#Dan has Ghostly traces in his human form

[mikami1992]

Finally, after some missions through time, Dan has managed to be approved as "Officially Reformed", and only with some supervision from Clockwork and Danny, will he be free to return to live in the human world.

So with the help of Clockwor, Tecnus and Tuker, an identity was created for him as a Young Adult, who after a few years of traveling around the world, returns to the United States to begin his University studies.

Dante Jackson Nightingale is a Young Adult recently enrolled in Gotham University to study Business and Finance with some elective classes in Engineering, being the place chosen for the high educational level as well as the level of ecto of the city… but the Phantom of the future has other hidden intentions.

During his 10 years of rampant destruction, Dan had a period of "calm", the reason, the strange relationship he developed with Batman, a relationship that was about to bring the angry spirit back to sanity by focusing his obsession on something else…

But it all ended when a surviving and better-funded group of GIW caught Red Hood to experiment on him, so the Batfam immediately went looking for him, and at first the rescue everything went according to plan, but it was until the end where everything went off the rails with the appearance of the Joker… it was never known how it all ended with the explosion of the bat, but it ended up costing the lives of the Bat and the Clown, and some permanent damage to some of the Batkids.

The death of the Knight of Gotham City ended up reviving and fanning the flames of anger and destruction within Dan, which would cause a destruction greater than anything known before.

So, in this new reality, Dan plans to continue with his original intentions with the bat, this time proving that he was a worthy partner for the Dark Knight.

[currentfandomkick]

If you want to add extra angst: when this universe’s Dani tried to find her Original, she couldn’t.

She went to clockwork and found a Fenton Thermos labeled ‘paradox’ and hoped it was her danny when she opened it.

Now we have a pissed off, vengeful Dan in the same universe as a Souless Danny/Danyal al Ghul, and no idea if the Phantom half of Danny exists anymore—as i feel like sans Danny as a blueprint, Phantom might revert into a highly emotionally volatile blob ghost noted as freakishly solitary.

Imagine Dani running to Vlad because he’s a manipulative creep, yes, but he’s not an evil version of her Original and he has some twisted investment in her missing Original, enough to help her find Phantom and Fenton and reunite them.

Dan flies off to find a Soulless (often called a Husk in the IR) of human Danny as an assassin who wants to kill some billionaire and has no self preservation. Maybe Dan taunts Husk!Danny about removing Phantom from himself, only to be told ‘Bruce Wayne did that. He did not care for my input.’

And now? Ra’s al Ghul has a pissed off ghost version of Danny (who is 💯 team ‘kill Bruce’ and offers increasingly unhinged ways to make Bruce’s death more painful as he plots it with ‘wanted to keep his ghost half’ Danyal/Danny) that is not Phantom, and Danyal/Danny as a top assassin/tool.

Only downside is this ‘Dan’ is clearly only there to help Danyal plot and execute Bruce Wayne’s demise in the brutal way possible.

Meanwhile Dani/Ellie and Vlad are desperately looking for any trace of Phantom using Ellie as a homing beacon, and Vlad has gotten to the point he’s bringing in the Ancients of the IR to find the missing Will of the Infinite Realms*.

Nocturne is particularly partial to helping locate Phantom as news of his disappearance is both vexing personally (that is his baby ancient to tease) and politically (missing mad king? Good. Missing Benevolent and Kind King? Horrendous). Plus this is distressing the newly formed shade of Jazz Fenton, one of Nocturne’s own ghostly children.

Frostbite and the Far Frozen are prepping for war for the first time since Pariah Dark was sealed. Their Great One is missing, and Frostbite can not feel his bond to his son properly. There is no precedent to such an event between a ghost parent and grieving ghost child. The closest would be an Ending, but even then the bind severs painfully. Frostbite worries for his son, and his people are ready to remind all that their choice to study medicine and health may be a kindness. But kindness is not just gentle smile and soft words. It is defending those in need. And his son was in need.

Clockwork (not bonded to this v of Danny) is looking for Dan only to twitch as somehow Dan Phantom befriended Husk!Danny and that is a mess he doesnt want to touch until ordered by the Observants.

Pandora is anxious about the fading of her apprentice and the Emperor of the Infinite’s signature. It was unnatural. She wasn’t sure what happened and is rallying her own realm to investigate, even arguing with the living Greek Gods and the Amazons of the dimension and universe to help find the cause. If her apprentice is in danger, it is her duty to help—especially as he still grieves his living Fright and was not to resume his duties for another decade or so. Whatever coward struck a ghost child in such a state was deserving of her blade and entrapment in her box with each horror she’s trapped kept from the mortal world.

—

*Danny as the Will of the Infinite Realm is a headcannon from a post i saw a while back that basically went ‘he can dethrone whoever is king whenever he wants, and his approval is vital for a ruler of the whole infinite realms to have any ease during their reign. Him being neutral to a king is the mark of a Bad Infinite Realms Ruler, let alone him disliking a Standing King.’

Is Danny King of the infinite in this one? Nah but with Pariah sealed away he is the closest to a King of Kings by virtue of how many Ancients he’s defeated. And as a noted Protector of Veil Boundaries (keeps the peace between ghosts and humans in equal measure) he is acknowledged as the Acting Emperor as the Babiest of the Ancients… and the one with the highest win steak of the ancients atm.

Bonus of Danny’s Rogues respecting his Fright Grieving Time (assume Danny has lost his parents and friends in the Nasty Burger Explosion but with tweaks to timeline for Dani/Ellie to exist and befriend Danny beforehand).

Gimmie a Danny and Damian twins au, but not one where they're all gushy gushy and huggy huggy about the fact that they're reunited.

I want one, where they HATE and try to KILL EACH OTHER. Where they're extremely fucked up in their relationship with one another, but can't kill the other because Taila hoped that they could get along.

They spew poison at each other, inflict pain on each other as easy as BREATHING and would leave the other while heavily injured while saying that they could take care of themselves.

I want them to be near mortal-enemies wrapped up in the bodies of two highly-competent and powerful 14 year olds who cannot give a fuck about each other, has a fleeting thought of killing the other on the best of days but doesn't because of their dear mommy Taila.

Then force them to interact with each other after a long period of separation. I don't give a flying FUCK how you manage to do it, perhaps Danny has to run because his parents vivisected him, perhaps the Nasty Burger explosion couldn't be reversed because Clockwork said no and Danny is torn or perhaps Vlad brings him to Gotham for a gala (either redeemed or not redeemed Vlad), etc, etc.

Force these two children who fucking HATE each other under the same roof, make them interact, make them watch each other interact and make comments about it. Maybe even make an unstable Danny try and KILL Damian, but is stopped by the batfam, or maybe make it that Danny can't even bring himself to kill Damian because he's (discounting Talia) the only family he has left.

Maybe even (if you go the Nasty Burger/Dead Fenton fam au) make Danny hate Bruce Wayne's fucking GUTS because this man is trying to replace his dead father (even though Bruce IS his biological father) and hates him even MORE because he looks so similar to Jack's face that he's literally torn whenever he sees him. Make it that he never stays in the same room as Bruce whenever he's not in mask, make it that he tells Bruce TO HIS FACE that he hates the man for trying to replace his dead FUCKING dad and that he will NEVER accept him as one, biologically related or not.

Maybe even make him not like the batfam either just for the fact that they associate with both Bruce and Damian.

(I just remembered about that one post I saw, but BOY is this ramble gonna get even WORSE for dear old Danny. Though this part isn't really necessary could just read the on top bit lol)

Maybe they even find a way to take away his ghost side, and Bruce (With or without Talia) say that it's for the best for him, and Danny? Danny just fucking BREAKS. DOWN. He's full-on crying and screaming at Bruce and maybe has to be held back by the other batkids or not, or maybe he's just fulling on trying to hit Bruce and Bruce either dodges or just takes it.

Saying how fucking DARE he take away his ghost side, that was apart of him and he had NO FUCKING RIGHT to take away something so precious from him. Then Bruce could say that he doesn't need powers, he could be fully if not even more capable as a human.

And Danny just goes "You don't even get it, do you?" And Danny just cries harder because technically that was one the LAST things linking him to his parents. His DEAD parents. Sure, the accident was his fault, but phantom was created because of their portal, in their lab, in their basement.

Even worse if the reveal went RIGHT and they starting accepting how he was half ghost and trying to change their views on ghosts as a whole, only to die. Then, for some guy to just, take away something like that from him?

Maybe Danny would even say that, rip into him about how that was one of the only things linking him to his parents and even if it wasn't he didn't have the fucking right to decide what to do with HIS body.

"You never had to fucking worry about your parents not accepting you, I did. They still loved me regardless, they tried to change for me. But you wouldn't even know what that feels like, would you, you stupid fucking rich boy."

[idk why I typed that part out but just role with it.]

Maybe Bruce tries to sympathize with Danny about his parents, but Danny just doesn't have any fucks left to give about Bruce's life, or anyone else life in Bruce's life at all and just shuts it down or steamrolls over it. At the end of it all Danny is just a crying, shivering wreck and stares down Bruce with eyes full of HATE that tells Bruce one step closer, and he would KILL him.

Maybe then Damian (Either walks in or was there the entire time.) insults Danny over his weakness and depending on his ghost form or something, and Danny just sees fucking RED and jumps on him. No care that he's no longer half ghost, so that he means he could die more easily, no care to anyone else in that room, no care that Talia wanted both of them to get along and not kill each other.

He tries to kill Damian.

He fails miserably, of course, but he still tries. Then tries again and a fucking gain.

Then after all that he just, doesn't come out of his room, or tries to escape and leave Gotham every chance he gets. He never gets far, but he keeps trying, and he never opens up to anyone in the batfam, not even Alfred.

He's just a kid who lost everything he worked so hard for, everything he tried to hide from his biological mother and her assassin league who tried to keep whatever he had left. Now that kid is fueled by nothing but pure, revolting hatred for the people who took even that from him.

Basically like Dark Danny, but way more powerless and fully human.

[Okay that's enough of me rambling.]

[mysticalparadisetale]

Are Ghosts real? — Scientific evidence for Ghosts

Ghosts are everywhere. We’ve seen them in films, in books, or if you’re too terrified to watch a scary movie (like me) you might at least have heard a few ghost stories.

As far back as we can trace human life, there’s evidence that every culture around the world believed that there’s some non-physical essence to life. It’s because humans are curious and we want to know what’s happening around us. It’s a good thing but what’s not good is rendering something as supernatural when we have no explanation for its mysteriousness.

It can be presented better in the words of Carrie Poppy:

“Of course there are mysteries, but a mystery is a mystery. It’s not a Ghost.”

Psychological reasons for why we believe in ghosts

According to Barry Markovsky, a sociologist at the University of South Carolina, the human mind seeks patterns and tries to make sense of ambiguous things. Ghosts are always seen in ambiguous circumstances like when it is dark or when we’re half-conscious such as when we’re sleeping or waking up.

Missing loved ones

Ghosts, If you’re looking for one you'd likely to find one. Researchers say that Six in 10 grieving people 'see or hear dead loved ones'. Honestly, it’s more agonising to realise that our loved ones are gone forever than accepting a sweet lie.

Pareidolia

One of the reasons why we see faces or figures is Pareidolia. Pareidolia is a situation when we see an image or a pattern in something even where it doesn't exist.

Our brain processes information and it’s always correct. But when we are hallucinating, which of course is an illusion, we still believe it because we’re so used to the accuracy of our senses.

The brain works to make the sense of the world around itself and it’s so good at it that sometimes it finds meaning in meaningless things. That’s why we see faces in scuff marks on a wall or in clouds and of course the spooky figures in the dark.

The Science of Ghosts

Infrasound

Several ghost stories are easily explained through Infrasound. Infrared is a low-frequency sound below our auditory limit (20Hz). It can be produced by certain machines like engines or fans.

It’s a fact that we can’t hear it but it certainly messes with our nerves and can cause visual hallucinations, chills, and the eerie feeling of someone’s presence near you.

Peripheral Vision

It’s common to hear stories of people catching a glimpse of a ghost from the corner of their eye. Peripheral vision is our ability to see objects and movements outside of the direct line of vision. And Here’s how it works:

Our ability to detect motion increases at the edge of our peripheral vision whereas our ability to detect colour drops off considerably. This is because the periphery of our retina has fewer cones (cones are cells that detect colour and shape) and more rods which are better at detecting motion.

Our senses are heightened when we are alert which makes us likely to be frightened by otherwise mundane occurrences.

Sleep Paralysis

Sleep paralysis occurs when the usual rhythm of sleep is disrupted such as when we’re about to fall asleep or wake up from sleep. It’s when our eyes are active under our shut eyelids called REM sleep or Rapid Eye Movement. We are active and alert but the rest of the body is paralysed. It is to prevent us from acting out in our sleep and injuring ourselves.

Sleep paralysis occurs when the body wakes up from REM sleep. That means that we are still dreaming but have opened our eyes.

This is usually a terrifying phenomenon because that’s when the hallucinations occur. People have described seeing demons, intruders, or footsteps walking closer which is one of the primary causes people to report paranormal experiences.

Joe Nickell, a paranormal investigator, after 50 years of his research said:

“Not ever have I found a single case that I thought was proof of a ghost neither has science. Not a single ghost or haunting has been authenticated by science.”

Physics vs Ghosts

Ghosts are considered supernatural because their presence can’t be validated or proved by science. Isn’t it ambiguous that the only proof of them is of oral stories or ambiguous photographs?

The characteristics of ghosts we know defy all scientific laws of nature. They are invisible but some are caught in videos, they can pass through solid objects but can also open/close doors when no one is around.

Theoretical Astrophysicist, Dan Hooper explained that if ghosts are visible and can take any kind of physical form then they must be made up of atoms (like every other thing in the universe).

The electrons around atoms have a very strong repulsive force and that’s why solid objects can’t move through each other and here’s exactly why you can’t pass through a wall. If that’s the case, then ghosts can’t pass through solid objects either.

Therefore, we have to assume that they are made of something more exotic like Neutrinos also called Ghost Particles. Neutrinos have no electric charge—they’re neutral.

Since they have no electric charge, therefore they exert a repulsive force against other matter and can easily pass through solids.

BUT if ghosts were made of neutrinos then they would not emit any electromagnetic radiation or light. Mind you many ghost hunters use EMF meters to detect ghosts and they basically measure the electromagnetic fields that ghosts are assumed to simulate.

Some people believe that the reason why we still don’t have valid proof is that we don’t have the right technology to detect the spirit world but we can also detect them with our senses. That’s certainly not a very clever assumption.

Well, sorry to burst your bubble but so far there aren’t any scientific proofs for the existence of Ghosts.

Story of Carrie Poppy

Carrie Poppy is a journalist and a paranormal investigator. In a TED Talk, Carrie Poppy shared her story of when she thought her house was haunted by a ghost.

Here’s how it goes…

While living in her house in LA (which I’m assuming she had recently moved into), she started to feel as if it was rather haunted. Poppy would constantly feel pressure on her chest, which only got worse. She even started to hear whispers. That’s not all, Poppy said she would sit on her bed and cry all night for no apparent reason.

Poppy was then sure that evil spirits were living in her house. She talked to her friend and as anyone would, her friend suggested a cleansing ritual.

This should’ve been the end of the story. Well not so quick.

The cleansing ritual had no effect and the eerie feeling didn’t go away. After a little search, she stumbled upon a team of ghost hunters, whom she referred to as “Skeptics”. They believed that every ghost case could be explained through science.

That’s exactly what they did. Thanks to those “Skeptics”, Poppy came to realise that there was a gas leak in her house and the ghost that kept haunting her was, in fact, Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. Mind you the common symptoms of CO poisoning are auditory hallucinations, unexplained dread, and chest pain.

Poppy had to call the gas company to fix the leak and one of the members told her that she was lucky because she would’ve died if she hadn’t called them earlier.

Imagine if Poppy hadn’t called the Company, she probably would’ve died. Her house would’ve been added to the unending list of haunted houses.

Poppy is now a paranormal investigator, she claims to have solved 70 cases in her life, and according to her:

“9 times out of 10 science wins, Saves the day, it’s all explained

That’s not true, The truth is

10 times out of 10, science wins, it saves the day”

Swiss Scientists were able to produce a “ghost” in a lab. They created a robot with a mechanical arm. The robot’s arm touches the subject’s back and mimics the movements of the subject’s arm. A slight delay in the movement of its arm creates a ghostly feeling.

This shows how manipulating certain parts of your brain can easily misconstruct reality.

Think about it, If our souls could turn into ghosts after death then there would be more ghosts in this world than the number of people alive. Also, most murder cases could solve easily. Overall, it would be a terrifying world.

Next time if you feel a presence, just think of how many annual deaths are caused by ghosts. EXACTLY!!

Sources

Ghosts: Fact or Fiction? | The Psychology of Extraordinary Beliefs

A scientific approach to the paranormal | Carrie Poppy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF MuLqZ1z a&t=74s

Halloween Special: Is There Any Scientific Evidence for the Paranormal?

Ghost Particles | National Geographic

Why do people believe in ghosts?

The science of ghosts

6 Possible Scientific Reasons for Ghosts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost

[dp-marvel94]

Yes! That's exactly what I was thinking. I know @krossan and @gyancastle both have young Dan art. I just reblogged some pieces.

And Danny's reaction... he'd definitely be angry about Vlad cloning him without his permission. And now I'm realizing how insane this situation is from Danny's perspective.

First of all, the whole evil future self thing is crazy. Danny captures Dan in a soup can and gives him to basically the god of time, who then proceeds to just release said evil future literally only a few months later. And this "Dan" is very different from before. He hangs around for a few weeks before just disappearing without a trace for months. And Vlad's been oddly silent too? So yeah, Danny is freaking out because they're obviously planning something.

So Dan shows up again. And he looks a little different. No goatee, hair a little shorter, a little less buff. The older ghost asks Danny to come up to a nearby roof to talk to him. Wearily, Danny does. The two land and Dan freaking turns human.

Danny, whose already on edge from Dan's sudden appearance, suddenly remembers when Dan disguised himself like this to hurt his family and friends. Angry, Danny punches him on the face, hard enough to bust Dan's nose.

Danny pulls his hand back, staring at the red human blood on his knuckles.

"What the f-k." Both now identical looking boys say at the same time.

But yeah, Dan's apparently a half ghost again. Because Vlad freaking cloned Danny. So Dan kinda sorta a clone of him now? And Dan and Vlad want to do it again because...

"You have Jazz... and I promised I would stay away." Dan pouts, crossing his arms. "I want a sibling."

So, Danny's definitely giving his permission now. How can he not when Dan's giving him that look? And it's so weird, because Dan is a version of him from another timeline. But Dan's also his clone? And this new clone... the three of them would all have the same DNA. So aren't they all kinda...siblings?

Danny's not going to think about that now. At least Dan's not a problem anymore. He's very relieved to not have to fight the other half ghost.

Oh, and then, Danny learns that Dan's ghost form has been getting younger so within a few weeks, the two of them will always look almost identical, no matter the form. That's a mind trip for Danny.

And, if we go with the headcanon that Danny ends up looking more ghostly as he gets older, or if he was always going to end up looking like Dan because Dan's altered appearance wasn't actually because of Plasmius's influence... oh boy. That'd be fun.

So I'm still geeking out over my ask that @stillebesat answered a few days ago, the one where about an upcoming fic. I've been playing around with a really similar idea, with a redeemed Dan fusing with a clone of Danny, for months now.

Here's my idea:

First of all, my preferred version of Dan is basically Danny but evil. He less fused with Plasmius and more consumed his powers so Dan doesn't have any of Vlad's memories. Next, I'm a big fan of the idea that Dan deeply regrets killing his human half and is, for lack of a better word, haunted by the action. It was the first death of his reign of terror, his final chance to turn back from the dark path he was on and...it was his suicide.

Now, Dan doesn't realize any of this for what feels like centuries. He's trapped in the Fenton thermos in Clockwork's lair, alone with only his thoughts. And the knowledge starts creeping in, all that he'd lost, all that he'd done. He realizes that he misses his friends and family and to his surprise, he hopes his younger self saved them. But then he realized that he tried to kill them. And the guilt starts creeping in. The regret follows and he remembers all the rest of his crimes. He doesn't have enough humanity, enough emotional capacity to be wrecked but he's no longer a rage fueled destructive monster.

Then to Dan's shook, Clockwork releases him without a word. The master of time dumps him in the new timeline, maybe a few months after the events of TUE. To his dim relief, Dan finds that his friends and family are all still alive. He watches them for a while, trying to process where he is and what happened. But then he runs into Danny. And things don't go well. It's a rocky start. Danny does not trust Dan at all. He doesn't trust that the older ghost has no intention of hurting his loved ones. Danny is ready and willing to fight and recapture him. The younger's opinion doesn't change until Dan saves him and Jazz during a ghost attack. The two ghosts, at Jazz's insistence, come to an uneasy impasse. Danny will leave Dan alone if the older ghost leaves him and his family alone. Dan isn't really happy about this arrangement but it's better than being trapped in the thermos again and he does have no intention of hurting his younger counterpart or his loved ones.

So Dan concedes. He stays out of Danny's way. He watches. He catches glimpses of his former friends and family from a distance. And it hurts. Dan feels out of place, disconnected. This isn't his time, isn't his place. He's stuck on the outside looking in... and this timeline already has a Danny, one who didn't make the aggresous mistakes he did. And those mistakes... the guilt's still there but like all other emotions, it's dim and distant. That's how it's been since his death, with every emotion but rage. But still, Dan does not like being on the outside looking in. He needs to do something else with himself, find some place he can belong.

Then Dan remembers Vlad. He had gone to the older half ghost after losing everything. And... Vlad had tried to help him. Separating the then halfa at his request had been a horrible idea but Vlad had been trying. Vlad did care about him. And.... the man must be so lonely now. Lonely like Dan himself is.

It's something of a wim but Dan goes to the older halfa. And at first, it's a surprise to Vlad and then seemingly a dream come true. Here in front of him is a version of Daniel who wants to stay by his side willingly. This Dan is more powerful and experienced than his younger counterpart, though not as experienced as Vlad. The young man is willing to be taught and all he seemingly wants is companionship. Yes, it would be a dream come true except...

Dan will not tolerate any of Vlad's shit. He will not be used to hurt anyone ever again. He will not take part in any of Vlad's schemes against the Fentons. It's a high price to pay but the older man backs off. Vlad is content to not be alone and have a chance to convince Dan to work with him.

So Dan stays with Vlad. With the older man busy with work, Dan has free reign of the mansion for most of the day. In some ways, it's nice. Away from Amity Park, there's no temptation to check on his former loved ones. His longing for a life he can no longer have is diminished. Vlad's mansion provides ample distraction, in the library, the game room, the gardens. But... the days are long and often lonely and the nights... they're even worse. The large building, empty and quiet, it's too much like a time Dan wishes he could forget. The memories are stronger now. After the fiery explosion...weeks of weeping in his room. Somber diners with Vlad where he couldn't force himself to eat. Waking up from another nightmare.

Without his humanity, the grief isn't as soul wrenching as it should be. But it's ever present, the memories on repeat. And there is little to break them up. As a ghost, Dan cannot sleep. He cannot eat. He can't truly feel the sun on his face or the comforting chill of the water on the pool. All physical sensations are dimmed.

And Dan starts to realize, it's excruciating. He feels incomplete, like there's a gapping whole in his chest. The memories of his own death, seen from the outside, return. His own icy blue eyes wide with fear and pain. Red blood spattered on his face. It's horrifying. Or it should be. If Dan could muster up more than the dimmest shadow of the emotion. But he can't, because the part of him that could died 10 years ago. And... this is wrong. He is wrong.

He should have died completely as himself, as Danny Fenton. He shouldn't have watched his death from the outside by his own hands. He shouldn't be this half being that couldn't even be bothered to die properly.

Dan stews, a forgotten anger growing as he longs for something he'd once wanted rid of. His human self, his Fenton, his humanity... he wants it. He wants to be truly, completely himself again. He wants to be whole enough to fade, to move on.

But that is the problem with ghosts, especially one like him. They do not change. They do not move on. As much as Dan acts like he is older, like he is different, he is not. He's the same angry, broken teen that he was ten years ago. And he will never be anything else.

Dan rages, trashing Vlad's training room. Soon enough, his anger is spent and the young man comes back to his senses. Dan huffs in frustration and annoyance at himself. He'd rather enjoyed Vlad's training room and now the man himself will likely be cross with him. Dan does his best to put the room back in order and find something else to do.

But the pain, regret, and longing linger. At some level, Dan thinks he's being ridiculous. All his former loved ones are alive. Dan isn't alone. He has Vlad and the ability to determine his own future. This world wasn't ravaged by his hand. His mistakes have been erased. He should be free. Except...

No, his mistakes are not all erased. His own death returns to his mind over and over. He shouldn't think about, he shouldn't dwell on it but...

One day, Dan goes down to Vlad's secret lab. He knows he shouldn't. This is such a breach of Vlad's trust but... this is were it happened. The young man stares at the metal table. If he was capable of feelings cold, he would shiver. There, where he was pulled out of his body. That wall, he cornered his human half there, the boy cowering in fear. There, that control panel was spattered with his own blood.

Dan wishes he could cry but he's not human enough for that. He's not human at all. But he wishes he was.

Startled by the thought, the full ghost turns away. He shouldn't wish for things he can't have but... no. Dan's eyes flicker around the room, looking for small differences from his memories. Some of the equipment is laid out differently. There are different samples on the shelf and... that door wasn't there before.

Dan walks through and finds... metal and glass chambers in different degrees of construction. A few are filled with ectoplasm and there in the back... if Dan had a heart, it would stop. There in a clear pod with a breathing mask over his face is...Danny Fenton. No, that's not right. This isn't... this isn't his timeline. And his younger counterpart is in Amity Park so....

Dan frantically searches Vlad's computer, his notes for answers. Clones. Vlad had been trying to clone his younger half ghost counterpart. In the tube... clone 3. Fully human. Suffered mental decline from 2 weeks gestation and eventually brain death a month later. Body kept alive by machines since... the week Dan arrived.

Dan wishes he could feel shock. He wishes he could feel relief. From the data, this was the first attempt that even resembled something human. The others were by all measures animals, in no way sentient. And it appears Vlad hasn't continued working since Dan came to live with him. But still...

Dan confronts Vlad, asking about the experiments, about the clone kept on life support.

"I could not bear to pull the plug." Vlad answers, surprisingly sober. "I'd hoped his condition would improve." There is a far away look in his eyes, a longing. "I tried everything I could think of to stop the degradation but..." The older half ghost shook his head. "I'm continuing to monitor 3's status." There was a pain in Vlad voice. "I fear he won't live to see the outside of his chamber."

Vlad was in denial, Dan thinkd. This clone is gone, like his own human half. The heart still beats, the lungs still breath but...

He shock his head. "Before you approach me, I consider...if I could create a viable, ghostly clone and coax the spirit to hybridize with the body..."

The idea was ridiculous and he should be disgusted, hearing all Vlad had done, what he had planned but...

"That is all in the past now." Vlad finished sadly.

All in the past like the loss of his own human half. He shouldn't wish for thinking that he could have but...

"I'm a viable ghost..." Dan could barely believe the words coming out his mouth. "Not a clone but... I am without a human side."

Vlad was staring at him like he hsf another head, something which Dan was sure he did not currently have. "Daniel...are you suggesting... what I think you are suggesting?"

Was he? It was ridiculous, impossible. He could not replace his human side by... possessing an animated corpse.

"No. I am not." Dan denied. "Forget I said anything."

Vlad gave a nod, dropping the conversation. But Dan did not forget. This idea... it was wrong. It was impossible. He couldn't be made a half ghost again. But...

The temptation. If anyone could get it to work, it would be Vlad. And if it did...the ghost floats to what had been his bedroom and laid down. If it worked, he could sleep. He could eat. He could go out in public with human. It would necessarily be a replacement for what he'd lost but...

No... this was wrong. This was basically a clone of himself whose body he wanted to steal. But... was it really? This was an empty body, no mind, no soul. It was mad science but... Dan was already the product of man science.

And if it worked, not as an overshadowing but a hybrization... he could truly age, he could grow passed what happened. And he could feel more than the pale shadows he could now.

The next day, Dan asks Vlad for what he wants.

"Are you sure?" The man asked. "This could have unknown consequences on your body or your mind. You could even destabilize."

That gave Dan pause. This might not work. He might end up in unknown pain or even fade but... "this is worth the risk."

The pair work together, planning and experimenting. They give the body transfusions of Dan's ectoplasm. The younger ghost practices envisioning himself as a halfa again. He prepares himself.

"I will need to reduce you down to your core." Vlafd says solemnly.

Dan places his existence in Vlad's hands. After blowing off seemingly endless amounts of energy in a desolate portion of the Ghost Zone, the older halfa repeatedly shocks him with the Plasmius Maximus. Dan's body pops out of existence, leaving his core exposed.

As just a core, there is no sensation. No input. No output. It's terrifyingly like being in the thermos again. Dan knows he is being moved. Vlad is doing something to him but... there is nothing and too much at the same time.

Dan can not process. He is cradled. There is something beside him, something around him reaching out. Something is changing. He is changing. It is too much. Dan loses consciousness for the first time in ten years. It is not sleep. There is no dream. He can think one moment, separated from the world. And the next...

He is under water. Something is beeping. He feels light but heavy. Cold but warm. His center is fluttering, something straining and pounding. An emotion. Something that might be panic or fear suddenly rises in him, crashing over him as a wave. An equally panicked voice comes from in front of him. Then there's a sting in his neck. Sting? Pain? Pain, it's been so long since he felt pain. And... his neck? He has a neck again. Dan blacks out again.

The young man comes to again. There is still something beeping near his head. He's not under water now but laying on something soft. Soft and warm. Warm....Dan can feel that. His breath hitches. Breath... he feels lungs move on his chest. And...he feel heavy and warm. Something... something happened. He can't remember what...

Dan's eyes flutter open, falling on... Vlad.

The man's eyes met his, relief flashing across them. "Daniel." He sighs. "How do you feel?"

"Feel?" Dan crocks. Is that... is that his voice? "What...what happened?" The ghost (?) thinks he might know. "Did it work?" He whispered.

Dan's voice... his voice is high, like when he was a younger teen. It should feel strange but...

"Take a look." Vlad says, offering him a mirror.

Dan reaches forward with a shaking hand. His hand... it's not gloved, neither is it blue. It's.... he stares. It's a pale peach color like... his hands are smaller and thinner....

"Daniel." Vlad interrupts. "It's alright." He holds the mirror up and...

Dan meets blue eyes. His own blue eyes. Eyes he never thought he'd see again except on someone else. His eyes water as he reaches towards the mirror. "It worked."

His new heart is aching, a thousand emotions hitting him. Joy, happiness, relief, grief, guilt, regret. All of them are bigger, nearer, more real and soul-aching than it's been in years. He should be upset. He looks and sounds like a kid again. But... "I'm alive."

He is alive. And it is a joy. A gift. A promise. He will not waste this second chance.

The newly remade halfa is crying and...it's never felt so good.