#halfa dash au
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Of All the People - Ch. 12
yippeee!! here's the beginning note straight from the ao3 upload: It's done! This is our longest chapter by far at about 7k, so if it's late at night, I'd recommend going to bed before reading this. It's not quite long enough to put a reminder to take a break in it, so make sure you're keeping track of your needs! Alright, carry on, and I hope you enjoy! the end note will also be pasted at the end of this upload.
this concludes the Invisobang fic @attackradish and @ectolemonades and I have been working on this year! Thanks again ti @toasty-ghosti for the art in chapter 1!
whole fic summary: After a stupid dare puts Dash Baxter in the lab at Fentonworks during the middle of a ghost fight, he finds himself a little more spectral than usual. Apparently Danny Fenton’s gone through the same thing (someone has got to call OSHA on these guys eventually), and who could better help Dash than his hero? His lame, stubborn hero?
warnings: Penelope Spectra.
words: 7313
AO3 link
first chapter
previous chapter
===
It was a blessing of a November day. The skies had cleared, the sun warmed the back of Dash’s jacket despite the chilly air, and Danny was right next to him. They were just walking to Fenton Works for some regular training, but something about the weather made it feel almost magical.
It was only the two of them. Sam and Tucker had disappeared with his friends again, not that he minded. He couldn’t have planned a better day for a walk if he tried. Amity's prized maples hadn’t lost their candy-red leaves yet, the breeze was playing with Danny’s hair, and the air smelled like wood and sugar. He almost didn’t notice when they took a different turn than usual. Probably just taking a scenic route, the long way ‘round in the last good weather of the year. Hey, maybe he'd even caught on to what Dash was thinking and was taking him somewhere a little more romantic.
“So…” Dash fiddled with the bottom of his jacket. “Why are we going this way?”
“Hm?”
“Not that I mind or anything, I’m just… wondering. I mean, Fenton Works is that way.”
“Well,“ said Danny, gliding into a bricked-off alley, “you’ve been getting better at flying, and I think some agility training is in order.” He slung his backpack off his shoulder and dropped it in a corner.
“Agility training? Here?” He looked around at his surroundings. Some loose trash, a dumpster, a rusty fire escape. Dandelion corpses.
“Yeah! I mean, you’re gonna be chasing ghosts around someday, and God knows this is where you’ll be chasing them. Might as well get some practice in.” Danny smiled, and then transformed just as easily.
“Prac… Wait, am I gonna be chasing a real ghost? Is that what you mean?” Dash's chest buzzed with nervous excitement. He’d been looking forward to being officially ready to fight ghosts, but that didn’t stop him from being anxious.
Danny flashed a devilish grin. “I’m a ghost. Chase me.” With that, he rocketed into the air. Oh of course. That made way more sense. Dash wrestled his backpack off as he went ghost and tried to take off after Danny. His weightlessness wavered for a moment, but with a short burst of concentration he was able to stabilize himself and shoot over the building.
At a glance, the skies looked empty. A few clouds drifted lazily by, the sea of buildings was stone-still, there weren’t even any pigeons.
There! A flash of movement caught his eye, an inky streak disappearing behind a water tower. Before long, Phantom’s head peeked out the other side. When their eyes locked, Danny stuck his tongue out and rocketed away. The chase was on.
Needles of chilly air stung Dash's face, and the wind tugged at his jacket in a way that made him feel more alive than ever. He could gain some ground on Danny, but before Dash could tag him, he’d dart away in a completely different direction, leaving Dash careening to follow. The way Danny twisted was almost liquid. It was mesmerizing. So mesmerizing that he nearly flew face first into a plate-glass window.
Intangibility saved him not a moment too soon. Dash Baxter was interested in being many things, and a pancake was not one of them.
“Y’know, this would be a lot easier if you used your tail,” Danny teased through the glass.
“Shut up.” He’d only used his tail once and he hated it. It made him feel ghostly, and not in a cool way. In a dead, shouldn’t-be-here kind of way.
“Suit yourself.” Danny shrugged and flew away with a little loop-de-loop. Dash narrowed his eyes. He had to prove Danny wrong, and he knew exactly how he was going to do it.
He was able to spot Danny fairly quickly, soaring casually just below roof level. Dash gave chase, and Danny sped up once he noticed. Good. He caught Danny shooting glances back, probably calculating the exact moment to slip away and bother Dash the most. The next time Danny glanced, Dash swerved behind a building the moment his eyes were averted again. He started accelerating, hoping to overtake him before he looked back again and knew something was up. As soon as there was space to turn again, he whipped around as tightly as he could, swinging right in front of Danny. Before his target had time to react, they’d slammed into each other.
The impact knocked the air right out of him. Dazed, flying was the last thing on his mind as he struggled to catch his breath. He didn’t realize he’d begun falling until he felt Danny’s arms around him. He let himself be guided to the nearest rooftop, where he sank into a sitting position against a wall.
“Dash? Are you okay?”
Dash grinned victoriously. “Tag,” he wheezed.
“Dash, you’re hurt! Is that…” He sighed, but a smile slipped through. “Of course you’d do something like this. You won! Got me fair and square.”
“And I… didn’t even have to use my stupid… tail.”
“Gotta say, I’m really impressed. You’re going to have to use it eventually though.”
Dash scoffed. He’d see about that. “I don’t know, I think I’ll just keep getting better at this. Invent a new style of flying that’ll keep all the ghosts on their toes.”
Danny sat down next to him. “If you say so.”
“Y’know, earlier when I thought I’d be chasing Boxy or somethin’, it got me thinking. About finally getting to start ghost fighting officially.”
“Hm?”
“And I didn’t feel totally ready for that, even though I’m really looking forward to it, but that’s not my point. Now, I’ll need a hero name when we start fighting together, right?”
Danny chuckled. “I guess. What do you have in mind?”
“Well, you’re Danny Phantom, and—“
“You can’t be Dash Phantom.”
“What? No! I might be your biggest fan but I’m not that clueless. I was thinking what kind of ghosts sound like Baxter, and maybe Dash Banshee?”
Danny nodded thoughtfully, but then his face twisted into a smirk. “Nah, I think you should be Inviso-Bill.”
“No! Absolutely not.”
“I had to deal with that for how long, nine months? I think it’s only fair!” Danny crossed his arms.
“Hero names? For you?” said a chillingly familiar voice. “I love the ambition, Dash, but let’s be realistic.” Standing there in three-inch heels, a crimson pencil skirt, a blazer to match, and unmistakable hair was Penelope Spectra.
Danny was at his feet. “What the hell do you want, Spectra?"
“I heard you have a boyfriend now. This him? Hm. I think you could do better.”
“What? No I don’t.”
There goes that fantasy.
“Oh, excellent news. I was worried there for a sec! There were some rumors, and I just had to come see who’d won over the Phantom’s heart. And when I saw him…” she paused to look Dash in the eye for the first time, grimacing. “Let’s just say he’s not the one.”
“Excuse me?“ Dash demanded. His blood burned with anger.
She turned back to Danny. “Sure, he does rock that varsity jacket skinny jeans combo, but I remember counseling this kid. He’s just some football-star wannabe with a future in minimum wage.”
“Shut up and get around to stealing my DNA or whatever stupid thing you have planned. We don’t have time for this.”
“No plans! It would just be such a shame to see a hero like you throw away his future for some mediocre parasite.”
“I said, shut up!” he barked, and Dash felt the sound in his bones.
Spectra sighed. “If you insist. Before I go, there’s a special guest who’d like to see you.”
“Hey, Fenwipe. Miss me?” sneered a voice that made Dash’s throat seize.
Dash- no, something that looked like him appeared behind Danny. When he turned around, not-Dash socked him square in the face.
“Man, I wish there were lockers up here. Then it would be just like old times!”
Danny glanced back and searched out Dash's eyes until they met. He didn't see the kidney punch until it sent him curling into himself. A pang of guilt twisted Dash’s stomach. This was because he was here.
Dash hurried to his feet, and Spectra was standing beside him. “You must think you’re really something. Playing in the big leagues, cooking with gas, Mr. MVP. After all, your boyfriend is a superhero! At that, one who loves you so much he’s willing to take a beating just for the sake of your feelings.” She paused, her patronizing smile widening into a grinchlike sneer. “But deep down you know you don’t really deserve it.”
Dash was sweating. “Can it! I know what you are. You’re just some ghost who lies to people and feeds on their misery.”
“You’re a ghost too, in case you’ve forgotten. What do you feed on? Attention? Love? Approval?" She stepped forward, and the space between them wasn't enough to breathe in. "What sort of lies have you been telling to get them?”
“None, actually. Because I’m better than you!” That’ll shut her up. He stepped back to reclaim the space, but she took another forward.
“You can’t really believe that. You’re too smart to fall into such a simple delusion. Unless… you haven’t changed at all.”
He bit back a reply. She’d just twist his words back at him again. She kept coming.
“You’re the same bully who sentenced Danny to a locker every morning for the crime of being a loser. Deep down you don’t feel guilty— you just had the wrong target, that’s all. It’s fine as long as the person’s actually uncool, right?”
It was like the skin on his chest had been pulled back and his insides were left in clear view— but they weren’t his. Everyone was looking at the horrible things he used to be like a clot of hair from a shower drain and it made him feel disgusting. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the ghost wearing his face slam Danny’s head against the edge of the roof. Is that all people saw in him?
“Struck a chord there, didn’t I? Your silence is admirable. Most people would lower themselves to grasping at straws, but not you. You know when you’ve been caught.”
He grit his teeth. I’m not taking the bait. It doesn’t matter what Spectra thinks, Spectra sucks.
She left him a moment of quiet, a moment to think about responding. His thoughts got antsy, but they never left his mouth.
She smiled wider, and continued on as if she hadn't stopped. “You’re nothing but a lying brute trying to worm your way into any hearts you can get your hands on. Like that time at the museum. You looked so earnest and interested! You really had Danny tricked. Oscar-worthy performance. And when you’re not lying, you’re hiding the truth. Like when you didn’t tell Danny that your friends found out his secret. Or what you’ve been doing to your poor mother.”
That caught him off guard. My mom? What did he do to his mom? Confusion must have crept onto his face, because Spectra gave him a look that could be confused for a pity smile by anyone who hadn't been her victim.
“You haven’t told her yet, have you? That her son died? That Dash Baxter, the light of her life, met a grisly end in the basement of Fenton Works, and you took his place? I’m sure you only want to protect her from the grief, but isn’t it just a little selfish? You know what’s going to happen if she finds out what you really are. After all, how could she love a life-stealing nobody like you?”
“Shut the fuck up! And don’t ever let me catch you talking shit about my mom again. She’s the most loving person you’ll ever meet, and she’d never do that to me!” Dash roared.
“Then why do you keep it secret? Forcing her to sleep in the same house as her son’s corpse every night? You’re worse than I thought, you sadistic freak.”
Enough was enough. Dash didn’t care that his last ghost fight ended in disaster, or that Spectra could probably deck him. All that mattered was the boiling rage that threatened to burst every vessel in his body, and the searing energy that exploded through his arm and out his fist.
Spectra stumbled backwards in shock, clutching her stomach. Her shock curdled into fury, and obsidian flames enveloped her body. “You’re going to regret that,” she snarled.
===
“Hey Fenwipe, miss me?”
Danny turned around, a fist eclipsing his vision before his skull filled with pain.
It took him a second to process what he was seeing through the stars in his vision. It looked like Dash. Intense blue eyes, apple-red letterman jacket, and a cocky, sadistic smirk that he hadn’t seen since the accident. But behind the face there wasn’t a whiff of human emotion. Bertrand, had to be.
“Man, I wish there were lockers up here. Then it would be just like old times.”
Assuming fighting stance, Danny was about to strike when he remembered Dash. What if he takes it the wrong way, like Valerie did when I destroyed her empty suit? He looked over his shoulder, Dash’s expression of slack-jawed horror significantly less enlightening than he’d—
FUCK! His body folded in on itself. Right in the kidneys. That was a terrible idea.
“Hey! I’m over here, Fengeek.” Sneered the impostor. “Didn’t last time teach you not to care about that deadweight?”
Bertrand swung again. Danny felt the displaced air graze his suit just after his frantic dodge.
“C’mon, aren’t you going to fight back? Don’t tell me you care about a guy who treated you like this, huh?”
Dash probably won’t mind. It’s not like he’s gonna think I thought it was him. Fuck it, we ball. He saw an opening, and jabbed Bertrand right in the solar plexus.
“There we go. Now we’re getting somewhere!” Bertrand threw another punch, barely missing him. Danny grabbed his wrist, and swiftly twisted it behind his back. Dash’s voice yelped in pain.
“Bet you’ve been waiting a long time for this,” he said, an octave higher. “Giving that jerk a taste of his own medicine, paying him back for everything he’s done…” Bertrand’s joints popped, then his body went jellylike as it contorted into a new position. They were face to face now. “And best of all, there aren’t any consequences.”
Bertrand’s free hand grabbed his face, cracking his head against a brick corner.
“Doesn’t this face just scream 'punch me'?” He flashed a mocking, nearly playful grin. His hair wasn’t even messed up. Danny’s fist was itching. He almost had a point.
The punch landed with a satisfying thwack, and guilt coiled in his stomach for how much he enjoyed it.
“See? You don’t really want to redeem him. You want to beat the stuffing out of him. No amount of warm fuzzies from seeing him become a decent person will beat the feeling of bones under flesh, and that taste of terror and regret dancing across your tongue.”
He clenched his fists tighter, holding back an ectoblast that would certainly fry Bertrand’s fl… wait, Bertrand doesn’t have human flesh. He’s a ghost. In a flash of green, Bertrand was sent stumbling back. He seemed stunned, and before he could resist Danny whipped out his thermos and sucked him in.
Ancients, dealing with him was exhausting. He took a couple deep breaths, and rubbed the back of his head. His hair was matting, and a little sticky.
Crap, he’d left Dash alone with Spectra. Dash was a couple rooftops over, like he’d been trying to get away. Spectra was still talking, her full attention on Dash. Maybe if he caught her off guard, he could thermos her without having to fight. He quietly lifted his feet off the roof and slowly floated towards her.
Rage choked the air. He tried to make out what Spectra was saying.
“…every night? You’re worse than I thought, you sadistic freak.”
There was a flash of gold, and the scream of an ectoblast. Spectra stumbled back. She stood still, clutching her stomach, apprehension stretching the seconds taut. A plume of pitch-black flame roared up her body, and her true form hovered threateningly over Dash.
Her tail lashed back and forth. She growled. “You’re going to regret that.” She unleashed a volley of ectoblasts, sending Dash scrambling.
“Hey Spectra! Forget about someone?” Danny shouted, lobbing an ectoblast of his own. She dodged and carried through the turn to face him.
“I see you took care of Bertrand. He couldn’t convince you, it seems. I still can’t wrap my head around how you care so much for this heap of garbage.”
A shot from Dash grazed her shoulder. She whipped around, and he ducked back behind the AC unit he was using as cover.
“You little…” she hissed, diving after him. There was a loud thud, and an intangible Dash surfaced next to Danny.
“Got her with the old ‘hide in the floor’ trick,” he grinned.
“You okay?”
Dash looked stunned. “Yeah, sure. Sticks and stones and whatever.”
Danny doubted him, but now wasn’t the time to pry. Spectra was taking too long to reappear. There’s no way she hit the roof hard enough to knock herself out. He was trying to think where she might have gone when a shadow grew next to his. In an instant, his whole back felt like it was on fire.
“Two can play at that game,” said Spectra's voice from behind him. Danny spun around. As he fired an ectoblast, Spectra grabbed Dash like a shield.
The shot hit.
Dash cried out.
Danny’s core seized.
He was supposed to Protect Dash, not… the wound was all he could look at. Singed fabric, the puckered skin of a fresh ecto-burn, the curving lines of an odd scar. Nothing major, but Dash had curled in on himself. It wasn’t until the rings appeared that it clicked.
He’d hit his death mark.
Spectra returned to her human guise, dropping Dash like a sack of wet garbage.
“That’s a very interesting scar, I heard it’s your father’s work.” Spectra paused, watching for his reaction. “Is that why you’re doing this? To make up for his mistakes? So noble of you, caring so gently for someone who mistreated you for so long, and with no reward. You’ll never undo what he’s done, scrub his blood from your veins, or even be anything more than the son of a monster.”
She didn't even get it. She didn't seem to understand what he had just done. Danny hadn't even thought of his dad during all this. He'd heard that train of thought from Vlad too many times for it to strike any interest anymore.
But Spectra being on the wrong thread was a good sign. If he could get her to think she was sending him down some dark path, maybe he could get to his real focus. He might even get the chance to look over Dash and make sure he was alright. Get him somewhere safe, maybe. Somewhere Danny couldn't hurt him anymore.
“You’re right, it’s all I can think about,” Danny said, as defeated and crestfallen as he could muster.
It wasn't hard, with the way Dash was struggling to breathe.
Spectra’s nose wrinkled. “No, that’s not it. There’s something else going on.” She leaned closer to Danny, and her eyes went wide.
“Ohohoho, you sneaky devil! I can’t believe it. It was you!” Spectra clapped with giddiness. She glanced back at Dash, who hadn’t moved.
“You did it on purpose,” she whispered. “At first I was wondering why you’d pick him, but he’s perfect. You turned him into a freak, and used that to draw him closer. He feels safe, understood, and he knows that you’re the only person who’ll love him now. He’s yours forever! I’m so proud of you, Phantom. You’re finally becoming a real ghost.” She pulled a handkerchief out of her breast pocket, and dabbed fake tears from her eyes.
A pang of guilt crept into his chest. What if Dash did feel that way, because of some offhanded remark or something he said while explaining the importance of staying hidden? Is Dash going to have life-long self worth issues because of this?
Snap out of it, Danny. Spectra was just messing with him. If it felt true to Dash, he could deal with that later. Right now he had a job to do.
“Alright. You’ve had your fun, now get in.” He raised his thermos. Spectra snatched it.
“No, I don’t think I will. You may be the apple of my eye, but I’m not going down that easily.”
“Hey! Give that back!” Danny grabbed it, but Spectra held it tight.
“Why? I’m just going to set Bertrand free, and we’ll be on our merry way.” She tugged, and his fingers slipped to the base of the thermos.
“That’s not how this works.”
“I don’t think that’s up to you right now.” She tugged again, and the thermos came free.
Danny grabbed at it, but Spectra held it out of his reach. Her thumb neared the release button. He wouldn’t get it in time. His outstretched hand glowed. Praying this would work, he shot the thermos.
It landed with a clang far behind Spectra. Bolting after it, Danny outpaced Spectra by a hair. Clutching the thermos as tightly as he could, he held it close to his chest to keep her from grabbing it. Spectra’s nails tore his suit, and her knee dug into his kidney as she tried to get leverage.
“Danny! Pass it here!”
Danny’s heart leapt. Dash was okay! He peeked around Spectra’s head. He was standing, at least. Still human, and his face looked ragged. He was waving his hand frantically.
Passing wasn’t his forte, but it wasn’t like he had any better options. He bucked Spectra off, wound up, and lobbed it as hard as he could. Dash jumped to catch it, and took off running.
“Dash! What are you doing? Get Spectra!”
“What?”
Spectra pounced on him, wresting the thermos from his hands.
“Thank you, Mr. Baxter. I liked you better when you weren’t moving so much.” She aimed a glowing hand at Dash’s chest. Dash shot first, and she fumbled the thermos. Danny snagged it, flying out of reach. Spectra slipped intangibly out of Dash’s attempts to hold her down.
Damn, she was fast. Before he could even aim at her, she was right up in his face. He soared higher, trying to keep her out of grabbing distance. It wasn’t easy. He didn’t even have enough room to fire an ectoblast without giving her a handhold. It didn’t look like he was going to outrun her anytime soon.
But maybe he didn’t have to. Dash was still on the ground. Throwing the thermos past Spectra wasn’t going to work, but something else might.
Danny plunged downwards. Slamming into Spectra, his arms and tail wrapped around her before she could react. By the time she reached her arms behind her he’d already dropped the thermos. It was out of range of her telekinesis before she thought to use it.
He watched it fall towards Dash as he restrained Spectra as best he could. She burst out of his grip moments before Dash caught it. The base of the thermos glinted silver when Dash pointed it at her. A scream rose up in Danny’s throat. At the last second, he flipped it around and Spectra disappeared into the blue vortex.
Danny came down and met the ground just as Dash fell to his knees. He waited for him to catch his breath.
“We got her. It’s over.”
“You got her. You officially caught your first ghost! I didn’t bring any party poppers, but—”
Dash burst into laughter, which slowly trailed into a cough.
“Shit! You’re shot, I completely spaced.”
“Spaced. Ha,” he mumbled.
“Pull up your shirt, I need to check how bad it is.” Danny crouched down to Dash’s level.
“NO!” Dash blurted. “I mean, not now. Please. I can’t handle someone looking at that scar. My core or whatever is acting all weird and there’s no way I can handle both.” He took a shaky breath. “I just want an ice pack for my leg, a couch to lie down on, and maybe some painkillers.”
“It’s okay, I’m not going to do anything you don’t want me to do. You’re in control.” He held his hands up placatingly.
“Okay.”
“I think I can do something about that ice pack. Okay if I touch your leg?”
Dash nodded. Danny cooled his hands, and laid them on Dash’s thigh. He saw his shoulders relax slightly.
“That feels better. Thanks. I must’ve strained it when Spectra first shot at me.”
They sat in silence for a while. Dash’s eyes wandered onto Danny’s hand, up the scratches on his arm, and into the eye that had started to swell.
“What am I doing? Dude, you’re worse off than I am. I should be the one helping you,” Dash said. “Lemme see your back, I know Spectra shot it, and then there’s what Bertrand did…” Danny didn’t protest as Dash shuffled on his knees to get a better look.
“How’s it look back there?”
“I mean, um, it could be worse? I’m not saying it’s not bad, but if I straight-up said ‘it’s bad’ you’d get the wrong idea. Like in those cheesy medical dramas, y’know?”
He gave a slight nod.
“Head wounds bleed more than normal ones, right? That’s real, not just something I heard someone say?”
“What?”
“It just looks like a lot of blood, is all, and I can’t tell how bad the cut is ‘cause it’s all red. And green. There’s green too.”
“It’s probably fine.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, just tell me what else is going on.”
“Well there’s the burn. It’s pink with jagged edges. Pretty big too, like if a sheet of printer paper could go splat.”
He chuckled at the mental image.
“I wish I had a power I could use to help, like your ice thing, or at least a first aid kit,” Dash murmured dejectedly.
“You are helping. It’s not like I have eyes on the back of my head.”
“But that’s not helping helping. I’m always promising something I want to do and then not delivering.”
“You delivered today.”
“I barely managed to catch Spectra in a thermos! And before that I was all like ‘pass it here’ and then instead of doing anything useful I just started running like I’d forgotten I wiped out of football.”
“Dash. It’s okay. Nobody got hurt. This is only your second ghost fight, and I haven’t even finished training you. You did great.”
“I guess that’s true, but it doesn’t make up for going back on a promise. Maybe Spectra was right.” Dash hung his head.
Danny had a small heart attack just then. “I don’t know what Spectra said to you, but I know she’s full of shit.”
“But what if she got lucky this time? I didn’t believe her at first, but fuck, man, it’s getting harder not to. Maybe I am just a fraud who’ll say anything for people to think I’m worth having around.”
“Dash. If you were a fraud you’d know for sure. It’s one of those things you have to do on purpose. You’re overenthusiastic and don’t always think things through, but that doesn’t make you a liar.”
“So maybe I’m not a fraud. Yet. But there’s something scary about how crazy I get over feeling… needed. Necessary, helpful, recognized. When I do get it I’m on cloud nine, but when I don’t… When I don’t it’s like my insides are falling apart. What if I’m an evil ghost like her? And it’s only a matter of time before I lose control?”
Ah. “Dash, that’s normal.”
“No, you don’t get it! This isn’t normal at all! There’s nothing normal about these feelings, I never felt anything like this when I was still…” Dash’s voice cracked, and he looked at Danny pleadingly.
Danny tried to make his voice soft. “Hey, it’s okay.” He put his hand across Dash's shoulder, and he flinched from the cold. Whoops. “It sounds like it’s your Obsession. Every ghost has one, it’s what keeps their core together.“
“Obsessed. That’s the word. I’m just like one of those freaks with the newspaper clippings and the red string and the crazy look in their eyes. But for, like, getting people to think a certain way about me. You said it’s a ghost thing, right? So I just have to learn how to be more human there and I’m all set?”
Danny frowned. "I mean, there are parts of you that are fundamental to keeping you running. If your heart stopped beating, your humanness would stop being human, right?"
Dash gave a clipped nod, like he wasn't sure but was willing to go with it.
"Well, if you stopped having an Obsession, your ghostness would stop being a ghost."
"Wouldn't that be easier, then? I'm used to being human!" Dash turned away and started picking at his shirt. "Maybe that would be half of me gone, but maybe it'd be simpler just to be half a human and no halves anything else."
Danny scoffed. "Sorry, but if you're anything like me, and I think you are, you're just one whole. The ghost parts are the only things keeping the human parts from just being straight-up dead. You're one system, in homeostasis."
"So, what? Why does that mean I have to be all obsessive over being something I'm not?
Danny laid down on his back, using his hands to cushion his wounded head from the ground. It was still tacky, but nothing felt newly wet. That was good. "Ghosts only occur when ectoplasm gets stuck together from emotion. It's a very chaotic substance, so it takes a lot to make particles of it work together." The sun wasn't near setting, but it was casting long shadows from the sparse clouds. Days must be getting shorter. "Ectoplasm reacts to emotions. I'm not super sure how yet, but you didn't come here for an ecology lesson. Point is, a core forms when the human emotions in some connected ectoplasm line up to wanting something that it couldn't have without having some power and solid form."
Danny rolled his head back over to see Dash was looking at him. He didn't look enraptured or anything, but Danny was just glad he was willing to hear him out before having a breakdown. "Blobs are made up of connected ectoplasm with the same human emotion holding it together, but they don't have cores, and they just sort of drift around. When they have desires, they only have desires made out of ghost emotions, and they're temporary. But since they don't have cores, they don't have much control over their form, or a sense of self, or any ability to charge their ectoplasm.
"Ghosts with cores want something. The core represents that want. It's the one human emotion a full ghost expresses, the desire that imprinted on their core. Ghosts exist because the emotions that let them form in the first place all said something like 'I need to…' uh… 'walk my dog, even though I'm dead, so I need to have a body and powers to do that.' A ghost that only exists because they need to walk their dog won't be able to get rid of that nag in the back of their head, and if they're kept from walking their dog, they're being denied their entire reason for existing. That's their Obsession."
Dash was quiet. Danny figured he'd been rambling, and let him think.
"So… what happens if they don't want it anymore? Like, if the dog dies and doesn't need to be walked?"
"Well, I guess they'd dissipate. Their core would succumb to entropy and stop holding them together." Dash paled. Shit, he did say that kind of clinically. "I mean, that's pretty rare. Most Obsessions are way more general than that, and there's always something to activate them. It's hard to get a ghost to stop caring about something." He smiled and scooched closer to where Dash was still sitting. "We're creatures of spite!"
"So I just have to keep trying to make people think they need me because some part of me will die if I stop wanting it? I'm not gonna keep fuckin' manipulating people's thoughts to make me healthy, that's dumb. Why can't we both be happy?"
"Hey, having an Obsession doesn't mean everything you do has to fulfill it. Sure, the feeling of fulfilling your purpose is incredible, and it sucks to not fulfill it, but you still make choices as long as you can acknowledge that you want it. You're a jock, have you ever been on a diet? What's it feel like when there's something you really want to eat but it doesn't fit the diet?"
Dash looked thoughtful.
"Exactly! It sucks, but you push through it because you know that desire isn't the only thing at play. I wanted to keep you out of harm's way because of my own Obsession, but you were so set on helping that I weighed my options and decided to risk denying it. If you find yourself supposedly 'manipulating' people to feel like they need you, step back and ask if that's really what you want to do, and if feeling needed is worth feeling guilty and ruining a relationship."
Danny sat up to better look Dash in the eye. "And hey, that's something you have to do on purpose, just so you know. Wanting to feel known, wanting to feel useful, and then trying to make yourself that way, isn't the same as deciding to lie to someone. We all make mistakes, and we all act in dumb ways because we want people to like us. That's not the same as going 'hey, how about I act dishonestly about myself to trick somebody into thinking I'm somebody I'm not?' Everybody puts on a little of an act all the time. It's high school. Fuck, it's life. And death, I guess."
Dash was quiet for a bit. Danny joined in and watched the clouds get thicker as the air cooled with the low sun.
“Don't let Spectra get in your head. If you keep trying, you can be important to someone without hurting anybody. She can just make crap up and I still fall for it sometimes. Like what she said about—“
“Pfft, you don’t have to do that.”
Danny paused. “Do what?”
“That thing you do when you’re Fenton. Pretending to be scared and insecure, rubbing your arm, even though you’re the most confident guy around.”
Danny blinked a couple times, like that would somehow change what he’d just heard. “You think I’m just confident and fearless 24/7?”
“I mean yeah, you’re Phantom! You always know what to do, you’re the coolest guy alive, not to mention strong enough to beat every ghost that’s shown its face here. Of course you’re confident and fearless 24/7.”
He struggled to find words. He’s talked to Dash how many times, and he still doesn’t think he has feelings? He’s been helping this guy through his problems, listening to him, getting to know him, even getting a little bit of a crush. Maybe a lot of a crush. And Dash just saw him as little more than a pull-string action figure?
“Am I… human to you? Was I just talking to a brick wall this whole time?”
“No! I mean… yes? Gah! I mean of course you’re human. You nerd out about space and don’t like toast and feel awful when you see people get hurt. But I saw how different you acted after I found out your secret. I know the shy frightened Danny Fenton thing is an act, and faking it to make me feel better feels condescending.
“It’s not all an act. Sure I crank it up to eleven at school, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get scared or lose confidence in myself!”
Dash looked at him with wide eyes. Like he was processing the implications of this new information, and also waiting for him to say psych.
“Oh. Shit. I’ve been treating you like garbage. The fight at the football field, when my friends found out your secret, heck, when I died in front of you! I thought you were just mad, but… sorry dude. Do you still need to talk about Spectra?”
“Maybe in a bit. I’m still wound up from the whole…” he waved his hand vaguely.
“Yeah,” Dash sighed.
Traffic was picking up down below. Probably nearing rush hour. His parents might be worrying where he was, if they paid attention to anything other than their research. Which might make him sad if he was up too late and couldn’t sleep, but it was really convenient right now.
Dash was fiddling with his jacket again. There wasn’t a dark spot on his shirt, so that was promising.
"You know, you didn't really use any powers in that fight. I mean, other than the basic stuff. And ectoblasts."
Hmm? "Oh, I… guess I didn't. It's easiest just to resort to fisticuffs unless I have to get creative."
"I bet it would have been a quicker fight if you had used a couple other powers at some points."
"I kinda forget about them sometimes. Hey, maybe you can help me out with that! Pros of having a football strategist on your side."
Dash blushed and looked over the edge of the roof to the sidewalks below.
Danny looked around to see if he'd gotten multicolor blood on any surfaces. Nothing noticeable.
“Dash, have I ever made you feel like I was the only person who’d have feelings for you?”
“What?”
“Like, because you’re a halfa. That nobody else…”
“I mean, like. Why would I be thinking about if you had feelings for me? Who said anything about that?”
Danny could have phrased that better. Just because Dash had a crush didn’t mean he was aware of it.
“Have I been blushing or something? My doctor said I might do that randomly because of the lung… thing,” Dash stammered.
Nope. He was aware of it. Letting him off the hook and letting him confess when he was ready was probably the right thing to do, but part of Danny wanted to see how deep a hole Dash could dig himself. Dash seemed unnerved by his silence. Then some kind of realization crossed his face.
“Who told you?”
“Told me what?”
“You know what I’m talking about. Was it Star? Lina? Please tell me it wasn’t Kwan.”
“No I don’t. What is it?”
“That I have a crush on you!” he shouted. His face crinkled in a way Danny didn’t expect. This isn’t the face of someone who’s been playfully drawn out of his shell. This is the face of a man betrayed. Well, shit.
“Hey. It’s okay. Nobody told me.”
“Shut up.”
“No, I promise. Sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed like that.”
“Then why were you asking about…” Dash waved his hand dismissively. “The thing. Me, thinking about you. Romantically.”
“Spectra said something along the lines of ‘you only tolerate Dash because he’s a halfa and you can manipulate him into thinking you’re the only person who’ll ever love him because of that’ and I was worried I’d done it by accident, somehow.”
“I mean, you’re straight, so it’s not like you loving me was much more than a dream. Getting from there all the way to ‘you’re the only person who’ll ever love me’ is a pretty big stretch,” Dash sighed. “So you didn’t know? This was all just hypotheticals?”
“Well… I knew you had a crush. I just didn’t know if you thought of it as one.”
“Oh… What gave me away?”
Danny grimaced. “So, you know how Spectra feeds on misery?”
”I mean yeah? I thought your Obsession was fucking… Protection, not people having crushes on you?”
“Misery isn’t her Obsession, it’s just her favorite flavor of emotion. Ghosts can… metabolize different human emotions, and they taste different.”
“So Tucker wasn’t joking when he asked if I could taste him being dishonest?”
“He was joking a little. Dishonesty isn’t really an emotion.”
“Ah. Well, um, at least it wasn’t painfully obvious to anyone who wasn’t a ghost. Or Kwan.”
“Yep. I know this is kinda a weird time to say this, but I forced out your secret, and I think it’s only fair that I tell you one of mine. I’m gay too, and I kinda like you back.”
===
What? Dash couldn’t believe his ears. The whiplash alone rendered him nearly incapable of thinking, and instead of butterflies in his stomach it felt like a flock of angry geese beating their wings in every inch of his body.
“For real?”
“Yeah.”
“Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy fucking shit.”
Dash needed a breather. Danny liked him. Danny Phantom, the ghost he’d had a crush on for years was gay too and liked him back. The guy who only half-accidentally tricked him into revealing his most mortifying secret a few moments ago also just fulfilled his wildest dreams. He was conflicted, his head was spinning, what the hell was he supposed to do? There was so much he should do, could do, now. Spend more time with him, learn all of the little things that make him tick, be there for him, hold his hand, romantically brush his hair out of his face, take him on dates–
“Dash?”
“…We need to buy some milkshakes.”
“What?”
“We need to go to the Nasty Burger and get milkshakes. It’s like, the classic first date,” Dash explained. If he was in a romance movie the next move was obviously a milkshake date. So that’s what he was going to do.
“Dude, I haven’t checked your chest yet.”
Oh right. That thing.
“Okay. Fine. I think my core’s done freaking out, so I should be able to handle it.” Dash lifted his shirt and averted his eyes. Maybe if he didn’t see Danny looking, it would be easier.
He heard Danny shuffling closer. Dash‘s core started to constrict, but it was bearable.
“Fortunately, you were ghost at the time. This isn’t nearly as bad as it could be. You’re pretty durable.” Danny's breath fluttered across his skin. God, he was close.
“So it's not dangerous?”
“Not really. It’s not a cut, so it’s unlikely that your ghost healing will seal anything under your skin. I can get you some burn cream for the pain and to prevent infection, but if you want we can do the milkshakes first.”
Dash let his shirt drop. Looking down, seeing Danny so close to him and processing their revelations of mutual feelings, Dash had to make a move.
“Danny?”
“Yeah?”
“Um, my jaw is kinda sore. From when Spectra dropped me on it. Could you maybe…” Dash tentatively reached for Danny’s wrist, who got the message and placed his icy hand on Dash’s cheek.
They locked eyes. It didn’t take long for Danny to realize what he was thinking. He let out a small laugh and leaned in with a kiss. Dash could have sworn he felt sparks between them, but maybe that was just leftover adrenaline from everything they’d just been through.
Dash pulled back, breathless again, but now in a good way. “So. Milkshakes?”
“Milkshakes.” Danny kissed him again on the cheek and they took to the air, hand in hand, for some hard-earned fast food.
===
End note:
And that finishes off our Invisobang 2022 piece, just as the year's ending! Thanks for coming with us on this journey. Thanks to Ghostie for the art in chapter 1, they were great to work with!
I wanted to touch on something a lot of commenters have brought up, that Dash's healing in his leg and chest might just be restricted because he believes it to be. That's great thinking, with the way ghost bodies work, but when we were writing it we intended those wounds to naturally never heal, since they were a part of his death. Sometimes when things happen, like accidents with weaponry, parts of the body are permanently kept from functioning like they did before, and you have to give up activities like normal football. And that's okay! It sucks and makes things harder, for sure, but it happens, and you can live a fulfilling life despite it 😌 thus the "being half ghost is a disability" tag on this fic! I think if somebody dies, that's a big deal, and even if they come out of it mostly fine and a little different, there's probably gotta be some long-term consequences. They wouldn't be like their human peers anymore, due to being a different species and whatnot, but they also wouldn't come out of something so traumatic unscathed. So nice thinking, everyone who commented along those lines, I like how you're looking at ghost health, but this is something Dash is going to learn to live with and work around, and love himself with his injuries included <3
Any one of us might revisit this universe to write a "sequel" sometime, so I'm going to give a briefing on what each of us usually writes in case you're interested in any of our styles and want to subscribe to our accounts, where you might someday see a continuation on this (no promises):
AttackRadish is currently working on a longform angst story which will be published once it's done. He tends toward Fenton Family angst and dissec in his writing, but not without variety.
OmegaSmileyface has a non-angst Ghost Hunger series at the forefront right now. They tend to work Ghost King!Danny and detailed fictional science into most of their writing.
ectolemonades tends to write fics focusing on interpersonal relationships, in all kinds of emotional flavors. Especially Grey Ghost and Teddy Ghost at the moment.
Hope everyone enjoyed!
#danny phantom#invisobang 2022#my writing#swagger bishie#halfa!dash#halfa dash au#dash baxter#teddy ghost#check ao3 for more tags!
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AU where the Fentons end up with Dan, all of Danny's clones, and a handful of AU Dannys and have to find a way to explain suddenly having so many kids that look like Danny with similar names WHILE avoiding making the GiW suspicious.
#danny phantom#we can throw in a flynn as a treat just to confused people as well#a dozen black haired blue eyed ghost hybrids and some random ginger hippie#can you imagine the chaos of it all#like the werewolf family in Hotel Transylvania except with halfas#corpse au Danny chilling in the corner with Snapping Sound and full ghost AU Dannys discussing being literally dead#ghost king and demon Danny probably fistfighting over whether or not murder is a viable solution#dan joins in#just ALL the AUs in one spot and stuck/adopted by the Fentons#Dash would lose his mind if the big Frankenstein's monster looking clone showing up to school#like yes you! you join us immediately! you will be a jock!#little baby man just chewing on the couch like an angry puppy
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Your Halfa!Dash AU is really interesting. Can we please see his ghost form? Or like, get a description of it. Also, does Sam and Tucker ever find out the truth? Would love to see their reaction and what they decide to do(can totally see them helping out). Lastly, what does the town call ghost-form Dash? Do they call him Invisbill? Phantom? Or does he go by something else entirely?
Actually I have more Posts on Halfa!Dash AU~ One with the ghost form. I'll post all the links to everything that has Halfa Dash that I've done.
Sam and Tucker find out later, though at first they're hurt that Danny spending more time with Dash. Then they think Dash is blackmailing Danny, especially when they hear from Jazz about them "dating". Jazz didn't know they didn't know and they kind of pieced it together what little she slipped.
They definitely do help out.. though threaten Dash that they'll be the one he has to worry about ripping him apart if anything happens to Danny. Despite Danny having explained the situation.
I haven't thought of a name much. BullRush maybe? But it might be more of an attack he names. It won't be phantom. Though can see Danny suggest it or mutters what he would have named himself LOL
Because I can see Dash having different sets of powers and a different core than Danny. Very reliant on his strength and speed. Not so much on his aim.
Good thing Danny learns how to shoot the ghost blaster. Though he has some trial and error too. He just can't help but help. (He will be spicy about it though)
And since Dash NEEDS Danny he has to work on his temper. Danny does push his limits with it sometimes because he knows he has the upper hand. He does get karma for it because it does go too far at one point.
Oooo what if that karma is Spectre and Dash is so depressed.. Jazz even points out Danny is being too spiteful.
So Danny has to comfort Dash so he can save his sister and the school.
Dash like y'know what.. I'd probably done worse.
"You have."
"....I thought this was about making me feel better, Fenton."
"It is, but I'm not going to lie. You're better than you use to be. Funny enough, I think its pretty common for death defying experiences to change someone's life.. or after life... or something like that. Jazz is better at explaining it-"
"JAZZ!!!" (remembers she's in danger)
#danny phantom#danny fenton#dash baxter#halfa dash#Halfa! Dash#asks#impyelam#Halfa!Dash AU#role swap au
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Chapters: 1/?
Fandom: Danny Phantom
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Relationships: Danny Fenton & Jazz Fenton, Jack Fenton/Maddie Fenton
Characters: Danny Fenton, Jazz Fenton, Maddie Fenton, Jack Fenton, Sidney Poindexter, Vlad Masters, Penelope Spectra, Ember McLain, Other Character Tags to Be Added
Additional Tags: No One Knows AU, Halfa Fentons AU, Halfa | Half-Ghosts (Danny Phantom), Temporary Character Death, Electrocution, Drowning, Bazooka accident (misfire), Implied/Referenced Character Death, Bullying, Arson, Buried Alive, (under boxes), (they're all the ghosts' demises), Spectra Is Her Own Warning, Implied/Referenced Torture, Implied Death Threats, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Attempt at Humor, Panic Attacks, Hints of Jack/Maddie/Vlad, Mind Control, Mind Manipulation, No Beta we die like the Fentons
Summary:
Danny was alone in the basement the day he turned on the Portal, triggering a chain of events different from the one we know.
Things will change for the better of for the worst, depending on who you ask, because...
Why would the rest of his family ever try to follow his steps, even if in different ways?
Or: Halfa Fentons No One Knows AU that at least a thousand reblogs of the original post asked.
A huge thanks to @redfoxtail26 who was my partner in this endeavor, it was a pleasure working with you! \(@^0^@)/
(Here's The Art.)
@invisobang here's the first chapter, thank you for granting the extension! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
@peachdoxie at long last here's the fill-in for your prompt, hope you'll like it! (^～^;)ゞ
A shout out to all the authors from the Big Author Chat, your support was fundamental in keeping me sane during this feat, thank you!
(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧
#danny phantom#Halfa Fentons No One Knows AU#jazz fenton#maddie fenton#jack fenton#sidney poindexter#dash baxter#sam manson#tucker foley#tw bullying#tw claustrophobia#electrocution#panic attack
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Danyal Al Ghul: Incorrect Quotes and Miscellaneous Thoughts
Incorrect quotes-style snippets specifically for my danyal al ghul au here (which i really need to come up with a unique au name for atp). Because I thought it'd be funny. And also some miscellaneous headcanons thrown into the mix.
Some context for the au:
- Danyal is 5 years older than Damian (so 10 and 15)
- Danny faked his death when he was 10. Talia knows and helped him with it.
- Jazz, Sam, and Tucker do not know he's an ex-assassin.
--------
Snippet 1
Danny, dryly tapping his temple: I have, as the Americans say, irreparable psychological damage, right here.
Jazz, an older sibling first and foremost: well, it's good that you're self-aware.
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Snippet 2
Danny, aged 10, in the American foster planning to just age out of the system: *emanating Bad Vibes. Pure, Little Orphan Tom Riddle Energy*
Jazz, aged 12, coming in to adopt a new sibling with her parents: Him. This is my brother now :)
Danny: ...what
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Lilo and Stitch is Danny's favorite Disney movie. He watched it when he was 11 with Jazz when she was attempting to connect with him, and by this point Danny was becoming receptive to her efforts. They had a movie marathon in the living room one night.
Safe to say? It resonated with his little 11 year old heart strongly, and he related very strongly with both Nani and Stitch. He got unexpectedly emotional and hid in his room for the rest of the night. Jazz felt really bad, but it had the intended (but kinda unexpected) effect of him trying to be nicer to her afterwards.
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Snippet 3
Dash, aged 12, causing trouble again and getting intercepted by Danny: *scaling up a desk* AHHHHH! GET YOUR LITTLE FREAK, FOLEY!
Tucker: Hey! Danny is not a freak!
Dash: GET HIM TO BACK OFF
Tucker, was the kid Dash was messing with: ....whats in it for me
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Snippet 4
Danny, saying some questionably immoral shit: What. Why are you looking at me like that.
Tucker: Bro. I mean this as kindly as possible; what the fuck?
Sam: yeah, I'm with Tuck on this one.
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Snippet 5
Danny, ranting about Vlad: if it weren't for the laws of this land, I would have slaughtered him
Sam, painting his nails black: I'm pretty sure you'd slaughter him regardless of the laws of the land -- and quit moving, you're gonna mess me up.
Tucker: we've literally seen you debate yourself about this, Dan
Danny: ...you are correct, but it is the principle of things.
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Snippet 6
Vlad: I have experience my child, and the money and power attained through using those powers for personal gain, you say. I could train you, teach you everything I know! And all you have to do is renounce that idiot adoptive father of yours.
Danny, was already contemplating committing a Violence: ....
Danny, internally: I'm going to stab him *turns into Phantom*
--------
Funny contrast I realized between Danyal and Vlad that iirc I haven't pointed out yet is that imo, Danyal doesn't rely on his powers nearly half as much as canon Danny does. He falls back instinctually on his League training, and thus sometimes forgets to use his powers in battle. This was prevalent especially early on when he was still getting used to the whole 'halfa' thing.
He incorporates them more often after a year, but still for the most part relies on his own physical hand-to-hand combat. He trusts those skills much more than he does his powers. I'm not sure where he is on a technical level compared to canon, but just to stay safe I'll say he's similar in power skill as canon Danny. Perhaps a little more finessed than him because his League training would probably have him trying to figure out his powers as soon as possible.
But in summary? Danny is strong in hand-to-hand combat, weak in powerset.
Meanwhile Vlad is the opposite. I can't recall if he even knows hand-to-hand in canon, but it makes total sense to me that Vlad Masters wouldn't because he's so confident in his monetary influence and ghost abilities that he sees no need for it.
And he's kinda got some merit behind it. He's very powerful and has 20 years of experience to experiment and fine tune his powers. He's got bite to follow up his bark. He's perfected long-range combat and his ability to phase through walls makes it impossible to corner him, but if you can manage it, then one good hit could probably knock him on his ass.
So in summary, Vlad is strong in powerset, weak in hand-to-hand combat.
And it casts a good contrast between the two of them in that regard. Danny, as a fellow halfa, can follow Vlad when he phases through walls and is fast enough to land a hit on him. His league training as an assassin, albeit rusty, is still deep ingrained enough in him that he can hold up as a rather veritable threat against Vlad without needing his powers.
But Vlad can force Danny to use his powers more often through use of his own. The duplication is the first thing to come to mind: Danny's fast enough to dispel them on his own without powers, and smart enough that he could figure out who the real one is if given a few minute. But that's not always efficient enough.
Good foils for each other that way. Also Vlad's Plasmius design mimics Ra's juuust enough that he looks like Ra's knockoff loser second cousin no one talks about, which only fuels Danny's hatred.
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Snippet 7
Danny, ranting about Vlad for the first time: --and it's only made worse by the fact that the little ingrate resembles a cheap knock-off of my grandfather!--
Sam, choking on her water: he what--
Tucker, doing a spittake: HE DOES?
#dpxdc#dp x dc#danny fenton is not the ghost king#dp x dc crossover#dpxdc crossover#danyal al ghul au#i have a doodle of that little scene with vlad actually. its in my notebook lmao.#danny gets *furiously* shakespearan when he's insulting someone. sam and tucker have recorded some of his rants#and they are just pure gold.#sam and tucker calling danny 'dan' as a nickname 2024.#which reminds me about how TUE would even happen. someone in my ao3 comments made a good point about how they weren't sure if my danyal#would even have a TUE occur because he's not the cheating type. i've seen clips of how he got his hands on the test answers but i'll need t#watch the episode to gauge if Dan is even feasible. and if he is what changes to make him happen. hmmm. much to think about#don't think danyal would stay with vlad even in the midst of his grief. hmhmhm#dpdc
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Halfa AU’s!?
Hey folks what are we calling the Halfa’s?
Like in she we got Danny Phantom, (Dani Phantom), Vlad Plasmius.
and for AU’s I’ve seen Jazz Specter, Sam Manes, and Tucker Gouly.
but what about the others i know I've seen Halfa Val, Paulina and Dash, but what do they call themselves?
#Danny Phantom#question#au#halfa#danny fenton#jazz fenton#vlad plasmius#Vlad Masters#dani phantom#sam manson#Tucker Foley#paulina sanchez#Dash Baxter#valerie gray
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Please continue ghostlights multiverse constant au with Earth 0 having a happy ending together cuz halfa Danny is impossible to really kill anymore pleaseeeeeee 😭
(part one)
Danny is destined to die once he meets Duke. He knows this; he’s seen how their friendship leads to Danny’s death is so many different lives. There’s no doubt in his mind that the only way to ensure Danny lives a long life is to stay away from him.
Which is why the universe decides to make Danny pop up constantly. It’s clearly trying to get him killed, and Duke refuses to let that happen!
It starts innocently enough. They cross paths briefly at a bus stop, bumping into each other as Duke gets off the bus and Danny moves to go on it. He recognizes Danny immediately, feels a little spark go through him when their shoulders brush against each other. Something in him says I know you. I miss you.
He pulls back a step and offers a quick apology. Danny waves it off and looks at him as through searching for something. He opens his mouth to say something, but Duke can feel the threads of fate tighten around their throats and hurries away.
He waits until he hears the bus pull away, then glances behind him to watch it go before he slows down to a normal walking pace and heads for the mall where he planned to meet his friends.
Duke’s heart pounds in his chest. He can’t get Danny’s eyes out of his head; so painfully blue, so nostalgic, so doomed.
This is for the best, he reminds himself. This is so Danny can live. That’s all that matters.
The moment’s passed, anyways. They’re still strangers, and they’ll stay that way.
He takes another minute to collect himself, then plasters on a smile and heads into the mall to find his friends.
The next six times, Duke has to save Danny as the Signal, appearing just in time to stop a mugging, an armed store robbery, a car trying to run Danny over, and fighting off Man-Bat who, for some reason, took one look at Danny and went fuck this guy, actually.
Duke is stressed. He’s Stressed™ and if anyone tries to take out Danny again he’s just going to start screaming.
For whatever reason, the universe is just out to get Danny now that they’ve run into each other once. Duke’s life is a cosmic joke, and he’s stuck in the center of it all waiting for the moment comedy turns into tragedy.
It’s gotten to the point that Duke expects to find Danny in some sort of dangerous situation as soon as he starts patrol. He’s starting to dread going out, but he needs to; Gotham needs the Signal to keep the streets safe during the day, and Danny needs Duke to save his incredibly unlucky ass nearly every single day.
The first two hours go fine. He stops an armed robbery and a car jacking, chases away some creeps from the working girls, and gets a blueberry muffin from the bakery that’s been around forever, on account of the old woman running it thinking he’s a good lad who needs to eat more.
Duke begins to hope that he’ll have a quiet patrol. He begins to hope that Danny is safe and not in mortal danger for once.
His hopes are immediately dashed when he spots Danny on a rooftop, standing way too close to the edge.
Heart in his throat, Duke crosses the space between them in an instant, slingshotting himself forward through shadows.
He intends to pull Danny back, to say something, to try and shake some common sense into him so he actually has a chance at living a long life. Duke doesn’t get to do any of that; as soon as he steps out of the shadows, Danny turns to face him with a tired smile.
“There you are,” he says. “I knew you’d find me.”
“What? I—listen, can you step back from the ledge for me?”
Danny steps back, keeping his eyes on Duke. He doesn’t seem to mind that the Signal is so hesitant in this moment, keeping his distance.
“I wasn’t sure at first,” he says, as if he never stopped talking, “But I had a feeling. You’ve probably had it too, right? It’s why we keep being pushed together, and why my luck has been so awful ever since I came to Gotham.”
He knows, is the first thing Duke things. But how can that be? If Danny knows about all those other universes where they had each other, then he knows how it ends. If he knows, then he should be trying to keep his distance from both Duke and the Signal before he gets killed.
“It’s you under that mask, isn’t it? Duke.”
The way Danny says his name brings him back to all those other lives where they had each other from the start. He sounds so sure of himself, as if he’s always known Duke.
It’s only when Duke says, “How?” that Danny falters, fear briefly crossing his expression before it settles into something more neutral. His fingers begin to pull at the cuffs of his jacket sleeves, confidence melting away.
“Do you… not know me?”
The quietness of his voice, the fragility of it, breaks Duke’s heart. He doesn’t stop to think before he answers, “I know you. Of course I know you, Danny.” Then he blinks, shakes his head, and says, “Wait. No. I know of you. We haven’t really met this life.”
“It’s the dreams, right? They make things so confusing.”
“You’ve been getting them too?”
“I may be the cause of them,” Danny says with a wince. “Due to some, uh… ghostly magic shenanigans. It wasn’t on purpose! But it is kinda my fault.”
Ghostly magic? Okay, sure, why not. Who is Duke to judge the bizarre things that exist in their world. He has superpowers and his biological father is an evil immortal. He has absolutely no leg to stand on when it cames to the weird and the unexpected. Might as well roll with it, since this is his life now.
Besides, there’s more important things to focus on, such as: “Okay, so, just to be on the same page, you’ve been getting the same dreams as me, yeah? The ones where you always die? Those dreams?”
And Danny, very casually, answers, “Yeah.”
“Dude,” Duke says, pained, “If you know that meeting me leads to your death, then why are you seeking me out?!”
“What?”
“Have you not seen how you die young in every single universe? Because I have! And it’s messing me up!”
Danny blinks at him, then looks guilty, hunching in on himself. “Oh, yeah. That. Uh, yeah, so…” he trails off and bites his lip, gaze kept downwards so he doesn’t have to meet Duke’s eyes. “I do die young always, yeah, but it’s totally not your fault! I just do that!”
“You just do that,” Duke repeats, pained.
“Yeah. I just die young.”
“Is this somehow not a problem for you.”
To his immense displeasure, Danny has the nerve to shrug and say, “Eh, not really.”
“Danny.”
“It’s okay! Really!” Danny says, a little frantically, “And also it has nothing to do with you! None of my deaths have been your fault, it’s just a thing that happens to me!” And then, in a quiet, rushed mumble, “Also I already died in this universe so it’s fine.”
A strangled sound bursts out of Duke’s throat as he tries very hard not to start yelling. He puts his head in his hands and holds back a heavy sigh because the boy of his literal dreams is stressing him out so much he’s about to dissolve into ashes and ascend to a higher realm where he has no worries.
Unfortunately, he’s not quite there yet, so Duke has to deal with living in the reality where Danny admits he already died because that’s just what he does: die young.
Which is, apparently, not Duke’s fault at all. Cool.
Cool cool cool. He’s definitely not going to have a breakdown about this.
A hand gently tugs on his wrist, making him lift his head to meet Danny’s worried gaze. “Hey, you alright? Do you wanna sit down for a minute?”
And you know what? Duke does want to sit down for a minute. He’s earned it.
He nods, and Danny carefully guides him back to where the roof access door is, so they can sit with their backs against something and be away from the edge where curious eyes might spot them. It feels easy, practiced, as if they’ve done this a thousand times before instead of just now having their first conversation. Their lives have been linked and twisted together, though only for a short time before death takes Danny away.
He knows Danny, despite how illogical it is, and that’s what makes him take off his helmet and exposure his face to the world.
Danny knows him too, after all.
There is no hiding from someone who is meant to be in his life.
Danny’s smiling softly when he turns to look at him. “Hey, Duke. It’s good to see you properly. Is it weird to say that I’ve missed you even though we’ve technically never met in this life?”
“Nah,” he replies, “I missed you too. Please stop scaring me like that.”
“I make no promises. Expect for this: dying won’t take me away from you in this life. I’ve got it handled.”
“I don’t… I don’t think that’s someone anyone can have handled.”
“I’ve got it handled,” Danny repeats firmly.
Duke shakes his head with a small laugh. He got so caught up in the guilt of leading to Danny’s death, of being unable to save him, of losing him in every universe, that he forgot how stubborn Danny is.
It is a weight off his chest, though. To know that it wasn’t his fault. To know that the worst has already come to pass long before they met in this universe, so they don’t have to fear the future together.
“So,” he says, “Tell me more about these magical ghostly shenanigans?”
“At least wait until the second date for personal questions,” Danny jokes.
“Okay. Wanna grab dinner tonight?”
It’s nice to see that Danny blushes easily in this universe too. “Isn’t that moving a little fast?”
“We’ve been dreaming about a bunch of other universes where we’re together. We know each other even though we don’t know each other. We’re well past moving fast, dude.”
“Yeah, that’s fair,” Danny nods. “Alright. Dinner tonight, then. Take me to the best place for breakfast foods in Gotham. I’ve been craving pancakes all week.”
“Sure, I can do that. Mind giving me your number so I can figure out where to pick you up from?”
Danny nods and begins patting his pockets in search of… something. Duke means to grab his phone and hand it to Danny to get his number, but he’s quickly distracted as Danny gives up on his pockets and shoves a hand directly into his own chest.
Ghostly magic shenanigans. This is probably part of it? Danny doesn’t look alarmed by this at all, so Duke rolls with it and shoves away his shock at the sight.
“Aha!” Danny holds up a sharpie in triumph. He sure did pull that straight out of his ribcage. Duke is so chill with it.
He lets Danny take hold of his arm, removing a wrist gauntlet so he can write on the skin. The cool ink of the sharpie makes him shiver, but otherwise, he stays still. Danny writes carefully, in smooth movements. It doesn’t take more than a few seconds, then he pulls the sharpie away and blows a surprisingly cold breath against Duke’s wrist to help the ink dry faster.
“There we go,” he says with a smile. “Let me know when you wanna have our date, okay? I’m free whenever, so don’t worry about accommodating me or anything.
“I’ll text you once I’m ready,” Duke agrees. He stands up, looking over the numbers written on his wrist. He memorizes them, then puts his wrist gauntlet back on. It’s about time for him to get back to being the Signal, as much as he hates to leave Danny here when they’ve finally been able to have a quiet moment to themselves.
“I’ll see you later, then.” Danny hesitates, then leans forward and presses a quick, chaste kiss against Duke’s cheek. Duke blinks at him, stunned, his heart skipping a beat.
He doesn’t get the chance to return the gesture; Danny flushes red, backs up a few steps with a shy grin, and says, “Okay, bye Duke! Stay safe out there!” And then he’s gone, blinking out of sight, and it’s only his meta powers that let him see a faint wispy outline where Danny was.
It moves, floating up in the air, then flies away like smoke in the breeze.
Ah, Duke thinks, Ghostly. He’s a ghost. I’ll worry about that later.
His fingers brush against the spot where Danny kissed him. Then he puts his helmet back on and focuses on swinging through the streets of Gotham, ready for anything.
The sooner he gets done with patrol, the better, after all. He needs all his focus to do that so he can start getting ready for his date with Danny, the literal boy of his dreams.
This time, this life, this universe, they’re gonna do it right. They’ll make up for all the time their other selves lost. They’ll cherish every minute together, one pancake date at a time.
And to think, it only took a couple dozen different lives to get here.
#ghostlights#dc x dp#dp x dc#dcxdp#dpxdc#prompt fill#my writing#the dreams were bc danny messed w magic stuff he found in the ghost zone#and since duke is so heavily involved in all the other lives he got involved in this one too#basically the magic being like oh u want ur boy? here he is!#dannys bad luck has nothing to do w magic tho he just lives like that lmao#thanks for the prompt!
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Masterpost
This is the masterpost for everything that I have posted, not reblogged or added on from someone else.
DCU Only
The Batkids hide in Batman's cloak: here
DP Only
Ghosts as a separate species: here
DpxDc
Danny-centric
Young Danny: here
Danny really hates Christmas: here
Failed Ghost Danny: here
The Purge: here
Secret Arms dealer: here
Danny is Jon Kent: here
Martian Danny: here
Danny's being followed: here
Danny is Bruce Wayne: here
Danny is the clone of Barry and Hal: here AO3 link: here
Danny is Ace the bathound: here @bloggerspam wrote a beautiful fic for this!
Danny goes back in time to kill villain Tim: here
Danny is Diana's daughter: here
Danny arrives during DCeased: here
Danny is Alfred's son: here
Danny is centries old: here
"My name is Danny Fenton, and this is Jackass.": here
Danny is the son of Clark Kent and Lana Lang: here
Danny is convinced Batman is a vampire: here
Danny is Deadshot: here
Danny infiltrates the Light: here
Danny is Jason Todd: here
Danny pays Diana a visit: here
Dan-centric
Dan meets Jason Todd: here
Red Lantern Dan: here
Dan raises Kal-El: here
Jazz-centric
Jazz gets drunk: here
Halfa Jazz: here
Jazz is Lex Luthor's daughter: here
Tucker-centric
Tucker is Amity Park's protector: here
Dani-centric
Dani wants to get arrested: here
Dani is from the future: here
Dani is the clone of Bruce and Danny: here
When Dani destabilizes, Superman stabilizes her dna. She doesn't appreciate this: here
Danny is Clockwork's assistant
Clockwork's assistant au: here
Apprentice of time au: here
Green Lantern Danny
Adult GL Danny: here
GL Danny in Justice League: here
GL Danny helps arrest his parents: here
Danny and others:
Danny and Jazz go to a gala: here
Danny and Dick talk during a stakeout: here
Damian's rant: here
Cujo steals Jason's gun: here
Danny haunts Batman: here
Wally crosses into the DP universe: here
Bruce trains with Phantom: here
The Phantom siblings like to throw things: here
Gotham is on fire: here
Danny and Sam make a bet: here
Flash, Batman, and Joker accidentally cross into the DP universe: here
Danny and Bart are from the future: here
Dani and Dani decide to crash Bruce's interview: here
Mind-controlled Superman crashes Danny and Sam's date: here
Damian and Danny are best friends: here
Danny haunts Batman: here
Dick and Danny talk: here
Dick and Danny are childhood friends: here
Danny rescues Bruce in 1732: here
Jason and Danny kill the Joker: here
Deaged Danny
Danny escapes CADMUS: here
Danny and Dani are adopted by Aquaman: here
Oliver adopts Danny: here
Clark adopts Danny: here
Barry adopts Danny: here
Teen/Adult dad Danny
Ellie and Damian's forced friendship: here
Single Dad and toddler Ellie meet Single mom Kara and baby Kal: here AO3 link: here
Danny is Klarion and Nabu's Dad: here
Danny is Zeus, and Diana's father: here
Other:
Dick throws a party for his 30th birthday: here
The Batfam discover the GIW's warehouse by accident: here
Freakshow and Joker are brothers: here
Tim accidentally creates a portal to Amity Park: here
Dick accidentally saves Danny instead of Tim: here
Danny becomes backup Red Robin: here
Deaged Dick: here
Jazz, Harley, and Bruce are in medschool together: here
Halfa Tim Drake: here
Villain Fentons au: here
Valerie doesn't want to be on a hero team: here
Dick and Damian are ducks: here
Kryptonian Jack Fenton: here
Amity Park is its own nation: here
Villian Fentons: here
A Turkey ghost sends the Fentons on a country-wide chase: here
Little Baby Man Danny: here
Conner is Phantom and Superman's clone: here
Kryptonian Danny: here
Ships:
Dash/Danny: here
Tim/Danny: here
Tim/Danny gods of Krypton: here
Damian is Jazz and Bruce's son: here
Valerie/Danny raise Dani: here
GL Jazz/Bruce: here
FBI Agent Jazz Fenton(Nightingale): here AO3 link: here
Stephanie/Danny: here
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Night Vale Summer Literature Camp au
(Dpxdc w/ a dash of wtnv)
Brief plot setup / background: Danny and Damian are twins, they were both trained to be co leaders of the loa. Danny and Damian had a very rocky relationship before coming to live with the Wanyes because of the fact that Danny had "specialized training", which was really Danny being experiment on with Lazarus water. During these experiments Danny and Respawn met, Danny for a long time considered Respawn as more of a brother to him than Damian, they still consider each other brothers but now Danny actually considers Damian a brother. One of the experiments done on Danny was an attempt to replace his blood with Lazarus water which made him need to drink a shit ton of Lazarus water for his body to keep producing blood, which is also how he managed to survive the portal accident of this au. On the summer of their 14th birthday (I headcannon their birthdays to be during the summer) Danny had begged their father to let him to go to a literature summer camp in a small town called Night Vale with his friends, Sam and Tucker, a program which lasts the entire summer. Bruce is reluctant to let him go because of the whole Lazarus water thing and so is Damian because it would be the first time they would be without each other for longer than a few days, but eventually other members of the family and other leaguers convince Bruce to let him go because Danny might develop an unhealthy dependency on them if they don't let him be independent.
As it turns out a whole class from a school called Casper High would be attending the camp as well. Chaos insues when Danny, Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and Jazz's cousin, Pearl, find an ancient portal underneath the town accidentally turning it on causing Danny who was standing in it to turn into a halfa, now the portal is premently turned on letting all kinds of creatures through.
(Sidenote: I have yet to listen to the actual Welcome to Night Vale podcast, the portal underneath the town came from me. I'm thinking about changing the town to Amity or just let it be a random ass town because of this. No WTNV characters will appear Night Vale is just the setting.)
Here's some fake tweets to go with this.
#Dcxdp#Dpxdc#danny fenton#damian wayne#dp star#Dp oc#Danny phantom au#social media au#Fake tweets#Danny and Damian are twins#Not tagging nv bc it's just the town they're in and none of the characters r there#sam manson#tucker foley#I was staring at this for a good while trying to remember if i tagged this properly#The Nightvale Literature Camp Project au
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Swagger Bishie headcanons (nice Dash AU)
• He’s embarrassed about it, but Dash likes to watch “little kid cartoons” with Danny, and Danny doesn’t mind it very much, he might end up actually liking the plot or complaining about all the plot holes, but he mostly doesn’t care much
• Dash’s love language is acts of service, and he’s a surprisingly great cook, so it’s not uncommon for him to make Danny a snack after a particularly long day, and he loves when Danny does things for him
• Danny’s love language is physical touch, which honestly surprises Dash a bit since he looks so mad and unapproachable 67% of the time and how he used to reject it, but now he’s glad to accept it
• Both are nervous mfers with zero dating experience (Dash can and will get lost in a trance ranting about how great he thinks Danny is, Danny’s internally screaming and trying not to explode whenever he talks about his growing crush)
• Dash fell first
• Both Sam and Tucker went “SERIOUSLY??!!” when he told them he think he’s fallen for the blondie and shook their heads, Jazz was supportive
• Dash also started falling for Phantom, did his best to ignore those feelings because he was determined to get with Danny, and was really happy when Danny told him (especially since he trusted him with the secret)
• Dash tried the mistletoe thing once, and only once, because Danny tried to set it on fire (he also discovered his apparent hate for the holiday)
• Dash may not always understand what he’s saying, but he loves it when Danny starts ranting about space
• Danny’s poor brain malfunctions when he’s held and kissed
• Soon after Danny ended up becoming the next king of the ghost zone (essentially a prince in the meantime), he got a bit of a wardrobe upgrade and showed up to a date wearing it (he thought he overdid it, but Dash was absolutely smitten)
•Danielle and Cujo both disapproved at first, Danielle because that’s her big brother, and Cujo because that’s the halfa he’s protecting
•There’s no way Danny didn’t introduce him to Clockwork and Clockwork was judgy towards Dash
#swagger bishie#teddy ghost#danny phantom#danny fentom#dp dash#dash Baxter#lil extra: Danny has resting b!tch face and it scares Dash sometimes
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Of All the People - ch. 1
Chapter 1 of the fanfiction that @attackradish and @ectolemonades and I wrote together for @invisobang! Starring art by the esteemed @toasty-ghosti! Their art for this chapter is also posted on their own blog here!
summary: After a stupid dare puts Dash Baxter in the lab at Fentonworks during the middle of a ghost fight, he finds himself a little more spectral than usual. Apparently Danny Fenton's gone through the same thing (someone has got to call OSHA on these guys eventually), and who could better help Dash than his hero? His lame, stubborn hero?
warnings: nothing for this chapter, but later chapters have existential crises and Spectra.
total words: 12k
chapter words: 2231
AO3 link
next chapter
===
Why did Dash agree to this? Fenton Works was fucking creepy, and wasn’t that the whole point? He'd been dared to break in because “that place is spooky as hell,” and here he was, shocked to find it spooky as hell. He should have known the air in the house would be dark and heavy like the middle of a ghost fight, but silent like the grave. He had half a mind to just turn around and walk right back out that front door— which, looking from the inside, was armed? —and go home. He didn’t have that option, though, when the point of the dare in the first place was to prove he wasn’t a coward. Earlier he had let out what Kwan called “an absolute Primadonna screech” while the A-listers were attempting to film a found-footage style fake ghost hunt. He was sentenced to a pilgrimage into Fenton Works in the dead of night to steal something cool from the lab. Now, just the entryway was making him wonder if being a coward was such a bad thing.
Since entry, the house had greeted Dash with breathless quiet. He knew there was all that creepy tech shit in the basement, so why wasn’t there any electric humming? It was like the house had noticed him and taken away any sounds he could have used to orient himself. He had to adjust to it, like when the pressure from an altitude change wasn't quite enough to pop your ears.
A sudden shriek broke the silence, and a shadowy figure burst out of a hall closet towards Dash. His legs burst into a sprint before he had time to think, taking him deeper into the suburban labyrinth. He ground to a halt by a hallway (that he could swear wasn’t there before) and ducked into its shadows to catch his breath.
A peek around the corner revealed no monster. Cautiously, he snuck back out for a better look. Maybe he could make a run for the door? He wasn’t going to die just to prove he wasn’t a coward. Let them show the video to the whole school. Hell, throw it up on national news! Anything was better than getting ripped to shreds by whatever that thing was.
Coast looked clear. As he crept back, his ears strained to make out any sounds masked by his footsteps. Slowly but surely, he crossed the Fentons’ living room. The door was just a couple yards away. He could make it. He grit his teeth, ready to outrun the devil itself, and bolted.
Just an arm’s reach away from the door, a claw snapped shut around his ankle and pulled. Dash fell helplessly to the floor.
This was it. His death was at hand. He would die on a stupid dare in a town that took “dead end” to a new level, offed by some entity whose name he didn’t even know.
…Why hadn’t anything happened? The oppressive silence of Fenton Works beat into his temples. The claw around his ankle slowly felt less and less like a vise. Dash turned to face his attacker… a pair of coats and a vacuum cleaner.
God, he felt stupid. The house lost some of its horror when it was so obviously domestic. He got up, dusted himself off, and turned back to the living room with a renewed sense of confidence.
Once he crossed the threshold into the much darker kitchen, the feeling of dread tickled back up his spine. He rested his hands on the table to steady his nerves. It’s just a house, Baxter. Remember what got you spooked last time? …But what if it’s actually something dangerous next time? And I’m not ready for it? He focused on his breathing. Listened for the anxious thump in his chest. After a bit, he regained some calm.
Without warning, he lost his balance. It was like the table had suddenly moved up and pushed his hand. At a glance it seemed a little taller, but it was too dark to see if the legs were still touching the floor, and Dash knew better than to check.
Maybe the kitchen was a bad place to be right now. Kitchens have practically everything dangerous for humans and just about nothing dangerous to ghosts— at least the lab should have something to defend himself with.
Dash wasted no time trying to escape the room. In his sprint, an open cupboard cracked against his forehead. He staggered backward and nearly flipped over an open silverware drawer. He overcorrected, stumbling forward into the stove, limbs sprawling over the cooktop. He froze at a distinctive t-t-t-t next to his ear— the igniting of a gas burner. The burner opposite his face erupted in a flash of blue. Then another a bit closer. Shitshitshit—! As he jumped away, the remaining burners lit all at once like a fireworks show. He bit back a scream (like that did anything for all the noise he’d already made) and sprinted through the kitchen with arms raised for cover. This house was absolutely haunted! Was it built on an old cemetery? Did the Fentons kill off some forgotten child of theirs? Had they finally pushed the spirits past their limit with their meddling in the paranormal?
Exhausted, his nerves shot, Dash pried open the metal door to the lab stairs and descended into the radioactive glow.
===
Danny hadn't particularly planned on waking up at 2 a.m. because he felt someone break into his house. He especially hadn't planned on that someone being Dash. But an opportunity to torment that pain in the neck with little to no consequence? He couldn't pass that up.
The first few minutes of watching Dash flail around in the dark and attempt to stifle panic over anything and everything were hilarious without any ghostly influence. By the time Dash made it to the kitchen, Danny couldn't resist stepping in. When Dash tripped over the silverware drawer, he’d had to react quickly to hold it and keep it from breaking. The trick with the burners on the stove was quite genius, if he did say so himself. Some ghostly side of Danny was taking a dark pleasure in the way Dash’s fear wafted through his house.
Once he reached the lab, though, Danny had to draw a line. That place was a mess, and even someone wearing protective equipment could be seriously hurt. In fact, depending on how much denial he was indulging in at the moment, he might even say he'd proven the lab lethal.
He only watched Dash rummage around for a moment before regaining visibility on the steps while his back was turned.
"You shouldn't be in the lab unsupervised. You could get hurt down here, y'know."
Dash nearly jumped out of his skin. The ectoplasm sample he was holding fell as he whipped around and threw his hands in the air.
"I'm so sorry I swear–! Oh, Fenton, uh," Dash spluttered, clearly trying to play off his panic. "What are you doing here?" Danny raised his eyebrows at him.
"This is my house, Dash. You were making enough noise to wake the dead," Danny smiled at his own joke.
"Well it's not my fault your family doesn't know how to close cabinets! Hey, shouldn’t you have a gun or something? What if I was an armed robber? What were you going to do, try to fist-fight me? You’d hardly weigh 100 pounds soaking wet!"
"Aw, you care if I can protect myself! How sweet," Danny snarked. "Let's see.” He ticked things off on his fingers as he spoke: “First you break into my house, then you judge my family's kitchen habits, and then you snoop around a lab full of dangerous equipment and manage to break a sample. Which, by the way, you have to help me clean up now."
"Why is it your business what I'm doing?" Dash snapped.
"Once again, this is my house, Dash." Danny sighed. "Whatever, if you help me clean up your mess, I'll give you whatever it is you came here for so you can leave and I can get some sleep."
Dash seemed visibly taken aback by how Danny spoke to him. Danny shrugged it off and went through the motions of cleaning up a spilled sample. Gloves, broom, rag, Fenton Disinfecto spray.
He walked Dash through the process, explaining vaguely how the spray would neutralize any potential ectoradiation in the area of the spill, just in case it was a particularly potent sample. He wasn't sure why he even bothered to explain it, or how he felt about Dash silently following his instructions with a somewhat solemn look on his face. Whatever. He couldn’t sulk his way out of cleaning up the mess he made after breaking into Danny’s house.
Mess cleaned up and cleaning implements properly sanitized, Danny started rummaging through cabinets with more confidence than Dash had.
"So, what were you trying to get? Wrist ray? Fenton Th—" Danny cut himself off with a small gasp at the feeling of cold air sliding up his throat.
"Uh, what was that?" Shit. Danny had hoped he wouldn't notice anything. He coughed, a weak attempt at covering it up.
"I, uh, thought I heard someone upstairs," he said. Dash didn’t get the chance to ask any more questions before there was a burst of green light and Johnny 13 was roaring through the portal.
Oh, just perfect. Danny had held out hope that it would at least be Boxy or some innocent blob, but why would he ever get someone nice at 2 a.m. with his biggest human tormentor in the room? He made eye contact with Johnny, who seemed surprised to be greeted so soon. Danny tried to look scared, or at least shocked, but it was the middle of the night in his own house. Sue him if he wasn’t feeling up to theatrics.
There was something like a ping in the back of his mind, and his attention was drawn to the side, where Dash was backing up away from the portal. He was shaking like a chihuahua, but he kept his movements slow, like Johnny wouldn’t see him if he didn’t move.
Whatever Danny did had to be fast and effective to keep Dash from getting hurt.
Johnny was over his surprise, his green eyes narrowed with determination. This wasn’t the time for an identity reveal, but Danny didn’t have any accessible thermos on him at the moment. Maybe he could find a weapon to force him away? The lab was pretty empty of weapons at the moment, except a Fenton Bazooka lying half-assembled in some work-in-progress “upgrade”. He didn’t trust it. His best bet was the Weapons Vault, 6 or so yards away.
“Hey, Twerp!” Johnny started revving his engine to charge.
Danny tried desperately to communicate don’t you dare act familiar with me or you’ll get a month of Soup Hell after this with a look. He turned to Dash. “Getting weapons. Stay here.”
In his rush, he didn’t wait for Dash’s stunned nod. He bolted for the vault door and hoped he was keeping Johnny’s attention.
===
What the FUCK was going on? First Fenton was acting all weird and nice and bold, and then some vaguely familiar goddamn ghost came out of the vortex, which was apparently some kind of portal just left open, and then Fenton stared the thing down and zoomed off into the front of the room but it wasn’t like he was running it was like he was gearing up, and the ghost wasn’t paying any attention to Dash and how was he supposed to protest? Then as the ghost chased after Fenton, who was off like a wild fucking cat, it started charging some kind of shot in its hand, and Dash had seen attacks like that one too many times watching Phantom fight. He had to cover Fenton’s back somehow, he wasn’t going to be responsible for letting the kid die because of his stupid dare.
His eyes darted around the lab. There had to be weapons around here somewhere, and Fenton was just overlooking them. There! On the workbench. It was big and looked partway disassembled, but it was the green and silver of ghost weaponry and it had an obvious trigger and he had to act fast. He hauled the thing up to his chest, aimed the best he could, and pulled the trigger.
For a second, he thought he succeeded. There was a massive flash of green light and the sound of a small explosion. But then he noticed the shockwave, coming from the gun itself and not its target. And he noticed the pain, blooming out from his chest like he’d broken more ribs than he even had and the broken bones had grabbed up his heart in their claws and eaten it whole. His vision stayed green as he noticed he was falling. And as his head hit the ground, his left leg exploded into pain, taken by the same hungry god that took his heart. He thought he heard a scream through the white noise, and he had no idea if it was his. If his own throat even worked. Then, there was nothing, except the thought that he had predicted his own death a few minutes too early.
#danny phantom#invisobang 2022#my writing#swagger bishie#halfa!dash#halfa dash au#teddy ghost#check ao3 for more tags!#dash baxter
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Ok so more thoughts on the eldritch Ancients and eldritch Danny AU (Link to post here)
None of the ghosts really knowing that the ancients are eldritch gods, they all stay in their sealed/ghost forms in the infinite realms because overwise everyone would go crazy, ghosts are the ones they can have most interaction with because they’re the closest living being already dead that can be nearer them without any negative effects.
Though even my ghost standards their still myths or legends or not fully believed to be real.
(The observants not being eldritch gods but very powerful beings…. Still if they wanted to the ancients could end them no problem but that would mean reworking the entire universe and order and a few realms would probably collapse onto themselves so they’ll leave them be…. For now… besides CW likes fucking with them)
So eldritch things about Danny he starts developing fangs, claws glowy eyes but not quickly it’s slow and everyone writes it off as normal ghost stuff. His big power climb is also one like his powers developing so fast and developing so many at such a fast rate everyone just writes it off as just a ‘halfa’ thing or a ‘ghost’ thing or well Danny’s just very powerful. (The whole Dan and Danny ghostly wail thing how Danny was able to do a technique that took Dan years and years to attain/figure out is cause Dan was just half ghost he wasn’t Danny; Danny hadn’t started fully changing in that timeline before everyone died and he merged with Vlad’s ghost half in that timeline whereas Danny still had that potential and in fact the fight with Dan actually made him reach for powers and sort of kick started it)
Also, Danny stops aging (Like Vlad aged normally even with the half ghost thing but Danny’s just stopped or it’s slowed down to the aging of an immortal eldritch god) no-one totally notices but eventually they will, so CW and the others haven’t told him let and are letting him enjoy the time he can as a ‘human’ because once people realise and the changes start…. Well, there no going back (Also it’ll take him a long time to get his powers/form under control when they show like centuries and centuries to get hold on it)
When his powers start actually showing Danny still doesn’t realise, it all feels natural and slightly more comfortable. (All I can imagine is Wes trying to catch Danny transform and running in to see him transform but… well Danny’s a bit more eldritch in the transformation and it leaves Wes fettle position on the floor silently screaming… Danny is just confused no idea what’s going on, he just steeps over Wes and decides he may call CW later)
Also just the GIW trying to catch Danny or another ghost chasing him into the ghost zone and run into nearly full eldritch form Clockwork and just totally going insane, Danny not seeing the big difference (to him it just seems normal and hey CW changes ages at times why’s another form so weird?)
Danny being like a space ancient (Yeah sorry bringing space core in) him creating an air of frost and cold around him like the cold of space, spatial teleportation tearing rips in reality accidentally (He sneezed once and there was just a gap in space for a moment then disappeared) Dash saw it and just turned around and went home for the day because ‘WTFWTFWTFWTF’ Danny also being able to control constellations and stars and accidently created changes.... NASA freaking the fuck out because WHAT IS HAPPENING??? CW thinks it’s adorable (and may remind him of when he first started using his time powers…luckily no one remembers how much chaos he accidently caused)
Also dark ages addition – Pariah and CW maybe having a psychic connection or CW pausing time when Pariah comes out of the sarcophagus (Again not so much an imprisonment as a Pariah calm the fuck out before you destroy more realms that’s take ages to fix just go take a breather for a millennium or so) CW of course telling Pariah all about Danny the other being very exited but deciding to test Danny or more accurately they got a bet (Pariah doing the whole invasion thing and fight and if Danny can’t beat him then CW rewinds time and Danny comes back to the GZ now because
Pariah: he’s a baby CW we can’t leave him there? What if those humans hurt him!
CW:Dear I love you but Daniel’s power if he was ever truly in danger he has more odds of destroying their world then being destroyed himself
Pariah: Yeah but still
Danny does win so Pariah reluctantly admits to let Danny stay as a ‘human’ til he can’t anymore. He is so fucking proud of the kid and has decided when Danny comes back full time he’ll be coming back to he’s calm he won’t try and destroy the infinite realms again he promises
#dp#danny phantom#dp au#au#fic prompt#danny fenton#ancients being eldritch gods#eldritch#eldritch danny#pariah dark x clockwork#clockwork#pariah dark#dad clockwork#dp dark ages#dark ages#space obsession danny#dp lost time#lost time
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Hi! For posterity, I’d like to say that I’m a cringe little baby boy who hasn’t really used ffn for anything but LOZ fix’s, which are a whole different story. I’d like to check out some of the older works, but I’d like to be sure of what I’m reading. If you don’t mind, could you tell me about a couple of common ship nicknames in this fandom or ones that I should definitely know about? I’m bad at understanding most references, so I’m sorry if they’re like, secretly super obvious.
Omg haha you're so fine!
The big ones you'll run into the most are going to be:
Amethyst Ocean = Danny/Sam
Gray Ghost = Danny/Valerie
Swagger Bishie (older) and Teddy Ghost (newer) = Danny/Dash
Savant Par = Danny/Tucker
Pompous Pep = Vlad/Danny (non-platonic)
Badger Cereal = Vlad&Danny (mentor & mentee, or father & son)
Pink Astronaut = Danny/Paulina
Dark Gray = Valerie/Dan
Pitch Pearl = Danny Phantom/Danny Fenton
Everlasting Trio = Danny/Sam/Tucker (rarely can also be platonic Danny&Sam&Tucker)
Family Breakfast = Maddie/Jack/Vlad
You didn't ask, but you should know that we are HUGE on our AU's. If you run into some terms you don't recognize, here's what they could mean:
Corpse AU: When Danny dies, he leaves behind a body.
Dissection Fic: Danny gets captured by his parents or the GIW
Dual Obsession AU: Danny has two obsessions: protection (or similar), and space
Electric Core AU: Instead of ice powers, Danny gets electricity powers from the portal.
Everyone Knows AU: Danny was revealed (typically not through Phantom Planet)
Ghost King AU: After defeating Pariah Dark, Danny is next in line to be the ghost king.
(Half) Human AU: Danny starts out as a ghost, and the portal turns him into a (half) human.
Hazmat AU: Danny dies in a full hazmat suit
No One Knows AU: Danny was alone during the accident
Portal AU: Danny is the ghost portal.
Reverse/Inverse Trio: Role reversal! Either Tucker or Sam is the halfa.
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Danny Phantom AU where everything is the same except there's another ghost hunting (investigating) family who use occult and magic besides the Fenton who use science (and Danny who is a halfa but besides this point). I want to see the magic family (let's call them the Greys) wanting to one-up the Fenton while the teenage grey goes to Casper high and didn't notice Danny's unusually ghostly thing while looking for ghosts in Casper high.
The Greys have magical items( think like a compass that points to the nearest ghost or something like that.) And ghost warding magic with blood blossom crossbow but they have only a magic spell that pulls a ghost into the ghost zone that is situational( the ghost has to stay in a spot for one minute.) While the Fenton thermos is better at catching ghosts and got a ghost portal. While the Fenton are looking to capture a ghost to learn about it while the Greys learn the ghost past(by studying the ghost family history and even learn how they died, the Greys also help the police with murder cases to learn about a ghost death)to figure out their weaknesses and the reason for the ghost purpose for haunting Amity Park. When the Greys saw Danny Phantom fight ghosts they were confused about the new ghost that they didn't know about and try to figure out how Danny came to be but every time they tried to learn about Danny he just hid and changed form as his halfa state confused the magic compass as he is technically alive.
I want someone to write about where Danny help the Greys with a Teke-Teke (a Japanese urban legend there a bottomless lady spirit killed by train haunted a train station and kill people with a scythe) while the Greys are having a conflicted idea about either letting Danny help them or just getting information while fighting the spirit.
The Greys are a major power for Amity Park when they are pulled into the ghost zone by Pariah Dark because their magic item and training help against the ghost army and distracted Fright Knight from helping Pariah Dark.
The teenage Grey ( let us call him Joseph) is a student of Casper high and carries a couple of magic items ( the magic compass and a magic yo-yo that can hurt ghosts even while intangible) while trying to find a ghost (Danny) but his compass is having a weird moment while near Danny but Joseph didn't notice, but don't mistake him for a fool (think him as Joseph Joestar) as he first find Danny Phantom fighting the lunch Lady he misdirected lunch Lady into the freezer and with Danny help capture her,( after this as Joseph is turned Danny leave before Joseph ask about him).
Edit: the Greys absolutely HATES the GIW because they caused collateral damage and possibly death which means more ghosts and the GIW occasionally fight the Greys because they thought magic using are ghost ability as well making the Greys job harder.
Edit edit: When the Greys heard about halfa they thought the halfa are made from a relationship between a ghost and a human, not an artificial accident from a ghost portal. And the Greys can let a ghost possess them while still in control with power ( think geist the sin eater power).also Joseph is on one step higher on the popular ladder then team phantom because when Dash tried to bully Joseph he just sudo flip Dash to the locker in front of the A-lister and scare them.
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My DP Character HCs Masterlist
This is just a bunch of hc stuff for DP characters. It might take a bit to get it all on here.
Danny:
Interesting Idea for King Danny
Engineer Danny
Frost Phantom
The Christmas Gift
The Source of Danny's Anger At Christmas
Anti-Gravity Phantom
Secret Identity
Fenton:
Fenton Bias
Jack & Maddie's Perspective on Ghosts
Neurodivergent Fentons
Neurodivergent Jack & Maddie
Neurodivergent Jack
Dani's Obsession
Halfa Jazz
Fenton Preferences
Family Legacy 1
Family Legacy 2
Phantom Family AU
The Walker Family
Vlad Masters:
Ugly Crying Vlad
Vlad Struggling With NPD
Vlad the Methyphile
Vlad's Romantic Profile
Vlad's Sexual Profile
Clockwork:
Clockwork
The Origin of Clockwork
Clockwork Through the Multiverse
Full Prompts & Story Ideas:
The Bell Tolls For Amity
The Curse of the Seven Sins
Timeless Journey
Vlad vs Dan
Broken Future AU
Lady Nightshade AU
Purification & Aftermath
Other:
Nocturn (My Style)
Dash After High School
Rebel Alliance
Ember's Lement
Head Butler of Manson Manor
Lunch Lady
Sapiosexuality
Vlad & the Supernatural Trio
MRA Tucker
Team Halfa
Dan Insults Vlad
Realistic Danger & Casualties
Valerie's Powers
Dan Likes Greek
Sam's Thoughts on Lionfish
DP Confessions
Ecto-Apocalypse
Plants Rights Lunatics
Whimsigoth Sam
The Haunted Jukebox
Xovers:
DPxDC - Ship Names List
DPxDC - Psyche Talk
DPxDC - Anger Management
DPxDC - Anger Management & Those Who Think It's Wrong
DPxDC - Superman Isn't a Clonophobe & Backup
DPxDC - Bruce the Burdened
DPxDC - Elder Wayne Return
DPxDC - The Lazarus Pits & Jason Todd
DPxDC - A Bird in Amity
DPxDC - The Black Cat
DPxDC - Bell Above the Box
DPxDC - Jazz as Altair the Bluebird of Gotham
DPxDC - Duul Aman Thal
DPxDC - Green Lantern Danny
DPxDC - Vlad As a Lantern
DPxDW - Danny & the Doctor
DPxMCU - Saving Private Vision
DPxMH - Calamity Park
DPxIV - Viltrumite Kryptonite
DPxSU - GemHaunt
DPxMHA - Hawks' New Life
DPxMLP - Cutie Mark
DPxDB - Death Comes For All Eventually
Other DP Masterlists:
Ghost Zone Masterlist
DP Ask AU Masterlist
DP Phantom Twins AU Masterlist
Other Useful Masterlists:
Aikoiya's Writing Tips Masterlist
#dp#danny phantom#masterlist#aikoiya hc#dc#dw#mcu#mh#iv#su#mha#dp x dc#dp x dw#dp x mcu#dp x mh#dp x iv#dp x su#dp x mha#detective comics#doctor who#marvel cinematic universe#monster high#invincible#steven universe#my hero academia#boku no hero academia#writing prompt#au#dp masterlist
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Pride Celebrations Part Two!!!🎉🌈💖
Welcome to part two: the electric boogaloo! This time we bring you prompts! We have two rounds of prompts lined up, along with this wonderful bingo sheet.
Big thanks to all of our wonderful community members who pitched in to help with these prompts!!!
DP and Dc characters first meet at pride where Batman was giving out hugs.
First hero ever phantom is known to go to pride events, and that so happens to be where he meets Batman for the first time.
Dani isn’t really a girl, but they aren’t really a boy. They just, are.
Bart forgets to tell the rest of young justice that he is gay, which may have become a problem when he was caught kissing Phantom on their date
Twitter is convinced Batman is dating Clark Kent, and Bruce Wayne is dating Superman.
Ace(possibly aro) Damian trying his damndest to date and it never going well cause he doesn't know wtf is up with his own head. Him either entering a qpr with someone/s or finding someone else who is ace.
Dani ends up in Bludhaven during June. Dick spots a small, lonely girl staring around in wonder. Things happen, particularly Dad!Dick activates.
Dan and Jason meeting at an Ace support group
Danny meets Battinson at pride, but both as heroes.
Bruce's kids finding him, in a bad disguise, at Pride with a new partner they've never met.
Lawyer!Jazz meets Selina while working for a non-profit firm, and they hit it off.
Wes and Bernard meet at a conspiracy convention.
Halfa Jason au where his ghost form manifests surprisingly feminine.
Dani meets a hot girl at the skatepark.
It’s Amity’s first pride parade! It goes surprisingly well, but the justice league is called.
Amity's first Pride since the portal, and the ghosts all want to attend
The batkids only learn that Alfred is actually trans when Danny joins the household and Alfred's like “me too.”
Julia Pennyworth brings home her new girlfriend, Jazz Fenton.
Poindexter attends Pride and is finally able to feel accepted.
Katherine Kane and Sam Manson first met at a gala when it was interrupted by a rogue attack and they were the only two that did anything about it.
Tucker is the only one that can solve the Riddler’s questions. His reward is a dinner date.
Tucker goes to Gotham with one mission: get the gay Robin’s autograph. This proves harder than originally thought.
While working with Leslie Thompkins, Jazz meets Harper Row—part time doctor's assistant and part time vigilant.
Dash ends up going to Gotham U. Finally away from his dad's expectations, he lets himself explore the part of himself he had to keep buried. Dick runs into him at a gay bar and decides this obviously out of his depth guy needs support. Eventual Core Strength but only after Dick tries to help set Dash up with a date and realizes he's jealous.
A series of shenanigans where the batfam thinks that Jason is lying about having a boyfriend. Danny is a cryptid who keeps getting pulled away by either ghost king duties or general shenanigans.
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