#danny mccoy

[librathefangirl]

@whumpgifathon | Day 13: Aesthetic Alt. Bedside Vigil Las Vegas | S02E01 | Danny McCoy

[just-here-for-the-whump]

Las Vegas 1x10 Decks and Violence

Part 3

[hoyt-and-cavanaugh]

[genderflu1dwh0r]

If Tony DiNozzo from NCIS and Danny McCoy from Las Vegas met, I think the world would explode

[silverfoxstole]

The Doctor and the Cat: Paul and Danny John Jules.

Plus a bonus from Danny at Wales Comic Con:

[burningfudge]

New Avengers (2010) #16.1

[tinynerdz360]

Future Ghost Chapter 9

Flashback: In the ghost zone: Far Frozen: Dr. Bonechiller:

After a long fight with ghost after ghost and then Vlad, Danny found himself in the swirling green void of the ghost Zone. He was drifting closer to the Far Frozen. He planned to make a pit stop there before heading home. Dr. Bonechiller would help patch him up. The giant Yeti was a gentle soul.

"Danny, come in," Dr. Bonechiller called, his furry face peering out. Danny phased through the door into the examination room. The good yeti doctor sat Danny down on a medical bed and started patching up his wounds, making small talk as he went.

After his current injuries were tended to, Danny perked up and asked a question that he had wanted to ask for a while but kept forgetting or backing out.  

"Hey Doc. So... about these electrical scars..." Danny held up his arm, revealing the Lichtenberg scar branching from his hand up to his shoulder. "Any way to get rid of them?"

Dr. Bonechiller examined the scar, his large fingers tracing the pattern. "I'm afraid not, Danny. These types of scars are tied to the trauma you experienced. They'll only fade once you've emotionally processed and healed from what happened. Once your core has healed from the trauma that inflected this injury. Technically, there is no surface damage; it’s more of a reminder to you."

Danny's shoulders slumped. "Great, so I'm stuck with them."

"For now, yes. But you're strong, Danny. You'll get through this." Dr. Bonechiller turned and retrieved a small black data chip. "Here, this contains all your important medical information from your visits and extra information I felt you would find helpful. It also contains my emergency contact. Only call me if it’s an emergency. Keep it safe."

Danny took the smooth rock. Part of him wondered if this was some odd joke. Danny decided not to ask how to access the data chip, stone technology, or whatever this was. He felt too prideful and embarrassed to ask. *I bet Tucker can figure it out.* With that thought he tucked it into his pocket. "Thanks, Doc. I will."

Danny unfortunately forgot about the smooth stone in his pocket, failing to ever ask Tucker to look at it.

Enterprise: Sickbay

Danny found himself under the keen gaze of Dr. McCoy. The hum of medical equipment provided a soothing backdrop to the tension that had taken root in Danny's chest.

"Alright, let's take a look at you," McCoy said, scanning Danny with a medical tricorder. The readings were all over the place, flickering between human and some unknown energy signature.

"Fascinating," McCoy murmured. "Your cellular structure is in flux. I've never seen anything like it."

“Yeah…...” Danny mumbled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “I guess that’s cause I can switch between two different forms.”

McCoy raised an eyebrow, his interest evident. "And this ability of yours to switch between ghost and human form...it's fascinating. I'd like to see it in action later, if you're up for it."

"Sure, Dr. McCoy," Danny said, though he couldn't shake the sense of being a specimen under a microscope.

McCoy's eyes fell on the electrical scar peeking out from under Danny's sleeve. He gently took Danny's arm, pushing up the fabric. "Those electrical burns from the accident too?" McCoy asked gently.

Danny pulled his arm back, tugging the sleeve down. His shoulders hunched, and his gaze dropped to the floor. "Yeah," he mumbled.

McCoy's heart ached for the boy. What kind of parents let their teenage son wander into an active portal unsupervised? He resolved to get Danny the counseling he likely needed.

“Would you like me to treat it?” Mccoy afford. “A dermal generator will patch this up in no time.”

"Dr. McCoy, these... they aren't just scars; they're remnants of trauma that echo in my ghost form," Danny began, cautiously opening up about his past injuries. "When I'm in my human form, they're like memories. I was told that technically that they are healed physically, it’s like a physical reminder of my trauma, and they won’t fade until I deal with it.”

McCoy leaned forward; his professional curiosity piqued. "You mean to tell me these are more than physical? That they're tied to your... psyche?"

“Yea, I guess so, I was told I’d have to deal with it emotionally and mentally…..In the Ghost Zone, where I'm from, we have something called a core," Danny began, tapping his chest. "It's like a heart, but it's the source of our powers. When I got shocked, it...it hurt my core. Left these scars." *Granted, that shock created my core, but I don’t really want to explain that. * Danny thought to himself.

McCoy nodded, jotting down notes on his PADD. "Now, tell me—do these scars cause you any pain?"

“Sometimes…...usually on the day I got it…..like an anniversary. It hurts all over on that day like it did when it first happened.”

Mccoy made a note on his tablet.

 “So this core, it's a physical organ?" Mccoy asked.

Danny shrugged. "Sort of? It's more like a manifestation of our essence. Our souls, I guess you could say."

McCoy raised an eyebrow at Danny's poor explanation. The kid was clearly no doctor. "Alright," he said, lowering his tone. "Where exactly would this core of yours be located?"

Danny bristled. "That's private," he insisted. "People just don't give that info out."

McCoy squinted down at the teen ensign, his patience wearing thin. "Listen, kid," he growled, "that's what doctors are for—to help when private things get hurt."

"I..." Danny started, his voice shaking. "I don't know if you can even detect it in my human form. But it's under my human heart." He paused, taking a deep breath.

McCoy picked up his tricorder again. "Speaking of your ghost form, do you think you could show me? I'd love to get some readings and see how your biology changes."

Danny hesitated, old instincts urging him to keep his powers hidden. But he forced them down.

"Alright," he agreed, hopping off the biobed. "Just...don't freak out, okay?"

McCoy chuckled. "Kid, I've seen my fair share of strange things in this galaxy. I think I can handle a little ghost action."

Danny took a deep breath, reaching for the familiar chill at his center. A flash of light engulfed him; twin rings traveling across his body as he transformed.

McCoy watched in awe as the scrawny teenage boy was replaced by a white-haired, green-eyed floating teen. His tricorder scanning and recording away.

"Remarkable," he breathed. "Your entire molecular structure has been altered."

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly self-conscious under the doctor's intense scrutiny. "So, this is my ghost half."

McCoy circled him, tricorder whirring. "And you can switch between this form and your human one at will?"

Danny nodded. "It took some practice, but yeah. It's like flipping a switch."

Danny transformed back into a human, with a wry smirk on his face. "That's me. Just your average half-ghost freak."

McCoy frowned at the self-deprecation. "Hey, now. None of that. You're not a freak, Danny. You're unique. Also, I’m pretty sure you check all the boxes to be counted as a living being, just cause you all call yourselves ghosts, doesn’t make you any less alive. "

Danny ducked his head, unused to such open acceptance.

"Thanks, Doc," he said softly.

McCoy smiled, resting a hand on Danny's shoulder and gently squeezing it.

****

"First things first, you're going to rewrite your mission reports. Add in the details about when you used your powers. I want a full picture. And the captain will want that full picture as well.” Mccoy ordered. Giving the teen work to keep him busy. As well as getting on record any time Danny used his powers on past away missions to help the crew. It would only help the boy’s case, especially if they could confirm the weird energy readings they had recorded were him. Already from Mccoy’s scans, he could tell it was the same type of energy reading.

Danny groaned inwardly, hating paperwork with every fiber of his being. "Reports, really? Isn't there something more... hands-on I could be doing?"

"Nope!” McCoy said with a wry grin. "And while you're at it, I'll be setting you up with some educational material. We need to fill in the gaps in your knowledge."

"Education tests? I've done fine in engineering," Danny protested, but McCoy raised an eyebrow at him.

"Son, engineering is one thing. But you skipped high school and the Academy. We need to know where you stand academically." McCoy handed him a PADD loaded with learning modules. "Except for history," he added sternly. "You're blocked from those searches, given your status."

"But...but I know stuff!" Danny protested. "My parents taught me a lot about science and engineering."

"I don't doubt that. But humor me, alright?" McCoy tapped at the PADD.

Danny slumped in defeat. "This is payback for lying, isn't it?"

McCoy smirked. "Consider it tough love, kid. Now, get to it. Doctor's orders."

Danny sighed, accepting the PADD. Writing reports and taking tests wasn't exactly his idea of a good time, but it may be worth the hassle if it meant gaining the crew's trust and understanding.

"Yes, sir," Danny said.

"Hope to it, kid," McCoy grunted, patting Danny's shoulder.

He stared down at the PADD in his hands, trepidation swirling in his gut. Rewriting all those reports, recalling each time he'd used his powers to save the day...it was going to be tough and tedious.

*It's just great! Here I am in space but stuck in a space hospital doing my least favorite thing: HOMEWORK! * Danny mentally groaned to himself.

As he got to work on his assignments, he glanced up and noticed his friend Kas enter his med bay room. At first, he felt happy to see her, but then he felt fearful. *Oh, God, what if she knows?  What if she’s mad? What if she hates me?* Danny hunched his shoulders, not wanting to face the music. He had forgotten the Andorian girl worked in medbay. She might know everything.

Danny was surprised when he felt Kas’s arms wrapped around his should in a side hug. It was a bit awkward with him sitting up in a bed.

“Are you all right?” Kas asked, her big black eyes looking at him with concern. “I saw you got a talking to by the big three! That must have been scary!”

“I’m alright, Kas…...wait, you’re not mad?” Danny asked.

“No! Why would I be mad? Is it about you being underaged? Now don’t be mad about how I know that, Daryle might have let that slip…..But I’m sure it will all turn out ok!” Kas rumbled, giving him a tight squeeze.

“Yeah, I’m fifteen…...” Danny wheezed as Kas hugged him tighter. He was surprised at her strength.

“OMG! You’re just a baby!” Kas squealed.

“Oh god! I can’t breathe!” Danny joked. It was only partly true; he’d be fine without breathing, but man, was she hugging him tight.

Kas let go and frantically apologized. She looked a bit embarrassed. “Sorry for being too much, but I just want you to know we can still be friends.”

Danny felt so relieved. “You’re not mad about the hybrid things either?”

“Hybrid? What do you mean?” Kas asked.

“Oh…..I thought……I thought everyone would know since I got caught.” Danny stammered.

“Danny! This is medical; we aren’t going to air your private medical files! But no, I didn’t know.”

“Oh……” Danny blushed, realizing his mistake and how he just outed himself.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to…...that’s private stuff, you know?” Her blue antenna dropped in concern. “But for what it's worth, I don't think any less of you. So, you're a little different. So what? We're all unique in our own ways. And I won’t go around telling people if you don’t want that."

Danny's smile grew a bit more genuine. "Thanks, Kas. I appreciate that. And please don’t tell; it was hard enough coming clean earlier…..."

Kas shot him a sympathetic look before bustling off to attend her duties, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

****

Doctor Mccoy was examining Danny again. Danny was getting really tired of being poked, prodded, and scanned. But he was trying his best to be good. Maybe they’d let him stay if he was good.

“Danny, Have you ever had someone to talk to about ghost stuff and the accident? Not just friends or family but a professional?" Mccoy asked. He was already making a list of potential therapists for the kid to see. A few were already on the ship, and a few were selected for video calls. He was just curious if the kid had ever gone to therapy before.

Danny hesitated, memories of Dr. Bonechiller surfacing in his mind. "Actually...yeah. Back in my own time, I found a ghost doctor who helped me understand my powers and how they affected my body. I’d go to him if I were close by, and he’d help me if I were hurt."

Danny's eyes widened. "Actually! Dr. Bonechiller gave me a data chip with all my information. I completely forgot about it until now. It's back in my quarters."

"Kid, you're telling me you've had your medical records this whole time?" Dr. Leonard McCoy grumbled as he glared at Danny Fenton, who had the grace to look sheepish. His arms crossed, McCoy leaned back against the edge of a biobed in Sick Bay. "And it didn't occur to you to mention it?"

Danny fidgeted, scratching the back of his neck where the electrical scar ended. "I kind of forgot about it, Doc. Everything's been so crazy since I got here..."

"Forgot," McCoy echoed with a huff, shaking his head. Typical teenagers, forgetting important things. "Well, go get it then. Kas can go with you. I’d rather have it than fly blind.”  

Danny nodded eagerly but was also too embarrassed to mention that he didn’t know how to access the ghost file.

Danny rummaged through his belongings in his quarters, searching for the data chip Dr. Bonechiller had given him. After a few minutes, he triumphantly held up the small, black stone. "Found it!"

Kas stood behind Danny, looking around his room, which he shared with Weston. Danny was very relieved his roommate wasn’t in.

Before they could leave and head back to sickbay, the door to the room opened.

The door slid open, revealing Walton Weston. His smile faltered when he spotted Danny. "Oh. It's you."

“Yes, just us, and we are leaving,” Danny said, trying to sidestep with Kas in tow.

Weston blocked the exit by leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Why are you letting him out and about, Kas? He’s dangerous, probably some sort of alien shapeshifter.”

Danny's hands clenched into fists at his sides. "I'm not an alien."

“Back off, Weston or I’ll report you for harassment and intolerance.” Kas glared, getting in between Danny and Weston.

“But I was right, wasn’t I?! He was lying this whole time! He should be in the brig!” Weston shouted.

Kas grabbed Danny's hand and shoved Weston out of the way. “You need to be quite, and that’s not up to you, Danny is a patient in sickbay, you need to back off.”

Weston glared at their retreating forms.

~Back in sickbay~

Danny held out what looked like a polished, black stone. "Here it is, Doctor McCoy."

"Looks like a paperweight," McCoy muttered, taking the object and turning it over in his hand. "How does it work?"

"Uh..." Danny hesitated, his youthful face scrunching up in concentration. "Dr. Bonechiller just handed it to me. He didn't really explain."

"Of course, he didn't," McCoy said, not quite managing to hide a smile at the teen's befuddlement.

"Let's see if we can't make heads or tails of this thing." McCoy activated his tricorder and passed it over the stone. The device emitted an odd whirring sound, its screen displaying a series of fluctuating energy patterns that were undeniably similar to Danny's unique readings.

"Interesting..." McCoy mused, eyebrows knitting together.

"Yeah, I'm not really sure how it works," Danny admitted sheepishly. "Ghost technology can be pretty weird."

"I bet Scotty would love to take a look at this. Maybe he can figure out how to access the medical data stored inside." Mccoy mused.

Chapter 10

[tinycoded360]

Future Ghost Chapter 1

Note: I decided to post the first chapter so people can decide if they like it or not (Granted, I think my writing gets better in the future chapters; I got too excited and started rushing the idea. XD)

Danny materialized in the middle of a bustling spaceport, his body tingling from the effects of Desiree's magic. Danny was lucky he wasn’t in his ghost form, otherwise he’d stick out like a sore thumb. He ducked behind some cargo containers. He blinked in confusion at the strange ships and alien races surrounding him.

"Where am I?" he muttered, turning in a circle. The architecture and technology looked far more advanced than anything in Amity Park. A nearby display screen caught his eye - stardate 2266.8. "The future?!" Danny gasped. Desiree had sent him centuries into the future with his flippant wish for a 'space adventure.' He was stranded, centuries away from his family and friends.

"Congratulations, Danny Fenton," Desiree's voice echoed in his head, accompanied by her sinister laugh. "You wished for a space adventure, and so it shall be!"

Panic surged through him, followed by an odd sense of exhilaration. If he couldn't return home, perhaps he could make the best of it here. And maybe Clockwork would take pity on him and help him back. Or maybe he could gather enough resources to create a ghost portal, get access to the zone, and demand Clockwork to help him get home. But Danny felt no need to rush. After all, with time travel, he could just pop back in at the correct time, maybe moments after he made that wish. For now Danny wanted to go to space.

Danny was excited by what he saw after exploring his new time period and observing the future humans. There were actual aliens walking about! Danny had an idea of what he wanted to do.

Danny turned invisible and intangible, phasing into a computer terminal. His technopathic powers made quick work of creating a fake ID for "Danny Fenton, 18, Human." A few more keystrokes planted his credentials into Starfleet's database. Even though he was only fifteen, he created a fake ID, fudging his age to appear eighteen so that he could become an ensign in Starfleet Academy. The fear of being discovered ate at him, but his desire for adventure pushed him forward. And he would finally be able to live his dream. He’d be in space in no time!

Moments later, Danny walked confidently up to a recruitment station in a cadet's uniform.

"Ensign Danny Fenton reporting for duty," he announced with a grin. He was Starfleet's newest engineering crewman on the USS Enterprise. At least he could see the galaxy while he figured out how to get back home.

Danny took a deep breath as he stepped onto the transporter pad, his Starfleet-issued duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He was beaming aboard the Enterprise for the first time.

As the transporter beam enveloped him, Danny felt a spike of anxiety. He was about to live among humans 24/7 with no privacy. Concealing his ghost powers would be a constant challenge. Materializing in the Enterprise's transporter room, Danny was greeted by a stern-looking Vulcan officer.

"Welcome aboard, Ensign Fenton," the officer said in a monotone voice. "I am Commander Spock. Please follow me to engineering."

Danny nodded, gripping the strap of his bag tightly. He was glad he saw some other aliens before Mr. Spock. He had time to get his awe under control, but he still felt giddy at meeting a new alien. He tried his best to hide his awe and stop staring. As he followed Spock through the pristine white corridors, Danny took in everything with wide eyes. Crew members of various species walked briskly about their duties, not sparing the new ensign a second glance.

The ship hummed with energy, almost like a living being. Danny could feel the thrum of the warp core reverberating through the decks.

Arriving at main engineering, Spock introduced Danny to Montgomery Scott, the chief engineer.

"Nice to meet ye, laddie!" the jovial Scot said, pumping Danny's hand enthusiastically. "Let's get ye settled in, shall we?"

Over the next few hours, Scotty showed Danny around engineering, familiarizing him with the Enterprise's systems. Danny committed everything to memory, knowing he'd have to prove himself useful. By the end of the day, Danny was exhausted but excited. He was looking forward to his time here. Even though he was a C student back home, he was smart and able to make sense of the future technology. Danny was smart. He just didn't have time to study or do homework with all the ghost-fighting back home. But now it felt like he could take a break from all that.

Chapter 2

[weirdlynotspecific]

I love looking at old pieces of media and picking some characters and going "yeah. Those ones. They're gay."

[cassiopeia-grimm]

Source : Only feet

This photo does not belong to me, all credits go to the owner.

[just-here-for-the-whump]

Las Vegas 1x10 Decks and Violence

Part 2

[blueeyeddarkknight]

Val being the most adorable bby girl on movie sets 😭😂😍

[marvelousmrm]

Avengers #207 (Fingeroth & Budiansky/Colan, May 1981). Simon’s acting career is in ruins. Just like Pompeii!

[chrisbarrielover]

Chris Barrie, Danny John-Jules, and some doctors

[cinswitch]

Crossed Signals Character Previews

Crossed Signals production has been chugging along. This month, we've hit the exciting milestone of completing base sprites for every character that appears in the introduction to the game! This doesn't include facial expressions, alternate outfits, or additional poses, but it does lay the groundwork for what's to come.

Main Character

Just your typical college sophomore. You may see us refer to them as "Sam Laine." That's just what name I (Gunzil) picked, but when you play you can name them whatever you'd like!

Jenny Winters

A little ball of anxiety who has a hard time slowing down. She's studying to become a veterinarian and loves her cat, Rocky.

Violet Birch

A cute and popular cheerleader, often mistaken for a model. Her daddy is, like, super rich. Currently dating Eric McCoy.

Robin Larson

A laid-back sports-lover from a small town in the Upper Peninsula.

Nicole Roberts

No-nonsense Calculus teacher aging gracefully through her 40s. Recently went through a messy divorce.

Eric McCoy

Member of the football team studying computer science. Your roommate, and good friend. What a hunk! Currently dating Violet Birch.

Danny Gomez

A friend who works at a phone repair store which most certainly does not contain any cursed or magical artifacts. Spends more time playing games on his DS than actually working.

We hope you're excited to see what kinds of body-swapping adventures these folks get up to!

[picklefics]

Benefits of Camping, or How to (not) Hunt Bigfoot With Your Parents

This was originally posted on Ao3, but I decided I'd see what posting on Tumblr was like for fanfiction :) (https://archiveofourown.org/works/47138986/chapters/118767895)

I already have chapters 1-5, just not gonna put em all up right now as I'm at a coffee shop and need to work on heading home.

Summary:

It could've been a great vacation. Probably. Except there's one tiny issue: Danny's parents have decided to take a break from hunting ghosts, instead supporting their fellow cryptobiologists in hunting Bigfoot. The big problem? They do find Bigfoot. And Bigfoot can talk. (...and has a PhD?)

Chapter 1: Benefit 1-New Cooking Skills

Danny’s folks are usually ghost hunters, but that doesn’t mean they don’t branch out. After all, they’d spent almost 20 years of their life studying a science practically everyone thought of as a paper house in a rainstorm. Surely one of those droplets of evidence would disprove the science as a whole.

Really? Entire beings made of one substance? Supernatural entities?

Absurd .

Maddie and Jack have a great deal of sympathy for cryptobiologists. They also have a tendency to suspect that ghosts are involved every time someone spots Bigfoot or some other being. But really, they’d be happy with either the discovery of a ghost or a new animal to dissect.

Danny, on the other hand, is not in love with either of those two discovery options. He is having a great deal of fun tormenting Jazz, who’d been forced to come along on a trip to the red cedar forests of California. He’d tried to bribe Sam and Tucker into coming along. Sam, with the lure of a new animal (maybe) to check out, and Tucker with peer pressure and lots of grilled meat. Unfortunately, after the reality check that was another fight with a new ghost named Fortuna (self-proclaimed follower of Fortuna, Goddess of Fortune and Misfortune, and with luck-related powers), they’d been forced to concede that having people at home who could fight ghosts was too important to have all three of them on a camping trip.

Thank fuck that Val wasn’t in school right now and that she’d gotten less extreme about ghosts since meeting Danielle. One day Danny might even consider telling her about him, if she doesn’t figure it out first. As a result, there are three competent ghost hunters in Amity Park who don’t actively hate ghosts while Danny is on vacation.

At any rate, Danny is trapped with a bunch of adults who are way too enthusiastic about hunting down rare animals and (in at least one case) killing and taxidermy-ing them. The guy in question keeps tracking new hunters down and showing off pictures of his living room and business, covered in eerie deer, bear, and alligator heads, among other things. There’s even a snake wrapped around a driftwood piece on the table. It reminds Danny of Skulker, and makes him consider yet again whether ghosts might be more likely to form out of these kinds of people. He’s pretty sure his parents were obsessive before they started regularly working with ectoplasm, and after?

They grew much more extreme.

And who knows? It could be due to exposure to ectoplasm, or maybe the obsessiveness causes ectoplasm to accumulate near them. He’s heard theories going both ways.

This guy, Danny could easily imagine dying and becoming a ghost.

At least he helps with setup. The camp takes a while to go up, yellow and beige tents popping up like gophers among the trees. His parents’ tent is a green dome, one of a few splashes of color in the group. Another guy sets up a big grill and a solar panel in a little clearing, one of the few places with sunlight. His incredibly buff partner totes a bag of backup coal to the grill like Mom would carry a sack of flour.

All around the area, people bring up folding chairs and situate equipment. In a big, waterproof, black container, they all put their tech away. The container is anchored with thick ropes to be absolutely certain that nothing can drag it away. It’s flash-flooding season in the area and there’s a river nearby, so they’re concerned that the container could float away, but they had wanted to make the equipment available to everyone, so they aren’t keeping it in anyone’s vehicle. 

A cage goes up towards the far west corner of the camp, away from the fire pit, because they’re worried anything they capture might be unduly frightened by said fire.

With that, a few people sign up in rotation to monitor the grill, planning to bake some potatoes and apples in the fire pit and grill weenies. It’ll be about three hours before supper, but the planning, and a snack, are needed. As the only kids present (apparently many of the others’ kids are nonexistent or at summer camps), Danny and Jazz are put on apple coring and potato poking duty involuntarily. 

Matthew Kapp is their instructor. He practically drags them to the fire pit and tells them how to make the food like he thinks they have infinite memory space for commands, no matter how long the list is.

He explains that potatoes explode when in the ashes without holes, then shows them the basic steps to prepare the food. Essentially, they’re supposed to stab the potatoes with a fork “until it feels right”, wrap them in tin foil, and then yeet them into the fire. Then they have to be surrounded by the ashes and dug out later. Jazz and Danny both work on this, quietly chattering.

Danny grins and with particular emphasis stabs a potato old enough to have green sprouts studded all over its surface. He has to use his right thumb to put enough pressure on the sides of the sprouts that they fall off. He jokes, “If I were Skulker and this potato was me, I’d be so happy right now…”

Jazz raises her eyebrows at him. “Sometimes I worry about the normalization of violence you’ve experienced, Danny.”

Danny is like 90% sure she’s saying that mostly to get on his nerves, but he’s not 100% sure. Ah, the delights of a sister who adores psychology and tormenting her little brother. He rolls his eyes. “Literally everybody in town probably has that. The school has at least one attack every week.”

Jazz retorts, “That’s really not normal.”

“Well it’s normal for me.” 

At that, Jazz changes topics. “Did you remember to bring our tent?”

Danny gives her a thumbs up.

“Great. We don’t have to listen to their snoring!” She cheers. Granted part of the reason they have the tent is because of Danny’s nightmares and occasional power use. Particularly, he’s prone to leaping out of bed and turning intangible the second he gets startled awake because of the sheer number of times ghosts have woken him up.

“Thanks for suggesting it,” Danny offers. Then he adds, “Stabbing the potatoes until it feels right is so…imprecise. How do we know when it feels right?”

Jazz groans sympathetically. “I know, right? I get it for people who’ve baked campfire potatoes before, but we’ve never done this. Mr. Kapp is a scientist, isn’t he supposed to know to be exact for beginners?”

Danny tosses his potato back and forth. “This potato better be good. It’s very hole-y now.” He sets it in the metal bowl to his right and adds, “It’s starting a cult.”

Jazz raises her eyebrows at him. “...why?”

“Holy? Y’know, like saints or whatever?”

Jazz snorts and grabs the tin foil roll. She starts unwrapping it to the familiar crumbly crackle of ripping metal, tearing off pieces big enough for each of the potatoes they’ve prepared. Danny snitches some of the squares and starts wrapping them around each potato as fast as he can. For this part, they don’t talk. The aluminum is too loud anyways. It covers speech pretty well.

After all 14 potatoes are wrapped, they toss them into the fire. Sparks flash into the sky and drift away, and one of the logs collapses into the pit with a soft thud. The white ashes have increased in number, but there aren’t many yet, so they wait to bury the potatoes in the ashes. While they wait, they move on to the apples.

Danny mixes the cinnamon and other spices together and Jazz cores the apples while grumbling about how hard it will be to work on her paper out here. She brought paper so she could handwrite some of it, but out here there isn’t any internet so the most she can do is type on her phone. She isn’t doing that because she’s worried about running out of power and not being able to call if there’s an emergency.

They both stuff the apples with the mixture and then wrap them and toss them in the fire in the same way as the potatoes but to the side. About 15 minutes later, they use sticks to roll the apples out of the fire. The potatoes are saved for later since it will be a few hours before they’re done, while the apples are served as a snack/dessert immediately. 

Having had a long drive and therefore possessing a strong craving for sweets (or any sort of snackage really), everyone swarms the apple pile and as a result only gets one each. Danny plots to sneak another apple into the fire later so he can have seconds, and Jazz wholly supports him. He forgets to eat, and she has to remind him far more often than she’d like.

After the apples are all eaten, some of the people sit down to rest (those who weren’t already asleep) and some of the others begin prowling the area, including Taxidermy Guy (Oscar Polson) and his wife Paloma.

When the two of them come back, they have a map of the area filled with markings denoting where they want to put various kinds of traps. The Polsons are the experts on trap-setting and location, and they’re responsible for deciding which places to put the traps each person brought. With the locations for each trap decided, everyone fixes the last few supper items and sits down for supper as the sun sets, mostly because there’s not enough time to set up the traps that evening.

Next Chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/picklefics/730299785376104448/boc-chapter-2?source=share