#Vlad doe town try not to mention him much

[ecto-stone]

Wasn't Amity Park have Two super hero teen ghost? Yeah. About that We don't talk about the other one.

[ladyarrowhead]

The poetics of the Vlad the Younger vs Vlad the Older in so far the Haruspex and Bachelor Route are just keeping me up, and Vlad the Younger being a possible adherent, supposedly only removed for the sake of not accidentally auto-game-over as the Bachelor just adds to how interesting this choice is to me. Lots of musings below this, I do not know where I am going with this

Additionally, "Panacea Blackmarket" ALSO takes place on this day in which Vlad the Younger is linked to it, something that Daniil first detests ("The man won't let a single penny past his purse! It occurs to me that he is no better than Bad Grief), with a hint of Dankovsky-typical "wait maybe the worms framed Vlad for this, let me check"). The Bachelor is only to change his opinion once he finds out that Vlad is now trying to "make amends" by distributing the panacea to the people he had doomed (Yes, people do change a lot. Before, I was convinced that this man was beyond salvation. I thought that nothing less than death could make the leopard change its spots. But I see a new man before me now. His former self has died; but not before he gave the entirety of his panacea stock to Mark Immortell.)

"Subterrarean Rot", to me becomes interesting because Daniil very much likes to align himself with the truth and slowly and surely has been shown and expected to lie tooth and nail to protect himself. Finding our who is behind the Termitary's state, Daniil is originally to decide who to deliver to Taya, but his journal entry is SO interesting about this:

The whole thing proved to be a trivial affair, but no less terrifying for it. When Isidor informed the Olgimskys of the impending outbreak, it was the younger who did what the elder did not dare to. But as the consequences became known, it was the father who shielded his son from the ramifications. A double deceit. This being known, I am in a strong position to speak with the Olgimskys.

I remember my jaw dropping at this when I found out Vlad the Younger, who had seemed so reasonable, had been the one to lock up the Termitary, but Daniil describes him as doing "what the elder did not dare to." Calling Vlad the Younger out, he is more than ready to carry the consequences, while Vlad the Older decides he will take the blame for his heir. When Taya asks Daniil to bring him "who is responsible for it", he (and the game's writing in so far), identify Young Vlad for it.

So how would Daniil decide then when this is how it comes about? When the man is showing so much change? Well, he can take a third option and just not decide - he brings Taya her toybull instead.

And oh goodness? The potential conflict of "the truth is my shepherd" seeing a person who makes an effort to change (if genuine or not that, like so many things, another question) to deliver someone? The choice to take a third option because, in the end, what does this matter if there is a town to save?

It just says so much about what could be Daniil's priorities. It's fun! And then we have Artemy...

"A Son Will Not Be Punished For His Father's Sins" is already named in a very interesting matter - and it immediately calls back to the Haruspex's own position as a "son". This takes place on the day Artemy claims his inheritance in front of Foreman Oyun - it is the day where, unlike the Bachelor, Artemy himself CANNOT avoid making this decision - one of the Olgimsky men needs to die.

There are two fun layers to this - on the one hand it is learning that Taya does not directly care who of the guys she is getting (something I think she also mentions to the Bachelor but I cannot check right now) and learning more about the polcies of the families in the Steppe. Artemy learns it is common among the merchant families that one sacrifices himself to protect the heir at all costs - and that what matters is that someone is punished for a crime that is committed.

Artemy's journal entries for the quest are very interesting leading into this:

So, Vlad the Heavy surrendered himself to Tycheek's daughter? It's clear enough that he isn't the real culprit… I only have to decide if I should tell her the truth. I wonder how that story ends…

Once again, Day 8 offers another quest from Vlad the Younger, because we are all about parallels. This time it is "Below the Ground" where Artemy is asked to retrieve the book detailing the kin's history from the tunnels which may or may not have been a setup given that the tunnels are closed directly once Artemy has entered them . While the book itself is not succesful, it makes Artemy wonder about the parallels between him and Vlad as Vlad himself is also apparently trying to unearth something - though he speaks of him with much more distance (So, Vlad the Younger has managed to reach beneath the ground as well. Is he trying to emulate what I am doing? He has found life down below, just like I have. [...]The ancient wisdom of the Kin was concealed there, locked away until the moment I unearthed it. I'm almost amused by the coincidence.)

Surrendering Vlad the Younger to his death to Taya in also, wonderfully, framed as Artemy taking his place among the kin:

Yes. Let Vlad the Younger die. Whoever makes a decision will be held responsible for it. With every passing day, I feel that the life of the Kin is my own life. I must protect it and avenge its suffering. Whatever fate had in store for these few thousand people, Vlad the Younger is directly responsible for their death.

No. Let Big Vlad die. I should inform Georgiy of my decision. I wouldn't describe Vlad the Heavy as a sentimental man. If he chose to die, he must have had good reason to. Or could it be that he thinks he deserves the punishment?

Surrendering Vlad to Taya matches with Artemy taking his own place - and Vlad the Younger is thus not punished for his fahter's sins but his own, meanwhile Artemy is about to take his father's place and heritage, trying to finish what Isidor created.

An honourable mention goes to the entry as to letting Taya kill Vlad the Older instead:

I am excited to find out more about this, if there is more - knowing this is Pathologic there is certainly more but it will not bring more clarity. But what is it for Artemy then, to be the one choosing it is time for the father to die and thus for Young Vlad to take on his heritage? It certainly is missing the poetry of the entry when choosing Vlad the Younger - but it makes it just as interesting.

[shmowder]

okay yeah can NOT stop thinking about the termites + Clara being a friendgroup and going on silly adventures like kids are supposed to, instead of living the horrors of the plague yk?

Sure, Clara is snarky and mean at times, sarcastic at others, but you know she longs to be loved, genuinely loved by a family, and have friends who care about her.

She just spawned into existence without a single soul to watch out for her. She yearns for the Saburovs affection so much that she runs away from home just to protect them from her growing bad reputation.

Imagine the sheer mind-blowing happiness she'd feel from having a group of friends who care about her and want to hang out? They don't ask miracles of her neither claim she is the bringer of doom, they just want to play with her, they share their toys and split their candy in half to give to her, they push her on the swings and teach her how to play tag.

Grace who's usually quiet finding someone adventurous and outgoing like Clara to balance her out. Someone who thinks her "weird" traits are the coolest thing ever! Grace is the Watson to Clara's Sherlock and I will die on that hill. She enables Clara and loves exploring the unkown and spooky territories with her, while Clara can't believe someone like Grace looks at her in awe with such stary eyes. Just for being herself, not for her powers or for her mischiefs, but just for... existing.

Sticky finally joining the friendgroup after isolating himself from kids his age for so long and desperately trying to fit in with the adults. The only reason he joins despite rejecting Khan and Notkin's proposals before is because his little sister wants friends to play with but is clearly terrfied to her core of interacting with others despite the strong mask she wears of pretending not to care. Murky's smile means the world to Sticky and he'd take her hand and guide her towards the other kids gently, because no one better than him understand what it's like being a fish out of water.

Because things are different now, he has a little sister to look out for and be responsible with! His urge to set a good example for her outweighs his introverted side and he gives in and starts making friends just to encourage her to do the same.

In a way, she indirectly teaches him that it's okay to act childish and be a kid. That it's okay to want friends and trust them.

Capella, who's carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders and watching her childhood slip by, like sand grains trickling down an hourglass the more her mistress powers manifest.

She is the oldest of the group and in a way feels responsible for every one of them, she desperately wants to look out for them before the responsibility of her mother's power start to manifest, not to mention the family business since young Vlad mentions wanting to leave the town and let Capella take over because "she is a smart kid" These kids may very well be the last friends she'd ever have before her whole life becomes a web of politics and business, the last flutter of innocence in a butterfly's wing before it's plucked off forever, to never regrow.

Khan living in the shadow of his family, always second place to his sister who's overtaking the role of her mother as the family head. So he does what he knows best and runs away to the next building over, starts a world of make believe and fairytales to reside at for eternity, refusing to come back home. Establishing an empire of kids who love and look up to him as a leader so he may never feel second place to Maria ever again. Ignoring how each time he looks in the mirror, day by day the face of his father stares back at him more and more.

Notking, Taya and Murky too oh my god. These kids deserve absolute heaven. They deserve to fight over sticker books and arguing about which superhero is the coolest. Imagine them planning their Halloween customs all excited! Khan refusing to participate thinking it's embarrassing for his age but then Capella and Notkin show up in customs and he feels left out so he scrambles for a last minute costume.

Sticky may or may not have used real blood in his zombie costume... you know left overs he "borrowed" from his father's cabinet. Murky wanting something pretty and princess like for her costume but being shy to ask Lara for help so Sticky does it for her instead.

Oh my god, Taya in a little bull costume with the horns and everything, saying hers is clearly superior, and she automatically wins the costume competition.

Clara thinking it's the most hilarious think in the world to dress up as Frankenstein's monster. She wanted zombie too but Sticky did it before her so she had to improvise. Grace is the mad scientist. Peter helping Grace and "Grace's friend" in making their costumes, having his weird little spin on them because he is just such an artist and could never settle for something mundane.

Capella dressing up as a detective! Or maybe something steampunk? Maybe her secret dnd character that she never told anyone about but definitely uses to play with her brother once a month in their running campaign.

Notkin picking the best Halloween costume possible ever! A vampire, duh! Nothing beats the classics, or so he claims. He is not just a vampire but the LORD OF VAMPIRES. A vampire king if you may. Jester has a cute bat costume, a cat in a bat costume. How innovative? Of course, you may only see it IF Jester feels like it.

Khan dressing at the little prince from the storybook? Or a classic werewolf to match Notkin's classice vampire look, or a vampire hunter just to fuck with him.

[forestwhisper3]

Remembering that time I almost wrote a Danny Phantom/Justice League crossover. It was many, many years ago (so long ago that I actually did forget exactly when I wrote it), but I only got a teeny bit done before I completely lost the motivation for it and stopped. Since I know I’m never going to continue, I thought it might be fun to show you all that tiny segment. Past me was even kind enough to make a fic summary, ahaha! So...here you go!

Summary: Alternate realities are a curious thing, though not always pleasant. In a world where a battle between Phantom and Plasmius results in the Fentons' deaths, Danny is forced into being the ward of one Vlad Masters- who has gone insane with grief and guilt. Determined to have Danny with him forever, Vlad does everything possible to hide him from the world.

That is, until a meeting with billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne throws a wrench in his plans.

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Amity Park was a peaceful looking town. Hardly any of the buildings were more than two stories tall, there were multiple parks, and there was just a quaintness to it that seemed to isolate it from the world.

That last part was exactly why he was here.

While to many people it would appear as if the man walking down the streets of was exploring with a pleased curiosity, Bruce Wayne's mind was hard at work. Months ago, the League had detected a massive surge of energy coming from the small town, and had been more than a little startled at its sudden disappearance while investigating the cause. That had immediately sent up red flags to many of them. There were very few things that could make an entire town vanish without a trace in an instant, after all, and none of them were good.

Unfortunately, the energy was different from any they had dealt with before. It made it hard to figure out what was going on and how to solve it. It was only due to a comment from Wonder Woman that they were able to get on the right track, although even then, it had been a little hard to believe.

Before then, they'd never dealt with ghosts.

Dr. Fate had been the most help, as knowledgeable as he tended to be on the strangest subjects. He had confirmed the energy as the supernatural kind, and had then gone on to identify it as a form of ectoplasm. When asked why the ghosts were focusing on that one place, and why the ghosts themselves hadn't been causing problems elsewhere, Fate had only said that the situation was unique, and that the ghosts never ventured far because they weren't allowed to.

Batman hated Dr. Fate sometimes.

Trying to glean any information from Amity itself was frustrating as well. The local newspapers would mention ghost attacks on a regular basis, but never went in depth. The only two articles that seemed to be of note were the one of its current mayor, Vlad Masters, being possessed, and the one praising a ghost boy the town called Inviso-Bill. A ghost that had, strangely enough, been blamed for the possession of the mayor and dubbed a public enemy.

He didn't fail to notice that they started calling him a hero after the incident where Amity vanished.

He might have passed off the lack of information as the fact that the people of Amity were generally familiar with what went on, if it hadn't been for what happened after. Looking into the situation had been put into the backburner when the town returned unharmed, mostly due to more pressing situations elsewhere, but it wasn't forgotten. During a lull in crime some time later, Superman decided to finally begin the investigation by travelling there as Clark Kent, who wanted to write a piece on the town for tourists looking to get away from the city.

He wasn’t even allowed to enter the city’s limits.

Other attempts by lesser known, though well trusted, reporters ended up the same. Masters claimed it was because Amity preferred its solidarity, and that tourism would make things much too chaotic. Batman didn't buy it. There was something going on, and Masters himself seemed to be covering it up. So, how did one go about gaining the trust of a paranoid rich man? By introducing another rich man into the mix.

It was times like these that he truly appreciated his wealth.

Vlad Masters wasn't a terribly rich man in comparison, but he was good at putting his money to work. That was the first cause for caution- it meant that he was intelligent. The second was that his criminal record was suspiciously clean. While Wayne Industries never delved in the illegal, Bruce Wayne was still guilty of a few traffic tickets and small time offenses. It was true that his suspicions might be unfounded, and that Masters might just be a good man, but he had learned that wasn't usually the case with the wealthy. It was better to consider him like the others until proven otherwise.

Other discrepancies had popped up in his background check, but these were the ones placed on the forefront as he knocked on the large wooden doors.

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Vlad was not happy.

The treaty he had made with the inhabitants of the Ghost Zone was being broken. He should have expected it, of course, but it did make things difficult. Apparently the knowledge of Daniel's treatment under his care was no longer enough to stay their hands and keep them from attacking the human world.

Boredom could be a quite a dangerous thing in the uncouth and uneducated.

Fortunately, those foreign reporters had stopped sniffing around months ago. He didn't know what he would do if one were present just as activity started picking up again. Should the rest of the world would know that ghosts were more than a small town's crazy paranoia, people would come- bringing unwanted attention, and if it was deemed a threat, Amity Park might actually find itself visited by superheroes.

Vlad hated superheroes.

It was a miracle he'd kept everything under the radar as long as he had, although money and connections had surely played a large part. Looking at his record, he was the epitome of a decent citizen. No one could and would suspect him. He was free to do as he wished, unless a hero were to get involved. He'd heard rumors- X-ray vision, telepathy, super strength; all sorts of abilities that put him at risk. No, it was better to keep Amity away from the rest of the world. Away from prying eyes and questions.

Away from the chance of them finding his Daniel.

Oh, he had no doubt they would be interested. Daniel was special. Unique. They would snatch him up in an instant, wanting him to join their little group and use his powers for good. Well, not if he had anything to say about it. Daniel was his, and the boy would grow to appreciate this in time. Time without distractions from the outside. Time with just the two of them.

What he failed to remember, however, was that time favored Danny.

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Danny sighed, gazing desperately out a window. It felt like ages since he'd been outside, and he was going crazy. He longed to feel the sun on his skin, the wind in his hair, and the liberating sense of freedom all of these things entailed. But he couldn't. All he could do was sit here, wondering when that now literally insane fuitloop would decide he wanted to spend some quality time together.

He grimaced just thinking about it.

Guilt, sorrow, loneliness, anger, and frustration settled in his stomach as his thoughts turned to the cause for all this once more. 

His family- gone. Caught in the crossfire of one of their battles. It had been Vlad's attack that did it, but it wouldn't have happened at all if it weren't for him.

His life- taken from him. Pulled out of school, forced to live in this house, all contact with the world cut off.

His powers- stifled. The madman had made some sort of deal with the other ghosts, ending all attacks on Amity Park.

His friends- Oh, his friends...He could still hear their screams. Taken from their families. Assumed dead. Trapped somewhere he didn't know.

Couldn't reach.

Couldn't save.

It was all his fault.

So, he did the only thing he could- he stayed. If he stayed, they didn't scream. If he stayed, he could help them, even if just a little. If he stayed, he could pretend they weren't in danger.

He needed to stop before he really did go crazy.

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[nerdkiller]

what's your fave headcanon for the reactions of their family/other characters to learning abt khanpella marriage imminent?

HELLO ANON TY FOR ASKING 😃😃

Well FIRSTLY I think overall the Kains are against it or neutral while Vlad Sr. is generally for it but still not totally supportive... Vlad Jr. is only as supportive as he has to be in any situation but actually heartbroken and so so sad 💔 boo hoo

Victor appears... hmm... not enthusiastic? I think he *wants* his son to start behaving more and Capella will likely make that happen once she takes the reins, but still Khan wouldn't be acting in or motivated by his family's (esp Nina and Maria's) interests. Which Victor is against as a Utopian who is obv biased to his daughter's success. So i suspect his attitude is more measured n complicated. Georgiy, i think, isn't even really concerned- i think he's thrown in the towel when it comes to his family, he's done all he thinks he could have done, his life is at its end no matter the ending. He might even be for it, as he does seem to feel threatened by Vlad Jr.'s presence- i think he is less concerned about Nina or Maria's wants, or the Mistress rivalry, than Kaspar (as a Kain heir) & his overall success as a cornerstone of power. Whether he supposedly moves across the River figuratively or literally or none of the above, as long as that is met, he's fine. It's not like there are many options anyway.

Maria on the other hand is highly against it. Like so against it that this canonically becomes the basis of the new Mistress rivalry in Classic. Maria has no reason to seriously reckon with Capella until the marriage plot- which is nevertheless an inevitability for a dozen reasons- and she mentions their relationship as happening even in the Utopian ending, notably near her projected death. Nobody takes Khan's betrayal seriously enough! I could literally write a whole post about this & i likely already have and just forgotten. Maybe i will again. Anyway i think this is roughly the same case in Patho 2, as Khan mentions his sister harassing him about the Tower there too*

Vlad Sr., i think, is for it for business purposes- i don't think he'd be happy to have Maria make his son submit to her, or give the Kains that advantage. He's a pragmatic person, although i think he's still strongly male-biased. He accepts his daughter's decision bc she's smart & generally acts within his business interests, even if she is only concerned about maintaining soft power, but i think he knows how to make the loss of his daughter not touch his empire (as in, P2 said Capella would inherit nothing). She'd be marrying up, so he wouldn't lose anything. It's complicated. As for how he views Khan, i think he respects the brutality and spine Khan exhibits that his own son doesn't (& there's a whole other post on this), but he might also view that as a threat, depending. It would be interesting to see play out, esp as Capella breaks away more from her father's plans in 2.

Vlad Jr is an interesting case. In Classic, he's the one to tell Clara that it was actually the parents that first arranged Capella and Khan's marriage, before all parties backed out due to the 2 butting heads when they got older. There's so much we don't know when it comes to Vlad. I think he loves but still heavily distrusts his sister, knowing their plans will diverge. Unlike Khan, who would wedge himself between his sister & Capella, Vlad tries to flee. I joke that he and Khan would be funny to see talk, but i also feel like he wouldn't naturally align himself to Khan/Capella's plans. But he'd certainly be super fake to his face and not complain. I have a feeling he has a low opinion of Khan anyway, as he's not someone easily used (or very loyal to his own father), he's unpredictable, & an obstacle in his way. And rude. Probably Vlad will still try to make it happen with Maria regardless, at least in 2- as for Classic, we know he learns of the marriage & immediately wants to get out of Town. Which is funny in a way.

[starry-bi-sky]

I was hit with Brain Worms about this au last night at the sane hour of 3am (my dorm's AC turned off and i woke up sweltering and couldn't fall back asleep) and now that I have the time and energy to sit down, i am going to TALK about it.

I'm reverting back to my middle school roots and playing the game "how much can i fuse this character with another before the host character becomes recognizable".

AKA: How much Ras can I make Danny before he stops being Danny. And I have SO much practice here, i am frothing at the mouth. Beautiful world and character building here.

SO, meet Danny Fenton! At least, Danny Fenton to the rest of the world. His full name is Ras Danyal Alghul-Fenton. It's a mouthful, I know, but that's what makes it fun! Known as Danny to his friends and the world, known as Ras to his family.

Fenton is actually his mother's name, Alghul is his father's. Yehya Aghul, who changed his name to Jack legally for an easier transition immigrating to America with his family. But to family and friends, his name is Yehya. (Yehya is the arabic spelling of John, and Jack is a nickname variant for John, hence why his name is Yehya)

Yasmeen and Ras; Jazz and Danny.

The LOA is situated in Nanda Parbat, as it does not exist in Danny's world, it's simply the little town/village Jack grew up in before his family decided to immigrate. Danny's family visits in the summers when they can.

Growing up, Danny and Jazz were constantly told about these "secret underground pools full of ectoplasm" that Jack stumbled upon as a kid after he was playing around the area and fell down a hole. He'd broken his leg on the way down, and when he'd gone to wash the blood off in the strange water (he was desperate and in pain) it healed the injury entirely and reinvigorated him. He was able to climb out, but he could never find the cave again.

("I didn't know what to call it, so I called it lazarus until i learned later that it was ectoplasm!")

It's what started his obsession with ectoplasm, and then ghosts. Prior to the portal, Danny and Jazz just brushed it off as simply their dad telling tall tales again. The idea that ectoplasm had healing properties was never proven because whenever Jack tried, he was always stopped by either Maddie or Vlad in college. And then after the kids were born, he was banned from trying to test the theory on their kids.

It was only after Danny had his accident that he realized that his dad was right, and after that he started carrying a water bottle full of ectoplasm around with him. But since he couldn't call it that in front of people, he just called it lazarus water. Says his dad came up with the stuff, and that typically tends to deter people from wanting to try.

Now I know you said that Danny ends up in the DCU via a portal in the GZ while he was on the way to Clockwork, BUT. I had this idea and had to share. Nanda Parbat, know how Danny and his family visits Nanda Parbat in the summers?

:]

They weren't able to visit the first summer after Danny's accident because of Issues with the portal -- Maddie and Jack didn't want the thing to malfunction while they were gone, so they wanted to stay for the summer and make sure it could sustain itself in long term hibernation -- but the summer after? Oh yeah, they're going.

Danny steps foot in Nanda Parbat for the first time since his accident, and after getting accosted by Mother Soul ("Ras saghiri! Ya tiflati, laqad kabarat kthyran. Daeni 'ulqi nazratan ealayki."**) he goes looking around for the cave that his dad mentioned.

**("Little Ras! My child, you have grown so much. Let me take a look at you")

He finds it within a week, and he falls down the tunnel leading into it much like his dad did nearly thirty years earlier -- without breaking his leg, that is.

His dad never mentioned that the pools were so vibrant. A much richer shade of green than any of the ectoplasm he keeps in the fridge, as deep as the ghost zone's sky. And surrounding the misting waters were small bushes and flowers, the ectoplasm seeping into the ground and feeding the soil.

"Incredible." Danny breathes, running a hand through his hair in breathless shock, and he tiptoes closer to the water. He can feel the ectoplasm in the air, thrumming in his core like a pleasant hum.

He kneels down and dips his hands in the water, and as the water escapes off his skin, the scrapes and bruises on his palms seal and close as if they were never there in the first place. Danny's eyes are reflecting green in the water, the same rich shade.

Naturally, he falls in. And accidentally, in combination with his own core and ectoplasm and the water, a portal opens up as he does, and he lands in the DCU.

…And thats approximately where the brain worms end. With a bonus doodle! Because I couldn’t not try my hand at it.

Danny Is An Alternate Version Of Ra's Al Ghul And Flash Already Called Dibs On Adopting Him

Danny In All His Sleep Deprived Slightly Scuffed Up From A Fight Glory Is On His Way To Clockworks Tower To Hopefully Get A Nap And Maybe Some Homework Done When A Natural Portal Opens Up In Front Of Him And Proceeds To Unceremoniously Drop Him In The DC Verse Just Outside Of Central City Before Promptly Closing Leaving A Tired Danny Behind In A Run Down Abandoned Parking Lot.

It's Times Like This When Danny Regrets Putting Off Learning How To Make His Own Portals, Cause Now He Is Very Much Stuck For The Foreseeable Future And He Has No Idea Where Or When He Is. Luckily For Him However Central City Isn't Too Far Away, Unlucky For Him However Is That Once In The City He Realizes This Isn't His Dimension. He's Pretty Sure He'd Remember Something Called The Justice League.

So What Do You Do When Supernatural Bullshit Fails You? You Fall Back On Your Mad Scientist Roots And You Make A Portal Gun. So That's Exactly What Danny Plans To Do.

Unfortunately Staying Alive And Building Questionably Safe Portal Technology Requires Money And Supplies, So He Ends Up Wandering From City To City Doing Odd Jobs/Fixing Up Busted Tech For Cash Or Unwanted Electronics For His "Operation: Get Home" Needs. This Obviously Ends In A Few Superhero Encounter Shenanigans.

Though He Always Ends Up Back Near Central City, Both On The Off Chance The Natural Portal Will Open Up Again And Because Out Of All The Superheroes That Apparently Exist In This Universe The Speedsters Are His Favorite (Red Robin Is Solidly His Second Favorite Ever Since The Gotham Vigilante Gave Him A Large Coffee Filled With Enough Caffeine To Kill A Man).

Unbeknownst To Danny However Is That Every Hero/Vigilante He Has Encountered Has Come To At Least One Of The Following Conclusions; 1. Run Away Meta Who Is In Desperate Need Of A Good Meal/Adoption Bait. 2. Possibly Red Robin/Tim Drake Clone 3. A Good Kid But Could Possibly Be A Future Rouge If Left Unsupervised. 4. Did Bats Get A New Kid And Why Is He Here?

All Flash Knows Is That He Saw The Kid First And Therefore Has Dibs. Suck It Bruce.

Fast-forward A Few Months And Danny Gets Hurt During A Rogue Attack While Trying To Help Some Civilians Get To Safety (Old Hero Habits Die Hard (Ha Die Hard) And All That Jazz) And He Nopes Out Once Everyone Is Safe And When The Paramedics Are Busy With Other People Unaware He Left A Blood Sample Behind.

One DNA Test Brought To You By Paranoid Bat Concerns Of A Possible Red Robin Clone Later And They Find Out That Dannys DNA Matches One Ra's Al Ghul.

They Now Think Danny Is An Escaped Ra's Al Ghul Clone.

Memes For The Vibes:

[wyst]

some thoughts on a path Vlad might have taken were Danny Phantom not a Nicktoon:

this AU (tentatively titled Mastered AU) begins in season 1 ep 7 "Bitter Reunions", which proceeds kinda like canon for the first half before going off the rails. this is all about how a more cunning, sneaky Vlad might accomplish his goal of becoming Danny's father.

step one: Vlad seriously turns down the obvious creep factor. openly hitting on Maddie or slighting Jack would make things more difficult for him in the long run, after all. Vlad's a billionaire CEO - he's got more than enough experience shorting stocks and forcing mergers to recognize the merits of not showing your hand early. he can behave for a while, if he must.

step two: once Vlad catches Danny shifting from ghost to human the night before the reunion, he throws away the whole 'Murder Jack' plan (for the moment). this means no Skulker, no halfa trap, and no more surveillance vultures. Vlad focuses instead on catching up with Maddie, and on befriending Danny and Jazz. he makes an effort to treat Jack like he did in college, pre-accident. without a big ol' ghost fight, the reunion proceeds as normal. Vlad relies on Jack's social difficulties to embarrass the kids and to frustrate Maddie. once Jack has made a real mess of things -- think 'makes unfounded assumption that a guest is possessed, then attacks them' level mess -- Vlad gently offers each of the non-Jack Fenton's his number and use of his home if things in Amity ever get to be "too much". Vlad could absolutely let get Jack arrested for assault, however, he'd find it more useful to talk the assaulted guest out of pressing charges, gaining Maddie's, Jazz's, Danny's, AND Jack's goodwill. Maddie is angry enough at Jack's blunder that she insists he sleep in the GAV.

Maddie, Danny, and Jazz all have separate conversations with Vlad before bed or during the night. in those convos, Vlad continues to portray himself as a supportive adult AND casually fishes for info on the Fentons' home lives. Vlad does not have a great chat with Maddie. their interests and senses of humor do not jive, she thinks his mansion is tacky, etc. Vlad begins to contemplate whether he still loves Maddie, or if like Gatsby, he's fallen for the idea of her. also in these night convos, Danny complains how messy the lab is, and how cleaning it is one of his chores.

once Vlad has all this new info, he throws himself into a new grand plan: Steal a Family. the parts of the plans are:

1. buy another mansion in Amity (neighbors w Sam would be optimal). have the home thoroughly inspected and ensure its safe and well-prepared for kids. begin the process to become a foster parent.

2. get closer with the Fentons and simultaneously try to make Jack look bad as much as possible (casually, sneakily tho - things like suggesting situations/events he knows Jack does poorly with). spend time with them, especially Danny (eg "My new mansion came with a big rooftop telescope. I don't know much about stargazing - perhaps you could come by and show me the ropes?")

3. publicly become a Trusted Adult to the Fentons. be a shoulder for Maddie to cry on (eg "Oh no darling, he forgot your anniversary again? How thoughtless! I'm so terribly sorry... maybe you'd like to join me and the kids at the movies to take your mind off of things?"). as part of this, help out when possible. offer to pick Danny up from school when Jazz is tutoring, or to take the kids to/from the mall when the Fentons are inventing. this establishes Vlad as 'family friend' or even 'honorary uncle' in the town's eyes.

4. once sufficient time has passed (3-6 mos... before s1e11 "Shades of Gray"), orchestrate a CPS report on the Fentons. maybe he mentions Danny's lab chores to another adult who then reports. maybe he overshadows Lancer and files one because of Danny's suspicious injuries and evasiveness. maybe he slowly helps Jazz understand the abusive elements of the Fenton house (contaminated food, unsecured dangerous lab equipment, Jazz's parentification, etc) and she makes the report herself. regardless of how, a report is filed seemingly without Vlad's interference.

5. CPS comes. by this point, Vlad has decided that Maddie is no longer the one he wants; Jazz and Danny are far better prizes. he doesn't defend either Maddie or Jack beyond an initial 'they're good people, i'm sure they're good parents!' but once informed of the allegations, is cooperative, quietly appalled, and outwardly guilty that he didn't do something sooner. CPS decides on the kids' immediate removal - who is their go-to emergency placement ? Vlad Masters, the family friend with a recent foster license.

6. profit. he's got the kids - all he has to do is keep them. now's the time for a reveal: in the interest of Trust and Honesty at home with his new wards, Vlad reveals his halfa status.

now, how well Vlad's plan goes is up in the air. how does Vlad prevent an early reveal via Danny's ghost sense? does Jazz see through Vlad's nice-guy persona? can he stick to these steps, or does he become invested enough in the kids' safety to call CPS early?

now that i've written all this, i have an alternate take: what if Vlad does a halfa reveal at the Wisconsin mansion while the others are sleeping? he could help cover for Danny's ghost fighting with a business internship after school, thereby ingratiating himself with his New Son from the get go.

the question hanging over this whole AU is: will Vlad remain evil underneath all his plotting, or will he change for the better as he 'fakes it til he makes it' to get Fenton Fatherhood? here are two scenarios: a) he's still evil lol. his power over Danny and Jazz means he can slowly twist them towards his kind of morality - and he does. b) Vlad realizes he's met his end goals and is actually, for once, happy! he resolves to do right by the Fenton kids and to try and preserve this newfound happiness at all costs.

anyways these are all a ton of ramblings! i'll nail down the timeline and what i want to happen in Mastered AU eventually. i have plans to use this idea in a longer-form fic, but i am tired and a slow writer lol. i'd love to hear others' thoughts on how a less-obvious Vlad might go about becoming Danny's (and Jazz's) father :]

[indigo-constellation]

this!!!

day 1 first interaction he has with young Vlad

there's also this line from pathologic 2, which while it does include a slur (which I would argue is not his fault but that of the translators) still reveals a non racist take where he's just pissed off with people blaming minority groups and women for stuff

not to mention how throughout Pathologic classic he can try to actively help the kin

Sort of unrelated but the people calling him misogynist are also just wrong, again in classic he dedicates so much time to helping the women of the town, and judging the town for it's sexism, day 1 with the shabnak hunts, day 4 with the test of medicine sidequest, day 6 with the main quest (witch-hunt), and arguably day 10 with the assassination attempts.

Daniil is out here doing his best

It's been long enough that we have a new crop of Pathologic fans, so I will say once again that bread tube is completely wrong about Bachelor Daniil Dankovsky being racist or a colonizer or faking intelligence or whatever.

The point of his arc is that trying to break the Laws of Nature, even in a benevolent way, will cause Nature to retaliate. His route is complete gibberish unless you understand this.

[thatoneitaliangirl]

Oh my gosh could you write a childe x reader thing 🥺🥺 I wanna just have some sweet angst with a happy outcome somehow 😔

I may have gone a bit overboard- At this point, I feel I'm literally incapable of writing anything under 1,000 words. So sorry this took so long, I had to take a break from writing to work out some things with school. A bunch of nonsense and stuff lol. You didn't specify gender, so I wrote the reader as female, only cause that's what I'm used to working with. I apologize if that's not what you wanted. I can always whip up something for ya with your preferred pronouns! But I'm not sure if I'll make it this long . . . I honestly don't know how I even did this, like this is a feat I feel. Anyways, I hope Childe isn't too OOC in this. I'm not the best when it comes to writing angst, so I hope you like it! And just as a little explanation beforehand, I read up that Childe joined the Fatui when he was about 14, became a Harbinger at 18, and is considered a young adult. So in this fic, it's assumed that he and you are at least 20 years old just so the timeline adds up and stuff. Also, despite how long this is, Childe isn't in it as much as you probably wanted- I have a tendency to write more about the reader than the characters. It's something I'm trying to break, but I was just so proud of this. I hope you like it! Anyways, happy reading!!! ^^

Childe x Reader Angst

Plot- Reader and Childe have been together for years when Reader finds out that Childe killed her sister when she was young.

Word count- 8,864 (I'm so sorry)

Warnings- Mentions of death, sadness, bad writing, possible suicide at the end(But just mentioned as a fear), swearing, and cringe 'funny' moments cause why not.

The wind blows through your hair as you sit atop a ledge overlooking Liyue Harbor. Today is your younger sister's birthday, and for the past six years, it's been nothing but a reminder of your failure. You were supposed to take care of her. After your parents passed away, you were all she had left, and she, you. But you were just a kid yourself, hardly capable of raising a child.

You bite your lip and look over at all the families walking about, having fun. It brings a smile to your face knowing at least some people can be happy on this day. She wouldn't have wanted doom and gloom to be her only remembrance. The sun in the sky is warm, beaming down on your skin. You've fought many battles for the Adventurers Guild during your time living in town, and are proud to say you've survived. Even escaped a few sparring matches with Childe relatively unscathed.

You win every time, but it's no surprise given he lets you win. That's one of the many things you love about him. He tries to put you first in most situations as much as he can with his job. And it's the little things like letting you win a fake fight that makes you feel like you're floating.

Your relationship is practically plastered on every notice board in town with how affectionate you are to each other. Not a soul in Liyue can look at you and not know you are the Harbinger's lover. But you're okay with that.

Taking in a calm breath, you hop down and glide your way to the docks below.

"Good morning, _____! Nice weather, isn't it?" You smile at the young girl as she approaches you. You've known her for a while now, and have come to consider yourself friends. She seems a bit nervous though.

"It certainly is. Are you okay, Chen?" Her smile drops and she grips onto her arms.

"Can I ask a favor of you? It's rude of me, but I'm desperate!"

"It's fine, what's the matter?" The young girl sighs.

"My brother borrowed a loan from Northland Bank last month and the payments were due two days ago. He told me he was going to pay it back . . . He hasn't been home since. I just thought that . . ."

"You want me to ask Tar?" Her eyes snap up to yours.

"Will you? Please? I'm just so worried about him! I told him not to take that loan, but he never listens to me." You put your hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"It's okay. It's no problem at all! I was just headed there anyway. I'll see about your brother for you." Young Chen sighs in relief and reaches in her pocket.

"Here, I want you to take this as payment." You shake your head and push her hand away.

"No, I could never!"

"I insist! My mother gave this to me when I was a kid," She opens your hand and places a small coin in before closing your hand around it.

"She told me travelers would give these coins to people who did favors for them and that they grant wishes! Though I'm sure that's just a children's story; I was never able to get it to work." You give the coin a look, hesitant, before slipping it into your pocket.

"Alright, I'll accept. Thank you!" You wave goodbye to Chen and head towards the bank. Childe spends most of his days there, what he does, you have no idea. It's a mystery. The most you get out of him is 'business' which, yeah, obviously you do business. But it's understandable. The Fatui are a questionable lot, and not many people in Liyue trust them.

The Qixing keep a close eye on them as well, though you're sure even they hardly know what goes down under the 'bank' façade. Sometimes Childe comes home with cuts and bruises, claiming they're from training with his comrades, and while you don't buy that one bit, you play along. No need to add to his stress. If he thought you needed to know, he would tell you. No doubt about it.

Walking up the many flights of stairs, you nod to Vlad who lets you in.

Lucky for you, the first face your eyes land on is the exact one you came looking for.

"Tar!" He immediately looks over in your direction, smiles, and dismisses the Fatui agent he was talking to.

"Well, if it isn't the most beautiful woman in all Teyvat. Come to steal my heart?" He pulls you into a hug and kisses your cheek.

"No need, I already have it," You pull away, giving him a smile.

"I actually came here to see you."

"I'd hope so! Who else would you want to see?" Rolling your eyes, you grab him by his hand and lead him to his office.

"I have a favor to ask of you," The joking atmosphere surrounding you turns heavy as you hold his hands in yours.

"As you know, today is . . . Very important to me. I was wondering if you could get off early tonight? If not, it's okay though. I don't want to trouble you or anything." Childe chuckles and pats your head.

"I know what today is. I already requested an early leave this morning, but they haven't gotten back to me yet. If we're that backed up, I'm not sure I'll be able to," Your face falls a bit, but you smile. He made the effort to try and get off early without you even asking.

He places his hand onto your face and rubs his thumb over your cheek.

"But I promise to make it up to you. If I don't get back too late, we can go up to Mt. Tianheng and watch the lights at night. I know you like to do that when you're upset." The kind smile on his face is only magnified by the gentle look in his eyes. He's always been soft with you, even before you got together.

It was always an odd sight for people to see the two of you interact before you were a couple. He always regards people with the same jokester attitude, especially those he has to keep an eye on. But when he's with you, he may joke around, but is always much more concerned for your wellbeing.

"Thank you, Tar. I really appreciate it." He smirks and laughs.

"You appreciate it, huh? How much?" You roll your eyes again and give him a kiss on the lips. Childe smiles into it and tries to make it deeper, but you pull away with his lips chasing after you.

"Easy there, tiger. Save it for later, huh?"

"So, there's a later?" You lightly smack his chest and pull away from him as he laughs.

"Get back to work, Tar." You turn to leave but stop in the doorway.

"Oh, before I forget, I ran into Chen earlier," The look in Childe's eyes shifts slightly, but you barely notice.

"She mentioned that her brother stopped by here about two days ago, and was wondering if you knew where he went after? He hasn't been home since and she's very worried."

He ponders for a moment before his eyes light up in realization.

"Now that you mention it, he did say he was headed towards Lingju Pass. Don't know what for though." He shrugs.

"Okay, thank you! I'll be sure to pass it on." You exchange words of love before you leave.

After speaking with Chen, you decided to head towards the countryside. Your conversation with her went about as well as you expected. She seemed distressed and unsure of the information you gave her, but any criticisms were held as she thanked you and left. You hope that she'll be okay and that her brother comes back. Archons know, you understand what it's like to lose a sibling.

You take in a deep breath.

The air in Liyue is unlike any other. Once you leave the city and all the warm bodies, it's nothing but gentle breezes and the smell of earth. And the occasional Hilichurl, but you can easily take out a few to preserve the peace.

Walking along a random path in the sand, you reflect.

When you and your sister were young, you would often take walks like these while your parents were arguing. Despite only being a few years older than her, you actively chose to take on a more nurturing role. But after your parents died, you realized just how hard it was to provide for the two of you.

You knew how to use a bow to hunt, but not well, and even though you had your mother's catalyst, you didn't have a vision. Sometimes just showing it off and pretending you had a vision was enough to scare off petty thieves and weak Hilichurls, but it was only a matter of time before that wouldn't be enough.

Unfortunately, that time came all too soon.

The two of you had found an abandoned campsite and you decided to rest for the night. Your sister and you were headed to Mondstadt in search of a distant relative who you believed could help you. But during the night, your sister got thirsty and you were all out of water in your canteen. So you heading out to find a lake close by to fetch some, only to return to see a dark figure escaping into the night and your sister, laying in the tent, unmoving.

You were only a few hours walk to the city.

Sometimes you wonder if you had kept going that night, maybe whoever it was would have never even crossed your path. Your cries for help were heard by knights close by and they gathered your sister. Everyone in the city was welcoming and understanding, and the church gave her a wonderful service.

But nothing could mend the hole in your heart. Thankfully, the family member was able to take you in and trained you to become a knight. But that's not what you wanted. You wanted to find the person who killed your sister. And after completing your training, you left for Liyue and gained your Cryo vision along the way.

You summon your catalyst and flip through the pages. It's strange how magic works and how everything interacts with your vision. Before you, this weapon served your pyro vision-wielding mother. After you gained your vision, all the spells changed to fit the cold rather than the heat. You sigh and close the book. Sifting through it is just going to make you more sentimental. The sky above begins to turn shades of orange and pink as the sun goes down, so you decide to head home.

"I know you did something!" A loud voice yells, not too far from you.

"Chen?" You whisper to yourself and make your way around to see her at the edge of town, yelling at a Fatui agent.

"Calm down, miss Chen. We don't know what you are referring to." She balls her hands into fists, her face twisted in anger.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about! Lingju Pass? He hasn't set foot there since our father died. How dare you make up such lies!" You decide to make your way over to try and calm her down. She's obviously upset, and you know that Fatui agents aren't well versed in the ways of 'feelings.' In fact, most of the ones you've met have all been quite stoic and unconcerned.

"Are you calling the Fatui liars, miss Chen?" You stop, Childe stepping out in front of the other agent.

What is Childe doing out here?

"You Fatui lie about everything! Everyone in Liyue despises your presence here, and this just proves to me how low you people actually are. What did you do to my brother?!" She reaches up to hit Childe, and you run up to her and grab her by her arms. You know she can't hurt him, but if she tries she could get into some serious trouble.

"Chen, listen to me, you have to calm down." She looks up at you with tears streaming down her face but shakes off your grip.

"No! I refuse! He knows something about my brother, I know he does!" She looks at you with pleading eyes.

"Please, _____, tell him. Tell him to tell me where my brother is!" Chen sobs. Tears start to form in your eyes.

"Chen, I'm sorry, but Tartaglia doesn't know," You look up at Childe and are taken aback by the look in his eyes. His eyes are dead, angry, violent as he stares at Chen. He waves his hand, and two Fatui agents come from behind and drag Chen away.

"Let go of me!" She struggles as they hold her arms and pull her through the dirt path. Chen glairs at Childe, digging her feet into the ground to slow them down.

"You're a monster, Harbinger! A monster!" You continue to stare after her as she's dragged away. What just happened? You've known Chen and her brother since you moved here. What could have happened to make this poor girl act like this? You jump when Childe places his hand on your shoulder.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." He wipes the tears from your cheeks and smiles his normal, dashing smile. Nothing like the look he was giving Chen just a moment ago.

"Sometimes those awful rumors spreading about the Fatui make people act irrationally." You look him in the eyes as he holds your face. His eyes are soft and caring now, just how he always looks at you.

"Do you know what happened to her brother?" You ask softly. His eyes darken a bit, but his smile never faults.

"_____, my love, are you questioning me now too? Come on, you know none of that stuff is true, right? I work at a bank, not much else to it." He answers, his voice joking, but there's this undertone you can't quite place and have never heard before. You force a smile and hug him close.

"Your right, I'm sorry for asking. I'm just so concerned for Chen and her brother. Do you know where they're taking her?" He hugs you back, tight, and kisses your forehead.

"I think you should just leave it be for now. Go home and get some rest. I should be getting off work soon, and we can do what I promised. How's that sound?"

"Good." You lean up and give him a kiss. His voice drops low as he whispers in your ear.

"I love you, _____. Don't ever forget that."

And he leaves before you can reply. A chill goes down your spine as you watch him leave, and it's not from your vision. You've never seen Childe like that before, even when he interacts with the Traveler. It made you freeze in place, made your blood run cold, and had your heart beating faster with fear all at the same time. That was Harbinger Childe, not your Tartaglia. You rub your hands along your upper arms to calm yourself. You never want to experience that again.

Taking a deep breath, you reach into your pocket to grab your handkerchief, but pull out the coin Chen had given you instead. All it does is remind you that once again you failed to protect someone you cared about. Poor Chen is scared and afraid, and you're positive that Childe's reaction did not help her any.

But as you hold up the coin, you notice a faint glow emanating from around the outer edge which turns the intricate patterns into Liyuian Characters.

'Let the truth be revealed.'

What does this mean? You remember Chen telling you the story of the coin, but it was just that. You've never heard of any coins gifted by travelers before, and it definitely wasn't a common folk tale.

You shove it back into your pocket and rush home.

The sun is almost fully down, and the stars begin to light your way as you walk hastily down the path. Once your house is in sight, you pick up the pace and run inside.

The glow from the coin is brighter now, illuminating your darkening house. How does one even make a wish on a coin?

"I want to see the truth, but I don't know how," The glow of the coin shifts and changes colors in your hands, giving off an almost mystical wave of magic you've never felt before. Whoever made this coin had to have been powerful. You take a deep breath and look at the coin with determination.

"Show me the truth!" The glow envelopes you and when you open your eyes, you're shocked at what lays before you. The dark figure that haunts your dreams at night looms over your dead sister, red-stained blade in hand and a mask over his face.

You step closer, the classic mask of the fatui on the hooded mans' face making his eyes glow white in the darkness. His stature is much smaller than yours, and his outline seems to be that of a boy. At the time it would have been easy for you to confuse him with a man, being he would have been taller than you. But now that you're an adult, you can clearly see his youth. He smirks and laughs down at your little sister's body while whipping the knife on his sleeve.

"You should never have crossed the Fatui." Your heart drops as the young boy removes his mask revealing ocean blue eyes. The eyes of your lover that you adore on the face of the person that you've despised for years. A woman appears next to him, the same woman you've seen him speak to on many occasions but have never spoken to yourself.

"Good work, Tartaglia. You've proven yourself useful to the Tsaritsa after all. But your job here is not done," Childe looks up at the taller woman, his face determined.

"The other daughter has left to fetch water. Unfortunately, there are too many knights around on patrol to take her. Dispose of the body, and return at once." Childe bows to the woman and she smiles wickedly.

"Yes, Signora. Anything for the Tsaritsa." She leaves, and Childe begins to wrap up the young girl's body in a blanket. He stops suddenly, lifting his head up as young _____ approaches from over the hill. Childe smirks, fixing his mask and hood back on properly.

"Until next time, _____." He says and begins to run.

You gasp as the light invades your sight again and you're returned to the present. Your heart is beating a mile a minute and your breathing begins to pick up. The realization is overwhelming, and the shock is preventing you from crying.

Tartaglia was the one this whole time? It can't be, it just can't! You love him, and he loves you, he says so all the time. Has he lied to you this whole time? Has he just been keeping you close to screw with you before breaking your heart and killing you? That coin has to be lying. There's no way your Tar would ever do something like that, especially to you! He tells you everything. There are no secrets between the two of you.

Right?

The clock on the wall says that it's seven-o-clock, usually when Childe gets off of work. You don't want to be here; you can't be here. How can you face him after seeing that, even if it was a lie? You quickly run up to your shared bedroom and grab your adventuring bag, filling it with few essentials.

Where will you even go? There's nowhere in Liyue where Childe can't find you. Even across Teyvat, the Fatui have eyes and ears. You just need some time to reflect, get your barrings, and confront him. If you'll confront him. This has to be some kind of joke, or lie placed by some unknown power to question your love for him. There's no way he could have-

"What are you doing, _____?" You gasp, started by Childe suddenly behind you, blocking the exit to your room.

"Tar, you scared me!" You say shakily, holding your bag close to your chest. He smiles his usual caring smile at you, but all you can see is the smirk he held while staring down at your little sister.

"Sorry, my love. I got off of work early like I said I would. Is that why you have your bag?" His ocean blue eyes dart down to your bag and back up to you again. You subconsciously grip the bag tighter, Childe noticing.

"N-No. I accepted a commission last minute." The lie slips out like acid on your tongue.

You've never lied to him before, and it feels wrong. But you have to get out of here. Every alarm bell in your body is screaming at you to run as fast as you can away from the man you love.

His brow furrows a bit with concern and he takes a step closer to you, but you take one back.

"This isn't about what happened today, is it?" He sighs and shakes his head.

"I'm sorry if I scared you, it's just I don't like it when people falsely accuse me of things. I kinda slipped into Harbinger mode for a sec there." He laughs, again trying to come closer to you, you step back.

"Are they false though?" The question falls from your lips before you realize it, and Childe's eyes widen in surprise.

"_____, you can't be serious? You know I would never lie to you-"

"How do I know that, Childe?" You've never called him Childe, and it shows from the shock on his face when you do.

"What are you going on about? I could never-"

"Get away from me!" You yell at the Harbinger, tears finally falling from your eyes. There's no way you could be near him like this, knowing that he could have . . .

"Why? I love you, I won't hurt you." You try to steady your breathing as he slowly inches closer, treating you as of your a wild animal he wants to tame.

"You don't love me." You shake your head, gripping your backpack with white knuckles.

"What?" The question comes out as a whisper from the man's mouth in disbelief, hoping he didn't hear you properly.

"You don't love me!" You say one again, louder, confirming what he has hoped wasn't true.

"_____," Childe tries to come closer, but you shove past him and run to the front door. Before you can grab the handle, Childe grabs you by the shoulders and spins you around.

"Please, _____," His eyes are glassy with unshed tears as he gazes into your own.

"Tell me what I did to make you think this way?" You sob, hands pushing on his chest to break free but failing. You can barely breathe as the sobs rack through your body.

"You-" Trying to get the words out only makes you cry harder as the realization hits you. All the rumors are true. The Fatui are evil, conniving, and uncaring. They kill, pillage, experiment, torture, and don't care about who they have to step on to get their way. And your boyfriend, the love of your life, the man you wanted to marry and start a family of your own with, is one of them.

"You killed my little sister!" Your hands ball into fists and punch his chest as hard as you can, but in your state, you have barely any power.

"My baby sister is dead because of you! How could you?" You managed to get out through your tears, finally breaking down in the arms of the man you've despised for years.

Childe stares at you, unbelieving. He pulls you into a tight hug, crying on your shoulder, continuously apologizing. Never in your life have you seen Childe cry. Even when talking about how much he misses his family or his country, the farthest he gets is a sentimental smile and longing. Never have you thought you'd see him cry either. It's almost enough to make you forget that he's practically admitted to the murder.

He killed your only sister. How do you know he's sincere with his tears as he holds you close and begs you not to go? You've seen him lie before, never to you, but if he kept this secret for so long, what else has he been hiding? But none of that matters right now. The man you've been searching for years for, who you wanted to kill with your own bare hands, is the same person holding you so tenderly now.

How could you forget the countless nights you've woken up from nightmares of that boy coming to kill you and finish what he stared, only for Tartaglia to wake you up and hold you close, promising that he'd protect you? Every year when you mourn your sister and confide in him about how you were going to find that monster no matter what it took, did he fear you'd ever find out and kill him?

Is that why he kept you close for so long, to make sure you'd be too weak for him with love to ever even try? How can you love someone who killed your sister? It's easy to just assume you'd hate him, but for some odd reason, a little voice in the back of your mind is telling you to trust him and love him like you always had.

Another voice is telling you to end his life with no mercy and finally bring your sister to the peace she deserves.

Gathering up your strength, you manage to push him off of you.

"_____, no," He's in a state you've never seen before, face wet with tears, nose running, eyes puffy. But, he doesn't try to pull you back in.

You swiftly grab your bag and leave the house and Childe behind.

-------------

"_____," Your cousin John calls your name, pinching the bridge of his nose. He watches as you continuously use your vision to destroy training dummies.

"You continue this and the knights aren't going to have anything left to train with." You stop temporarily to glare at him.

"I'm training."

"So it seems." He watches as you continue your 'training.'

"You know, this doesn't seem healthy. I'm no doctor or anything, but, maybe you should, like, not?" You sigh irritated and cross your arms.

"Not what, John?" He gestures to the broken wood pieces scattered around the courtyard. You roll your eyes.

"I'm doing no worse than the average rookie knight!" John nods, leaning up against the wall.

"Yeah, yeah, except no. Why? Thank you for asking, cause your not a rookie and you're upset, at what? I don't know because you refuse to tell me. All I know is that my cousin is back after being gone for three years and the-," John looks around before stepping closer and lowering his voice.

"The Fatui in town have been eying us up everywhere we go. What the hell happened while you were in Liyue?" You bite your lip and message your wrists. The tips of your fingers have begun to turn purple from the cold, but you hardly seem affected. John pats you on the back and leads you inside the knight's headquarters.

"Look, I know we were never very close, and when you lived with us, we barely spoke, but I'm here now. We're not kids anymore, _____." The two of you sit down in the library. The three years you lived with your uncle and cousin were your worst. They treated you nice, but you were grieving and took it out on them and many training dummies. It seems you've done the same again.

"I'm sorry, it's just . . ." What happened with Childe months ago is still fresh on your mind. You haven't seen him since you left that night, and you aren't sure if you want to. You're conflicted. You thought coming back to Mondstadt would help you clear your mind and help you decide what to do, but you can't, and it's frustrating.

Despite how hard you've tried . . . You still love Tartaglia with all of your heart. But you can't forget what he did. You could never forgive him either. You've held hatred for this man for six years now, and every waking moment has been used to devise a plan to find him and kill him. But you can't kill him; not when you still hold these feelings.

If this was his goal, then he succeeded. You know he knows you're in Mondstadt. As John said, the Fatui have had their eyes on you since you showed up. You wouldn't be surprised if they all have you listed as a threat. After all, being one of their high-ranking officer's vengeful lover with intent and reason to kill would put anyone on a list.

But, with that said, he hasn't tried to contact you. No letters, no passing of words, hell, no carrier pigeons. He's extra enough to do that. And this has caused you to feel even more upset. Cause you still love the man, and there's some hope still there that he meant what he said and he does love you and the fact he hasn't done anything is killing you.

"_____, you good?" You snap out of your daze and nod.

"Yeah, I was just thinking."

"You seem to be doing a lot of that lately. Please, what's going on with you?" You decide it's best to tell your cousin the truth.

You explain to him the situation. How you fell in love, what life was like for you the three years you were gone, the coin, and finding out the killer's identity. John looks at you in shock.

"Wow, that's a lot. And this is why you came back?"

"Yeah, I know. I should have come back sooner to at least visit, but," John cuts you off and waves his hands.

"No, you're fine. I mean, it would have been nice to see you, but that's irrelevant right now. You found out your boyfriend, a Fatui Harbinger, was the one that killed your sister, and you're here? Doing what? Destroying Favonius property?" You agree hesitantly.

"I mean, when you put it like that, it sounds odd."

"No, _____, odd is an understatement. Why are you here? You should be getting answers, slapping people, storming Snezhnaya! Actually, don't do that last one, that could get us in a lot of trouble."

"True," You agree.

"Honestly, I don't know what to do. Do I confront him? I mean, if he did kill her, which I'm about 90% sure at this point that he did, do I get revenge? I've wanted to for years, but I know that I could never kill him." John takes your hand in his and speaks with sincerity.

"You love him, I get that, but you can't let that get in the way of things."

"No, I mean, I literally couldn't kill him. He's a beast in battle, and could probably end me without even blinking. I've seen him take on multiple ruin guards in seconds, like, he's on a whole nother level." You sigh and put your head in your hands.

"But even despite that, I do still love him. At this point, I feel the best thing to do is to just move on. Go my own way and let him go his."

"And what about your sister, huh? Just gonna forget about her?" You look at him questioningly.

"Look, you need to at least get closure. Obviously, he doesn't want you dead, because you would have been so by now. I can't even tell you how many times the Fatui could have nabbed you, gagged you, and sacked you since you've been back."

"Gee, thanks John, that really makes me feel better about the situation." He rolls his eyes.

"Talk to the man, _____. There will always be a home here waiting for you to come back to." Maybe your cousin is right? If Childe did want you dead, you know damn well he has the power to have made it happen. But how would you even react when you see him? The only way to find out is to get it over with.

With newfound enthusiasm, you jump up from your position and slam your hands on the table.

"Alright, I'm gonna go! I'm gonna talk with Tartaglia and I'm gonna punch him at least once!"

"That's the spirit!" A series of loud shooshes sound around the library and you slowly sit back down.

"Sorry!"

You and your cousin John devise a plan over the next few days. You're still unsure about this whole thing, but with encouragement from John, you gain the confidence you need to push through.

In the end, you decide the best thing to do is to sneak out of Mondstadt without any Fatui seeing you. It's still dangerous to speak with him, and the two of you decide the safest thing is to get him unprepared and off guard. If he's not expecting you, he has no time to plan. Not that he needs a plan to kill you, he could just do it. But still-

As the sun seeps down past the hills and flatlands of Mondstadt, John and you make your way out of headquarters and down to the main part of town.

"You know what sounds so amazing right now? A tall mug of cider from Angel's Share!" John exclaims and grabs your arm. The two of you practically run towards the tavern, gaining looks from the other citizens.

"Cool it, John," You whisper yell to him as you head inside.

"You wanna actually look suspicious?" He laughs, sitting down at a table in the back.

"Sorry if I'm not good at being convincing. Dad always said acting would be my downfall."

"When would you ever have to act to be a knight?" He shrugs his shoulders.

"Right now?" Okay, he has a point. Merely minutes after you sit down, two Fatui agents walk in after, taking a table far enough away, but close enough to keep you in their sights.

"Don't worry, _____," Your cousin says, noticing your worried expression.

We'll get you out of here."

John waves his hand and gains the attention of Master Diluc as he's walking around the tavern.

"We'd like two Valberry Whiskey's please!" Your cousin asks loudly and winks. Diluc rolls his eyes and heads towards the back of the tavern, getting the 'drinks.'

It was a miracle and a half that John was able to convince Master Diluc to help you. But John said he owed him a favor. For what, you have no idea. Not even a second later, a young bard runs over to your table and slams his hands down.

"What did you just order?"

"Uh," You look to your cousin for guidance. The drink was simply a code, not an actual order.

"Valberry Whiskey?" The young bard looks at you in amazement. He's clearly drunk, but the sheer excitement in his eyes seems to sober him up enough to eagerly rush to the bar counter.

"A new drink! And Diluc didn't tell me?!" His shouts of joy gain the attention of the entire bar.

"A new drink?!"

"One not on the menu?"

"Master Diluc!"

Your cousin and you share a look as the crowd goes wild, rushing towards the front bar and to the back looking for Diluc to inquire about this new drink. The few Fatui agents that had followed you in stand up from their seat to get a better view of you and John. John grabs your arm and pulls you into the crowd, the Fatui agents desperately searching for your whereabouts.

"This way, _____." He pulls you farther and farther away from the Fatui till you feel another hand grab you and pull you out of the back entrance to the tavern.

"Hey, watch your hands, buddy!"

"Would you rather still be in there then, _____?" You smile nervously up at Diluc, who's handing you a bag and cloak.

"Things didn't exactly go as planned, huh?" The redhead smirks and crosses his arms.

"I knew that bard would be in here tonight. Drunk off his ass, he wouldn't be able to resist the call of a new drink item." You laugh, pulling the hood over your head.

"Thank you, Diluc." He gives you a rare smile and nods. You begin to walk off but stop, looking back at the tavern owner.

"Hey Diluc, what was the favor for?" Diluc sighs and pinches between his eyes.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

__________________

The journey back to Liyue is a tiring one. It seems a lot closer than it actually is on the map, but heading to the main harbor is always a task. Thankfully, you're able to make your rations last the whole trip, and as you enter the harbor in the wee hours of the night, you smile at the familiar buildings. You may have only been gone for a few months, but this was your home for the last three years.

Your home with Tartaglia . . . You pull your hood farther down your head and try to remain in the shadows. Despite the time of night, the area is still bustling with people. Merchants making deals, ships delivering goods, the whole nine yards.

You flatten yourself against a wall as a few Fatui agents walk past. The place is absolutely crawling with Fatui, even more so than usual. Could it have something to do with you? You doubt it. Harbinger or not, Tartaglia could get in serious trouble for using Fatui resources in such a way.

You carefully slide through cracks and crevises, branches and bushes, trying to stay out of any Fatui sights. Eventually, you find yourself on the outskirts of the city, not far from your shared home. It surprisingly takes a lot from you to not run straight for it. You miss your house. You miss your bed. You miss Tartaglia.

But now is not the time to get sentimental!

You still need to confront him about what he did. And depending on his answer, one of you may not make it through the night. You keep yourself stealthy as you enter the house from the back. He's not home, which is good. But the place is in disarray. Furniture turned upside down, plates smashed against walls, everything caked in dust. It's hard to believe he's been living here if he even has been.

If that's the case, you may have to go looking for him. You look around the house at the disaster. He may have been trying to look for something; maybe a clue to what you had planned or something to use against you.

With that in mind, you run up the stairs to the master bedroom and open the closet. You fear the worst but are surprised to find your sister's belongings still in place.

Surely he would have found them in here.

The bedroom isn't as bad as the bottom floor, though still a mess. The bed is unmade, with a small pile of your clothes on your side of the bed, and his clothes on the floor. All of your things, besides the clothes, are still neatly in their places. Pictures of you and him together that were once on the walls are now on his nightstand, face up and smudged with fingerprints.

"What the hell happened here?" The sound of the front door opening startles you. Could that be Childe? There's no way he's living like this!

Footsteps move across the floor, into the kitchen, into the living room, and slowly up the stairs. Whoever it is, your about to face them.

The door opens slowly, almost torturously so. Soon, the sunken and sullen face of your lover is in your view, and even faster, your on the floor with a knife made of hydro to your throat. Your hood continues to obscure your identity as Childe pins you down.

"Bold of you to break into the home of a Fatui Harbinger! What did you expect?" With the pressure from the knife digging deeper and deeper into your skin, you freeze the hand wrapped around his holding the knife, and kick your leg out. Childe falls over, dropping his weapon which shatters on impact. Before you can get your bearings, he's lunging at you again. He grabs you from behind and holds you in a chokehold.

"Your fast, but you'll never be fast enough!" You gasp for air, holding onto his arm as it's wrapped around your neck. He's trying to kill you, you know he is. All the times you've sparred with him, you knew he was holding back, but he's definitely not this time. Even so, his hold on you is weak. Weak for him, at least.

You rear your elbow into his stomach as hard as you can knocking him back and you summon your catalyst. As he said, he's faster than you, but before he can get back, you place a wall of ice between him and yourself. It's not enough to hold him back for long, but enough to catch your breath. He laughs as he can hear you choking, attempting to regain your oxygen.

"You think this little wall will stop me?" He attacks the wall with his fist, making a section crumble. Your breathing is fast, but you can't seem to gain enough breath to speak. As he crumbles your wall piece by piece, you pull back your hood and lean on the bedroom wall behind you. Finally, he lands the finishing blow and the ice dissipates in a gust of cryo magic. The crazed look of bloodlust vanishes from his face the instant he sees you, hand on your throat, and your breath heavy.

"___-," He can hardly finish his whisper as he lets out a shaky breath. With the tense atmosphere suddenly calm, you're able to regain your breath and look up at the man. His skin a pale and his eyes are dull. He has large dark circles under his eyes and he looks a bit thinner than normal.

"_____," He manages to get out, still shocked you're actually here.

"Are you okay?" You shake your head.

"You haven't seen me in months and that's the first thing you say to me?" He rubs the back of his neck and looks down, ashamed.

"I didn't know it was you. I'm sorry if I hurt you." You can hardly believe what you're seeing. He seems broken, utterly defeated. If he hadn't fought you just now, you'd assume he'd fall over with the breeze.

Looking at him now, it's hard to believe he's the same man that killed your sister.

"We need to talk." He nods, refusing to meet your eyes.

"You need to tell me the truth, Tar," He takes in a shuddering breath at your words.

"All these years, I've been beside you. I've stood up for you, I've loved you. I told you all my darkest secrets and nightmares. Not once did I ever lie to you."

Tears come to his eyes just as they do yours. He bites his lip to prevent the tears from falling. You step closer to him, dropping your cloak, and put your hands up to his face. He flinches away from you but relaxes when your palms cup his cheeks and he finally looks you in the eyes.

"Over the past few months, I've thought long and hard about what I wanted to say to you. And no matter what scenario I came up with, I could never tell if I was doing the right thing. But, even though I carry some semblance of anger, I know that what I feel for you is real. And with that, I still hold hope that you feel the same and it wasn't all just a lie."

He grabs your hands, the tears now falling one by one down his pale cheeks.

"I swear to all the Archons that I love you! I never lied about that!" You hesitate for a moment, blinking away your own tears.

"And though I don't want to, I believe you," You rub your thumbs across his face, clearing some of the tears.

"But I need you to tell me everything." Tartaglia closes his eyes. He never dreamed in a million years he'd have to tell you this story. He'd hoped that you'd live in blissful ignorance for the rest of your life with him. But the gods had another plan for him and you, and he prays that at least one of them will let him keep you. Even if that's a selfish request.

"I joined the Fatui when I was young. I was constantly trying to prove myself to Signora and the Tsaritsa that I was willing to do anything they asked me. I still am," He looks at you with regretful and sorrowful eyes as he recalls the past.

"Your parents had fled Snezhnaya when you were born, because of a debt they racked up with the Fatui. When they were found in Fontaine, it was revealed that they were working for a group of rebels intent on infiltrating Snezhnaya. It was my job to take you and your sister to use as leverage on your parents. But, your sister fought back," You release his face and look away, finding it harder to keep eye contact with him.

"I wasn't as skilled as I am now, and I panicked. But La Signora said I did a good job. I didn't know that your parents had already been killed by the rebels, and neither did the Fatui. Not until after we had left you. At that point, there was no reason to continue after you. But you were never forgotten about. And when you came to Liyue, I was instructed to keep an eye on you," Childe lifts his arms up and places his hands on your shoulders.

"But I never expected to fall in love with you." You look into his ocean blue eyes and are overcome by the warmth they hold for you.

"The day I met you, I could feel it, and I tried so hard to forget about it, but you were just so . . . Amazing, and beautiful, and kind. I never expected that from you. You never once judged me or ridiculed me, even though you knew who I was. I thanked the Archons every day that you came into my life, and I prayed that you'd never find out what I'd done."

A sob breaks through as he wipes the tears running down his face. All the years you harbored hatred for this man, you never once thought about what he could have been going through. It's true that this doesn't excuse his actions, but to know that he truly regrets what he did brings you some kind of closure. In the end, revenge would have never made you feel better. Your sister wouldn't have wanted that.

You love Tartaglia with all your heart, and in this world, it's better to forgive than to let it eat away at you any longer.

"Tartaglia," His name comes out as a whisper with your breath, but he hears you loud and clear. The fear of rejection in his eyes tells you everything you need to know as you carefully speak to him.

"I forgive you." He cries, pulling you to his chest and you hug him back. Unfortunately for him, you weren't finished.

"But, I need some time to think about this. I love you; I never stopped loving you, and I always will," You pull back and smile at him before gently kissing his chapped lips.

"I'm going back to Mondstadt, but I'll be back. You just need to give me some time." He smiles as best he can and nods enthusiastically.

"I'd give you all the time in the world if I could." He moves to kiss you again, but you put a finger up to his lips to stop him.

"Save it for later, Tar." He laughs, looking back up at you with bright eyes.

"So, there's a later?"

(A little something extra. It doesn't quite fit to be an ending, but more like an epilogue just tying things together I guess lol.)

___________________

You sigh as you sling your bag over your shoulder. It's been a good few months back in Mondstadt after your reconciliation with Childe, and you've decided it's time to go home. You've kept in regular contact with him since you've been here, writing letters to each other like new lovers. You found the whole thing quite cute, despite the circumstances. He's been regarding you with caution, taking things one step at a time, and never pushing you past any limits you set. You're grateful for that.

"You sure you wanna go back? You can always stay a bit longer, just to give yourself a bit more time to think it over." John says, arms crossed and head down. You two have grown closer over your time spent here. It's a shame to think you were so caught up in your misery to be blind to the best friend you could have had. And it's tough to say goodbye, now that you've grown attached.

"I'm sure. You don't have to miss me too much, ya know? I'll be back to visit, and I'll write every week!" John huffs.

"You better, or I'm coming over there and kicking that Fatui's ass for keeping you away! I don't care how many ruin guards he can take on!" You laugh and pull him into a hug.

"I'm gonna miss you." He hugs you back, holding you tight.

"Yeah, I know." You roll your eyes and wave goodbye to the family you didn't realize you had.

Once back in Liyue, you get settled into your home with Childe. Thankfully, he cleaned up the mess he made while you were gone. He had said he was so distraught at the thought of you leaving him, he trashed the place in anger. Not anger from you, but anger at himself. He was afraid you'd think he was a monster, that he was heartless, and that you'd never want to see him again.

He was relieved when he heard you were in Mondstadt. There, he could keep an eye on you. One of the things he was afraid of was you doing something to yourself due to the pain of it all . . . If you did that, he wouldn't know how to cope. And when he received word that you had disappeared from Mond, well, he thought that fear had come true. But in the end, things worked out. You could never forget what he did, nor do you want to. It's something you have to live with, just like he does, and it's up to you to put it aside.

You know there are many things he's done that he's not proud of. Many things of which he promises to tell you when he's ready. And you'll be there to listen as he spills his heart out to you.

You take in a breath of air as you enter the harbor, smelling the salty water of the ocean and the wonderful herbs being brought in from traveling merchants. You'll never get over these smells.

"_____!" You look over your shoulder, surprised as Chen runs over to you. You haven't seen her since the incident outside of town.

"Chen! Are you okay?" She smiles and hugs you.

"I'm doing great! My brother and I have been selling a lot more of our goods since he's been back, and business has been booming!"

"Your brother?" You tilt your head.

"Yes!" She nods enthusiastically.

"He did go to Lingju Pass as Childe had said. It turns out, he had a buyer out there but didn't want to tell me in case the deal went south. I overreacted. . ." She puts her head down in shame.

"All the rumors about the Fatui got to my head, and I assumed the worst. But Childe went out and found my brother for me. Can you please tell him I said thank you? Also that I'm sorry. I really owe him one."

You pat her on the head, relieved.

"Of course, Chen." She reaches into her pocket and pulls something out.

"For payment-"

"No!" You shove her hand away.

"Gotta go! I'm late to see Tar!" You sprint off, leaving a confused Chen in your wake.

[gellavonhamster]

some dracula-inspired books that i’ve read

The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave 

A young adult take on the backstory of the Brides of Dracula - just two out of three, mind you. I was convinced that it was about all three of them as I started reading, remained convinced almost until the very end (because there were, in fact, three girls at the centre of the story, but I won’t spoil how and why), and was a bit disappointed with the ending as a result, even though it was rather my own fault than that of the book. It does not have much connection (apart from some foreshadowing) to Dracula until several last chapters, as it mostly deals with the lives of the girls (the future dark-haired Brides, who in this version are sisters) before they become vampires. Unfortunately, I have no idea how correct the portrayal of Romanian and Traveller cultures is in this novel, but I found the writing beautiful, and overall enjoyed the book.   

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson 

Another novel about the Brides of Dracula. This one a reimagining, not a prequel - although there's a mention of the "dreadful Victorians" Harkers, it is mostly not compliant with Stoker’s novel in terms of events, and besides, one of the “Brides” in this version is actually a young man. The story is told in the form of letters that the oldest of the Brides addresses to Dracula. In its essence, this book is about learning to recognize a toxic relationship - the kind in which one of the partners tries to limit all interactions of their partner(s) with other people and the outside world and generally completely bends them to their will, all while claiming that they’re only doing what’s best for everyone - and then finding strength and courage to get out of that relationship. Also, there’s passion, polyamory, purple prose (in the best of ways), and Sapphic Longing at the Opera™. Delicious.

Ex-Wives of Dracula by Georgette Kaplan

This is basically a huge “fuck you” to the Mina-the-reincarnated-wife-of-Dracula trope (we love to see it!): in a 21st century American small town, Dracula tries to get his hands on the reincarnated Mina, except the reincarnated Lucy is also there, the girls fall in love, and work together to defeat him. I’d say it feels more like Jennifer’s Body than Dracula, and the main characters, regardless of reincarnation, do not resemble Mina and Lucy from the original novel much (at best from the 1992 Coppola movie). The book is extremely funny (sometimes crudely so, but then high schoolers are crude), while also dealing rather seriously with the topic of internalized homophobia. There’s a lot of references to Dracula and even Carmilla: from the story being set in Carfax, Texas, and the girls going to a school called Millarca High to Dracula’s speech about his ancestors and past conquests in a hilarious context I won’t reveal because spoilers. It was a lot of fun to read, but also made me wish for a modern retelling in which the characters actually resemble their book counterparts, you know? (Yes, I know about Murray Mysteries, but I’m talking literary retellings specifically). Also, I’m going to be forever mad about Lucia's (reincarnated Lucy's) shitty cheating boyfriend being named after Quincey (Quentin Morse)... the disrespect... if you can't make lumina happen without turning the men of the Crew of Light into jerks, you're not trying hard enough.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

This one is different from the others, as it is inspired rather by the legend surrounding the real Vlad the Impaler than by Stoker's novel, though some aspects of the ending reminded me of the latter a lot (also, in my opinion, Professor Turgut Bora has Big Van Helsing Energy). There are two main plots: one is a story told by a father to his daughter, about his journey in the 1950s to find his mentor who mysteriously disappears after revealing that he has researched Vlad Dracula in the past and experienced strange events that made him believe Dracula is still alive, and another told from the point of view of that daughter in the 1970s, when her father, in turn, also disappears under strange circumstances, and now she has to find him. It’s first and foremost a book about scholars (even Dracula himself is a kind of a scholar in it) so if you enjoy academic settings but not the standard dark academia tropes, check this one out - no pretentious kids murdering each other, just a lot of actual research (and some vampires). I found it a bit dragged-out at times, but in general it’s really gripping and well-researched, and I loved it a lot.

(to be continued?..)

[neganium]

I think that all that he really has to do is mention that the new mayor keeps accidentally-on-purpose trying to hurt his dad (Jack might be oblivious, but anybody else with half a braincell can probably sense the enmity and passive-aggression rolling off of Vlad in waves from like a mile away), and people might would be able to at least see that the kid has probable cause to at least think that.

Also he is not subtle about wanting to fuck that kid’s mom. Everyone knows. Danny certainly knows, and everyone knows he knows, but he doesn’t mention it bc the less said about it, the better, in his books, and nobody can bring themselves to mention it in front of him, bc tbh, it’s honestly pretty creepy to watch him put the moves to a married woman who is oblivious or disinterested at best, and actively hostile to him at worst, and that creepy middle-aged man is still trying to get it. Like. Vlad may be a good mayor, but his vibes are absolutely rank; he has a distinctly unwholesome aura about him- plus, he’s rich, and shady as all hell, so while they appreciate all the good he does for the town, there are probably still plenty of people who wouldn’t trust him as far as they could throw him. Never trust a creepy, rich politician trying charm his way (unsuccessfully, yet still never taking the hint) into his former friend’s very much still committed/devoted wife’s pants.

I know why they made Vlad a shitty mayor in the series, it’s a very obvious decision, but I think it would be so much funnier if he was actually good at the job. Like, can you fucking imagine? Vlad runs for mayor just to get back at the overgrown toddler he has beef with, plans to do the absolute bare minimum until the next elections and then he’s gonna go fuck off to work on some other, more important project. Except now that he’s really forced to examine the state of this town he’s fucking appalled at the thought of having his name tied to the place as it is. If Vlad has to be mayor of this dump, this is gonna be the best dump in all of America, this is going to be one of those nice scrap yards where all the fancy rich people leave their old luxurious rich people cars, not the overflowing public park trashcan it is now. And so, Vlad actually uses his wealth and power to help improve Amity Park. Which is absolutely great if you’re literally anyone other than Danny Phantom, because if you are, and you thought the whole town was against you before, then let me tell you - it’s so, so much worse when everyone treats the current mayor as a minor deity.

[sanchoyo]

danny phantom season 2, eps 1-5 thoughts! opening the new season with episodes like these kinda blew me away. we had multiple serious episodes INCLUDING a two parter!! also, valerie :)

see prev episode thoughts in this tag <3

-I don't know what I expected s2 to open with. but danny portal incident in more detail was not it. (also, I hate to break it to you, sam, but danny's parent's bigass ghost hunting rv def chugs more gas than those vehicles, lmao. unless it runs on ectoplasm or something...)

-WHY WAS DESIREE IN THE SEWER? HAVING TEA WITH IT DOWN THERE?? Her making the giant cow come alive is a boss move, we've almost had all of my fav animals as ghosts now <3 I also don't like how sam was expecting danny to just, haunt the place so the cars wouldn't get sold? I KNOWWW I know she's 14 (and I had a very annoying phase like this, I think I mentioned in a previous post, I GET IT) but they're HIS powers, and messing with (1) dealership will not really put a dent in sales overall because they can just move the cars to another sales lot, and it certainly wont change the industry anyway, it's more of a minor annoyance for (1) location. Also, usually people who work at car sales places work on commission, so if they dont make a sale, they don't have money to pay bills, or eat. sam baby if u wanna be an activist you need to like, actually look into these things. with as much money as her parents have, she could be doing a lot..more useful things for causes she cares about? it's frustrating to see someone with resources who doesn't know how to use them. but shes 14 so again. cannot be really upset :/

-IS THIS A PREDATOR VS TERMINATOR VS FREDDY KRUEGER MOVIE BUT THEYRE ALL WOMEN?? you know, sam is so right to be excited about this. /I/ want to see this movie. that rules

-paulina inviting danny and friends to her quinceañera, aw! even if it is just to get phantom to show up :') and there'll be a meteor shower, and we KNOW danny wants to be an astronaut!! there's not a meteor shower every night!! the tickets are non-refundable, but..she's rich? like. gotta agree with danny, they never get invited!! I KNOW it's the principle of keeping promises, but if she was that upset, she should've said something. directly. I hated how she was like, passive aggressive about it through the episode, like you SAID IT WAS FINE, THAT YOU'D GO TO THE PARTY TOO. MOVIES SHOW FOR A FEW WEEKS IN THEATERS. IF YOU HAD A REAL PROBLEM YOU NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT. WE'VE HAD THIS PROBLEM BEFORE, SAM. YOUR FRIENDS. ARE NOT. MIND READERS.

-MR. LANCER GOING AFTER THE GHOST WITH THE FIRE EXTINGISHER LMAO

-this outfit is everything . anytime the show does an over the top cutesty pink outfit i WANT IT. it looks like shit I wear JKASDHF I HAVE a bow like that and a pink sweater. I need leg warmers </3

-SAMS GOTTA RE-HALF-KILL HIM??? thats fucked up. but also, he finally got his logo!! it took until s2!!! this episode was lowkey very fucked and I felt like it glossed over a lot. does sam have guilt about like. kinda KILLING HIM?? I know, he also agreed and walked into the portal. but. she made the choice to redo it SO quickly (even if it was because someone had to beat desiree) and danny, during their fight, brought up a lot of stuff sam's done in the past, meaning he was holding onto those memories and resentment was building. (I KEEP SAYING HE LOWKEY NEEDS THERAPY, BUT I THINK MOST EVERYONE IN THIS SHOW KINDA DOES) which...is a red flag? and then they didnt even GO to the party URGH I know she tried to make up for it, but it really felt like Sam fucked up and barely faced any consequences and got everything she wanted in the end. I KNOW it's a kids show obv they aren't going to go too in depth, and she undid the damage, kinda, but...I DUNNO how to articulate it but it rubbed me the wrong way.

-but on a note about desiree, her powers of wishes were STRONG ENOUGH TO ERASE NOT JUST THEIR MEMORIES, BUT DANNY'S POWERS?! fuck, if I was danny I'd be like, trying to make friends with her. I know they always have horrible side effects as most genie-granted wishes do, but...c'mon, I'd at least TRY to be like 'I wish no ghosts would hurt anyone in my town' or 'I wish vlad would lose his ghost powers forever no matter What and also forget about my mom' LIKE. SHIT DESIREE IS SO POWERFUL. rewriting reality powerful, basically!! appreciate her. respect her.

-aww, sam helping tucker pass the nurse's office so he wouldn't see because he's afraid of medical stuff? very sweet. I also don't like medical stuff, I've gotten a lot better at handling it tho. but seeing blood and needles still makes me feel lightheaded x_x

-FOLEY, BY TUCKER FOLEY. I want to make my own perfume, that's so cool. even if his first attempt isn't good, he's pretty consistently shown to have an inventor/entrepreneur streak in the show, so like. I can see him inventing or making something (or several somethings) that make him $$$ when he grows up :) proud of my creative son

-I know the 'creepy abandoned hospital on the edge of town' is a joke and the creepy hospital trope is so Worn Out, but in my town we actually DO have a hospital like that! my dad was born in it, but its not in use and hasn't been for, like, 20 years! it needs to be torn down but I think the city doesn't wanna pay the money. the inside is horrible, spray painted and broken glass and shit everywhere. but there's still like, rusty equipment and fucking DOLLS all over the place. the cops drive by it pretty frequently to make sure no one is like, breaking in. (because of water damage, some of the areas really aren't safe. also, asbestos, but people still go in anyway) but also, some of my town was used in a filming for a stephen king show. So it's lowkey spooky all over. just a fun personal tidbit :) to lead into saying, any hospital abandoned for any period of time is NOT safe to quarantine these kids in JKSAHDKF like I KNOW it's a ghost trying to do this, but NONE of these parents are even like, 'well, why dont we keep them in the regular, working hospital'....YIKES. this hospital looks pretty accurate to the one in town. grungy and spooky.

-fentons are tax evaders confirmed by jack's fear of being audited, lol no one is surprised

-ghost sickness via ghost bugs. horrifying concept. I actually expected it to be a new villain, not dr. spectra again! this is a very elaborate scheme. her new form rules, love the new costume. the way none of the bg kids seem to recognize her as their old school councilor. did we just forget about that completely?

-dash watching romance movies in the fucked up ghost hospital. same.

-'oh please, you're ghosts, do you have any idea what YOU smell like?' no, tucker, what DO ghosts smell like? I genuinely didn't know they would even have a smell, I actually want to know now.

-it feels like a while since we've seen jazz!! i was happy to see her again, even if she was a head in a jar for most the episode. I want another jazz-focused ep!!

-we finally see danny doing space-related stuff!! him and his friends stargazing to open ep 3 of s2. cute :) until, GHOST PIRATES!!!!! ...ghost pirate captain is a small child?? VOICED BY TAYLOR LAUTNER???

-oh, the easy listening is ember's song instrumental slowed. 'vapor drone' THEY VAPORWAVED HER!!! ember in a pirate outfit tho >>>>. and the cruise being called m.bersback JKASDHJK. ember adopting a little pirate brother is also pretty cute. concerning this teen and little kid have such bad opinions of adults, like, who hurt you?? (how did you DIE ALSO?? im always lowkey curious about that. we know desiree died at an old age, but her ghost form is young, probably mid-20s, so I wonder how that sort of thing works...its a more mental thing, isn't it?) but ghost team-ups are always cool to see, even if ember bailed after danny took her guitar. I guess she probably thinks youngblood can handle it (which, he's been owning danny this far in the ep, so...fair)

-tucker got that sponsorship from nasty burger for their radio!!! again, opportunistic money maker king, love to see it!!!

-danny taking control of the kids SO FAST. he makes a pretty great leader. no one is surprised, im pretty sure I said I think he's the most mature of the trio, once again, correct, because he's taken on so much responsibility already. all the teens suiting up in the jumpsuits to go save the adults and taking the ship over with a BLIMP. OKAY LETS GO. this feels like it should be a mid finale or straight up finale.

-...speaking of finales. why is ep 4-5 of s2 combined into a 50 minute episode? I havent even clicked play and im concerned. weird placement, like, this season JUST started and we're getting a two parter? okay...why are the episodes placed like this? why not put this at episode 10 or something, for a mid-season thing?

-this is also a cute dress. possibly my fav dress so far. can her parents give ME cute dresses, I'LL wear them.

-it turns out the castle fright knight was in is called pariah's keep and there's something worse than fright knight in there! lovely! fuck off vlad wtf are you doing <3 your hubris <3 is going to literally get you killed <3 'ring of rage' and 'crown of fire' are great names tho. ...vlad turning into a super polite guy when he was scared of mr. pariah was hilarious. and fright knight doing the same...I mean, it makes sense, he's a knight, he serves a king? happy to see fright knight again either way :) vlad telling him to call him tho, lmfao. you WISH HE WOULD. (I wish hed call me, too. 😔)

-so...jack being genuinely concerned about vlad...maddie really didn't tell him what happened at the cabin, did she. damn. if I was her id immediately come home and be like 'YOU WONT BELIEVE THIS SHITTTT THIS CREEPY GUY--' like, I feel like that stuff you need to tell your partner!!! I know she didnt want Jack to think she was an irresponsible parent putting danny in danger at that time, but STILLLL. maddie spilling boiling tea on him. get his ass. how is jack this oblivious to his wife's discomfort with vlad!! ughhh

-fenton wipe (tm). trademarked toilet paper.

-DANNY AND VALERIE BEING FRIENDS??? :D that was a cute moment. 'hey val <3' and 'if you like him like him, make a move, or someone else will ;)' at sam...damn!! I love her. valerie go for it girl!!! I hate how sam and tucker treat val also, like I GET IT YOURE PROTECTIVE AND DONT TRUST but if anything him befriending valerie will help when she finds out or he tells her like I feel like she'll be more understanding that they think! ALSO I feel like her reason for not liking ghosts is valid, like you haven't really explained the full story to her anyway! she doesn't seem to have any other friends after being booted from the a-listers so im like :( but seeing them kick butt together again was nice <3

-the ghosts all RUNNING FROM PARIAH DARK IS NOT GOOD, I thought he sent them to attack or something, but no. why doesn't someone just tell desiree 'hey i wish pariah dark would die' lol. once again I think she can solve every problem <3 but seeing all the enemies in one place, being civil and hiding together? love it.

-you just know danny's gonna have to clean up vlad's stupid mess. also, jack being willing to put on the ectoskeleton pants to help maddie, as soon as vlad heard it could kill him, he suggested jack do it instead of helping maddie himself? this is why jack got the girl, my man.

-ghost skeletons. how do you end up as a skeleton ghost in your afterlife instead of a humanoid like most the ones we've seen? lmao

-the ghosts just making new homes in various stores. I'd totally be setting up in an expensive clothing store if I was a ghost.

-valerie's dad is possibly the most useful adult so far, with that ghost shield expansion!!! and valerie saving vlad and danny, even tho shes been thru it already, shes still so good!!! this family rules.

-danny: *gently caresses valerie* :)

-*then he immediately TELLS HER DAD ON HER. and his first response is 'are you okay?' :'( such a good dad...

-*me every time fright knight breathes* youre doing SO great sweetie :)

-the fenton suit thing is so silly looking. does anyone take this thing seriously

-ALL THE GHOSTS FIGHTING WITH DANNY <3 AAAAA. and the fact that pariah isn't perma-defeated, but just locked away again. yikes. he'll probably get out again, won't he? it wasn't too clear, but if vlad DID make a pact with fright knight, I am rabid. I will beat vlad to death with the fenton bat (tm). YOU DONT DESERVE A COOL KNIGHT.

-valerie being direct with sam and challenging her? kinda love that, even tho I normally don't like 'catfight' type situations. because sam has been very passive aggressive about it which is annoying. valerie knows wtf she wants and wasn't even embarrassed to tell sam, but she did tell her, giving sam time to make her own move! and sam denied it and got embarrassed/mad! and sam did have a chance when danny was about to go off and fight, and she hesitated and didn't tell him. I feel like she's hesitating because they're friends and it might make it weird between the trio (poor tucker would be third-wheeling) but if u snooze u lose, u gotta GO after what u WANT girl. smh this is a No Tsundere Zone. 😤

[charming-mage]

The Ghost Zone’s Running Joke Part 2 (Lila Salt Fic)

I find it fitting to finish this in October. Fits the Halloween season.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vlad Masters is here to take on the role of Mayor of Amity Park. Lila’s sees her golden ticket in the billionaire. His money makes the Agrestes look like paupers. His wealth and the connections that can be made through him might just be enough for the A-Listers.

It’s not hard to notice the strained relationship between Danny and Vlad. Danny wants nothing to do with the man. No matter what Vlad does, the high schooler aggressively rejects it. Lila figures she can do for him what she did for Mr. Agreste: spying and giving reports. In return, pulling some strings for a good internship at city hall or one of his businesses. The status of an internship at a good place and future in making lots of money might just be enough.

Lila makes her move. She’s able to catch Vlad after another failed attempt. Far from the students’ prying eyes, an offer is made. She’ll help him keep an eye on Danny, and give Vlad information on the teenager. The offer is prettied up to sound nicer then saying it’ll involve spying and violating Danny’s privacy. There’s regret in not cozying up to Danny. Would’ve made things easier.

Vlad turns her down. Says some things about not wanting to violate his trust like that. Wants to win him over his own way. In reality, he doesn’t need her. There’s spy cameras in the Fenton home and ghosts on his payroll. Besides, why would he want the help of a human female minor? Not a good look.

Lila is disappointed, but is not ready to give up yet. Plots form in her head to arrange situations to her advantage. ‘Accidently’ bumping into him and just so happen to have some interesting information. Too bad for her, the plan doesn’t workout to well because of a new lie she’s telling Casper High students.

Plasmius spotted in Amity Park gives Lila inspiration for a new lie. She claims the ghost is kind to her. Implies he sees her as attractive. The teenager doesn’t have the life experience to understand why this is a problem. Thinks admiration like this from an adult means nothing.

Let’s just say it’s an understatement this doesn’t go down well with the adults. When the students tell their parents, there’s an uproar. A recent Plasmius and Phantom fight at the school adds fuel to the fire. The fight is now seen as the ghost hero protecting minors from a pedophile. 

People demand city hall, the Fentons, and the Guys in White to prioritize hunting down the Wisconsin Ghost. Phantom is not a major threat compared to the older ghost. Heck, Phantom has been seen to reject advances from his fans.

Vlad is forced to go along with this. If he hesitated it’d look very bad. Only saving grace here is Lila is a known liar among the ghosts. Things would have gone very bad for him otherwise. After this catastrophe, Vlad is cold to Lila. Refuses to humor her much to her dismay. What a lovely introduction to the Ghost Zone’s running joke.

Meanwhile with Team Phantom, they’re having a group meeting on what to do about Lila. Danny catching Lila stalking him (as Fenton) is the last straw. Danny is all for calling her out. It irritates him to watch the liar being fawned over for a fake connection. The friendship lie is encouraging his fans to be bolder.

Sam, the voice of reason, vetoes this plan. Trying to disprove Lila’s lies as Fenton is a horrible idea. No one will believe the loser at the bottom of the social hierarchy. It also adds a target on his back. Who knows what Lila will do to keep a lid on this. That Lila is willing to stalk, snoop, and snitch to Vlad is not good. It shows the teenager won’t stop at small lies to get what she wants.

On the other hand, confronting her as Phantom will make people think there’s a grain of truth in Lila’s story. It’ll be easy to twist it as a falling out. Besides, they don’t want to bring more attention on the ghost attacks at the school then there already is. If people believe Phantom, then it’ll be obvious the hero is at the school often enough to hear it. Which means more scrutiny and surveillance. 

Tucker has a plan. Simply pretend to have no idea who Lila is or haven’t heard the rumors. One day an Amity Park resident is going to point blank ask him. It’ll be easy to stick around long enough after a ghost fight at Casper High. A student will be sure to bring up the subject.

Luckily for Danny, an opportunity appears within a week. After capturing a ghost, he allows Paulina to catch up to him. Paulina does the usual gushing over him. When she brings up Lila, he sticks to the plan. “....Oh you’re talking about that long haired Brunette. Layla? Lie-la?” Let’s just say the popular girl is not happy to have been made a fool of in front of the entire school. It’s one thing to tell unimportant white lies. It’s another thing to make Paulina look stupid.

Paulina is not the only one finding out about Lila’s lies. Some Amity Park residents have noticed the ghosts reaction to Lila. Their interactions stand out as most ghosts don’t usually target an individual. If they do, it’s usually a one time thing. That this girl is well known to the ghosts and this drama hasn’t calmed down yet is suspicious. 

Lance Thunder manages to get an on the scene interview with a ghost. He asks the burning question: “What’s so funny about this girl?” Other ghosts invite themselves to the interview when word spreads. It’s revealed Lila lied about knowing the ghost hero. It’s funny to them how hard the girl tries to be Phantom’s friend. Unknowingly, her actions cause him to keep his distance from her. Respecting Phantom, the ghosts don’t reveal his Halfa status. That doesn’t stop them from sharing stories. They just neglect to mention if it happened as Phantom or Fenton.

“I held her hostage and Phantom didn’t believe me when I said I had his friend. Told me all his friends are accounted for. He had no idea who this girl was.”

“She stalks him.”

“The child told me to my face Phantom will permanently end me if I harmed her. If she really knew him, she’d know Mr. Hero Complex would never cross that line.”

As the witnesses go on, it’s pretty clear Lila is a liar. This combined with Paulina’s revenge campaign, Lila��s rise as a future A-lister is finished. She never did manage to find a solution to rich requirement in time.

Lila is the social pariah at the school. Lower on the totem pole than Team Phantom and the nerds. There’s no escape to a new school this time. Mrs. Rossi is dealing with the aftermath of the ‘Ladybug is incompetent’ lies. (She finally got around to telling her boss about it.) Mr. Rossi is trying to transfer to another city, but Amity Park has a bad reputation. Outsiders view the ‘ghost believing fanatics’ lowly.

Mrs. Rossi doesn’t have any family to turn to. Her only family members left died years ago. Mr. Rossi is an orphan. It’s a hard choice, but Lila is staying in Amity Park. The uncertain future of Mrs. Rossi’s job is the deciding factor. There’s money to spare for anti-etco defenses. Unlike ghosts, there’s no products to deal with Akumas.

So Lila is stuck in Amity Park until her dad finds a new job in a different city. It’s not so fun being known as the town liar. Or the Ghost Zone’s laughing stock. No one believes her when the Box Ghost moves the packed boxes in the art room. Or Phantom calling her the girl who cried wolf. 

The drama filled the ghosts’ boredom. Watching Phantom doing his best to tolerate her is a must see for visiting ghosts. They still for years tease him about his ‘dishonest friend.’ 

[flutteringdreams-matw]

Out of Time (10)

First/Last Read on AO3 Word Count: 7411

Previously: Danny gets taken from the top of his shield two hours before Dan attacks.

Now: Danny v. Dan III - CW: light torture, mentions of ectoplasm, light pyschological torture and descriptive fights from this point forward. Dan is not kind.

Link to the next chapter will be in the replies once posted. As always - please let me know what you think!

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Danny groaned, opening his eyes slowly as he attempted to regain his bearings. Small blades of grass surrounded his face; where was he? The last thing he remembered was talking to Frostbite -

Reality hit him as he let out a shaky breath. His muscles ached as he moved slowly; trying to hide his pain or movements in case he was being watched. Once he sat up on his knees, he looked around warily. He was surrounded by trees in a clearing; from a distance he could see the top of the shield around Amity Park. He frowned as he realized he wouldn't be able to teleport back easily. It was still dark out, stars still shining brightly overhead. How much time was left?

Danny grimaced as blue sparks moved through him. He shook his head, trying to push it down. This couldn't happen - not now. He succeeded, making the sparks dissipate without a vision. It wasn't until they were completely gone that he realized why the sparks appeared.

It was a warning.

"Pathetic really."

Danny stiffened as he heard the drawl of his evil self. Green eyes darted across the clearing, watching carefully to see where Dan could be. He was close, but still nowhere to be seen.

"Here I was, expecting a heroic little sacrifice from a child trying to protect his precious family, and yet here you are, making truces and strategies like a veteran in an attempt to defeat me. Are you that afraid, Danny?"

Danny's eyes narrowed. "I'm not afraid of you," he told Dan, wincing slightly as he turned his head to his right.

"No, I suppose you aren't, are you?" Dan's voice continued to drift through the clearing, moving from Danny's right to his left. Danny placed gloved hands in front of him, attempting to stand, only to fall back to the ground. He failed to stifle a cry of pain and inwardly cursed. "Oh? Seems like you're a little worse for wear Phantom," Dan said, almost giddily. "What's the matter? Our little discussion a few days ago too much for you?"

Danny growled in frustration, pushing himself off the ground again. He staggered to his feet successfully, glancing quickly to the shield and back to the opening clearing. "What happened to that sporting chance, Old Man?" Danny quipped coolly, opting to look straight ahead to not play into Dan's hands. He was alert, ready for an attack.

Dan appeared before him, cape billowing in the wind from fifteen feet above him. His fangs featured prominently in a cruel smile as he walked in the air, descending an invisible staircase. Danny nearly rolled his eyes at the dramatic entrance. "I said I'd give you until dawn until I attack your shields. We're still an hour or two away from that," he told the boy. "I never said anything about attacking you."

Danny laughed bitterly. "I'd call you a Fruitloop, but that'd give Vlad a compliment." He tensed his muscles as Dan made it to the ground, walking towards him rather than floating or flying. Something wasn't right.

"You know what I learned, little boy," Dan taunted, continuing his slow advance toward Danny. The younger Phantom took a few steps back warily, eyes glued to the foe in front of him. "In watching you protect the town and the Ghost Zone? Not that you have new powers - that you understand your potential." Danny's eyes narrowed slightly. "That shield being up for two days? The ice powers? Teleporting? All these powers came to me much later than you."

"You had ice powers?" The question came out before Danny could stop himself.

"Once," Dan replied simply. He continued to walk towards Danny, who in turn continued his retreat backwards. Without warning, Dan flew at Danny, grabbing the boy by the neck and slamming him brutally against a tree trunk. Winded, Danny barely had a chance to recover as Dan's claw like hand closed around his throat, pressing him harshly against the tree. "Why do you have it so easy?" Dan hissed angrily, watching as Danny's hands flew to his neck as he tried to pry himself away from the ghost's grasp. "You, who kept that weakness of humanity for a lot longer than I did. Why?"

"My humanity," Danny managed to get out through a bunch of strangled gasps. "Is a strength." He thrashed in Dan's grasp, lungs burning.

"Is it now," Dan sneered, the hand around Danny's neck alighting with green ecto-energy, tightening still. Danny's eyes tightened as he let out a strangled gasp of pain. "What a fragile idea of strength you must have." Dan let go of the boy, dropping him in a heap and flew to the middle of the clearing. Danny winced, rubbing his throat as he glared at Dan from the ground. "Let's test it then. Right here and right now - show me what my past has to offer."

Danny scowled, pushing himself onto his hands and knees. Dan was baiting him -that was the only reason he brought him out here. I can't siphon energy out of the shield from here, Danny thought bitterly. Teleporting's out… maybe if I can get closer, I can out speed him enough to teleport in? Danny winced, feeling a bruise forming on his lower back. Probably not. Dan raised an eyebrow, watching Danny struggle to stand.

There are only three outcomes - only one is favourable.

"I may be your past," Danny said, holding his side with a wince as he became steadier on his feet. "But you are not my future!" He launched himself at the ghost with a yell, ignoring any rational thought telling him not to.

:-=-:

The tension in the lab was thick as Maddie scanned the radar again, scouring any signs for Danny. She bit her lip anxiously, trying to avoid any worrying thoughts about her son biting off more than he could chew. Tucker was at the other workstation beside her, half an energy drink in as he worked through more of the Fenton Shield code with a determined look on his face. Maddie caught him looking at the radar on occasion, a concerned frown on the boy's face before he dove back into work. She was in awe of how he was able to work at all right now.

"Any luck?" Jack asked gently, touching her shoulder as he came up beside her. When his wife shook her head, Jack's eyes closed briefly and inhaled deeply. "The shield's still up Mads," he told her with a small smile. "Danny's shield's still up." It was a testament of how well she knew her husband to see how scared Jack was in that moment. She squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"We're an hour away from daybreak," Frostbite announced, gathering the attention of the lab. "If the Great One doesn't appear at the shield by then, I predict we'll need a backup plan."

"If he's not on the shield by then, I'm going out there and dragging his self-sacrificing ass back myself," Sam retorted darkly, causing some of the Far Frozeners to move away from the glowering girl. "What was he thinking!? Going out there on his own?"

Ethelwulf hovered above the crowd, frowning at her. "He knew it was risky - and he didn't intend to go off on his own. The alternative was to be weakened gradually by some unknown force." Ethelwulf folded his wings as he floated downward. "As much as I disagreed, it was the right call."

Sam crossed her arms in a huff, Jazz coming over to her and nudging her on the shoulder affectionately. Sam frowned at the awkward gesture but said nothing more.

"The shield is still the priority," Maddie agreed. "Danny's not going to let that fall if he can help it. If he's not on the top of the shield, then we don't have to cover him." She looked around to the humans in the lab. "The plan is roughly the same, but instead we can play more defence. We need to buy Danny whatever time he needs to get back."

"Right," Frostbite confirmed with a grim smile. He locked eyes with Ethelwulf briefly before continuing. "I will remain here with Ethelwulf guarding the portal and our base of operations. My people will be in the town patrolling the perimeter for any of those shadow creatures. Once the second shield is up, I'll join the fight myself, as Ethelwulf is the best ghost suited to help the wounded."

Ethelwulf scowled slightly but nodded. "It's important that we stick to this plan - we can't afford any other mishaps."

Clockwork floated into the open now, staring straight at Sam but speaking to all gathered. "Danny's strong, far stronger than we give him credit for. Regardless of how we feel now, we must stick to his plan. Grab whatever weapons you may need and defend the town." Clockwork gripped his staff tightly, feeling time move roughly. "The Time Medallions will allow you to move without the effects of the paradox's hold on time. I do not know the extent of what is about to happen, nor how that will affect our efforts. From now on, keep them on your person. I will remain here; Even with my powers diminished, I may still have some hold over the time stream."

"You can work the coms with me," Tucker said from the computer station. The boy had barely taken his eyes of the screen he was working on. "We need another pair of eyes and I think watching over the time stream makes you qualified for the job."

Clockwork gave him a rare wry smile. "Very well."

"Are we really ignoring that Danny might need our help out there?!" Sam burst out angrily. "We're just letting him fend for himself?"

Jazz frowned, attempting to placate the younger girl. "Sam, of course not," she said, putting a hand on Sam's shoulder. "We're all worried about him, but I trust him. We all do. If he needs our help, he'll let us know."

"Yeah, cause he always does that," Sam said sarcastically, shrugging Jazz's hand off her. She made a break for the stairs. "Regardless the plan, he needs our help. I'm not going to watch him throw himself in danger."

He's my son; how can I just watch as he throws himself into danger?

Maddie's question to Clockwork hit her at Sam's outburst. She turned to Clockwork with wide eyes, finally understanding his response. "We don't," she said in realization slowly, stopping Sam in her tracks. "Sam, defending the town doesn't mean sitting by as Danny faces off against Dan. It means we're fighting with him, even if he doesn't know it. These copies... they're like duplication right?" Maddie turned to Jack, a theory on the tip of her tongue. "The more he splits… the more vulnerable Dan will become. If we take out some of those duplicates or injure them - won't that affect Dan in the process?"

Jack brought a hand to his chin in thought, eyes widening as he got through the calculations. "That's it! That's how we get the upper hand! Maddie, brilliant!" He kissed Maddie on the cheek cheerfully. "Our best defence is also our best offence!"

Frostbite beamed at the Fentons as Sam let out a deep breath, nodding her consent. "Then not a moment to waste. People of the Far Frozen, prepare for battle!" He roared, thrusting his arm of ice into the air. His people mimicked him, before flying out of the lab.

"Us too," Jack boomed, beckoning to the weapons vault. Jack led the way, followed by Maddie and Jazz. Ethelwulf and Frostbite made their way to the infirmary, discussing something in low tones.

Instead of following, Sam merely went to Tucker, still working away at the keyboard. "I know that face," Tucker said, glancing quickly at his best friend.

"What face?" she said innocently enough.

"The 'Screw the rules, I'm going after him' face," Tucker accused. He finally turned away from the screen, glaring at Sam. "What are you going to do Sam? You're no match for Dan on your own."

"Neither is Danny," Sam retorted. "We know that better than anyone."

Tucker sighed, frustrated. "Sam, Fear Island was a year ago. That version of his future self? It wasn't real."

"No, but it had real consequences," Sam retorted. Tucker tried to respond but Sam cut across him. "Tucker, he's exhausted. I don't know how long he'd last toe-to-toe with Dan on his own. At 100% he has a chance, now? If Danny's forced to face him now, there's a lot more than can go wrong. If I go out there, at least someone has his back."

Tucker frowned, acknowledging her words. "What are you thinking?"

Sam sighed, furrowing her brow in thought. "I don't know," she admitted. "We have no idea where he is, no idea what's happening. As soon as we have some idea of where he is, all I need to do is get in and get him out without Dan noticing."

"Danny's recklessness is contagious," Tucker said sarcastically. "That's not as simple as you think. Danny's not in the city - meaning he's passed an army of shadow creatures to get there. How are you going get through? I know how you feel, but really think about this."

"Ahem."

Both teens turned to see Clockwork staring at them. "If you're heading into battle," Clockwork said sternly. "You'll need weapons." He gestured to the lab bench full of weapons they used for training.

Sam frowned, feeling Clockwork's red eyes look through her to see her plans. Realizing that he might try to talk her out of it if she stayed, Sam sighed, making her way over to the lab bench. As she gathered weapons she enjoyed using - wrist rays, portable Fenton Bazookas, ecto-guns - her eyes fell on the small black pouch with Danny's logo beside it, along with a small first aid kit with a note attached to it. Sam looked back to Clockwork and Tucker, both of which weren't looking at her. She opened the note, read it and smiled. She quickly pocketed both items in her jumpsuit pockets before she called back to the computer console. "Where are the Fenton Phones, Tuck?"

"Over here," he replied, gesturing to the small set of electronics next to him. Clockwork floated toward the screens, back hunched as he looked at the various cameras around the city with intensity. Sam made her way back, watching as Tucker picked one of the phones to hand to her. Her eyes drifted back to the Time Master apprehensively, making sure he wasn't in ear shot.

"Thanks," she said gratefully with a small smile.

"Sam," Tucker started, before sighing. Teal eyes met violet, the resolve they both felt reflecting off each other. "I'll be on channel 18 if you need me. If I find him, I'll let you know." He smiled determinedly at the Goth in front of him and echoed the note on the First Aid Kit. "Bring him back."

Neither one noticed when Clockwork smiled.

:-=-:

Danny slid across the grass, squaring his stance as he blocked the current ecto-blast from Dan's onslaught. He grunted, the heat of the ecto-blast rippling past his shield. Pushing against it, Danny reflected it back, sending his own in full force. Both energy blasts hit his target, making Dan grunt as he fell towards the ground.

Danny allowed himself a small sigh of relief as he fell to one knee. They were evenly matched; parrying attacks, blocking blows. However, as the battle continued, it was becoming harder. They still were able to exchange attacks, but Danny needed more time to recover. He groaned as he shot upward, narrowly avoiding Dan's next attack. Green eyes scanned the area quickly, locking onto Dan's body barrelling toward him. Danny's hands lit green as they collided, wincing at the impact. They rolled in the air, Danny wildly throwing ecto-blasts at his attacker. Dan smirked, grabbing the boy's collar and charged toward the ground.

The earth shook as they slammed into the earth. Dan recovered first, flying a few feet in the air as he grinned wickedly. He watched patiently as the dusk cleared and Danny attempted to stagger to his feet. The boy was not faring well. "Is that it?" he asked menacingly. He charged again, kicking Danny in the abdomen.

Danny yelped in pain as he bounced across the ground. As he stopped, he pushed himself up on his forearms, glaring back at his future self's sadistic grin; watching him pant with exertion.

Wait… Danny gasped, watching the ghost carefully; Dan was tired. In the encounters they've had since this all began, neither made Dan show any weakness. Why was he tired now? Danny watched cautiously, stumbling upright as Dan tried to catch his breath.

"Looks like you're getting sloppy," he panted, wincing as he made his way to his feet.

Dan laughed. "Me? Look who's talking."

Danny snarled, masking any truth to that statement; he was at his limit. "Not quite. In fact," he yelled, jumping up into the air. "I can do this all day!" He flew, foot aiming directly for Dan's head.

The older Phantom growled in annoyance. Dan's hand lit aflame, creating small knives of ecto-energy along the tips of his fingers, waiting for the boy to strike. Once Danny was close enough, he grabbed the boy's leg, the energy slicing Danny's skin on contact before throwing him to the ground.

Danny yelled out in pain as he came in contact the ground once again. His vision was swimming now, glaring up into Dan's blue face. Danny attempted to get up, only to be slammed down by Dan's foot as it stomped on his chest. His eyes flew to the shield before shifting back to Dan angrily.

It didn't go unnoticed.

"Don't worry," Dan mocked, pressing his foot harder on the fallen teen. "The shield's still up for now." He released the boy, watching as he slowly got to his hands and knees. "'I can do this all day!'" he mimicked, laughing as Danny winced heavily, his arms shaking. "I'm mildly impressed that you can still keep it intact. I'm sure not for very much longer."

"You'd be surprised," Danny grunted, fist clenching as he faltered again, landing on his forearms.

Dan chuckled darkly, squatting down next to the boy's face as he fell further to ground. "Do you know why I lured you out here Danny? Why I took the trouble of inviting you here to face me once and for all?" He gripped Danny's hair harshly, pulling it upward so they were face to face. Green eyes narrowed harshly at red gleeful ones. "I wanted to see the look on your face when you realized you lost; when that infuriating spark of hope that lives within you gets extinguished and you're begging for my mercy."

Danny's eyes suddenly widened, only now realizing how much lighter it had become. Dan smiled as orange light washed over them. "I did say I'd attack at dawn." Dan's eyes glowed red briefly, just as the sun came over the horizon.

Pain erupted through Danny's being as he felt the shadows attack the shield. He screamed, curling inward on the ground as he forced whatever energy he had in keeping the shield up. Dan released him, laughing at the boy's agony with glowing red eyes. The ecto-energy burned under his skin, desperately siphoning core energy to keep himself conscious; Amity was at stake. His body twitched as something massive hit the shield. He needed to get back - he couldn't do this on his own. His sense of self-preservation kicked in, trying to focus enough to teleport away. Another wave of pain broke through, this time flooding his mind with images of shadows attacking the shield.

"Seems that wasn't enough," Dan's malicious voice managed to get through to him. Danny shook his head, attempting to clear his vision. He had to escape somehow. Dan kicked him in the face, breaking his concentration again.

"Let's see how long you can keep this up."

Danny opened his eyes briefly, focusing enough to see Dan split into two. His vision shifted back to the shield again; Danny gritted his teeth as pain erupted through his entire body. He was overwhelmed. He felt a hand grabbing his arm and flinging him in the air; the burning sting of two ecto-blasts at once; a blow to the head and the full impact of his body hitting something hard at a nauseating speed.

:-=-:

"Sam?"

Sam sighed, holding the Fenton Phone at her ear again. "I'm still here Tucker - haven't gone rogue." She eyed the edge of the shield distastefully as more of the shadows threw themselves at it, being forced back at every turn. Aiming her wrist, she sent a few strong blasts at a particularly nasty one trying to claw its way in. It exploded, making a few shadows pause briefly before continuing the attack. It was early still, but they had been at this for a few hours now.

"Switch to secure channel," Tucker told her urgently.

Sam frowned, switching to channel 18. "I'm here," she said quickly, looking at her surroundings again and shooting another shadow creature beyond the shield. Vaguely, she heard someone yelling orders in behind her to some of the onlookers.

"I think I found him," Tucker said confidently.

Sam sighed in relief. "Remind me to never doubt your tracking skills ever again," she replied, smiling slightly.

"Funny. Ready for the bad news?" Tucker didn't wait for her answer before continuing. "He's a couple miles away - it'll take you at least an hour on foot. Worse, Danny's shield is cracking. Ethelwulf and Frostbite are managing okay on our end but with Danny so far away… we need to start playing offence a little more, else they'll start breaking through."

Sam bit her lip worried, rubbing the side of her arm as she contemplated what Tucker told her. "How's the Fenton Shield going? Can we get that up before that happens?"

She heard Tucker sigh. "Not unless we want to trap Danny outside of the city with Dan and the shadow gang," he replied bitterly. "I'm still working through the sequencing of a mid-morph sample, but that'll still take some time. I don't want to test until I know it's 100%; We need Danny back."

Sam swallowed nervously, looking up at the green shield above her. It shimmered against the sun, pulsing slightly after a major hit. "Not an option then," she said grimly. She saw a faint line on one side of the dome, making her frown.

"No," Tucker agreed. "Sam, this is your call. Danny has a better shot at whatever he's facing if we start shooting up a storm. But with the shield the way it is…" he trailed off, a sense of dread lingering in his silence.

"I'm going after him," Sam told him firmly.

She swore she heard Tucker smile. "I knew you were going to say that," he said. Sam heard some fast typing on the keyboard. "There's a lot of ecto-energy about two miles North-East of where you are now. You'll probably know it when you see it. How many shadows are blocking your path?"

Sam glared at the ones immediately in front of her. "A dozen, maybe more."

"Where's the whelp?"

Sam nearly jumped out of her skin as Skulker appeared beside her. On instinct, she raised her weapon at him. "Skulker?" she questioned, wide-eyed. They hadn't seen the mechanical ghost since Danny collapsed when he returned from the Ghost Zone. Skulker towered over her, seeming to repair his suit since they last saw him.

"Skulker?" Tucker echoed in her ear. "What the hell?"

"You're here, and his family is around the city," Skulker continued, staring at the girl in confusion. "Plasmius, his pet project and the Hunter Girl are circling the shield… but I haven't seen Phantom. I would think he'd be here."

"He's…" Sam started, before gasping. "That's it! Skulker - do you think you can clear a path for me? All you have to do is destroy as many of those shadows as you can."

Skulker frowned. "Why should I help you?" he asked. "I came to assist the whelp to repay my debt. Nothing more."

"Because those things are a part of Dan!" Sam argued, pointing to the shadows in front of her. "If we take those out, it'll weaken his power."

Skulker raised an eyebrow. "The abomination!?" he exclaimed. Before Sam could confirm, Skulker grinned gleefully. "Vengeance." Skulker flew forward with a roar, rockets outstretched as he fought through the mass of shadows.

Sam blinked a few times, watching with disbelief how easy it was for Skulker to change his mind. Remembering her friend, she put her hand to her ear. "Tuck-"

"I heard," Tucker confirmed. He was quiet for a second or two before he spoke again. "We'll lose contact after a certain point; I didn't have time to boost the Fenton Phone signal like I wanted to. I'll cover for you but be as quick as you can. Hopefully Danny will be able to teleport you guys back."

"Thanks Tuck - I owe you," Sam said as she darted out of the shield. A shadow leapt out at her, but was quickly sliced in half by Skulker in a fit of rage. She readied her wrist ray, shooting at various shadow creatures as she weaved through the crowd of shadows.

"Bring back our best friend alive and I'll call it even," Tucker retorted. "Be careful Sam."

:-=-:

He couldn't move, images of the shield being attacked clouded his swimming vision as he laid on the ground completely at Dan's mercy. So the shield's still up, Danny thought drolly, gasping through new feelings of agony from the shield. A faint memory of Clockwork's warning spoke through his mind. There are three possible outcomes here. Only one of them is favourable.

He felt himself being held upright - presumably by a duplicate - head rolling limply in front of him. Vaguely, he felt his rings of transformation appear to threaten to take him into unconsciousness. The shield! He forced them down again, sagging deeper in his captor's grasp.

"Little Danny boy isn't looking so good," Dan cruelly. Danny only managed to growl in response. He heard Dan chuckle from both behind and in front of him. "Maybe we should help him out." The duplicate holding him up tightened its grasp on him. He heard the ecto-energy coming to life. "I'm sure you remember this little trick -"

Danny's vision and hearing were bombarded with images as Dan thrust his hand deep within the teen's chest, grabbing onto his Ghost Core and electrocuted him.

The smell of burning flesh made him nauseous as he blinked at the flames. He looked down at his black soot-cover hands as he screamed. They were just here! He ran towards the flames, going intangible through beams as he called out their names.

"Mom! Dad!" he cried, transforming into his alter ego. "Jazz! Sam! Tucker!"

He kept searching, the heat of the flames becoming intense now. He coughed as smoke burned through his lungs. "Mr. Lancer! Anybody! Please!"

Danny panted as Dan withdrew his hand and the time vision leaving him. Tears were streaming down his face, his voice raw as he tried to regain his bearings.

They were gone…

No…

They weren't.

His eyes opened wearily, looking past his evil self and toward his home. A green shield shone brilliantly in the distance; it seemed so far away.

What was he doing?

Pain seared around his waist, almost as if another foe was attacking him.

The shield… he needed to protect that shield.

He had to focus.

Dan was speaking to him now, waving his hand full of ecto-energy around his face. The hand moved again, drawing back and diving back into his chest.

"Finished so soon, Mr. Fenton?" Mr. Lancer asked him disapprovingly. He shifted nervously, fidgeting slightly as he nodded. Lancer couldn't know he had the answers; how the hell would he suspect that a ghost attack caused him to go through the stupid briefcase anyway?

"I just, you know, studied real hard," he told the teacher with a shrug. It was a lie, but probably a believable one.

Lancer sighed, gesturing him to leave. Danny frowned, but moved to the door anyway.

He may have the answers but if Lancer took one at his CAT, he'd know that the teen certainly didn't remember any of them.

How long had it been?

Someone was screaming… or was that him?

He couldn't tell anymore. His core felt like it was imploding on itself - it was so hot compared to the comforting cold he was used to.

Wait… was he even in ghost form anymore? Was the shield still up?

Brief flashes of black creatures throwing themselves at the shield danced before his eyes. His lungs were burning as he gasped.

What was real?

"One more should do it," he heard Dan say.

Dan. Dan was real.

Danger.

Someone grabbed his hair, yanking it upward. "Can't have you dying on me - not until your entire world comes crumbling down."

He felt the hand around his core again, the raw electricity of his core powers attempting to shield him from the pain. It did nothing for the visions.

"Let go of me!" he yelled, trying to break through the grip of the adults holding him back. He coughed, pushing the oxygen mask away from his face as he attempted to head back into the Nasty Burger. "You don't understand! They need my help!"

"Son," one of the paramedics said gently. He saw a few people trying to put out what was left of the fire. "There's no one left."

"What do you mean?" he snarled, coughing abruptly. "They're in there! I can find them!"

"Here! I got another one!"

His face paled as a tarp was placed over something in the distance.

…

…

Everyone was looking at him. Mrs. Manson was sobbing, Mrs. Foley rubbing her back gently as quiet tears fell from her eyes too.

"This is all your fault!" Mr. Manson was yelling - so was Mr. Foley. Arguing? Why?

"Jeremy! He's just a child - and he lost his family for Christ's sake! Danny, don't listen to him son."

"Why?" he felt his mouth move, so distant from his mind. He looked up at the broken families in front of him. "He's right - it is my fault."

If this was the outcome, he should have cheated... at least… properly.

…

…

He was numb. Someone was just pushing him along as he followed the caskets out of the church. Mr. Lancer's sister didn't come, he realized. Did anyone show up for the teacher? He must have someone.

They were right in front of him but so far away, tucked away in six caskets.

None of the ghosts had bothered him yet - probably thanks to Vlad. Shame really. His ghost half was itching to punch something.

He should have died-

The pain stopped abruptly, the visions leaving him in an instant. Danny felt himself fall, crashing to the ground on his knees and then to his side. He gasped deeply, eyes scrunched tightly as the pain swept through him in waves.

He couldn't get enough air.

Was there electricity now too?

"Danny!?"

Someone was shaking him? That definitely wasn't right. There was no one left … who could that be?

Where was he again?

"Come on, come on," they murmured urgently, shaking him again. "Danny, come on, we need to get out of here!"

He opened his eyes, wincing at the bright light around him as he stared at the figure in front of him. Violet jumpsuit, black hair, worried violet eyes.

It couldn't be…

"Sam?" he rasped, trying to focus on the figure in front of him.

Was she real? Was she here? But he just… more ecto-energy seared under his skin, attacking his lungs.

"It's me," she confirmed with a nod, a worried frown on her face as she looked at him. "Can you stand? Or better yet teleport? We need to -"

He felt the darkness calling him, her voice so far away now.

Maybe she wasn't there.

Danger… they were in danger right? He needed to warn her.

"Run," he croaked as he was pulled into the darkness. Save yourself.

:-=-:

She was a mile out of the town when she heard the first screams.

Sam stopped, her heart pounding in her chest as she heard them. They didn't stop, echoing through Amity Forest through the morning air. Danny! She ran toward them, unease and dread pooling in her chest as she continued. She willed herself to go faster, ignoring the burning of her lungs.

She was probably a quarter mile into running when the screams stopped; Sam skidded to a stop, out of breath as she turned desperately to the shield. It stood where she left it, shining over Amity Park. She let out a shuddering breath before turning, running towards the direction she had heard the screams in. It was eerily quiet. If the shield's still up, he's still alive. He'll be okay.

"Tucker," she called into her Fenton Phone. Static greeted her on the other end. "Tucker, are you there?" No response.

Reluctantly, she put the small device in one of her jumpsuit pockets. Sam looked around, stopping briefly as she noticed some broken trees around her. "Which way," she started before Danny's screams filled the air again. Sam gasped, eyes darting back to the shield before listening to where the screams could be coming from.

She turned to her left and ran again, tripping over a few of the fallen tree trunks. As she got closer, she heard the rawness of Danny's voice as he screamed out in despair. Whatever battle was going on, Danny wasn't doing well. She heard Dan's voice now too, vindictive and mocking under the sounds of the screams.

She was close - she had to be.

When she finally found them, Sam quickly ducked behind a tree, covering her mouth to prevent herself from screaming. Dan had duplicated himself into two, one holding Danny upright, the other with his hand through Danny's chest.

This wasn't a battle - this was torture.

Danny's body arch upward against his restraints, attempting to escape. Blue electricity coursed through his body, eyes scrunched tightly as he continued to scream in anguish.

Dan withdrew his hand, immediately causing Danny to slump down into the duplicate's arms.

He's too pale Sam noticed immediately, wide eyes scanning Danny for any sort of reaction. His head snapped to his chest, breathing heavily as time energy continued to move through him, a trail of ectoplasm running down his face.

"Bravo!" Dan mocked, glaring down at the teen. "Maybe you were right; maybe you can do this all day." He glanced at the town, a frustrated frown appearing on his face. Danny didn't answer; Sam wasn't sure he was even conscious. "Good thing I'm in no rush. Even your core knows it - don't you feel its desperation Danny? The pitiful core energy trying to drive me away is attacking you too, isn't it?"

Sam felt sick, rage bubbling up for the evil ghost in front of her. It was a miracle for Danny to keep the shield up with that attack; how long had he been like this?

Reality caught up to Sam's rage as she looked down to her wrist. There was no way she stood a chance against Dan; if he's this twisted, who knows what else he had planned. She looked back to her friend, who still hadn't moved, frowning. If she didn't do something Danny could… she didn't want to think about it. I need a plan she thought desperately, looking for some sort of inspiration.

"You've lost Danny," Dan said, smirking as he floated back toward Danny's limp body. "Why don't you just drop the shield? I promise you'll see Amity Park again; at least what's left of it." Again, Danny didn't respond, making Dan frown in thought. The rings of light that signalled his transformation appeared at his waist, blue sparks making it appear and disappear rapidly.

Think dammit! Sam cursed as she watched fearfully.

"One more should do it," Dan said conversationally. Sam watched as Dan roughly grabbed Danny's matted hair, yanking his head upward to be face to face with the evil ghost. Sam's breath hitched in her throat as she realized Danny's eyes were both green and blue but barely registering anything. He's using core energy against the time energy! "Can't have you dying on me - not until your entire world comes crumbling down."

Sam watched in horrid fascination as Dan forcefully lit his hand on fire as he reached into Danny's chest. The blue sparks came back in full force as Danny's body went rigid, his hoarse screams loudly pouring out of his mouth. She froze, completely without a plan and unable to help him from whatever that was doing to him.

Don't just stand here! She looked at her wrist ray again before shaking her head and grabbed two ecto-blasters from her belt. She moved quietly, using Danny's screams as cover as she took aim. Make one of them disappear. Just get rid of one of them.

"That's right," Dan spat spitefully, moving closer to Danny's body. Danny's eyes were scrunched together tightly, completely unaware of Dan's taunts. "You feel that pain? It's nothing, nothing compared to what's coming to you Danny. You'll suffer as I had to, watching them die painfully one by one, knowing you couldn't do anything to save them. Then, only then will I end your existence."

Sam's anger flared as she heard the ghost's words. Pocketing one of the ecto-blasters, she took out a mini Fenton bazooka and aimed straight at the Dan closest to her. She fired, blasting the one attacking clear across the wooded area. Dan grunted as he landed hard, his duplicate disappearing. Sam didn't hesitate as she ran quickly to Danny as he fell, the ring of light around his waist sputtering in and out of existence.

"Danny!" she yelled, dropping to her knees as she tried to rouse him. He gasped painfully, attempting to breathe through wheezes. She nudged him gently but urgently, finding Dan across the clearing starting to get to his feet.

"Come on, come on," she murmured, shaking him again. "Danny, come on, we need to get out of here!" They were running out of time.

He opened his eyes, wincing slightly as he looked past her. Blue and green eyes drifted around before focusing on her face. Sam sighed briefly, attempting to move him.

"Sam?" he rasped. He winced as she put his arm around her shoulder, pulling him upwards.

"It's me," she confirmed with a nod, a worried frown on her face as she looked him over. His injuries were worse than she thought. "Can you stand? Or better yet teleport? We need to -" she broke off as Danny grimaced, leaning on her heavily. "Danny? Come on, we need to get you out of here. The shield's still up, you did great." He fell sideways, Sam catching and lowering him to the ground. Dread pooled in her stomach.

"Danny? Stay with me - now's not the time to black out."

His blue eye turned green as he found her face. "Run," he croaked before his eyes rolled backward and fell unconscious.

Sam swore, fearful violet eyes moved quickly from the downed hero to the flamed hair ghost grinning in her direction. They were trapped.

"Sam!" Dan drawled, hands outstretched as he floated upward. Sam glared, moving in front of Danny's unconscious body protectively and holding the mini bazooka close. "Remember me?"

"Unfortunately," she replied venomously, charging the weapon.

Dan laughed. "Such anger," he said evilly. Red eyes looked her over menacingly. "You've changed from how I remember you. Was the jumpsuit an inspired choice?"

Sam said nothing, glancing down at Danny briefly, back to Dan and then to the shield. How the hell is it still up?

Dan followed her gaze with a scowl. "I almost had it," he said angrily. "No matter, the shield is weakened. It's only a matter of time until it falls." Dan smirked as he looked at the unconscious ghost behind her. "As for him, things worked out even better."

Sam growled, firing at Dan and jumping to the side. I need to keep Danny out of the line of fire she thought, running for cover. "We'll see about that!" she yelled, landing another hit square on Dan's chest.

He grunted, wincing at the burn as he moved toward her. Sam smirked.

"One shot means nothing you know," Dan growled, his hand lighting up in ecto-energy and sent four blasts at her.

Sam dodged, sidestepping the first two, flipping backwards at the third and rolling out of the fourth's path. The last one clipped the side of shoulder, making her hiss. Dan panted, trying to recover as he moved toward her again.

Sam frowned thoughtfully, watching as his laboured movements as she continued to put distance between them. She fired a wrist ray at Dan's head, which he dodged. Not giving him anytime to recover, Sam fired another blast from the mini bazooka, watching as it hit him on his right shoulder. He's compromised Sam thought in relief. Mrs. Fenton was right!

"Wow, it only took you ten years to become lame," Sam quipped, a desperate plan coming together. "So slow! The Box Ghost moves faster than you do." Distract him. Keep your distance. Grab Danny. Run.

Dan's face darkened in anger, red eyes narrowing. "You're in no position to be making jokes," he said evenly, sending a wave of ecto-energy toward her. Sam dodged, somersaulting right and fired again, hitting Dan in the face. He yelled, grabbing his face angrily.

"On the contrary," Sam quipped with a smile. "I'm a teenager; sarcasm and angst is what I do best. You're the one who grew up."

His smile made her blood run cold. "How naïve," he spat, duplicating in two again. Sam tensed, trying to mask her concern - she thought he was more worn out. Dan made no move to attack. "I'm sure you realize: I'm not in the business of playing fair."

She fired again; hitting the Dan speaking with her a few times and watching him stumble. Sam turned to attack again and froze. Dan's duplicate had picked up Danny's unconscious form, putting him in a choke hold with an ecto-blast a few inches from his head. "You wouldn't" she whispered, her throat suddenly very dry. She raised her bazooka again. Danny hung limply in the duplicate's grasp, its hand moving closer.

"Humans are so predictable," Dan told her with an evil smirk. She turned again. "You don't get it, do you?" He landed on the ground, walking toward her. "Emotions? Feelings? I stopped caring about those a long time ago Sam. Maybe I kill him now and make my life a little easier. Or maybe I'm just bluffing." Sam readied the bazooka, as he came within a few feet of her, his chest touching the end of the blaster. He glared vindictively at the girl in front of him. "The real question is… are you willing to risk it?"

Sam glared at Dan with such hatred that the ghost almost felt proud. He laughed, holding the blaster in front of him as Sam relented. He grabbed her wrist, alighting it with ecto-energy and watched as she flinched in pain. "Oh Sam," he said in a low voice that made her skin crawl. "I'm so glad you came out to play."

:-=-:

Danny cried out in pain as ecto-energy flooded his veins, thrashing around weakly. He felt himself sag slightly as it stopped, his breathing too loud in his ears as he tried to catch his breath. What happened? Where am I?

"Wakey wakey Danny," Dan crooned mockingly. He felt some tap the side of his face condescendingly.

Anger surged through Danny's entire being, clearing his mind as he opened his eyes, green eyes glaring into the red ones of Dan.

"About time," he continued in the same voice. "I was wondering if we played too much. You've been out for some time now." His face was inches away from the Danny's, almost taunting the teen to attack.

Danny's mind was reeling. His core ached painfully, as did the rest of his body. Vaguely, he realized he was being restrained again. He pulled against his captor roughly, only to falter as something hurt deep within his shoulder. He whimpered pitifully, turning into a small growl of hatred as eyes glowed green.

"Danny!"

He stopped moving, going rigid in fear as he heard his name. No.

Dan smiled predatorily as he watched the younger Phantom's reaction. "Don't worry Sam, he's fine." Dan floated backward into the clearing as Danny stared, wide-eyed. There was three of the evil Phantom; one holding Danny upright, one taunting him and one was restraining Sam.

His eyes found her; Sam was held by her wrists, attempting to escape by kicking the duplicate with her waving legs. She scowled intensely, all of her efforts on attempting to escape. Danny noticed her small wince as she shifted in its grasp.

"Let her go!" Danny roared, pulling against the duplicate's hold with increased vigour, ignoring the severe pain coursing through his body in waves. Rage, hatred and fear burned through him, powering him far more than he currently felt capable. "Don't you touch her!"

Dan laughed, floating closer to Sam and brought his hand across her face. "Or what?" he taunted. Sam's eyes narrowed angrily, spitting in his face as she squirmed in the duplicate's grasp. Dan was unfazed, simply going intangible and floated back toward Danny. "Seems like Sam wanted to crash our party. You should have just brought her along Danny; it saves me the trouble to hunting her down later." He chuckled. "Though, I guess I didn't give you enough time to prepare."

"Let her go!" Danny yelled again, his aura flaring dangerously. He cried out in pain as the duplicate electrocuted him.

"Leave him alone!" Sam yelled angrily, taking her attention away from escaping as she heard him yell. Danny twisted dangerously in the duplicate's grasp through the electrocution.

"Watch that temper of yours," Dan jeered as the duplicate stopped the attack. A neon green glare was his response. "We don't want something bad to happen to our friend now would we?"

Both teens paled at his words.

Dan laughed in response. "You were right Danny," he goaded, floating closer to young ghost. "You see, in all that time we've been catching up, I've realized that we aren't just past and future anymore." He grabbed Danny's face roughly; leering into the younger's glare. "That year inside a thermos made a huge difference. See, I don't remember Sam being this competent in ghost fighting. Nor getting those fancy new powers of yours so quickly." Danny grunted in pain as Dan let him go. "So perhaps I'm not your future after all."

"I'll never be you," Danny swore, pulling against the duplicate's grasp again.

"Yes, you promised, blah blah," Dan dismissed with a wave. "But this is no longer my timeline Danny, we've become too different. Your past is no longer my past." He grinned. "Meaning I don't need you anymore."

Danny's eyes narrowed at the unspoken threat.

"I'm sure Clockwork's told you by now," Dan continued. "The old man meddles more than he cares to admit. Paradoxes, timelines - the whole spiel." Red eyes flicked briefly to Sam before he continued his rant. "The thing is Danny - no matter what timeline we're in, I was you. I know how you think, what your weaknesses are… how far you'd push yourself to save someone you love."

Danny gasped, eyes widening in disbelief. "No…" he whispered.

Dan watched as Danny's brain finally caught on; he was a few feet from Sam, forming a triangle between the three evil Phantoms. Dan held a ball of ecto-energy in his hand, tossing it up in the air leisurely, making it bigger every time it came down.

"No!" Danny yelled louder, pulling wildly at the duplicate. "You won't get away with this! I'll stop you!"

Dan laughed, red eyes finding Sam's wide ones as she caught on too. "'Are you afraid yet - because you should be. I know exactly what buttons to push to break you," Dan retorted, holding the large ball of ectoplasm in his hand. "You're in a bit of a bind Danny. How do you expect to save Sam in time when you're too weak to escape that duplicate over there? I wonder how that will make you feel, watching helplessly as I destroy her."

Sam managed to free one of her arms, moving it to the belt of her jumpsuit quickly. She grabbed an ecto-gun and took aim at the duplicate behind her. It snarled, trying to bat the blasts away while hanging onto her.

"Sam!" Danny yelled, legs kicking wildly at his duplicate.

Dan yelled in frustration at the scene in front of him, taking aim at the Sam and the feuding duplicate.

"Danny!"

Determined violet eyes met fearful green ones as Sam managed to point the ecto-gun at the duplicate holding Danny captive. Danny's eyes widened as he realized her plan, moving his entire body to drag the duplicate into the line of fire. It dissipated, causing him to fall to the ground with a thud. Danny groaned, pushing him up as fast as he could, watching as Dan's eyes glowed again. Rough hands grabbed him, forcing him down to the ground as another duplicate took its place.

"No!" Danny cried, trying to get out of his grasp.

"It's the beginning of the end Danny!" Dan yelled triumphantly. Sam still fought one handed against the duplicate, completely unaware that her plan failed.

Danny had no choice but to watch as Dan fired the Ecto-blast directly at his best friend.

"NO!"

A stab of pain exploded through Danny's entire being as he bellowed that one word; waves of both white and blue electricity pouring out of his body in an explosive blast around him. The world slowed; Ecto-blast moving in slow motion as it inched closed to Sam, only now becoming aware that Dan fired the blast.

Danny's core let out a burst of white light as Danny Fenton appeared, away from the duplicate. Wasting no time, the teen ran desperately to his best friend, leaving his trapped ghost half behind.

Phantom ignored his human half temporarily, his eyes lighting up in blue as he froze the duplicate. He elbowed the now frozen captor from the ground, shattering it as he fell to the ground. He staggered upright and ran after Danny Fenton as the Ecto-blast inched closer to Sam's body. Her eyes were wide, surprised and fearful as the duplicate smirked. Dan was laughing in slow motion.

"We're not going to make it!" Danny yelled desperately to Phantom, tripping over his feet.

"We have to!" his ghost half yelled back, hands glowing blue and sending a ray of ice towards Dan's chest. It hit its target, Dan falling slowly with a surprised look on his face.

With a surge of adrenaline, Danny jumped into the air, tackling Sam just as the blast was about to hit her. Left eye turning green, Phantom disappeared as Danny transformed slowly, more electricity bombarding through his being. He cried out in anguish as the rings of light painfully transformed him just as the blast reached them. Danny, mind solely stuck on saving Sam, ignored both the explosive pain and heat from the blast as he reached deep, finding some last bit of energy to teleport them away. The pain was almost unbearable now, heat searing into his skin as he finally managed to teleport.

As they disappeared, the blast exploded in full force, destroying the duplicate instantly. Dan gripped his chest on the ground, panting as he surveyed his surroundings. Both teens were gone, vanished before his very eyes. He growled, staggering to his feet and floated over the fiery crater in front of him. How could they just -

A small splattering of red caught his attention on the ground. Dan inspected it closely before he inhaled deeply, a slow maniacal laugh escaping his lips. It didn't matter that they were gone - the damage was done. He laughed louder as he turned toward Amity Park. "This world is mine," he said victoriously as he took off toward the town.

[idontknowijuststartedsomething]

Gravity, Ghosts, and Gems

Part 3/???

The New Kids

Part 3

Steven could see his answer did little to reassure or calm his trembling roommate. “Hey, I’m still me. A-And I’m not going to hurt you! I just..... Let’s just talk.”

“So, how did you get white hair and a cool jumpsuit?” Steven tried to talk to Danny more casually, as he could see his panic from their shared dream had not gone away.

“Well, to understand you would first have to know my parents are ghost hunters. Or ghost scientists they never really make it clear.”

“Wait, like spooky horror movie dead people ghosts?”

“Yeah.”

“Wait ghosts are real?!”

“Yes” Danny’s voice was growing more annoyed.

“I’ve gotta tell Sadie” Steven whispered to himself, stars in his eyes.

“What?”

“Uhhhh nothing. Continue.”

“So yeah my parents study ghosts. And for years they’d been working on a portal to the ghost world. They wanted to prove to everyone that they weren’t crazy, and they also just wanted to learn everything about ghosts.” Danny became less tense as he told his story. He’s had to keep it a secret for so long that now telling anyone felt like a major relief. “So after like years they finally got it into working order. Except it didn’t turn on. No matter what they tried it just wouldn’t go. They were really bummed and got discouraged for a while, but me and my friends still wanted to check it out.”

Steven listened intently as Danny told him about the accident. Sam, Tucker, the jumpsuit, the flash. Everything just sounded so painful. Part of Steven just wanted to reach out and hug Danny, but Steven restrained himself because he knew they weren’t there yet. After all Danny probably still though Steven was a big scary pink lady. So Steven just kept listening as Danny told him everything. About Vlad. About his parents hunting him. About Danielle. About his older self. By the time Danny had gotten to him revealing himself to his folks, Steven was ready to cry. Steven could never imagine how much pain Danny had gone through. And yet he could see it vividly. He could see it in his own life story, stretched out over years and galaxies, and only now being properly dealt with between him and his therapist.

“So yeah, I’m half ghost and I protect the world. Well mostly my town but you get the point. And nobody knows but my family and friends. And I guess you, now. So what’s your story. Did your parents make a portal that fused you with some pink lady?” Danny had said that jokingly, but Steven’s emotions were still weird, both from hearing Danny’s story and now having to tell his own.

“Well, I’m half gem, so I’m kinda like you, but my gem powers didn’t come from an accident. You see, my mom was a gem who...”

“Wait, wait, wait. What are gems? I know you have that thing on your stomach but like, what does it do?”

“Ok so now I have to go way back. Gems are an alien species whose physical forms are just projections from their gemstone. All gems have one, and they can all do different things. Some gems also come together to make...”

“Wait back up. You’re saying you’re..... an alien?”

“Well technically half alien on my mom’s side. But I’ve spent my whole life here on earth.”

“So aliens actually exist?” Danny could barley process what he was hearing. Every NASA scientist he had looked up to was wrong. All of their data and calculations were disproven by the mere existence of this kid standing infront of him. Could he be the first junior astronaut to make contact with alien life?

Danny could tell that Steven was waiting for him to stop being confused. His look said it all. So Danny put back on the chill persona he had had before and let Steven continue. He was gripped by the rich tapestry Steven had woven with his words. A rebellious princess(that’s who the big pink lady was), a secret taken to the grave, a war for the fate of the planet, a tale of love found and love lost. All to produce the spunky little kid who was Steven Universe. He told Danny about his similar face offs with villians of his own kind. About the new family he found along the way and how he saved two planets with love. Steven told Danny a bit about his breakdown following Homeworld’s reconstruction, but left it very vague. He mentioned that he hurt Jasper and that he reached his breaking point and blew up in front of his family. But he just left it at that. At least for now, Danny didn’t need to know about the monster that terrorized Beach City. At least for now, Danny could see him as kind of normal.

“So that’s basically it. And then I wanted to experience life outside of gem stuff. So I got in my car and started exploring and being more human. And then I found this job offer online and though it would be a good experience for me, and so here we are.”

“That’s wild.” Danny said, reacting to Steven’s life story. “And that’s kinda what happened to me to. I wanted to get away from ghosts and stuff for a bit. I found this job offer and my parents assured me that they could take care of any ghost business in town, so I packed some stuff and flew here last night.”

“That explains why you were so tired today!”

“Yeah. Even at 112 mph, Illinois to Oregon is a long trip. And I was carrying a bunch of my stuff and had to avoid any major city areas.”

They both laughed, their defenses completely down, as they recognized a trust between them that hadn’t been there before. Neither of them had got entirely comfortable when Steven remembered another thing he had noticed earlier.

“Did you see the room of that Dipper kid who lives here? His walls were covered with conspiracy and supernatural related stuff.”

“Yeah. I was able to recognize part of my parents in that kid.” At that thought Danny came to a realization. “Which means we probably shouldn’t tell him about any of this.”

“Yeah.” Steven agreed. “He’s either gonna want to ask us a million questions...”

“Or strap us down to a table and rip us apart molecule by molecule.” The tone of the room got considerably darker, as Danny realized what ‘being like his parents’ actually meant. They both sat silently for a few moments, neither knowing how to respond. Finally, Steven spoke.

“So no one finds about about us? At least until we know we can trust them. Like be 100% certain that they’re gonna be cool with us” Steven was trying to stear the conversation into a more hopeful direction, and it kinda worked.

“Yeah” Danny answered, lifting is head, a slightl smile now returning to his face. “Besides, is not like there’s evil ghost or aliens running around here. In Gravity Falls. So we should have no problem keeping our powers on the down low.”

“Yeah” Steven laughed. “Everything seems normal here. What do we have to worry about?” With that, both decided to finally go to sleep, secure in the knowledge that nothing weird happens in Gravity Falls.

Right?

[phantoms-lair]

The Ghost Town Job Snippet 4

(Not much Leverage Crew in this. Also I planned for this to take place right before Kindred Spirits, before I remembered Lancer bringing up Vlad’s becoming mayor in part one. So for the sake of this fic, Kindred spirits happened after Eye for an Eye)

"So," Valerie’s voice was no less threatening than usual. "If you knew Vlad was scum the whole time, why didn't you tell anyone?" 

Phantom looked at her in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? I think I've made it pretty clear since before he landed in Amity Park I hated him." 

"Yeah, and most ghosts hate the living. Why not share the details you obviously had?" Valerie folded her arms at him. 

"First off, that's not true. Second, I didn't know about that until we found her today, Third..." Phantom trailed off and looked away. For a moment Valerie though he wasn't going to finish. "...My mom." 

"Nice try. Ghosts don't have Moms." Valerie charged her weapons in threat. 

But Phantom looked more unimpressed than threatened. "You do realize I used to be a normal human, right?" 

It felt like a punch in the gut, because no she very much did not. It was easy to fall into the thought pattern of ghosts being these malevolent alien beings she'd somehow forgotten they were people that had died. "What does you Mom have to do with anything?" she hoped she didn't sound as shaken as she felt. 

"Vlad's obsessed with her. He currently thinks he can slime his way into her heart through his money and good image. If he loses that-" Phantom seemed to shrink in on himself. "He might go for being more direct, like not letting her have a say." 

Oh. Oh &$*) Valerie switched her weapons off and flopped down. This was too much in way too short a time. Her mentor she'd been trying to make proud was an amoral madman creating half-ghost clones in the basement of his manor, Phantom was a teen like her who had died, and was trying to protect his mom. And this wasn't even starting on the thief who'd broken into Vlad's house. "Anything else You want to tell me to shatter my world." 

“'Want' is a strong word." Phantom grumbled. 

 Valerie groaned. "What is it?" 

Phantom looked like he really didn't want to continue. "The reason he's trying to create a half ghost kid is, okay, you need to promise you're not going to do something stupid." He started pacing midair. "What am I saying, of course you're going to do something stupid. You've been manipulated and lied to and of course you want to hurt him, I want to hurt him." 

"Phantom-" 

"But when you find out you can, you'll go after him and he's in public and be exposed, and then he won't have any reason to hold back." 

"Phantom-" 

"He's gonna kill Dad. It's easy enough to stop his covert plans, but if he goes brute force full power I can't stop him, I-" 

"Danny!" She didn't like using his first name, not when he shared it with someone she actually liked, but she hoped it would be enough to snap him out of the spiral he was heading into. Sure enough, he head snapped up and his eyes looked, for lack of a better word, haunted. "I don't just hunt for revenge, I do it to protect people. No matter how much I want his head on a pike, I won't put someone else in danger. Including you family." The thought that he had one still made her stomach twist, but she had to get past it.

He took a deep breath (why did he need to breath???) and let it out slowly. "Vlad's half ghost." 

That made no sense, which actually helped her keep what little calm she had left. "You want to break that down for me?" 

"There was an accident in college and- actually better example. Remember that Ghost flu thing? Where everyone seemed to be getting random ghost powers?” “I remember,” Valerie said dryly. She almost destroyed so much of her things through accidental ecto-blasts. At least it gave her practice for controlling the cube lasers in her upgraded suit.

“Like that, but more powers and permanent. And he’s got 20 years to get those powers under his control. In addition he has alliances with a lot of ghosts like Skulker, so minions too." 

"So all this is trying to create someone like him?” It didn’t excuse what she saw, the failed clones, the dissections, but it was at least understandable.” 

"Not just anyone, he's trying to recreate me. My mother's child who would share something with him, something one no else would. He's trying to recreate me as their child."

Valerie suddenly understood why Phantom had thrown up when the got out of the house, she could feel her stomach twisting. "Her human DNA?" God she hoped the answer wasn't what she thought. 

"Probably mine too." 

"Fuck." Because what else was there to say. “We have to save her.”

“I know.” There had been such a temptation to just grab her and get out, but he’d overheard the same conversation between the intruder and whoever she was talking to. The girl wasn’t stable yet and removing her from the pod would kill her. “Maybe we should help the lady who broke into Vlad’s.”

Valerie gave him a look. “You want us to work with a random thief?”

“One, she is a very good thief to get through all of Vlad’s defense. Two, she wanted to save the girl as much as we did, and was stopped for the same reason. Three," Danny threw his arms up. "What could we do next? She's half human. She's going to need food, clothes, a safe place to sleep at night. I can't supply any of that for her. If thief lady is an adult who'd care for her, she can give her a much better life than I could." "What about your family? Wouldn't they be happy to have a part of you that's still alive?" Phantom winced and Valerie realized how cruel a statement that was. But before she could apologize (no matter how much is galled her) Phantom spoke first. "I want to believe that. I want to so badly. But I don't know. Mom and Dad...they don't like ghosts. They think we're all monsters. And while I want to think they could look past the half ghost thing and see her as a person I'm not sure." There was a lot to unpack there, and for the most part Valerie didn't care to. Too many paradigm shifts in one day, she wasn't going to start feeling sympathy for the ghost who ruined her life. "I miss this morning, when my only concern was whether I could blast you out of the sky." 

Phantom snorted. "And I miss thinking you were so low on the danger scale you needed Kwan to beat people up for you. Disabused me of that real fast." 

Valerie sat up, studying the ghost who hadn't seemed to think he'd said anything unusual. But when he had described was when she'd been one of the popular kids, a status she lost before becoming the Huntress. A time in her life Phantom had no reason to know anything about. Unless... "Did we know each other? Before you died?" 

Phantom winced, though whether it was from the mention of his death or the detail of his former life he'd accidentally brought up she couldn't say. "I wouldn't say we knew each other. Like I knew of you 'cause you were one of the A-list kids, but it's not like we ever spoke before the accident." 

He'd attended Casper High before dying in an accident. His parents were anti-ghost. And Valerie realized she filing away clues in her mind. Somewhere in this horrible day she'd discovered Phantom had been a person like her. And if she needed a diversion to keep her from lighting up the mayor, uncovering the mystery of who Phantom has been was a hell of a distraction.