. He walked to you "y/n sweetie, daddy has to go to work. There's MacDonald's on the table and remember. Bed is at 7:00. I'll be back in a few hours." He grabbed his keys and left after you nodded.
.As he was stalking a couple holding hands he took mental notes. It had been a few hours of walking around their house until now. He was stalking them back to their house. Then he would kill them, just a simple quick few stabs then run.
.After he killed them he took a photo. Before he was going to leave he felt a cold chill as black mist flowed from the doors of the house. When he looked up he heard running and saw blood covering the forset floors.
.It was a week. A week without your dad, he said he'd be back later. When was later? You started to pack a bag full of snacks. You knew he was either lost or missing. You could find him, you looked at the map and tried to follow the streets, it felt like a maze of building and houses. You looked back and forth between the map and the forest. Maybe he went in to write about some animals?
.As you walked deeper and deeper into the woods you ft colder and colder. A dark fog made it hard to see where you were. "Now why is their a child in my domain?" The voice was dark and creepy. You couldn't see anything Infront of you. "I'm...I'm looking for my dad." You were scared "Ahhh. And who is your father?" You scratched your head "His name is Danny and he has black hair with blue eyes." The person chuckled "My child are you sure you want to see him? Where he is a dark place, no one is allowed to leave." You clutched your bag and nodded. "Very well."
.You woke up in a forest your head hurt a little before standing up. "Daddy!?" You called out as loud as you could. You started walking around the forest. You bumped into someone, you looked up "Daddy?" The old man standing there was surprised when he saw a child. "Can you help me find my daddy?" Bill didn't know what to do, this was no place for a child "What does he look like him?" You pulled out the drawing "He's my dad. He has short black hair, blue eyes, uhhhhh he likes to write stories." Bills sat down, maybe Dwight? "Does he have glasses?" You shook your head.
.Bill walked with you while holding your hand, he doesn't know what to do. He can't leave you alone with that maniac running around.
.That maniac he was talking about was walking towards him, he told you to hide behind the tree. The man had a black robe and a dropping ghost face. You watched Bill, The man also had a sharp bloody knife trying to stab your new friend.
.Bill tried to fight him off. Successfully ripping of his mask, Bill stoped. It was exactly how you described your father. He was shocked.
.It was daddy! Be was here. You got up to see him walking out of your hiding spot. Just before you ran to him Bill was stabbed in the chest. You watched as Bill's blood hushed out of his chest, daddy sat up and wiped the blood off of the knife.
"Y/n?" Your eyes were giant as you breath had quickened. "Y/n what are you doing here?" You were scared no horrified. You watched your father kill Bill. Tears filled your eyes and slipped down. "Y/n it's.... Init what it looks...looks like." You started to run away still crying.
.Danny watched you run away from him. He fucked up to whole new level. How would he convince you he was still alright. He had to stop you before you hurt yourself. He ran after you, he can still hear the crying coming from you. He started to cry, you were scared of him. And it was his own fault.
.You tripped over a big rock tabling down. Danny caught up to you, he picked you up. Your face was dirty and scratched your nose bleeding. He hugged you tight not letting you go. "Y/n please. Daddy had to do it, don't be scared daddy won't hurt you." He was still crying. "Why....Why did you have to..." You cried stuttering. "Because if I don't, I don't get him I would be punished. And I won't get to see you again. Don't worry he'll come back. It's like tag." You wiped away tears. "Tag?" He nodded fast. "Yeah I have to get the other people so I don't get in trouble."
.It took a while for you to stop crying. "Why are you here." He shrugged "I don't know." He picked you up rocking you. You held onto him. "Is he...okay?" He had shakey breaths and nodded. "Can we go home?" He was unsure as of what to say "I...I don't know sweetheart. But it's okay, don't worry." You nodded holding onto him tight.
.You both walked through the woods calming down "promise me you won't hurt anyone." He nodded "promise." He would have to do it when you weren't around the trials. Wipe the blood off his suit and possibly have someone taking care of you while he was busy... Oh well everything would be okay as long as you were safe. He knew life wouldn't be the same here but he was fine with it. You would be fine without certain things like tv or movies.
.He let you sleep on him, not being able to run or chase after survivors with you in his arms was impossible. He'd have to let most of them go this time. He watched you breathe, you were so peaceful. He can't let anyone or anything hurt you. That was finnal. step up his game and work harder for you. he smiled while looking up at the moon, he looked at the drawing close to him.
.You were everything to him, his little ray of sunshine. He's going to do everything he can to make you happy. Even if he has to somethings he will regret. It's all for you, the one good thing he's ever done right by.
So how was this? I really hope you like it. Sorry if it took a while, my first request and I want to do more so hit me with em
19 notes
·
View notes
Note
Then speak friend!!
trust me its impossible to shut me up about anything ever and none of the things I'm about to say will connect
I have unfortunately watched multiple episodes of the spinoff show emperor's new school which shows kuzco going to high school and it felt like like a slow slow decent into madness I recommend it entirely because I want someone else to have this mark on their soul
far more fortunately I am now watching the owl house finally and I am on but the second episode and I think I am losing my shit? eda sounds exactly as I assume she would. a cat man just disintegrated in front of my very eyes
since multiverses are just a thing its so very possible that instead of landing in hell for 30 years ford could up on mewni or smthng from star vs the forces of evil and get his hands on dimensional scissors and fall out of a hole in the fabric of everything onto his basement floor next to Stan like "hey" "what the absolute fuck"
words like supernatural and extraordinary are the worst kinds bc they describe things that are the exact opposite of their structures (super natural implies extra normal stuff but describes things that don't occur in nature and ya know) and I hate them so so much
I am still obsessed with how shifty is just like deadass stanfords fucking son what in the name
one or all of the pines's should have some kind of speech impediment specifically cuz I struggle with talking and project often ❤
invasion of the body snatchers is a neat movie I watched it like in October or something
I am now on the third episode of toh and this kid freaking out over stepping on a flower is like same. this other kid having an abomination in a pot is also like same.
I often think about ghost aus and should finish writing (or just rewrite cuz it sucks now qkxnwksnws) the one that I have
au where stan never breaks the project but they drift a part anyway and its just really very bitter and sad and stuff
similarly au where things just like work out that night and the point of it all is stanford ends up in gravity falls still and often calls up stan at unreasonable hours to infodump about the weird shit. this concept is important to me for no real reason I just like the thought of ford getting to be happy about things
luz rising out of a pot saying "I'm an abomination" is like same
mlp characters seem to be animated with forward facing eyes? which is concerning. you could say they've evolved past the need for field of view over depth perception due to being like sophisticated and stuff but their world is also full of way dangerous monsters that maybe they as prey animals might want of field of view for. especially pegasai. no bird or horse has front facing eyes.
I am incompetent. that thought was going somewhere about like idk repeatability to some characters due to basing self worth on accomplishment and humor alone but it just stopped there.
I peel skin off my hands and lips all the time and idk why really it hurts a lot but also I cannot stop
bag tho by danny gonzalez with pacifica. consider it.
alligator skin boots and/or blue eyes like the devils water by mcafferty with stan. consider it.
in atots stan is shown to sit upside down and no straight person has ever sat like that I would know bc I sit like that and I am not straight
I do not know who rick sanchez is and I am not able to find out because I find it hard to consume new media
I am incapable of deciding whether I want to be hugged or if anyone touches me ill die and its an issue
I have so many overdue lessons but when I try to do them my brain shuts off completely and I just end up clicking through the tests and I am a straight f student and its stressful as hell
its 4 am I shouldn't be awake
one time before we got together my ex directly told me, word for word, "I want to kiss you on the lips" and somehow I took that as platonic until she told me she had a crush on me and I think about that a lot
the owl house is just good. doesn't matter that all the twists have been spoiled for me I don't care its good
that's like all the nonsense I can pull out of my brain I am sorry and good bye
I swear and apologize too much
#idiot ramblings#i just spent like an hour and a half saying so many words to say absolutely nothing
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Ectober Day 14: Dinner - Hunger Is My Boi
It’s been a bit too long since Danny has had some ectoplasm to eat. And now his folks want him to spend all day in the lab sorting and sampling ectoplasm samples.
Note: I've had an idea for a ghost hunger fic for a while now and this was the perfect excuse to make everyone deal with my bullshit. I also wrote this while getting progressively more wine drunk because that's just what happens every thanksgiving in my house.
Danny erratically untangles himself from his twisted up bed sheets as his mom knocks on the door, Danny shouting, “I’m up! I’m up!”. He nearly trips over a couple of socks on the floor as his mom chuckles, “it’s six am, I wouldn’t expect you to be”, clearing her throat, “but your father and I seemed to have siphoned off far too much ectoplasm, and of different kinds too! To be able to handle it all ourselves”.
Danny stills, shorts only halfway up, grumbling, “oh just great, why couldn’t this have happened tomorrow instead?”. Rubbing at his core as just the mention of ectoplasm makes it vibrate with hunger. Patting at it, “I know, I know. Just gotta wait till tonight”.
Danny yanks his shirt over his head and ruffles his hair before sticking his head out the door, “just how much are we talking here? It’s not, like, that entire trap box worth again, is it?”.
Maddie shakes her head with a smile, “we’ve already handled all the messy bits. Just need help keeping track of all the breakers and take samples”.
“So I don’t need a broom or need to wash my hands for an hour just to get the splatter off?”.
Maddie laughs and shakes her head, “no sweetie. I’ll be in the lab”, before turning heading downstairs.
Danny mutters, “damnit, so that’s a ‘no’ on sneakily cleaning my hands with my tongue”. Danny closes his door and leans against it for a beat before reopening his door and heading down to the lab.
Scratching at his chest, “my core’s just gonna spasm out of my chest if there’s just open beakers everywhere, especially since I could eat, like, a whole ghost horse worth, right about now”. Taking the steps cautiously and groaning as he gets hit with, what is basically a wall of, the acidic lemony scent of ectoplasm. Danny can’t help but twitch his nose, picking up on some of the more unique scents from the different kinds, “lime, grape, chipotle, bitter dark chocolate...jeez just where the hell were they siphoning from?”. Wiping away the slight drooling from his lips, picking up on his cores favourite, “fuck, even cherry cough syrup covered white chocolate and caramel. How dare life tempt me so”. Danny snorts, “well technically it’s death that’s being tempting, but still”.
Hopping down onto the lab floor with fake cheeriness, “what’s cooking? I can practically see the sour green salty aroma in the air”. Danny grumbles to himself as his dad laughs loudly, “still weird all regular humans can smell is sour saltiness”, smirking, “especially when only the lime and sugar scented ones are sour”.
Flopping down on one of the spinning stools, tracing his eyes over at least a hundred different beakers. Whistling, “trad green, bruise green, purple, red, pale blue, and fuchsia? Ya weren’t kidding. The heck was your source?”.
Jack beams, “some island with purple mist coming off it in pillars. There was hundreds of different plants, some even leaked this black ectoplasm!”, Jack animatedly holds up a large beaker of bubbling black ectoplasm, “never even seen this before!”.
Danny scratches his nose to hide his twitching nose, this kind was unfamiliar to him too. Danny mutters into his hand as Jack noisily pushes a bunch of beakers in front of him, “so the Defted lands then? And ripened from the sounds of it”. Which really did explain the strange ectoplasm, no ghosts went the when it was ripened, so there was probably many strange kinds there during the full bloom season.
Danny shifts, core vibrating with longing and curiosity, as he stirs a consistency stick in some red ectoplasm, letting go of the stick to see how long it keeps spinning for. While his dad takes every sample under the sun from the black kind.
Maddie taps his shoulder, looking up at her, “hmmm?”.
She points down at his bare feet, “I know your contamination makes that safe for you, but really? You have fresh socks don’t you?”.
Danny rubs his neck, “I’ve got one clean sock. Don’t know ‘bout socks plural. Besides, like you said, it’s freaking six am”, smirking, “who wears socks at that time”. In truth, Danny had gone with so much skin exposure in the hope of some actually getting spilled on his skin so he could just absorb it or subtly swipe it into his mouth.
Maddie shakes her head before putting down a plate of untoasted bread and a sealed mini-pack of jelly. Danny swirls a beaker lazily, ectoplasm sloshing around, as he spreads the jelly on his bread; genuinely hoping some spills out of the beaker into the jelly. Chuckling, “how did you know I just needed to get hit with some sweet succulent gooey goodness”.
Maddie smirks as she takes a few of the vials Danny’s filled up over to the centrifuge. Danny can’t help frowning slightly, that thing basically made ectoplasm inedible. Well, could still drink it but it’d taste and feel like licking a rusted and corroded spoon. So not exactly pleasant or tasty.
Danny twitches as his dad knocks over one of the beakers, one that Danny had intentionally placed a little too close, onto Danny’s wrist. Splashing purple ectoplasm on his hand, they probably think he’s frowning at the mess but really, he’s frowning because the beaker didn’t break.
Tilting the beaker back upright, “well that didn’t take very long”.
“Here sweetie”.
“Huh?”, Danny looks to the side only for his mom to wipe his hand off. Forcing himself not to sound painfully sarcastic, “that’s just perfect, thanks”. Patting at his hand, “stuff really can look like jello huh? Makes me wonder how many people sneakily eat the jello, when they’re supposed to be ‘working’ during jello wrestling”.
Jack claps him on a back, “thinking of that time you tripped into a blow-up swimming pool we had to inflate to catch all that overflowing ectoplasm, and got a mouth full of the stuff?”. Danny smirks, reminiscing fondly, they had purified the hell out of that stuff. So how could he possibly resist ‘tripping’ to steal a taste.
Maddie shakes her head, “don’t smile! You scared the crap out of us that day!”. Making Danny laugh as he rubs his core some.
The three work well past noon, and Danny’s officially both hungry and hungry. Being perpetually surrounded and bombarded by ectoplasmic aromas was not helping in the slightest. Twirling a few vials around in his fingers and laughing, “imagine if someone just filled one of these with green apple Gatorade and straight-up drank it? That’d be pretty weird, huh?”, as he pushes his wheeled stool over to the microscopes. He could easily see well enough to not need them, but any regular human would need them.
Jack laughs loudly, “that could certainly make for interesting Halloween drinks!”.
Danny smirks, making mental plans before licking his chops as he pulls out little bits of the smaller particles. Core vibrating and making his skin twitch. Sighing as he leans back, glancing at the clock, “the core of me has become the embodiment of hunger”.
Maddie smiles softly, “yes it is about that time isn’t it”, before standing and wiping her hands off on her legs, “any requests?”. Danny’s honestly hoping she forgets to wash her hands/gloves before making dinner. He knows she won’t but a guy can hope can’t he? Grinning goofily, “I have a hankering for green gummy bears and lime Creme pie wouldn’t be too much to ask for would it?”. Earning a chuckle and head shake from Maddie, while she walks up the stairs to make food for everyone.
Jack pushes a few larger beakers in front of Danny, “usually I’m the one harping for food! But you’re a grown man now so it’s expected”.
Danny rubs at his neck as he pours the pale green ectoplasm into smaller vials, intentionally using the vial rack that has cracks and chips in it, in the hopes that it’ll break and spill ectoplasm everywhere. “You better watch out, soon I’ll be taller than you”. Jack just laughs with a wide smile.
Danny’s pressing samples in between microscope slides, little bits squishing over the edges to drip onto his fingers. It looks like it’s glowing brighter than normal but Danny just knows that his core is influencing his brain to be more focused on the ectoplasm; to notice the potential snack easier. Licking off his thumb as Maddie comes down, holding plates of fish and a bottle of vinegar. Maddie kisses Jack, “out of tartar sauce, sorry Jack dear”. Jack waves her off with a laugh and basically dumps vinegar on the fish.
Danny sighs happily as he takes his plate, “perfect because isn’t there like some endless gaping hole that rivers of ectoplasm just flow into? Yeah pretty sure that’s a physical manifestation of my insides right now. Seeing as I’m just positively glowing with hunger right now”.
Jack tilts his head and barks out a laugh, swallowing before speaking, “yes Danny-boy, I'm pretty sure there is!”. While Danny just smiles, knowing full well that the Falls Of Reverlee were very much real. But they were kind of like pitcher plants, tons of ectoplasm but not exactly safe to go inside. Plus there’s was some chemical in it that made the ectoplasm super sticky, which could be kind of funny if you ate the ectoplasm since it would be like getting a mouth full of peanut butter.
The thought just makes his mouth water though, resulting in Danny eyeballing the black ectoplasm as he eats his fish, only lightly soaked in vinegar. Highly tempted to try to dip the fish in ectoplasm as a sauce. The pale green would go wonderfully with just how lemony it was, though the vinegar undertone might be a little overwhelming if mixed with actual vinegar.
Jack notices Danny’s staring and offers him a slide of the back ectoplasm, “you seem curious, why don’t you take a look at it for yourself?”.
Danny has to force his hand to not just snatch the slide and forces down the response of ‘fuck yes, gimme gimme’, and instead says, “sure, it’s strange”.
Jack chuckles and nods, while Danny wheels over to the microscope, doing his damnedest to get some ectoplasm off the slide subtly. Jack speaking while Danny stares down into the microscope, “we’re pretty sure this kind is made by these strange flowers. The stuff was just inside of these sacs hanging off the flowers! If you poke them they just explode!”.
Danny points at his dad, “so like fruit gushers?”, before blinking and lifting up his head, “did you bring back any of the sacs?”.
Jack nods excitedly and pulls out a container shaped like a tomato, opening it to show six ‘sacs’. Danny blinks, knowing in his gut these were actually seeds. Defted seeds. If cared for properly you could literally make a mini garden of Defted blossoms. Which yes, Zone yes. Ancients he was a blessed man. Danny will, without a doubt, absolutely be stealing one. He’s got no clue how his folks found these, Defted seeds were insanely rare and very very few ever so much as saw one. Mouthing ‘wow’ at his dad before actually speaking, while his core vibrates with aggressive happiness at the prospect of growing and having Defted blossoms nearby, “very strange. Any clues what, exactly, they are?”.
Jack shakes his head almost aggressively as he closes the container, “not a one. Which is why we’re being extra careful with them. Hopefully we only have to damage one to get some kind of idea”. Danny jerks and his core spasms slightly over his folks damaging Defted seeds, but there's nothing he can really do about it.
Danny nods, “hopefully”, before turning back to his microscope, officially even more curious to have even a little of this black ectoplasm. It smelled like a rich thick smoothie and chances are, it’s packed with nutrients.
Danny hands the slide back a bit stiffly, hunger gnawing at his chest and making the ectoplasm in his system jab at his veins and muscles. It was annoying pushing off feeding for this long but his life wasn’t exactly calm or routine. Plus, there was ectoplasm samples around if he really needed to nab some on the fly. Problem now was, he wasn’t alone down here. But he also slightly didn’t care, his folks knew he was goddamn weird and accepted it. They just didn’t know exactly how weird.
Danny manages to knock off one of the black ectoplasm vials, right over the edge of the table. Nabbing it out of the air and swapping it with an empty vial, holding the empty vial out to his dad, “slippery stuff eh?”. Making Jack chuckle as he takes the vial, none the wiser.
While Maddie shakes her head, pipetting up some purple ectoplasm. Danny leans over her and smirks, vial in his back pocket, “would be a lot faster with straws”.
Maddie shakes her head with a smile, “if that was safe and wouldn’t contaminate the samples we just might try something like that”. Making Danny seriously wish saliva, especially his ectocontaminated saliva, didn’t count as contamination.
Clapping her on the shoulder, “well Imma be right back”, before heading upstairs to the bathroom. Slipping out the vial and spinning it around as soon as he locks the door. Sure, it’s a small amount of ectoplasm but this is more about satisfying curiosity than need.
Swirling it around and sniffing at the milkshake scent again before downing it, tasting strongly of whip cream covered strawberries. Looking in the mirror Danny can see his eyes dilating dramatically and speaking as he just goes to lay on the floor, “oh shit”. Colours pulsating and able to smell the scents of the other ectoplasm samples through the floor. Snorting at the ceiling as he moves his fingers over the tiles, which feel much more defined, “it’s like one of those flavoured liquors but drugged”. His skin felt like someone was pushing really fluffy cotton up against all of it, making him feel comfy and numbed.
Flipping to stand back up and smirking at his reflection, little lines of black in his blue irises. It’s not like they’ll actually notice, so he slides out of the bathroom with a slight bounce in his step. Feeling light and kind of like dancing, with an undercurrent of hunger.
Danny hops down the final step and glides to sit back in his chair, spinning around some before moving to separate samples again.
Jack hands Danny a fist-sized jar of fuchsia ectoplasm, Danny raises an eyebrow at it before unscrewing the lid, “what? Ran out of regular sample cases so you decided to can it? Now it’s more like jam than jello”, tapping his chin, “honestly, could probably actually can ectoplasm”.
Maddie turns to him and eyeballs the jar, “that would certainly be something to try sweetie, but what would be the point?”.
Danny shrugs as he pours some into a Petri dish to poke at and mix in chemicals, “the idea of ‘just because you can doesn’t mean you should’ is bullshit”.
All three turn to look at the portal, which is firmly a ‘probably shouldn’t have done that’, arguably in a very different way for Danny than his folks.
Stirring around the fuchsia ectoplasm in the petri dish with a metal ectoproof stick, having half the mind to just start stirring it with his fingers instead. Core thrumming and pulsing over the scent of its, of Danny’s, favourite of flavours. While Jack is rolling a little ball of the black kind, testing to see how well it stays together and how bouncy it could be. Hint, very bouncy apparently. Seeing as Danny can’t help but laughing as Jack bounces it off the table only for it bounce into the ceiling and back down somewhat violently, splattering all over the table.
Danny bends over in a show of laughing even harder, but he’s really just hiding his face slightly so he can lick his cheeks off.
While Jack mutters, “woah”, Maddie copying him seconds later. Danny sees why as he lifts his head. Some of the black ectoplasm had landed in a small cup of purple ectoplasm and appeared to be devouring it, making the cup's contents slosh somewhat erratically.
Danny laughs again, “it’s cannibalising itself! Ectoplasm eating ectoplasm! Guess black buddy wanted some dinner too!”, his parents join him in laughing as Danny snorts and laughs into his hand, “maybe it’s saying I need to take a hint and start straight-up cannibalising things myself! And maybe cannibalise a little something else too!”.
Jack shakes his head with a heartily laugh, “that one doesn’t even make sense! But! It works ‘cause ectoplasm eating itself doesn’t make sense either!”.
Danny pats Jack’s arm, “thank you for coming to my voretastic TED talk”. While Maddie begins cleaning up the mess, shaking her head with a smile over Danny’s antics.
Danny turns back to his samples and beaker, core vibrating with hunger and making his skin twitch. Putting the Petri dish to the side and starting on pipetting out ectoplasm to fill tiny vials. Watching the liquid slowly fill up each one with a watering mouth.
Cleaning off the pipet and snapping the lids on the vials closed. Clearing his throat and swallowing thickly, “what else you want with the fuchsia?”.
Jack scratches his chin, shrugging, “nothing specific, so do what you fancy Danny-boy”.
What Danny fancies is straight-up eating the whole damn beaker and stealing all the other samples. That mental image making him chuckle slightly, lips feeling kind of puffy and numb all the while. Poking at the beaker with a slight smirk, honestly it’s not like they actually needed any of these samples; except maybe the black one since that was an unknown and unique.
Glancing at the clock, it was going to be a while before it could be considered night. Before his folks would be finished up and he could just dilly-dally off.
Turning his head back to the beaker and rubbing at his core. Which hums with temptation, the vibrations making him twitch more. Rubbing a hand over his slightly numb cheeks and lips, apparently whatever high that black kind have lasted a while even with such a small amount. Looking back to the clock, “fuck tonight”, before staring down at the beaker, speaking thick with humour, “you know it’s very much happy hour, so it would be pretty on point for someone to start chanting ‘shots shots shots’ right about now”.
Both of them send him confused looks but Jack shrugs, “you’re not wrong. But we are certainly not doing that”.
Danny chuckles as he pokes at the beaker again, “if we got Jell-O shots or some of that colourful liquor, we could even accidentally mix things up”.
Jack blinks and laughs, “that would be worse than mayonnaise in pudding cups!”.
Danny points at him with mock aggression, “hey! Mayonnaise is delicious”, smirking as he twitches almost violently, “and just for that...”.
Danny trails off as he grabs the beaker, mentally says ‘fuck it’, and straight up sloshes back the entire thing. Chugging it almost aggressively before slamming the glass down on the floor, like a mug of beer, while his parents gape at him for drinking that. Danny dramatically shouts, “Opa!”, just as the beaker shatters apart.
Jack pitches sideways, wheezing with laughter. While Maddie blinks at him, looks to the floor and broken glass, looks back up to him, “sweetie, it’s not often I feel the need to say this and know that I mean this with no small amount of love and acceptance, but...what, the, absolute, fuck”.
Danny just grumbles, “you’re supposed to say Mazal tov!”, while his core hums happily and he savours the cherry cough syrup covered white chocolate with a hint of caramel on his tongue.
End.
#danny phantom#phandom#ectober 2019#ectober#fanfic#danny fenton#maddie fenton#jack fenton#ghost hunger#sorta vore#but not really#comedy#puns#bad puns#borderline crack#drunk writing#have a fic suck my dick#phantomphangphucker#My writing#dinner
86 notes
·
View notes
Text
Distortion
Prompt: He’s flying. Or is he?
Prompt by: @bibliophileap
Word count: 2,900
[AO3][FFnet][more Phic Phight fics]
Winds whipped past Danny. The air currents brushed through his hair, mussing it into something even more wind-blown than usual. The dampness of the clouds greeted him as he dove through them. Up and up he went.
Then finally he emerged from the other side. The moon, large and full, shone bright and welcoming. All around it, the stars blinked and winked at him.
Danny twisted around, letting his momentum carry him into a loop. This far above civilization, no one could see or hear him. He whooped in joy, carefree.
Flying was, by far, Danny’s favorite power. Sure, he could find useful applications for all of his powers. Was quite inclined to use most of them in his daily life, too.
But flying… Flying was something special. Even on his worst days, flight was a guaranteed pick-me-up. It never failed to cheer him up, even if only temporarily.
Lying on his back, Danny trailed his fingers through the clouds as if he were floating on water. Above him, the stars shone. Smiling to himself, Danny moved to trace the constellations – he had them memorized, after all.
Then he jerked to a stop. Lifted up one of his hands to connect the stars.
Frowned to himself as the dots didn’t quite connect. He tried again, with a different constellation.
Once again, they didn’t match. No matter how he tried, none of the stars formed into the constellations he knew. They were off, just slightly.
Repressing a shiver, Danny rightened himself. Whatever night sky he was looking at… it wasn’t the right one. It wasn’t Amity’s sky.
But… how? He was just in Amity. He had been working on his homework, but he had gotten frustrated so he had decided to go for a fly.
Right?
So then how had he gotten… wherever the fuck he was?
It couldn’t be a dream, or something else based on his mind. He was familiar enough with the stars to properly mimic the constellations. And if they were off enough for him to tell, then clearly he hadn’t been responsible for making them so.
He lowered himself again, dropping through the layer of clouds. And below him, the familiar cityscape of Amity Park greeted him.
Frowning, Danny started moving through the streets. Following his set patrol routes – he knew these streets just as well as the stars, and if they were off too…
Well, he didn’t know what that would mean.
It didn’t take long for Danny to conclude that the streets, the layout of Amity Park, seemed to be correct. It was the details that were, once again, off – windows in the wrong places, houses painted the wrong colors – and once again, it made him feel uneasy.
After all, he was somehow in a world almost like his own… yet not exactly. It was a close enough match that he wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t been looking for it.
Who could have done this… And why? More importantly, how? After all, if he could figure out how he got here, he could get out too. Right?
Good, okay. Focus on the here and now. Plan. Make a plan.
Step one: figure out how he got here.
No, wait, scrap that.
New step one: figure out where here is. Because if it’s not really Amity Park, is he real? Is this his actual body?
Danny groaned. This situation was too complicated for him. He preferred an enemy he could just punch. Not all this… planning stuff. Maybe he could find Jazz…
Wait. Where there any people in this fake Amity Park?
He scanned the streets below him once more. They were fairly empty, but a few people were wandering around. No one he recognized, not even vaguely. They just looked… generic. Like computer-generated AI in a video game. A crowd of barely sentient beings for the player character to move around.
The thought was an interesting one, and Danny made sure to remember it. He wasn’t sure where it had come from, but… now that it had come to him, it seemed right, somehow. The way the people below moved, not interacting with each other in the slightest…
Repressing a shiver, Danny angled himself towards FentonWorks. Whether Jazz – or any of his family – existed or not, there were things there he needed to check. After all, Amity Park was an imitation, if a fairly well-made one. If the Ghost Zone was more accurate, it would suggest that a ghost was behind this.
Intangibility washed over him as he dove through the walls of his home. He didn’t stop to look at the living room, but went straight to the lab.
Shiny steel greeted him. Walls washed white, immaculate floors and walls and hell, even the ceiling was spotless. The tables were empty, and the gadget racks pushed against the walls were neatly organized.
It was a beautiful lab, and well-kept. It definitely wasn’t his parents’.
More strikingly, however, was the Portal in the back. Or what Danny assumed was the Portal. Because it held very little resemblance to the actual thing.
Rather than a metal arch, the opening to the Portal was simply a hole in the wall. The metal edges were shredded and ripped, mangled and even slightly blackened. Like something had blasted its way through the wall.
The Portal itself looked like a natural portal rather than the artificial one it should have been. Its edges flickered, the size varying as it whirled around itself. It wasn’t connected to the walls at all. Instead it floated freely, right in the center of the tear in the lab’s walls.
It wasn’t realistically possible. And while yes, that sounded a little weird considering ghosts and physics generally didn’t mix, this was something else. A natural portal wasn’t stable. It couldn’t maintain itself. Or rip a hole through the wall, like this one seemed to have done.
Which suggested that whoever had made this simulation, they weren’t familiar with ghost portals at all. And, besides, any ghost who could’ve reached Danny would’ve gone through his parents’ lab. They would’ve done a better job of imitating it.
Danny took his eyes off of the Portal again, scanning the lab. Really, it looked more like what he imaged a GIW lab would look like. Shiny, immaculate, way too much white and steel.
Hang on… Could the Guys in White be responsible for this? Could they have somehow set up some sort of simulation and trapped him in it?
Soundlessly he touched down in the lab. He turned to watch his reflection – the walls were so shiny he didn’t need a mirror. His normal ectoplasm green eyes blinked back, looking the same as usual. His hair looked the same too – and when he combed his gloved fingers through it, it felt just as real, too.
He groaned, digging his fingers into his scalp.
And barely repressed his yelp when his fingers dug too deep, his skull giving way like it didn’t even exist-
Wait.
Danny looked his reflection straight in the eyes, slowly lifting his hands off of his head. He held them out in front of him, gently grasped one hand with the other.
Then, with all his force, he clenched his left hand – the one he had wrapped around the right.
Like he had expected, his right hand gave way easily. It squished like… like it had no bones. Like the tentacle of an ectopus. Like it was made entirely out of ectoplasm.
So that was another point for the GIW. And proof that this wasn’t his own body. He wouldn’t have to worry about taking care of himself – if he had no bones, his body likely followed all the basic ghost rules. Or what the GIW thought were the basics for ghosts. No food, no water, no sleep…
All the more time for Danny to figure out how to get out of here. Or how to break the simulation, or whatever this was.
Either way, he had to be careful with what he did, now. If the GIW really were responsible for this, they would be watching. Recording it, too. Anything he did could leave them more informed. Any powers he used that they didn’t know about yet would surely be turned against him in the future.
He wouldn’t even consider turning human. That wasn’t something they needed to know. Besides, he didn’t think he could do it, anyway. If this body was made according to what the GIW knew about Phantom, it wouldn’t have a human side to switch to, anyway. Unless the could alter his body – the simulation – to his own knowledge and will… But if that was the case, then surely he wouldn’t have been able to squash his own hand like that?
Anyway, not important. Now that he (probably) knew who were responsible for how he got here, and what, exactly, this was, he could go back to figuring out how to leave.
So it was a simulation, likely made by the GIW. Were they trying to study him? His behavior? Was this a way to separate his mind from his body, so they could dissect him without risking the loss of his mind?
This time he shivered physically. That was a line of thought he didn’t want to come back to.
He floated out of the lab again, hoping that the change of environment would help. Outside, the streets were still empty. The clouds had dispersed a little, the stars visible from the ground.
They served as another reminder of how wrong things were, here.
“Okay,” he said, softly. Danny didn’t make a habit out of talking to himself, but the eerie silence was starting to get to him.
“Okay,” he repeated, combing his fingers through his hair again. “So this isn’t Amity Park. This isn’t real. Fuck.”
When no answer came, he continued to fill the silence with his thoughts. So maybe it would reveal to the GIW that he had caught on to them. Whatever. If he had to listen to this nothingness for any longer he would go crazy.
“So this is just some kind of… simulation, or whatever. This isn’t my body, and it isn’t my world. I just need to… disconnect, somehow.” He shivered, feeling increasingly uncomfortable in his own skin. Or, well, not his own skin, but the body he was in control of.
For all that it had felt correct at first, now that he knew it was off, it started to bother him more and more. The feeling of air rushing through his lungs, the slow but steady feeling of his heart beating…
It was all missing.
Instead of letting the uncomfortable thoughts distract him, however, he focused on the feelings themselves. Focused on the differences between reality and this.
In his peripherals, he could see the world distorting. Glitching. It was falling apart, darkening steadily. Somehow simultaneously sharpening into clusters of pixels and fading out.
He lost feeling in his fingers. He couldn’t remember if he had ever felt his toes in this simulation.
Danny embraced the darkness eagerly.
When he came to, he was still surrounded by darkness. His eyes were closed. He was itching to open them, to check where he was, how he was-
But he could hear the voices of two adult men. They didn’t know he was awake yet.
“-But how could it know?” one man asked, frustration lacing his voice. “The simulation was nigh perfect! No ghost should be perceptive enough to figure it out!”
“Why do you think I know, K?” another replied, gruff and equally angry. “We both know that Phantom was unique. Maybe it’s just a little more special than we thought.”
So it was the GIW. He had already been pretty sure, but the confirmation was nice.
Just like the steady beat of his heart was nice. The feeling of air rushing through his airways, silently. The hidden warmth of his human form, even while he was in ghost form.
He couldn’t believe that he hadn’t noticed that it was missing during the simulation.
“Whatever,” the first man – agent K, apparently – said. “Doesn’t matter. At least with its mind occupied, the little bastard can’t wake up. Even if it knows that it’s trapped in a simulation, it can’t break out of it, anyway.”
Hah! Or so they thought. Maybe he couldn’t have done it, had his body been correct. Focusing on the differences, on the mistakes, had been what allowed him to disassociate with the simulation, after all.
The sound of footsteps leaving, another pair of shoes scuffing the floor near him. Danny itched to open his eyes, but he wanted to maintain the illusion a little longer. If the GIW didn’t know that he was awake – that he could wake up – then that was his best weapon.
Instead he focused on exploring his environment with his other senses. He was lying on a flat metal surface, cold and hard. Not very surprising.
Neither were the hard cuffs around his wrists and ankles.
What was surprising was the lack of buzzing from them. Normally, anti-ghost weaponry gave of a faint whir – a feeling like static, the mishmash of conflicting energies. But these cuffs didn’t do that. Were they… were they really not ghost proof?
Were the GIW so sure of their simulation technology that they hadn’t bothered to lock him up properly?
“Hey, look at this,” agent K said. The pair of shoes that had remained near his table now also left. Not far, but…
Danny risked opening his eyes a little. The light was blinding, but he adjusted to it quickly. The lab looked exactly like what he would’ve expected from the GIW.
It also looked a lot like the lab in the simulation. How predictable.
Both of the agents had their backs turned to him. They were looking at something on a far table, but Danny couldn’t see what, exactly, that was. A glance downwards confirmed his initial suspicions – the cuffs didn’t seem to be ghost proof. They were ordinary metal.
He grinned, turning his arms intangible. Then he sat up, phasing them through the metal effortlessly. Idiots.
Suddenly one of the agents turned around. He could see himself reflected in the sunglasses the man wore – his vibrant green eyes glowing like hellfire.
“Shit,” the man swore, tugging on the sleeve of the other agent. “It’s awake, O!”
“What?!” The other agent – so agent O? – also whirled around, reaching for a weapon on his belt. “Impossible!” he said, despite looking at the evidence.
Not wanting to get further into this mess, Danny phased his legs out of the cuffs as well. He crouched on the table, ready to launch himself out of this building. Or the room, at least, since it didn’t seem to have a ghost shield. What were they, amateurs?
Agent K, still unarmed, held his hands out. Placatingly, maybe? “Wait,” he called, although Danny wasn’t sure if the man was speaking to him or to his colleague. “How’d you know?”
“What?” Danny asked, thrown off by the non-sequitur. “Know what?”
Now agent O also paused, apparently curious. His ecto-gun was in his hand, but still aimed downwards. Danny figured he had enough time to leave, should the man change his mind.
“That it was a simulation.” Agent K gestured with one of his hands, still raised. “How did you break out of it? It should’ve been foolproof!”
Danny frowned, then shrugged. “The stars were wrong. And after I noticed that, all the other things stood out, too.”
Agent O lowered his weapon even further. “But ghosts aren’t smart enough to see such things! They’re not observational enough to notice such things!”
“Uh,” Danny gestured at himself, “I beg to differ.”
Now the agent’s brows creased, the fingers around his gun clenching in anger. But before he could act on it, agent K pushed the other man back a step. “Don’t,” he warned. Then, turning back to Danny, he explained, “That goes against everything we know about ghosts.”
He snorted in answer. “Shows how little you know, doesn’t it?”
The man paused, seeming to think this over. Agent O, standing behind him, crossed his arms. He couldn’t get a direct shot on Danny with agent K standing in front of him.
Finally, agent K broke the silence again. He frowned at Danny, lowering his hands again. “This… This isn’t humane. This isn’t okay.”
He took a step back, forcing agent O further back too.
“Leave, Phantom. I can’t… I can’t support doing such a thing to a sentient being.”
Danny blinked, surprised. Automatically, he straightened up a little. “Really? I mean, uh.” He blushed, bright green creeping over his cheeks. “Thanks.”
Invisibility washed over him, Danny embracing the feeling. He lingered for a moment longer, but agent O immediately stormed off. Agent K lingered for a moment longer, sighing heavily.
“I should’ve known,” the man said to himself, so quiet that Danny could barely hear him. “I should’ve realized sooner.”
Convinced that the man had meant what he said, Danny left. No other part of the facility was shielded. He returned to Amity no worse for the wear.
The stars, blinking above him, sparkled their usual constellations. Just as he had always known them.
#phic phight#phic phight 19#danny phantom#danny fenton#dp fanfic#phanfic#phanfiction#dp fanfiction#dark writes#i went into this with basically no idea where i was going with it#shortest one so far! hooray#i almost posted this as a 350 word drabble haha but i ended up saving it#i'm almost back to my average of 1000 words a day for the Phight
87 notes
·
View notes
Text
Like Father Like Daughter P2
On AO3 here || First Part Here
Summary: "Dawn, would you like to help Grandma and Grandpa figure out some things in the lab?" Dawn's eyes immediately flickered from that ominous glowing green back to baby blue in excitement over the idea of finally being allowed in the lab. She nodded eagerly.
Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
Danny openly stared at the clock, the voices of his coworkers muffled and blending together in his mind as they were contributing. He didn't care, quite honestly, about the meeting. About the subject matter, about the business contract being negotiated, the budget cuts and additions. He wasn't even sure what the meeting was about to begin with, just that he had to be there.
He tore his gaze away to observe the man who was talking at the moment. Some older woman, he could never remember her name, but he knew that she had a husband and three grandchildren that she gushed often about. The woman was going on and on and on for what felt like forever, about things Danny could have just read in ten minutes in an email. But then it would result in the dreaded "reply all" loop of technology illiterate businessfolk trying to communicate private matters. It drove Danny nuts.
He picked up the pen and glanced at the notebook in front of him. Everybody around him had been scribbling notes like crazy, numbers and key words covering pages of the pad they were supplied with, or even on the devices or within notebooks they brought themselves. Danny had doodled a spaceship with a dog astronaut that was exploring Pluto in his. He never bothered taking notes, he didn't see the purpose. The administrative assistant always emailed everybody a copy of what happened during the meeting anyway. He sighed, bored as he began to doodle a cat alien for the dog to battle against.
Wednesdays were Danny's least favorite day. In the morning, while good old CEO Vlad Masters was out golfing with his dad, of all people (Danny could never understand how that regular meetup even began, especially considering his Dad, in his neverending grace, always lost horrifically), while all the department heads had a meeting. It lasted all morning. And was followed by an all afternoon meeting with Vlad himself. Meaning, he couldn't slip away to go ghost to deal with a problem, leaving Team Phantom to pick up his unintentional slack. He did use a duplicate often, but it still left him very unable to focus properly on PowerPoint presentations about who knows what.
Danny wasn't even sure what he really did at the job half the time. Hell, if he didn't have a family, regardless of how much the other halfa had changed, he wouldn't have accepted the job offer. Damn, did it have pay beyond Danny could ever imagine making though, a generous amount of vacation time and benefits so good that even Jazz said he'd be an absolute fool for turning it down, especially since Dawn was still just on the way when Vlad had made the offer. Probably partly out of pity. The couple were making ends meet fine, but they definitely weren't living the high life in their old apartment in the not-so-great side of town. Not their fault that the town needed protecting, and that this cut deeply into work and sleeping hours.
But, especially considering the billionaire's weird midlife crisis of sorts some years back and all the therapy business he gave Jazz, Danny supposed working there wasn't so bad. Job was easy enough. He suspected Vlad just made up his job as an excuse to give him one. Danny couldn't even recall the name of his position. But in a half hour, catered lunch would be here, the only good part of the day. Then Vlad would drone for a while, and he could go home to his family.
He was already getting himself excited with his plans for the night. He was going to take Dawn to the park so they could play on Dawn's new favorite playground attraction: the jungle gym (something Danny, of course, also played on). Afterwards they were going to pick up pizza for dinner and meet her mom at home. Once Dawn was tucked in bed and a duplicate watching over her, the couple would go on their normal nightly patrol together. Dawn had surprisingly never woken up to her parents coming home, injured or walking in on them while they were bandaging up. Danny considered themselves lucky. Both of them wanted to keep the entire Team Phantom part of their lives a secret from her. There was no reason for her to have to know or understand.
Yet, despite this, despite the occasional tantrums, the exhausting pregnancy itself and the long nights of back to back ghosts with a colicky newborn, Danny was thrilled. They never thought that they could have a child. Well, meaning, they could, but the details always never added up to where it could be a reality.
He remembered that one night, a particularly bad one. The night had been full to the brim of ghosts, leaving the halfa absolutely exhausted. Even with the full support of a Team Phantom, whose membership had expanded since that first ghost fight in freshman year, he was still bloodied and bruised, barely able to stay awake when home. His new wife, the two having only been married for five months at the time, had to unlock the door to their shared apartment for him, her own body sore from the rough night. His hands were shaking so badly from exhaustion and pain.
"Sit," she told him, and she pointed to the couch. Danny didn't have the energy to complain. He sat, and she fetched the kit for them.
Together, they began to slowly clean themselves and each other up. Occasional quiet requests to pass burn cream or to inquire if stitches were needed. To help with an injury that was out of their own reach. Once done, neither could bother cleaning up from their first aid. Danny just shifted to lean into her, and she wrapped her arms around him in a light hug. Soon, they were laying on the couch together, silent before they began to idly chat. The subject of Jazz and her growing family came up, and a thought hit them both.
"You know, I think I'm content with being an auntie," his wife said softly, and Danny nodded best he could. She sounded incredibly hurt, and Danny didn't blame her. Even though neither had really had their heart dead-set on children and a family of their own, it never being their biggest wish or desire, it still hurt to know that it was something they couldn't have.
"I'd worry too much," was all he said in response. Her loose hug around him tightened. "It's too risky."
It was unofficially decided that night, later confirmed in the following evening's conversation. The ghost fighting while pregnant, the reality that one of them may not come home one night at least half-alive, the child being a target for their enemies, and Danny's biggest concern, the inheritance of powers. Danny had the reputation for years now that he was clumsy, and he had time to master his powers and rehearse the lies and excuses.
Of course, it could never be truly confirmed unless a child came into play, but the possibilities scared Danny. Their childhood would never be normal, constantly struggling with this incredible power and all the intimate influences of ghosts and ghost hunting, saddled with the moral obligation to eventually begin protecting the city like their parents did. They could never have a truly normal life. The couple had their on and off days when it came to how they felt about the responsibility, but it would be awful to unintentionally pressure a child into accepting such a big commitment.
So they remained childless for years, until there was an accident. That's how almost all of Danny's biggest life changing events seemed to happen.
His wife had given him a small, sly but anxious smile when she had slipped an envelope across the table towards him at their little breakfast table. It was early in the morning, but the two were still awake. Danny from ghost hunting, her from a night shift job. Danny raised an eyebrow at it, picking it up as he sipped coffee.
"What's this?" he asked. He got a small smirk in response.
"Open it," she encouraged him. So Danny did, and it was a father's day card. He stared at her, absolutely baffled by it.
"Did you get me the wrong envelope?" he asked. She shook her head no.
"Nope. I just found out a few days ago. I figured we could go ahead and celebrate now."
Danny's chair practically flew as he burst out of his seat. His wife was soon in his arms, both laughing as they hugged excitedly. At the time, they let themselves not worry about the questions that always plagued them. The couple decided to just enjoy the moment.
With the announcement came a whole new assortment of life changes. His wife ended up getting a new job, a better one. Vlad made his offer to Danny. That offer led them to move out of their apartment and into their first real house.
Danny watched another man contribute, droning on in the absolute most boring as fuck voice. How the man's family could stand to listen to it, he could never guess. Maybe he actually had some sort of life in his voice then though? Danny was now curious. While he was watching intently, putting up a good facade that he was paying any sort of attention, the man's voice was just muffled in his ears. God, this meeting was boring as hell. What was going on?
He stole a glance over at his neighbor's paper. Oh, they were discussing more budget stuff, numbers about increasing budgeting to more researching nano-whatevers with cutbacks they were making to uniforms because they changed sweatshops in China or something. Woooohooo.
"Mr. Fenton, you've been quiet. What are your thoughts on the matter?" Fuck, he was caught. All eyes were on him as the boring-voiced man stared at him, almost accusatory. While he did not fear for his job at all, Vlad made sure of his job security, he still squirmed a bit under the gaze. He sat up straight.
"You often know my stance. I think that we should put money towards raises," Danny pulled an answer out of his ass, giving a sheepish grin. "Money always encourages people to work harder, less motivation to leave."
The boring-voiced man still looked at him sketchily, but nodded.
"Yes, I suppose that's always an option," he said, tone a bit huffily. "So what you're thinking is when it comes to the new research budget, paying the scientists more as opposed to buying new lab equipment?" Danny felt a small bit of relief at his bullshit answer apparently being close enough to the topic to reasonably seem fitting.
"Well, depends on the need. I'd assume those scientists could give a proper answer better than I could. I don't really deal with the lab much. I think they'd also like their voice being heard and would appreciate being able to weigh the options for themselves," Danny replied. Boring-voiced man nodded in approval before beginning to drone on and on again before he was cut off by another man, who began a counter argument. Danny leaned back in his seat, sighing softly to himself as his eyes darted to the clock.
Danny noticed several other of his coworkers steal a glance at the clock, and thankfully, somebody else brought up the suggestion of taking the remaining five minutes before lunch came for everybody to sort out their notes. Danny glanced at his "notes". Maybe he should just buy a sketchbook instead of wasting Vlad's paper. Eh, who cared.
Everybody agreed, and people fell into a small explosion of shuffling and light conversation as his coworkers began to relax. Danny whipped his phone out. He scrolled to check his messages. Facebook telling him that Tucker had posted a photo of his son, Tucker Jr., a text from Jazz asking about if he and his wife wanted to do a double-date with her and her husband, a few other misc things. He ignored most of them for now in favor of going to his conversation history with his mom, sending a text.
Hey mom, love you. How's Dawn?
Once sent, he replied to Jazz and liked Tucker's photo. It was a simple photo of Tucker with his son, posing together at one of his son's school events. He checked his other apps before he got a reply.
Hey sweetie, Dawn's doing good. Love you too, have a good day.
He gave a soft sigh of relief. He was just constantly waiting, worried, for the day he'd get a text asking all sorts of questions. Why is Dawn glowing? Why are her eyes glowing? Why is she flickering invisible? A part of him secretly wished Dawn did have powers. Like father, like daughter. But with great power comes great responsibility. She didn't need to be pressured into taking on such a responsibility like protecting the town. However, Dawn was growing up, and she seemed perfectly human.
Of course, Danny watched her like a hawk for any signs the second Dawn was born, constantly hovering over her (figuratively and literally) for anything. Nothing, but Tucker had pointed out that it may be a while before they began showing up, assuming Dawn had any. Jazz agreed. Vlad had suggested that Danny did a few power demonstrations in front of her, including going ghost, to see if she'd copy him. Danny did go ghost, and he flashed his eyes, turned invisible (turns out it made for the ultimate game of peek-a-boo), made her icicles and showed off glowing concentrated green energy in his hands. All it resulted in was wide, delighted and fascinated eyes, an occasional soft baby coo and, later on, eager demands for him to teach her how to do that. But of course, he couldn't if she didn't have anything to work with.
Danny broke from his thoughts as he was handed lunch. Fancy sandwich and chips, with a drink. He smiled and gave a brief thanks as he accepted it, and he began to unwrap and eat it. People around him continued to talk, but Danny tuned them out. He wasn't actively trying to be unfriendly. Just that most people around him were so much older, outside of his daughter, there wasn't much for him to really talk with them. They were borderline retirement age, often talking of grandchildren and the weather being too cold here. Another reason Danny suspected Vlad just flat out made up his job. Everybody around him was easily in their sixties, and Danny was turning forty-four soon. To his delight though, due to all the ghost fighting, he was in pretty good shape compared to the coworkers within the office around his age. When he first started, people had assumed he was younger than he really was. It was flattering.
A thought hit him, and he paused. If Dawn even had powers, would she truly be delighted in having them? Would they just be a novelty to her? Danny always feared her constantly losing control of her powers, much like he did. Jazz had thankfully been so helpful through those negative thoughts.
"Danny, you've been a half-ghost for well over half your life now. You can teach her, assuming she even inherits ghost powers, how to control them. She'll grow up with parents who know about her powers and who will love and accept her no matter what, and even if something were to happen, would and could protect her at all costs, grow up knowing how to use and control these powers. You're also so good with the boys, Danny. Both of you are, I know you'll be great parents. You have very little to worry about. What children need more than anything is a loving and safe environment that nurtures and cares for what they need most. I have no doubt you can provide that. You save Amity Park every day."
But tricky obstacle to also overcome was not just the unknowing, but the very realistic possibility of Dawn getting powers when at a day care and absolutely freaking everybody there. Ghost powers were a huge deal, and it wasn't worth the risk if they were discovered. Dani suggested that he stay at home with a duplicate, but Danny reminded her that this would drain him completely very quickly if he was constantly duplicated to be with Dawn and at work full time, especially since he often duplicated to go and fight ghosts when he couldn't slip away for a while. Vlad had offered, but while Danny did truly believe that Vlad had his weird little redemption arc and was practically a new man, he was still not about to trust him alone with his little girl all day. His wife would have absolutely never stood for it either. She'd actually probably kill him if he even brought up the idea as a serious suggestion.
As they were still debating what to do, his parents had come to visit the couple. Maddie had taken a seat in the living room, in the armchair. Danny was already sprawled out on the couch, his little girl snoozing happily on his chest on her stomach. He had a hand on her back, protectively, to assure that she wouldn't wiggle off, or, god forbid, this be the time she used ghost powers and floated off.
Danny had casually brought up that they had looked into local daycares when Maddie had offered,
"Oh Danny, that's just silly. Dawn can come stay with us during the day."
Danny immediately tensed up.
"Mom, I'm just not sure," he replied, and he knew that he sounded defensive. The idea immediately made him uncomfortable.
Of course, he trusted his parents. His parents would never do anything to hurt Dawn. They absolutely adored and treasured their grandchildren, and they took great pride in the little crowd of "future ghost-hunters" as they put it. But his parents also didn't know his secret.
"She wants to go back to work in the future, and we already keep the boys," Maddie replied with a frown. "Danny, it's not any problem to leave Dawn with us while you two work. We don't mind."
"It's not that," Danny replied, and it really wasn't that. What if her ghost powers activated, assuming they existed? What if they thought she was a ghost or being possessed? What if... His eyes flickered to the infant on his chest. She was making precious little noises in her sleep, oblivious to her dad's worries. "I-I-I, just, you know. It may not be safe for her. You and dad are so active in the lab, what if you accidentally spill something on her?"
His mom looked a bit hurt, and Danny winced. He didn't know why he didn't just tell them. There was nothing stopping him. He knew his parents would love and accept him no matter what. He had confirmation of this multiple times. But how do you even begin to bring it up? After everything they had been through as Phantom vs FentonWorks? They never dissected or destroyed him, but they had come pretty damn close on multiple occasions. How could he look at his parents, who spent so much of his life, well over half by this point, hunting his other half down, and tell them who he really was? He wasn't sure. He wasn't ready. By now, he figured he never truly would be ready.
"We wash our hands religiously, and what would it matter anyway? She's human, even if, somehow, something got onto her, she'd be perfectly fine. Any and all chemicals and liquids and gadgets we have only target and harm ghosts," Maddie lightly argued. He flinched, and he gripped onto Dawn's onesie in worry. "Danny, we'd never let her into the lab anyway, and we've been keeping everything down there anyway. You know how nosy the boys are. They get into everything."
"Uh...just...let me think about it. And we both have to talk about it, ya know?"
His grip around his drink tightened. He was...oddly very accustomed to lying to his parents. There had been many times that he had debated coming clean, from situations ranging from being so close to being dissected or experimented on while under their capture to just a heat of the moment feeling after a hard day and wanting their full comfort.
But now? How do you come clean to your parents after lying to them for over thirty years now? So much of his relationship with them was now built on a lie, how could you ever come clean from that? Recover from that? His parents could never look at him the same way again. Of course, Danny knew they'd still love him, but they'd be crushed to know how close they had been to destroying their only son, devastated at the decades of lies. Danny planned on taking his secret to the grave.
Soon, the door opened, and a familiar white-haired billionaire strolled in.
"Afternoon," he greeted the room, and everybody, even Danny, returned the light greeting. The billionaire gestured to the table still full of food. "Feel free to continue eating, I just wanted to get a small head start, see if I can end a bit earlier today."
Everybody murmured in agreement, and Vlad began to drone on and on. Annnnd now was time for Danny to completely tune out. He saw his phone screen light up on the table in front of him. It was on completely silent, no vibration, so thankfully nobody paid attention to it but him. He noticed it was a new photo message from his mother.
A smile broke, and he went to check it. He expected a cute photo of Dawn sitting in front of the TV, staring at Crash Nebula. What he got instead made his heart drop into his stomach.
A device screen's reading. While the device wasn't familiar, he recognized the general software. A ghost detector, and the words lit up on the display read:
Name: Unknown
Age: Unknown, est existence: 1wk
Pwr lvl: ERROR 412
Misc: ERROR 412
Another message came in.
Honey something's wrong with Dawn. Ghostly wrong.
Danny's heart pounded like crazy as he frantically typed back.
I'm on my way home. Don't do anything.
We're pros, Danny. Dad and I are going to check her out in the lab to figure out what's wrong. Don't worry, she'll be safe.
Danny's hands were shaking uncontrollably, but he still managed to response.
DONT DO ANYTHING IM ON MY WAY
"Daniel, would you like to rejoin us today?"
Vlad's annoyed voice caused Danny to jump to his feet, his chair flying backwards and his coworkers staring at him.
"Vlad, there'sanemergencyIgottagoit'sDawn," was half-screamed in a blurred sentence, but Vlad seemed to catch it.
"You owe me an explanation by tomorrow morning!" his voice shouted back. To Danny's coworkers, it was a threat. To Danny, he knew Vlad probably caught on exactly what had happened, it not, was close, and that he would let it slide. But he had to keep up a face at work.
Danny zoomed down the hallways, ignoring startled gasps and concerned questions. He managed to avoid everybody as he ran out to the front door of the building. Practically slamming the door open, he made a mad run for the parking garage. He ignored his car though, instead using the isolated building as a safe place to go ghost before flying at top speed towards FentonWorks.
Maddie had stared, dumbfound at the readings until Jack had come inside. Despite rescanning over and over and over again, the device would report the same information.
"Hey Mads!" his voice boomed, and he heard it accompanied with an excited "Hi Grandma!"
Jack stepped into the living room, along with her grandson, who immediately plopped down next to Dawn to watch the cartoon. They began an eager conversation/light argument about the cooler villain in the series. Jack came over, leaning over to give his wife a kiss. She happily returned it, smiling weakly as he took a seat next to her.
"Did you get the Fenton Finder 4.0 going?" he asked curiously, snatching the invention up before Maddie could even reply. He stared at the readings given, and his face fell into an immediate pout. "Aww, you and Dawn went ghost-hunting without me?" His eyes widened a bit. "Danny's not gonna be pleased about that. He doesn't even like the idea of Dawn going into the lab."
"Jack, can I talk to you in the kitchen," Maddie asked, her voice hushed as she glanced at Dawn skeptically. Jack gave her an odd look, but nodded.
She spared another glance at Dawn, who was oblivious to the situation as she and her cousin hummed the Crash Nebula theme song together as a new episode began to play. In the kitchen, Maddie glanced once more at Dawn.
"Mads, is everything okay?" Jack snapped her out of her trance.
"Jack, that reading...," she said slowly. Maddie was slowly connecting everything that happened that day in her mind. The eyes, the sudden disappearance while she was making lunch, the glowing. The revelation was slowly making her feel sick to her stomach. "It was reading Dawn."
Jack stared at her in bewilderment before glancing over at Dawn as well. She was pumping her fists to and from the TV, imitating Crash Nebula's hand laser noises as her cousin had begun to stand up, jumping up and down excitedly as he zoomed around the living room, pretending to fly.
"Are you sure?" he questioned. Maddie reached over to push the button to rescan, adjusting Jack's hand so that he was pointing the device towards Dawn.
Within moments, the reading came back. Same as before, reporting that the ghost was barely ten feet from them, in the exact same position Dawn was sitting. Jack swallowed hard, and he watched the little girl throw her hands up in the air, making an explosion noise to copy the TV.
"Maybe it's just like Danny," he tried to reason. "He set off everything. She is a spitting image of him." Maddie shook her head, biting her lip as she put a hand to her chest, watching Dawn.
"That's not it, Jack," she whispered. "Earlier, she...she seemed to be glowing. And, when I was making lunch, she was in time out, and she...she just vanished and reappeared, Jack. Out of thin air." Maddie took a deep breath. "And...her eyes. They...they glowed green. And..."
Maddie didn't know how to continue. Jack didn't speak. Both of the Fenton adults had their eyes locked on Dawn. Her cousin had lost interest in the show, having gone to get a toy from the toy box. Dawn was still glued to the screen, looking exactly like Danny did when he used to sit and watch cartoons. Baby blue eyes widely shining as she watched the spaceship take off, black hair fluffed up and fists clenched in excitement.
"Go Crash!" she squealed. Maddie exhaled deeply.
"Jack, she looked exactly like Phantom when her eyes glowed."
The statement clearly startled Jack, who broke his stare to gawk at Maddie. She tore her gaze away too to stare back at him. He was clearly disturbed by her announcement.
"Mads, that's crazy," he suddenly blurted out.
"I'm serious! The way she looked at me, she..." Maddie stole another glance at Dawn. "I'd know that face anywhere."
Silence fell over them for a while before Jack finally broke it.
"Where do we go from here then?" he asked. Maddie shrugged.
"I don't even fully understand what's going on. I don't know where to do if I don't understand," she confessed, rubbing the back of her neck as she cracked it. "I mean, to my memory, Danny never did anything like glow or have his eyes change or the like. It can't just be something that she inherited from Danny. So...what is this?"
Jack glanced anxiously towards Dawn.
"Do you think...she's a ghost?" he dared to ask. Maddie didn't answer. She didn't know herself. "We need to take her to the lab and just...check. She could be in danger." He quickly clarified, "of course, nothing dangerous. It's just...there's so many questions. Maybe we need a different scanner."
"I agree. I'm going to let Danny know," Maddie replied. She motioned for Jack to hand her the reading, and she took a picture of the reading before sending a message.
Honey something's wrong with Dawn. Ghostly wrong.
She slipped the phone into her pocket. Jack followed her into the living room. Maddie glanced at Jack, telling him silently to pay attention as her head lightly jerked to Dawn. She reached over and turned the TV off. Dawn's face immediately fell into a scowl, and she glared up at her grandparents. Jack gasped as he saw exactly what Maddie was talking about. Glowing green eyes glared at them, and Phantom's familiar scowl was on her face.
"Grandma! Stop that!"
"Dawn, would you like to help Grandma and Grandpa figure out some things in the lab?"
Dawn's eyes immediately flickered from that ominous glowing green back to baby blue in excitement over the idea of finally being allowed in the lab. She nodded eagerly.
"Yeah!"
Jack smiled, reaching out his arms for her. She eagerly jumped up and into his arms, and he picked her up, pecking her cheek. She gave an excited giggle. Maddie felt her phone vibrate, and she checked it.
I'm on my way home. Don't do anything.
In this instance, Maddie understood Danny's worry. He always seemed so fearful of ghosts. He seemed to always vanish and hide when ghosts came around. Great when he was a kid, and Maddie herself was fearful of his and Jazz's safety. But now, he still seemed to hold that fear and tended to run when ghosts came about.
We're pros, Danny. Dad and I are going to check her out in the lab to figure out what's wrong. Don't worry, she'll be safe.
Maddie was startled when she got a reply almost instantly. DONT DO ANYTHING IM ON MY WAY He was terrified of the situation. Not that she blamed him. She decided to not reply.
"Honey, do you want to come into the lab too?" Maddie asked her grandson, who was occupied with his toy. He shook his head.
"I wanna watch Little Einstein," he replied. Maddie nodded, and she handed him the TV remote. The boy immediately plopped to the ground in front of the TV. She pecked the top of his head.
"Stay out of trouble, if you need us just yell down, okay?" He nodded.
Jack carried Dawn into the lab behind Maddie.
Please be okay, please be okay.
Danny prayed to himself as FentonWorks came into view. He forced himself to go faster. Despite not needing to breathe, he felt like he was choking on his anxiety as he phased in. He completely ignored the entire home, going straight for the lab.
"STOP!" he shouted, coming into view as he skidded himself to a stop in the air of the lab. As expected, within moments, both Fenton adults had an ectoblaster in their hands and pointed at him.
To his odd relief, despite his parents apparent suspicions, they still had immediately put themselves in front of Dawn, who had been previously sitting on a lab table. She had moved to stand on the table when he shouted, peeking curiously over her grandfather's shoulder and smiling brightly at him. She knew who he was, but he looked at her desperately, shaking his head slightly no. She looked confused.
"What are you doing here spook?" Jack snapped accusingly. A free hand had moved back to place a protective hand on Dawn, assuring himself that she was out of harm's way.
"What are you doing?" he demanded to know. He mentally slapped himself in the face. Stupid, stupid Fenton. Would have been a much better move to come in as Fenton, not Phantom. The Fenton adults glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes.
"Phantom possessing her's out of the question," Jack murmured to Maddie, but it was loud enough that Danny could catch it.
"I'd never do such a thing to her!" Danny immediately blurted out. Maddie narrowed her eyes at him.
"Why do you care? You're a ghost." Danny had no clue how to answer that. Why would a ghost care about a Fenton kid? He had no explanation.
"Grandma?" Dawn's voice spoke up quietly.
"Not now honey," Maddie quickly dismissed her, and she pressed into Jack to better shield the girl from the ghost, but she never took her eyes off of the enemy.
Danny's eyes were trained on Dawn as he saw tiny fingers grab Maddie's shoulder so she could use her grandmother as leverage so she could look over at the ghost. Maddie used a hand to lightly push her face down a bit, protectively trying to shield her. Danny's mouth felt dry, and a strange rush of excitement ran through him as he noticed Dawn's blue eyes flash green in annoyance.
Dawn stepped back, huffing annoyingly. She sat back down on the lab table, stretching her leg out wobbly as she tested if she wanted to jump the long distance (for a kid anyway) to the floor. Soon, she decided it was worth the risk, and she hopped down. The noise made Maddie jump, and she spun around to see Dawn standing on the ground. Before she could do anything, the girl darted for the ghost.
"Dawn!" Maddie cried out. To her horror, Phantom held his arms out for her, and Dawn was eagerly running to him. No, no, no! She knew that Dawn was too trusting of ghosts.
Jack opened fire. Phantom yelped as it hit him square in the chest, sending him back into the wall. Dawn stopped in her steps, staring wide-eyed. Maddie reached out to grab Dawn by the arm, to pull her back. The girl jumped in surprise, but allowed herself to be pulled out.
"Honey, that ghost is dangerous!" Maddie scolded her, pulling her close to her chest as she knelt close to the girl's level. She took note of Dawn's confusion.
"But-" she began.
"No buts!" Dawn's lower lip quivered, and Maddie pulled her into a tight, protective hug. She must be scared.
Phantom was quick to recover from the blast, already on his feet and standing on the lab floor, eyes darting from adult to adult. His hand was on his chest, some smoke and a light burn forming from where he was hit. He was half-surprised that Jack even hit him.
"Look," he began, but he stopped upon hearing the ectogun in Jack's hand began to whine as it charged.
"Jack Fenton will not allow any harm to come to this family while he is alive!" he declared, narrowing his eyes. "Take your leave, spook."
"No!" Dawn yelled, and Jack spared a slight glance to his granddaughter. The child was distressed, wiggling in Maddie's arms.
"Dawn, it's not safe!" Maddie scolded her, and she let out a gasp when Dawn slipped through her grasp. Literally.
Maddie reached out to grab at her again, but Dawn was already running for Phantom. The ghost immediately scooped her into his arms, holding her tightly, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He shifted to move so an arm was supporting her, his other resting on her back.
"PUT HER DOWN RIGHT NOW!" Maddie yelled, holding her ectogun up to him.
Dawn looked at her with an expression she had never seen before on her. Pure fear. Her fists had begun to clutch Phantom's jumpsuit, and Phantom had shifted his stance so that if either Fenton shot at him, it wouldn't hit Dawn. Dawn was mostly hidden from view, but she could see twin glowing green eyes belonging to her peeking from behind Phantom. Phantom looked worried more than anything else, to her surprise. The resemblance was uncanny, and it unnerved her greatly.
Maddie's confident demeanor faltered, and her lowered the ectogun a bit. Jack glanced at her, raising an eyebrow.
"Jack, we can't," she whispered to her husband. "It only harms ghosts, but..." Her eyes flickered to Dawn and Phantom. Jack returned his focus to them, and he glared.
"You better explain yourself," he demanded.
Phantom looked at Dawn, who had begun to tear up.
"Daddy, I'm scared."
Maddie nearly dropped her ectogun, and Jack looked baffled. Phantom's hold on Dawn, tightened.
"I know, baby boo." Phantom's tone became eerily familiar as he comforted the girl. "I'm sorry it had to happen this way."
Phantom locked eyes with the Fenton adults. A flash of bright light appeared at his waist, and twin rings moved opposite of each other, leaving their son in Phantom's place.
#danny phantom#phics#my phics#oc#danny fenton#jack fenton#maddie fenton#dawn fenton#DP OCs#second gen#i'm going to become the queue
45 notes
·
View notes
Note
I just found your blog and I unfortunately have little to no knowledge of Danny Phantom. Could you please explain it to me in your own way?
A DANNY PHANTOM SYNOPSIS: BY TUNGLR USER LEXX
Ok so Danny Phantom (2004-2007) is essentially a Nickelodeon show with great plot potential, awesome lore, and a subpar execution. It was conceptualized and produced by Butch Hartman (aka “Elmer” and “Birch Tree Fartman” by phandom people), who came up with other classics like Fairly Oddparents and Tuff Puppy.
The thing about Elmer, which I think most people can agree on, is he’s pretty good at coming up with children’s cartoon ideas. But his style of “happy-go-lucky” #familyfriendly goofball characters type of worldbuilding skills just didn’t fit Danny Phantom. Combine that with his general narcissism and inability to admit any wrongdoings, and Danny Phantom was essentially doomed to fail in the worst way possible. Which it absolutely did.
The show itself is about this dweeb here, Danny Fenton. Danny is an unremarkably average fourteen year old who lives with his crazy (yet loving) scientist parents Maddie and Jack Fenton, and his older A-student sister, Jazz Fenton. His parents are shown to be incredibly bright, but not very detail-oriented and a bit misguided at times. So when they built an inter-dimensional portal to The Ghost Zone in their lab basement, it…didn’t work.
Yeah, it turns out they put the on switch on the inside of the machine. So when Danny was fucking around in the lab with his two friends, techno-geek Tucker Foley and vegan goth Sam Manson, he accidentally pressed switch in the portal and ZAP he fucking died. Uh…half died.
He wasn’t a ghost, but he also wasn’t a human anymore. He turned into something in between. He couldn’t tell his parents, because his parents actively hunt-to-maim-and-dissect ghosts for the sake of science, and he couldn’t tell any other adult in his life because the government set up a ghost-hunting division specifically to conduct painful experiments on ghosts. So he and his two friends had to keep it secret.
And not only that, but when the portal turned on it turned on, so ghosts from the GZ started coming into the human world and treating it like their playground.
Each episode (or sometimes two) revolves around Danny learning to fight and ultimately defeating a different ghosts. Some ghosts are funny, some are kinda badass, some are super sadistic, and a bunch of them appear more than once in the show.
The thing is, these ghosts have had years of learning about their powers and developing their skills, while Danny was pretty much zapped and then like immediately was thrown into the fire as his town’s first and last line of defense. So, unlike other teen super hero shows where the heroes are skilled from the start, Danny sucks at being a hero.
Like, really fucking sucks.
This ghost here is Vlad Plasmius, who is also a half ghost like Danny. He was friends with Jack and Maddie in college, and was zapped by a proto-portal the three of them build together. Except, Jack got some of the calculations wrong and so the portal pretty much exploded upon activation. Right onto Vlad’s face. After Vlad left the hospital, he used his ghost powers to steal money and become a billionaire business tycoon.
To sum up Vlad’s character: He wants to kill Jack and actively tries to do so throughout the series, he wants to marry Maddie who he had a crush on in college, he wants to adopt Danny so he can teach him how to use his new powers the way Vlad thinks he should. Danny fucking hates Vlad’s guts, and tells him so constantly. Vlad beats the shit out of him in return.
So, Danny. A disaster child. A smol protector. The show itself started off pretty strong, and Season 1 and 2 were both filled with some great episodes. Some of my personal favorites include “Bitter Reunions,” "My Brother’s Keeper", "Shades of Gray", and “Reign Storm.” But when you get into Season 3, that’s when it gets dicey. I won’t get into it too much, but a bunch of shit went down between Elmer and Nickelodeon and the show ended up getting a hasty finale (”Phantom Planet”) that we all pretend never happened.
So now, the phandom. Because if you’re gonna talk about the show, you have to also talk about the phandom.
The show didn’t last long, and of the 53 episodes, maybe 20 of those are actually enjoyable to watch as an adult. But the show had sooooo much potential. And so many people, myself included, have recognized this. Which is why the phandom has stayed alive for so long.
You want fics? We got fics. You want art? The tags are filled with it. You want events? We have several. You want more plot points and characters that are so cemented in phanon that they might as well be canon? Oh boi, we have that too.
The phandom took this concept, the lore, the characters, and fucking ran with it so hard that now we have people entering the phandom before they’ve even watched the show. Like, for real. Do you know how cool that is? Like, how many other fandoms have people consistently producing dope content for a show they’ve literally never seen? Fucking amazing!
And THAT, my friends, is the full synopsis of Danny Phantom.
Hope you enjoyed!
612 notes
·
View notes
Photo
Forte’s Fan Character Flashback Friday - #7
Name:: Valarie Masters
Series: Danny Phantom
Background: Holey moley guacamole! I missed Fan Character Flashback Friday! I mean... today is a Friday, but I was supposed to post this last week! Dangit! I'm sorry! Things are kinda crazy on my end still and it only dawned on me today that I had forgotten to do something - and it was this.
A thousand apologies for my tardiness, but going on about that still won't get this posted.
I've actually been waiting to post this character because I KNOW I had old art of her SOMEWHERE around and I cannot, for the life of me, find it, and unfortunately, I'm down in Texas right now to help out my aunt and uncle so I can't even continue looking for the physical copies of said old art if it even still exists. I KNOW it exists, because I used to post art for this character on a Danny Phantom fan forum I would RP on and heck, I even found that old forum, managed to log in to see if any of those old links still worked, and NOPE.
Guess I deleted them off the Photobucket I once had them on at some point and where the physical copies are, I'm not sure, because I don't remember seeing them when going through my old drawing binders.
It's really quite frustrating.
Anyway, this is Valarie, who I named forgetting about the actual Valerie Grey character from the series, cause the name fit the general bad fan character naming system of "it starts with the same letter of the character I like and is kinda similar, so I'll go with it". I kept it anyway, cause little me reasoned, "well, this Valarie spells it with two As while the other is with an A and an E, so it's fine."
Just kinda funny that they're both linked to Vlad though, so yay, I guess? Hahah, I dunno.
Anywho, Valarie was set up/designed to be Vlad's daughter, but not even his biological daughter, though not a clone like some of my other fan characters, though with things that happen later in the actual series, it would actually be... possible/viable. Instead, she was a extraordinary creation of the Ghost Zone and was more or less "born" of the supernatural energies that construct that dimension.
I guess you can kind of compare her existence to that of Maria from Silent Hill 2. The Born from a Wish scenario kind of implies that Maria was manifested by the town using James' subconscious memories and feelings regarding his wife. Valarie, in the same vein, was manifested by the Ghost Zone, for whatever reason, to help placate Vlad's need and want for a family of his own.
Mind you, this entire backstory was cobbled together before Kindred Spirits introduced Dani Phantom and her entire storyline... which... is.... kinda the same, really, to Valarie's, and I remember at the time, was kind of mad about it back in the day.
Speaking of Dani Phantom, I remember how a lot of people were mad about Butch Hartman's apparent laziness in her character design and creation, cause it was pretty akin to many "bad fan characters" that you see out there, which, hey, I won't deny; that's what this whole Flashback thing I do is about, but you know, this just serves as a good example of the fact that pretty much... everyone does this. Everyone makes bad fan characters, even for their own things, so I think it's just more healthy for people to realize this and embrace it, hahaha.
Going back to Valarie - she's more or less a person who exists to help Vlad chill the fuck out and maybe not ruin things for everyone or everything. A more recent reason I came up with for this was that Clockwork and/or The Observants that are seen in the Ultimate Enemy special with Dark Danny foresaw Vlad's ambitions proving to be too troublesome in the future, so to prevent this from causing way more havoc than it's worth, even with Danny around to stop him or whatever, they're like "hey just throw him a kid; that'll keep him busy a little, right?"
Even with her supernatural origins, Valarie is half-human and half-ghost like Vlad and looks much like him thanks to just her being a physical manifestation of one of his subconscious desires. Physically, she’s about seven or eight years old and generally acts playful, though polite, but can occasionally come off as spoiled.
She shares many of her father’s sentiments towards various issues and people, though it’s safe to assume she doesn’t fully understand his reasoning for those feelings due to how young she is. For example, she harbors a dislike for Jack, though finds his clumsiness more amusing than idiotic and only really says she hates him because Vlad does.
In regards to Danny, she likes him and finds him fun to play with, but in her terms, that means toying around with him. Despite her small size, she can hold her own in battle and has a good handle on her ghost powers and won’t hesitate to use them to pull pranks or harass other people, especially if she has or is told to. Her antics can be described as impish while in ghost form, though she likes to feign innocence if caught.
A big point of curiosity with her is her memory; she has no memory of a time before not “being” and has no real answer when asked about her childhood. She doesn’t seem bothered by this lack of knowledge and usually shrugs it off, intent that she exists because she does; she feels no need to question it further. For her things are simple: if her father is happy, she’s happy. Be this just some childish thought process or some more ingrained sense of purpose because of her strange origins is up for debate.
More was actually done with this character than others and like I said, there used to be old sketches of her about. If I ever find them (and I hope I do, really), I’ll be sure to post them.
But aside from that, like I said, I did role play with this character on a Danny Phantom fan thread and boy was that a cringy time. I will admit now, that back then, when I was like 12 or whatever, I was an obnoxious brat who didn’t know how to really socialize or what she was doing on the Internet. Hahaha, when going back there to find the old image links, I ventured onto some of my older posts and…. Whooooo boy, no thank you.
I know at that point I did also write short fanfics from time to time, but I think those might be locked on boot drives from our old computers and don’t have a way of looking for them now either. For those, if I ever do find them, I might also post them, but it all depends on just HOW much cringe I want to trudge up and share, hahaha.
I know I’ve been ranting a lot now and it’s already now past Friday, even for the time zone I’m in, but I’m gonna go on a little side story as… an apology, though it just means a bit more ranting.
When I said I RPed on this site, I can’t actually say a lot of actual character development happened. I don’t remember what the system was for RPing canon show characters and the times they did pop up, it was on a situational basis, because more people were interested in playing their own character and pretty much everyone on that forum had half-ghost, half-human characters that had their powers for one reason or another.
There was one thread that was particularly popular though that I spent a lot of time in with most of the other players, called Halfa High, so it was just kids in high school. Characters, like mine, that were younger than high school age, had various reasons for being there, like they’re super geniuses or they have a sibling there they’ve come to see or something like that; it’s a fandom RP so anything can happen. Most of the stuff in here, because it was 12-14 or whatever year olds, was just characters pairing up with each other, cause I guess that’s just what kids care about, hahaha. I don’t know, I’m just an old lady now.
Anyway, this thread went on for a good number of pages and eventually they started a second one. And then they had one where everyone went to summer camp, so other weird adventures could be had without the confines of going to school.
This was the one I remember doing the most in though frankly, I don’t remember what the overarching storyline was at the time, though I don’t think I knew what was really going on back in the day either.
One of the big points I do remember was the fact that many of the people on this forum looked up to one particular member, who I’ll call Susan, because that was her character’s name. I’m pretty sure she was in her early 20s at this time, so a lot of the younger people gravitated towards her because she was mature and knew how to keep things moving in terms of RP story; she was more or less the main storyteller of the Halfa threads, coming up with a lot of the plot points and twists. She was also just popular cause she had been there for a while, I think, and she was a pretty good artist on the forum.
She wasn’t necessarily a bad person and usually always open to adapting an RP to involve suggested ideas, but I remember at the time, I was super jealous of her. One, because she did have really good art and I felt like a poo-poo artist and two, because she seemed to have a lot of sway in terms of what she wanted to happen in most scenarios, so much so, it was treated as forum canon that her character was married to Dark Danny and had two kids with him.
Nowadays, of course, I don’t give a damn. Whatever. But back then, it was annoying to me. And I guess some part of me wanted to pair my characters with Older Dan. I remember actually being openly mad about it on the forums and to her in private messages about it and did get in trouble for being a salty, little brat for it. One time, I even wrote a bitter fanfic that was less than subtle in regards to it, but I remember cooling my jets enough for them to not just full out ban me.
Like I said, I was obnoxious back then; it’s a phase all kids go through I guess, cause I see it in kids that age even now.
Anyway, this actually developed into a story point in the RP when I agreed to not be such an Angsty Annie about the whole thing and the Halfa Summer Camp thread took some weird turns. Besides the usual pairing of everyone’s characters with one another and other summer camp-y hijinks, it had time travel, an evil group that were named after the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and political unrest regarding a ghostly royal family.
The royal family, of course, consisted of Susan and Dan, and their two kids. They had a son and a little girl, who I don’t remember the names of in the slightest. Susan got crowned? Queen of the Ghost Zone after she and some members of some Ghost Council? Were able to seal away Pariah Dark… and in that timeline, Dan was a fugitive, so they got married in secret and still managed to have secret relations enough to have their two kids.
But see, that was in the future of the Ghost Zone, which was like 20-30 years away from the time of the events of the actual RP. Why they were going back in time, I don’t remember, but I think it was something to do with Clockwork sending them back or something, who knows.
Valarie, however, is also technically part of the Ghost Royal Family (cause that’s a thing here…. hahaha), because I guess Susan was… Vlad’s niece? Somehow? So that made her and Valarie cousins, but because Susan was the one who sealed the Big Bad away, that meant she got to be Queen, just… because? There will be a lot of uncertainty with this recollection, cause again, heck if I actually knew or know what happened then.
Anyway, I guess in the uhm… present timeline, Susan was going to summer camp and this was before her and Danny were even a thing, cause doesn’t happen until they’re adults? I think, but she runs into a version of Dan that’s… in between him being a teenage and the future version that’s married to Susan… and… there was some contention with that, but again, I don’t remember what…
But eventually, everyone’s future selves end up appearing at summer camp, again for their own various reasons, along with Susan’s future kids, who get caught up in things, mainly because of misunderstanding and people having grudges and just wanting to kill other people without talking it out.
This loops back to my annoyance with Susan getting her character paired with a major canon character and the aforementioned political unrest, because it led to Older Valarie being a quiet, hardened soldier with a hidden, strong, but deeply unrequited love for Dan, which of course, causes a bit of tension with her and Susan, who is the Queen in the future. Also, apparently, I guess? There was a Ghost War or something? In the future or at some point that they set up a Royal Guard and Army, cause Valarie was more or less the Captain of all that, along with the personal trainer of the eldest son of the Royal Family. Future Susan, of course, is fine with her being in such a position of power cause I guess she’s proved it by this point and she doesn’t know of Valarie’s feelings for her husband, so it’s all right as rain as long as she just… stews about it silently to herself, because that is totally the healthy thing to do.
Older Valarie also goes back in time though, because eventually, people start coming across the aforementioned Four Horsemen, which aren’t really horsemen, because they don’t even have horses, but again, are named after them and are supposed to be the “living embodiments” of their namesake. So we have super powerful characters named War, Pestilence, Famine, and Death running around for… reasons? That I can’t even remember. Certain members’ characters are actually the younger versions of the Four before they’re… corrupted? Or something like that and given those names and most the people who turn into whichever, of course, have to fight their evil, older selves cause that’s cool or whatever.
Younger Valarie, at the time, was just hanging about and I guess fawning over a teenage Danny or the in between Dan (this is just as confusing to remember as it is to read, trust me), and I think makes friends with the Future Prince and Princess, who again are running around. I think the Prince was there to try and find Dan, because he believes he? Killed his father? Even though Dan is his father? And Dan was there anyway to protect the younger version of his future wife…? And the Princess was there just cause she wanted her mom, which is Future Susan, who went back to… do…. Something…?
But anyway, Younger Valarie ends up getting approached by her future self, who had originally come to serve her duty as Captain of the Royal Guard and protect Future Queen Susan, but eventually starts to realize that she could perhaps mess with the past to change things to the way she really wants them (even though I know now that would probably create some annoying paradox but please don’t get me on time paradoxes cause we’ve been here long enough already), so she starts to put it in her younger self’s head that everything going on here isn’t fair and she should do more than just be obedient and trusting and take whatever Susan says without question, because by not being more open and honest about your feelings just leads to a life of misery, pain and loneliness.
However, Younger Valarie just doesn’t get why she would say these things and rejects that line of thinking, which kinda makes Older Valarie snap and be like “okay, fine, I guess I’ll just go kill some peeps and then you’ll see what I mean”... I mean, I think? She does try to stop influencing her younger self and try to take matters into her own hands though.
Because at one point, we did have it where Older Valarie confronts Older Susan about her deep, dark hidden feelings, and they get into a fight over it, especially after Older Valarie threatens to go kill the Prince, but being a trained soldier and the Captain of the Royal Guard, Older Valarie does kick Older Queen Susan’s butt, but I think… is interrupted by one of the Four, that being War.
I think Older Dan also comes in at some point and chides Older Valarie for her actions, but heck if I remember. To be honest, if I fully cared and wanted to really relive some cringe, I could probably go to the forum and just read over the whole thread, but that was like 200+ (if not more) of pages and I…. do not feel like doing that, hahaha.
Anyway, Older Valarie and War end up getting into a fight, because it turns out War himself has some issue with Older Valarie. And it turns out that he used to be like her second in command? Or something? Who disappeared while on a mission and ended up into some spoopy, dark, dangerous, evil place, where he got corrupted and turned into War and it turns out he was okay with it, because he was also angry and bitter, cause surprise! He himself had feelings for Older Valarie, but poor guy got friendzoned and his attempts went unnoticed because she instead had feelings for Older Dan, because love triangles are also a cool plot twist to do, cause why not, I guess.
Uhm… I think during this fight was when Older Valarie started to notice the error? Of her ways? Or something like that after seeing one of her closest subordinates fall into darkness, so her story shifts to trying to get War to remember who he used to be. This character did have an original name, but I totally forget what it was… Anyway, War claims that there’s nothing she can do because he embraced and was more than willing to give up his soul or whatever for the power to actually make Older Valarie notice him or something.
I… actually don’t remember much past this point, though. I want to say she did end up getting through to him, but that might just be me rewriting history. That character, though, was more or less being set up to give someone for Young Valarie to pair with and I do thing there was a present day or at least an uncorrupted version of that character pop up at one point….
But besides that, I don’t even remember if that RP was finished, mainly because I think I started to stop going there as much and lost interest. The RP itself, actually, I think started to slow down, mainly because people got busy with other things, especially Susan and because she was again, more or less the driving force behind most things, it petered out.
I’m actually uncertain how old I was when there, because I will admit, when I was in my first year of college, I toyed around with some of the concepts from this RP and wanted to repurpose it into a story. It was mainly the stuff that took place in the future with the Royal Family and with the Four Horsemen, where basically, it would follow Older Valarie (hell, the “rewrites” character name might have just been Valarie for simplicity sake) as she dealt with her feelings with the Royal family and her relation to it, trying to protect the Kingdom and its people, and eventually deal with the disappearance of her Second in Command and his reappearance as a giant threat later on.
…. Really, I still kinda like the idea…
ANYWAY, I have talked long enough and am tardy enough with just this post as it is, so I’ll leave it at that. According to the Google Doc where I’m writing all this before actually posting, this is six pages long, so even more apologies for my rambling.
Still, hope you liked this month’s look back in time and look forward to the next one!
#forte's art#forte's fan character flashback friday#fan character flashback friday#danny phantom#oc#original character#fan character#vlad#vlad plasmius#vlad masters
30 notes
·
View notes
Text
Things Unseen: Chapter 3
Steve's known almost his whole life that his anchor was going to be one of the Kelly-Kalakaua family, the only ones strong enough to tie him to the Seen when he needed to talk to a spirit. What he did not know was how important a cop from Jersey who doesn't believe in ghosts would end up being.
In which Steve and Kono are peak mlm/wlw solidarity, Danny is a wreck, Chin is tired and there are some ghosts.
Chapter Three: Forward
[on ao3]
Steve plunges head-first into the Unseen so fast he almost can’t stop himself. Even when he does get his feet under him, he can’t get his bearings for far too long. Finally, distantly, he hears Kono’s voice.
“Steve, goddammit, come back! Where are you? Come on, Steve. Steve!” she shouts, and it’s echoing in his head and all around him and there’s something just a little bit off about that, but he doesn’t question it.
“I’m here,” he finally makes himself say. He hears Kono sigh.
“Scared me for a second boss. You were lost for a minute there.”
“Sorry,” he apologizes half heartedly. He glances around. He vaguely recognizes this as Kuhio Avenue, but he knows that doesn’t mean anything. This might be Broadway Avenue to someone else, or Park Street to another, or Sunset Boulevard to another. The Unseen is always in flux, it molds, at least superficially, to who is observing it. None of these buildings are real, Steve knows. They’re here because the Unseen thinks he needs a familiar environment.
To hunt down Victor Hesse’s spirit, he really does.
“You remember what you’re doing there boss?” Kono’s voices rings out, and Steve almost flinches in surprise.
“I remember,” he says, and he begins his search.
He reaches out with every part of himself, stretching himself as far as possible to seek out the spirit of his father’s killer. Distantly, he brushes on Anton Hesse’s spirit, and jerks far away from that. He doesn’t need to be stirring up anything with an angry spirit. Seeking out a lost soul is difficult enough as it is.
As he reaches out into the depths of the Unseen, he wanders the hazy construct of the streets of Waikiki, searching and searching and searching. Kono calls out to him a few times, but he doesn’t answer. Something seems off, just enough to raise Steve’s hackles.
He opens a door and it gives way to empty space and another street and he knows that’s how the Unseen works, but something’s wrong. He’s having a strong feeling of dejavu, but he can’t pinpoint what’s wrong here. He steps through the door and he’s suddenly no longer alone. Danny is standing there, in one of his stupid ties, with his slicked back hair, and hands tucked into the pockets of his impractical slacks. Steve’s heart stutters.
“What the hell is the matter with you?” Danny says, all heavy Jersey accent, but it’s not full of fire like usual. It’s deliberate quiet, reserved anger and careful calm. It is not the Danny he knows, and Steve’s brow creases in concern. “Your plan worked? You think it worked? You got me shot,” Danny snaps, and suddenly there’s red running on his shirt, he’s bleeding, there are bullet wounds in his chest.
“Danny!” Steve cries out, and he rushes forward, reaches out for his partner, only to find a still smoking gun in his hand.
“You did this to me,” Danny hisses, and then he is not Danny anymore, his face twisting and contorting into something inhuman and horrifying and Steve drops the gun and stumbles back, only he can’t drop the gun, it’s sticking to his hand like someone’s glued it to him, like it’s a part of him, and all at once everything comes crashing down around his shoulders. The world is crumbling around him and compacting to crush him in it’s vice like grip and Victor’s voice is shoving it’s way into his head and drowning out Kono’s reassurances that he’s okay, and Steve’s screaming, even though he can’t even hear his own voice--
Steve jerks awake, panting and gasping for breath. He reaches blindly for a weapon before he registers that he’s alone, in his bed, in his own home. He’s safe. He flops back onto the mattress and lets out a deep sigh. His hands tremble just enough to notice as he runs one through his sweat damp hair.
It was just a dream.
A dream of a memory, but a dream nonetheless. When he had gone in search of Victor Hesse’s spirit in reality, in the days following their shootout on the freighter, the Unseen had not collapsed in on Steve like that. He had not been caught unawares like that, had not been suffocated by an incorporeal plane.
Danny hadn’t been there.
He’d just spent so long wandering that Kono had to all but force him back to the Seen. He’d stayed in for nearly half an hour. Chin and Kono were worried he wasn’t going to come out. But he did, with the conclusion that Victor Hesse did not die and Steve had failed.
Steve’s phone buzzes and lights up and he jumps.
[from: Kono Kalakaua, 3:27 AM]
You alright boss?
Steve scrubs a hand over his face. Fuck. He was hoping he hadn’t woken Kono with that little incident.
Over the past few weeks of working together, as a part of a team, and as an anchor and speaker, Steve’s gotten a lot closer to Kono. He’s gotten a lot closer with Chin, too, of course, and Danny is something else entirely, but with Kono it’s something different than just growing closer. With training and cases, she spends half the time they’re around each other in Steve’s head. She knows him inside out, even though they’ve only known each other a few weeks. They’ve also got a very primitive empathetic bond. It’s nothing serious, but with the amount of time they spend stuck together, when they feel something strongly enough, the emotions tend to bleed. It’s useful for work, they can feel when the other is in danger, and it’s useful in keeping conflict to a minimum because they can’t hide severe irritation from each other, but it’s not always so great.
Like now, when his dream anxiety bleeds over into Kono’s mind and wakes her up in the middle of the night.
Sometimes he wishes he had something like this for Danny. He never knows what his partner is thinking, doesn’t quite know how to handle him yet, even with the easy team dynamic they’ve all settled into. He shoves that to the back of his mind though. He just woke Kono up at 3:30 in the morning, he owes her at least a little bit of an explanation.
[to: Kono Kalakaua, 3:31 AM]
Just a dream. Sorry to wake you.
[from: Kono Kalakaua, 3:32 AM]
Need to talk about it?
[to: Kono Kalakaua, 3:32 AM]
No.
[from: Kono Kalakaua, 3:33 AM]
Your call. You at least going to tell me what that warm feeling I just got was?
Steve swears under his breath, even though there’s no one around to hear him. Are his thoughts about Danny really strong enough for Kono to get a feeling from it? They’re going to have to work on learning some control over this whole empathy thing.
[to: Kono Kalakaua, 3:35 AM]
No idea what you’re talking about.
[from: Kono Kalakaua, 3:36 AM]
If you’ve got to tell yourself that, okay. But remember how much time I spend hooked into your mind, McGarrett. I know you better than you know you.
Anyway, it’s late. If you’re not dying, and don’t want to talk, I’m going to sleep. See you in the morning.
That first text is vaguely concerning, but Steve’s too tired to really think about it too much. He’ll deal with it later. As it is, he barely shoots a “good night” back and gets his phone to his nightstand before he’s slipping into sleep again.
His sleep for the rest of the night is not peaceful, but it is sleep, and he’s glad he at least got a little bit more rest before he has to get ready and go to work. With Halloween just around the corner, supernatural activity is picking up all over the island. Since Five-0 takes point on most major crimes and criminal supernatural activity, the next few days are going to be long ones for the team. Even Chin is on edge, his eyes flashing out of his control while he works, with the upcoming holiday.
Steve can already feel a headache building behind his eyes, there are so many spirits trying to get his attention. They’ll have to deal with that soon. He sighs heavily, and decides he’ll treat himself to coffee from some overpriced shop on the way to work as a consolation for the toll he knows it’s going to take on him to spend so much time in the Unseen.
“Who are you, and what have you done with Steve McGarrett?” Danny says, the second Steve steps into the office and Steve has to pause. He almost looks to his reflection in the glass walls of the offices, concerned that maybe he’s showing symptoms of a curse. They had faced down with an angry witch last week, it was possible.
But then Danny’s straight face breaks and he looks at Steve’s coffee cup and starts laughing.
“See I ask because Steve McGarrett, Mr. Military, SuperSEAL himself, who usually drinks his coffee with butter in it, is standing in front of me with pumpkin spice latte. So you must be a changeling, or an alien clone, or something,” Danny says, and Steve wrinkles his nose.
He makes an offended noise in the back of his throat as Kono and Chin snicker at Danny’s comment and opens his mouth to retaliate before Danny jumps in again.
“Actually, I don’t know why I’m surprised. You like pineapple on pizza. You obviously have no taste.”
“You’re the one without taste. Pineapple’s good on anything, and with all your complaining about how I take my coffee, you should be glad that I’m broadening my coffee horizons, you--” Steve chokes on his next word, and has to hastily set all of his things down to brace himself against a wall.
“Steve?” Danny says, his teasing tone replaced with concern in a split second. He moves like he’s going to try to steady Steve, a half aborted motion.
Across the room, Kono puts a hand to her throat and scrunches up her face, then crosses to Steve and grabs his arm.
Steve takes a deep breath, and plunges into the Unseen.
“Steve,” he hears Kono’s voice, and he exhales, and finds his footing. The Unseen orients itself for him, this time taking the familiar form of a battleship, because, Steve suspects, there are a lot of spirits trying to get his attention, and this is an easy way to organize them for him, while still giving him a familiar environment.
“I’m here,” Steve tells her, and Kono sighs in what sounds like relief. He’ll have to ask what that’s about later. For now, there are a dozen spirits who want his attention and he has to sort out which of them need attention now and which ones he can help without a time constraint.
He wanders down a hall at random, following the tugging behind his collarbones, and letting it lead him to a door a few meters down. The door opens when he approaches it and reaches out a hand, but without him ever touching it. He steps inside and almost stumbles right back out.
The room is empty, stripped down to its bunks and nothing else, which Steve was expecting. The spirit in the room is Danny, which he was not expecting. He has a moment of blind panic where he feels like the walls are closing in around him, and for a second, the walls around him actually do begin to close in on him, and Danny looks at him in something like disdain. Steve’s hands shake and he throws them out on either side of him with a yell, and the walls stop closing in.
One of Danny’s eyebrows creeps towards his hairline and he watches Steve carefully, before his mouth drops open in a horrifying scream and he disappears.
Steve stumbles back into the now-closed door, and slips right through it, falling flat on his back at the feet of a spirit, one who is not his partner, one with a vicious looking wound on her neck, and a terrified expression etched onto her face. He hates to think how she died, but he knows he has to ask.
“A witch,” she tells him when he asks, in a voice that is too small and too loud all at once, and grates on every last one of Steve’s nerves. He’s still unsettled from the not-Danny he’s just gotten away from. “She said she needed me, for a ritual, that my sacrifice would help the old gods live and they’d be grateful for it.” She gives Steve a description of the witch that killed her, and then she starts to cry and Steve hugs her and promises that he’ll find the witch who did this to her, and then there’s a knock on the door, which startles the both of them so much that Steve nearly throws a punch at the empty air on instinct.
But instead of the trouble that Steve was expecting, the door swings open very slowly, and reveals an elderly woman standing on the other side of it. Steve looks back to the girl and watches as the wound on her neck closes itself, knitting back together in the same way Chin’s supernatural healing fixes injuries he gets.
“Grandma?” the girl asks, and the woman nods and smiles sadly.
“We were not expecting you so soon, but I can’t say I’m not happy to see you,” the girl’s grandmother says, and Steve feels like he’s intruding. He’s never been around when a spirit has reunited with their ancestors in the Unseen before. It’s always just been him and the spirit who had sought him out. Today is just full of surprises, it seems. The grandmother turns to Steve and gives him a soft smile as well. “Find who did this to her, and you make them pay, understood?”
Steve nods once. “I’ll make sure that the woman who did this faces justice, Auntie.”
“I’ll find you if you don’t, spirit-speaker,” she warns and then she turns around, her hand on her granddaughter’s shoulder, and they both evaporate as though they had never been there.
Steve places a hand against the wall nearest him and watches the construct waver as he does his best to get the Unseen to convey a message to the other spirits waiting for him. He’ll help them as soon as he can, but if there’s a witch trying to raise the old gods, he has to go handle that immediately.
“Kono,” he calls out, his voice only sounding in his own head.
Kono does not answer.
Steve calls again.
No answer.
Steve bellows.
“Steve?” he finally hears Kono’s voice, and she half-manifests next to him, holding his hand and watching him with concern.
“Take me back, we have a case,” he says, and she helps him back into his body so fast he thinks he might have whiplash from it.
He’s still stumbling back into the physical world when Kono lets him go, and he’d be surprised at her lack of caution-- she usually waits to be certain Steve’s back to himself before letting go-- if not for the scene he’s coming back to.
Danny’s on the floor, his eyes moving rapidly behind his eyelids, twitching so much he might as well be seizing,
“What the hell happened?” Steve asks and he crouches next to Danny’s feet.
Chin’s already cushioning Danny’s head, his eyes closed in concentration, probably listening to Danny’s breathing and heartbeat. Kono’s got a hand on his forehead, and then she’s feeling for Danny’s pulse as well, and her brow is pinched in worry.
“I don’t know,” Chin says. “Before you went on your visit, you got a little unsteady, Danny was helping Kono keep you steady and then he just collapsed. I was able to move fast enough to keep him from hitting his head, but he’s just been like this since you went in. He started shaking when Kono pulled you back,” he mutters, and the way his voice comes out, Steve knows Chin’s fangs have popped out from the stress.
Even Chin’s normally impeccable control is suffering this close to Halloween. They’re in for a long week.
“Looks like he’s coming out of it. Danny?” Kono says, gently patting Danny’s face to try to get his attention as Danny’s eyes glance around, unfocused and glassy. “Danny, come on, do you know where you are? Hey, Danny,” Kono repeats, a little sharper this time, and Danny’s eyes snap towards her.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m in the office. The hell am I doing on the floor?” Danny grumbles, trying to sit up.
Chin grabs his shoulder to steady him when Danny grimaces.
“Take it easy brah,” Chin warns.
“What the hell happened to me?” Danny asks.
Kono shrugs, and lets out a relieved sounding sigh. “You collapsed when Steve left to visit the Unseen. We don’t know, you just--hey, take it easy!” she cuts herself off when Danny pushes himself to his feet.
He stands still for a moment, as though he’s testing out his own legs and then holds out his hands in a “see?” sort of gesture.
“I feel fine,” he says, sounding a little skeptical of his own assessment of himself. “Of course it was something to do with the ghosts. It’s always gotta be something to do with the fucking ghosts with you three. Always the ghosts,” he complains, and then he’s walking towards his office as though nothing had just happened.
Kono and Chin get to their feet, and they share a confused look with Steve, and then Danny calls back at them.
“I’ll take it easy today, and if I start feeling bad, I’ll see a doctor, but do not call an ambulance! I do not need that bill, thank you!” Danny shouts over his shoulder and then his office door closes behind him.
Steve shrugs, because that’s what he’d do too, in all honesty, and he heads for his office too.
They’ve got a witch to find.
#mcdanno#steve mcgarrett#danny williams#kono kalakaua#chin ho kelly#hawaii five 0#h50#fic#mine#TU AU
5 notes
·
View notes
Text
The Namibia/Panama Crossings Part Two. The Desert, Day 5
DAY 5 Conception - The wreck of the Eduard Bohlen - 9 miles (AKA Look Mum, I Crossed A Desert!)
I wake up with a HANGOVER because I am not used to drinking wine anymore. Just a baby hangover, but a baby one when you have a desert to finish crossing is still a pain in the arse. Coffee and salt tabs for breakfast plus a bit of granola - and we are off. Darren is fresh as anything, so he whizzes ahead to try and catch Dani and Jim. I realise that I am going to be alone for a lot of today. Not sure if that’s a good thing. I don't feel mentally strong, but there you go. It is what it is. That’s life.
youtube
It’s a grey morning and I struggle to find the footprints that Dani and Jim have left for us. The dunes have more of less flattened out now - they are more undulating than mega frustrating, and it’s cold, because we are heading to the coast - I have 2 layers on. It feels like a different life to the one we were living yesterday. I trek away on my own, with my own weird thoughts. They are thoughts of pride, mixed with the inability to accept what I have done. Feelings of ‘who the fuck cares’ and feelings that I should try and keep myself together. I want to sit and cry.
The irony of runnable terrain when you are totally exhausted...
I trot over a small dune, and suddenly I can see and smell the sea. It’s almost too much for me to take in. It’s almost over. The smell ignites my childhood memories of holidays, and the mist is rolling in across the flat sand. It’s beautiful and bleak.
youtube
I keep trotting on - not wanting it to end, but willing it to end at the same time. What will I do when I get to wreck? Will I cry? No, I can’t cry. I just want to cry at the moment. I am all out of snacks and everyone is ahead of me. I am last. Always last.
Old German mining railway left to rot on the skeleton coasts salt plains
The sea is not getting any nearer, but I come over a dune towards some plains. The salt plains. They are wet and cold and salty. Do what they say on the tin. The sand drops away under my feet and it’s more like an estuary than a desert. In front of me, is what looks like water, but I have learnt not to trust the desert. Turns out that this time it IS water. My feet are very wet and my shoes are full of grit.
youtube
Seem fine to walk on right?
NOPE.
The water gets deep quickly and is running fast. It has dead fish in it. It’s about calf deep now, and my radio comes into action. It’s Jim. He has already crossed it. He says it will take me 45 mins at least. I look at it, and, being mental and not being able to judge distance, think “nah, that’s ten mins”. It takes me 90 minutes to cross the fast flowing estuary and get to the support vehicle. I have no pictures or video of it, as my hands and phone were too wet and frankly, I was too exhausted to film it.
One of the things I remember vividly about this trip is those 90 mins. It was so hard. Lifting your tired legs and feet out of wet, deep mud. Feeling like you are going backwards, and having nobody to talk to. The support vehicle seemed like it was getting further and further away. It was horrible - really horrible. It’s something that in times of stress I will always recall. Relentless forward progress. You will get there. I stood and shouted the word ‘FUCK’ many, many times at the water. I hated it.
Back on firmer land with unidentifiable dead shit.
Eventually, I made it to firmer sand and got to the vehicle. I said very little to Danny and David. I wanted to change my socks - I had 3 miles to go, so really no need. I felt mental, and probably looked and talked like I was. My shoes were filled with grit and water and I did my best to dust them off. Danny and David told me it was only 5km to the end. I put my head down and started marching. And then I started to cry.
I didn’t want to cry at the end. I wanted people to think I was cool and casual, not overwhelmed by what we had done. I don’t want people to think I am ‘girly’ or ‘weak’. So I cried on my own. the irony of this is that crying doesnt make you weak - it helps you remain strong. I know this now - I couldn’t compute it at the time.
Vertebrae from a whales spine, the skeleton coast.
I kept on marching, I wanted to see the things I had come to see. The whale bones that litter the skeleton coast. Old wine bottles, washed up from ships that met their fate here. I saw a lot of it. Jackals coming out of their holes to chase down baby seals. Pieces of wood and metal from vessels long gone. It was bleak, astonishing and humbling. A world lost in sand and time.
Wine bottles in the sand
Then, in the distance, I see it. The wreck of the Eduard Bohlen. He has sat there since 1909 when he was wrecked in thick fog. The Bohlen completely symbolises the loneliness of the Skeleton Coast. It’s remains lie rusting in the sand, partially buried. A home for jackals, bones of their prey scattered around the hull. A symbol of the possible future of mankind. Once full of wonder and promise - now a wreck forgotten and alone. It’s a lot for me to think about. I think about how transient everything is.
Whale bones hidden in sand
Whale bones covered in sand. Wreck of the Bohlen in the background.
I try and run, but my brain tells me no. I am done. Exhausted. I take in what is going on around me and march it in. Nothing here but the remnants of a once promising and golden future, that the people of the 1900’s would have been proud of. Old glass bottles against dead whale bones. All preserved, but meaning nothing now to the people they once meant the world to.
But I’ve done it. I have fucking done it. I have become the first woman to cross the Namib Desert on this course from east to west. I hold it together, but the team form an arch with their hands, and I run through it. It’s over. They know I have been crying, they just don't say it.
youtube
An emotional little Bailoid tries to hold it together...
The finish line
I am given a beer, and I take a minute to calm myself down. The feelings that I have are not really for writing here, mainly because I don't know how to write them. I am both proud and empty, I have forgotten the hard bits. 127 miles through one of the most hostile environments on earth. I am tired, so tired. Race to the Wreck. I have done it.
Knackered
Ghost ship.
Time is running out to leave - we have a 7 hour drive out of here. I don't have much time to get myself together. I eat lunch, have a quick run around the wreck and wish I could stay here for a week investigating it all. We get in the fun bus. We’re all very, very quiet. The drive back is one of the scariest thing about this trip. The fun bus going up and down dunes at what feels like vertical angles is terrifying. We pass a dead humpback whale on the shoreline, more wrecks, dead seals and hopeful jackals. It takes seven hours of driving across those dunes, but then, suddenly, we hit tarmac and we are back in the human world.
Thats what a dead humpback whale looks like then...
More wrecks on the way out
Some casual driving on the way back..... FFS
We have one night in a hotel before we fly to Cape Town the following day. This journey is not over. One days travel and then its Man vs Table Mountain (or the Cape Town Three Peaks Challenge of Death as I have snappily renamed it). And that’s before we travel to Panama to attempt the double traverse in a journey that fundamentally changes everything for me.
So thanks for reading the first instalment of this ridiculous trip. If you want more info on the race it’s on sale now and I am happy to talk to anyone about it - just get me on the website or social media.
Next up on the blog: Man Vs Table Mountain
THANK YOU…..
RAT RACE CREW
Massive thanks to Jim and Rob and the whole team at Rat Race for once again trusting me to trial one of their ridiculous ideas. This is a hard event, a really hard event, but totally achievable and I am honoured to have been part of the Test Pilot team and hope I have done you proud. I would recommend this to anyone who has ever sought to do more than just a desert multi-day. This is the real deal - an immersion in culture and a world first. And it’s on sale now, kids! Click here for details.
Thanks to Dani Brodie for representing the female side of endurance challenges with me - this was her first ever multi-day event - no pressure then, throw yourself in at the deep end why not? She handled it with style and enthusiasm, and in the end totally nailed the whole route. A total pleasure to be with, she provided some much needed female company on those nights round the brai, and I am so glad I got to spend this time with her.
Handsome Pete Rees for making me laugh with his fear of pretty much everything, his health and safety lectures (NO IBUPROFEN BEFORE FOOD!) and providing us with top notch pictures and video that makes us look a lot more epic than we actually are.
Lastly thanks to Darren - my adventure husband. It really is like being married - we constantly bicker and don’t sleep with each other. Magical. Darren - I know I can be an annoying rat, and so thanks for putting up with me and my stupid voices. It’s good to know I have a constant to talk to when things get horrible and your support means the world.
SUPPORT CREW
Eternal thanks to the crew put together by David Scott who runs Sandbaggers. Without their local and in depth knowledge of the Namib, we would never have made it. Without the expertise of the drivers, the trucks could not have made the journey over the dunes, carrying our supplies, tents and bags. I’ll be honest, some of those climbs in the car were touch and go….. and who the hell tries to run over an Ostrich? MONSTERS LIKE YOU, THAT’S WHO.
1 note
·
View note
Last Seen Blogs
