#the fenton parents acknowledge their screw ups

[azuzulira]

So, reveal gone right. Maddie and Jack are nothing but supportive of Danny. Of course they feel guilty, for their bigotry, attacking their son, never even noticing the accident. It's Jasmine that proposes a family bonding activity, to spend time together and work through the years of issues that they can only now address.

The activity in question? Family Road Trip & Field Study! That's right; what better way for a family of scientists to bond than correcting literal decades of bad science? Which is how the Fenton family, alongside Sam and Tucker at Danny's request, wound up in Gotham, hoping to interview one of the strongest Genii Loccorum in America.

Of course, there's more than a few ectoplasmic encounters waiting for them in Gotham. Everything from an angry Revenant, to a baby liminal that Danny just knows is related to the guy who's been bathing in dirty ecto for like centuries, to a horde of restless spirits following some clown like a permanent thunderstorm.

[unadulteratedsoulsweets]

A DC X DP IDEA #5 His Choices and Regrets

Imagine dis…

 We all know how Bruce Wayne only wanted the best for his kids, a kind and loving father even though he doesn’t know how to show it a man who is willing to protect those he claims as his own. We also know that Batman thinks logically, prepares contingencies plans for himself and those around him, he installs fear into the criminals in Gotham.

But we mostly forget that both Bruce Wayne and Batman are the same people.

Dylan Wayne was born in the union of Bruce Wayne and a mysterious woman who stole and cared for the stone heart of both Bruce and Batman as well as the woman who died in childbirth. Dylan grew up around his older brothers, grandfather, and father.

Bruce could still see the sparkle he was sure that he had gotten it from his mother. Dylan was his treasure alongside Dick and Jason who wanted nothing more than to protect their newest and their little brother.

But all happiness comes to an end. Assassins and rogues both in and out of Gotham are out for the head of either Bruce Wayne or Batman sometimes both heads. While everyone in his family can defend themselves, it is Dylan's fear. His smart boy that found the cave at the mere age of 5 is a target both in and out of his suit.

Making a decision that both Bruce Wayne and his Batman persona agree upon filled an emergency yet temporary foster for his son in the claim that Bruce Wayne’s son is in danger seeing that the media has somehow got the news of Brucie Wayne having a new son barely reaching double digits.

Searching for a family that isn’t after his money as well as a good background is harder than filling out the criminals that escaped Arkham. He stumbled upon the Fenton’s a bit of a screw loose but a good family, after extensive research into their background he deemed them normal enough for a temporary foster for his son.

After a teary goodbye from both sides and promises that he will return and pick him back, Dylan alongside his social worker board the plane going straight to the Fenton family.

…

Dylan now Danny waited for more than a decade for his “family” to come and get him but no one came for his aide. No one bothered to check on him, after a few years with the Fenton it was clear that they value their machinery more than their biological daughter now sister than a parent to raise him. Looking like Jack Fenton that has the same height as Maddie Fenton looks like he was their child all along, the townspeople merely looked at him and didn’t question the additional Fenton.

A few years in waiting for his father both older Fenton’s gave him a paper that has the signature that allowed them to formally adopt him and only needed his signature to make it official, that paper was currently under his bed forgotten by all except by dust. He was sure that his father hadn’t forgotten him nor he will allow some adults to replace his father.

Dying at the age of 14, he could still remember crying out for his father’s name to whisper that everything will be okay, but no one came. He still remembers the electricity flowing through his body as the ectoplasm rearranges his very DNA, as the fact that he died and came back.

A few months into his persona as the only vigilante in his town his team of friends kept sending out SOS calls to the JL but after the umpteenth call, they were officially blocked from calling any direct or hotline to the JL.

He tried calling his father through the small phone that contained only their numbers and kept connecting to no one.

He couldn’t loathe the man, no, but the fact that he ignored both him as his child and also an entire town in need of help in his other persona he began to HATE the man. He began to refuse to acknowledge that he and Bruce ever share anything other than their last name on paper.

After defeating the Pariah Dark who was mind controlled by the Observants, whose very oaths prevent them to own nor control the Infinite Realms found a loophole by controlling their king a few thousand years ago. Controlling him through unethical ghostly means, spreading fear and turning him into a tyrant, and proceeding to lock him up in the pretense of saving the Realms from his oppressive rules and giving them a good reputation.

Tilting the balance to their favor thus making unnatural portals, forcing most of the Ancients to have an unbreakable vow to do their bidding, corrupting the ectoplasm that flows throughout the realms that began to leak to the mortal planes and more, are all ended and foiled a teen ghost.

Defeating the Pariah Dark not only ends the mind control but also sends a nasty backlash to all Observants. Clockwork timing out to give Danny a basic summary of what has just transpired and now every ancient in the Infinite Realms are now banding together to destroy the Observants for once and for all and expect a few days of ghost free.

After a week of no communication from Clockwork, both he and Pariah Dark alongside Fright Knight visited Danny while Clockwork paused time around them. Pariah Dark bowed and went to his knees to thank the young ghost boy for his deed of stopping him from destroying the balance and the Infinite Realms itself. As both the Realms and each mortal plane in existence are connected and one could not exist without the other.

Presenting the crown and ring he tried to give it to Danny as the right of succession of ghosts is through strength as the stronger king can protect the Realms more than the previous one as the Realms themselves agreed on the decision to transfer the rulership to Danny.

Danny visibly flinched at the sight of the two most powerful artifacts in the entire Realms and refused wholeheartedly the crown and ring as he feels that he has no right seeing that he had defeated him through a machinery that his fosters made.

A ping-pong argument between the two started between two while Fright began adding some tidbits of his own opinion that seemed to continue for another century Clockwork said to Danny that they can compromise seeing that he was just an infant.

All adult ghosts such as Pariah Dark and Fright Knight seemed to freeze at the notion, while Danny paused at the wording. Danny stated that he is officially almost 17, Clockwork countered that it has only been 3 years since his initial death.

Danny got defensive at the notion of his death but noticed that Fright Knight and Pariah Dark did a very mortal notion of dropping their respective jaws to the ground. Asked why on earth they are acting shocked especially Fright Knight since he fought him when he was 15 or 16 years old. Both ancient old ghosts explain why on earth he shouldn’t be allowed to fight in the first place as well ignoring the fact that both got defeated by him but they don’t talk about that for now.

Being a halfa who was just as rare as well that just recently died he was considered a ghost equivalent of a ghost baby. In the afterlife, it is the years after death that count for ghosts as the youngest one to die was Youngblood who died centuries before him, thus making him the former youngest throughout the realms. The fact he defeated thousand years and centuries-old ghosts makes him the most powerful yet youngest ghost to ever live in their afterlife as well as the fact that he keeps getting more powerful every year. Danny made an off-hand comment about he gets new powers every day and keeps forgetting on listing each new one. Fright Knight was paling at the notion that ghosts can pale. Pariah Dark only looked at him with contemplation. Compromising to the best of his abilities he became the newly crowned prince of the Infinite Realms.

In the following days, ghosts become nicer or more tolerable even Skulker as he hunted him twice a week now, instead of the ghost’s attacks that take up most of his sleep, now can finally rest and start bringing his grades up.

Pariah Dark kept visiting in terms of teaching him to be the next king of the Infinite Realms as who better teach the young ghost about ghost politics than the king himself? Fright Knight appeared once in a while to make sure that he is training to become a strong knight as well-being his supposed bodyguard to the crowned prince as there was never a prince throughout the history of the Infinite Realms. Slowly Danny and Pariah Dark form a bond as father teacher and son student.

Danny was both scared and hopeful, scared that one day he will be abandoned, left, replaced forgotten by Bruce (yes, he kept following the Waynes and lo and behold a blood son that replaced him) and hopeful that maybe one day he will have a father-figure that would be there just for him, and thinking at the thought he would never have.

On his 17th birthday, his fosters found out, in an attempt to save Danny from a lethal blast, Jazz threw herself in front of her son's brother to give him time to escape but alas it was futile as he was captured by the suspecting GIW agents outside his home that had arrested the entire town along with his friends as the entire people of the Amity park are infected in some ways.

As they were all dragged by the GIW agents they didn’t see Jazz’s spirit and ghost slowly forming by their side and silently going to the portal as she hit the destruction button to prevent any more victims.

Her entire appearance changed gone from her ginger hair and blue-eyed girl. Now a hulking 6’9 giant blue woman who looks wears iron armor that covers her entire body that resonates with her flaming hair.

Quickly flew towards Pariah Dark’s haunt to give him the grave news.

…

Back in the day, Pariah Dark was known to be fair towards his subjects, a ruler with a great sense of duty, justice, and purpose. But the moment he found himself a son, a son that his core ached for someone that he cares for. He knew how rare it is for ghosts to have children and rarer for a child ghost to form by the will of Infinite Realms close to none. Meeting Danny, and teaching him with all of his wisdom and knowledge he can’t help but think back fondly about the times they spent his time to know his heir and son.

As His heir is perfect to rule among the Infinite Realm as he kept the balance no matter how hard it is, he took his son to a hospital where a newly born child had just died, new reapers can't look at the scene of a wailing mother and a father holding their child dead in their arms but Danny didn’t blink an eye and took the child’s souls whispering some assurances and guided the soul to their next adventure.

As a son, his core ached and connected with the child immediately he wanted to keep him close to ensure he is safe to make sure he is spoilt and protected. He knew that wasn’t possible as his ghostly ward/ son made a home for himself on the mortal plane thus leaving him the option of him being present in his life as well making sure that his haunt is always welcome to him.

So, when his son’s adopted sister in her ghost form made her way toward his haunt, he knew that something had happened. Gathering up all of the ancients to prepare the meeting room as he saw the pure anger and desperation on her face without his son's ward, he knew it was serious.

In his immortal life had never met humans and mortals like these men. But the moment those pests ever thought of harming his son. They will learn the lesson of never going to war against the Infinite Realms, especially if that someone is who they have chosen and claimed personally.

That day each citizen both strong and not, young and old of the Infinite Realms all gather up to war for their prince, and Pariah Dark swore to himself that day that mortals will learn why he was called The Bloodied King.

Pariah Dark had announced alongside his army in the mortal realms that they have just started a war on their realm as they have not only started to destroy their homes but also dared to kidnap their young crowned PRINCE!

…

After three months of continuous attacks. The JL is getting suspicious of their government as they could not even disclose the reason why different glowing “meta’s” are after a specific branch of their government. The JLD members are in the dark even though Constantine has given them a brief explanation of who was wearing and leading the attacks. At the announcement that the king had made it was obvious that they are at wrong here, at the perspective of the lanterns they are quite distressed seeing that the human government decide to make an enemy of an interdimensional king as well as kidnapping their prince, the senators are trying to hide and wash their hands off luckily JL remained their neutrality as they are not the governments attack dogs. Batman was able to find the same branch that kept being destroyed to ashes and being killed off by the glowing “meta’s”, hidden deep within Alaska, he sent out Red Hood and the Young Justice covert team to look for the missing prince to appease the king so that they could also try diplomatic relations with them.

…

Red Hood only came because Nightwing was unavailable as his services are required in his daytime job. As the team went closer to the building something inside him began screaming at the injustice as well as the anger that reeked of the place. Shaking his head at the unneeded pit rage, he signaled the team to enter the premise in silence.

The deeper they get the more bodies and bloodier the scene they have to witness, a body cam strapped to each member recording live to the JL made the infamous Superman almost hurl at the sight of a five-year-old girl strapped down at a table, had her insides opened up like a frog on a dissection table, surrounded by her blood with some green flecks in it as well unaltered fear in her face as her mouth is open as if she died screaming.

At the end of the hall, they saw the front of the door which is quite different from the rest. Taking a peek Red Hood almost didn’t want to believe what he saw.

There lay his bloodied little brother chained with the heaviest metal, covered in scars both healed and not, bloodied from head to toe, as well wearing both muzzle and shock collar.

How could his brother be in there? Bruce assured him that Dylan is safe and protected away from all things, but no, there he saw the bloodied form and shallow breathing of his brother.

Immediately the pit rage took over breaking free his little brother and carrying him as if he was an infant. Killing the agents that tried to get in between him and his brother, running back to the space station to make sure that his brother survived.

..

Oracle, Nightwing, and Red Hood are all in a screaming match between Batman who remained silent throughout the match, taking in their screams while Red Robin, Robin, and the rest of them are at the side as they didn’t know what had just happened as Agent A quickly went to the east Zetta tube to look at the survivor with much care and love.

Batman made a face towards the mystery teen on the other side of the two-way mirror as the Leagues doctors try to save this teen from obvious human experimentation.

…

The moment the mystery teen woke up, he began screaming for his father and siblings. Red Hood immediately along with Nightwing went inside to comfort the said teen but kept fighting back, thrashing and screaming about his father. Batman tried to enter the med bay to comfort the teen to the best of his abilities seeing that his emotions are clearly on display. That is his son, what did he witness to gain such a reaction from his brothers and father? The teen didn’t calm down but kept screaming that kept upping the volume as the seconds tick by.

Batman looked like he swallowed glass, does his son doesn’t recognize him anymore? He swears he will personally burn the government down.

Suddenly a powerful gust of kind pushed all three of them away from Dylan.

In an instant they weren’t alone, the Pariah Dark hugging Dylan as he kept whispering reassurances to him, a tall blue-skinned flame-haired woman knelt and hugged him lastly a clocked individual with an hourglass staff in the corner looking at the hugging trio fondly.

Who are they?

…

PS: If someone out there wants to continue or make a fic about this you are free to do so don’t forget to tag me though:)

[dp-marvel94]

Face to Face- Chapter 34

Summary: When Danny went through the ghost catcher, he expected to be cured of the ghostliness that had haunted him since the accident, not to wake up on the lab floor with his parents saying he’d been overshadowed but everything’s back to normal now. But why does Danny Fenton cry himself to sleep to then dream of flying? Why does Phantom, the ghost who was supposedly possessing Danny remember a life that wasn’t his? Most of all, why do both the human and the ghost feel that something vital is missing, in their very soul? Or: Trying to cure himself of his powers one month after the accident, Danny accidentally splits himself but neither his ghost nor his human half know that that is what they did

First -> Last -> Next

Word Count: 5,208

Also on AO3 and Fanfiction.net

Note: I'm finally back with an update! It's been a while. I've been busy with my Invisobang story but it's finally finished. There's more about that at the end. But anyway, enjoy this much awaited chapter of Face to Face!

Fenton was distracted staring at the clock...again. His math teacher, Mr. Faluca, droned on in front of him and he was trying to listen. He really was but….there was just so much going on in his mind. Yes, he was less worried now that Phantom was back from the Ghost Zone, but now his curiosity was peaked. Halfa. There was a word for what he was and right now, his other self was talking about that with Sidney, the ghost he’d met earlier. 

Fenton was so tempted to peak. He could, he realized. He could softly withdraw and see through Phantom’s eyes and hear through his ears. But… he needed to stay here, stay present. He was the human half right now, just Fenton. He couldn’t risk getting lost, getting tangled up with Phantom again before they were ready and able to really be one person.

So Fenton pushed away the thought. He put his pencil to his paper, copying the numbers and equations down. So this was new material. His brow furrowed, trying to figure out where the teacher was. After a few minutes, his expression relaxed. Alright, okay. This was actually starting to make sense. 

Class continued and Fenton continued taking notes. About ten minutes later, the intercom turned on. “Danny Fenton.” The boy looked up, stiffening at his name. “Danny Fenton. Your father’s here to pick you up.”

Fenton’s stomach suddenly flopped with nerves as he felt his classmates’ eyes on him.

Mr. Faluca turned to look at the boy. “Go ahead Danny.”

He quickly started packing up his things, trying to ignore the muttering of the teens around him. Moments later, he stood and slung his bag over his shoulders. Head hung low, Fenton walked past his teacher and opened the door as the lesson continued without him.

Now in the hallway, his thoughts whirled, his worries resurging. Why was his Dad here? Why was he picking him up early? And-

The boy paused, the realization suddenly hitting him like a freight train as he passed by the rusty locker 724. Phantom. His ghost half had run off, in front of Mom. The woman was probably worried out of her mind. 

The boy then continued, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Huh...it was actually surprising that he hadn’t got a panicked phone call from one of his parents yet. But that must be why Dad was here to pick him up. Obviously, Mom had told Dad what happened in the lab. And it made sense. If ghost Danny was missing, they’d want to make sure human Danny was safe at least.

Fenton’s heart sank in guilt at that thought. He hadn’t even called his parents. Not after he’d calmed down at lunch and not after Phantom had arrived through the portal. They’d both been silent for the past hour. Well...at least he’d get the chance to tell his parents what happened and ease their worries soon. Actually, he could do more than just tell them that Phantom was safe.

The human reached out with his mind, calling into the empty space between the two pieces of his mind. Phantom?

A gentle nudge was received in acknowledgement.

Fenton swallowed. Dad’s here to pick me up. You need to come too. He’s probably worried out of his mind.

The echo of his own guilt came back, projected from Phantom. Alright. I’ll meet you in the car.

Fenton nodded, humming in acknowledgement before he turned his attention back to walking down the hall. After a quick stop at his locker, the boy continued towards the front office. He pushed open the door, freezing as he saw the people staring back at him.

“Dad….Jazz.” He muttered, eyes flickering between his father and sister’s worried faces.

“Danny.” Dad breathed, relief flashing over his face. He took a step forward, sweeping the boy up in a hug.

The human Danny stiffened, blushing at the attention. His gaze shifted to the secretary who was looking at the large figure blocking the door with barely contained judgment. “Dad. I’m okay.” The boy muttered, pulling away.

His father’s face fell but before he could reply, Jazz advanced. Her face was set with deep worry. “Danny. Do you know where-”

“Yes.” Fenton cut her off, anticipating her question. “He’s safe.”

“But where-” She started.

“Not right here.” The boy whispered.

“Come on. Let’s go to the car.” Dad interjected, placing a gentle hand on Fenton’s shoulder. 

The man returned to the desk to sign the two teenagers out of school before the three quickly walked towards the front doors. They exited, crossing the parking lot towards the GAV. Dad unlocked the vehicle and the three piled in. 

As soon as Fenton was seated in the backseat, Jazz turned to face him from her place in the front. “Your ghost half ran away to the Ghost Zone?!” Her eyes were wide, tone rising with exacerbation.

“Yes. We did but-” Fenton held on his hands.

“How could you do that, Danny?!” She pointed. “And how long ago was this?”

“Maybe...an hour and a half? But-”

“An hour and half?!” Jazz glared. “And you didn’t come get me! You didn’t even call-”

“Jazz.” Dad cut her off, voice uncharacteristically serious. “Stop berating your brother.” He turned to Fenton, expression softening. “The other you is safe?”

The human Danny nodded. “Yes.”

“And where is he?” The man calmly asked.

His eyes flickered out towards the school. “Still in the school.”

“What?” Jazz gapped. 

Dad raised a brow. “Maddie said he ran off through the portal.” 

“We...he did.” Fenton bit his lip. “But uh...long story short, he managed to find his way back.”

“How?” His sister asked.

“So...umm...apparently, there’s a portal to the Ghost Zone in one of the lockers? Phantom managed to find it and flew through it.”

“And he’s still in the school because?” Jazz sounded slightly skeptical.

“He’s making sure Sidney gets back to the Ghost Zone okay.” Fenton said plainly, the information suddenly entering his mind. “He’ll meet us out here soon.”

Dad’s brow furrowed. “Who’s Sidney?”

“Oh.” The boy blinked, realizing what he said. “He’s...uh...a ghost who helped the other me find the portal. They talked about ghost stuff and..” He met Dad’s eyes, tentatively. “Apparently, the ghosts have a word for what I am. I’m a halfa.”

His father’s eyes widened in response. For a long moment, he paused as if processing. Then he swallowed. “We can talk about all of that later but your mother….”

Fenton paled, looking down. “Oh...uhh...yeah.” He froze, anymore words dying in his throat.

Jazz broke the silence. “Where is Mom?”

Dad’s frown deepened. “She’s….” He trailed off as if it was too hard to continue.

More tense silence. There was a tickle in the back of his mind, Phantom wondering if Dad was still waiting in the parking lot. Fenton replied with the image in front of him.

Phantom responded. Wait for me. I’m coming.

The ghost’s more active presence withdrew before Fenton could reply. The human looked up. “Phantom will be here in less than a minute.”

True to what he said, his ghost self soon phased through the back of the GAV. He flickered into view beside his human self.

Dad and Jazz both flinched, surprised at the sudden appearance before relaxing.

Phantom bit his lip. “I’m here now. Sorry it took so long.”

“You didn’t have any trouble with the ghost, did you?” Dad asked, raising a brow.

The ghost boy shook his head. “Nope. Sidney’s cool. We had to finish our conversation.” For a second, Dad and Jazz looked like they wanted to ask. But Phantom continued before they could, his gaze flickering nervously around the van. “Where...where’s Mom?”

There was a pause before Dad started, tentatively. “Your mom….she…” He pulled out his phone. “She left me a message on my phone. Here...let me show you.”

Fenton and Phantom both said nothing, anxiety flaring as the man pulled up the voicemail.

“Jack! Pick up your phone!” Mom’s panicked voice rang through the phone. “Come on Jack! You need to pick up! Jack!” Her voice rose as she rambled. “Our son...our son, he ran off through the portal. Through the portal Jack! He...he came downstairs to talk to me and….I f-cked up Jack. I f-cked up!” Fenton flinched, shocked at the language. 

“Oh god I...I...Jack, I screwed up.” Her voice wavered, sounding watery. “He...he said...he said he was upset with me and...and...oh god...I just yelled at him. I just sat there and yelled at him and….oh god, I f-cked up Jack.” 

There was a clatter, the sound of quick footsteps. “He ran off and…. I need to fix this. I have to fix this. I….” She paused, determination entering her voice. “I’m going through the portal. I’m...I’m going to find our son and bring him home.” More clatter, metal thumping again metal. “Go pick up Jazz and the other Danny. Make sure they’re safe and tell them I love them. And I’ll see you soon, okay? I’ll see you soon and the rest of our son will be with me.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The message ended with a beep. There was a sudden, deep silence. After far too long, Phantom spoke. “She went...she went after us. Through the portal.”

Dad nodded grimly. “I went back to the house before coming to get you and she was gone.”

The ghost’s hands were shaking. “She’s….Mom’s in the Ghost Zone, looking for me. But…” He put his head in his hands. “I’m not there.”

“I know.” Dad said quietly. “You’re safe and...your mom is a capable woman. She’ll be okay.” He turned back to face the windshield. “We need to head home now, okay? We’ll find a way to get up with her and everything will be okay.”

Phantom really hoped so. He did. He took a seat beside Fenton, reaching for his seat belt at the same time the human reached for his. The ghost’s hand lingered over the lock. He hadn’t done this, hadn’t been in a car since he’d split himself, since he was still trying to pretend that he was a normal human. He buckled the seatbelt. Now he was a ghost and he was sitting in the back of the GAV and Mom was the one lost in the Ghost Zone. Suddenly, he wanted to zip right out of this car, through the roof and go home. He needed to find Mom, even if...even if-.

He shivered, a thousand possibilities tumbling around in his head. He’d managed to push it away for a time but what Mom had said to him before he ran off still tore at his heart. The anger had leaked out of him but he was still hurt and scared and confused. And now he was shook up after hearing that message. Mom cussed. She cussed. And she was panicking and scared and said she’d screwed up, that she’d had to fix this. She was determined to bring him home. Was she...maybe she was sorry? Maybe she...she got it now. And...he wanted to hope. He wanted to hope so bad but it hurt and he didn’t know what to do or think or-

Fenton leaned into him, interrupting his thought. There was a brief flash of worry and then...the human was taking deep, purposeful breaths, trying to calm down. Phantom needed to calm down too. He couldn’t panic, couldn’t worry about all this right now. Instead he leaned back into Fenton’s side and tried to relax. Passively, the two clasped hands.

“Danny?” Jazz’s voice interrupted, her eyes focusing on Phantom, who looked up in acknowledgement. “I’m happy you’re safe.” She bit her lip and the ghost boy knew she was nervous like he was. “It’s going to be okay.” The girl could have been saying that for his benefit or for her own.

In response, Dad’s gaze flickered towards his daughter and then at the two boy’s through the rearview mirror. His eyes rounded, worriedly but lovingly, before he focused back on the road as they turned a corner.

The vehicle flew down the road while the passengers sat in silence. For once, Dad’s fast driving was the least distressing thing on Phantom’s mind. And it was fitting, that the man was in such a hurry to get home and figure out what to do. But the ghost had already made up his mind.

After what somehow felt like the blink of an eye and hours at the same time, the vehicle pulled into the driveway and slammed to a stop. All the passengers unbuckled. In a breath, Phantom turned invisible. 

Dad looked back, eyes widening. Jazz gasped in worry. “Danny!”

The boy huffed. “I’m still right here. I’m gonna stay invisible until we get in the house. I don’t exactly want the neighbors to see me.”

His sister sighed. “Alright.”

“Come on kids.” Dad said visibly relaxing. 

Phantom exited the GAV, following his human self. He shivered in the air. Now that he was here, at the house, it was taking all his self control to not dart forward in front of his family and fly down to the lab, through the portal, and-

Fenton found his wrist without effort and led him to the front door without a word. Dad unlocked it and the kids followed him into the house. Once they’d passed the threshold, Phantom had had enough. With the door closed, he returned to visibility and raced across the living room, kitchen, and down the basement stairs. He stopped at the bottom, eyes falling on the still open portal. 

Behind him, the sound of footsteps pounded. His sister’s and father’s worried voices rang out. But the ghost didn’t listen, too focused on the portal and the soft song emanating from it. A sound which he knew the purpose of and wasn’t as scared of anymore.

Fenton jogged through the door and hopped down the stairs with the rest of the family at his heels. The human stopped abruptly, coming to stand beside his ghost who then turned to face his father and sister.

“I need to go after her.” Phantom said quietly but with determination.

Jazz’s expression shifted, turning serious. “You can’t do that.”

“Jazz.” He started, testedly. “I need to help Mom. She’s only...she’s only there because of me and anything could be happening to her and-”

“Your Mom can handle herself.” Dad cut in, equally serious. “I don’t want you putting yourself in danger too.”

The human Danny frowned. “She went off without a plan. No supplies. No idea what she’d face. She’s probably lost.”

His sister argued. “And getting yourself lost wouldn’t help her!”

“I won’t get lost.” The ghost straightened, confidently. “Look. Mom’s not coming back on her own until she finds me. I’ve actually been in the Ghost Zone before. And I can fly. I can get us out of trouble if something happens and get both of us back in no time.”

Dad took a breath considering. “I understand that son. But...none of that will help you if you manage to get lost yourself. You don’t know how far away your mom is. And what if you do find her but get lost on the way back?”

“Mom couldn’t have gotten that far.“ Fenton insisted, holding up his arms. “And Phantom literally can’t get lost.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jazz rose a brow in challenge.

“I literally can’t get lost in the Ghost Zone.” The ghost deadpanned. He grabbed onto Fenton’s arm. “If other me stays here, I’ll always have a beacon to lead me back.”

Dad and Jazz’s brows both furrowed in confusion. “Really?” Dad frowned.

“That’s how he got back to the school earlier.” Fenton supplied. “We’re connected because ya know, same person. He followed that line back to me.”

Dad tilted his head. “You could use that to find your way back after you find your mom?”

Phantom nodded. “And Fenton can keep you guys updated. I can show or tell him what’s happening.”

Dad still looked confused, like he wanted to ask more but after a long moment, acceptance crossed his face. He conceded. “Alright. Go find your mom.” The ghost boy floated higher off the floor and turned to face to portal.

“Hold on a second.” Jazz interrupted. She stepped forward and hugged Phantom. “Be careful little brother.”

“Yeah. Of course.” Ghost Danny returned the hug before pulling away.

A second later, Dad was wrapping him up in a bear hug. “I love you and...I’m sorry.” 

“I...it’s okay. I love you too.” He whispered, returning the hug. His core pulsed nervously. The memory of his conversation with Dad last night flashed through his mind. He might have understood what Dad was apologizing for. For how Mom acted, for not being there for that conversation. But either way- “It’s not your fault.”

Dad didn’t reply to the statement, squeezing his son a little tighter. “Hurry back but be safe Danny-boy.”

Phantom pulled away from his father and finally, his eyes fell on the one person left to address. He grabbed Fenton’s hand and squeezed. “I'll be back soon.”

The human put his other arm around him, pulling him into a hug. “I know. Go find her. And…” He bit his lip and the ghost could feel his worry at the idea of facing Mom again. “It’ll be okay...we’ll be okay.”

The ghost squeezed back. “Yeah. We will.” He pulled away before flying towards the portal. With one last look back, he dove through for the second time that day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Ghost Zone (World of the Dead? Infinite Realms?) was the same as the last time he’d entered. Swirling green, floating rocks, purple doors in the distance. But this time, he was more aware of his immediate surroundings. He paused, right outside of the portal to take in the environment. The portal’s frame was sitting on a shelf of rock. The shelf dropped off about ten feet in front of him. To either side, it dropped off after about twenty feet. He turned back around, facing the swirling green light. There was the portal but...what if he walked behind it?

There was in fact something behind it. The frame of the portal closed off in the back, forming a wall of  sleek metal that reminded him of the lab at home. Phantom turned away from the frame, his back facing it. He frowned, spotting the edge of the rock again. It went all the way around, like the portal sat in the middle of an island or...he quickly floated over to the edge. The rock continued downward, like he was on the top of a mountain or a cliff.

He felt the shadow of his heart skip a beat. If Mom wasn’t up here, then had she fallen? His eyes desperately searched over the landscape for a scrap of blue, the color of his mom’s jumpsuit.

“Mom!” He called out. “Where are you?”

There was no reply, her form not in sight. Frantically, Phantom turned to the side. Still nothing. He flew to the front of the portal. “Mom!”

He then looked down, gasping. There was a tiny spot of blue, standing out in clear contrast to the green and brown landscape. It must have been hundreds of feet down, at the base of the structure. The boy started shaking, panic overtaking him. She’d...she’d fallen, hadn’t she? Was she hurt or...or….

His eyes then widened noticing something. The small dot of blue was moving. No, not just moving. But moving quickly as if the figure was running or jogging along a narrow strip of rock, away from him. Stepping off the ledge, the ghost started descending. 

“Mom!” He tried again, to no response. Obviously, she couldn’t hear him.

Phantom dove faster, keeping his eyes pinned on the blue figure as it continued down the twisting path. The road, since that’s what it resembled, twisted back, forming stairs and sloping down under itself.  Then it met another, darker colored strip, forming something like a crossroads.

The ghost boy flew closer as the figure jogged down the stairs. Then he paused, flinched at what sounded like a motorcycle engine. Reflexively, he flickered invisible. He glanced down the darker path at the crossroads. Something metal glinted in the dim light as the noise approached. Seconds later, the object materialized in the crossroads. It was in fact a motorcycle and...two glowing figures sat on the bike. The blue figure froze.

Phantom paled, his speed increasing. Seconds later, he landed above the crossroads at a raised part of the road. His back faced the stairs that the blue figure had just run down. His eyes widened as he recognized the scene.

In the crossroads, two ghosts, both of whom were in their early twenties, sat on a motorcycle. The man had greasy looking blonde hair and was wearing a biker jacket. Behind him sat a woman with green hair, in a red jacket and mini skirt.

“What is that?” The woman asked.

“Kitty, I think...that’s a human.” The other glowing figure’s voice rose in harsh disbelief. “What is a human doing here?”

The girl scowled, judgmentally. “And what are they wearing?”

The blue clad figure slowly approached, holding something long and metallic to their side. “I’m not looking for any trouble.” A familiar voice rang out, slightly desperate. “Please. I’m just trying to find my son.” 

Phantom gasped, his core pulsing excitedly. That was his Mom’s voice. Mom! Mom was in front of him. She was okay. She was alive and walking around and….She was...being pinned by two unfamiliar ghosts.

The ghost boy stiffened at the sudden realization. He sprung into action, calling out. “Mom!”

The two ghosts looked in his direction, brows furrowing at his exclamation. “What was that?” The girl, Kitty, asked.

Phantom ignored the question, darting in between the ghostly couple and his Mom. He tensed, holding his arms out to shield her. 

“What’s going on?” Mom startled, taking a step back. “What was that?”

The man’s brow furrowed. He blinked, eyes focusing on Phantom. Then he snorted. “Kid? You tryin’ ta mess with this human too?”

“Mess with?” He muttered. Then Phantom frowned, realization hitting him like a brick wall. He was still invisible. With a slight mental push, he reappeared. 

“Danny?” Mom’s disbelieving voice rang out behind him. Then it shifted into something relieved and hopeful. “Danny!”

The boy turned to the side. “Mom.” The same relief was in his voice.

The woman dropped her weapon. She took a step forward until she was close enough to touch. Mom reached out but Phantom was faster. Before he could really think about it, he was clinging to the woman from the side. “Mom! I found you.”

Mom was shaking. Her hand reached up to run fingers through his hair. “Danny. Baby, you’re okay.”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” He squeezed her. “And you’re...you’re not hurt or….”

Near the pair, someone snorted. “Mama’s boy.” Then there was yelp. “Ow. What’d you elbow me for?!”

“Give him a break Johnny.” The green haired woman chastised. “He’s what? Twelve?”

Phantom scowled, turning his head towards the other ghosts. “I’m fourteen!”

“Same difference.” The man waved him off.

Ghost Danny stepped away from his mother again. Now that he knew she was really here and uninjuried, he turned his attention back to the other ghosts, though he did cast a worried look behind him.

“So…” The man, Johnny, looked between the two, a curious if slightly up-to-no-good expression on his face. “How did a human end up here?”

“None of your business.” Mom said quickly, seriously.

Johnny raised a brow. “Some ritual to contact your dead son gone wrong?” Phantom and his mother both flinched at the word. “Found a thin spot and you waited for a portal to open.”

“Like she said.” The ghost boy glared. “It’s none of your business.”

The man smirked, opening his mouth to retort but Kitty elbowed him again. “Leave them alone Johnny. Let’s go.”

“Come on kitten. There’s a good story here.”

The young woman crossed her arms. “We’re going to Ember’s party. We’ll be late if you don’t hurry up.”

“Fine. I’m going.” Johnny rolled his eyes. Placing his hands on the handles, he pumped the gas. “See you ‘round kid.” 

The two ghosts speed off, Phantom watching them warily until they disappeared into the distance. Finally, he relaxed, turning around to face the woman. For a moment, he hovered. After the initial hug, he was at a loss for what to do. He’d found Mom and she was physically okay. They should head home-

Mom quickly stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him without hesitation. “Danny baby.” She gently cupped the back of his head. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Somehow, with the stress of the confrontation over, she sounded more relieved than before. Her voice broke, sounding watery. “I shouldn’t...I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I shouldn’t have said that. But I love you. I love you so much, baby.”

The ghost listened to the words, his eyes tearing up. But he didn’t have it in him to return the hug. He didn’t pull away either. Instead he stood there, torn in two directions. He was happy, so happy that his Mom was safe. And the lack of hesitation, the words. They were exactly what he wanted to hear but…..

“It’s okay. You’re okay. It’s going to be okay, Danny. I love you so much.”

What was with the change in attitude? Well, he did run off to another dimension, after telling Mom that he didn’t think she loved him. And well...oh god he had no idea what to think. This was too much. Too much. He needed to just get them home and-

Mom pulled away, peering at him with tearfilled eyes. She gently cupped his face. “Danny baby. Look at me.” Obediently, he shifted his eyes up, to maintain her gaze. But it was a struggle as tears welled in his eyes and his lip quivered. “I love you.” The woman breathed. “I love this you. I love Fenton….” He averted his gaze from her eyes, an ache piercing his core. “And I love Phantom. I love both parts of you. You’re a part...you’re a part of my son. And I love this part.” Her voice wavered, tears falling down her face. “I shouldn’t...I shouldn’t have made you think that I didn’t, that I wouldn’t love you because you’re a ghost but-”

Suddenly looking down again, Phantom pulled away. Damnit, damnit, damnit! This hurt too much. He couldn’t stay here, couldn’t do this, could’t hear her say those words when...when….

Mom’s expression fell. Slowly, she lowered her hand and didn’t reach for him again. “You’re still upset with me?”

Numbly he nodded. Yes, yes he was. Because they’d done this before. He’d heard her say this before, that she loved all of him and then she’d contradicted it with her actions. And he couldn't...he couldn’t hope again, he couldn’t trust again. It was too good to be true. It was-

“That’s alright.” Mom finally said. “You should be upset with me. I deserve that. But I do...I do lo-”

Another stab at his core. “We should get out of here.” Phantom cut her off. “We can have this conversation later, once we’re back through the portal.”

Somehow, Mom’s expression became even more heartbroken but she didn’t argue. “Come on then.” She started turning back the way she’d come.

“I was going to fly us back.” Phantom said plainly.

The woman turned back around. “Oh of course.” Her frown deepened, studying him. “You’re going to carry me?”

His shoulder’s fell, pouting. “You know that I’m perfectly capable of that.”

“That’s not what I meant, sweetie.” She said gently, taking a step forward. “How do you want to do this?”

Phantom hesitated for a moment. “Here, put one arm around my neck.” The woman did so. “And I’ll grab your legs. Now hold on.” The ghost grabbed her legs, adjusted the woman so he was holding her legs and back with his arms. Both her arms looped around his neck. Slowly, he rose off the ground. “Don’t look down.”

A small forced smile unfurled her lips. “I won’t.”

The boy hummed, looking up at their destination. “How did you get all the way down here anyway?”

“I climbed.” Mom said plainly.

“You climbed?” He rose a brow in disbelief.

“It was the only option.” She muttered. “I had to find you, Danny.” There was no anger, no judgement. Just the determination, the desperation he’s heard from her earlier.

Ghost Danny didn’t reply, looking at the portal again. Well, it turned out, he had found her instead of the other way around.

Mom bit her lip. “It really scared me, when you ran off. But...we’re going home now.” She looked at him earnestly. “Everything will be okay. I’ll...I’ll find a way to make all of this up to you.”

Oh god. He hoped...he hoped he could believe her. He wanted to but...time would tell.

Endnote: Thanks for reading! I'm also going to take some time to pump up my Invisobang story. It's 76K, guys! That's literally the second longest fic I've ever written. Posting day is August 23rd so please check it out when it comes out (For the angst, clones, identity crises, friendship, sibling bonding, and Frostbite being a good mentor/dad.)

[bitch-i-migth-be]

Crash Course | Chapter 02: A sister's musings

Fandoms: Danny Phantom, Batman,  

Relationships: Danny Fenton & Jazz Fenton,

Words: 1′778

Tags: BAMF Danny, BAMF Jazz, Sibling bonding, Shenanigans, Swearing

Summary: He swore his sister was trying to make him go into cardiac arrest - considering his halfa status that was quite the accomplishment-

But there was no other explanation to his sister’s stubbornness, and if he knew her at all there was just no talking her down from interning at goddam Arkham.

A/N: Author liberties were taken by someone who doesn’t own shit at the moment.And they will continue to be taken. Enjoy.

CHAPTERS: 1, 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7

Jazzmine Coraline Fenton had not planned any of this for her future.

In fact, no matter how many people thought otherwise, she didn’t have anything planned for her future.

Not anything concrete anyway.

Even since she was little she had been good at a great many things and excelled in a few more, much to her parent’s delight and the chagrin of the parents of the other children in her class. But there had never been something she particularly loved, nothing that could convince her of which way to focus herself, so she decided to just- spread and conquer, in those years.

Looking back on it now, she supposed the main reason she held herself to such high standards was so she could get some proper attention from her parents, who, unless there was a need for basic interaction or an academic event, tended to focus on their career.

Not to say that they didn’t care for her, they did, but they couldn’t be called role model parents by any means. They could get so encased on their research that sometimes it was safer for everyone involved to just let them to it and enjoy the little ghost-free interactions that could be encountered every now and then.

When Danny had grown up enough to be an acceptable company (which was still pretty little considering the standards of human interactions the senior Fentons could provide to other people, let alone a child. At that point Jazz was more than ready to take anything she could get) there was not as much reason to keep striving for their parent’s attention, but the habit had been already ingrained, and good notes were not a bad thing to have, so there was not a motive to stop.

Danny was as cute as a button (still was, but he got all flustered and retreated to safer pastures whenever she brought it up, so she refrained. No way she was reprieving herself from her brother), and she was ecstatic to have someone to play with that wouldn’t, couldn’t really, run away screaming from the crazy-psycho-wannabe ghost hunters.

What with them sharing parents and all.

It would be a good empathy exercise if anything else.  

So Jazz made sure to teach Danny her ways. They took care of each other and then promptly proceeded to have their very own improvised survival training in their own home. Sadly, even with all of this, she worried it might not be enough.

In other words, the main reason she had to get into psychology? Her family. Specifically her brother.

It was clear to her, and to anyone else if they had bothered to look into it, that their parent’s main concern was not their family dynamic, and as long as the food was not openly engaging in hostilities against the younger ones, they refrained to paying more than the basic of attention to their doings. Which was a good thing for when the kids wanted to play around, but not so much for when they really needed parent supervision.

Jazz had taken it upon herself to learn more about what made people tick. Taken it upon herself to learn how to take her family from barely functional to something a little less distressing to witness. And she would succeed even if she had to glue their parents and them together to make it work.

For a while, it looked like it was going to stick.

And then the Ghost Portal had backfired on all of them.

Their parents had been over the moon that their apparent failure had been a ruse, a ghost trying to mess with their work, they said. In either case, it had only caused them to become even more invested in the ghost research, and now that they had legitimate proof of the existence of ghosts and their realm it would be even harder to talk them down once they got going.

Unlike her progenitors, she was more concerned with the impact the frequent ghost attacks that followed the accident would have, and the obvious repercussions there would be against her family if anyone put two and two together and realized her parent’s shenanigans were at fault of all the public destruction via ghost.  

And Danny-

For the first time since she could remember Danny was pushing her away.

It was telling, than even neck deep in ghost attacks the thing that could hurt her the most was his reticence to talk to her. Nonetheless, her brother needed her and she would always rise to the occasion no matter how stubborn he could get about it.

It had taken a while for her to understand, but eventually, she did.

He had died.

Her parents had, however unknowingly, put the final nail in the coffin.

Literally.

Jazz had been devastated. But then, she was not the one who died, was she? Or did he?

She stuck by her brother. She listened. She observed. And by whatever miracle, she confirmed that her brother, while wary, was still her brother. He was not a vague impression, not a faded memory, not unfeeling, not uncaring.

Au contraire, her little brother was, if the ghost fights were anything to go by, caring way too much to be healthy.

It was, to some point, comprehensible. Danny thought the activation of the portal was on him. He felt compelled to help however he could.

Which was unfair because honestly, their parents were the ones that fucked up. But alas, the responsibility they held for the attacks didn’t mean they were capacitated to deal with the consequences.

So she continued to stick by her brother. Talked him down when it was obvious he would keep going his merry stubborn way even if it half killed him again. And then brainstormed together how to make the best out of this god-awful situation.

Jazz was not a fighter, so she had to resign herself to back up, running interference, and dealing with collateral damage. It was not as much as her brother, but in needed to get done.

And then, in one of the many attacks to Amity Park she had been able to talk down a small group of ghosts.

She prevented them from attacking, all thanks to her knowledge of psychology. It was not her fighting prowess that ‘defeated’ them, it was her words.

She had been useful.

So, maybe, she didn’t need to be an excellent fighter to help her brother out. Maybe- maybe she just needed to understand better.

Because, really, weren’t most the ghost just people? Dead people, yes. But still people. Persons whose feelings had amplified at the moment of crossing over. And that just translated to tons of unfinished business. And what was the point of a psychologist if not help people? She could help others in her own way.

She wanted to.

That was a thing that apparently she shared with her little brother

Danny took it upon himself to protect the humans.

But who was helping the ghost?

Not all the ghosts were evil. If her brother’s tales about the Ghost Zone and its size where anything to go by, with the Ghost Portal they could have completely razed over the town if they wanted to. It didn’t add up. Some of the ghosts would even just come to the living world to mess around, not hurt, just play.

She had seen her brother herding the tiniest-non-humanoid ones that would sometimes flock in their neighborhood around as if they were little sheep. It was kinda cute, actually.

So maybe, if they learn what made them tick in an emotional sense, they could talk it out with the ghost. Maybe not all of them, but most. And wouldn’t that be a great help to relieve Danny’s load?

When she brought it up to the others- well. Sam and Tucker had just stared at her.

“What are you talking about?” They asked.

She had tried to explain, and they just looked at her like she had a screw loose. She was flabbergasted. They had spent way more time than her in the presence of ghosts. How had they not noticed?

The two teens had exchanged glances, gotten up, said their goodbyes, and made their way home. And that was it, an easy dismiss. She could only gape after them, and turn to her brother.

He was already looking at her.

He stared at her too, but he gave her a melancholic smile

“They don’t want to understand.” Was all he said.

That was enough to comprehend.

And that was the thing everything reduced to, wasn’t it

You could not see what you did not want to acknowledge. Not even if it was slapping you right in the face. Their parents were proof of that.  

Because the truth was that no matter how many people bitched about it her little brother was a hero.

Phantom was a hero.

And at the end of the day, Sam and Tucker were just civilians.

They didn’t know how bad it could get.

They didn’t know the grimmer parts. They didn’t think about them, they didn’t have to, because her brother was shielding them too.

That all the ghostly abilities her brother had acquired were not just “cool ghost powers”, that no matter how many times Sam talked about the responsibility she was not the one losing sleep over it, that no matter how Tucker sometimes wished he was ‘special’ too, there was always a price to pay. And Danny’s had come with interest.  

They didn’t want to acknowledge that Danny had died.

Jazz was the one waking up to her brother screams, the one constantly smuggling medical equipment into the house, the one fretting about whether her brother occasional lack of pulse in his sleep was a bad thing this time, the one to share sleepless nights along with her brother just talking trivialities so they could pretend for a moment.

Danny had always been hers like Jazz had always been his.  

If their constant quarrels and natural stubbornness could not tear them apart in the middle of their parent’s madhouse but made them stronger, then a triviality as whether one of them was dead or not was not going to tear them apart.

And maybe someday she would have to join him on the other side. But that was cannon fodder for the future.

For now, she would only concentrate on ways to help. The faster she learned the better.

And if She and Danny had flourished and learned to cope in the madhouse their parents had built.

What better option to have an intensive course than another madhouse, right?

-.-.-.-

NOTES:   :D

I like to believe that clothes were not the highest priorities in the Fenton household because Jack and Maddie can survive off jumpsuits alone and probably tried to convert their children too.

So Jazz and Danny would get their hands in any scrap of normal clothing they could, and by this point, Danny doesn’t even care if he has to use Jazz’s hello kitty sweater because that is better than his dad’s face.

He was already bullied anyway, might as well bite the fucking bullets.

[phantomphangphucker]

The Whole Ass Fic A.K.A ClockWork Is Paying At Least One Person Hush Money

Vlad’s dumbest plot yet leads to a grade A gravy bowl of a dumb reveal. Danny’s class feels left out, Wes is literally left out, and ClockWork is forcing me to not leave them out at gunpoint.

Now that y’all have voted, I present to you, the Whole Ass Fic

Danny was having a nice day, he honest to the Core was. But then a blue portal half fucking blinded him, a startled Mr. Lancer accidentally threw a whiteboard marker into his eye, and Dash finally succeeded in hitting him -in the eye of all places, ugh- with a spitball. All of this followed by a -probably not quiet- mutter of, “ClockWork end me”. In short, he had already filled his quota for ocular trauma today.

But looking to the front as a -very not cheesetastic- certain someone stops monologuing, he’s experiencing a-whole-ass-nother kind of ocular trauma.

Danny gets up from his desk and slowly walks up to the front, eyes filled with disappointment and the residual energy of his three breakfast Red Bulls, “okay, so you’re telling me-”, Danny gestures erratically to Vlad, who's tied up on the floor and in ghost form, “-that you overshadowed ClockWork-”, gesturing even more erratically at ClockWork -who’s just sitting on a desk and inspecting their nails- but Danny maintains wide-eyed eye-contact with Vlad instead of attempting down the rabbit hole of why ClockWork is still here. Glaring at floor Vlad harder, somehow, “-so you could travel to the future, to team up with your future self and bring him back here-”, Danny points both hands at the floor a bit aggressively, “-so you could tag-team pulverise a teenager-”.

While Vlad rolls his eyes, not even slightly apologetic or willing to admit that throwing fists with teens being his number one past time was arguably pathetic. Danny gestures at the future Vlad, who’s glaring bloody murder at normal timeline floor Vlad, “-but said future you instead assaulted ClockWork”, facepalming and muttering into his hand, “least I know this future you really is you, being enough up his own ass to even consider attempting to do that”, looking back to floor Vlad, “so you used ClockWork’s powers at random and just came back to this timeline?”.

Kwan adds in, “through the ceiling”.

ClockWork smirks, “he got quite lucky in that regard. Not quite luck though”, Danny sighs exasperatedly at ClockWork when they wink with a smirk. Anything involving ClockWork required a lack of luck, not a wealth of it; that, or making a collection of the stupidest decisions you’ve ever made. Considering floor Vlad’s state of looking like an extra for a truly terrible Vampire BDSM film, Danny’s going with the latter.  

Floor Vlad manages to spit out his gag, “well they somehow tossed me out of their body immediately after! I mean the audacity! And this Cheesehead-”, jerkily attempting to nod or point at the scruffy-looking future Vlad, “-gets more pissed and assaults me, ME! Instead of you”.

Future Vlad kicks him and snarls, “it’s been two years in this timeline! TWO! I stopped with the stupid fiddlediddling after six months!”, turning his head to the side and mumbling, “sure everyone close to him had to die first, but that’s a moot point”.

Dash snorts, “why would a ghost even want to assault Fentit. And wait, what? People died?”.

Danny meanwhile, throws his hands out to the side, “of course that happened!”, then gesturing towards ClockWork, “you can’t overshadow ClockWork, that’s not even possible! They literally had to have allowed you to”, actually turning to glare slightly at ClockWork, “why, I haven’t a shot-glass of pennies close to a clue”. Danny then blinks and slowly looks at the future Vlad, his words finally registering; while Danny also simultaneously massacres his last brain cell, “wait....you’re that Vlad? As in the one that technically murdered me? The one that sort of caused the near extinction of humanity and ghosts? The one that basically saw the big red ‘DO NOT PUSH, THIS IS A STUPID IDEA’ button, slammed your fist on it, and activated the apocalypse? The one that stabbed past me when I tried to fix the future? Sure I requested it, but ya still did it”.

Mr. Lancer, who had been progressively going more wide-eyed, “Crime and Punishment?!?!?! I mean, go off I guess”.

While Danny scratches his head nonchalantly, muttering more to himself, “also the one that gave me any faith in past you ever being capable of being good”.

Floor Vlad sputters, wiggling in his bindings like a worm, “how is murdering you what it takes to make you have even an ounce of faith in me?!?”, floor Vlad looks to future Vlad, “you can’t judge me, you fudge-bucket of a hypocrite”.

Danny rolls his eyes and snorts, “that’s not even pot calling kettle black, that’s a wad of chewed gum calling a fork an unchewed stick of gum, and actually expecting that insult to stick”. Danny then squints and turns to ClockWork, “wait”, pointing emphatically at future Vlad, “how does he even exist?!?!? That future was literally destroyed?!?”.

Future Vlad squints at him, looking affronted, “you mean you destroyed my existence too?!?”.

Danny turns to him and waves his hands around wildly, “THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU UNRAVEL TEN YEARS OF TIME! THOSE THINGS AND PEOPLE GO POOF!”.

ClockWork sticks up a finger, “that’s not how time works”.

Danny and both Vlads’ turn to them, both Danny and future Vlad pointing aggressively, “YOU STAY OUT OF THIS! THIS DOESN'T CONCERN YOU!”.  

Nathan mutters, “or the rest of the class apparently”.

ClockWork smirks, “pretty sure the author disagrees on that one”. Everyone squints at them but goes back to bickering. Future Vlad points a little aggressively at Danny, “you were just supposed to fix the past! Not obliterate me!”.

Danny throws his hands up, “sacrifices had to be made! That’s what good guys do!”, gesturing at floor Vlad, “plus! You’re still here! And still A CRAZED UP FRUITLOOPY DICK!”.

Floor Vlad, looking a bit insulted, “language my boy”. Danny just looks down at him and knocks one of the desks on him; some kids water bottle -who the heck uses glass water bottles? Seriously?- smashing apart all over his face.  

Future Vlad pinches his nose and gestures at floor Vlad, looking at Danny, “that’s because he hasn’t been horribly traumatised....yet”.

Floor Vlad sputters, “yet?”, before scrunching up his face and licking his cheek, “is this vodka?”.

Future Vlad glares down at him, “you don’t know suffering”, getting into floor Vlad’s face a little and shaking his finger violently, “you don’t know the meaning of the word”, while Danny mutters, “neither do you, by the way”, future Vlad keeps talking, “and you really think you can collect all these stupid cheese curd plots and not turn yourself into curdled milk?”.

Floor Vlad rolls his eyes, “says the murderer”.

Danny rolls his eyes almost in sync with floor Vlad’s eye-roll, “oh like you haven’t killed anyone”.

Mr. Lancer coughs, “um? There are other people here you know. And some of us don’t appreciate casually talking about murder at-”, glancing at his watch, “-nine a.m. in the morning”.

Floor Vlad glances at him, “no one but us and dear Maddie qualify as people”.

Danny sputters incredulously while ClockWork points at floor Vlad, “and that is not how classifications of species and words work”. No one so much as acknowledges the arguably most power-being ever this time.

Floor Vlad looks back to future Vlad, “and Daniel’s the one that messes everything up. Not me!”, glaring at Danny and muttering, “I would have had a perfectly viable clone otherwise”.

Future Vlad shakes his head and gestures aggressively, “you cloned him?!?!?!”, throwing his hands up and walking around, “this me’s insane! Wonderful!”.

Valerie snickers into her hand, “I want to get involved but...”, before gaping and sputtering incoherently to herself about Dani.

Danny snorts, “you hadn’t already figured that out when he decided to abduct and control the body of the dude who controls time itself and oversees everyone’s futures. A literal living legend and basically a god?”, shrugging and sounding nonchalant, “and yeah, technically we have a kid now. My genetics, but Vlad made her. So technically, we’re both her parents”, kicking floor Vlad, “I should sue you for child support”.

ClockWork nods, “and you would win actually”.  

Danny looks tickled green, while floor Vlad shouts dramatically, “WHAT!?!?!?”. Future Vlad is just walking in a circle throwing his hands out randomly and making faces.

Dash mutters, “I can’t believe I’m saying this but, the damn twinks life would make a great soap opera”. ClockWork smirks ever so slightly at this.

Floor Vlad screws up his face and wiggles in the bindings some before squinting at Danny, “wait a biscuit buttering second, how do you even know about the ghost from the clocktower?”, sputtering and squirming, “how do you know their name?!? Even I didn’t! And you know their powers! Daniel what in the name of Gouda?!?”.

Danny deadpans, “oh don’t you use that tone with me, mister. You’re not my father”. While ClockWork smirks, “my name was actually the first thing he said, you just conveniently ignored that for plot purposes”.

Danny just speaks right over them and gestures at ClockWork, “and of course I do! They’re my Time Daddy!”.

Everyone goes silent immediately and you could hear a pin drop. Instead, a different voice breaks the silence, “wow! Didn’t know you had another dad, son!”.

Both halfas and the ex-halfa turn slowly and look at the doorway, where one Jack Fenton is standing and munching on fudge like he’s engrossed in an intense tv show.

Danny blinks and sputters, “how long have you been there?”.

ClockWork smirks, “since almost the beginning of this fic”. Danny glances at them, “that doesn’t make sense”. ClockWork shrugs, “well the audience might appreciate knowing, and I aim to please”.

Danny speaks thick with enough sarcasm to kill a lesser being twice over, and as if to prove this point floor Vlad starts hacking like someone force-fed him nails, “oH yEaH tHiS hAs BeEn A rEeEeEaAaAaLlLlL pLeAsUrE”, before squinting, “...what audience?”.

Star slams her face into her desk, “oh my Zone, seriously?”.

While Jack pipes up, “since Danno repeated vampire Vlad’s story back to everyone with so much disbelief I really couldn’t bring myself to interrupt”, standing and practically throwing the plate of fudge -having forgotten he even had it- when he throws his hands out to the side.

Mr. Lancer sighs and speaks as the fudge slowly smears down the classroom wall, “this was not in my job description, but thanks for the reminder why I don’t moonlight as a babysitter anymore”.

Jack, sounding way too happy for this situation and oddly not looking angry or even bothered, “and I’ve never heard my boy so passionate before!”, tapping his chin and looking at the two Vlads’, “though I do have to say. What the fuck is wrong with you V-man”.

Danny grumbles, “welcome to the life of having a half-ghost, who’s three nuts short of a fruitcake, that wants to aggressively be your uncle and/or father”, before sputtering incoherently over his dad swearing.

Jack tilts his head, looking like a confused puppy, “but, I’m your dad?”, quirking an eyebrow at ClockWork, “one of your dads?”. ClockWork looks like they just got blessed by a god... a god other than themselves anyway.

While Danny stares down at the floor unsure if he should feel deep horror or boyish wonder. Muttering, “did I just result in ClockWork getting adopted into my family through arguably convoluted and highly illogical means?”.  

ClockWork makes a face that is the closest thing to insulted Danny’s actually seen on their face, “it was my belief we were already kin”.

Danny sputters and waves his hands around erratically, trying desperately to back-pedal, “what, I, er, no, I mean yes! Yes! Totally fam!”.

Valerie can’t help but let out her inner gossip rich girl mode, “ooooooooooo, someone’s in trooooouuuubbbbllllleeee”.

Floor Vlad sputters in utter disbelief, it was he that was supposed to be gaining new family members here! Not that oversized puff pastry! “This, that, THIS IS NOT HOW ANY OF THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO GO!”.

Future Vlad blinks at Jack, “why are you not freaking out over the ghosts?”.

Star sighs, “are they really just ignoring that none of us have been freaking out?”.

Jack shrugs, “one’s tied up and the other gave me fudge”. Floor Vlad just shrieks in frustration and disbelief. While Danny gives a dramatic thumbs up to ClockWork, even going so far as to use a little ecto-energy to make his thumb sparkle like some anime bullshit.

Future Vlad kicks floor Vlad but speaks to Jack, “well if it’s anything, I’m not a ghost or half of one”.

Multiple people mutter, “half ghosts are a thing?”, while Valerie grins like a loon.

Floor Vlad shrieking, “WHAT?!?!?!”.

Future Vlad looks down at him but points at Danny, “he ripped out and ate Plasmius”.

Mr. Lancer grimaces and has to physically restrain himself from assaulting Kwan when he actually sticks his hand up and asks, “what’d that taste like? You know, for reasons”. No one’s honestly surprised at this point, when the bickering guys’ just act like the entire class are just extras added in after the main plot was established and without the main casts knowledge.

Danny blinks and gestures wildly at his dad, “are we just ignoring the uniformed third partly?!?”.

Mr. Lancer glares, “the class has been here the entire time”.

ClockWork smirks, “Vlad’s the authors' bitch right now so...yes”.

While floor Vlad gapes at Danny, “YOU DID WHAT NOW?!?!?”.

Danny throws his hands up exaggeratedly, “NOT IN THIS TIMELINE!”. While Vlad just quietly sputters about how Daniel could and even would, apparently, eat him. Danny has to severely resist spewing out a list of vore jokes at this. While ClockWork mutters with a smirk, about how the only reasons Danny’s not doing that is because the author’s tired of their phone crashing every time they try to write them.

Future Vlad points aggressively at floor Vlad, “we were the ones who thought ripping out his humanity would be a good idea!”.

Jack adds in some side commentary, “yeah, please don’t do that to my son”.

Floor Vlad mutters at the floor, “I need some bloody scotch”, before looking up at future Vlad and shouting, “WHY WOULD I DO THAT!”.

ClockWork points at floor Vlad, “the vodka hasn’t totally evaporated off your face yet, so you’ve got options. I have no pity for you”.

Floor Vlad glares at them, “I have standards”.

Half the class saying, “you sure about that?”.

Danny and future Vlad respond to floor Vlad in unison, with matching deadpan tones and judgmental facial expressions, “because, for all accounts and purposes, you are a sociopath”.

ClockWork sticks a finger up, “this is not how psychological diagnosis works”, gesturing at the class, “for one, patient confidentiality is a basic prerequisite, not an option”.

Nathan makes a mocked delighted gasp, “did we just get acknowledged?”. While Danny and future Vlad share a look tm.

Floor Vlad sneers, “rather that over an overgrown oaf, a self-sacrificial fool, a weak old man, or whatever is up with the time ghost”.

Danny glares while future Vlad socks floor Vlad in the face for that. Danny off-handed commenting, “‘Observant puppet’ is really the only insult that applies”, looking at ClockWork, “why aren’t the eyeballs up in a tissy about this anyway?”.

ClockWork smirks, “the author has decided they no longer exist”.

Danny blinks, “what kind of power does this ‘author’ have????”.

ClockWork mutters ominously, “the ability to outrun writers' block...for now”.

Danny ignores ClockWork out of slight horror and feeling like someone’s threatening him with another? dissection fic if he doesn’t stop encouraging ClockWork to derail the plot. Turning his attention to the two Vlads’ just in time to catch Valerie getting up and smacking both Vlads’ over the head, which just turns into an all-out fistfight. Well okay, floor Vlad is just squirming in his bindings and kicking like a feral rabbit, but still.

Valerie steps back and nudges Danny with a wily smirk, “who you wanna bet on to win?”.

Danny snorts, “future Vlad, based on sheer tenacity”.

ClockWork smirks and points a finger at the ceiling, “that’s my bet”, another portal opening up and yet another Vlad falling through and landing on the two others in a heap; knocking all three out, floor Vlad finally transforming back human. Danny looks to them, “the fuck is wrong with you?”.

While Maddie’s voice mutters from the doorway, “oh my Zone, Vlad?!?!”. Standing next to her is yet another interviewer from Genius Magazine: For Women Geniuses, By Women Geniuses; who slowly lifts up her phone and snaps a photo, while patting the pocket where her recorder is.

The next day Danny inexplicably gets pelted in the face -which, coming full circle, predictably stabs him in the eye in the process- by a magazine as soon as he steps through Mr. Lancer’s classroom doorway. Danny just lets it flop onto the floor unceremoniously, due to his veins being clean out of the consciousness juice that was Red Bull and thus incapable of caring about those pesky things called reflexes.

Danny sighs down at the abused magazine while slowly and dramatically covering his right eye. Sighing even louder at the cover somehow making everyone but the Vlads’ look kinda hot and ClockWork just being a black hole with a wicked grin -how they still seemed visually attractive is beyond Danny’s comprehension. The title reading ‘[REDACTED] Ghosts, Time Travel, And Illegal Cloning. Oh My!’, with the wonderful subtitle of ‘What Happens When Science Grows Fangs!’, and the sub-subtitle of ‘See Some Scientific Sin!’.

Danny’s sure the ‘[REDACTED]’ has something to do with ClockWork and them messing with an entire companies autocorrect function, but he decidedly doesn’t want to know.

Wes kicking in the classroom door seconds later only to pelt Danny with yet another copy of the magazine and shriek, “WHY!?!?!?! WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME!?!?!?!”.

Danny looks down at the magazine, which magically opened up to the page with the article when it landed, and snorts. It looked like someone had applied ‘[REDACTED]’ on the paper very liberally and with a pepper grinder. Danny then slowly turns and points at Wes with a massive shit-eating grin, “that’s what you get for being weak enough to fall victim to flu season. Sleepy sniffling sleuths earn no secrets”.

At this, the whole class laughs like they’re just a laugh track and an edited in fake audience.

END.

[duckapus]

My Danny Phantom Reboot (as was owed for the Phight)

Okay, so first off I should mention that this is going to be less “what if someone made a reboot of Danny Phantom now” and more “what if Danny Phantom was done right to start with.” This means there’ll be more emphasis on storytelling and characters, none of H*rtm*n’s usual shenanigans, but the storyline as it was is going to be more-or-less intact, depending on what I think I can salvage.

So, let’s talk powers.

Danny is going to have all the powers he did in the show, given gradually and with clear foreshadowing. His ghost sense is currently just a bit too conspicuous, so I’ll be changing it from a wisp of cold breath to a chill up his spine, though for the sake of the audience there will be a visual and audio indicator of it, much like Spider-Man’s spider sense. Starting out, he just has that and the three basic ghost powers, though they won’t work properly for a while, and I’ll make it clear that this is because his half-ghost status prevented him from gaining the instinctual knowledge to control them outright. While there are some abilities that he gains during times of stress (like ectoblasts and the ghostly wail) he’ll have to actually practice in order for them to work with any level of consistency.

Like I mentioned, there will be some foreshadowing, specifically when it comes to his ice powers. There’s going to be multiple points where someone mentions that he has cold hands, with many of those people being ghosts to imply that it isn’t a ghost thing. There’ll be more emphasis on Ghost Cores and Core Types. Danny isn’t going to be as affected by warmer or colder temperatures as other people, usually being the last one to need to put on a jacket. He’s going to be somewhat weak to fire-based attacks. And there’s going to be a multi-episode buildup to his powers freezing him.

I’m also going all-in on the space motif. His bedroom is covered in star stickers and NASA posters. He tends to look up at the stars whenever he needs time to think. He isn’t afraid of heights at all because up is good, up is safe, up is home, and flight is the only power he never has trouble with as a result.

And now, for Danny’s parents. First off, for this, they do not want to destroy ghosts. They want to study them, understand them, and keep people safe from the ones that cause trouble. They know full well how little they actually know and how small their sample size is- that’s why they’re working on equipment to actually explore the Ghost Zone in the first place! Yes they’ll screw up, and jump to conclusions, and be a bit too enthusiastic. Yes, they’re working off of some pretty big assumptions, because that’s all they’ve got. But at the end of the day, they’re the first to admit they’re not perfect. And as far as priorities are concerned, they’re parents first, scientists second, and hunters third(if even that).

Jazz and Tucker are already good as-is, as are most of the ghosts, so let’s move on to Sam and the “A-listers.”

So starting off, because I’m not Fartman, I will not be vilifying the popular kids just because they’re popular. For Qwan, we’ve already got the fanon of him being a sweet cinnamon roll who’d be a great friend to everybody if he were just able to say no, specifically to Dash. And with Star I’ll be going with a strong-willed girl who’s fully willing to call the others out when they’re bullshit goes to far, though she’s admittedly got a looser definition of “too far” than she should.

And now the big three. So my interpretation of Sam, Dash and Paulina is that a big chunk of their issues come from them not quite growing out of their jackass middle schooler phase(you all know what I mean). That’s not all of it, or even most of it, but it’s a big enough part that them acknowledging it will be a huge step in the right direction.

In Sam’s case, a lot of it also stems from her need to control as much of her life as she can, which developed in response to how little control her parents let her have. This ranges from harmless (her love of gardening and “ultra-recyclo-vegetarianism”) to really not okay (her tendency to manipulate or strong-arm people into doing what she wants) with her harsh judgement of people and trust issues landing somewhere in the upper middle. All of this to say that she’s a lot more like her parents (and Paulina, to a lesser extent) than she realizes.

With Paulina, while she does still have a lot of problems, being a crazy, obsessive fangirl isn’t one of them. She knows full well that her feelings for Phantom are just a celebrity crush and they aren’t about to get together any time soon (the boy’s dead as far as she knows, for god’s sake!). She’s also very observant, not to the point of finding out the truth about Danny but enough to realize quite a few other important details…

With Dash, all I’m really going to be changing is that his Football Star status absolutely does not give him free reign to do whatever he wants, because I respect Mr. Lancer more than that.

Admittedly I haven’t quite figured out their other classmates yet. And Valerie’s arc is already good as-is, though I won’t be including her getting shunned by the “A-listers” because this version of Star ain’t gonna let that fly. I’m also including Wes, because his antics are glorious and I think I can do some cool stuff with him.

Now, along with giving the characters better characterization in general, I’ll also be giving them their own time in the limelight to show what Danny’s situation looks like from an outsider’s perspective. Valerie in particular ends up as something of a secondary protagonist.

And now we come to Vlad. Oh, Vlad.

Okay, so in this version, Vlad inviting the Fentons to the reunion was a genuine attempt to reconnect. Unfortunately ghostly obsessions are powerful things, and he sort of relapsed into hating Jack and wanting Maddie for himself. Things more-or-less continue as normal, though with his desire to take on Danny as an apprentice coming off as him actually, genuinely wanting to teach Danny how being a halfa works, which makes it a little comically awkward when he tries to turn their battles into a teaching moment. He still becomes the mayor, though this time around it’s because he genuinely thought it was a good idea, and he got voted in legitimately.

Unfortunately it all sort of goes downhill after a while. Due to his current mentality of “tired old uncle just wants to get over his issues and help out” clashing with his obsession with Jack and Maddie, he’s sort of cracking, and the fact that Danny adds an extra layer to both isn’t really a good thing.

And then we get the clones. In this version, they all last a lot longer, and sort of act as Vlad’s minions for a while. The Frankenstein’s Monster-esque one sort of acts as a big brother to the others. He’s also very smart, even if he can’t really say much, and as time goes on he starts to realize that something is very wrong with Vlad. It all comes to a head when Dani is created, because Vlad realizes that even with a human half she still isn’t stable and something inside him just snaps. At this moment, there’s now two Vlads in there; Masters, who’s honestly just tired of all the fighting and pushing people away, and Plasmius, who’s essentially season three Vlad in all of his megalomaniacle obsession-fueled glory. Frankendanny’s destabilization is a big moment in this, as are the other clones holding back Vlad as they’re melting so Danny and Dani can escape at the end of the episode.

Dani still ends up traveling after that, though she’s not just ignored as she’ll be sending Danny postcards of places she’s been and there’ll be a few episodes dedicated to her adventures (with some hints to her instability getting worse.)

D-stabilized is where thing get really crazy. This is because while I’ve been distracting you with my Danny Phantom remake, there’s been a secret, second remake of Fairly Oddparents hidden in the background! I won’t go into too much detail, since that’s not what this is about, but It follows the same structure of apply overarching story, focus on characters, trim off what doesn’t work. Because of this, Timmy happens to be in the same city where Valerie finds Dani (I don’t think they were in Amity Park yet, but I’m not sure) and meets Dani before Valerie does. The episode plays out more-or-less the same (Val uses Dani as bait to catch Danny, gives Dani to Vlad, Danny appeals to her better nature, she finds out that Vlad is an evil half-ghost and that not all ghosts are evil thus shattering her world view) but with the addition of Timmy tracking her down to her weird holding cell/torture room place (seriously, what was up with that?) and then tagging along and somehow holding his own against Fright Knight with nothing but a blaster he managed to swipe from her (since not only does he have to deal with having human allies, but also the fact that magic doesn’t work that well on ghosts, which means no fairy help).

After that, there’s a few breather episodes to the end of the third season, mainly to do with Valerie processing everything she’s just learned.

And then Freakshow gets the reality gauntlet, because I’ve been holding that off until now. Danny gets his identity revealed on live television, the Guys in White are after him, and Freakshow is holding Amity Park hostage until Danny can find the three stones he scattered.

There’s just a few small changes I’ve made:

The stones got scattered across the planet, instead of just the country

There’s no easy way to track the stones unless one gets activated, unlike in the original where they had ecto-signatures

Wes and the “A-Listers” get dragged along for the ride

Because Freakshow isn’t a complete idiot and realizes that it will take a significant amount of time to find the stones, the team has until the end of summer.

Instead of everybody being in cages (since that won’t really work with this time frame) Amity Park is surrounded by an impenetrable dome, and both ghost portals are clogged up. Nobody gets in or out unless the ringmaster says so.

The second and third parts of Wishology and an adaptation of Nicktoons Unite are happening alongside all of this, so along with GIW and ghosts the team is going to be dealing with the Eliminators and The Syndicate.

Carl, Sheen and Libby have somehow tagged along.

We’ll be calling this arc the Road-trip from Hell, and it, along with the other two story arcs, will be taking up the entirety of the fourth season. The other two arcs will experience changes as well, such as Dani going with Timmy, Mark Chang and the Villains to find the Wind Wand due to being in Dimmsdale when it happens, Catman, Chip Skylark, Elmer and Sanjay getting captured along with the rest of Timmy’s friends, Valerie and Tootie getting recruited by Jimmy to fight the Syndicate since Timmy and Danny are busy and they’re honestly the only two options, and Anti-Cosmo being the Fairly Oddparents representative for the Syndicate since Crocker is also busy.

For the sake of storytelling, I should mention that GIW is a fanatical splinter group of MERF in this continuity, and have already been established as major antagonists. Also throughout the season Fairy World is basically going to be a warzone locked in a three-way battle between the Fairies, the Anti-Fairies and Syndicate, and the Eliminators, which all three groups see at one point or another.

The final battle is really going to be four going on simultaneously- Danny and Team Phantom(which by this point will also include the reformed agents O and K, because I like them) vs Ghost Freakshow, the robot army just outside of town, and Lydia; the Nicktoons vs the Syndicate’s doomsday device; Cosmo in his Godzilla form vs everything the Syndicate and the Eliminators can throw at him, and Timmy vs The Destructinator (which will actually be a full-on fight, with the outsmarting thing just being Timmy’s trump card). It’s going to be really cool with a bunch of well-timed jump-cuts and everything.

Then in the aftermath I’m going to basically spit in the face of the status quo. Danny still erases peoples memories of his reveal, but leaves out the new members of Team Phantom (because if he has to remember the road-trip from hell, so does everybody else), and it also doesn’t work on Valerie (or Tootie) since they were in Jimmy’s universe at the time, which is going to be Fun for Danny to deal with when she gets back. Timmy, Chester and AJ are also immune, due to AJ secretly making the three of them immune to memory wipes in general so Timmy wouldn’t have to forget his fairies or go through what happened in the first Wishology again. He would’ve done the same with Elmer and Sanjay, but he didn’t get the chance.

After all that, season five is a return to the norm, other than dealing with the new character dynamics, the Vlad situation, and all the Fairly Oddparents stuff leaking in. I haven’t really worked out all the specifics, since I sort of got caught up in the season four stuff.

Note: For obvious reasons, I cannot actually reboot Danny Phantom and/or Fairly Oddparents. Unless I come up with ideas later on down the line, or other people decide to add their own ideas, this is what you get.

(@phandomphightclub, I did it!)

[darks-ink]

For @doddling-goods, happy Christmas Truce! You asked for Plasmius and Dani celebrating the holidays together, and, well, who am I to throw away this perfect opportunity for a redemption AU!

Also on AO3 and FFN.

Dani had honestly thought that she had seen her home – the Masters mansion – at its gaudiest. The green and gold it was typically decorated with weren’t exactly fashionable, after all.

Walking into the house after a month away showed her exactly how wrong she had been, however.

The old decorations, the green and gold and football memorabilia, were all still present. However, shimmering tinsels in green and red and silver and gold had been added, shiny white snowflakes hung from the ceiling, and fairy lights were strung around just about everything in the entry hall.

Not only was it somehow worse than the normal appearance, it was also quite surprising to her that Vlad had altered his carefully put-together mansion.

She wracked her brain trying to come up with a reason for it, but she couldn’t think of anything besides the party happening in the Ghost Zone later that day. And surely that couldn’t be it? Unless it had an equivalent holiday among the living? But she didn’t even know what day it was, let alone what major holidays the USA might’ve celebrated on that specific day.

She glanced around the entry hall, but didn’t see anything to show the date, or Vlad. Shrugging to herself, she pulled her phone from her pocket to check the date. The 25th… She was pretty sure that there was a major holiday that day, but she couldn’t remember anything specific.

That would also explain why Danny had left the Ghost Zone a day or two earlier, before Frostbite had coaxed her into leaving. His parents would’ve been paying more attention to his whereabouts during the holidays, and he might’ve needed to make preparations as well.

Mystery thus solved, she put her phone away again and walked further into the mansion. The decorations seemed to spread across the entire mansion, humming lights and sparkling tinsels everywhere.

She was almost afraid to enter her room, but after cautiously opening the door, she discovered that it had been spared from Vlad’s insane decorating spree. Thankfully.

After quickly unpacking her bags – aka throwing almost all of its contents in the laundry basket and dumping the rest on her bed to sort out later – Dani went to explore the rest of the mansion in the hopes of finding Vlad.

She had honestly expected him in the lab – it’s where he spends most of his time, after all – but found him on her way there, in the living room. Not that she needed to go through the living room to get to the lab, but she could see the light coming from there in the hallway and she was quite curious to see what, exactly, was creating so much light.

Imagine her surprise when she finds a tree, of all things, the source of the light. It had been decorated much like the rest of the house, small but bright lights and shiny tinsel, but also a great number of balls, white and silver and even black, which caught the light on their smooth surfaces. The tree was crested with a single decoration, a glittering silver star.

As Dani’s gaze swept downwards, she was surprised to find that the roots of the tree were hidden by a bunch of… presents? Yes, they must’ve been presents, a bunch of boxes in shiny packing papers, most of them topped off with equally shiny bows.

A soft cough drew her attention away from the rather spectacular tree and towards the sofa, where Vlad Masters sat. A book was held loosely in his hands, so he had probably been reading, although Dani found it hard to imagine that someone could read without being distracted by the tree.

“Ah, Danielle, my dear. I see that you’ve found the Christmas tree. What do you think?”

She shrugged, looking the tree over once more before turning to him. “I dunno. It’s certainly very… shiny?”

Vlad looked at her, one eyebrow raised in a clearly incredulous expression. She wasn’t sure what kind of reaction he had been expecting, but it certainly hadn’t been the one she had given. Looks like someone screwed up her education.

“You… don’t know what Christmas is, do you?”

“Hmm,” she answered, pretending to think about it, tilting her head down and resting it in her hand. Then she snapped her fingers and pointed one at Vlad, grinning widely. “Nope.”

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You haven’t even heard of it during your travels? It’s celebrated in a lot of countries, not just here.”

She hummed again, this time in real thought. She’s pretty sure that she has, in fact, heard of Christmas before, but she can’t really remember anything about it. “I think I’ve heard the name before, but that’s about it, yeah.”

“I imagine you would have,” he answers, voice returning to its normal smooth purr. “After all, the entire Ghost Zone celebrates the Christmas Truce on the 25th.”

“Oh yeah. I remembered that there was a party and a truce, but I couldn’t remember the occasion.” She walked over to the couch, draping herself over its arm. “Tell me more about this Christmas thing? Seems like a big deal, you even decorated the mansion and stuff.”

The look he gave her was one she couldn’t decipher. But whatever he was looking for, he must’ve found it, because he sighed and looked away, eyes roving over the various decorations before settling on the tree.

“Christmas is a holiday closely associated with… family.” He licked his lips, and a heavy silence fell as Dani waited for him to continue. “I… was hoping to celebrate it with my real family, this year. With you.”

“Oh.” It was a stupid thing to say, of course. He would’ve been expecting a real reply, but Dani had been stunned beyond words. She knew that Vlad and her were a family of sorts, now. She had been living with him for the past few months, after all, had even taken to calling herself Danielle Masters if anyone asked. And it seemed like he really cared about her, yes.

But she had thought the same last time. And look what happened back then!

This time was different, of course. Danny said that Vlad had really been trying to do better, and she trusted Danny’s judgment. And as nice as Danny’s offer of moving in with the Fenton family was, she knew she couldn’t take it. Sure, his parents probably would’ve accepted her. They were weird like that. But living like that, with them, no matter what anyone said, she would’ve just been… Danny. Even if they didn’t mean to, the others would look at her and see him.

And she didn’t want that. She wanted to be herself, her own person.

So when Vlad offered her his own house, his own love… well, it couldn’t hurt to try, right? If it didn’t work out she could always steal some of his money and go back to traveling the world. And she knew what he was like, now. She wouldn’t be fooled again.

But his care seemed genuine. He really did take care of her like she was his own daughter, just like he promised. And, clearly acknowledging her freedom to leave, he left her a large stack of money in her room in the first week. When she had questioned him about it, he simply said that he “wouldn’t have his daughter starve because of his own mistakes”. And so she had squirreled the money away, in her backpack phased in the wall, where Vlad couldn’t find it to take it away. But he never even tried.

But still… despite his care, and his gentleness, and the fact that despite her misgivings and their past, she had started to care about him too… she didn’t think that he really considered her family. Sure, he called her his daughter, but… she never thought he meant it. Not like this.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Vlad clear his throat, and blushed, shoulders hiking up and her hand finding the back of her neck. “Sorry. I kind of… got lost in thought?”

“I figured as much.” He smiled at her, warmly, but with a hint of… uncertainty? “So, what do you think? Do you… want to celebrate Christmas together? As a… family?”

A few months ago, she would’ve said no. No doubt, no hesitation. She would’ve said that it would never ever happen.

But… the last few months with Vlad had been… surprisingly good. He was clearly trying, and she knew how hard it could be to break bad habits.

So she smiled back, and nodded. “I would love to celebrate it with you.”

The uncertainty in his eyes melted away instantly, and his smile widened into a grin. He must’ve been really worried that she would turn down his offer.

In one smooth movement he stood up and extended his arm towards the tree, still smiling at Dani. “In that case, my dear, how about we start with the Christmas presents? They’re a Christmas morning tradition, after all.”

She followed his gesture to the tree with her eyes, her gaze settling on the many gifts stacked underneath it. “But… I didn’t buy you anything.”

“Well, of course not,” Vlad said as he walked over to tree, crouching down next to it. “After all, you’re still a child. No one would’ve expected someone your age to buy a present for a family member. Friends, maybe, but certainly not for their family.”

Dani pulled herself upright, sliding off of the arm and onto the sofa proper. “So then… Are there any presents for you under the tree?”

He gave her a scandalized look. “Well, of course there are, my dear! Giving presents isn’t limited to just family, after all. Friends give each other presents all the time as well, and Christmas is quite a big deal among the ghosts, as you might’ve noticed.” He glanced back at the tree. “Although I must admit that most of these are, in fact, for you.”

“They are?” She scanned through the presents, or at least those she could see, but couldn’t tell which ones were for who from the couch. “But… I barely know anyone! And how would they...” she trailed off as she saw Vlad’s pleased smile. “You… got in contact with everyone and got their presents for me?”

Vlad pulled one of the presents out from underneath the tree, glancing at the label on it and grimacing slightly. “Well, of course I did. I want nothing but the best for you. Speaking of which, this one is for you.” He held out the present towards Dani, the packing paper glossy and decorated with space rockets.

She took it from him, twisting the box in her hands so she could read the text on it as well. ‘For Dani, From Danny’ it read, and she didn’t try to stop the smile that found its way to her face. She grabbed the glimmering silver bow and phased it off of the present, and then did the same with the packing paper. Call her a hoarder all you want, but it was pretty and Danny gave it to her. She wanted to keep it.

Doing so had revealed a fairly standard cardboard box, and Dani made a face as she considered her options for opening it. Sure, she could phase through it, or punch through it, or burn through it. But before she got too far into considering these options, she spotted the arrow that had been drawn on the box, with ‘OPEN HERE’ written in bold lettering underneath it. Well, way to spoil her fun, Danny. Regardless, she followed the instructions, tearing open the box from the edge where the arrow had pointed.

The contents of the box caught the many lights scattered around the room, the glow reflecting off of a metallic silver surface, and catching on several smaller vials surrounding the bigger object. She grabbed the metal tube, pulling it out of the box and inspecting it more closely.

She knew what it was, of course. She would’ve been an idiot if she couldn’t recognize a Fenton Thermos. But it wasn’t a regular Thermos. The cap had been painted black, with the DP logo in white on the very top. She turned it around in her hands, carefully running her hands across its surface. It seemed like a perfectly fine Thermos, ordinary outside of the paint-job.

She grinned at Vlad, who had raised an eyebrow at the unexpected gift, and then in one swift movement, she uncapped the Thermos and pointed it at him. The Thermos activated with a whir, blasting its blue-white light right into Vlad’s face, messing up his hair. Satisfied that it was functional, Dani capped the Thermos again and stuck out her tongue at Vlad. “Had to make sure it worked, right?”

He glared at her, before making a fairly hopeless attempt at straightening his hair. “Yes, yes. I guess I should’ve known that Daniel would make sure you had one of those infernal devices. Was that the only thing he gave you?”

“Nah, there’s something else in here too. Hang on.” She laid down the Thermos next to her, digging into the box to grab the vials she had seen. They hit each other with clacking noises, clearly made out of glass, before she managed to get her hands on them.

Pulling them out, she noticed that the vials were filled with a thick, green liquid. She frowned, vaguely recognizing the material, but failing to remember what it was. She rolled one around in her hand, seeing the liquid emit a faint glow, and suddenly it clicked and she knew where she had seen it before.

“Ecto-Dejecto...” she whispered, looking at the numeral vials she held. “He gave me more Ecto-Dejecto, in case I destabilized again.”

Vlad hummed from his place next to the tree. “How unexpectedly thoughtful of him. Hopefully you won’t need it, of course, but it’ll be good to have regardless.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, sticking the vials in the pocket of her hoodie. “I’ll make sure to keep those somewhere safe. Wouldn’t want the wrong ghost, or human, to get their hands on these.” She shot Vlad a pointed look, before nodding to the tree. “What’s next? One for you, or are you just grabbing them at random?”

“I’ll just… go in whatever order I grab them in. As I said, most of these are for you, so alternating them would be a hopeless venture.” He reached underneath the tree to pull out another gift, and one that clearly originated in the Ghost Zone, based on the fact that it was faintly glowing. He glanced at the label before rolling his eyes and handing it over to Dani.

Reading the label as well, Dani quirked an eyebrow and glanced at Vlad for confirmation. He shrugged. ‘To: Cub, From: Ghost Zone’s Greatest Hunter’ the label stated. The gift itself was smaller than Danny’s, the box narrower and flatter. The wrapping paper was ectoplasm green, glowing faintly, and the bow a purple also commonly found in the Ghost Zone.

Dani tore through it quickly, uncovering another box, but this one made out of wood, with metal clasps on the side to hold it closed. She was already curious to see what Skulker, of all people, might have given her for Christmas, but now she felt her curiosity rise another notch. Quickly, she undid both latches, and opened the lid.

The inside of the box was covered with a soft, velvet-like material, fitted exactly around its actual contents. And there, lying in the center of the dark fabric, laid what had to be the most beautiful knife that Dani had ever seen. The handle was a shiny black, soft like well-worn leather, and the blade itself was a vibrant, glowing green, with elegant carvings along its sides.

She lifted it up gently, weighing the blade in her hand. It hummed with power, her ghostly core eagerly responding in kind. She twirled it around before quickly placing it back in the box, latching it closed again.

“I think that I’m going to have to talk with my employee about giving my child weapons for Christmas.”

Dani snorted. “Ah, come on, it’s not like I’m not a living weapon myself. There’s nothing that I could do with a knife that I can’t do with my own ghost powers and you know it.”

Vlad sighed, heavily. “Yes, I suppose you’re right, my dear. And based on who gave it, I guess I should be glad that it wasn’t a gun, at least.” He sighed again before turning back to the tree, grabbing another present. He glanced over the label before pulling the present into his own lap, a somewhat baffled expression on his face.

“One for you?” She wasn’t sure why Vlad would be confused by that, though, but she couldn’t think of anything better.

“Yes,” he answered, still looking at the present he was holding. Its paper was glossy white, and it was topped off with a crimson red bow. Nothing about it looked noteworthy to her. Vlad seemed to have picked up on her silent question, however. “It’s from Daniel.”

“Oh.” With this new information, she looked over the present again. It was far smaller than what Danny had given her, a small square box, and far more ordinary. She supposed it shouldn’t be all that surprising, since Danny was the forgiving type, and he did agree that Vlad had been changing his ways. Apparently Vlad hadn’t expected to get a gift from Danny, though.

He carefully ripped the paper away, frowning at the package inside the present. Dani craned her neck to see what it was, but it was too small to see from the couch. She slumped down, giving up, and instead called to Vlad. “What did you get?”

Vlad grunted wordlessly, holding up the present for her to see. Dani barely repressed the laugh that came up, instead making a rather undignified snorting sound.

Danny hadn’t given him a present for Vlad. No, he had given Vlad a present for his cat.

“Yes yes, laugh it up. I should’ve known that the little badger wouldn’t have given me a real present.” He rolled his eyes and turned back to the tree, but Dani could see the fond smile on his face.

“Anyway,” he said, pulling out another box. “This one is for you again.”

And so they continued on for a while, Dani opening several presents for every gift that Vlad received. Turns out that he had been right about most of them being for Dani, as Vlad only received 4 gifts, compared to Dani’s 9.

Most of her presents had been surprisingly thoughtful. Combat boots from Sam (who had clearly remembered Dani drooling over hers), a custom-built phone from Tucker, a beanie and an offer to go shopping together from Valerie, and in-depth research and reports detailing Danny’s growth as a halfa from Jazz, probably because it had become clear over the past few months that there was quite a difference between Vlad and the Phantoms in the way they grew into their powers.

Of course her ghostly friends hadn’t disappointed either. Frostbite had given her a book detailing the various types of ghostly cores and common powers associated with them, Wulf had given her a rock from the moon (which he had apparently retrieved by opening a portal to the surface of the moon), and Dora had given her a beautiful necklace with a sparkling sky-blue stone, with a note that explained that it would shift to an acid-green color if she transformed into ghost mode while wearing it.

Vlad’s presents had been… mixed in quality. Besides Danny’s cat toys, he also received a tin of fudge from Jack Fenton, and a tin of Christmas cookies from Maddie Fenton. When Dani questioned his far more enthusiastic response to Maddie’s cookies, Vlad had explained that, back when they were in college, Maddie used to bake these cookies for the three of them, following a family recipe. The only ghostly gift he had received had been from Skulker, who had given him a ghost tracker honed in exclusively on halfas, made to track them even in human form. Vlad’s initial reaction was disgust, of course, but that had quickly settled when he saw the note that Skulker had added. The tracker wasn’t intended to hunt halfas, but to find them if something ever happened to Dani and she went missing.

Dani looked over her stack of presents, a wide grin on her face. She had friends, who not only cared about her, but who cared enough to give her hand-picked presents for Christmas!

Vlad drew her from her thoughts by clearing his throat, and Dani turned around to look at him again. In his hands rested another present, its shape crumpled, like the contents were soft and pliable. He smiled at her, warm and kind.

“Of course, I’ve saved the best for the last.”

She quirked an eyebrow at him. “How did you know it was the best if you didn’t know what the rest gave me?” Seeing him splutter for an answer, she waved him off. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Lemme see!”

He rolled his eyes, fondly, before handing her the gift. Like she had expected, the present was soft, rather than packed in a box like most of the others. She tore open the paper, and the contents fell onto her lap.

It was a sweater, black with the edges on the bottom and cuffs white. In the center, standing out in stark white against the black material, was the infamous DP logo that she and Danny both wore on their jumpsuits.

Dani gently ran her hands over the material, its yarn soft and surprisingly non-itchy.

“I hand-knitted it for you, my dear. I hope… I hope you like it.”

She looked up at Vlad, surprised. “You… hand-knitted it? For me? Why?”

He licked his lips, suddenly awkward. “I… wanted it to be special. Sure, I could’ve bought you anything you desired. But that’s not the point of Christmas. This way…” He cleared his throat, wringing his hands somewhat uncertainly. “This was more meaningful.”

Dani looked back at the sweater in her hands, before phasing out of her hoodie and pulling on the sweater. She fingered the cuff, the material soft and warm. The sweater instilled a feeling of comfort and warmth on her, and she smiled at Vlad before launching herself at him.

Vlad scrambled to catch her, barely stopping himself from toppling over, as Dani wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He smiled and returned the hug, Dani melting away against him.

“Thanks… dad. For everything.”

Vlad gasped, pulling away to look her in the eye. “Did you… Really?”

“Yeah,” she said as she pulled him back into the hug. “Yeah, really.”

He hummed, holding her tightly.

“Thank you, my dear. This is the best Christmas gift that I’ve ever received.”