#they are good influences for paulina

[sadlynotthevoid]

Lmao. This. Spoiler laughing her ass off in the background after seeing Batman's shocked face.

Also, I know people tend to make Frostbite heal Jason's Lazarus Pit stuff, but have you considered have him help with all the chronic pain and phantom (lol) pain the poor guy must had after all the awful injuries he had and that probably didn't heal properly?

Like, imagine some of his pain comes from the trauma the wound inflicted in his soul (because poor dude was literally betrayed and tortured and resucited alone, trapped, and woke up in a body that wasn't the same he remembered and got his throat sliced by his once-upon-his-dad, etc) and healing ghostly stuff equals or helps to healing his soul/spirit.

Am I saying that ghosts' medical care is more or less their therapy? Yes, I am.

Is not the same than human therapy tho. Imagine having to talk to a stranger about your awful traumatic death. Lol, no. They don't do that. It's more like a guided meditation and a safe enviroment to let themselves loose. Hence the ghosts going to cause trouble to Amity when the portal opened. Thought it was fine as long a they don't kill the little itsy bitsy mortals. They know better now.

Suddenly it makes sense why the all caste techniques made him feel better.

Also, once Jason lets out that the Joker, his assassin who he hates very much, is still out there and could come back to kill him at any moment when he wants. A contest is formed half an hour later: who avenges Red Hood's death? The one who wins get bragging rights and a set of autographed shirts.

Paulina and Ellie win. Ellie did it because street kids solidarity. Paulina wanted the shirt and was genuinely pissed at the Joker's clothing choices.

They and Jason are besties now.

Amity Park hates the Justice League but loves Red Hood and sometimes other heroes

A/n: I got this random idea so here it is. Oh, and this is good reveal AU ok?

-------

Due to the Justice League mocking them and ignoring their villain problems that were also publicly interdimensional problems, everyone hates the JL. It got worst with the GIW coming in, who blatantly went against the meta-laws (which included aliens, demons and so much more that weren't human from the beginning). They started to think the Justice League supported them.

In the Infinite Realms, however, there's a revenant that many adored and others respected. He did not hold back against criminals. Criminals that would rape, kill, traffic, sell drugs, and more to people. He especially didn't like when they brought kids into this. He'd avenge people the way they should've been: by promising that their abuser/killer/whatever wouldn't be able to do it again. And in the place they lived in, the only way for that to be possible was by major injury, heavy social outcasting, and/or death. Most prefer the 3rd.

And after how long the Amitians dealt with the attacks which eventually came to a slow once or twice a week type thing, they started opening their minds to the idea of coexistence. Well, further than they had. So when people started to cross over and start making their small haunts in their side of the veil, the Amitian's began to become aware of the popular hero Red Hood. He was part of the undead community, which was trustworthy in everyone's books.

So Amity Park started making merch. Most of it was for Team Phantom, but there was plenty for Red Hood as well. There were other heroes on the side, like for Superboy 1 (who they renamed to Supernova due to their hatred for Superman for 2 reasons, the obvious and that he rejected a mirror-born), and Raven (the half demon).

And with this coexistence, Team Phantom had noticed the positive feedback about killing in the name of vengeance. So they went on the offensive, and after a good year of that, the GIW lost funding for producing no results and just taking up resources. The acts were still there, but nobody enacted them in Amity, and nobody actually knew or believed them outside of the haunted city.

Then the Justice League find out about the hero group there due to tracking merchandise after they started to sell outside of the city. Superman was the guy everyone liked, so he was sent over. He immediately got thrown out and was now questioning who the heck Supernova was and when he rejected him.

Flash? Outcast. Everyone ignored and walked away from him. they had the police, who never did anything or even had to anymore, kick him out.

Green Lanter? Oh the poor guy. He had his ring taken away and thrown out of the city somehow. It took hours to find it.

Wonder Woman, they had to be ok with her. Not at first, but once Phantom had a talk with her and people learned that they were cousins through Clockwork (Kronos) and Pandora, they were ok. ish. Tolerated was the best word and she got the info back to the league.

The batfamily took a trip there, dragging Red Hood along somehow. And right when Red Hood was noticed, a crowd began to form as everyone practically worshipped him. There were many victims he had avenged and an Ancient (Lady Gotham) came and gave him the gifts she couldn't without scaring the guy.

At one point, the poor guy even cried.

[ultrone]

what music do you think Jackie would listen to…?

very random playlist i know lmaooo i hope it’s at least a bit accurate. i tried to stick to before the 2000s as much as i could 🫡

Gwen Stefani/No Doubt for sure. I feel like she’d specifically love “Cool” by Gwen

I Touch Myself by Divinyls

Crush by Jennifer Paige

Fastlove, Pt. 1 by George Michael

The Cranberries (influenced by Shauna 🤔)

The King of Wishful Thinking by Go West (she got obsessed with it after watching Pretty Woman)

Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer

Back For Good by Take That

Some songs by Fleetwood Mac & Stevie Nicks, like Sable on Blond, I Don't Want to Know, Edge of Seventeen, Only over You…

Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush

Last Goodbye by Jeff Buckley

Madonna

Waterfalls by TLC

Right Here - Human Nature Radio Mix by SWV

Living On My Own - No More Brothers Radio Mix by Freddie Mercury

I feel like she’d also be lowkey into Country 😭

Shania Twain

Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus

Jolene by Dolly Parton

Amber by 311

Baby, I Love Your Way by Big Mountain

Angel by Shaggy, Rayvon

The Sign by Ace of Base (medicated Lottie got her into it)

Had a hanson phase lmaoooo 🧐

Torn by Natalie Imbruglia

Bitch by Meredith Brooks (she’d sing/yell this one in Shauna’s car)

I Try by Macy Gray

Girlfriend in a Coma by The Smiths

Alanis Morissette

There She Goes by The La’s

Two Princes by Spin Doctors

You Get What You Give by New Radicals

Fast Car by Tracy Chapman (I feel like Shauna would overplay it while driving)

Be My Baby by The Ronettes

Duran Duran

Bon Jovi

Fantasy by Mariah Carey

Genie in a Bottle by Christina Aguilera

Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus

Livin' la Vida Loca by Ricky Martin

Savage Garden

Uptown Girl by Westlife

Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners

Summer Of ‘69 by Bryan Adams

The Power Of Love by Frankie Goes To Hollywood

Hero by Enrique Iglesias

Whitney Houston’s top hits

Let’s Hear It for the Boy by Deniece Williams

Some Aerosmith songs, like Crazy & I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing

The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss) & One by One by Cher

I Love You Always Forever by Donna Lewis

Black or White by Michael Jackson

Accidentally in Love by Counting Crows (from the Shrek 2 soundtrack 😭)

Alone & These Dreams by Heart

I Think We’re Alone Now by Tiffany

More Than a Feeling by Boston

What’s Love Got to Do with It by Tina Turner

Close to Me by The Cure

Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Eiffel 65 ☠️

Endless Love by Luther Vandross, Mariah Carey

Be My Baby & Divine idylle by Vanessa Paradis

Smile by Lily Allen

I’m Gonna Miss You by Milli Vanilli

Conga by Gloria Estefan 🤣

New Kids On The Block

Don’t You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds

Queen

Hey Ya! by Outkast

Dreaming Of You by Selena

extra… songs she’d listen to if she spoke spanish or was latina cuz i’m mexican and i’ve been thinkin abt this 🙂‍↕️

Tu Dama De Hierro by Marisela

Belanova, especially Rosa Pastel, Me Pregunto, and Cada que…

Formas de Amor by Calo

Mi Media Naranja by Fey

Bazar & No Controles by Flans

Gracias A Dios by Thalia

La Ventanita by Garibaldi

Ahora Te Puedes Marchar by Luis Miguel

Cuando Calienta El Sol by Luis Miguel

Mírala, Míralo by Alejandra Guzman

Virgen de las Vírgenes by Gloria Trevi

Ni Una Sola Palabra by Paulina Rubio

No Puedo Olvidarme Ti by MDO

La Calle de las Sirenas by Kabah

Enamoradísimo by Mercurio

Veneno by Ragazzi

Dile Que la Amo by Kairo

Hombres G

Oye Mi Amor by Maná

Rica y Apretadita (feat. Anayka) by El General

Moriré by La Factoria

Enloquéceme & Shabadabada by OV7

Timbiriche

Amante Bandido by Miguel Bosé

Alejandro Sanz

[e-adlirez]

Do you have anything from the thea sisters books that you wished were explored / explained a bit more?

Well for one I would like the side characters from the Mouseford series to feature in adventures more. Sometimes having the same cookie cutter new guy gets old, y'know? Sometimes you just want a familiar face. This is an issue that's kinda artificially created because Scholastic has stopped translating the Mouseford books (the very books they feature in), tho, so it's more a Scholastic skill issue than a franchise writing team issue.

Another is uh, more diverse places for the girls to go to, please? Even in the non-English list, I've noticed they go to Europe a lot? That alone is fine, but they keep going back to Paris, and they at this point went to the big boys in Europe, and I feel like they could have them go to more diverse places instead like Asia, Africa, or South America. And by Asia I mean not just China please, and they'd better get actual people of the cultures to fact-check for them so they can get stuff right-- we don't want another MIDforest MIDscue situation on our hands.

On another note, please let the girls' cultural backgrounds play into how they interact with the world more. No, not like Vi's stereotypical Chinese proverb thing from the early books-- put the girls in situations where because they're going to so many places and their cultures have the capability of overlapping with the place they're going to, they end up learning some new stuff about this specific flavor of culture that originated from theirs or was an offshoot of theirs. For example, Violet interacting with any chunk of Southeast Asia that has a semi-Chinese corner of it (Filipino-Chinese, Chinese-Malay, Singapore, etc. etc.), or Paulina seeing how different Spanish is in different parts of the world that had to deal with the Spanish Inquisition, or Colette meeting French-Canadians! The possibilities are endless, and it's very much untapped in the books as far as I'm seeing. So much of a person's personality is influenced by the culture they grew up in, and I'd like to see the girls have just a tiny bit more of their cultural backgrounds shine through in their characterizations.

There's also uh, PAULINA RANDOMLY DROPPING THE FACT THAT HER PARENTS DISAPPEARED FOUR YEARS PRIOR TO HER FRESHMAN YEAR AND NOT ELABORATING??? LIKE SHE WAS JUST LIKE "yeah it was our first Christmas without them, it was very sad and all, but our family friends helped make it better ^^"??? YOU DON'T JUST DROP LORE LIKE THAT AND EXPECT PEOPLE TO NOT DO A DOUBLE TAKE???? No need for an entire thing about it, at least like, Paulina briefly explaining the what and why is good enough for me.

For all I know tho it could've been brought up in one of the Italian books and I just don't know it wuh

Some more IIS would also be nice, we kinda spend all our time in the SRU and only when shit's hit the fan and the girls need to save a world for the fiftieth time, we need some more chill shenanigans, maybe exploration or something that would involve the girls connecting more with the rest of the IIS and not just the SRU

Those are the ones I could think of off the top of my head, hope that answers your question ^^

[balshumetsbaragouin]

Passion and Plasmatic Plague

The first chapter is officially out!

I am excited to join the rest of my fellow creatives for Ecto-Implosion's posting week.

Many thanks to the incredible mods of @ecto-implosion for organizing this event. I had so much fun and have made so many new friends. This is the first time I've participated in a big fandom event. It's addictive, so I'm going to be joining more next year.

I was partnered with the incredible @emotigonecreative! Her piece is beyond inspiring, and you can find it here!

The update schedule for the story is every Saturday and Wednesday. There are 24 chapters, so expect to be fed all winter long! Summary:

Enmity, a supernatural plague, an irresistible connection. It's Sophomore year, and Danny Fenton was still on the bottom of the food chain in Casper High. His friends kept his counsel, and his family kept lecturing. They remained at arms' length, and all others a football field's distance. The one exception was Valerie Gray. Her words drew him closer, yet the Huntress' guns kept them apart. He needed to find a way to bridge the divide, and quickly, because an electronic plague burned through Amity Park, and they'd made a hasty alliance to put it out. Valerie's double life continued to vex her, her work as Huntress made more difficult by Phantom's interference. Then, stability came in the form of a mind-melding upgrade to her suit. It responds to her every whim, its power strengthening with every passing day. Serendipitous, because a ghost curse was spreading through town like ink through water, transforming every piece of technology into a potential adversary. Pulled between her hatred of ghosts and her growing affection for Phantom, she might just destroy her new partner, if her suit doesn't do it first.

You can find the full chapter here, but here's a preview if you're still not convinced:

The air basked in light and bird song, the world made anew in the heavy lidded eyes of the fading night. Rime dusted the ground and hoarfrost clung to the underside of freshly fallen leaves, making the whole world glitter and shine in the rosy dawn light. As the influence of Nox gave way to Aurora, she tucked her arms tighter against her body and slanted away from the touch of the wind’s chill. The sharp scuffle of her footfalls against the glistening concrete, newly citizen salted, cut through the press of silence that cocooned her on her solitary march to school. 

Finally, ahead of her, the light of the school’s warm interior glinted off the frost on the front lawn, its glimmer called forth from the dying strands of grass still fighting the oncoming sleep of winter like a toddler rolling about to avoid a nap. She pulled loosened hair away from her face as a big gust snatched at her curls, clawing away the neat style she’d spent the morning designing. I should have worn a beanie. Sure, she’d have to take it off right after entering school—the No-Hats policy remained even in the cold—but at least her hair would be intact. 

She stood off to the right of the entrance, just inside the double doors, and reached into her backpack to pull out a compact and her emergency brush. The other students brushed past her without comment, briefly sliding in and out of view on the edges of the mirror, as she carefully redid the style. Maybe more hairspray would have saved it? She’d consider it next time. The good stuff was expensive, and with her meager savings—

“Wow, did you fight a bear on the way here?”

“Is that what happened to you?” Valerie continued brushing her hair, eyes never leaving the mirror.

“Excuse me?”

“You know, on account of you wearing half an outfit in forty degree weather, Paulina.” She snapped the compact closed and slid it back into her bag. Even with the brief flash in the compact, she’d been able to see how much frostbite the other girl was risking. A bold, stupid choice, fitting for Casper’s Queen Bee.

[encntada]

M U S E R O S T E R ! ( AS OF 05/07/2024 )

ORIGINAL CHARACTERS aanisah, aladdin (animated and live action), rug maker and seller and younger sister of aladdin, fc: golshifteh farahani

josephine de chagny, the phantom of the opera (musical), missing viscountess masquerading as a opera chorus girl and twin sister of raoul de chagny, fc: taylor russell

camila charming, cinderella (live action), princess and twin sister of prince charming (kit), fc: jess alexander

juliet desrosiers, beauty and the beast (animated and live action), princess and younger sister of the beast (prince adam), fc: havana rose liu

nicolette danielle renata devereaux, princess diaries 2: royal engagement (2004), famous actress, socialite and younger sister of nicholas devereaux, fc: camila morrone

emily fitzherbert, tangled (2010), royal baker and younger sister of eugene fitzherbert, fc: grace caroline currey

annelise josefine hubermann, the book thief, laundress and combat nurse and third and youngest child of hans and rosa hubermann, fc: ellise chappell

princess amina luna magnifico of rosas, wish (2023), singer and musical prodigy and the only daughter of king magnifico and queen amaya of rosas, fc: rachel zegler

anisette mellark, the hunger games (books and films), baker and peeta mellark's older sister, fc: cailee spaeny

lucy gray peterson, tuck everlasting, immortal poet and wanderer.

september plinth, the hunger games: ballad of songbirds and snakes (book and film), aspiring television producer turned nurse and sejanus plinth's twin sister, fc: paulina chavez

elizabeth rose sanderson, hocus pocus, good witch and fourth and youngest sanderson sister, fc: jennifer connelly

wendy scott, yellowjackets (not caught up on season two), yellowjackets defensive midfielder and coach ben scott's younger sister, fc: lisette olivera

jane van dort, the corpse bride (2005), victor van dort's younger sister, fc: ella hunt

CANON MUSES (all canon muses are subject to personal headcanons) lillian "lil" ashlock, the hunger games: the ballad of songbirds and snakes, book and film compliant, fc: isabel deroy-olson

ella "cinderella" baudin, cinderella, disney, rodgers and hammerstein musical based, fc: brittany o'grady

johanna barker, sweeney todd: the demon barber of fleet street, strictly musical based, fc: maria bilbao

juliet capulet, romeo and juliet, canon compliant with influences from rosaline (2022), fc: isabella merced

annie cresta, the hunger games, films and books compliant, fc:

esme cullen, the twilight saga, film and book compliant, fc: fiona palomo

regina george, mean girls (2024), musical based, fc: reneé rapp

lisa swallows, lisa frankenstein (2024), canon compliant, fc: kathryn newton

maría vasquez, west side story (2021), fc: rachel zegler

michelle "shelly" webster, the crow, 1994 film based, fc: whitney peak

carrie white, carrie, 1976 and 2013 film based, fc: sarah catherine hook

addison wells, zombies, canon compliant, fc: megan donnelly

sally, the nightmare before christmas, canon compliant, fc: ella purnell

[ogdencollegerp]

MEET THE LAST PERSON TO HAVE SEEN GREER - THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLY.

{ FACECLAIM, AGE, GENDER, PRONOUNS } Is that FIRST NAME LAST NAME? A SCHOOL YEAR originally from HOMETOWN, they decided to come to Ogden College to study MAJOR on an ATHLETIC / ACADEMIC / FINANCIAL SCHOLARSHIP (remove if character is not a scholarship student). They’re THE INFLUENCER on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance.

ABOUT THIS SKELETON: THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLY always managed to flit around the social hierarchy, melding with different groups of friends with the utmost of ease. That's why anything they hosted was always the best, the mix of people sure to create a memorable night. They were the natural fit to host the part at the end of the Spring 2022 semester, celebrating that the year had ended. And memorable it was - just check out all the different pictures from it. Including the ones The Social Butterfly had posted !!! Wait, is that Greer in the background ?? Sure is, and it seems that the summer kick-off was the last place she was confirmed to be. The summer had come and gone - but with it, so had THE GOLDEN GIRL.

MAJOR PLOT POINTS THUS FAR:

THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLY hosted a party on June 4th in the Hamptons last year to celebrate the end of the school year - the official start of summer. This was the last time that THE GOLDEN GIRL was confirmed to be seen, thanks to a post they put up afterwards.

After the time capsule leak, the cops interviewed everyone on campus again - unluckily for THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLY, their interview was a disaster, and the officers have reason to suspect they were involved with THE GOLDEN GIRL’s disappearance.

SUGGESTED FCS: Yandeh Sallah, Giovana Cordeiro, Megan Suri, Chelsea Clark, Samantha Logan, Haskiri Velazquez, Esmeralda Soto, Sivan Alyra Rose, Celeste O’Connor, Chloe Hayden, Greta Onieogou, Paris Berelc, Paulina Chavez, Anna Lambe, Josie Totah

CHECK OUT OUR WANTED CONNECTIONS !!!

SUGGESTED CONNECTIONS BELOW THE CUT

THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLY spends so much of their time being social, it's no wonder that they had to rely on the services THE ERUDITE STONER provided when it came to school. Keeping up with THE GOLDEN GIRL is no easy task !!!

THE GIRL NEXT DOOR has a family in politics and philanthropy, THE NEPO BABY has a famous family - and they both have a close relationship with THE GOLDEN GIRL. No wonder they both ended up being friends with THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLY too - someone who makes friends and connections that easily surely isn't using them.

THE COOL LOSER is the exact opposite type of person then THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLY, but they managed to get along anyways. Is that how they ended up getting on THE GOLDEN GIRL's good side too ?? 

A lot of times, people with similarities will end up feeling like they are each other's competition, to their dismay - but in this case, THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLY is so likable, even THE FEMME FATALE couldn't end up feeling negatively, something even THE GOLDEN GIRL couldn't pull off.

Considering how easily THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLY befriended everyone, it was no wonder that THE PUPPETMASTER became close with them - THE GOLDEN GIRL may have had power and admiration, but not even that can open every door.

THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLY is THE BUSYBODY’s dream - if only everyone was so quick to post the details of their lives online !!! The Busybody’s eagle eyes noticed THE GOLDEN GIRL in the picture The Social Butterfly uploaded after their party last summer immediately, after all.

If THE HOMEGROWN HERO was looking for someone to take them under their wing, THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLY was a good option, with their never ending connections across campus - since they can't have THE GOLDEN GIRL, that is.

THE GOLDEN GIRL may have had most of the power on Ogden’s campus, but THE FALLEN PRINCESS, as her best friend, certainly had a similar level. And now that she's in the market for a new bestie, is it possible THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLY will be flying in ??

[celestriahq]

* 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 ! two new wanted connections have been added to the page.

carris hada ( takeru satoh ) is searching for their second chance/forbidden love ( misc/romantic ). the character would be utp with the possible fcs of Apo Nattawin,Jing Tian, Paulina Singer, Yasmine Al-Bustami, utp poc preferred . carris witnessed his first love die in front of them around 80 years ago. since then he dedicated himself to being a good bodyguard and protector One day y/m might have been rescued or giving carris a flower things of that nature. Carris might not warm up at first afraid of showing his heart on his sleeve. So maybe theres a tug of war with feelings but hopefully something works out. I also was thinking they could be of nobility and has some influence. I'm also open to existing muses for this connection. so fun angst with fluff. min does not need prior contact @smartxbrazen.

orion de vere ( yagi yusei ) is searching for their betrothed ( romantic/misc ). the character would be utp (but fc age should be like 25-30) with the possible fcs of dylan wang,emilio sakraya, archie renaux,ding yuxi, male/masc presenting poc utp so orion is the well intentioned vampire who due to his circumstances is forgetful,little details here and there. Because of his fledgling status, he can be seen as a good vessel for alliances for with other courts, y/m i imagine is a stern fellow but eventually warms up to orion and his quirks. I just want some sweetness and maybe some minor angst because of the inter-species conflicts so leaning toward maybe a human or witch but I'm open to anything species wise.min does not need prior contact @smartxbrazen

[hoffmansnightmare]

Right into the Fire

Chapter 3

Dubious consent, fear, knife play, edging, orgasm denial, Freddy being Freddy, Begging

Paulina was both surprised to see he'd come back, and not surprised at all, after she had practically burned him alive a second time in a field of pink flames. In fact he returned multiple times, appearing in the opening above the grave she was being buried alive in. Each time he sank his knives into the person who was about to dump a shovel full of dirt onto her glass coffin. It never did anything to the apparitions, but Paul figured it was satisfying to him in some way.

Then Freddy would jump down, let her out, and get them out of the hole in the ground, and every time they'd fuck. Paulina honestly couldn't get enough of it, of him.

He would always try and get her to beg, tried to make her hold out for longer, pushed her into the ground, her face pressed against damp grass, or curled around him with her fists pulling at his sweater desperately. But she never caved.

She couldn't just give it to him.

Freddy was also getting stronger, or Paulina was allowing him to have more control in her dream. It wasn't exactly clear which one it was. He had a stronger influence on what happened, how things turned out.

Paulina worried she would have to cut him off soon. It wouldn't be good if she gave him too much power. She should be stronger. But the thought of it made her throat close, so she chose to ignore it for the time being.

Besides, the dream demon was actually helping her, interrupting the very real nightmare she had night after night, and then fucking her brains out until she was a shaking puddle of a woman. It was hard to give that sort of thing up. Paulina felt so refreshed and well rested when she woke up. She couldn't even remember that last time she'd had a solid night's sleep before he started coming around.

Maybe that was fucked up, life wasn't black and white though, and Paulina found she didn't have time to worry about those sorts of things. She lived in the moment, and at that current point in time, she was enjoying feeling resting and having her back blown out.

Now she didn't even bother with the nightmare. It was hard to be afraid when you were anxiously awaiting the arrival of a dream demon. She waited patiently, watching shovel after shovel dump dirt on her glass prison. Then knives appeared through a chest, ghosts were gone in a wisp of fog, and his burnt features looked down at her with a smirk crooked to the side.

What a cocky bastard.

She fed his ego though, as much as she tried not to. She couldn't hide how wet he made her, or just how many times he managed to get her off. She also just couldn't keep her hands off him, fingers always trail over his chest or hands fisting in his sweater. Freddy would lean over her and purr into her ear making her a shaking puddle beneath him.

They never left the Graveyard though. Paulina figured he wasn't able to change the dreamscape. He wasn't powerful enough. Not yet anyway.

Paulina sat on her favorite tombstone, thighs wrapped tightly around Freddy's waste, trying to push all that to the back of her mind. She tried not to be distracted when she was with him. He could usually tell when she was distracted and it put him into a pretty surly mood. She pressed her face into his neck, hands going up under his sweater.

"You're being a real clingy bitch tonight aren't ya?" She could hear the grin in his voice, so she didn't pull back, just smiled against his ruined skin.

"Shut the fuck up." She purred.

He chuckled and buried his gloveless hand into her blonde hair, closing a bunch of it in his fist and yanking her back by it. "Always such a mouth on you." He purred back. Her throat was exposed in this position, allowing him to drag his teeth along the soft skin, feeling her pulse under his lip. It was picking up, but not fast enough. So he put the tip of one of his knives to the skin of her thigh, trailing it up the length of it before flicking off carelessly and leaving a small nick in her skin.

Paulina hissed at the sharp pain. It was fleeting, but Paul glowered at him anyway. "I don't need you adding more scars."

Freddy's crooked grin grew wider. "Just couldn't help myself." He admired the thin crimson trail that traced the shape of her thigh. It was true enough that Paulina was already a canvas of scars, all varying in shape and size. He could see them now. She'd gone to bed in a pair of small shorts that hugged her ass and a tank top. It showed off plenty of skin, revealing a map of wounds she'd gotten at some point. No glove tonight either. She must have actually made it into bed.

His fingers traced the cuts he'd given her on her chest. He hadn't noticed before, but one of the long slashes went through another scar that looked suspiciously like a bullet wound right by her heart. She had a tattoo of a mask and roses there as well, the ink missing from the round scar and the slash he'd given her. Too bad.

He wanted to add more. They looked so good on her, but those thoughts brought them into his consciousness, taking over like an invasive species and devouring any of his own thoughts until all he heard were their voices. So he kept his knives playful and made sure not to cut too deep.

Paulina arched her back into him, pulling him closer at the same time. She always wanted him as close as possible. So clingy, so needy. Already She was pulling at him, trying to get him to move on, to touch her in places where it really counted.

Freddy hardly ever touched her this much. It probably should have made Paulina suspicious, but she was too busy focusing on the feel of his fingers tracing the nearly healed wounds on her chest. "What's taking you so long?" She said under her breath, thighs already beginning to tremble. He was hard against her, she could feel it. She needed him to do something with it.

Teasing her was by far his favorite thing to do. Paulina was not patient by nature, and seeing how far he could push her really seemed to light him up.

But he could never get her to beg.

"Giving you what you want so soon? Now why would I do that" his tongue traced along the tendon of her neck this time, drawing out a full body shudder from her. He had a plan for her. He just had to sincerely hope he had enough power to go through with it.

In the meantime he was having plenty of fun riling her up. He could smell how wet she was at that moment, the smell was thick and powerful. His dick twitched with interest when Freddy took in a deep inhale with his nose buried against her neck. The feeling of her pulse quickening had him grinning.

Her thighs tightened around his waist, pulling Freddy to her as close as he could get. The friction between them was like an electric shock. Freddy had to grit his teeth to stop himself from moaning. He didn't want her to know just how into it, he was. But he rolled his hips into her, the thin material of her shorts ensured she felt just how hard he was.

Paulina gasped and rolled her hips right back, fingers digging into his sweater, nose in his neck. He always smelled the same of course, like thick smoke and rust. It was starting to become her favorite smell.

Freddy reached between this with his non gloved hand to stroke teasingly at her slit over her shorts. Paul moaned and rolled her hips again, wanting more, wanting it harder. But her fingers were nearly feather light, just giving her a taste and really drawing this out. Paulina should have been on alert. He was usually so rough with her, but her thoughts were laser focused on how to get more of the feel of him against her. Her skin was practically on fire from how ready she was for him.

Freddy had other plans, however. He kept up the light strokes over her shorts, Paulina already gasping and panting in desperation. Her clit was throbbing with need and she was quickly soaking through her panties. He began nipping lightly at her neck, tongue laving over where his teeth had grazed her skin. She was hot to the touch, scorching almost.

"You ready for me?" Freddy asked with a grin that was all sharp teeth.

"Yes." She was breathless, trying to hold herself together and failing miserably.

"Well that's too damn bad."

Before Paulina could even ask "what?" She was hoisted into the air by a set of chains that had instantly appeared from nothing. She looked up into the steel grey sky to see what they were attached to, but found that they continued endlessly. Another set burst from the ground to wrap around her ankles and spread her legs. She was above him, his head coming to her waist, and he looked up at her with a smile so satisfied it set Paulina's nerves ablaze. She'd have kicked at him if she could, but the chains were taut. She couldn't move her legs. Her arms had a little more movement, but not enough to matter.

"What the hell is this Krueger?" She yelled down at him, pulling fruitlessly at the chains. Oh she was going to make him pay for this.

The sight had blood pounding in Freddy's ears. He let out a ripping cackle, reaching up with his clawed hand to carefully slip one of the knives into the band of her shorts. "Hope you have time to hang out for a while."

Paulina just screamed down at him. "Your jokes are lame!" She snapped, wishing she could rip herself out of her restraints.

Freddy kept cackling as his knives cut through her shorts and panties, freeing her from the garments and revealing her dripping slit. "Holy shit, you really like being all tied up, don't yeah." He ran a calloused finger along her slick pussy, flicking it off her clit.

She snarled down at him, the chains rattling as she struggled to get loose. It was all for show. She knew she wasn't getting out of there until he was done with her. And he was right, the restraint made her hotter, made her juices start to roll down the insides of her thighs. She'd be blushing if she had any shame, but she didn't, so she just scowled down at him.

"What's your game, Krueger?"

Freddy looked up, his green eyes wide. He was going for innocent, but didn't quite make the mark. "Game? There's no game." He ran another finger along her opening, causing her thighs the tremble at such light contact.

"The hell there isn't." She said through gritted teeth. Her hands were balled into tight fists, still pulling at the chains. Already there were red welts forming. So so stubborn.

Freddy clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and gave a shake of his head. He kept his finger sliding back and forth, spreading the slick all over her folds. He could hear her breathing picking up. Oh this was going to be so much fun. He could tell she was trying to hold her noises in, keep quiet and deny him. That shit wasn't going to last for long. He'd make sure of that.

Bringing the pads of his fingers to her clit, he started to slowly circle the pulsing bud of nerves. Above him Paulina's mouth fell open for a brief moment before she snapped it closed again, eyes screwed shut in determination. Her body gave her away though, thighs becoming flushed and starting to tremble, chest heaving as her breathing picked up, not to mention the rolling drops that languidly traveled down her thighs.

"You're in for a long night." Freddy purred, pulling his fingers away to grip both of her hips in his hands, thumbs digging in the plush flesh. She again said nothing. Not surprising, so Freddy leaned forward and ran his tongue through her folds, flicking her clit with the tip then repeating his actions.

This got the smallest of gasps from her and the chains clinked minutely as she strained. Her folds were soft and burning hot. Freddy could get lost in them forever. Not that he would ever tell her that. He pushed his tongue forward and into her, enveloping her clit with his mouth.

Paulina's every nerve felt like they were on fire already. His touches had been feather light and playful at first, and she knew it just meant there was way more to come down the road, and he was just putting her on edge as much as he could before the real fun started. When his tongue pressed against her clit she wanted to slam her thighs around his head, keep him there as long as possible. She only had enough movement to hurt her ankles on the chain.

His tongue would press and flick her clit, then go back to lapping at her opening, occasionally delving into her pussy to squirm around. Paulina couldn't stop every little gasp from escaping her. It felt so good.

Paulina didn't like to think about it too much, about how she liked the control taken from her, how him just taking it from her really got her off. Feeling powerless here, unable to do anything about the situation, had her panting and shaking. The fight was partly for show, not wanting to reveal how much this did for her, but it was also part of the fun. It was like a form of play between them, pushing the power boundaries between them. She could tell Freddy enjoyed the challenge, having someone as stubborn and fiery as he was.

Freddy's lips closed around her clit and he sucked, making Paulina gasp loudly. Her body ached to move, to push into him and wrap her legs over his shoulders. She clenched her teeth and swallowed a whine when his lips released her sensitive bud so that his tongue could slip back into her opening. He was really drawing this out, not even letting her start to climb that hill, just teasing her and teasing her.

Then his eyes darted up at her and he grinned with his tongue still in her. Uh oh.

Paulina let out a whoop of a breath as she felt that tongue start to get longer, squirming deeper inside of her. She squeezed her eyes shut, her breath coming out in short pants. He curled the appendage inside of her almost experimentally, then pulled it out and slammed it back in. This ripped a cry from her chest. Holy shit.

Freddy started thrusting his tongue in and out of her. He'd slip it all the way put, making sure it slid along her clit, then thrust it back in, assaulting her insides.

Now she started to build up towards something. Hest was coiling in her navel and her toes curled from the absolute onslaught of pleasure. She knew what was going to happen though, could practically taste it on her tongue. She wanted to fight it, to resist, to prevent herself from even getting close so that she wouldn't have to experience the crash.

But who was she kidding? That was part of the fun.

Freddy could feel her walls twitching and tasted her orgasm in the juices he was lapping up. He pulled his hands away from her hips to rest behind her knees. Then he stroked the tips of his fingers and the end of his knives up along the back.of her thighs, keeping his touch light, barely ghosting over her flesh. The meat of her thighs twitched at the attention and he felt her walls clench tighter around his tongue. His hands finally rested on the swell of her ass, pressing her into his face.

She was almost there. Her breathing picked up considerably, chest heaving as she tried to fight what was happening. But she couldn't and by now he knew her way too well, no matter how many noises she tried to quiet or how still she stayed, he knew exactly where her edge was.

He brought her right there, tongue stroking in and out, saliva and her juices dripping in thick rivulets. When he felt she was about to reach her peak he pulled back suddenly, tongue shrinking to normal size and mouth away from her clit.

Paulina groaned at the loss of contact. She knew it was coming, but it made it no less devastating. "Not this again, Krueger. Don't you have any new tricks?"

Freddy chuckled, his hands gripping the front of her thighs. "Sure, but I just love watching you squirm so much. Besides," he kissed her carefully shaved mound, "I'm going to get you to beg."

So that's what this was about. Whatever, Paulina always welcomed a challenge. "Bring it on." She growled.

Oh he would. Freddy smiled up at her with sharp teeth, then his lips were on her clit again and he was sucking it, his tongue occasionally darting out to circle the throbbing bud.

Her hips jerked as the pleasure built up again. Coiling tighter and tighter in her stomach until fire lapped just under her skin. It wasn't going to take long, at the rate he was going, flicking his tongue off her clit and then sucking at it again. He was done taking it slow with her. He'd bring her to each edge with deadly precision.

Paul bit her lip hard enough that it started to bleed, the taste of blood doing little to distract her from the assault on her throbbing clit, vaginal walls clenching around nothing. Moans were swallowed down, but gasps and pants were harder for her to hide. Even if she was as quiet as the grave Freddy would know exactly when to stop. He'd gotten so good at reading her body, knowing just how it twitched and moved against her will. He knew how her gasps sounded as she got closer. It was like she was trying to gasp for air while she drowned in her own pleasure.

She was starting to do that now, sucking in air and letting it out in a small puff as she tried to stifle it and failed. Her hips twitched forward into his mouth, seeking more friction. That's when he pulled away again.

Body going limp, Paulina panted for air. No problem. She'd gone longer. Third time's the charm, bitch. Would he stop at 3? She doubted it. He'd said he was going to get her to beg, and she definitely wasn't going to beg after 3 measly edges. She wasn't that weak. Paulina opened her eyes just a little. She could see Freddy was rock hard in his pants. He hadn't even bothered to free himself. She had to admit that was pretty impressive. She'd easily have been three fingers deep by now, but he was holding off.

"You are stubborn." He was purring at her, being sweet, too sweet. "But I knew that huh? I think that's why I like you so much."

The words bounced around like racket balls in Paulina's head, then his tongue was back, unnaturally long and slithering into her. It set and even more punishing pace than before, fucking her harshly as it writhed inside. This actually drew a cry from Paul and she threw her head back, thighs clenching almost painfully. She wanted them on his shoulders. The lack of contact was almost the worst part. All she could feel was the cold steel of his knives resting on the swell of her ass, and the burning heat of his hand on her thigh.

The tongue was gone almost as quickly as it got there. Another edge, and this one had been super close too.

Fingers this time. First two, and then 3, thrusting in and out of her with the heel of his palm slapping her clit. Paulina's toes curled at the rough handling of her opening. She craved his cock instead. The sounds being made were obscene and only made it harder to hold back. A moan made its way past her lips and Paulina was finding it hard to care. Fingers were yanked away almost too late and definitely too soon. Holy shit it was getting harder, not easier.

Paulina's entire body was beginning to tremble. Come one that was only 4, get your shit together. Paulina glared down at Freddy, keeping up the bravado.

Freddy had to admit he was getting more and more impressed with each edge he brought her too. He brought his mouth to her clit and shoved his fingers back inside her opening, sucking as he curled his fingers against her G-spot relentlessly. He could feel his cock throb and begin to leak pre in thick dribbles, but he held off on touching himself. He wanted this to last as long as it needed too and didn't want the need for his own orgasm to cloud his thoughts.

She got close again and he pulled back. She let out the breath she'd been holding and went limp once more in the chains. A few moments, just enough to let her come down a little, then he was back to licking at her. Paulina really seemed to like the way he ate her out. As much as she tried to hide it, she always lost herself more when he used his tongue.

He was beginning to lose track now, finding himself focusing on every gasp and moan she made. Her skin was flushed such a deep shade of pink that he had to pull back and admire it for a few moments. Truly stunning.

Paulina was trying to catch her breath. She had definitely talked a bigger game than perhaps what she was willing to play, but she wasn't about to give up yet. They were up to what…8? 9? Edges. She didn't think she'd be able to walk when she got up. Her muscles were beginning to feel weak. The hot, wet tongue slid through her folds and she had to resist the urge to scream. Her clit was damn near tender at this point.

"What'd you forget how to use that dick of yours?" Her fucking words were slurred together. How embarrassing. He edged her again and she wanted to scream. Were they in the double digits now? Hot pussy juice and saliva ran rivers down her thighs. Would it get to a point where she just wouldn't cum when he finally let her…but for him to let her she had to beg him…what did he count as begging anyway? A simple please? She doubted that.

He laughed at her, "seems like it'd be too much of a reward for a slut like you." His finger curled languidly inside of her for the umpteenth time. "I think you'd cum on any scrap I gave you. Maybe even…"

He drew his glove off of her ass and brought it to her front. Paulina's eyes flew open at the feeling of the cold steel against her scorching folds. He'd pressed the backs of his pointer and middle finger knives against her, gently squeezing her clit between the two blades.

Paulina's heart pounded. She was no stranger to the glove, normally paid it little mind in fact, but he'd never brought it so close to her pussy before. Did she trust him this much? He'd never hurt her too seriously in the past. A nick here, a scratch there. Nothing deeper than superficial. Now, with the blades pressed to her most sensitive body part, they were giving her slightly more pause. Her body didn't seem to mind though. Hot and throbbing just as much as before. Her priorities were perhaps a little fucked…

She held still, not wanting to make a wrong move, but was desperate for more, for anything.

Freddy cooed at her. "You sure are beautiful like this." He circled her clit with his tongue, dragged it up her mound and to her navel. The hot saliva leaving a trail. Paulina's head rolled back and she groaned. His tongue would be the end of her.

Until she remembered the knives. He was dragging them back towards himself, along her folds, being careful that they did not catch on any flesh, then brought them back, only this time it was the knuckles of his glove he pressed to her clit, copper glinting dully in the moonlight. His other hand stroked her flushed thigh languidly.

"I bet you'd ride my glove just to get off like a desperate slut." He growled against her stomach, licking her again. He couldn't get enough of the taste of her. He started to rub her clit with his copper covered knuckles, keeping the backs of the blades carefully pressed to her pussy lips.

Again he felt her get close. He pulled back a little early, then brought the blades back to her clit and stroked her with them until her entire body was shaking.

Uh oh. Paulina clenched her teeth around what felt like a sob. He'd teased an edge, gave her some relief, and now was assaulting her with those blades again. She was getting so close to another, a big one. She felt heat flood her cheeks at the idea of her getting off on practically riding the blades of his glove, but she couldn't help it.

Soon she was right there. So close. Any second he would pull away…

Only he didn't, at least not at first. He brought her right there, then let her go over. The sob escaped her. She didn't know if he timed it poorly or if she was just too exhausted for him to read her.

She was riding that high, then he whipped his hand away and her eyes flew open, her mouth opened to scream. He'd ruined it! He'd ruined her orgasm. This was a new fucking low. She glared down at him, hands balling into fists as she desperately fought to urge to let tears slip down her face.

"Oohhh what? You really thought I'd let you get by without begging first?" He smirked, blades back and somehow still cold to the touch. "I told you how this was going to go." He growled.

Blades went back to stroking. By now her clit was in near agony with need for release. She could practically feel her pulse in it. He was gently as he stroked her with his knives, and she was being pulled along against her will, toes curling and skin on fire.

The pleasure coiled so tightly in her belly, and to her horror the tears spilled over with a groan. She was panting again, chest heaving, flushed a deep pink. Her breaststroke had been so neglected. She wanted his hands squeezing them as he finally fucked her.

She was right there, moaning openly now with her head thrown back. Her walls clenched around the vast emptiness. Oh shit, oh shit. She couldn't…she couldn't! Not again!

"PLEASE!" She screamed it down at him with eyes squeezed shut, tears pouring down her face at the defeat. "FUCK, PLEASE FREDDY. PLEASE LET ME CUM."

The blades were pulled away and she screamed again, her throat feeling raw. She was about to rain curses down at him with the chains fell away and she dropped, his arms catching her.

She got to cling to him for just a moment before he slammed her to the ground, gloveless hand going to her throat. Somehow he'd gotten his pants undone in a matter of seconds, because he slammed his pulsing cock into her in one harsh thrust. Finally! Fucking finally!

Paulina's legs wrapped around his waist, her hands balling into fists in his sweater. "Fuck me, please." She sobbed.

He didn't say anything for once and did just that. He curled over her, letting her wrap her arms around his shoulders, getting as close as she could. Then he kissed her, ruined lips prying hers open so that he could slide his tongue into her mouth while his hips slapped against her at a bruising pace.

Those pleas resonated through Freddy's body in aftershock waves. He couldn't get her down fast enough to push inside her. He'd been close to his breaking point as well, trying to resist her was harder than. He had thought at first, and the relief was immense when she broke down first.

The bliss of finally being buried as deep into her as he could get threatened to swallow him whole. Later he'd be disconcerted by this fact. He didn't like what she did to him, but for now he simply focused on the noises she was making and how hot and slick she felt. It all nearly boiled over, so Freddy shoved his tongue into her mouth to stifle whatever it was.

She gasped against his mouth and let him in just as easily as she opened her legs for him. He lapped up the taste of her, a groan of his own pushed out with a particularly harsh thrust of his hips.

He'd never understand why she was so clingy, arms and legs now wrapped around him to pull him as close as he'd allow her. Was it the contact? Or maybe it had something to do with how small she was. Freddy was almost a foot taller than her. Maybe she liked the reminder.

Paulina was gripping him tighter now, pulling her mouth away from his so that she could suck in more panting breath.

"Cum for me." He growled into her neck. His blades dug into the grass above her head, his other hand balling into a fist, ripping the vegetation up.

Paulina did just that. As soon as the words left his mouth she was practically screaming with relief, throwing her head back and arching her body off the ground with the force of her orgasm. Her inner walls clamped around his still thrusting cock and her juices squirted out to stain his thighs.

Freddy didn't slow down, but it wasn't more than a few more strokes before he pushed in as deeply as he could go and spilled himself into her. He groaned with relief, finally emptying his balls into a limp Paulina. The sound of her begging still pulsing in his hand. Delicious, it was so delicious.

He collapsed on top of her, and for a long time they didn't say anything to each other. Paulina was all too happy to have his weight on her, keeping her fists entangled in his sweater.

Then he pulled back, taking in her tear stained and flushed face. She looked completely wrecked, eyes still watery as she looked back at him with as much resolve as she could muster.

He grinned at her. "You're fucked now."

Paulina smiled back at him, all teeth that started to look a little too sharp. "No, you are."

[phantomtwitch]

Okay, well, @paenling I wrote a fic. Has not been super edited at this point, but here you go!

They did not talk about the portal accident.

It was the first and most important rule for members of Team Phantom. When Jazz became a member, she assumed it was because it was impolite to discuss the moment a ghost died, that of course Danny wouldn’t want to be reminded of the most traumatic moment of his life, and Sam and Tucker ran with it. They spread the rumor even as the ghosts themselves found it puzzling, their deaths not always such a tragic or traumatic event that it should never be spoken about, but the humans were just so very odd and very committed to it and it didn’t matter enough to question it.

But Tucker knew the truth. The ghost that came out of the portal was so unlike the Phantom they knew now, the shining, starry eyed superhero that Paulina built a shrine to in her locker, that the press adored for his quick wit, and that the town now loved because of the safety and protection he provided as he tirelessly saved them day after day. It was this Phantom that his classmates adored and talked to as if he were nothing more than an ordinary teenager that just glowed a little bit, that treated him like a friend and invited him to their dances and football games and parties. He and Sam were sure the way Danny looked immediately after the accident was nothing more than a one time thing. Danny explained that for most ghosts, their form was based on self-perception, how they thought they ought to be whether on a conscious or unconscious level, and that he was so terrified and afraid of being the monster his parents believed him to be that it wasn’t surprising that the creature that came out of the portal was all twisted with sharp teeth and claws as green electricity arced down his spine, whose very existence made Tucker’s brain scream that he should run.

“Good,” said Tucker after Danny finished.

“Good?”

“I’m glad that you don’t see yourself that way anymore,” explained Tucker. “You’re not a monster, Danny.”

His friend smiled at him, his teeth a little sharper than he remembered, but he shook it off, assuming his mind was playing tricks on him. “Of course not, Tuck.” 

Tucker never wanted Danny to think of himself in that way again. Neither did Sam. So they refused to speak about it, to bring it up, to ever let the idea creep into Danny’s head and influence him. And little by little, as the public’s perception of him changed, Danny’s ghost form continued to reflect it. He looked more human every day, more confident, and more like the superheroes from the comics they used to read on the floor of Danny’s room as kids. As the months passed there was a moment when Tucker began to forget, to wonder if what he saw when Danny first stepped out of the portal that day was nothing more than a nightmare.

But then there were little moments when it began to slip, the cracks appearing like spider webs across a layer of ice beneath their feet. 

Tucker saw it happen for the first time in a fight against Skulker when he and Danny were patrolling by themselves since Sam was home sick. Skulker finally upgraded his operating system and actually did a little bit to protect his wireless network, and while Tucker knew he’d hack into it eventually, it was taking longer than usual. He could see Danny getting frustrated as he threw another punch, sending Skulker spiraling down the street. “Any day now, Tuck!” he shouted as he prepared to fire an ecto blast. 

“Ha! I’ve gotten some upgrades, whelp. That little trick won’t work this time!” Skulker roared back, firing off a missile, and although he was clearly aiming for Phantom the shot went a little wide, and suddenly Tucker found himself staring down his own demise, freezing in place instead of running or ducking or doing literally anything to avoid it.

And then the world twisted, wrenching itself around him, the air shockingly cold and biting and filled with a static that buzzed against his skin as his brain screamed at him to run while something stretched in front of him, both human and not as it easily stopped the missile with its clawed hand. Green lightning crackled down the spine of the ghost as Tucker stepped back to avoid getting shocked, his hair standing on end and his brain screaming at him to get as far away as possible. 

“How dare you,” the ghost hissed, and in the looping echoes that layered upon the words Tucker finally realized that this was Danny, his white sclera gone as his eyes were swallowed in green light, his skin ashen, and he smiled viciously at Skulker with a mouth that was full of too many teeth. Lightning arced up his hands as Tucker blinked and Danny disappeared, emerging in front of Skulker and smashing his claws through his suit, tearing him apart with a vicious glee that was so unlike Danny as Skulker cried out in alarm. 

His hand pulled out the blob ghost, claws digging in as Skulker screeched and Tucker slammed his hands over his ears, curling in on himself at the awful screaming. “Danny, stop!” he shouted even as he knew he should run, and the oppressive atmosphere vanished, the static and electricity gone, and as he looked back up he saw Danny shaking but thankfully back to normal. He sucked up Skulker into the thermos and stood there for a minute in silence, no doubt thinking Tucker hated him or worse, and then he turned, his eyes and face the ones that Tucker remembered, of Phantom the hero rather than whatever thing he briefly turned into a moment ago. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine.” Tucker winced. Anything else would’ve been preferable to an ‘I’m fine’ from Danny. Fine was bad. Fine was Danny refusing to speak about it, to try to fix whatever problem bothered him until it turned into a much bigger, messier thing. 

Tucker wouldn’t let him drop it that easily. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t–I don’t–”

“--you’re not a monster, Danny,” said Tucker, putting a hand on his shoulder, and even now Danny felt even colder than usual. A side effect, maybe, from whatever just happened? “It’s okay. Maybe it’s like, um, when you get super freaked out or something. Like after your accident, or when, um . . .”

“When I thought you were going to die?” he whispered. “I’m sorry, Tucker. That you–it won’t happen again.”

Tucker wished he could believe that. “Maybe we should call it a night, huh?” he said, chuckling uneasily, and Danny smiled at him even as Tucker discreetly sent Sam a text letting her know they needed to talk. 

She agreed with him about why it probably happened, too. “We need to be more careful,” she insisted. “We can’t let him lose himself like that again.” 

“Yeah, definitely not. It was . . . I’ve never really been scared of him before, Sam, but this? We’re lucky no one else saw it,” he said. “They’d never understand. His parents would strap him to a lab table and his fans would applaud them while they did it.”

They weren’t lucky the second time. 

It was a month later when the three of them were at the Nasty Burger. His ghost sense went off, and he saw Danny sigh as he put down his burger and rush off to the bathroom. Behind the counter, Val mumbled some feeble excuse to the customer she was ringing up before running off, too, to a door leading out back marked ‘Employees Only.’

Outside a storm appeared in an otherwise sunny, clear sky and Tucker and Sam shared a look. Vortex. Danny barely defeated the ancient ghost the first time. He shouldn’t even be free right now, and yet they saw him appear in a thundering tornado, roaring with laughter as the Red Huntress and Phantom flew towards the threat. 

In any rational world, the people in the Nasty Burger would flee, but right now it was full of his classmates, having come over for a celebratory lunch after the basketball game this afternoon, and none of them had the appropriate amount of fear a sane person would when it came to the ghost attacks. “Kick his ass, Phantom!” shouted one of the players as the others whooped and cheered. 

“Unbelievable,” groaned Sam, rolling her eyes. 

“I know, right?” he hissed. “They should go.”

“Not that. Wes,” she said, jerking her head at the boy who held his phone up, scowling as he recorded the fight. None of them held any fondness for him, his obsession with Danny annoying and borderline dangerous, even as Danny continued to shrug it off, sometimes going as far as deliberately antagonizing him. Nothing good ever came of Wes being at one of Phantom’s battles. 

Tucker opened his mouth when suddenly there was a sickening crunch outside as Val hit the pavement hard. The Nasty Burger went silent, staring at her crumpled form as Tucker and Sam shared a look before jumping to their feet and running out the door to check on her. Neither one of them noticed it at first as they knelt down beside her, Sam pulling her first aid supplies out of her backpack with practiced ease. “Val?” said Tucker, desperately hoping for an answer but not expecting one, and he almost sobbed when she spoke. 

“Fuck,” she cursed. “Is my helmet . . .?”

“No, uh, we just kind of know,” he said quickly. “Sorry. Can you walk or–”

“--what the hell is that?” He turned his head to follow her gaze but didn’t need to as goosebumps erupted all over his arms, the hairs standing on end as static filled the air and the rain slowed down to a crawl as reality seemed to warp around them. In the sky above he saw the distorted figure, the lightning arcing around Phantom as his skin appeared ashen, almost burnt in the storm. A swirling ectoblast, so unlike the near perfect spheres he usually made, formed into a wobbling and distorted starburst around Phantom’s palm, almost as if it were fighting against remaining in shape and in place. 

“We need to get inside,” said Tucker as he threw her arm around his shoulder, but Val couldn’t walk, her leg broken, and it bent unnaturally beneath her as they collapsed back onto the ground. Tucker swore, wondering how they would get her inside when a couple of the basketball players were suddenly there beside them, helping to carry her in as carefully and quickly as possible as the blast Phantom unleashed at Vortex distorted the air around them. It felt so sharp and cold and painful to breathe, as if the world were burning with ectoplasmic fire, and even inside the Nasty Burger it wasn’t much better as the battle continued outside. 

“What happened to Phantom?” whispered Kwan. 

“I’ve seen it before,” said Sam quickly. “It happens when he’s in a heightened emotional state and like super worried or scared for someone. He goes kind of . . . feral, I guess? Like his obsession to protect goes into overdrive and he can’t help himself. He’ll be back to normal once the fight is over.”

They hoped he would, anyway. And what Sam said was true. It only happened to Danny when he was upset or scared, and while he hadn’t made the connection to Danny’s obsession with protection, Sam’s words rang true to him. 

“That sounds like bullshit. That’s–there’s nothing good about that,” insisted Wes as he continued to film. “Look at that thing.”

The disgust and horror in his voice was evident, but it wasn’t Tucker or Sam who reacted first. It was Kwan, who snatched his phone and snapped at him. “Shut up, Wes! Phantom’s a hero! He’s always been a hero! I don’t care about your stupid little conspiracies or weird grudge against Phantom most of the time, but he’s out there fighting to save us right now. He only ended up this way because she got hurt.” He pointed an accusatory finger at Valerie, who seemed to shrivel up in their arms, no doubt feeling guilty about what happened. She and Phantom had managed to keep up a truce for over three months now, the two of them currently awkward allies rather than enemies, and he worried that after this she would go right back to shooting him. But maybe that wouldn’t happen after all, judging from her reaction now. “If Manson says he’ll be back to normal soon, then he’ll be back to normal soon.”

The room fell silent as they looked back outside, the electricity building and growing around Phantom, dancing in dangerous arcs that sparked downward to the ground below, smashing the pavement in the parking lot to bits. If they hadn’t gotten Val out of there . . . Tucker didn’t want to think about what might have happened. No doubt Danny would beat himself up over it enough for both of them later. 

He saw Phantom’s mouth suddenly open wide, splitting into an imperfect, jagged circle as a shriek tore through the air. It wasn’t like his normal ghostly wail, which was horrifying in its own right but mostly just unsettling in the way any scream might be. This was different. It layered on itself, overlapping with screaming and hissing and static that sounded like someone dying on a loop, shattering the windows and door of the Nasty Burger even as it was directed at Vortex. Tucker closed his eyes and covered his head, wishing he could cover his ears but worried about the debris falling around them as lights exploded and popped, and then sudden, blissful silence filled the air even as the wail continued to echo within his own skull. 

He was the first to look up as Phantom sucked up Vortex, his form slowly shifting and coalescing back into something heroic and familiar and human. Danny flew down to the Nasty Burger, his expression blank as he surveyed the damage. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly after a moment. “Is she–is everyone okay?”

“We’re okay,” said Kwan immediately as he got back to his feet. “What about you? Manson explained–she said that you turn into that–that when you’re scared or something.”

“Or something,” he whispered, the words barely audible as he shared a long look with Sam and Tucker before vanishing, and Danny never came back for his burger that day. When they talked to him later, the only thing he would say was that he was sorry and that he was fine. 

The footage Wes took ended up on the news, but so did the explanation Sam gave. They told people not to be alarmed if they saw it, but that they should try to get to safety. Danny’s parents were furious, screaming about how no one would take such a horrifying ghostly threat seriously even after Phantom finally showed his ‘true colors.’ 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” asked Tucker as he sat at Danny’s table eating pizza with him, his parents having finally retreated to the lab after a long, awful rant about Phantom. No doubt it couldn’t be good for Danny to keep hearing it. He and Sam had spent so long being so careful about what they said around Danny so as to not subconsciously influence his appearance as Phantom that they failed to account for his parents, who no doubt filled his head with their nonsense every day. No wonder his form shifted when he was too anxious or stressed.

“What if they’re right?” said Danny, and Tucker blinked, having expected another ‘I’m fine.’

“About you? Absolutely not,” insisted Tucker. “You help people. Phantom’s a hero, and not just because he looks like one.”

“Would you say that if . . .” he began, but he trailed off as he put his pizza back down on his plate and sighed. 

“If what?”" he pressed, but then the front door clicked open as Jazz came home and Danny shook his head.

"Never mind."

It began to happen more often after the fight at the Nasty Burger. Whether the fights were getting more dangerous or triggering something with Danny’s obsession, Tucker wasn’t entirely sure. Sometimes the moment that caused the shift was obvious - a near miss from an ectoblast or weapon directed at a bystander, or worse, an actual injury like Val’s (she ended up with a broken leg and a few broken ribs after that fight, both which she healed from supernaturally fast). But there were times when he couldn’t figure out what caused it, when it seemed like nothing but Danny growing frustrated or exhausted from the fight. The other form was by far more powerful than his ordinary one. He could see why it might be tempting to use it, if Danny found a way to control the change. And so far, at least, most people remained sympathetic and understanding. Phantom was a hero, after all, just as Tucker repeatedly insisted whenever he talked to Danny.

Tucker thought he would grow accustomed to the new ghost form over time, but if anything, it felt worse, growing like a cancerous tumor in his gut. The shift seemed to damage the universe around it, forcing the Earth to follow the rules of an unearthly, unending realm, full of cold and too sharp edges and teeth. His instincts never stopped screaming at him to run, to flee from the predator in his midst, and there were moments when he found himself thinking of Danny as less of a he or a person than an it and a supernatural force, of something ever present but wrong, wrong, wrong in every way.

Sam and Jazz were worried about Danny. They all were. But they didn’t know how to fix it, how to help him find himself and stop what seemed like a gradual shift into becoming the exact kind of monstrosity his parents claimed Phantom truly was beneath the surface. 

And then came the fight against Spectra and Bertrand, when the cracks finally spread too far and the ice beneath their feet shattered. 

He wasn’t surprised when Bertrand managed to catch Sam off guard in the struggle, or when he felt the hairs on his arms stand on end again as the atmosphere shifted. Tucker expected the change to come when Danny saw his friend threatened, Bertrand’s sharp claws inches from her throat as he tried to get Danny to stand down while Spectra wobbled on her last leg. Lightning crackled around them, the too sharp teeth shining impossibly white in the dark, as his claws extended and his skin became ashen, eyes glowing too bright. 

“How lovely,” said Spectra, grinning at him with her own set of too sharp  teeth. “Finally decided to stop pretending?”

“Pretending?” hissed Sam as she carefully maneuvered her wrist, trying to aim a shot at Bertrand while Tucker and Danny anxiously waited, though in Danny’s case it felt more like a predator in a crouch, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. 

“Being a hero,” she said. “I tried so hard to get poor little Danny to drop the act, to stop pretending to be some little superhero when we first met. It would be adorable if it wasn’t so pathetic.” She spat out the last word like a curse as Sam fired, her wrist ray hitting Bertrand in the leg and causing him to flinch just enough that she could twist free, and Tucker grabbed her hand as they ran, the lightning already sparking around them as Danny attacked. 

The fight was brutal and quick, his claws tearing at Spectra with a ferocity that made her laugh even as she screamed, and Tucker shivered as he clenched Sam’s hand a little too tightly. He counted the seconds, trying to focus on anything but the urge to cry, to run, to hide and get away from this fight between things his brain could barely comprehend, and after one hundred thirty nine seconds the sharp, burning cold vanished. 

“You okay?” he asked Sam, feeling her hands still shaking in his, and she nodded uneasily as they turned together to look at Danny, who looked like himself again once more as he stood staring at the thermos in his hands. “She was just trying to get in your head,” he said to Danny, but he didn’t look at them. 

“I need to tell you something,” he said as they came to stand beside him. “Spectra was right.”

“What?”

“It’s getting harder and harder not to slip up,” he said, his voice so soft it was hard to hear the words beneath the faint echo and static that always accompanied his speech when he was Phantom. “But I knew how much it scared you. I spent weeks after the accident trying to–to hide it. To figure out a way to pretend. But it’s getting harder now. I’m just so tired and scared and the more I slip up, the harder it is to put the mask back on.”

“Danny?” He wished he didn’t sound so scared as he said his name, but Tucker couldn’t help it. He was scared. He didn’t want to hear this. He didn’t want to know this. 

“This is–it’s a lie,” he said, gesturing at himself as he chuckled bitterly. “Phantom, the superhero stuff, it’s not–it’s not what I am. Not really. It takes so much effort when I’m in ghost form to hide it. I’m spending close to half my power on it now and I still . . . I’m sorry. I really, really wanted to keep it going, to just not–I didn’t want to be a ghost.”

And he heard the unspoken admission there, the truth of it in that statement: Danny didn’t want to be dead. He didn’t want them to know that as much as he was alive, he was also dead. That this wasn’t some comic book, superhero fantasy world, no matter how much they ran around like it was, like Tucker and Sam were sidekicks as he saved the day. 

The terror and dread that filled him, the overwhelming sense of something wrong that pinged against his nerves, was death. Grief. Loss. A profound denial of Danny’s reality, of their reality, and in that moment, Tucker realized how badly he and Sam and Jazz failed Danny. They should have realized it sooner. They should have known. They shouldn’t have let him carry this weight by himself, should have pushed harder when he gave them a half-hearted ‘I’m fine’ or tried to joke to cover up his fears.

“I don’t know if I can keep doing this for much longer, and when that happens, I . . . I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he admitted, and then Tucker and Sam threw their arms around him, hugging him tightly. 

“I’m so sorry, Danny,” Sam whispered. “It’s okay if you’re not–you don’t have to be a superhero for us. You can just be you.”

“But–”

“No buts,” said Tucker. “We’re your best friends, Danny. No matter what, we’ll be here for you. Promise.”

i headcanon that like, 90% of the time, Phantom is The Town Hero™️, nice smooth edges, very consistently human-like and teenager-shaped with a bright voice and five-star smile (e.g. mostly-canon appearance). you can barely tell he’s even a ghost, really! and he absolutely does it on purpose, even if he doesn’t realize it at first. but his PR is finally good, he’s got to be as nonthreatening as possible if he wants to keep it that way. hence the dress code.

but when his emotions run high and things get serious, i think Danny loses a little control over the shape of his ghost form; his teeth get longer and sharper, and were his fingers always claws? and the temperature drops and static electricity makes all your hair stand on end and you know you’re in Danger. Phantom doesn’t have actual hackles to raise, but there’s green lightning crackling down the ridge of his spine and it can’t be anything but a threat.

whenever he gets like that it’s always temporary, and people assume that “the stress made that sweet Phantom get a little scary but he’ll be back to normal soon” as opposed to “the stress made Phantom stop pretending that he isn’t always that scary”

[painted-fanbird]

Yesterday @lilianade-comics posted a compilation of Good Dad Vlad and Dani art, so now I’m here to inflict my own Good Dad Vlad and Dani (+ others) thoughts on y’all >:3

- Daddy’s Little Girl, obviously lol. Dani is acutely aware of this and will use it to her advantage to occasionally get what she wants from him. Like ice cream for dinner, or a later curfew, or idk a giant stuffed animal. Fun stuff lol

- Girly Jock!Dani. Vlad is both insanely supportive and incredibly cringe about anything Dani likes to do lol. Which turns out to be sports, mostly cheerleading and horseback riding imo. The cheerleading is the worst, because Vlad is also a football guy XD

- Also somewhat into makeup and fashion, and Vlad will be buying her whatever she asks for

- Vlad also did buy her a horse. Works out though because she actually likes riding lol.

- Everyone thinks Dani got her slightly Feral personality from her dad. She didn’t, she’s just Like That, but she did get Vlad’s ability to scheme. Which is a dangerous combination if you ask me XD

- When Vlad becomes mayor, Dani ends up hanging out with the A-listers, because they run into the same social circle.

- She basically gets adopted as a little sister by Dash, (who’s a stealth favorite of mine since reading Upright and Reversed Deaths by @ectopal , his home life in that fic is canon in my heart <3) who’s not examining why he loves her so much, but he does. He stops wailing on Danny too, it makes Dani sad :(

- Hangs out with Paulina and her friends too, they like to do girly stuff together and Dani also infuses them with Good Character Development lol.

- Rip this girl’s daring life when she gets older though XD

- Uncle Skulker!! Vlad hired Skulker to watch her once when he went on a trip he couldn’t take her on, figuring he could pay Skulker enough, and that Skulker had enough self-preservation instincts, to keep her safe.

- Turns out they get along like, really well. He teaches her to hunt, she takes him out for ice cream, they gossip, they’ve got a fun thing going for them.

- Skulker does also take Dani on hunts with him, and what happens on the hunt stays on the hunt. Dani gets hurt? No she didn’t. That scrape is from cheer practice. Or a knife incident. Don’t worry about it, Dad, I’m okay.

- This does lead to a fun thought there where Dani gets so hurt on a hunt she can’t hide it from Vlad. Either because she shows up back home covered in blood/ectoplasm, or she just doesn’t recover fast enough to hide it >:3

- She’s also friends with Johnny and Kitty. Vlad likes them… less, but Dani adores her bad influence big brother and his GF so they can stay. For now.

- Speaking of big brothers, Danny still loves Dani in this AU. It’s the one thing him and Vlad can agree on. Dani must be protected at all costs <3

- He even donates mid-morph DNA at some point to help stabilize her once Vlad proves he won’t discard her on a whim.

- Danny is having a crisis over the fact thought Dani is friends with some of his enemies though. Especially Skulker. “What do you MEAN Uncle Skulker??” He asks. Skulker, for his part, is less than enthused that Danny knows that him and Dani hang out lol.

- Circling back to “must be protected at all costs” this does open up a very fun thought where Dani, fed up with getting left out of all the ghost fighting fun, goes out and picks a fight with a ghost without her dad or Danny knowing. She just,, maybe bit off more than she could chew and gets wrecked in the process. She gives Vlad quite the scare, nearly dying, and there’s some fun character development for Vlad in there too. Something to the tune of realizing that stifling Dani is only going to hurt her more. Because we like Vlad getting character development in this house <3

[princess-of-the-corner]

Chloe: "You're friends with how many people who tried to kill you?" Danny: "Frankly, I'm not sure I have friends that didn't try to kill me."

Danny: "Well Sam and Tucker did, in fact, kill me."

Sam: "Half-killed you!"

Tucker: "And we said we were sorry!"

Danny: "Since I didn't tell my parents, the Ghost Hunters, what I was...."

Maddie: "Again, sorry."

Jack: "Really regretting some talks at the dinner table."

Danny: "Jazz was in the same boat even if she's less trigger happy. Though she did shoot me a few times after she found out...."

Jazz: "That was sibling roughhousing and I am not apologizing."

Danny: "Vlad swings between murder and adoption so fast I have whiplash."

Vlad: "I was not the most stable person...."

Danny: "Valerie tried to kill me because she thought I ruined her life."

Valerie: "Yeah, but which one of us knowingly dated the person trying to kill them?? Also I didn't know you could 'Death 2: The Legend of Curly's Gold' a Ghost!"

Danny: "Elle helped Vlad try to kill me."

Elle: "I my defense, I was two months old and Vlad was a bad influence."

Danny: "I met Clockwork because he was trying to kill me."

Clockwork: "For the good of the Timeline, you needed to change or die."

Danny: "Frostbite did try to attack me the first time."

Frostbite: "Forgive me, I was injured and not in the right mind."

Danny: "Johnny and Kitty mostly try to get each other to kill me."

Johnny: "Hey that was Kitty's fault!"

Kitty: "Which one of us-"

Johnny: "Hush!"

Danny: "Sidney thought I was a bully and decided to steal my life, literally!"

Sidney: "And along the way I learned a lesson about jumping to conclusions!"

Danny: "Ember at least attempted to distract me with a love spell before trying to kill me."

Ember: "You're welcome!"

Danny: "Skulker is still trying to kill me."

Skulker: "I have an empty spot on my trophy wall reserved for you!"

Danny: "Wulf was hunting me down for Walker, but I don't blame him."

Wulf: "Pardonu!"

Danny: "Speaking of, Walker would still be trying to imprison me in the Ghost Zone if he didn't find out we're family. Also I apparently outrank him? Not sure what that's about."

Walker: "Don't push your luck, punk."

Danny: "Dora tried to kill me twice but she's real sweet."

Dora: "You helped me defeat my brother so I will not hold old grudges."

Danny: "Star, Paulina, Dash and Kwan are actually probably the only friends who haven't attempted to murder me at some point, but they were total assholes at some point."

Star: "Dude....."

Dash: "How the hell am I the one who has caused you the least harm????"

Kwan: "Your sister's right you do need a therapist.

Paulina: "But like. An actual one. Not that Spectra lady again."

Danny: "Oh hey! One of the few people who tried to kill me that I didn't befriend!"

[autisticsupervillain]

It's Fictional Throwdown Friday!

This Week's Fighters...

Alex Mercer vs Danny Phantom!

Conditions:

Speed Equalized. Season 3 Danny and Prototype 2 Mercer.

Scenario:

In his quest for world domination, Alex Mercer finds that his minions are having an oddly difficult time invading the seemingly insignificant town of Amity Park. When Mercer goes to investigate, he discovers that the local ghostly superhero Danny Phantom has been fending them off. Impressed by the hero's strange powers, Mercer decides to try to assimilate the boy in order to claim them for himself.

Analysis: Phantom

That's the great thing a about good cartoon theme songs, they're good for aptly summarizing a character's origin story.

Young Danny Fenton was the child of genius ghost hunters Jack and Maddie Fenton who became half ghost upon accidentally activating their portal into the ghost zone with himself still inside it. This resulted in him becoming the hybrid superhero Danny Phantom, protector of Amity Park.

Danny's half ghost physiology allows him to use a vast array of supernatural abilities, both unique to himself and natural to all ghosts. Across his wide moveset, he can go intangible, become invisible, fire lasers of ectoplasm, and even possess and control other people against their will. More over, he can even make his body intangible in a number of different ways, such as giving his body a liquid like consistency in order to let objects harmlessly pass through. There is a bit of debate as to whether ghosts in Danny Phantom are naturally intangible or whether it's an ability that they must activate, something the show is a bit inconsistent on.

In the one hand, it is shown that humans are passively intangible in the Ghost Zone, which would support the argument that ghosts themselves are passively intangible in our world. However, this most likely stems from the fact that ghosts are made of energy and must take physical forms to interact with the human world. When in those physical forms, it's consistently shown that a ghost must will their body to be intangible, which is symbolized by the show giving them a see through outline. Thus, it's likely that instances of them passing through walls without this effect are simply animation errors, as it would be supremely redundant to give the ghosts a visable tell for when they're going intangible if it's something that they automatically are.

With that settled, Danny still has a wide array of abilities at his disposal. It's been shown that ectoplasmic blasts can harm ghosts when when they're intangible and this energy can be projected in a wide variety of ways, from creating weapons to creating shields. This energy can push ghosts out of people's bodies and generally bahaves like light, getting amplified when put through a looking glass and deflecting off of mirrors. As such, it's safe to assume that ectoplasm blasts are made of light. Danny can manipulate this energy even while sealed away, such as when he sent a message to Sam and Tucker when trapped inside of Pointdexter's mirror.

On the possession front, not only is Danny capable of effortlessly possessing people who have shown to resist the influence of ghosts, such as Jack Fenton, he can even resist getting possessed himself to an extent. Notably, Sidney Pointdexter had to outright remove his soul in order to control his body uncontested. In fact, Danny generally has a decently strong resistence against mind control, being completely unaffected by a transformed Paulina's mind control, being unaffected by Ember's mind control until she got stronger, and repeatedly snapping out of Freakshow's mind control.

Listen, Danny is so versatile as a combatant that it's honestly easier to list what he can't do. So, I'll list his remaining powers below.

He can possess electronics and enter video game worlds inside of them.

He can enter the dreams of sleeping people.

He can transform into pure ecto-energy to evade attacks and escape blows.

He can teleport.

He can shapeshift his body, ranging from transforming into a grotesque body horror abomination to splitting himself in half vertically to dodge attacks.

He can sense otherwise undetected ghosts from miles away with his Ghost Sense, manifesting as a chill down his spine and a whisp of cold breath.

He can survive in the conditions of space mostly unprotected.

Can regenerate from luiquification and likely scales to ghosts who can regenerate from being turned to dust.

One of his most impressive abilities, however, is his ability to get passively stronger overtime. During his first encounter with the Fright Knight, he went from not being able to hurt him at all to being able to blast him through the roof over the span of minutes. This is particularly impressive when considering how strong he is to begin with.

In the very first episode of the shoe, Danny survived crashing to the ground and creating a massive crater with the force of 533 tons of TNT. Long before he even came close to mastering his powers.

Source:

Even that pales in comparison to Danny's strongest abilities. Remember, this is Season 3 Danny we're talking about, so he'd logically be way stronger than his season 1 self. Furthermore, Danny has developed even more powers in the later Seasons, such as his ice powers, which can freeze a city sized plant monster in seconds, abd his Ghostly Wail, which can decimate entire armies, with two blows being enough to cripple his evil future self Dan, despite Dan being potentially hundreds of times stronger.

However, Danny is not invincible. If he exhausts too much of his energy or gets hit too hard, he will be reverted to his human form. While he can use a handful of his powers in this state, he has nowhere near the same regen or strength of his ghost mode, as demonstrated by the likes of Sam Manson outperforming him with ease. Similarly, Danny is weak too anti-ghost technology, sometimes even in his human form. Many of which are even capable of flat outright nullifying his powers.

Having said that, Danny is still an incredibly intelligent and capable fighter, even without his powers. At one point, he successfully rallied his school into a makeshift army to resuce everyone's parents from ghosts, despite being unable to use his powers. He also consistently outsmarts his arch enemy, Vlad Plasmius, who not only has twenty years of experience over him with the exact same powers, but his physically strong enough to beat Danny with one hand behind his back. Danny Phantom is more than a match for any evil thrown at him, ghost or human!

Analysis: Mercer

It's the early 21st century and the apocalypse is here. A viral pandemic has engulfed New York city and begun assimilating all in It's wake. The government is powerless to stop the fleshy monstrosities that roam the streets. It seems that the end is here. And the man responsible is none other than Alex Mercer.

Fortunately, that is not who we're talking about today. Let's take it from the top.

Alex Mercer was a scientist who worked for the pharmaceutical company known as GENTEK. He was a brilliant virologist, a progidy even among GENTEK's most intelligent minds. As such, he was made head researcher on the Blacklight Virus, a powerful bio-weapon that promised to make the company rich. When his research was shut down by Blackwatch, a Government squad designed to contain viral epidemics, Mercer refused to go down quietly. He spitefully unleashed Blacklight onto New York as he was shot dead, the virus consuming and copying his body perfectly as it was freed.

Alex Mercer died that day and the Blacklight Virus woke up wearing his skin.

Believing itself to be Alex Mercer, the Blacklight Virus escaped from the morgue and set out to uncover his past and discover who he was. This doesn't go do well, as it results in him unleashing another sentient bioweapon known as the Redlight Virus, who swiftly begins causing chaos across New York. "Mercer" teams up with Mercer's sister Dana to both bring down GENTEK and stop the Redlight Virus, putting Blacklight into position to put together the pieces of his past by assimilating GENTEK staff.

The revelation that he isn't the real Akex Mercer shakes the virus to his core, giving him an existential crisis that follows him for the rest of his life. This causes him to eventually become disillusioned with humanity, motivating to try assimilating it into his own personal "superior race". This backfires when Mercer tries to assimilate Sgt. James Heller, whose "stuborn DNA" allows him to resist Mercer's influence after being transformed. Heller eventually grows strong enough to assimilate Mercer straight back, ending his spree for good.

From here on out, I'll be referring to the Blacklight Virus as Alex Mercer just for simplicity's sake, even if they are technically different characters.

Alex Mercer is effectively John Carpenter's The Thing on steroids. He's a sentient hunk of biomass capable of absorbing and shape-shifting into nearly anyone he so much as touches. While Mercer may technically be a "virus" he's shown to be capable of absorbing and infecting inorganic material, implying he attacks not on the cellular level, but the atomic one. This is what allows him to absorb and replicate clothing, as well as immitate the functions of some minor forms of technology, such as handheld radios. He also gains the memories of the people he absorbs, allowing him to use their identity to the fullest while undercover. He can even evade sensors designed specifically to detect viruses like himself and fool other shapeshifters.

Having said that, he still has plenty of combative powers at his disposal for when stealth isn't an option. His complete control over his own body grants him monstrous versatility, allowing him to turn his limbs into hammers that can smash tanks and whips that can pull helicopters out of the sky. He can create pseudo-wings to glide through the sky, can alter his eyes to see in the infrared spectrum and detect infected people, can run up walls, and can cover himself in steel-like armor to shrug off damage from powerful foes.

As if his offensive capabilities weren't enough, he's nigh unkillable to boot. He can shrug off the radioactive fallout of a nuke, can stop the Redlight Virus from trying to take over his mind, can endure explosions that reach up to several thousand degrees, and can adapt to being infected with every virus known to mankind. What's more his absurd levels of regeneration allow him to come back from being flat out liquified.

Anyone whom Mercer doesn't assimilate, he infects, granting him complete control over their mind and body. He's led an army thousands strong and nearly conquered the world with it. What's more, he gets stronger with every person he assimilates. Mercer as absorbed the Redlight Virus and the Supreme Hunter, two bioweapons even stronger than he himself was at the time, as he has the combined strength and experience of thousands of soldiers, making him a force to be reckoned with in combat.

To get an idea of exactly how strong that is, Mercer back in Prototype 1 defeated Elizabeth Green, who could cause earthquakes with 480 tons of tnt of force behind them. By the time of Prototype 2, he's absorbed countless more people and thus grown far, far stronger than that.

Source:

With all that being said, he still has one major flaw. Alex Mercer has a limited supply of biomass inside his body, which he must maintain by constantly absorbing other people. As such, his regeneration can fail if he takes enough constant damage and even on a full tank he has limits. When Mercer was obliterated by a nuke at the end of Prototype 1, only one small chunk of him remained. It was only after absorbing a crow that came to feed on him that Mercer came back.

Alex Mercer is an unstoppable, insatiable monster with apocalyptic ambitions... and the virus he made is pretty nasty too.

Throwdown Mashup:

Throwdown Breakdown:

I'll be honest, the main reason I did this fight was just to see how their utterly bizarre biologies and powers would bounce off each other.

To answer one of the major questions, I do believe that Mercer should be capable of assimilating Danny. Mercer absorbs things on a molecular level and nothing about having his molecules "rearranged" suggests that Danny should be resistant to being attacked on that micro level. Nor do I think his healing factor would save him from it, as Mercer won't leave behind any liquid or dust for him to regenerate from. Hell, Danny's explicitly shown to be vulnerable to that exact level of micro manipulation, seeing how a second blast from the Ghost Portal took away his powers, proving his molecular structure can still be affected.

While this would screw Danny over if he decided to go hand to hand first, he tends to open with lasers more often than not. Not to mention, he would certainly realize Mercer shouldn't be touched when he sees him start assimilating townsfolk, which is pretty in character for Alex in all of his fights.

What's harder to argue around is Alex's shape-shifting. While Danny has fought shapeshifters before and can do so himself, their disguises generally tend to fool him. What's more is that since Alex isn't really undead (in anything other than the metaphorically sense, and even then he's more a zombie than a ghost), Danny's ghost sense wouldn't really detect him. All Mercer would have to do is, say, assimilate Paulina and disguise as her to get close and boom, fight over.

Having said that, Danny has plenty of advantages of his own. Mercer can't hit someone who's intangible and Danny can just straight up fly, wheras Mercer can only glide. This gives Danny plenty of options to maintain distance. Similarly, Danny has ways of breaking down Mercer's regeneration. Akex has no special resistances to ice, so Danny could just freeze him solid, while the Ghostly Wail should easily be powerful enough to obliterate most of his bio-mass. Not to mention, Danny is gonna be breaking out the serious gloves the second he sees Mercer eating his neighbors.

If there's one thing both Danny and Alex will be thinking all fight it's "what the hell are you?" Neither have fought anything quite like the other and their initial assumptions about each other would be proven dead wrong as the fight goes on. Danny would quickly realize that Alex isn't a ghost, as not only does he not set off his ghost sense, he's never seen a ghost absorb people, whereas Mercer would wonder what the hell kind of paramilitary group could create a bioweapon that could go intangible, up until he realizes that ghosts are real apparently.

Alex has a few more counters up his technically nonexistent sleeves. His inferred sight should allow him to see Danny when he goes invisible, and I doubt Danny can possess him. Alex has the minds of thousands of people inside of him, possessing him would be like trying to possess an entire city at once. Only even harder because even hive minds who can do that can't control Mercer.

On the flipside, Danny's duplicates can effectively serve as extra lives, his shields can protect from getting absorbed, as they are made solely out of energy and thus likely can't be assimilated, and Danny's passively increasing strength means he can continuously match Mercer's strength, whereas Alex relies on Assimilation and Bio-Mass.

At the end of the day... I give this to Danny. Barely. Make no mistake, if he makes one mistake, he's dead. Mercer can kill him with a single touch. But I think Danny's range, shields, and duplicates give him enough of a cushion to fully utilize his trump cards, such as his ghostly wail and his ice powers.

Having said that, Danny can't end the fight without killing Alex. Which raises the question of whether a bio-weapon has a soul and whether Danny just unleashed a literal walking plague on the ghost zone. Hell, I'm not sure how Danny would feel about killing Alex. The Fenton Thermos can't contain him as he's not a ghost, so he doesn't really have any other option. Alex is clearly not human, but he's still obviously sentient too. I doubt Danny would hesitate once Mercer starts trying to devour his neighborhood though.

Also, if Alex were to win he'd be faced with an existential crisis over whether he has a soul or not, which I think is morbidly funny.

This Throwdown's Winner is...

Danny Phantom!

[imexperiencinggrowthgetoverit]

okay so as of 0540am Tue 3/5/24 I have exactly this in my notes:

What kind of story would be fun to tell? Think up some ideas. Flesh them out best you can. Determine if they’re good enough to share assuming you haven't run off already on one of them.

Core/Biology

Powers/Ghost Fuckery

Clones/DNA Fuckery

Clockwork/Time Fuckery

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Danny - Link

Ellie - Wild

(Dan - Ganon?)

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Rito have inherent Flight and are predisposed to Wind and Ice cores (they have a much higher risk of damage and so their society is naturally smaller as a result)

Gorons have Enhanced Strength inherently and are predisposed to have a Fire Core (they’ve become part of a paradoxical loop where no one knows whether their society influenced their biology or if biology influenced their society)

Zora have inherent Ectomanipulation and are predisposed to have an Water Core (squishy semi-solid things which make them live much longer as a result of hard-to-destroy core)

Gerudo have Invisibility inherently and are predisposed to have a Lightning Core (the yiga exist still due to their genetics giving them backup to their learned skills)

Hylians have inherent Intangibility and have no species predisposition to core type (Wind and Fire are the most common, but others frequently show up)

Flight, Strength, Ectomanipulation, Invisibility, and Intangibility can all be learned but depending on the student one can be more difficult than another

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Danny wakes up as Wild when he’s resurrected (and they share a headspace? he’s alone in this new world?)

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Rhoam - Clockwork

Flora (suffering from her father’s focus on the future war)

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Twilight - Danny

Midna - Tucker

Dusk - Jazz

Ilia - Sam

Rusl - Jack

Uli - Maddie

Colin - Ellie

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Jerrin - Maddie

Robbie - Jack

Link - Danny

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Time

Lullaby

Malon

Talon

Twilight

Midna

Dusk

Ilia

Rusl

Uli

Colin

Warriors

Artemis

Impa

Lana

Linkle

Sky

Sun

Groose

Gaepora

Horwell

Fi

Wild

Aryll

Parent 1

Parent 2

Flora

Impa

Bolson

Urbosa

Riju

Daruk

Yunobo

Revali

Teba

Tulin

Mipha

Sidon

Yona

Dorephan

Legend

Uncle 1

Fable

King 1

Queen 1

Ravio

Hyrule

Parent 1

Parent 2

Aurora

Dawn

Impa

Old Man 1

Old Woman 1

Four

Uncle 2

Dot

Wind

Aryll

Granma

Tetra

Linebeck

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Danny

Jazz

Maddie

Jack

Sam

Tucker

Ellie

Dan

Vlad

Valerie

Paulina

Kwan

Dash

Star

Mikey

Wes

Lancer

Skulker

Ember

Kitty

Johnny

Frostbite

Clockwork

Walker

Nocturne

Spectra

Bertrand

Pariah

Undergrowth

Observants

Freakshow

Lydia

Youngblood

Lunch Lady

Boxy

Desiree

Aragon

Dora

Vortex

Ghostwriter

also @hugsandchaos mention for getting me to start this

Working on a DP x LU crossover rn (though itll take a long time) in case nobody else ever thought about how cool it’d be

[screamqueenkrueger]

Right Into The Fire

Chapter 3

Freddy Krueger x Original Female Character

Being Restrained. Dubious Consent but it is consent. Paulina Likes It Rough. Begging. Edging. Orgasm denial. Ruined Orgasm. Freddy is really putting her through it.

Paulina was both surprised to see he'd come back, and not surprised at all, after she had practically burned him alive a second time in a field of pink flames. In fact he returned multiple times, appearing in the opening above the grave she was being buried alive in. Each time he sank his knives into the person who was about to dump a shovel full of dirt onto her glass coffin. It never did anything to the apparitions, but Paul figured it was satisfying to him in some way.

Then Freddy would jump down, let her out, and get them out of the hole in the ground, and every time they'd fuck. Paulina honestly couldn't get enough of it, of him.

He would always try and get her to beg, tried to make her hold out for longer, pushed her into the ground, her face pressed against damp grass, or curled around him with her fists pulling at his sweater desperately. But she never caved.

She couldn't just give it to him.

Freddy was also getting stronger, or Paulina was allowing him to have more control in her dream. It wasn't exactly clear which one it was. He had a stronger influence on what happened, how things turned out.

Paulina worried she would have to cut him off soon. It wouldn't be good if she gave him too much power. She should be stronger. But the thought of it made her throat close, so she chose to ignore it for the time being.

Besides, the dream demon was actually helping her, interrupting the very real nightmare she had night after night, and then fucking her brains out until she was a shaking puddle of a woman. It was hard to give that sort of thing up. Paulina felt so refreshed and well rested when she woke up. She couldn't even remember that last time she'd had a solid night's sleep before he started coming around.

Maybe that was fucked up, life wasn't black and white though, and Paulina found she didn't have time to worry about those sorts of things. She lived in the moment, and at that current point in time, she was enjoying feeling resting and having her back blown out.

Now she didn't even bother with the nightmare. It was hard to be afraid when you were anxiously awaiting the arrival of a dream demon. She waited patiently, watching shovel after shovel dump dirt on her glass prison. Then knives appeared through a chest, ghosts were gone in a wisp of fog, and his burnt features looked down at her with a smirk crooked to the side.

What a cocky bastard.

She fed his ego though, as much as she tried not to. She couldn't hide how wet he made her, or just how many times he managed to get her off. She also just couldn't keep her hands off him, fingers always trail over his chest or hands fisting in his sweater. Freddy would lean over her and purr into her ear making her a shaking puddle beneath him.

They never left the Graveyard though. Paulina figured he wasn't able to change the dreamscape. He wasn't powerful enough. Not yet anyway.

Paulina sat on her favorite tombstone, thighs wrapped tightly around Freddy's waste, trying to push all that to the back of her mind. She tried not to be distracted when she was with him. He could usually tell when she was distracted and it put him into a pretty surly mood. She pressed her face into his neck, hands going up under his sweater.

"You're being a real clingy bitch tonight aren't ya?" She could hear the grin in his voice, so she didn't pull back, just smiled against his ruined skin.

"Shut the fuck up." She purred.

He chuckled and buried his gloveless hand into her blonde hair, closing a bunch of it in his fist and yanking her back by it. "Always such a mouth on you." He purred back. Her throat was exposed in this position, allowing him to drag his teeth along the soft skin, feeling her pulse under his lip. It was picking up, but not fast enough. So he put the tip of one of his knives to the skin of her thigh, trailing it up the length of it before flicking off carelessly and leaving a small nick in her skin.

Paulina hissed at the sharp pain. It was fleeting, but Paul glowered at him anyway. "I don't need you adding more scars." 

Freddy's crooked grin grew wider. "Just couldn't help myself." He admired the thin crimson trail that traced the shape of her thigh. It was true enough that Paulina was already a canvas of scars, all varying in shape and size. He could see them now. She'd gone to bed in a pair of small shorts that hugged her ass and a tank top. It showed off plenty of skin, revealing a map of wounds she'd gotten at some point. No glove tonight either. She must have actually made it into bed.

His fingers traced the cuts he'd given her on her chest. He hadn't noticed before, but one of the long slashes went through another scar that looked suspiciously like a bullet wound right by her heart. She had a tattoo of a mask and roses there as well, the ink missing from the round scar and the slash he'd given her. Too bad.

He wanted to add more. They looked so good on her, but those thoughts brought them into his consciousness, taking over like an invasive species and devouring any of his own thoughts until all he heard were their voices. So he kept his knives playful and made sure not to cut too deep.

Paulina arched her back into him, pulling him closer at the same time. She always wanted him as close as possible. So clingy, so needy. Already She was pulling at him, trying to get him to move on, to touch her in places where it really counted.

Freddy hardly ever touched her this much. It probably should have made Paulina suspicious, but she was too busy focusing on the feel of his fingers tracing the nearly healed wounds on her chest. "What's taking you so long?" She said under her breath, thighs already beginning to tremble. He was hard against her, she could feel it. She needed him to do something with it. 

Teasing her was by far his favorite thing to do. Paulina was not patient by nature, and seeing how far he could push her really seemed to light him up. 

But he could never get her to beg.

"Giving you what you want so soon? Now why would I do that" his tongue traced along the tendon of her neck this time, drawing out a full body shudder from her. He had a plan for her. He just had to sincerely hope he had enough power to go through with it. 

In the meantime he was having plenty of fun riling her up. He could smell how wet she was at that moment, the smell was thick and powerful. His dick twitched with interest when Freddy took in a deep inhale with his nose buried against her neck. The feeling of her pulse quickening had him grinning.

Her thighs tightened around his waist, pulling Freddy to her as close as he could get. The friction between them was like an electric shock. Freddy had to grit his teeth to stop himself from moaning. He didn't want her to know just how into it, he was. But he rolled his hips into her, the thin material of her shorts ensured she felt just how hard he was.

Paulina gasped and rolled her hips right back, fingers digging into his sweater, nose in his neck. He always smelled the same of course, like thick smoke and rust. It was starting to become her favorite smell.

Freddy reached between this with his non gloved hand to stroke teasingly at her slit over her shorts. Paul moaned and rolled her hips again, wanting more, wanting it harder. But her fingers were nearly feather light, just giving her a taste and really drawing this out. Paulina should have been on alert. He was usually so rough with her, but her thoughts were laser focused on how to get more of the feel of him against her. Her skin was practically on fire from how ready she was for him.

Freddy had other plans, however. He kept up the light strokes over her shorts, Paulina already gasping and panting in desperation. Her clit was throbbing with need and she was quickly soaking through her panties. He began nipping lightly at her neck, tongue laving over where his teeth had grazed her skin. She was hot to the touch, scorching almost.

"You ready for me?" Freddy asked with a grin that was all sharp teeth.

"Yes." She was breathless, trying to hold herself together and failing miserably.

"Well that's too damn bad."

Before Paulina could even ask "what?" She was hoisted into the air by a set of chains that had instantly appeared from nothing. She looked up into the steel grey sky to see what they were attached to, but found that they continued endlessly. Another set burst from the ground to wrap around her ankles and spread her legs. She was above him, his head coming to her waist, and he looked up at her with a smile so satisfied it set Paulina's nerves ablaze. She'd have kicked at him if she could, but the chains were taut. She couldn't move her legs. Her arms had a little more movement, but not enough to matter.

"What the hell is this Krueger?" She yelled down at him, pulling fruitlessly at the chains. Oh she was going to make him pay for this. 

The sight had blood pounding in Freddy's ears. He let out a ripping cackle, reaching up with his clawed hand to carefully slip one of the knives into the band of her shorts. "Hope you have time to hang out for a while." 

Paulina just screamed down at him. "Your jokes are lame!" She snapped, wishing she could rip herself out of her restraints. 

Freddy kept cackling as his knives cut through her shorts and panties, freeing her from the garments and revealing her dripping slit. "Holy shit, you really like being all tied up, don't yeah." He ran a calloused finger along her slick pussy, flicking it off her clit. 

She snarled down at him, the chains rattling as she struggled to get loose. It was all for show. She knew she wasn't getting out of there until he was done with her. And he was right, the restraint made her hotter, made her juices start to roll down the insides of her thighs. She'd be blushing if she had any shame, but she didn't, so she just scowled down at him.

"What's your game, Krueger?"

Freddy looked up, his green eyes wide. He was going for innocent, but didn't quite make the mark. "Game? There's no game." He ran another finger along her opening, causing her thighs the tremble at such light contact.

"The hell there isn't." She said through gritted teeth. Her hands were balled into tight fists, still pulling at the chains. Already there were red welts forming. So so stubborn.

Freddy clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and gave a shake of his head. He kept his finger sliding back and forth, spreading the slick all over her folds. He could hear her breathing picking up. Oh this was going to be so much fun. He could tell she was trying to hold her noises in, keep quiet and deny him. That shit wasn't going to last for long. He'd make sure of that.

Bringing the pads of his fingers to her clit, he started to slowly circle the pulsing bud of nerves. Above him Paulina's mouth fell open for a brief moment before she snapped it closed again, eyes screwed shut in determination. Her body gave her away though, thighs becoming flushed and starting to tremble, chest heaving as her breathing picked up, not to mention the rolling drops that languidly traveled down her thighs.

"You're in for a long night." Freddy purred, pulling his fingers away to grip both of her hips in his hands, thumbs digging in the plush flesh. She again said nothing. Not surprising, so Freddy leaned forward and ran his tongue through her folds, flicking her clit with the tip then repeating his actions.

This got the smallest of gasps from her and the chains clinked minutely as she strained. Her folds were soft and burning hot. Freddy could get lost in them forever. Not that he would ever tell her that. He pushed his tongue forward and into her, enveloping her clit with his mouth.

Paulina's every nerve felt like they were on fire already. His touches had been feather light and playful at first, and she knew it just meant there was way more to come down the road, and he was just putting her on edge as much as he could before the real fun started. When his tongue pressed against her clit she wanted to slam her thighs around his head, keep him there as long as possible. She only had enough movement to hurt her ankles on the chain. 

His tongue would press and flick her clit, then go back to lapping at her opening, occasionally delving into her pussy to squirm around. Paulina couldn't stop every little gasp from escaping her. It felt so good.

Paulina didn't like to think about it too much, about how she liked the control taken from her, how him just taking it from her really got her off. Feeling powerless here, unable to do anything about the situation, had her panting and shaking. The fight was partly for show, not wanting to reveal how much this did for her, but it was also part of the fun. It was like a form of play between them, pushing the power boundaries between them. She could tell Freddy enjoyed the challenge, having someone as stubborn and fiery as he was. 

Freddy's lips closed around her clit and he sucked, making Paulina gasp loudly. Her body ached to move, to push into him and wrap her legs over his shoulders. She clenched her teeth and swallowed a whine when his lips released her sensitive bud so that his tongue could slip back into her opening. He was really drawing this out, not even letting her start to climb that hill, just teasing her and teasing her.

Then his eyes darted up at her and he grinned with his tongue still in her. Uh oh. 

Paulina let out a whoop of a breath as she felt that tongue start to get longer, squirming deeper inside of her. She squeezed her eyes shut, her breath coming out in short pants. He curled the appendage inside of her almost experimentally, then pulled it out and slammed it back in. This ripped a cry from her chest. Holy shit.

Freddy started thrusting his tongue in and out of her. He'd slip it all the way put, making sure it slid along her clit, then thrust it back in, assaulting her insides. 

Now she started to build up towards something. Hest was coiling in her navel and her toes curled from the absolute onslaught of pleasure. She knew what was going to happen though, could practically taste it on her tongue. She wanted to fight it, to resist, to prevent herself from even getting close so that she wouldn't have to experience the crash.

But who was she kidding? That was part of the fun.

Freddy could feel her walls twitching and tasted her orgasm in the juices he was lapping up. He pulled his hands away from her hips to rest behind her knees. Then he stroked the tips of his fingers and the end of his knives up along the back.of her thighs, keeping his touch light, barely ghosting over her flesh. The meat of her thighs twitched at the attention and he felt her walls clench tighter around his tongue. His hands finally rested on the swell of her ass, pressing her into his face.

She was almost there. Her breathing picked up considerably, chest heaving as she tried to fight what was happening. But she couldn't and by now he knew her way too well, no matter how many noises she tried to quiet or how still she stayed, he knew exactly where her edge was.

He brought her right there, tongue stroking in and out, saliva and her juices dripping in thick rivulets. When he felt she was about to reach her peak he pulled back suddenly, tongue shrinking to normal size and mouth away from her clit.

Paulina groaned at the loss of contact. She knew it was coming, but it made it no less devastating. "Not this again, Krueger. Don't you have any new tricks?"

Freddy chuckled, his hands gripping the front of her thighs. "Sure, but I just love watching you squirm so much. Besides," he kissed her carefully shaved mound, "I'm going to get you to beg."

So that's what this was about. Whatever, Paulina always welcomed a challenge. "Bring it on." She growled. 

Oh he would. Freddy smiled up at her with sharp teeth, then his lips were on her clit again and he was sucking it, his tongue occasionally darting out to circle the throbbing bud.

Her hips jerked as the pleasure built up again. Coiling tighter and tighter in her stomach until fire lapped just under her skin. It wasn't going to take long, at the rate he was going, flicking his tongue off her clit and then sucking at it again. He was done taking it slow with her. He'd bring her to each edge with deadly precision.

Paul bit her lip hard enough that it started to bleed, the taste of blood doing little to distract her from the assault on her throbbing clit, vaginal walls clenching around nothing. Moans were swallowed down, but gasps and pants were harder for her to hide. Even if she was as quiet as the grave Freddy would know exactly when to stop. He'd gotten so good at reading her body, knowing just how it twitched and moved against her will. He knew how her gasps sounded as she got closer. It was like she was trying to gasp for air while she drowned in her own pleasure. 

She was starting to do that now, sucking in air and letting it out in a small puff as she tried to stifle it and failed. Her hips twitched forward into his mouth, seeking more friction. That's when he pulled away again.

Body going limp, Paulina panted for air. No problem. She'd gone longer. Third time's the charm, bitch. Would he stop at 3? She doubted it. He'd said he was going to get her to beg, and she definitely wasn't going to beg after 3 measly edges. She wasn't that weak. Paulina opened her eyes just a little. She could see Freddy was rock hard in his pants. He hadn't even bothered to free himself. She had to admit that was pretty impressive. She'd easily have been three fingers deep by now, but he was holding off.

"You are stubborn." He was purring at her, being sweet, too sweet. "But I knew that huh? I think that's why I like you so much." 

The words bounced around like racket balls in Paulina's head, then his tongue was back, unnaturally long and slithering into her. It set and even more punishing pace than before, fucking her harshly as it writhed inside. This actually drew a cry from Paul and she threw her head back, thighs clenching almost painfully. She wanted them on his shoulders. The lack of contact was almost the worst part. All she could feel was the cold steel of his knives resting on the swell of her ass, and the burning heat of his hand on her thigh. 

The tongue was gone almost as quickly as it got there. Another edge, and this one had been super close too. 

Fingers this time. First two, and then 3, thrusting in and out of her with the heel of his palm slapping her clit. Paulina's toes curled at the rough handling of her opening. She craved his cock instead.

The sounds being made were obscene and only made it harder to hold back. A moan made its way past her lips and Paulina was finding it hard to care. Fingers were yanked away almost too late and definitely too soon. Holy shit it was getting harder, not easier.

Paulina's entire body was beginning to tremble. Come one that was only 4, get your shit together. Paulina glared down at Freddy, keeping up the bravado. 

Freddy had to admit he was getting more and more impressed with each edge he brought her too. He brought his mouth to her clit and shoved his fingers back inside her opening, sucking as he curled his fingers against her G-spot relentlessly.

He could feel his cock throb and begin to leak pre in thick dribbles, but he held off on touching himself. He wanted this to last as long as it needed too and didn't want the need for his own orgasm to cloud his thoughts.

She got close again and he pulled back. She let out the breath she'd been holding and went limp once more in the chains. A few moments, just enough to let her come down a little, then he was back to licking at her. Paulina really seemed to like the way he ate her out. As much as she tried to hide it, she always lost herself more when he used his tongue.

He was beginning to lose track now, finding himself focusing on every gasp and moan she made. Her skin was flushed such a deep shade of pink that he had to pull back and admire it for a few moments. Truly stunning.

Paulina was trying to catch her breath. She had definitely talked a bigger game than perhaps what she was willing to play, but she wasn't about to give up yet. They were up to what…8? 9? Edges. She didn't think she'd be able to walk when she got up. Her muscles were beginning to feel weak. The hot, wet tongue slid through her folds and she had to resist the urge to scream. Her clit was damn near tender at this point.

"What'd you forget how to use that dick of yours?" Her fucking words were slurred together. How embarrassing. He edged her again and she wanted to scream. Were they in the double digits now? Hot pussy juice and saliva ran rivers down her thighs. Would it get to a point where she just wouldn't cum when he finally let her…but for him to let her she had to beg him…what did he count as begging anyway? A simple please? She doubted that.

He laughed at her, "seems like it'd be too much of a reward for a slut like you." His finger curled languidly inside of her for the umpteenth time. "I think you'd cum on any scrap I gave you. Maybe even…" 

He drew his glove off of her ass and brought it to her front. Paulina's eyes flew open at the feeling of the cold steel against her scorching folds. He'd pressed the backs of his pointer and middle finger knives against her, gently squeezing her clit between the two blades.

Paulina's heart pounded. She was no stranger to the glove, normally paid it little mind in fact, but he'd never brought it so close to her pussy before. Did she trust him this much? He'd never  hurt her too seriously in the past. A nick here, a scratch there. Nothing deeper than superficial. Now, with the blades pressed to her most sensitive body part, they were giving her slightly more pause. Her body didn't seem to mind though. Hot and throbbing just as much as before. Her priorities were perhaps a little fucked…

She held still, not wanting to make a wrong move, but was desperate for more, for anything.

Freddy cooed at her. "You sure are beautiful like this." He circled her clit with his tongue, dragged it up her mound and to her navel. The hot saliva leaving a trail. Paulina's head rolled back and she groaned. His tongue would be the end of her.

Until she remembered the knives. He was dragging them back towards himself, along her folds, being careful that they did not catch on any flesh, then brought them back, only this time it was the knuckles of his glove he pressed to her clit, copper glinting dully in the moonlight. His other hand stroked her flushed thigh languidly.

"I bet you'd ride my glove just to get off like a desperate slut." He growled against her stomach, licking her again. He couldn't get enough of the taste of her. He started to rub her clit with his copper covered knuckles, keeping the backs of the blades carefully pressed to her pussy lips.

Again he felt her get close. He pulled back a little early, then brought the blades back to her clit and stroked her with them until her entire body was shaking.

Uh oh. Paulina clenched her teeth around what felt like a sob. He'd teased an edge, gave her some relief, and now was assaulting her with those blades again. She was getting so close to another, a big one. She felt heat flood her cheeks at the idea of her getting off on practically riding the blades of his glove, but she couldn't help it.

Soon she was right there. So close. Any second he would pull away.

Only he didn't, at least not at first. He brought her right there, then let her go over. The sob escaped her. She didn't know if he timed it poorly or if she was just too exhausted for him to read her.

She was riding that high, then he whipped his hand away and her eyes flew open, her mouth opened to scream. He'd ruined it! He'd ruined her orgasm. This was a new fucking low. She glared down at him, hands balling into fists as she desperately fought to urge to let tears slip down her face.

"Oohhh what? You really thought I'd let you get by without begging first?" He smirked, blades back and somehow still cold to the touch. "I told you how this was going to go." He growled.

Blades went back to stroking. By now her clit was in near agony with need for release. She could practically feel her pulse in it. He was gently as he stroked her with his knives, and she was being pulled along against her will, toes curling and skin on fire.

The pleasure coiled so tightly in her belly, and to her horror the tears spilled over with a groan. She was panting again, chest heaving, flushed a deep pink. Her breaststroke had been so neglected. She wanted his hands squeezing them as he finally fucked her.

She was right there, moaning openly now with her head thrown back. Her walls clenched around the vast emptiness. Oh shit, oh shit. She couldn't…she couldn't! Not again!

"PLEASE!" She screamed it down at him with eyes squeezed shut, tears pouring down her face at the defeat. "FUCK, PLEASE FREDDY. PLEASE LET ME CUM." 

The blades were pulled away and she screamed again, her throat feeling raw. She was about to rain curses down at him with the chains fell away and she dropped, his arms catching her.

She got to cling to him for just a moment before he slammed her to the ground, gloveless hand going to her throat. Somehow he'd gotten his pants undone in a matter of seconds, because he slammed his pulsing cock into her in one harsh thrust. Finally! Fucking finally! 

Paulina's legs wrapped around his waist, her hands balling into fists in his sweater. "Fuck me, please." She sobbed.

He didn't say anything for once and did just that. He curled over her, letting her wrap her arms around his shoulders, getting as close as she could. Then he kissed her, ruined lips prying hers open so that he could slide his tongue into her mouth while his hips slapped against her at a bruising pace.

Those pleas resonated through Freddy's body in aftershock waves. He couldn't get her down fast enough to push inside her. He'd been close to his breaking point as well, trying to resist her was harder than he had thought at first, and the relief was immense when she broke down first. 

The bliss of finally being buried as deep into her as he could get threatened to swallow him whole. Later he'd be disconcerted by this fact. He didn't like what she did to him, but for now he simply focused on the noises she was making and how hot and slick she felt. It all nearly boiled over, so Freddy shoved his tongue into her mouth to stifle whatever it was.

She gasped against his mouth and let him in just as easily as she opened her legs for him. He lapped up the taste of her, a groan of his own pushed out with a particularly harsh thrust of his hips.

He'd never understand why she was so clingy, arms and legs now wrapped around him to pull him as close as he'd allow her. Was it the contact? Or maybe it had something to do with how small she was. Freddy was almost a foot taller than her. Maybe she liked the reminder. 

Paulina was gripping him tighter now, pulling her mouth away from his so that she could suck in more panting breath.

"Cum for me." He growled into her neck. His blades dug into the grass above her head, his other hand balling into a fist, ripping the vegetation up.

Paulina did just that. As soon as the words left his mouth she was practically screaming with relief, throwing her head back and arching her body off the ground with the force of her orgasm. Her inner walls clamped around his still thrusting cock and her juices squirted out to stain his thighs. 

Freddy didn't slow down, but it wasn't more than a few more strokes before he pushed in as deeply as he could go and spilled himself into her. He groaned with relief, finally emptying his balls into a limp Paulina. The sound of her begging still pulsing in his hand. Delicious, it was so delicious.

He collapsed on top of her, and for a long time they didn't say anything to each other. Paulina was all too happy to have his weight on her, keeping her fists entangled in his sweater. 

Then he pulled back, taking in her tear stained and flushed face. She looked completely wrecked, eyes still watery as she looked back at him with as much resolve as she could muster.

 He grinned at her. "You're fucked now."

Paulina smiled back at him, all teeth that started to look a little too sharp. "No, you are."

[andydona-chan]

Bad, bad treat!

Read it at AO3!

Scratching a bit on the wall with the spatula, Danny sighed, he had been trying to remove the mix of candy and ectoplasm from the walls on Fenton Works for at least 3 hours now. He was tired, but the memories from the day before still made him smile, so he supposed it was worth it.

Looking back at what happened, he should have seen it coming, he sighed and turned to look at his two best friends, Tucker and Sam were helping him, and even though Tucker looked like he was melting with all the activity this required and Sam, with red-tinted cheeks from the sun, who was just spraying the spots with a Fenton ecto-removing formula were also tired, they also didn’t seem to regret what happened.

Danny chuckled a bit and thought back to Halloween night (aka yesterday), the three of them had been planning on what to do for that night to make it a very interesting trick or treating experience.

While both Tucker and Danny had spent a good portion of their budget to buy candy (in which only half of it actually went for the trick or treating basket), Sam and Jazz had worked together to create a spooky corridor from the entrance and down to the lab. Jack and Maddie had been invited to talk at some conventions, the convention was actually for horror movie fans and ufo theorists and the sort, so it was nothing too serious but it will keep them out for the following three days, leaving them alone for the best night of the year.

Using that as an opportunity, they made the ghost portal the biggest attraction. Jazz of course had taken some ‘security measures to prevent things from going downside, or so she thought. The corridor that Tuck and Danny had to assemble (girls designed, so they built) guided people through some weird-looking plants and spider webs, also some splats of glow in the dark paint that looked like ectoplasm had been on the paper-made walls. The black light and some of the rumors about the portal made it for a very good-looking spooky place, especially with the lights off.

Danny and Tucker had both dressed up as scarecrows and were sitting about a meter away from the portal, there was a line there that said do not cross and they were supposed to stop any curious kid if they tried to go near. Danny had the candy basket and from time to time he would move and scare some children. Jazz and Sam were taking turns helping people go down while talking like a witch and a vampire, which helped prevent a big amount of people from coming and going.

It seemed to be working, at least until a ghost was detected nearby. Danny turned to look at Tucker who just shrugged and looked at him. Danny was sure the ghost hadn’t entered from the portal because it was closed, but natural portals were now becoming a constant so he still needed to go and check. He transformed and left the basket on the chair they’ve been using to allow Tucker to continue with the act.

Turns out it was just Johnny and Kitty, who had tried to pass as teenagers going trick or treating, they hadn’t really used their ghost powers or influence to get candies and they actually seemed to be having fun, so after negotiating a calm night with the pair Danny went back to his place. He flew around the place once before turning invisible and intangible to give the people outside something to talk about, however, when going back, Tucker was on the floor, placing the candies back on the basket.

“What happened?” Danny asked returning to his human form and helping Tucker with the candies.

“Youngblood,” he said with a frown, “just a moment ago the portal opened and he tried to kidnap the basket, so I tried to stop him, we were pulling on the basket for a moment, who would say that kid almost pulled me into the Zone, however, I negotiated to give him a handful of sweets and the brat just let go of the basket, thus the mess. He took the candies and left but yeah, nothing serious.”

“Well, at least it wasn’t anything worse and no other ghost came out right?” They finished lifting the candies and Danny placed the basket on Tucker’s arms as he sat.

“Yeah, the girls stopped the tours when the alarm went off, Sam just came to make sure I was okay and left, they must be on their way down again” Danny nodded, at least Jazz’s plan had been good so far.

“Let’s keep it spooky then”, said Danny posing again as a scarecrow. It was no surprise that after a couple of children, some teenagers also started showing up, Paulina and Star, Dash, and even Wes walked down to get candies and then left, by ten pm they had run out of candies, and people on the streets with children were less and less.

“Wow, no big incidents tonight, talk about good luck!” said Tucker after they closed the door.

“Yeah, it was also fun, not creepy and full of horror as I was expecting, but it was alright,” said Sam pulling candy from an inside pocket on her vampire cloak.

“And with all the safety measures we took, nobody got hurt, abducted, or lost in the Zone, so there’s that…” said Jazz, cut short by Sam’s scream of pain.

“What in hell…?” Sam had thrown the popsicle she had just removed the cover off to the floor and was looking at one of her fingers covered in blood, she turned to look and Danny and showed him her tongue, for a second he thought she was joking, but then he saw there was also blood there.

Tucker had gone to lift the popsicle from the floor. “That stupid thing bit me,” said Sam, and Tucker retracted from where he was about to pick up the candy. It was Danny who then moved and went to get the candy from the floor; he lifted it and touched the strawberry glassy surface of the candy, only to have it open something like a mouth trying to bite him too…

He then turned around and looked at Tucker “Dude, did the candies enter the Ghost Zone when you were dealing with Youngblood?”

Tucker opened his mouth to answer but then lifted a finger and cursed silently, it was then that they heard people screaming. Danny, Sam, and Jazz shared a look, this was a big problem. In a minute they were making a plan, with a net to pick up the candies the girls were going to visit and or try to locate the people with the candies, Danny and Tucker had to sacrifice their share to replace the contaminated ones, so they left and started doing their own trick or treat route.

Some people were already looking for them, some other people were screaming in their homes, in a matter of minutes there was chaos in the streets of Amity Park. “How many people went to the house today?” asked Danny while trying to catch some of the candies that the people were running from.

“I didn’t keep count,” said Sam, “but it was a lot!”

While she tried to catch some of the candies with the net Danny had an idea. “The shield, people will be able to go into it and it will stop these, let’s get them there” Jazz and Tucker who were also nearby heard him and took off towards the house telling people to follow them.

Jazz made sure to turn on the shield and cover the housing ratio, Tucker was calmly telling people to go in, and just as expected the ghostly candies couldn’t follow. Danny used that moment to go ghost, and tried to use a shield of his own to gather all the candies. These allowed people to go back to their houses, some of them grabbed candies from the non-contaminated pile, but others just left and the ghost shield on the house was turned off.

At that point, Johnny and Kitty showed up on the motorcycle. “Wow, the first time I see treats become tricks on Halloween night,” said Johnny, “but I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said pointing ad Danny’s shield full of furious candies.

“Why?” asked Danny.

“Candies can only support certain contamination level, they’re not made to keep it for too long, that’s how we can eat the candies, they dissolve and become part of us, but when not part of a ghost and with a constant increase of contamination made by an ectoplasmic shield, they’ll just… boom!” said Kitty as a matter of fact.

Just then Danny looked at the contained candies in the shield, as if Kitty’s words were a command, some candies started exploding like popcorn, Danny let go of the shield, however, the candies didn’t fall, instead, they remained floating and started exploding, splatting candy and ectoplasm everywhere but mostly onto Fenton Works, some of the most colorful ones creating something that looked like fireworks.

Jazz, Sam, and Tucker were already inside, and if the look of horror on Jazz’s face was something to go by, this was going to get him grounded, it didn’t escape him, however, how his friends laughed at the whole thing, Johnny and Kitty went back to the Zone shortly after the show ended, but Danny entered covered in a sweet mixture of candy and ectoplasm.

Jazz had only asked him to make sure the house was clean before their parents arrived, something that by the looks of it was still going to take time. The ectoplasm candy he was trying to get off finally gave out and fell to the floor, he lifted it and placed it inside the ghost proof trash bag they were using, then reaching inside his pocket, Danny pulled out candy, the green-yellow candy screamed at him once and he threw it in his mouth, Tucker and Sam looked at him with disgusted faces, but he just shrugged.

“Someone’s got to eat all those sweets,” he said smiling. Sam, Tucker, and Jazz had found themselves with some ecto-contaminated candies after the whole thing, and Danny was supposed to get rid of them, but the ectoplasm actually gave it a different kind of flavor, he had been unable to keep his share of candies from Halloween, so it was only fair he at least had those.

[imekitty]

I hope this isn't too vague but could you please write something about Paulina and Valarie mending their friendship over a school project??

Please and Thank you!!

@youmaycallmeyourhigness: Um for your prompts maybe something like Paulina trying to rekindle her friendship with Valerie. Valerie's been around her enough to know a genuine attempt. It's up to you if it is. Thank you~

If you think you're seeing Paulina/Valerie undertones, you're not wrong.

-----

“Valerie, are you gonna be done soon?” asked Paulina as Valerie walked by her booth at the Nasty Burger. “You didn’t forget we need to start on our English project, right?”

“Uh. Yeah. Sorry.” Valerie held up the rag and spray bottle in her hands. “My shift’s about done. I just need to finish cleaning some tables first.”

“Okay. It’s just I have other things to do,” said Paulina.

Valerie gave her a frosty smile. “What? Like shopping?”

“Yeah, I need to retire some of my dresses, replace them with new ones.” Paulina tugged at the lacy panel trimming the top of her shirt. “Can’t repeat any outfits, you know.”

“Right. Of course,” said Valerie, remembering a time when she used to live by that philosophy herself. She looked down at her work shirt splotched with grease stains. “I’ll be back.”

Paulina clasped her hands on the table. “Please hurry.”

Valerie gave her another smile before swiftly turning and starting on the first table she saw. She scowled at the globs of ketchup and scattering of salt on its surface. A wet piece of lettuce clung to the seat of one of the chairs. She stuck out her tongue as she carefully picked it up and flung it into the nearest trash can.

At another booth, a group of Casper High students she knew pointed her out and started giggling.

Why did she think it was a good idea to work at a popular hangout spot for kids at her school?

Why did Lancer have to pair her with *Paulina* of all people?

When all the unused tables were cleaned, Valerie clocked out and collapsed in the booth across from Paulina. She took off her hat and fanned herself a couple times before setting it on the table.

Paulina made a face, her tongue sticking out just slightly past her teeth.

“What?” asked Valerie.

“You’re really sweaty,” said Paulina.

Valerie rolled her eyes and pushed a damp curl behind her ear. “Yeah. I get hot working this job.” She took a napkin from the table dispenser and wiped her face. “You wanna get started?”

“I’ve been waiting half an hour to start.”

“I told you when my shift would end. You didn’t have to come so early.”

“It’s fine,” said Paulina with a small smack of her lips. She laid out the instructional packet Lancer had passed out that day. “So you know what we’re supposed to do, yes?”

“Yeah,” said Valerie. “We’re supposed to write a biography on a famous person.”

“Right. Any famous person we want.” Paulina pulled out a list written on notebook paper. “These are the people I’ve been brainstorming. Which would you like to write about?”

Valerie read through the list. Paulina’s handwriting was cute and bubbly, complete with tiny hearts dotting the “i’s.”

“Who are these people?” she asked.

“Famous fashion designers. Models. Instagramers. Influencers. I follow all of them on social media and I think any of them would be interesting to write about.”

“But they’re not famous to me.” Valerie scanned the list again. “Yeah, I don’t think I know even one of these people.”

Paulina pursed her lips. “Well, if you read my blog, you’d know all about them.”

Valerie resisted making a face and handed the list back to her. “I don’t want to write about any of these people.”

Paulina took the list. “None of them? What’s wrong with them?”

“These people are famous for having a lot of money, wearing high-end fashion, taking luxury vacations in exotic places, or just looking really pretty on camera while reviewing hip places to eat.”

“Yes? And?”

Valerie huffed. “I want to write about someone who’s famous for doing, like, real things.”

“These are real things!”

“No, like someone who’s had to overcome a lot of hardships and obstacles. Someone who was still able to succeed despite the shit life they were born into. People with struggles who still do great things, you know?”

“Oh!” Paulina gasped, smiling. “Yes! That’s a great idea!”

Valerie sighed with relief. “Glad you think so. So let’s—”

“We could write about the ghost boy!”

Valerie balked, shaking her head in recoil. “Wha—what? The ghost boy, you mean—”

“Danny Phantom, yes!” Paulina clapped her hands a few times in quick succession. “Ooh, this is going to be so much fun!”

“But why—”

“He’s famous! And he has plenty of struggles every day protecting us all from ghosts!”

Valerie groaned. “That’s not what I meant.”

“No, really! He has to dodge ghost catchers and also fight really tough ghosts—”

“Paulina, please,” said Valerie, tired already of Paulina’s gushing. “I don’t want to write about Phantom.”

Paulina frowned. “Why not?”

“Because I hate him.”

Valerie could feel the rage already searing through the veins in her neck and face. She pressed one hand into the other, cracking her knuckles.

Paulina’s frown only deepened. “You...hate him?”

Valerie looked off to the side and nodded. “Yeah.”

“Really?”

Valerie turned back to Paulina, glaring. “Yeah, I really do.”

Paulina creased her brow. Valerie cracked the knuckles of her other hand.

“But everyone loves the ghost boy,” said Paulina quietly, sounding bewildered.

“Not me,” said Valerie, her voice just above a grumble.

“But why?”

“Why do you care?”

“I just don’t understand.” Paulina clasped her hands as she sat up straight. “He’s done so many wonderful things. He even saved my life once.”

“Yeah, right.”

“He did!”

“Whatever he did, it was probably his fault you were in any danger in the first place.”

“No. He’s the reason I was safe.” Paulina’s eyes were round. “He’s good, Valerie.”

“How can you be so sure?” asked Valerie with a bitter bite in her tone.

“How are you not?” Paulina retorted, sounding incredulous.

Valerie folded her arms and stared down at the table, scoffing just a little. “He’s the reason you and I aren’t friends anymore.”

Paulina quirked a brow. “What?”

“He’s the reason I was kicked out of the A-List,” said Valerie, looking up.

“No, that’s not true,” said Paulina. “You just weren’t able to do stuff with us anymore when… Well, you just didn’t have the money for it anymore.”

“Yeah. Remember why?”

Paulina bit her lip and rubbed her arm. “Because your dad lost his job.”

“And how do you think that happened?”

Paulina’s eyes darted around the area a couple times. “The ghost boy?” she asked tentatively.

“Yeah.” Valerie pressed her lips and narrowed her eyes. “Asshole cost my dad his job. And all our money. We had to sell our house and give up a ton of things that wouldn’t fit in our new crappy apartment.” She gestured around the restaurant. “I had to take on all these part-time jobs to help support us.”

“I’m sure he didn’t mean to get your dad fired,” said Paulina, sounding almost pleading.

Valerie scoffed. “You don’t know him the way I do,” she muttered.

The two fell silent. Around them, customers bustled and laughed. Cashiers at the front rang up orders and yelled them to each other.

“I’m not the one who kicked you out of the A-List, you know,” said Paulina, not looking at her.

“Yeah, but you let Dash do it, didn’t you? You didn’t try very hard to stop him,” said Valerie.

Paulina bit her bottom lip.

“And all you cared about was that I sold my concert ticket to someone cool,” continued Valerie. “Because you didn’t want to sit next to any losers.”

Paulina threaded a lock of her hair through her fingers.

“You thought I forgot about that or something?” asked Valerie.

“I’m sorry I said that, okay?”

“No, it’s not okay.”

“It’s just—” Paulina threw up her hands, blew out a breath. “You know, you just sold it without even coming to me first and asking for help. You just kind of sprang that on all of us. Like you were just so sure we wouldn’t care about you enough to help.”

“That’s not what I—”

“It’s how I felt, okay?” Paulina sighed. “You just made me feel like you didn’t see me as a friend, as someone you could go to for help. We had been planning to go to that concert for months, and I was the one who found the seats so we could all be together and get a great view. And then you just come out of nowhere saying, ‘Oh, no, sorry, can’t go, sold my ticket to some stranger. Hope you don’t mind.’”

Valerie’s expression hardened. “Would you really have helped me if I told you?”

“Yes, I would have!” Paulina asserted.

Valerie leaned back, softening just a little with surprise.

“I would have offered to pay for the ticket for you—like an early birthday gift maybe—or let you pay me back later if you wanted,” continued Paulina. “Or maybe I would’ve sold my ticket too and we could’ve just let the boys go without us. We could’ve done something else, something you could afford. Maybe even something with Star since she couldn’t afford a ticket either. But you didn’t give me that chance to help you.”

“Look, don’t make this about you,” snapped Valerie, emotion worming into her voice, cracking it. “I lost everything that week. Including all my friends.”

“I am sorry about all that.” Paulina’s voice also morphed with emotion. “I wish that I handled it better. I just felt hurt that you didn’t want to confide in me. And then you took on all those jobs and stopped being available to hang out at all.”

She looked down at her hands, rubbing her fingertips over polished nails.

“I thought you were the one who didn’t want to be friends anymore,” she said more softly.

Valerie relaxed her shoulders, releasing a breath. “It’s not that I didn’t want to be friends. I just…needed to help my dad.” She paused. “We were really struggling. We still are.”

“I just didn’t realize how serious it was for you,” said Paulina. “And I’ve never experienced anything like that myself. So I didn’t understand. I said things I shouldn’t have, and I’m sorry.”

Valerie studied Paulina. She hadn’t hung out with Paulina in a long time, but she still knew her well enough to know when she was being sincere. Her expression of remorse now seemed genuine.

Something touched on Valerie’s heart, loosening the squeeze on it.

“I guess I should’ve talked to you before I sold the ticket.” Valerie sighed. “Honestly, I was just…embarrassed. I didn’t want to ask for help.” She looked right at Paulina. “It’s really not because I didn’t trust you.”

“Well.” Paulina clicked her pink-polished nails against the table. “Maybe someday, you can trust me again.”

“Yeah. I’d like that.”

Valerie smiled. Paulina smiled back. Not her practiced glamour smile that kept her lower face soft, her lips plump, her eyes round and large. This smile creased the lines around her mouth, thinned her lips, crinkled the corners of her eyes.

Valerie hadn’t seen this smile in a while. Sprawled out on Paulina’s fuzzy pink area carpet, loose shorts billowing around her thighs, pleated skirt hem rising above Paulina’s. Berry-blasted shaving cream and sweet almond moisturizer. Freshly shaved legs, knees bent, painting their toes with glossy purple and shiny gold. Giggling over boys starting to fill out their shirts with new pecs and biceps. The smell of acetone and nail polish, damp cotton balls stained with glittering rainbow colors.

It hadn’t been that long ago but seemed so nostalgic now.

Valerie shook her head and cleared her throat. “But maybe we could just start by getting this essay written.”

Paulina picked up her list and read through it. Her mouth puckered in a tight frown, creating a small sucking noise.

“What is it?” Valerie leaned over with her forearms on the table to try to get a look.

“I guess I can see now why you would rather write about someone with struggles.” Paulina turned over the list even though there was nothing written on the back. She then set it down and looked at Valerie. “But are you sure you don’t want to write about the ghost boy?”

Valerie sat back in her seat and nodded. “I’m really sure. Please. Anyone but him. I’d even take someone on your list over him.”

Paulina chuckled and waved a hand to dismiss the issue, her rose gold bangle bracelets jangling. “Okay. No ghost boy. But only because we’re friends.”

Valerie found herself nodding before even thinking about it, but she didn��t stop once she realized it. “Yeah. We’re friends.” She reached across the table and tapped the list a couple times. “But I’d also like it if we didn’t write about anyone on the list either.”

“Okay, okay.” Paulina laughed and placed a palm on the list, crumpling it in her fist. “We can write about someone else. Someone we both like.”

“Thanks,” said Valerie. “That would be great.”

Paulina dropped the now balled-up list onto the table. Valerie stared at it for a moment.

“But, ah…” She cleared her throat. “Maybe I’ll read up on those people on your blog sometime.”

A small gasp escaped Paulina, her eyes lighting up. “Really?”

“Yeah. You know, in my free time.” Valerie looked around the restaurant with a sigh. One of her coworkers was mopping up a soda spill. “Which I don’t have a lot of these days.”

“Well. Anytime you need some help, you can reach out to me.” Paulina placed both hands on the table, her fingers splaying. “Even if it’s just to talk.”

“Thanks,” said Valerie, admiring her polished nails, trying to remember the last time she herself had a manicure. Something she and Paulina used to love getting together.

Maybe she could splurge on one this weekend. If Paulina maybe wanted to join her.

Valerie checked the time on her phone. Her dad would be expecting her home soon for dinner.

“We really should get to work,” said Valerie. “We need to at least choose our topic.”

“Right, yes. I’ll start a new search.” Paulina held up her phone and began tapping away at the screen.

Valerie stood and moved to sit next to her.