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ecandjamesvpjournal · 18 days ago

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[See Halter, they said. I heard that a lot in my investigation. Halter knew a little bit about a lot, and a lot about a little bit.

It was never in any kind of reverent tone, or like you’d refer to some legendary agent. My “friend” Halter. This guy, Halter. He was well known, well liked, but…there was an edge there. People smiled when they talked about him, but then after a moment their smile would flicker. The two faced reaction was consistent. It was all very Preservation of Normalcy.

I’d been in this wing once before, when I went to talk to Irene in Necrocommunications. I’d seen this door, but hadn’t thought much of it. Now it loomed, the newly-printed black letters on the frosted window intimidating despite their innocuous appearance. All the doors I’d knocked on had made me hesitant to do so, a sort of trauma response, but knock I did. I was greeted by a demon.

A black shape opened the door. A hole in space, an outline of pure blackness that fuzzed out at the edges, almost becoming static. There were…eyes, in the shape. Somehow, despite the shape’s black on black coloring, eyes were visible, black static that glared at me, paralyzed me. An eternity passed with my body frozen and my mind a white hot coal.]

Norm] Jenny, glamour.

[The voice was male, almost sing-songy. As if he were gently chastising a younger friend. The shape before me seemed to look back at the voice’s source, then made a gesture. Instantly, the blackness and the paralyzing feeling melted into the shape of a plump young woman with a mop of red curls. She was wearing a flannel shirt over a faded black t-shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to reveal her thick forearms, dotted with tattoos. The only abnormality was a pair of fuzzy antennae, not unlike what you might see on a moth, poking out of her hair. She looked at me with some concern, but almost more embarrassment, as if she’d merely bumped into me and made me drop what I was carrying.]

Jenny] Shit. Sorry! I am so sorry. I don’t keep the glamour on all the time, Norm isn’t very affected by the…you know.

[There was a pause.]

J] Do you know? You’re Meghan, right?

[It was only then that I let out my breath. A ragged gasp, my body shuddering in pure terror. I’m not sure how I didn’t fall over. That was more fear than I’d ever felt in my entire life.

The young woman seemed to notice, opening the door wider.]

J] Come in, please. You can…sit if you want. It passes pretty quickly. Can I get you some water?

[There was the pregnant pause that happens when a person offering a seat realizes that there are no suitable horizontal surfaces. The interior of the office was a mess. A chaotic mix of stacks of papers, brown file boxes, evidence bags. Every surface, every square foot seemingly taken over by something - even many of the walls were a collage of photos, documents, miscellaneous materials. The fear from the young woman, and I was realizing now that she had been the black figure, was beginning to subside, being replaced by a different anxiety. The scene reminded me very much of what I’d found in the ruined tunnel at the decommissioned radio tower, and I tried not to look at the walls.]

J] Sorry about the mess. We’re still trying to get Norm’s files organized after he had help moving them all.

N] Speaking of. This one, file under “L” for lost, “C” for cities. Robin’s Egg paperclip, not cyan.

J] Yeah, yeah.

N] Hendricks, right?

[The male voice again. I could hear an…echo in it. A tiny electronic quality that I only noticed now that I was closer. Along one wall sat a bank of computers and file cabinets. The chaos was a little more orderly on that side, but I was still distracted enough by it that I almost missed the man I was here to talk with.

Among the computers and machinery sat a wheeled cart, not unlike the AV carts they used to use in schools. Electronic components arose from the cart, cables and boxes and tubes wrapping over each other in a woven mess that culminated in a glass tube that sat atop the structure. The tube was ten inches in diameter, and around eighteen tall with a domed top. The tube was filled with some kind of green liquid, and within that liquid, held in place by a series of plastic ribs, was a wrinkled organ. A human brain. At the front of the tube was a small metal plate, upon which was mounted a circular port. One eye looked out from that port. Without an eyelid or eyebrow to give it context, the eye communicated only a strange sort of examination.

This was Norm.

When he spoke, his voice came from a speaker mounted to the base of the tube, accompanied by a small light that glowed and blinked, following his voice.]

N] Good to meet you, ma’am. I’d shake your hand, but —

[With a metallic whirr, two small appendages extended from the mass of wires sitting at the top of the cart, little more than alligator clips activated by a wire.]

N] They’re still working on that part.

Meghan] They…they didn’t tell me you’d—

N] They can’t.

[Despite the electronic tinge to his voice, it perfectly captured a human’s inflection. His response was fast, politely curt. Cutting the questions off at the pass.]

N] And I can’t either. My condition is…somewhat classified. As far as the Office is concerned, I’m still doing my job. Obviously I have physical limitations, but that’s why Jenny is here.

[I look over at the young woman, who sheepishly waves.]

J] Hi. Jenny Cold. Didn’t really get to introduce myself.

N] I suffered an injury in the line of duty, and if it’s all the same to you, that’s all that’s relevant for this conversation.

M] I….understand.

N] I know you don’t. You’ve got all kinds of questions. Everyone does. Just trust that it’s better for everyone if those go unanswered.

M] Right.

N] You want to jump right in?

[It felt insane to do that, now. After Jenny, after seeing what Norm was, anything else felt pointless. Arbitrary. I lived in a world where a human could become that. The sucker punches kept coming and I wasn’t sure how long it would take before I threw in the towel.]

M] I guess I should. So…this is the social media office.

N] Yes ma’am. My little initiative. So far it’s just the three of us.

M] Three?

N] Oh, sorry. Let me introduce you to MISSI.

[One of his claws gestured to a computer sitting on a desk. This one was markedly older than the others, with its offwhite shell and big bulky CRT. As I took a step towards it, the screen lit up and displayed a pixelated mouth - giant cartoony shark teeth meshed into a wide grin, and text on the bottom read “HAIIIIIIIIIIII” in pink letters.]

N] She’s an AI. A truly sentient one. We call those ‘uppercase’ AI around here. She got moved over to us when she got put on probation.

[I looked back over to the screen. The text at the bottom changed to “I AM DOIN GOOD!!!!!!”]

N] Yes you are, MISSI. Proud of you.

[I rubbed my eyes, and Norm seemed to catch it.]

N] It’s a lot to take in. I’ve heard you’ve been all over the Office.

M] I’ve met a lot of people.

N] Well, you can take it easy here. We’re here to help as best we can.

M] How do you mean?

N] When I was active duty, I was on the diplomatic staff, but most of what I did was personal outreach. I was often the first person called when someone needed help, both extranormal and mundane. Both in the community and outside it. I’d be the sometimes hidden face of the Office. A friendly smile when people need it most. I had to keep secrecy regulations, but I’d still tell people what I could to help them with their problems, and get them to the person who could help them if I couldn’t.

M] And that’s what you do here?

N] Mostly! We get all kinds of questions sent in. Dangerous stuff, petty stuff. Procedural questions, law help, magical defense. I know a little bit about a lot, so most of the time if I don’t know what’s happening I can get them in contact with someone else. Or, Jenny does.

M] What else does she do?

J] I do a lot of screening questions. Some things get asked a bunch so we answer them privately, or they’re just…trolling, or uncomfortable. People asking about stuff that isn’t…safe for work, and the like. I also sort his files, which is going to take years at this rate.

M] And…the AI?

[The young woman interjects, almost before I’m done speaking; “MISSI.”]

N] Cybersecurity, mainly. Being sentient and digital, she can suss out cognitohazards way better than the old algorithms, and isn’t really affected by them. Her professionalism leaves a little to be desired, but we’re working on it.

[I looked over at the old CRT, which was bleeding. I decided not to ask why.

Norm went on about different cases, different experiences where he’d helped people. Despite myself, I felt myself….liking him. He had a way of speaking, a sort of folksy voice that—

My heart leapt. My fingers went numb. He was doing this. There was no reason I would feel this way. I just met the man, and now I’d help him move. I’d watch his dog. It wasn’t a strong feeling, I wouldn’t die for the man, but if I worked with him day in and day out, how long would it be until I would?

I could feel things bubbling up in my chest. Vomit, of course, but I could also feel that vague feeling of liking Norm fighting with my suspicion. I felt like I’d caught a snake slithering into the hen house. Was this some….magical spell? A psychic aura? Was all that machinery a way of….suppressing someone’s natural suspicion? Lowering their guard? I couldn’t discount anything, not after what I’d seen.

I thought about those reactions I saw in people when they talked about Norm. A smile, then a flicker. Sure, that could just be a memory of his sorry physical state, but did they know, deep down, that it was all…fake?

I couldn’t stop the sweat on my forehead, or the ringing in my ears.]

N] —and, you know, like I always say, perception is—

M] Are you human, Norm?

[The air was sucked out of the room instantly. I could barely keep my breathing even. Jenny took a step towards the two of us.]

J] Hey, what kind of —

N] No, it’s okay. I can’t fight reality on this. No, I am technically not human. The official term is technological posthuman. That’s what it says on my paperwork.

M] Are you….extranormal?

N] Not….really. Not in a way the Office cares about. I wasn’t before my accident a few years ago. Some of this tech keeping me alive is running off of a magical programming language. A lot of this stuff comes from AbTech. Why do you ask?

M] It just seems like —

[A few years ago. He can’t talk about it. No one can. The bile in my throat pushed out any residual positive feeling I had. My hands trembled.]

M] What happened to you, Agent Halter?

N] Meghan, I can’t —

M] Is he here?

N] What?

M] My brother, is he here? Is he like you?

J] Jesus Christ, Meghan.

M] You’re just as much a victim of this as anyone, Jenny.

N] Meghan, I think I know what’s going on. You’re grieving and no one can even acknowledge what you lost. I went through that too, I’m still going through it. Take a breath, please.

[There it was again. A radiating sense of good feeling towards this thing in the tube. It was sickly sweet now that I could sense it, cloying.]

M] You’re at the center of this, aren’t you? Of all of this. That’s why everyone likes you. They pity you because you’re in that thing but how many of their strings are you pulling?

N] Please, you need to calm do—

M] Where is he?

N] We-

M] What happened to my brother?!

[The scream ripped out of my throat before I could stop it. The tears melted onto my cheeks, and even I’m stunned once I realized how close I was to Norm. I’m not proud of it. But now I’m living in that moment, my body shuddering in rage.

There is a long silence. Thoughts slip through my mind - is he dead? Did I kill him? A tiny part of me said ‘good. I hope so.’ When Norm spoke again, it was….ragged. The sound coming from the machine creaked and ached, staticky and muffled. It echoed, like an imprisoned man speaking through a long tube, farther away than anyone could ever reach.]

N] We broke the cycle.

[I look back at Jenny in confusion. She has her hands over her mouth in shock, and looks just as confused.]

N] How often has this happened? A thousand million times for all we know. We saw some of them just vanish. We didn’t know why. Then worlds like ours winked out in ways compatible enough that we could understand it. She knew. She always knew. The cycle would come for her again.

[The lights in the room flickered, dimmed. Norm’s tube bubbled, and several indicator lights on his wire assembly went into the red. His speaker was untuned now, almost slurring.]

N] I made the choice. For everyone. I couldn’t handle a world like that. But she disagreed. She chose this one because she was a saint and couldn’t….couldn’t—

[Sparks flew from the cart and his voice was no longer a series of rational words. Syllables repeated, voices talked over themselves.]

N] WE COULD SEE IT. EMPTINESS. EVIL. EVERY STORY, EVERY TALE REFERRING TO THE THING WRITTEN IN OUR DNA TO FEAR. WE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT IT WAS UNTIL WE SAW IT. MASKS. OLD CHARLIE. ALBION. RHYTHMORZAX. IT CAME TO US AND WE KNEW REALITY WAS INSUFFICIENT. WE HAD TO AMPUTATE THE LIMB TO KILL THE INFECTION.

[The lights in the room shut off, and there was a moment of silence until an ear piercing shriek came from the brain’s chassis.]

N] WE KILLED REALITY TO KILL IT. WE KILLED REALITY TO KILL IT. WE KILLED REALITY TO KILL IT. WE KI—

[A final shower of sparks, and he went silent.]

J] Norm!

[Jenny rushed towards him, checking his readouts as well as she could in the dark.]

M] Jenny, I—

J] Not now!

M] I am so sorr—

J] Just shut the fuck up, you’ve already done enough!

[That energy, again. The same I felt when I’d seen the black shape at the door. Not as strong as before, but the sensation of being face to face with something designed from the ground up to prey on you.

She murmured, half panicking, flipping switches until she seemed satisfied, and then slumped into a rolling chair nearby.]

M] Is…is he okay?

J] He will be.

[She rubbed her face, and I could see she was crying.]

J] He will be. He just needs to reset.

M] Reset his…

J] Just the software. It…he’s done this before. Whatever happened to him makes him panic, makes something in him almost….

[She looked away, putting her hand over her lower face, resting her elbow on the desk.]

J] Revolt against himself. I don’t know.

M] I’m sorry, I just—

J] Something is wrong, Meghan. Something is very very wrong at the Office. There’s a guy who works here, Doctor Chou. He's the head of AbTech, and I think...he did something to Norm when he brought him back.

M] Did something?

J] I don’t know. I know it benefits him, but I don’t know anything else. Maybe he’s who you need to talk to.

[Her tone was tired, angry. I interpreted it as the dismissal it was, looking once more at Norm.

Jenny looked back at the CRT that displayed the AI they’d spoken about. Maybe it and Norm had their own power source. A small character appeared on the screen, a sharp toothed smile in a hoodie, wearing a football helmet and punching the sky. The text along the bottom read ‘PUT ME IN COACH. PUT ME INNNNNNNNNN’

Jenny rubbed her face again, and got up. She ran a cable from the old computer to somewhere in the tangle of wires of Norm’s chassis, and there was a snap as it plugged in. The cartoon avatar on the old monitor silently laughed in glee, and vanished.]

J] You should go. I don’t know when either of them will wake back up.��

M] Right. Um. For what it’s worth, I’m….I’m sorry.

[Jenny didn’t answer. I left her alone in the room, in the dark.]

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ecandjamesvpjournal · 20 days ago

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DP CROSSOVER IDEAS

You know, something I have seen constantly and that I thoroughly enjoy consistently. Is that Danny is the Ghost King, an Eldritch Being and the Ancient of Space, as well as the Student of Time.

Alongside Danielle Phantom being his Daughter, the Ancient of Freedom and having an amazing Wonderlust and exploring.

And my favorite prompt has to be when Ellie is in danger, and she calls for her Dad. Be it show up as Fenton, ready to kick ass. Or Eldritch Horror Phantom as the sky opens it's eyes.

And we've seen that concept plenty of times in DPXDC, but then I realized, why haven't we done this concept in like ... other fandoms?

Like, don't get me wrong, plenty of good Fanfics all around with DP in other fandoms. But with how fleshed out Phandom Lore is lately, alongside with how extensive DPXDC is that lore. (i.e The Infinite Realms being the glue of all dimensions, Ancients are the manifestations of concepts, only people that died with many regrets and ectoplasm becomes Ghosts, etc.) Why haven't we used that lore for other fandoms?

Like, imagine that now.

Imagine Ellie finding the MHA Universe, exploring - and getting in trouble with the Government, as she always does. She's able to escape, and they're unable to catch her cause she doesn't have a Quirk. Imagine if she shows up during the incident in Kamino, and then - when in danger, she takes a deep breath and --

"DADDY!"

Que Eldritch Danny coming in, and obliterating All-For-One, and everyone is watching in horror - only for Ellie to just giggle and thank her Dad as the giant monstrosity smiles and then disappears.

The Heroes would be so horrified - and so confused, because, what.

Hell, there are other universes where this could work too!

What about Highschool DXD? Granted, I don't watch that Anime. But all I know is that thing focuses on like, Heaven and Hell?? You know, the two afterlives - with the Infinite Realms being the in-between? Can you see the potential there??

Hell, you can even have some insane crack-fics if you SQUINT at an idea hard enough.

How about Reincarnation AUs? People like to have Danny reincarnate as a vacation, so imagine Ellie reincarnating. She becomes a Thief, gets caught, waiting for Transfer - only to meet, wait for it,

Henry Stickmin.

HELLO - The REDHEAD IS LITERALLY NAMED ELLIE. And in there, she apparently has consistent FORCE POWERS - BUT LIKE, GHOSTS HAVE TELEKENSIS. SO WHAT IF THAT'S LIKE - YOU KNOW????

Or how about where Ellie is like, Queen of Clones or something?? She protects cloned children, and then showing up in Star Wars to save Clones - cause like, damn.

Basically all I'm saying is,

If we fleshed out the Phandom Lore of Danny Phantom so much because of DPXDC, why the heck haven't we applied that Lore into other media to make Crossovers easier, and more varied than just DPXDC?

We have the Tools, we have the Foundation! All that's left is someone insane enough to build a Second Ghost Portal into different Fandoms.

What do you think?

#dpxhttyd #danny phantom #how to train your dragon #httyd #ellie phantom #danielle phantom #dani phantom #dpxdc #dp x dc prompt #dp x dc crossover

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