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thepersonnamedsam · 6 months

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the boyfriend - the genz!driver

pairing: 24!grid x the genz!driver, gzd x the boyfriend

summary: the grid finds out about the secret boyfriend of the genz!driver

word count: 1.8k

warnings: not proof read

note: i got so many requests about the grid finding out about a boyfriend, i decided not to use anyone famous, as i do think our beloved driver would want to have a private relationship.

maybe the boyfriend will make more appearances? that’s up to you, so let me know :)

masterlist / taglist

Maintaining a relationship outside of F1 was hard, but it was much harder for the only woman on the grid, who’s relationship status was all the media could think about.

But, the young y/n made it work. He wasn’t famous, by any means. He was just some young man from her hometown, whom she knew most of her life, but never thought about dating. But here they were, giggling over some memories and sharing drinks.

His blue eyes were staring deeply into hers and she felt chills rising over her whole body. He made her feel normal. Yes, that’s the word she would describe this whole relationship, normal. She loved him truly and was so glad to have him all to herself.

He knew about her job, of course, how couldn’t he? But he wasn’t jealous, nor was he angry about all the travelling and the media, he just wanted to see her succeed.

He was her safe space.

She swore to never tell anyone outside of family about him. She wanted him all to herself. The media, the world, can’t know about her little happy bubble. This was all for herself. Some would call y/n selfish, but she was just enjoying the time outside the spotlight.

What she didn’t think was the boys catching on to her love sickness. Lando in general. She thought that boy was as oblivious as HeyHey the chicken. But he caught onto the demeanour change of the young woman.

„What’s been going on with you?“, he asked her before the Australian race. The young driver looked up to the papaya coloured boy. „What do you mean?“ - „I mean, you have been smiling at your phone, who you smiling at? You don’t have any friends outside F1, sorry. And you haven’t been mean to any of us this weekend, not even Pierre.“

y/n shrugged her shoulders and just looked at her best friend. „It’s not that important“, she said. „Do I have to call Seb?“ - „No, don’t call Seb, I‘ll tell you, if you don’t tell anyone else!“

She didn’t want Seb involved in any of this. Not because she didn’t want to see Seb again, but he would overreact like hell.

So, when the race started on Sunday and her boyfriend got up in the early mornings to send her a sweet good luck message, she was racing for a podium. With Max out of the race, chances weren’t even half bad.

She knew the two Ferraris in front of her wouldn’t budge and her car wasn’t fast enough to even reach them. But it would be enough to reach the third spot on that podium.

With Lando right behind her, she felt this was a perfect first podium. Sharing it with the two Ferrari boys and Lando right behind her. All that was missing was him.

He was sitting in front of the TV cheering for his girlfriend and waking up the whole household when she crossed that finish line as third. Oh how he wished to be there with her to celebrate that first podium. But he was back home.

y/n was screaming. Her coms had been deactivated, so no one would have serious damage. She was so happy. The first podium ever for her.

She parked her car on the significant spot and jumped out of it, standing on top of her halo. Hands thrown up into the air. It was a feeling she’d never forget. When she got down, Carlos and Charles were waiting for her. She squealed and jumped into their arms.

She made history.

And when she stood on that podium, looking straight into the camera, she blew him a kiss, knowing he’d watch her.

Later that evening, the grid went partying. They found this exclusive club, thanks to Danny, and just let it all out. Even Max was there, he couldn’t let the opportunity go to celebrate the young driver.

„You have to call him now!“, shouted Lando. „Lando!“, she shouted back. „Who do you have to call? We’re all here?“, Danny asked y/n. „No one“, she tried to cover up Landos mistake.

„Who’s ,him‘?“, asked Fernando. „I heard the milk boy clearly, who is he?“

„I’m sorry y/n, I didn’t want spill your boyfriend“, Lando apologised. The young driver just groaned, how can one be so stupid?

„Boyfriend?!“ „You have a boyfriend?“ „Wtf, y/n has a boyfriend?“ Was heard throughout the club.

The young woman sighed, „Yes, I have a boyfriend, is that so surprising?“

„It’s not that, y/n, promise, it’s just so weird seeing you all grown up“, Lewis said to her, „Who is he, what’s his name, what does he do, hm? We want to know all about him and why you haven’t told us about him.“

„Okay, so…“

And she told them everything, how he was a childhood friend, how they met in school. How they met over winter break she spent at home in her local food shop and how they instantly clicked again. How she asked him out on a date and the rest of it was history.

„I still don’t understand why you didn’t tell us?“, Danny sounded hurt and y/n‘s heart broke into a little million pieces. „I just wanted him on my own, I knew if I told you guys, you’d wanted to meet him, which means taking him to a race, which then means he’d be seen by the media and the whole world. I like having a normal relationship with him. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys, you are my family too after all.“

„It’s okay, little one“, Nando patted her on the back to console the young driver, „Next time, just tell us, we won’t judge.“

„I actually hope, there won’t be a next time…“

„Oh, y/n, I hope for you that there will be a next time. Enjoy the butterflies that come with love. He’s the first one and will always remain the special one, but believe me, there will be others waiting there for you“, Daniel said with a slight laugh.

„You can’t say anything sentimental without your signature sentence, can you?“, y/n laughed. Daniel just shrugged.

„Call him!“, Lando said, once again. „Okay, okay, I will“, y/n finally gave in.

His phone rang with your face on the screen. He happily picked up, expecting his beautiful girlfriend on the other side in her hotel room. What he didn’t expect was his girlfriend trying to fit 19 men on her display.

„Hi baby“, she said happily. He could make out, that she was tipsy if not already drunk. „Hi my love, congratulations on your podium, you did so well, sweetheart.“ - „Thank you, I’m so happy! But, there are a lot of people who want to meet you, actually. Meet the grid!“

Her boyfriend watched the men on the other side of the screen fighting to reach for her phone. „Boys, one at a time, he’ll be overwhelmed“, she giggled.

Lewis was the first one to grab her phone and started his parent-ly rant about not hurting the girl or he‘ll show up with Roscoe. Her boyfriend nodded and promised the older driver to never hurt her.

Daniel was the second one and demanded he tells him a joke. „Uhm, okay, why do cows wear bells?“, he asked Danny. „I don’t know, you tell me.“ - „Because their horns don’t work?“ Daniel snorted and gave her boyfriend a thumps up. „I like him“, he then whispered to y/n.

„How much do you like her?“, Charles asked the poor boy. „I like her like the earth loves the sun, how without it no life would ever grow again.“ Charles looked at the young man and was deeply impressed. „Okay, alright, I guess that’s enough?“

And when Oscar got the phone, all he did was say ,hi‘ and pass it to Zhou. The latter wasn’t even sure what he wanted to say. As he didn’t know the young driver very well. But he did as everyone did and threatened the boyfriend.

Valterri, Esteban and Nico just made a ,dad stare‘ as they would call it. And Carlos said some sweet words about her.

It went on and on until Lando got the phone last. He ran away with it and tried to speak with him privately.

y/n laughed, but wasn’t sure what he was gonna tell her boyfriend.

„Don’t worry, Lando won’t do anything stupid, well, maybe he will, but he won’t cause any harm. You know him“, Oscar reassured her. „I know“, she sighed, „But I’d still like to know what they’re talking about.“

„You know, one time she had to get her wisdom teeth removed and it was so funny seeing her on anaesthesia, oh my god, you should’ve seen her!“

„Oh and there was one time, she crashed because of an engine failure, and she was so sad, but she looked so cute, I swear, like a little baby!“

„Man, are you sure you’re just best friends? You’ve been talking about her like you love her“, her boyfriend said timidly.

„Of course I love her, but she’s my muppet, I couldn’t ever love her like you do, I see it in your eyes, the eyes chico, they never lie“, he giggled.

„I uhm, how did you know? I haven’t told her yet, so please don’t do it for me“, he begged. „I won’t, but no promises, I’m real bad at keeping secrets, to be honest“, Lando tried to promise.

After a while, he handed the phone back to y/n. „Here you go, be lovesick with your boyfriend“, he said in a sing-sung voice.

„Thank you, Lando“, she smiled and gave him a kiss on his cheek, „Thank you to all of you for being so accepting and understanding.“

„We wouldn’t do it any other way, y/n“, Pierre said. „But if he hurts you, we will collectively show up to his house and we can’t promise anything“, Charles threatened.

„Oh guys, I love you all so much, but please don’t hurt my boyfriend.“

„No promises“, Nando whispered darkly. „What was that, Nando? Did you say anything?“, y/n asked him. „No, cariño, nothing at all, we love you too.“

Later, late at night in Australia, y/n‘s boyfriend called her again.

„You know, they all threatened me and I actually got scared. Uhm, Fernando, was it? He is so scary. I thought he was a big old softy, they was you talk about him and his Taylor Swift obsession, but man, was he scary.“

y/n giggled and said, „He is a big softy, he just doesn’t show it that much. What did Carlos say to you? I didn’t understand what he was saying.“ Her boyfriend smiled lovingly at y/n. „Nothing important, just how you bring light into their life’s and how happy they are for us.“ - „Awww Carlitos, I have to thank him the next time.“

„You know, I do think Lando is in love with you, if I didn’t know how much you like me, I would feel threatened“, he laughed lightly.

„I don’t just like you, I love you.“

„You do?“, his heart was racing, just like she was every other weekend. „I love you too.“

„But I swear to god, if they threaten you ever again, I will purposely crash into them at the next race.“

°°°

taglist:

@ironmaiden1313 , @hiireadstuff , @biglittlesecret, @gulabjamooon , @lovelyy-moonlight , @peachyplumsss , @mistrose23 , @copper-boom , @love4lando , @champomiel , @serenityleah , @iloveyou3000morgan , @angelwithoutmywings , @elleeeee21 , @thybulleric , @lpab , @fdl305 , @mellowarcadefun , @teti-menchon0604 , @vildetry06 , @bibissparkles , @aurora-maria , @lunnnix , @sya-skies , @Buckywifeyy , @dakotali , @rechtrecht , @noncannonships , @1eclerc16 , @pitlanebabe , @sopheeg , @avengersheart , @thatsadsmallchild , @peachiicherries , @idkiwantchocolatee , @callsign-scully , @mehrmonga , @badbatch-simp24 , @lissyontour , @din0nugs , @elliegrey2803 , @gay-for-victoria-de-angelis , @10vely-yutazen , @daggersquadphantom , @azriel-the-shadowsinger , @i-love-scott-mccall , @darleneslane , @mikauraurr , @heartmetaphor , @ellswilliams , @thxtmarvelchick , @nataliambc , @dontjudgeabookbythecover , @hockeyboysarehot , @thehistoryone , @zimm04 , @woozarts , @mellowarcadefun , @deephideoutmolkshake , @grimeslvrr , @tallrock35 , @namgification , @pear-1206 , @trouble-sistar , @jxnellat , @littlesatanicassholebitch

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lovelytsunoda · 11 months

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vermont // daniel ricciardo

summary: the ski trip sounded all well and good in theory. except for the fact that she would rather be in the chalet than on the slopes. so when she gets stuck on a ski lift and starts to hyperventilate, danny is the one to calm her down.

pairing: daniel ricciardo x female!reader

warnings: anxiety attack, fear of heights/vertigo, best wingwoman chloe, delusional and oblivious scotty, use of ‘pretty girl’, it feels kind of rushed and I don’t know how I feel about the ending-

she should have told chloe to come on the trip without her. she should have admitted she’s never been skiing before. but when she tried, scotty convinced her to come along anyways, because as far as the aussie was concerned “anybody can learn, it’s easy!”.

and yet, here she was, staring at the ski suit laid out on her double bed, rethinking every life choice she’d ever made leading up to this point.

her hands rubbed the fabric of her maroon turtleneck, teasing her bottom lip between her teeth.

god, this was such and awful idea.

there was a knock on her door, chloe’s voice carrying through. “y/n! are you ready yet? we’re heading down to the slopes!”

“coming out in just a second!” she called, hastily pulling the jacket over her clothes.

____

it was a nice enough day outside: the sun was bright, and the air warmer than expected for vermont in early december, a thick dusting of snow on the slopes as she tromped ungracefully over to the ski rental, where scotty and chloe were waiting with lance and his girlfriend marilou.

"there she is!" scotty shouts. "ready to put your skis on?"

"hang on, don't we have to wait for someone? we're missing a few people." she said nervously, trying desperately to put off the inevitable, even though she had promised chloe that she would at least try to get out of her shell this weekend

marilou nodded. "just daniel. knowing him, he's slept in and forgotten the plan, or he got distracted on his way out."

ah, yes. daniel ricciardo.

the man who made her heart skip three beats, the one person in their small, small friend group who always somehow managed to calm her down, remind her that the world wasn't so bad or scary and that everything would be okay in the end.

“well, we can’t start without the life of the party!” she said it too quickly, no doubt her nerves were showing.

there were so many winter activities they could have picked. so why skiing? why the one thing she’d sworn she’d never ever ever do?

“don’t need to wait guys!” when the sound of daniel ricciardos aussie drawl carried across the wind, she squeezed her eyes shut, resisting the urge to scream an expletive. “I’m right here, sorry I’m late!”

chloe shot her a sympathetic glance as the boys fist bumped each other and the crew turned in the direction of the ski lift.

“you’ll do fine!” the canadian encouraged, looping her arm around her best friend. “skiing is easy, it’s all downhill!”

y/n narrows her eyes. “it’s the not knowing how to balance or steer and accidentally crashing into things I’m better off not crashing into.”

chloe laughed, shaking her head as she patted y/n's shoulder. "don't think like that! just come and enjoy the outdoors with us!"

but despite it all, despite the friendly energy of the trip, the good vibes all around, she couldn't help but feel like she was intruding on a couple's trip: chloe and scotty, lance and marilou. daniel and . . . wait, he came alone too, didn't he?

but she didn't have time to think about it before she was strapped in to a pair of ski's, scotty's hands at her back to push her down the training hill.

it only took like....twenty tries before she figured it out, her skis sailing through the snow like butter as she finally managed to stay upright for the third run in a row. she was really getting the hang of it, she thought, pride swelling in her chest.

"nice job, y/n!" daniel shouted, having just come down one of the hills next to her smaller, beginner hill. "you're a natural!"

at the sound of praise dripping from daniel's lips, she felt her face go pink, and she was certain that it wasn't just from the cold, and that there was something more to it.

"oh, well, i've been practicing a lot. i feel kind of bad, actually, for monopolizing all of scotty's time. keeping him away from his wife and all that." she coughed to clear her throat, one gloved hand smoothing her hair back under the pom-pom toque she was wearing on top of her head.

daniel laughed. a big, hearty laugh that sent butterflies afloat in her chest, the kind of infectious laughter that could bring a smile to anybody's face.

"why don't you come up to the other hill with me, and we try you on something a little bigger?"

she turned her head in the direction daniel was gesturing, and she felt her stomach drop to the floor. "no way, not a chance. that's too high, my dude. what if is break my neck?"

scotty skidded to a stop in front of her, moving to look at the mountain. “no, no, that’s a good starter mountain is you want to move up to something bigger! go for it!”

while daniel cheered, y/n groaned, cursing inwardly.

beside her, lance laughed “you’ll have to move up to a bigger hill eventually, y/n. it’s okay to be scared.”

“I’m not scared!” okay, maybe she was. just a little bit.

the group headed towards the ski lifts, filing in in sets of two, each pair heading for a different level hill. scotty and chloe headed for one of the most advanced, marilou and lance heading for a hill that was somewhere in the middle.

and that meant that is she wanted company on her hill, she would be stuck with daniel.

“after you, milady.” daniel chuckled, gesturing to the ski carriage, allowing her to slide in first, the aussie settling next to her.

the bar snapped down, the lift beginning on its way to take the skiers up the mountain. from this high up, the view across the slopes was actually quite nice: evergreens dusted in snow, ant-sized people in bright coats making their way down mountains.

until she stopped looking eye level, and found her eyes drifting downwards, stomach slammed instantly with vertigo.

yep, she was never doing that again.

“you okay?” daniel asked, concerned when he watched her scrunch her face up, eyes screwed shut.

“yep, yep. just trying not to look down.” she was gripping the chest bar so tightly that she was certain her knuckles were white underneath her gloves.

daniel frowned, reaching for her hand. “it’s okay to be scared of heights. is this why you didn’t want to come up the mountain?”

“maybe. that, and the fear of making a fool out of myself.” She was tight lipped as she answered, still keeping her eyes closed.

but now, she only felt like her heart would beat out if her chest because of the hand on top of hers, not the fall to the ground.

“we’re almost at the top, and then your skis will be on solid ground again.”

she slowly opened her eyes. “thank you.”

over the hum of the lift, she heard a groaning, and then a snap. the ski lift stuttered to a stop, and she couldn’t stop the terrified shriek that left her parted lips, one gloved hand reaching to squeeze the life out of daniels arm.

“hey, hey!” daniel shouted, trying to be heard over other panicked skiers. “look at me, look at me. can you do that?”

her chest was getting tight, body frozen with fear. she couldn’t open her eyes, limbs made of lead as she clung to the man next to her in the lift

“I-I don’t think I can, danny.”

“yeah you can. just focus on me, not the way the carriage is moving, and not what’s below you.” his voice was soothing, grounding. enough that she was able to turn her head slightly and open her eyes to face him.

“see, that wasn’t so hard, was it, pretty girl?”

“no.” her voice was stil shaky as she stared into daniels eyes, feeling suddenly like he could see every part of her. every secret, every long held and unspoken truth.

and she liked it.

“just keep your breathing steady, and we will be out of here before you know it.” his voice started level and calm, his breath curling up into mist in the air.

“promise me?”

daniel leaned in, his soft lips warm against her forehead. the simple action, not quite a kiss but not that innocent either, set her skin ablaze in pink again, warmth spreading through her frozen appendages, from the tip of her nose to the ends of her fingertips.

“I promise.” daniel assured her, his gloved thumb rubbing reassuring circles on her skin.

she wasn’t sure how long they had been sitting like that when the lift whirred to life again, the carriage shakily confusing it’s ascent up the hill. realizing that the lift was moving again, she pulled away from danny, averting her eyes, looking anywhere except the man who had just held her so tenderly.

she shook her head, pulling her ski goggles back down over her eyes. “sorry, I don’t know where that came from.”

“don’t apologize, pretty girl.” daniel said softly. “you were scared. and I liked knowing that I could make you feel better. I care about you, y/n. as more than a friend.”

she paused, pulling her goggles back up. “you do?”

daniel beamed. “of course I do, and I’d love to get to know you better.”

“buy me a hot chocolate if I make it down the hill one piece?” she suggested, gently placing a hand on his forearm.

the lift reached the top of the hill, the bar raising and allowing the pair to slide off the metal chair, Danny’s hand in hers as he took the lead, guiding her towards the slope.

“and if I make it to the bottom first, you have to kiss me.” danny wagered, a mischevious look in his eyes as he flicked his goggles down.

y/n laughed, inching towards the slope like bambi on ice, all shaky legs and flailing limbs. “i think I ’ll take you up on that, ricciardo!”

TAGS:

@magnummagnussen @libraryofloveletters @thatsdemko @lorarri @userlando @silverstonesainz @cartierre @love4lando @sidcrosbyspuck @silversainz

#daniel ricciardo #the christmas collection 2023 #daniel ricciardo x reader #formula one x reader #f1 imagine #f1 x reader #formula 1 x reader #Spotify

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tasteofgummies · 2 years

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Living with them #1 [PB]

CW: obsession, manipulative behavior

If you're under 16 please dni

Jonathan Joestar

>Ever since you appeared on his dreams for the first time, he knew you were the one for him

>He's the one who has a hardest time adjusting to new technologies

>And don't get me started on meme culture, he'll never get it

>Please don't leave him alone if you have your card information saved, he'll forget it's not his Joestar money anymore and spend your money on trinkets

>He does his absolute best to help you out around the house, even if he's bad at it

>He's sad when he doesn't do a good job, even when you aren't mean about it

>"Oh, I need to sweep the floors" you said, something so innocent, yet he felt so sad:(( he already did that, can't you tell?

>He won't tell you, he'll just sulk around

>When you were just visions, Dio used to bully him about his crush on you

>"Huh, so you really think someone like them would pick you? Don't make me laugh Jojo, you're an idiot" —Said Dio, who also was developing a crush on you

>Thrives off your attention, whether is a brief smile, or a full on conversation, he's thinking about it all day long

>Feels so giddy when you "protect" him and tell Dio he's being too mean to him, finally! Someone who believes him over his brother! Not even his father does that

>But you're different, you truly appreciate him

>He can feel a little homesick, but then thinks it's only a matter of time before he's back, so it's fine

>Wait, it's not fine, that means it's only a matter of time before he has to leave you...

>Let's not think about that!

>Has a good relationship with your cat

>Since they don't have documentation to prove they exist in this, they can't get "real" jobs

>But he offers his clothes and jewelry to you as a mean of payment, you got enough money to buy groceries for a couple months plus two mattresses for them

>He wishes he could sleep next to you, but he would never say it

>So scandalous! You're not even betrothed to one another and he's having these thoughts...

>As a whole, he's a good roomie, doesn't overstep any boundaries, helps around, and doesn't break or steal anything, 8/10

Dio Brando

>When you appeared in visions, he believed you a deity, a saint, a powerful mage, even a demon, reaching out to him

>Definitely not a single [age]-something having a 9 to 5 job and a cat

>Unlike Jonathan, who's oblivious, he knows he wants you

>He can't figure out his feeling quite yet, but he knows you have something he wants for himself, and he can't allow that Joestar to just go and take it from his hands

>He's honestly so dangerous even outside his turf

>Let's all remember that before the stone mask and before The World, what always made Dio powerful was how charming he was

>He watches Phantom Blood behind your back to know exactly what kind of image you would have of him based on the contents

>He was not pleased

>Now he knows you won't be as easily manipulated

>He performs flawlessly around the house, but never asks for your praise

>He wants it, but he wants to appear as the most "down to earth" option, contrary to Jonathan's carelessness

>He's intending to have a "villain redemption arc" and a "roommates to lovers" situation happen, as they call it (yes, he has been researching common romance tropes, not because he likes you, it's just it's easier to have you under control if you're in love with him, that's all -liar-)

>Won't get a job, just no

>Isn't a natural at the new technologies, but it's notably better than Jonathan

>Won't pull a Danny on your cat, but he doesn't love them, they're in a constant silent war

>He was the one who saw you first, that got to feel your presence first, is only fair you would pay attention to him instead of his buffoon of a "brother"

>He will manipulate you by making you think he's slowly warming up to you, acting cold and crass at first, only to then surprise you with small acts of tenderness

>Since he knows he's defeated in his universe, he doesn't want to go back until he has learned a couple things

>Is still deciding whether or not he'll use you to increase his power and leave you, or take you with him to his world, as a living trophy

>in roomie material, a solid 7/10, as a yandere, I wish you luck

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ghostlyglimmer · 21 days

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Lockjaw Chapter 7: Fractured Memories

Summary:

Missing for three weeks, Danny finally escapes, only to be found dead and taken to a funeral home. But death isn’t the end—Danny awakens on the embalming table with his jaw wired shut and terrifying new powers. Disoriented and desperate, he must find his way home, knowing nothing will ever be the same again.

The drive to FentonWorks was tense and silent, broken only by the occasional rattle of Tucker's car as it sped through the deserted streets of Amity Park. Sam gripped the edge of her seat, her thoughts swirling with a mix of fear and determination. In the back seat, Danny sat motionless, his eyes staring blankly out the window, his mind seemingly lost in a fog of confusion and pain.

Tucker kept his eyes on the road, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel. The tension was palpable, the weight of the situation pressing down on all of them. None of them spoke, the gravity of what they were about to do hanging heavy in the air.

As they pulled up in front of FentonWorks, the familiar sight of the Fenton family’s home and laboratory brought a rush of memories—both good and bad. The large, eccentric building with its myriad of ghost-hunting gadgets and neon sign that read "FentonWorks" was a beacon of their childhood, but tonight, it loomed like a fortress of secrets waiting to be uncovered.

Tucker parked the car, and the three of them sat there for a moment, taking in the sight of the building. The lab's windows were dark, and the only light came from the dim glow of the streetlamp outside. The place looked deserted, but they knew better. Jack and Maddie Fenton were likely deep in their research, oblivious to the world outside.

Sam turned to Danny, who was still staring out the window, his face unreadable. She placed a hand on his arm, hoping to offer some comfort, though she wasn't sure what to say.

"We're here," she said softly. "We'll figure this out, Danny. I promise."

Danny nodded slowly, his eyes flickering with a mix of emotions—relief, fear, and something else she couldn’t quite place. He reached for the door handle and stepped out of the car, his movements still slow and deliberate, as if every step took a monumental effort.

Tucker followed, glancing around nervously as he exited the car. "We should be careful," he whispered. "If your parents are home, we don’t want them to see us. Not yet, anyway."

Danny nodded in agreement, and the three of them moved quickly and quietly toward the side entrance of the house. Sam led the way, her heart pounding in her chest as she fished out the spare key from its hiding place under a loose brick. With a quick twist, the door creaked open, and they slipped inside, closing it gently behind them.

The interior of FentonWorks was just as chaotic as ever, with scientific equipment scattered across the living room and kitchen. The hum of machines echoed from the lab below, a constant reminder of the Fenton family's unrelenting pursuit of all things supernatural.

Sam led them down the hallway, toward the stairs that descended into the basement lab. As they reached the top of the stairs, she paused, glancing back at Danny and Tucker.

"You two wait here," she whispered. "I’ll check to see if the coast is clear."

Danny nodded, his eyes shadowed with worry, while Tucker gave her a thumbs-up, trying to muster a smile despite the tension. Sam took a deep breath and crept down the stairs.

She peered around the corner. It was dimly lit, the only light coming from the various monitors and machines scattered throughout the room. The familiar sight of ghost-hunting gadgets, test tubes, and half-finished experiments filled the space. But to her relief, there was no sign of Jack or Maddie.

She quickly turned and motioned for Danny and Tucker to follow her. They descended the stairs as quietly as they could, their eyes wide with apprehension. Danny’s gaze roamed over the lab, a look of recognition mixed with confusion crossing his face as he took in the familiar surroundings.

"We should start with the computer," Tucker whispered, nodding toward the large console in the center of the room. "If there’s anything on there about what happened to Danny, it would be in the lab's database."

Danny moved toward the console, his hands trembling slightly as he sat down at the keyboard. His fingers hovered over the keys for a moment before he began typing, his movements slow and deliberate. Sam and Tucker watched over his shoulder, their eyes scanning the screen as lines of code and files flashed by.

After a few minutes, Danny found what he was looking for—a series of files labeled with dates that corresponded to the time around his disappearance. He clicked on one of the files, and a series of video logs appeared on the screen, each labeled with a different experiment number.

Tucker leaned in closer, his eyes narrowing as he read the titles. "These must be your parents' records of their experiments. Maybe they were working on something when… you know."

Danny shook his head, then typed out a correction on the screen: "GIW."

Sam and Tucker exchanged a glance, their expressions shifting from confusion to horror. The Ghost Investigation Ward, or GIW, was infamous in Amity Park. The agency was known for its brutal, unethical methods, and the rumors of secret experiments had always circulated among those who were aware of their activities. His parents were lead scientists on their Ghost Investigation sector.

Tucker swallowed hard, his fingers hovering over the keyboard as he navigated through the files. Sure enough, the next video log wasn’t labeled under the FentonWorks database. Instead, it bore the insignia of the GIW, and the file name was chilling: "Subject 234: Phase One."

Tucker hesitated before clicking on the video. The screen flickered to life, revealing a sterile, brightly lit lab—nothing like the cluttered, homey chaos of FentonWorks. The room was stark and clinical, filled with rows of surgical tools, advanced technology, and containment units.

Danny’s breath caught in his throat as the scene unfolded. The camera showed the GIW agents standing around a large, metallic table. Strapped to the table was none other than Danny himself, unconscious and dressed in a white hospital gown. His parents were nowhere to be seen. Instead, a team of doctors and scientists in white lab coats were preparing for what was clearly an experiment—on him.

The lead scientist, a tall, severe-looking woman, approached the table, her face hidden behind a surgical mask. "Subject 234 is prepped and ready for phase one," she said in a cold, clinical tone. "Begin the procedure."

The video cut to a close-up of Danny’s face as he slowly regained consciousness, his eyes fluttering open in confusion. His panic was palpable as he realized where he was and what was happening. He struggled against the restraints, but they held firm.

"Vital signs are stable," another voice said off-camera. "Administering ectoplasmic infusion."

The next moments were a blur of flashing lights, machines humming to life, and Danny’s muffled cries as the procedure began. The camera recorded every agonizing second—the injection of a glowing green substance into his veins, the convulsions that wracked his body as the ectoplasm took hold, the way his eyes glowed an eerie, unnatural green.

The video ended abruptly, leaving Sam and Tucker staring at the screen in stunned silence. Danny sat back in the chair, his breathing ragged, his eyes wide with fear and disbelief. The memories were flooding back now—painful, disjointed images of the GIW base, the sterile lab, the cold, detached voices of the scientists.

Sam’s hand flew to her mouth as she processed what she had just seen. "Danny… they did this to you. They turned you into… whatever you are now."

Tucker shook his head in disbelief. "They used you as a test subject… like you were some kind of lab rat."

Danny nodded slowly, the realization hitting him like a ton of bricks. He could remember sneaking into the restricted area of the GIW base, curious about the rumors he had heard, it was easy since his parents had full clearance of the place. He remembered being caught by the agents and dragged into that cold, sterile lab. And he remembered the pain—the searing, all-consuming pain as the ectoplasm was forced into his body, changing him on a fundamental level.

But there was more. He knew there had to be more. He needed to know what had happened after the experiment, how he had ended up back in Amity Park, and why he was… different.

He reached for the keyboard again, his fingers trembling as he typed out the next question: "Where is the rest?"

Tucker’s hands shook as he navigated through the remaining files, searching for answers. But as he opened the next video log, the screen filled with static, and a red warning message flashed across the screen:

ＡｃｃｅｓｓＤｅｎｉｅｄ．

ＣｌａｓｓｉｆｉｅｄＩｎｆｏｒｍａｔｉｏｎ．

ＡｕｔｈｏｒｉｚａｔｉｏｎＲｅｑｕｉｒｅｄ

Danny slammed his fist against the desk in frustration, the sound echoing through the lab. His mind was racing with a thousand questions, but the answers were just out of reach.

Sam placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, her voice soft and soothing. "We’ll find out, Danny. We’ll figure out what they did to you and how to fix this. We’re not going to let them get away with this."

Tucker nodded in agreement, his expression grim. "We need to get that authorization somehow. I’ll try my best to try to hack into this, but I have a feeling they have this stuff locked down pretty tight. We might have to go to your parents.."

Danny nodded, his resolve hardening. He wasn’t going to stop until he had all the answers, until he knew exactly what the GIW had done to him and why. But for now, they needed to regroup, to figure out their next move.

He reached for the keyboard one last time, typing out a single phrase: "Thank you."

11 notes · View notes

pokemonpetfinder · 10 months

Note

Hello! Will you let me know if any Slowpoke are surrendered here? I'm seeking one as a pet.

@danni-on-rotomblr

We have 3 pet slowpoke available for adoption at the moment.

Dilly Dally (Adopted)

Name: Dilly Dally

Species: Slowpoke

Type: Water/Psychic

Terra Type: Water

Breed: Striped + Spotted Freshwater

Sex: Female

Height: 4'2

Weight: 82 lbs

Ability: Own Tempo

Moveset: Headbutt, Water Pulse, Slack off, Tackle

Dilly Dally is an adult Slowpoke who has a very 'go-with-the-flow' attitude. She's very adaptable and can do well in a house with kids if you have any. She's more active than most Slowpoke, but is still pretty lazy so don't be surprised if she spends most of the day sleeping or staying in one area. Like most slowpoke, she needs a place with water that she can play in, like a small pond or something like that (bathtubs don't count). Her favorite food are pecha berries and she doesn't really have a favorite toy.

Slug

Name: Slug

Species: Slowpoke

Type: Water/Psychic

Terra Type: Psychic

Breed: Standard Freshwater

Sex: Male

Height: 3'8

Weight: 76.4 lbs

Ability: Oblivious

Moveset: Water Gun, Yawn, Confusion, Amnesia

Slug is a dopey Slowpoke, and I don't even know if he thinks. He likes taking naps, so he'll mostly spend the day doing that. Diesnt mind being petted a lot and does surprisingly well with kids. He does drool a lot though so be wary of that. Please don't battle with him, he isn't battle trained at all. He doesn't have a favorite food and will eat pretty much anything. Requires a large freshwater tank.

Dewy (Adopted)

Name: Dewy

Species: Slowpoke

Type: Psychic

Terra Type: Poison

Breed: Saltwater Galarian Slowpoke

Sex: Male

Height: 3'4

Weight: 72.4 lbs

Ability: Own Tempo

Moveset: Curse, Tackle, Yawn, Confusion

Dewy is a younger Slowpoke who came to us from Galar and is very curious about the world. He likes to be outside mostly, but he can't really get anywhere too fast, so I suggest you put him in a wagon and take him around on walks like that. He would do well with other pokemon in the house, but he has a slight fear of dark types. His favorite food is magikarp (he won't actively try to hunt live Magikarp, don't worry) and his favorite toy are those pokemon feather toys. He isn't great for battling.

If you are interested in adopting any of them, reblog this post with your qualifications and reasons why

#pokepet awnsers #slowpoke #pokemon adoption #pokemon petfinder #pokeblog #pokeblogging #pokemon #pokemon irl #irl pokemon #rotomblr #pkmn irl #irl pkmn #pkmn #pokeblr

25 notes · View notes

omegasmileyface · 1 year

Text

The Forest, the Trees, the Fire I: CATALYST

Chapter 4

second chapter in a row to more than double the word count lets goooo. this one is the longest by far! feel free to take a break in the middle. also, it's my personal proudest! :3 Authors: myself, @attackradish, @ectolemonades. Artist: @/crunchysart

For the full characters list, word count, content warning, and a directory to all the currently available chapters and related content, see the Table of Contents!

full summary: The world outside of Amity Park has learned about the existence of ghosts, and the time for first impressions has arrived. The delicate public consciousness could be disrupted by the slightest ripple. Danny Fenton is being ripped apart from all sides, and when he finally breaks, the ripples will be very big indeed.

warnings: mind control/physical forcing, descriptions of pain, intense bad-faith arguing

words: 7587

AO3 link

first chapter

previous chapter

next chapter

===

November 8, 2006

Y'know, so much of Danny's big routine of "daily life" had changed, you'd think the smaller things would change too. But through all the turmoil— in Amity, in the Zone, in his own head— here he still was. Opening his front door after walking home from school, dreading whatever weapons and conversations lay beyond it.

He supposed, if he really cared that much, he could just fly up to his bedroom and hope his parents didn't notice.

And, wow! There they were, in the living room. No avoiding these pleasantries. If he vanished now, they'd just shoot at the open door anyway.

"Hi, guys."

"Hi, Sweetie! Here, come sit down and watch this news story with us."

Ooh, and a fate worse than death too! He'd know.

"Sorry, I've got a lot of make-up work—"

"Oh, some things are more important than homework!" His dad scooted over and patted the place where he had been sitting. Why? Why didn't he just leave the space that was open before? His dad was inscrutable. "I think you're gonna like this."

Danny listened to the little voice in his head that hated him and glanced at the TV.

It was an interview with Director Stewarts from the GIW. He seemed to be explaining the fight to get new passive ectofatal technology approved for public spaces. A man with a well-tailored suit in just the wrong shade of blue to match his eyes sat across a desk from him, nodding along and smiling like they were talking about a new library program.

They thought he'd like this. The thought froze him, his body torn between straight-up pouncing on the TV and shutting down completely. He paused to make sure they were done with the thought. Nothing? No well, we at least thought you'd like updates, sweetie? No well, not this, the documentary about comets that's on next? Not even a brief chuckle from his mom for his dad's blatant obliviousness?

Just silence. Enraptured silence. Pleased silence, even.

Danny took stock of himself before he responded. Held perfectly still until he was sure all his rage was moved out of his tense fists and glowing eyes and back into the little hole inside himself where he usually shoved it. Maneuvered his smile out of "betrayed lover who felt the stab before thinking to be sad about it" and into "obedient church kid". Put those secret identity acting skills to use. He refused to open his mouth before his body was loose and innocent on the outside.

"I thought you guys hated the GIW?"

"Eh," said his dad. Helpful as always.

"They tend to bury everything they do in bureaucracy," elaborated his mom, "and care about the science last, money first. But, intentions be damned, they're working on some incredible new ways to keep the people of this town safe."

"Really," said Stewarts on the TV, "it's a matter of doing what we need to. The current regulations aren't made with that in mind, but we're doing what we can, despite the misunderstanding from lawmakers. Publicizing our new research is a big part of that."

Danny took a breath. "Personally—" ah shit, some of his tightness came across with that one. Loosen up, D-Man. "I don't feel safer knowing that there are people who want to put untested radiation emitters in my school."

His parents turned to look at him. They weren't nearly as good at hiding their anger.

Fuck.

===

"Stop!" There were tears in Danny's eyes. It was all he could do to keep from Wailing. "I don't want to talk about this anymore." He ran into his room like a wild animal before he could hear any complaints. There were no restraints that kept a ghost down quite like social convention.

The argument had been no different from every other argument they'd had on the subject the last few months. Lightning-paced switching between heated discussions of ectology (in which both parties clearly had irreparably different understandings of fundamental facts) and direct war on Danny's track record as a "bad kid". Two "we studied this, honey"s versus one "and you don't even care about graduating high school". Danny wasn't strong enough to pull out the child neglect allegations. At that point, he may as well tell them why he thought of himself as such an expert, about the death trap in their basement, but even this endless conversational circle of unstoppable forces and immovable objects was better than that. He knew he didn't have it in him.

He didn't know, though, why he hadn't thought to just leave before now. Damn this family and their cleverness— none of them knew how to just take their losses and shut the hell up. Even Jazz, when she was here, only ended arguments by shouting her psychiatric advice the loudest.

Maybe Jazz would know what to do. She put up with being the only bearer of emotional responsibility in the household for years, maybe she'd have pointers now that it was his job. He fumbled for his shitty $20 flip phone to call her.

He must have been more desperate than he thought, because he somehow reached into the phone to summon her number without giving it any thought. He laughed at himself and his core while it rang. Too lazy to scroll through my contacts?

"Hey?"

"Jazz! Hi. Um, how are you?"

"I'm ok, I'm just getting back from dinner. What's up?"

"Oh, well…" see, now he was starting to have second thoughts about bothering her with this. But she could probably hear how upset he was through the phone, so there was no stopping now. "I got in another argument with Mom and Dad."

She exhaled sympathetically. "About ghost stuff again?"

Danny scoffed. "What else would they be willing to talk about for that long?"

Jazz didn't respond. He sighed. "I really just need to cool off for a bit. But do you have any ideas on how I can keep from just getting in the same conversations again and again and just making it worse?"

"Well, you should probably just refuse to talk about it, if you just don't want to waste your time. But if there's any chance they'll listen, it'll be because you let them know that your info comes from a good source. Assuming they agree, that is."

Danny scoffed. "So, what? Tell them I've been hanging out with ghosts and taking their word for things? Yeah, they'll love that."

"No!" Danny could practically hear Jazz roll her eyes. "If you want to get anywhere, you'd have to tell them that you're learning these things firsthand. Let them know about… the accident. You don't even have to tell them about Phantom."

All the passion left Danny. "…I can't do that."

"Danny. You know they won't really hurt you, at least not if you leave the Phantom part out. And the fighting. I know you can be cautious about what you tell them, you're good at—"

"It's not that! I mean, I'm not convinced they wouldn't do something drastic with the way they've been talking lately, but even without that… I mean, imagine having one of your kids away from home, and the other is so disconnected from you and honestly kind of being a fuckup—"

"Danny—"

"—and then you find out that he's been a ghost for two and a half years? And you think that ghosts can't, like… experience emotions or love or anything? That would hurt them so bad. Assuming it doesn't drive them away completely, they would hate me for telling them. Fuck, they could magically end up not caring at all, and I would hate myself for making them hear that. They might suck, Jazz, but I love them."

"I understand that—"

"I don't want to hurt someone I love, Jazz." The tears on Danny's face had dried, but he could feel more behind his eyes.

"I'm really sorry it's like this. …I don't know if this helps or anything, but they're going to get hurt one way or the other."

"I should just be staying out of arguments with them—"

"Look, you asked if there was a way you could keep the same conversations from happening again and again. They're comfortable where they are, and if you want them to stop hurting you and everyone else, they're going to have to stop being comfortable for a little. There's no way everyone can get out of this one unharmed."

Maybe he just wasn't done with all the feelings from earlier, but he really felt like what he was hearing should have been making him sad. He didn't understand why he was just getting angry.

"The pain they're going to feel is just a normal part of living with other people and learning. Maybe they need it."

Danny's breath hitched with a very ugly sound. He felt… offended. Not by his sister, it wasn't by any means her fault, but… by something. Reality. "It's not fair."

"I know. I'm sorry. But, hey, you don't need to listen to me. Just keep it in mind, I guess. Hey, um…"

The phone was silent for a few seconds except for the sound of rustling fabric.

"Sorry, but could you try not to call me unless you really need to for a while? Things are getting sort of stressful here and as much as I like talking to you, I'm a little worried about, like, disrupting my schedule. N-not that you shouldn't call! But, I guess… try to hold off, if it's not a hassle? I'll try to call more often when I have the time. Sorry… Okay?"

Oh.

His calls were disrupting her life.

For a moment, yet another angry thought flew through Danny's head. Did he not deserve to call her? She always wanted to be up in his business at home, and she could still call, but he couldn't? She was the only one who got to decide when they talked?

The thought extinguished itself before he could dwell on it. All he knew was that one more of his outlets, his comforts, his friends was off-limits at the moment.

"Got it. I'll try. Thanks for talking to me."

Danny hung up and went to spend the rest of his night in the Ghost Zone. He didn't go to school the next day.

===

November 13, 2006

"Thank you for the opportunity to meet, Mr. Masters."

"Of course." Vlad set four mugs of coffee— with coasters— at roughly opposing seats of his dining table. He was getting a hang of this "unspoken social code" thing; in business, official meetings happened in the office, and the "personal" meetings where agreements were actually devised happened at restaurants. But in politics, though the official meetings still stuck to the civic buildings, the "personal" meetings were held in the home. In mayorship, at least. Perhaps it was different for higher up positions.

Others may have found the vulnerability of showing their own home to their peers upsetting. Vlad was always happy for a chance to look like he was being open without having to actually do so. The lab stayed sealed off, the offices only held documents that looked important, and even Maddie was taking a nap behind a locked door.

As far as he was aware, pitting three members of an interested party against one politician in their own home was bad form. The Garrison Irving Walker Commission were lucky that he was a match for them, and wouldn't need to speak about this elsewhere.

"We wanted to talk about the measures the city of Amity Park takes to keep its citizens safe in the face of high numbers of ghosts," said the leftmost agent, Robert something.

Vlad nodded because it was nicer than saying oh, really? I had thought you were here to talk about the quality of fishing spots in town.

"I do hope that you've all found the ghost alarm system and robust self-defense supply chain in town satisfactory, as well as our thorough emergency protocols and permit approval rates."

The center agent, David whatever, gave a polite smile. Vlad didn't even have to look behind the sunglasses to see that it didn't reach his eyes. "It's incredibly refreshing to find a place with so many well thought-out plans. But we were curious as to why the town hasn't implemented any new measures in the last few years."

"And," said the agent on the right, Rosalyn what's-her-name, "there is a large opening for preventative and passive anti-ghost measures in the town's infrastructure, especially given the constant return of the Phantom. That's much of what we wanted to talk through, since we have some ideas that can be looked through and altered."

Lovely! Ideas. They spent the next hour talking through the list, during which Vlad had to stay on his toes figuring out what he could and couldn't say was "worth thinking about". A live-updating webpage reporting ghost sightings in the town? Ooh, strong idea, David, he'd have to consider that! A high-frequency ectoenergy emitter that would annoy ghosts into leaving? Great start, Rosalyn, but that might need some more testing before the people in town would agree to it. These people were so dedicated, so convinced that they needed to put as much attention and care into Amity Park as possible, that he considered overshadowing them briefly, just enough to spark a little disinterest in his town. But they had a lot of protective equipment hidden on their persons. It wouldn't be worth the risk.

Not that he couldn't respect seeing an opening and trying to worm into it, it was exactly what he had done when he'd discovered the town, but the damned Guys in White had no idea what iceberg they were scraping against. If they knew, perhaps they'd just leave it to him and go about their days.

They left with a reminder that they'd be talking official proposals in City Hall next week— yes, Robert, I wouldn't forget it for the world— and a confident assertion that Amity Park and the GIW would be of great help to one another.

It was assertions like that that left Vlad wondering if they'd forgotten that he owned Axion Labs, the only current public retailer of ectotechnology. And that he funded practically all of the town's battle repairs. And that he was a significant donor to the GIW.

Little Maddie was impatient enough when he ushered the agents out and unlocked her door. She ran to the couch to bat at a toy she had left under it and ignored Vlad when he pet her.

He sighed. "For people seemingly so concerned with this town, they don't seem to have any respect for what the people in it want." He thought for a moment. "Oh, what do I care? I should be figuring out how to play this when we meet next week. Do you think…"

His thoughts drifted to Daniel like usual. Vlad's plan to become King had been invalidated last winter, when word had spread through the Infinite Realms like ink through water that Danny Phantom had been established as the Crown Prince. The Crown of Fire had disappeared from the safe in his lab without a trace. Though the boy hadn't been actually crowned, even the announcement that he would be was a simple truth, a fact that couldn't be disputed or undermined. At this point, if Vlad wanted the High Throne, he'd either need to defeat Daniel in an official duel, kill Daniel and be chosen as the inheritor, or get Daniel to give it up willingly.

The options were not ideal. Vlad had a reputation in the Zone, yes, but he didn't exactly have friends. Employees, business partners, and people in his debt, yes, but staggeringly few people who liked him. Daniel had been more than holding his own in unexpected fights recently, so Vlad didn't want to test his luck in a duel where the boy had time to prepare. Time to gather the support of all those ghosts who tolerated him better than Vlad. He couldn't ignore the likelihood that he would lose, and then… well, more than likely he wouldn't even be let close to the topic of the Monarchy again. It would be his last chance.

As for option B, Vlad had to put killing Daniel off the table for good. While his ultimate goal was the Throne, he wouldn't like to have to make himself alone again to get there. And if the boy did die in the meantime, Vlad had no illusions that any council that could be assembled would choose him as the replacement. See the, uh, "no friends" thing.

And option C… Daniel didn't like him. This was just something Vlad had to come to terms with. Despite his best efforts, the boy was too stubborn to let himself land on any of their common ground. But…

He looked back to the notes he had taken when the GIW agents were over. There were a lot of things in those notes that would disrupt Vlad's life, but even more that would make Daniel's that much harder. Some of those things would have them both toasted for good, but some would only push a little… if new GIW regulations went through, Daniel would have more stress going about his daily life, more trouble keeping up his relationships, more pressure to do something about it as King… he wouldn't know how to deal with it. He didn't have any experience with politics. But Vlad did. There Vlad would be, trying his absolute best to keep the GIW in check. But, alas, there's only so much he can do without the power of an official political position and the threat of the Infinite Realms behind him…

"Yes," Vlad said to Maddie, who had fallen asleep again. "I think I can work with this after all."

===

November 16, 2006

Danny had been shocked, last year, at how many of his allies were willing to spend time with him to help him prepare for the Crown. People he still regularly fought with had offered advice (though he didn't expect many of them would have anything useful to say, the sentiment was incredible). People he thought hated him had told him to at least ask if he needed help— Walker had handed him a business card with his preferred hours on it. Most surprisingly, actual political leaders had opened their arms readily to help Danny. Dora, Frostbite, Pandora… even Clockwork had been seeing Danny for their odd brand of "lessons" until recently. Sure, he didn't talk to them much about casual things because they all had him hard at work studying to bear responsibility or whatever, but nobody was as shocked as Danny that such a network had opened to him.

Today, since he was already running away from his problems in the living world, Danny had seen if Pandora was up for a chat. They were sitting under a golden tree behind her palace. The meetings had started more formal, but they had both gotten tired of it with time. Danny had been trying to ignore his problems in the living world by reviewing ethical and strategic lessons, but his thoughts drifted back, and here they were.

"…and now they've started moving more of their people to be based in Amity, so they can put even more, quote, 'defenses' into place where the most ghosts are."

"And these defenses haven't been approved for the wider state yet?"

"No. Not Illinois and not America. They're working on that, but it looks like they're trying to set a standard in Amity before they can even get started everywhere else."

"A good observation, Danny! I agree, it sounds as if the GIW are trying to use your city as a proof that their techniques would work on a larger scale. Like some sort of laboratory test."

Danny choked. "So, do… do you really think they're trying to escalate, still?"

"My little poplar, you already know the answer to that. The question is, what are they escalating toward?"

Danny swallowed. "They tried once to destroy the entirety of the Infinite Realms. Looking back, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have worked, but they wanted it so badly. They might still think that's what they need to do. And even if they don't… some of my friends are missing. Wulf and Poindexter. And they keep coming out with new studies on ghosts. The GIW, I mean. I think they're kidnapping ghosts to experiment on them. I don't expect them to stop doing that."

Pandora hummed. "Those are both acts of war. Do you have any plans to respond to acts of war?"

Danny looked away. He really, really didn't want to think about things like that. But this was real, and there was no avoiding it.

Pandora waited for his answer. Eventually, he admitted, "I would like to let them know our perspective first, if there's any chance it would work."

Pandora nodded. "As Haides Polyxenos, you have the power of the Ghost Army behind you, both literally and socially. This creates an actionable threat against any army of humans, which gives you negotiating power. Even non-threats are backed up with the knowledge that, should it come down to sheer military power, you would be the de facto victor."

That was not what Danny meant. He felt that opening with "oh, and by the way, we could destroy you if we wanted, so, like, keep that in mind" was a terrible start for a peace discussion.

"Regardless of that, I respect your devotion to seeing if there is a peaceful option first. The blow to our people would not be insignificant, even with a guaranteed victory."

Danny played with the teal grass.

"…And I know that humanity means a lot to you. Even if they weren't your kin, you would have respect for them as another group that doesn't deserve war."

Danny nodded.

"All that considered, I think your idea to establish your people's perspective before doing anything else was very wise! If you research who you would need to contact and the etiquette behind doing so next time you are among the living, you could come back here and we could work on a script for your meeting them."

He smiled. "That sounds really nice, Pandora, thank you. Do you mind if I invite Frostbite? I think he'll add another good perspective to the mix."

Pandora stood up with a triumphant grin. "That is an excellent idea, Danny! Now, let's get you doing something with your body. Your archery still needs some work."

Danny groaned, but stood up too. Thoughts of his next step were already running through his mind.

===

November 21, 2006

"Mr. Masters, you've had some experience with ectology as a study, yes?"

Vlad had to force the smile when he replied, "yes."

The meeting at City Hall was stuffy, crowded, and— now, you'll want to be sitting down for this shock— boring. He had already fought through dozens of statements regarding technology that would disrupt Vlad's own connections, research projects that would bring humans far too close to true knowledge of ghosts, and legislative moves that took "guilty until proven innocent" to a degree even he balked at. He had made moves that would shift Daniel toward his arms, but not nearly as many as he would have liked. He was far more concerned at the moment with keeping the balance between his image and his safety.

He hadn't even realized that they had drawn up information on his past. Hmm.

"I looked into the field during my time in college. I enjoyed that time, but, eventually… I decided to leave to pursue business management." Close enough, yeah?

"We think you should see the interest behind our favorite project, then…" Rosalyn ("Dr. Ducharm", now) pressed a key on the keyboard wired to the computer at the front of the room. The projected slide on the wall changed to a 3-dimensional model of a square, concrete building with an impressive parking lot. It looked strangely like a larger version of the Axion Labs unit in town, except for a two-story glass dome on the north side of the roof. Painted next to the front entrance was "GIW" in massive white letters and the organization's circular seal.

"We would like to start a new operation in Amity Park, where we can employ ectologists from in and out of town to take advantage of the city's unique relationship with the Ghost Zone. We would have this building constructed as a base, and from there we could employ the talents of dozens of kinds of laboratory and non-laboratory workers, in an organized effort toward a safer future."

Now Vlad was trapped. There was that key word; employ. An operation of this size would spur Amity's construction and infrastructure sectors with something different than the usual repair jobs, and then it would employ STEM specialists from within the city, and then it would draw in dozens or hundreds of workers from the rest of the country, pulling outside money in. The city council would never pass it up. If they propagandized it well enough, the voters wouldn't, either. Vlad would look either malevolent or completely idiotic if he didn't express total interest now.

He let his eyes go flat lest they start showing red, and pulled the rest of his face into a plastic grin. "How exciting! Now there is a future."

Yes, a future where Vlad was watched from all angles by ectosignature-reading cameras.

Oh, well. Construction was an infamously slow process. He would have time.

===

November 28, 2006

…IN SUCH A SITUATION, OF COURSE, YOU WOULD HAVE TO BRING FORWARD ANY GHOST YOU WOULD EXPECT TO HAVE INFORMATION ON THE EVENT. SHOULD THEY WITHHOLD IT, YOU—

Danny's phone chirped. Oh, thank God. There were only a few spots in the Realms where he got a cell connection (do not ask him how that worked), and he would take a late text over the bossy, traditionalist, very-poorly-hiding-their-hatred-for-him Observants any day.

He held up a hand directly in front of the indignant eye of the floating robe closest to him. Hilarious as usual. "One sec, guys."

He tuned out the sound of spectral sputtering as he looked through text previews.

Sam: (11:25) call when u get… Sam: (11:22) if u don't show… Tucker: (11:10) Read pls. Import… (10:54) Sam: what are you up… Tucker: (9:43) Missed you in ch…

So on and so forth for the last couple days. Nothing Danny wanted to see until he was ready to deal with that. He would handle it all at once, cleanly and nicely, when he went back home. There was too much in his brain for now.

He should probably glance at that "important" message before he lost service, though. He trusted Tucker's judgement on whether something was an emergency.

Tucker: (11:10) Read pls. Important. I get youre out for a reason but your parents have asked me where you are. I had to tell them I didnt know. Sorry. Theyll probably start getting serious about looking soon

Oh, crap. His parents had noticed he was gone. Four days must have been too much for them. He didn't know what to tell them he had been up to this time… or what to say next time he disappeared.

Whatever. That was future Danny trouble. He'd deal with that when he went home, and he'd go home after these eyeballs finished up with him.

He put his phone away and stopped tuning them out.

—AND WHATEVER MORTAL IS CONTACTING YOU AT A TIME LIKE THIS CAN WAIT UNTIL—

"Sorry 'bout that. Continue with the whole… 'inappropriate relations' thing?"

The Observants looked like they were each going to pop a giant blood vessel, but they switched tirades without complaint.

===

December 1, 2006

Vlad was in his study, admiring a knitting pattern on his laptop, when Valerie Gray knocked on his window. Quietly, he wondered why she bothered climbing through a window in her suit when she could have just shown up at his door in civilian clothes and saved them both the suspicion, but he let her in anyway.

"Miss Gray! Please, can I get you anything? It's chilly out there."

"Thank you, Mr. Masters! No, I just wanted to stop by."

Internally, Vlad rolled his eyes. "Stopping by" was for afternoons in his office, or emailing him beforehand, or civilian clothes at the very least. Still, Valerie Gray was a smart girl, and had a tendency toward making herself small when she wasn't trying to do the exact opposite. She likely had a real problem, and was just being demure about it.

"Well, sit down! Let's go into the living room. We're the only ones here, so no need to worry about your suit showing or anything." They started moving down the hall. "Speaking of which! How has it been faring? Anything new recently?" He had, as "the Wisconsin Ghost", tussled lightly with her for appearance's sake a few weeks back, and he saw that her suit was acting oddly up close. He had already done his own studies on it and determined that it was somehow sentient, or something to that effect, and much more ghostly than he had originally designed it. Lasting effects, he supposed, of a time that she got tied up with Technus two years ago. She still hadn't told him about it. Bold.

Regardless, he wasn't too worried. Let the girl become more ghostly. As long as she was putting that isolative pressure on Daniel, as long as she was giving Vlad that in on the human ghost hunting world, what did he care? But she really should be telling her innocent, human benefactor about these things. Imagine if he really did have her best interests in mind? She was as reckless as usual.

"Nope! Working just perfectly! I hope I've been doing my job well enough."

Vlad poured some coffee for both of them— he hadn't been lying about the cold night. "You absolutely have. You are, perhaps, the town's best defense against ghostly attacks."

When he handed Valerie her mug, she casually set it down without taking a drink. He admired her caution.

"Thank you! Seriously. But, Mr. Masters, that's sort of what I wanted to talk about. I've been trying to keep up on changes the Guys— sorry— the GIW have been trying to make here in Amity and Elmerton. I really like how they're trying to keep us stronger in the face of violent ghost attacks. But some of the things they want to try out here kinda make me think they're looking at us like a… like an experiment, more than people. People with lives, who are hurt by ghosts, yeah, but that doesn't mean we can't be hurt by other things, you know?"

Ah. Vlad took a sip of his coffee. She wanted to put her word into this game, too? Figured she could get a little opinion in because she had business relations with the mayor? To Vlad, it was yet another force wanting him pulled a certain way. Luckily, he didn't need Valerie Gray's approval, not like he needed the trust of the GIW and Daniel. It was good to have her trusting him, yes, but she was low on his list of priorities. He let her keep talking.

"I just wanted to say, I know you're doing all you can to work with them for the best for the people in town. And… I trust you to make sure that they're not putting ghost defense above respecting the humans. I think you're a good mayor, Mr. Masters. Thank you for what you're doing."

Vlad was shocked. He was glad Valerie wasn't looking at him, because he couldn't keep it off his face for a second. She was sixteen and openly armed with the best in human-ghost weaponry, but she looked absolutely tiny, hunched over and entrusting him with keeping her and the people she loved safe.

Normally, Vlad liked to see people so vulnerable to him, but there was something off-putting about his strongest pawn, this teenager so full of rage and determination that it took only the slightest push to turn her into a living declaration of war, being so honest about her weakness. If there was anyone Vlad expected to be blinded into following the GIW from sheer hatred of ghosts, besides perhaps the Fentons, it would be her.

The look on her face was one he had seen on Danielle a few times before she had disappeared, when she thought he loved her. It wasn't begging. No, Valerie Gray expected him to pull through on these anti-ghost regulations for her, just because she thought he was a good enough person. She was thanking him for something he hadn't done yet.

She trusted him to handle this with grace. And he realized now, with the Red Huntress depowered and sitting on his formal living room couch, that he didn't.

===

December 4, 2006

People had been coming up to Danny when he was around the Ghost Zone. Really, he should have been expecting it, but he was sort of taken aback every time. Your average ghost knew that he was the Prince, and even before that he had enough of a reputation that sometimes they would approach him to ask for help on whatever superhero comic plot had come into their lives recently, but… really, shouldn't there be other options? Walker couldn't have been the only one upholding "laws". Johnny wasn't the only one going on adventures in the living world when necessary. There were other ghosts who handled this sort of thing. Why seek out some half-human two-year-old?

Especially when he couldn't even do what they wanted. At least thirteen ghosts had approached him in the past few weeks to report friends and fright members that had gone to the living realm for one reason or another and never come back. Captured by the Guys in White, shoved in some lab, and… who knows what, after that.

He had tried a few times. Logically, he should have a pretty good shot at getting in and out. Yes, they were looking for his ectosignature in particular, but he was human. He was skilled at hiding it. And he had links in the human world, ways to hide in plain sight, and a hacker friend for whom he was eternally grateful.

The first time, he had gotten the poor ghost out intact. The second time, he even got some hapless animal ghosts and blobs out too. After that, things got harder. Security got tighter, bases got put in stranger places, employees became even more ruthless at the sight of Phantom.

It hurt Danny inside every time he thought about it, but there just wasn't anything he could think to do without getting himself killed, and that wouldn't help anyone in the long run. The experimentation was legal, even on the more humanoid ghosts as far as Danny could tell. He couldn't physically attack the facilities if he wasn't sure nobody would die, and even then the newer defenses had a nasty effect of sometimes turning his own energy around on him.

And now, as he found himself surrounded by the desperate children and friends of a wolf-woman ghost who had been taken away while visiting relatives in the living world, that was what he tried to tell them. But he felt sorry at his own excuses, and he wanted more than anything to be able to do better for the people relying on him, and he saw in their eyes that they did, too, and Danny felt something in the air that said that everyone else did, too, and then—

He blacked out.

===

When Danny woke, he was sitting on a marble chair in a room where the floor was black tile and the walls glowed blue. Anything beyond that was blurry. Right in front of his face was familiar blue and red, and for a moment he worried that he had passed out in front of Plasmius before he noticed the scar.

He just had time to realize this was his first time seeing Clockwork since summer before his head was filled with pain.

It was terrible, and bone-deep, and from his mind as much as his flesh, but it did something to wake him up, too. Danny could see now that the far end of the long room held several ghosts, most of whom he had been studying under. He could see that the glowing on the walls was from tall stained glass windows in every color between ectoplasm green and ocean blue.

He could see that his marble chair was on a dais, and that Clockwork was looking at him with pity. It was an unfamiliar look on them.

Oh, Danny thought as the important people and the important room sunk in between throbs of pain. I am absolutely screwed.

Clockwork squeezed Danny's shoulder. The pain didn't go away, which he thought was incredibly rude since he knew they had some healing power. They turned around and said to the room, Daniel Phantom is here, and he will be King.

Fuck. Fuck. This wasn't supposed to happen yet. This was the coronation, and it wasn't supposed to be like this. He knew it was pretty different from European coronations, but there was supposed to be some kind of party involved, at least. Some kind of tedious ceremony, and it would be stressful and awfully final but it would be happy for a bit. There would be weeks of preparation and months of warning and everyone had told him it wouldn't happen until he was ready.

But here Danny was, on a throne in his own damn color scheme that Fate and Sam had chosen for him, alone except for a few ghosts who were very much not having a good time, in more pain than he'd felt at once since he died, and perhaps the least ready it was possible to be. He was a sixteen year old who was failing every class and avoided talking to his own parents.

He didn't want to see any of this. He tried to close his eyes, but the pain echoed somewhere in the back of his head and the back of his core and his eyes opened and his vision cleared. He couldn't move his eyes or his thoughts away when Pandora walked to the spot Clockwork had left. She opened a lapis lazuli box, and inside was the Ring of Rage, smaller than ever on its own in there. The last time Danny had seen the Ring, it had been locked in the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep.

She put it on the middle finger of his left hand, and he knew that if his unfading Lichtenberg figures were visible, they would start right where the ring sat. It shrunk and simplified. A band of white, a band of black, a pointed gem of the same blues and greens as the windows.

The pain spread below Danny's neck, to the rest of his body. Whatever kept his eyes clear kept him from doubling over and screaming, too. He didn't have it in him to fight.

Pandora stepped back, and Frostbite walked forward with the Crown of Fire. He didn't place it on Danny's head, he just set it in his hands and wiped a tear off of Danny's cheek.

It was Clockwork who came forward again and lifted the Crown onto his head. It electrified his skin where it touched. Hadn't Pariah Dark's crown floated? Why was Danny's sitting on him, feeling like it was about to topple but refusing to fall, burning a halo onto his scalp?

Why was any of this happening?

Danny was distracted from the pain when that place in the back of his core struck a chord like a symphonic bell and first the Crown, then the Ring, then everything else oh God every drop of ectoplasm in the deep ocean around him every space hidden between every other space the entire seam between this place and the other resonated with it. One massive echo, one frequency carried to infinity in an instant, and that which was within was without, just the same.

May his reign be perfect, said Clockwork from out of sight.

Danny was on the floor. Son of a bitch! The pain ran through him one more time with emphasis before disappearing.

Some of the attendees— Observants, mostly— left without another word. Some, those Danny had started thinking of sort of like family recently, came and tried to help him stand.

It was a struggle to get to his feet, but once he was there, he couldn't help but notice that Clockwork was gone.

"Alright, Danny," Frostbite said. Heh, that might have been the first time he'd used his real name. "Let's get you some sleep, and then we can have a chat about your new powers before you go home."

Danny made himself smile from where he was collapsed over the yeti's arm. "Do I get cake now?"

"Sure," said Frostbite, comforting as any good doctor. "You can have all the cake you want."

Danny laughed weakly. "Some party this was."

(And when word hit them that a small team of yetis had shown up at a grocery store in Amity Park to buy a premade cake with real money, Sam and Tucker decided to keep it to themselves.)

===

December 11, 2006

"No," Vlad hissed when he read the paper Dr. Robert Eldridge handed him across his dining room table.

"What's the issue? I'm happy with the progress we've been making here, and this is the only logical next step."

"It's too invasive. People will never trust a group that measures their ectoplasmic exposure every time they go out in public."

"Their daily lives won't be disrupted because it's passive once installed. Not intrusive at all," said Dr. David Reyes, who had a hidden camera in one of his shirt buttons.

"It doesn't matter, the knowledge that they're having statistics about them being read out to some other body at all times will be too much. H— people hate that sort of thing."

"It's all about awareness," said Dr. Rosalyn Duchart, who had never been in an ecto lab environment in her life. "Most people will be okay with their ectoplasmic levels being measured, because they'll be low anyway. Nothing to hide. It'll only upset those who would be spotted. Disguised ghosts, long-term overshadowings, hauntings and whatnot."

"I'm not so sure about that." Vlad's hand tightened around his mug. "People don't take so kindly to the idea that they might be hiding something. I've certainly never enjoyed being watched."

Maybe, if he had paid a little more attention, he would have found he didn't enjoy the way he was being watched in that moment either.

===

Voicemail from… (708) 112-4816 on… December 13 at… 4:19 PM. [Beep!]

Hey, Danny. It's Val. Um… I haven't seen you in a few weeks. Well, okay, I've seen you around town and at Nasty Burger once in a while, but we haven't talked. You know what I mean. Haha. So, I guess, if you're not at school, and you're not with your friends— uh, I asked them, sorry— where are you?

…You don't have to tell me, of course. It's probably none of my business. Unless it is, haha! Um. But yeah! I guess I just wanted to let you know that… I'm thinking about you! And I hope you're okay! And if there's anything you want to talk about with me, you can. I, uh, I even have homework you can copy if you want to get back on track with missed school.

Hey, call me sometime! I haven't had a chance to tell you about this dumb movie my dad and I watched last week. It was this 3-D animated Christmas movie? Yeah, it's as weird as it sounds, hehe. But that's all I'm telling you now! If you want the rest of the details you're gonna have to crawl out and talk to me.

Have a good day, okay? 'Kay.

…End of message.

===

December 15, 2006

[A1 - BREAKING NEWS]

LANCE: GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.

I’M LANCE THUNDER –

TIFFANY: – AND I’M TIFFANY SNOW.

THIS IS AMITY PARK 8 AT 5.

TONIGHT’S BREAKING NEWS, A LEAKED GARRISON IRVING WALKER COMMISSION RESEARCH PAPER ALLEGES MAYOR VLAD MASTERS IS ACTUALLY A GHOST.

[VO]

[B-ROLL: STILL OF COVER PAGE]

LANCE: PAMELA DEH-LEE-UN, AARON HAMPTON AND DAVID RYE-EZ, LONG-TIME RESEARCHERS WITH THE GIW, WROTE THE PAPER.

TIFFANY: HAMPTON DEVELOPED SUSPICIONS ABOUT MASTERS SHORTLY AFTER THE GIW BEGAN WORKING WITH HIM ON PUBLIC ANTI-GHOST MEASURES.

THE TEAM STANDS BY THE RESEARCH, THOUGH THE PAPER WAS UNFINISHED AND STILL IN REVIEW AT THE TIME OF THE LEAK.

[A-ROLL: HAMPTON INTERVIEW]

LANCE: THE SOURCE OF THE LEAK HAS NOT BEEN CONFIRMED, BUT THE GIW’S MAIN CONCERN IS THE PUBLIC SEEING THE PAPER BEFORE PEER REVIEW.

WE CURRENTLY HAVE NO COMMENT FROM MASTERS OR CITY COUNCIL, BUT A PRESS CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD AT SIX-THIRTY PM.

TIFFANY: JOIN US AT TEN PM ON THE EVENING SHOW FOR EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE AND A MORE IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE RESEARCH PAPER.

UP NEXT, WE’LL HEAR FROM RESIDENTS ON A STRING OF BREAK-INS DOWNTOWN.

#danny phantom #my writing #invisobang 2023 #the forest the trees the fire #ftf catalyst #ghost king danny #:)#:^)

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watchingovergvff · 2 years

Text

Mahogany and Teakwood- Sam Kiszka

Summary: Sam has missed being domestic with you. Being on the road 24/7 has robbed him of spending time with you. Thankfully, his time on the road has come to an end for now.

Genre: Established Relationship. Fluff.

Word Count: 700

Warnings: Implied Smut.

A/N: I love to hear feedback, so don’t hesitate to do so. Thank you for all the love and support<333

——————————————————————————

Sam sighs in relief, glad to have finally made it home to you after being on the road for the past few months.

He takes in the view of the front porch, reminding himself to drag you outside early one morning to enjoy a warm cup of coffee with him.

Sam had been touring all over the world with the boys for the past year, never really getting a break to relax with you. Of course, touring and playing night after night is his dream come true, but being away from you for an extended period makes it difficult to thoroughly enjoy all the beauties of it. Facetiming, texts, and brief visits were not enough to sedate the longing he felt during his time away.

He missed the small things like the way you snore quietly when you sleep, or the dance parties you would throw in the middle of the kitchen with Rosie, your shared dog. He missed the way you mumble under your breath when you’re frustrated. He missed your sweet lavender scent and your obnoxious, but contagious laughter. Most of all, Sam just missed you and couldn’t wait another moment to be with you.

Sam makes his way through the front door, beginning to call out to you. He pauses and grins, hearing you sing along to the Beatles record your currently spinning on the tabletop. You are completely oblivious to the fact the man you love is under your roof, for the first time in a long time.

Rosie drags herself out of her doggy bed the moment she hears Sam’s footsteps approaching. “How’s my sweet girl doing, huh?” he asks Rosie as he bends down to pat her head.

Deciding he couldn’t wait any longer, he strolls into the kitchen in search of you. He recognizes the all too familiar smell of incense burning and soup cooking on the stove.

He silently reaches the doorway and softly smiles, watching you as you sway your hips to the beat of Something by the Beatles.

Finally, you glance back attempting to check the time, but stop yourself after seeing something out of the corner of your eye. You swing around to look at the strange figure but quickly realize it’s the man you have been anxiously waiting for all day.

Squealing and running towards one another, you both collapse into one another’s awaiting arms, squeezing tight. You wanted to pinch yourself in the unfortunate chance you were dreaming.

The past few months without having Sam around have been difficult for you. Having always prided yourself on your independence, it almost killed you to admit just how much you needed him around. You have a hard time remembering what life was like before Sam graced you with his outgoing presence, but to be honest you don’t want to.

You met Sam your last year of high school. His mom, Karen, had introduced the both of you at an after party, celebrating Sam and Danny’s graduation. Karen had been high school friends with your mom and had insisted on helping you find a job around town. Your relationship with Karen had gotten close and you enjoyed running errands with her. Every now and then, she would try to set you up with Danny, always insisting you would make a cute couple. You always politely declined, having known Danny fancied a young girl at school already. Of course, you knew of the boys but you normally kept to yourself, preferring the comfort of yourself over a bunch of people. Karen had invited you to Sam and Danny’s graduation party, practically begging you to attend so she could finally introduce you to her boys.

Karen tried to round up the boys that night to introduce you, but failed miserably when realizes they wouldn’t stay put. You laughed and shrugged it off, hoping she would finally allow you to go sit by the fire. The fire pit outside was roaring high and full of life, but no one seemed to pay it any attention. While sipping on your drink and sitting by the fire, you heard someone whisper-yelling, “Hey! Hello! Over here!”. Looking back towards the noise, you find yourself looking at a small but rowdy group of boys play fighting. One of the boys, Josh, smiled wide at you and motioned you over. Realizing he was talking to you, you began to trot on over to their little hide out. Josh ended up chatting with you for the next hour about anything and everything, talking your ear off, but you enjoyed it.

Once the conversation dialed down, you took the opportunity to glance around. Catching a certain boys eye, while doing so. You recognized the handsome fellow, and gave a soft smile in his direction. Sam of course, took that as his cue to come sit and talk with you, finally getting the chance to wow the prettiest girl at the party.

You both laughed and chatted until the both of you got sick with exhaustion. He pouted at the fact that you had to return home, begging you to stay.

The next morning you heard a knock at your front door. Not having expected anyone so early in the morning, you stroll on over to peek out the door. Upon opening the door, you grin in disbelief at the sight in front of you. Sam had drove on over to your house with a smile plastered on his face and flowers in hand.

“Hey, sorry I know its early, I just couldn’t stop thinking about you. Plus, I really want to ask you on a date, before I psych myself out of doing so. Sooo, you maybe wanna go see a movie with me sometime?” Sam says, meanwhile his cheeks have turned a nice bright red, clearly feeling flustered.

“Hmm, let me think about it, yes dork.” you chuckle. “Oh thank god, I was really nervous that you would slam the door in my face.” he exclaims.

The rest is history. The two of you have been together ever since. With time comes attachment issues, and attachment issues is what you have.

The two of you stand, swaying in the middle of the kitchen. Leaving gentle kisses underneath Sam’s ear you relish in his familiar scent, mahogany and teakwood.

You chuckle while caressing his face, feeling an unfamiliar scruff underneath your fingertips. “This is new, how long have you been growing this out?” you ask.

“The past few weeks, it looks good doesn’t it?” he spoke with a smirk.

“It makes you look like an old man.” You exclaim with a laugh.

“A hot old man, right?”

“Sure, sure whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Sam laughs, while spinning you around. He brings you close to his chest, leaning down to talk into your ear. “I bet I could change your mind. Just shimmy out of that little apron and I’ll get to work, pretty girl.”

You push at his chest and roll your eyes. “Wow, you’ve been home for five minutes and you’re already trying to seduce me. I’m truly flattered,” you groan.

“I missed you so much. You can’t ever leave me again, promise?” you spoke.

Sam nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck, breathing in your scent. “Promise or you could just come with me next time,” he whispers to you. You smile at his words, wanting nothing more than that. He looks down at you with eyes full of love.

“You make me so happy. How did I get so lucky? My beautiful, beautiful girl,” he speaks to you.

You blush at his words, attempting to give back all the love and attention he has given you. He pulls you in to a deep kiss, savoring the way you taste. You both sigh, feeling more content than ever before.

“I missed kissing you. I just missed you. I’m so glad your home and all mine.” You whisper.

“You’re my home, I’ll always find my way back to you, love” he says between kisses.

“I love you, Sammy”

“I love you more pretty girl”

……..

A/N: Please give me some feedback! I would love to chat with y’all! Hope you enjoyed:))

#greta van fic #greta van fluff #greta van fleet fics #greta van fleet #gvf fanfiction #danny gvf #sam gvf #josh gvf #jake gvf #gvf fic #sam kiszka x reader #sam kiszka #josh kiszka x reader #josh kiszka #jake kiszka x reader #jake kiszka #danny wagner x reader #danny wagner

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spectacled-renegade-writes · 1 year

Text

An Early Start - Chapter 14 - Danny Phantom

Ao3: Here | Masterpost: Here

Ao3 Description: The accident that turns Danny half-ghost happens when he is four years old and leaves him trapped in the Ghost Zone. Clockwork finds him and takes him in to raise. But what happens when Clockwork sends Danny back to the human-world ten years later when a permanent portal appears?

Chapter 14:

Sometimes, Danny didn’t understand why humans do the things they do. Like Dash for instance. For the life of him, Danny could not figure out why he hurt innocent people. In the Ghost Zone, if a ghost hurt another ghost, they always had some kind of reason for it, even if that reason only made sense to them. But Dash, he was another anomaly of the human world, and he confused Danny to no end. More and more frequently, he would show up right behind Danny to knock books from his hands and shove him in a locker. If Sam and Tucker made the human world easier, then Dash balanced it out with how difficult he made it, and a racing heartbeat was becoming yet another awful feeling Danny was becoming more and more acquainted with.

One day, that awful feeling became too much, and despite telling himself he would follow the human’s stupid stringent rules, after yet another incident with Dash, he'd had enough. Trapped inside his tiny locker with only his racing thoughts, the hallway too crowded to simply faze out of it, he’d reached his limit, and decided to skip class. So, Danny fazed through the ceiling and out of the school, up into the sky high, high away from any closed quarters. Up here, he could breathe. Up here, he was free.

As Danny glided through the air, feeling the wind on his face, and basking in the open sky, he was oblivious to the incident happening down below. But he'd soon find out after school.

The first thing Sam and Tucker said when they saw him again was, “Where were you?!”

Danny stumbled back.

“There was this stupid Box Ghost and you weren’t here to stop him," Sam yelled. "So he completely ruined my speech on alternatives to dissecting live frogs! Which, by the way, you promised to help out with. You were here earlier, where’d you go?”

Right. Danny had completely forgotten about that promise. He'd made it the other day while they hung out at the Nasty Burger, but when he was in his locker, that awful feeling of confinement had been so strong that everything else in his mind fizzled into static. Guilt weighed heavily on his shoulders and it added to the remaining feelings of confinement he had. He took another step back and didn’t notice how his hand shook as he raised it to say, “I’m sorry.”

Sam noticed at least, and her anger seemed to drain away. “Hey, are you okay?” She reached forward but Danny took yet another step back. He truly hadn’t meant to, but all he wanted right now was space. He craved it. Sam pulled her hand back. “Hey, I’m sorry for yelling. That wasn’t cool of me.”

It only seemed to make the guilt weigh heavier on Danny and he didn’t know what to do. Of course he’s been upset in his life, and scared, but what he felt now was something completely foreign to him and he didn’t know how to handle it, nor how to stop it. But, he had to let Sam know this wasn’t her fault. So, despite the crawling in his skin, he took two steps forward. “It’s… not you. I don’t…” Danny felt nauseous. “I don’t know what I’m feeling right now?”

Sam and Tucker exchanged concerned glances before looking back at Danny. “I think you’re having a panic attack, man.” Tucker said.

A panic attack? Danny has never heard of that before. What did that mean? Is this another human thing he didn’t know about? He lifted his hood over his head. He wanted to be alone. He missed the sky. He missed the Ghost Zone. He wanted to go home.

“Hey,” Sam said gently. “Let’s go outside. It’s too stuffy in here, anyway.”

So, Danny let his friends lead him outside. Their hands hovered behind his back as they lead him, but they didn’t touch him. The three of them made their way through the football field and to the empty bleachers, and Sam and Tucker sat on either side of Danny as he tried to get ahold of himself. He… really didn’t know how, and he hated that he could feel his heart and lungs. He never had to worry about that before as a ghost. Next to him, Sam spoke up. “Try to take slow, deep breaths, okay Danny?”

Slow, deep breaths? But that only made it worse. Slow, deep breaths meant he could feel every part of his constricting lungs. He pulled his sleeves over his hands and shook his head.

“Sam’s right,” said Tucker. “Slow, deep breaths will help you calm down and make your breathing go back to normal, which will make you feel better.”

It’s been a couple of weeks now since they found out his secret and they still haven’t told anyone, so Danny trusted them implicitly. So, he tried, and began to breathe as instructed. It did not help at first, and in fact made him feel worse, but as he kept going, it turns out they were right, and he began to feel better. Once again Danny felt baffled at human function. After a few minutes of silence, Sam slowly leaned over into his field of vision and asked, “Better?”

Danny nodded.

“You wanna talk about it?” Tucker asked. Danny shrugged. “Well, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but we’re here if you do.”

Danny took a moment to himself and scanned the big, empty football field. He found himself wanting to lay in the middle of it and stare up at the sky. So, he did. His friends watched him get up from the bleachers, walk across the field, and do exactly that, stretching out his arms at his sides as his back hit the ground. Moments later, they followed suit. They spread their arms out like Danny did, giving him half a foot of space between their hands and cloud gazed, basking in the peaceful silence that followed. It was nice.

Later that night, on the roof of his house, with snacks and homework spread out around them, Danny told them why he disappeared earlier that day, and in return his friends explained what a panic attack was and how they worked. Danny told them that as a ghost he didn’t have a heartbeat and didn’t need to breathe, so that’s probably why he’s never experienced one before, even during rare moments of extreme distress.

“Well, you’re human now,” Sam said gently. “So if you ever start to feel like that again, you come to us.”

“Yeah,” Tucker said. “We’ve got your back.”

Danny smiled softly. “Even though Jazz was always kind to me, I didn’t know other humans could be so nice too."

“Well,” Tucker chirped. “You’re stuck with us, so get used to it.”

The next day Mr. Lancer caught Danny at the entrance of the school. “Mr. Fenton,” he said. “Since you were inexplicably absent yesterday, I was unable to inform you that you have been assigned a new locker.” Mr. Lancer handed Danny a slip of paper with a new locker number and combination. “An isolated incident resulted in the destruction of your old one. I hope to see you in class today.” With that, he walked off. Danny turned to look at his friends, who appeared next to him.

“That’s rough, buddy.” Tucker said. “What’s your new locker?”

Danny looked down at the paper, which read ‘Locker 724’, and showed it to his friends. They both paled.

“No. Way.” Tucker said. “Dude, that locker’s like, totally cursed!”

Danny raised an eyebrow.

“He’s right!” Sam agreed, crossing her arms and nodding. “You’ve never heard the legend, have you?”

When Danny shrugged, Tucker began to explain. “That locker used to belong to a Sidney Poindexter back in the fifties. Poindexter was the victim of more cruel pranks than anyone in the history of Casper High School! Apparently picking on him was a graduation requirement. He got stuffed into his locker so many times, it’s believed his spirit still inhabits it to this very day.” For effect, Tucker ended his explanation with an ominous tone.

Danny looked down at the paper, back at his friends, processed it for a moment, and couldn’t believe his luck! With excitement in his eyes, he strode right in to the school. Sam and Tucker chased after him. “Danny, wait up!”

When they caught up with him, Tucker said, “You heard the part about curse, right?”

“Or the part about haunted?” Sam added.

Danny only smiled and nodded at the both of them as he kept going, and didn’t stop until he found his new locker. When Danny went to put in the combination, Sam grabbed his wrist to stop him and asked, “Danny, are you crazy?”

Danny merely turned his arm intangible to escape and explained, “You don’t understand, Sidney is my friend.” He couldn't help the way he smiled.

“What?!” They both exclaimed.

Danny nodded. “I’ll explain later but it’s been a while since I’ve seen him, so if his spirit really is attached to this locker, it’ll be nice to catch up.”

“You, Danny Fenton, have the craziest life I’ve ever heard.” Tucker said.

Danny could only smile more as he turned and opened the locker. The moment the door swung open, a cold mist of air hit the three of them. The outside of the locker was completely rusted over and the inside turned out to be just the same. Its only contents were cobwebs and a single, old mirror hanging in the back. Before Danny could explore any further though, Dash showed up and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. “Hey, Eggs Fenedict, looks like you’re my new locker neighbor. Consider this a welcome wagon!” And, once again, Dash stuffed Danny into his locker and slammed the door. Sam was quick to unlock it and let him out.

“Man,” Tucker said. “Imagine if he was the first human you ever met. You’d never leave the Ghost Zone.”

“How does a human know about the Ghost Zone?”

Tucker and Sam startled but Danny smiled. His friends got to hear, for the second time, Danny speak the language he referred to as 'Ghost Speak' as he said, "I told them." Despite hearing it, his friends didn’t have a shadow of a chance at understanding. Sidney though, spoke English, so they understood him.

“Danny, my buddy-o-pal!” Sidney exclaimed. “I heard you left the Ghost Zone! This is where you’ve been all this time?”

Danny nodded. “A permanent portal opened,” he explained. “So Clockwork sent me to protect the humans.” He chewed his lip. “…It’s definitely been an… enlightening experience.”

Sidney nodded solemnly. “But one only a halfa can do.”

“Yeah…”

The bell rang and Danny turned to his human friends. “Get to class,” Sidney said. “We’ll catch up later.”

Later apparently meant after school because Danny did not see Sidney again the next time he went to his locker. When after school did roll around, Danny told his friends he’d see them later, then flew to the roof of the school where Sidney was already waiting, standing at the edge and watching the students file out. “I watched you guys today,” Sidney said. “Your friends seem nice. I didn’t know humans could be that way.”

Danny glided over to stand next to Sidney and watched the students filing out too. It felt nice, normal, hanging out with Sidney again. Not to mention getting to be Phantom was always a welcome shift. “I kind of knew it,” Danny said. “But I didn’t know strangers could be like that too, which is what they were at first. Sam invited me to lunch with Tucker on my first day and it all blossomed from there. They’re… definitely odd humans.”

Poindexter smirked. “Like you.”

“Not quite like me but… yeah.” Danny agreed.

A companionable silence fell between them as they watched the people below live their lives. It struck Danny that this was the first time since he’s arrived that he’s felt dead again rather than alive. He wondered if it was okay to prefer this. But he couldn't help it, being dead was peaceful. However, he already knew he'd never tell his friends that, and especially not Jazz.

“I saw a lot of bullies today.” Sidney spoke up. “I put a stop to it when I could.”

Danny hummed. “That’s fine, I think. As long as you don’t hurt them.”

“But what if they hurt someone first?” Sidney argued, but he hadn’t raised his voice.

“Then…” Danny mulled that over. “I’ll take care of it, or there are other ways besides hurting someone to show them the consequences of their actions."

“I guess so…” Sidney relented.

Danny glanced down at the pocket watch hanging from his belt, a Christmas gift from Clockwork when he was eight, and thought of his mission. “Just, promise you won’t let it get out of hand. Okay?” Danny could see the conflict in Sidney’s eyes as he struggled to digest this information. “If you don’t know what too far is, I’ll let you know if it happens. Deal?”

Sidney seemed satisfied with that. “Deal.”

“So the school is just going to be haunted by a vengeful ghost now?” Tucker asked later that day at the Nasty Burger.

“He’s not vengeful,” Danny replied. “Not all ghosts are evil.”

“All the ones we’ve met besides you have been,” Tucker grumbled.

Sam softly hit him upside the head. “The actions of a few don’t reflect the intentions of the many. If Danny says he cool, then he’s cool.”

“Fine, fine.” Tucker pushed her away. “What can you tell us about him?”

“A lot actually,” Danny answered. “I’ve told you about the annual Christmas truce, right?” Sam and Tucker shook their heads. “It’s a tradition all ghosts uphold. It’s where I met Sidney a few years ago.” So, Danny explained the Christmas truce to his friends, much to their fascination, then told them the story of how he and Sidney became friends. “It was the first Christmas I’ve ever enjoyed." Danny explained. “I guess you could say it put the H-O-L-L-Y in H-O-L-L-Y J-O-L-L-Y."

Sam snorted at that. “You’re such a dork.”

“Takes one to know one.” Tucker countered.

Danny smiled as he watched them proceed to have friendly yet passionate argument about who's the bigger dork. He sat back and sipped his milkshake.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Ao3 Notes: Sorry for the late chapter! Also sorry that the quality of this chapter isn't up to par. I really tried my best.

I've been pretty burnt out from editing so this will be the last chapter for the weekend and possibly Monday, since I'll be visiting my sister.

Thank you so much for your support and patience, and I hope you have a lovely day/night! <3

#an early start au #danny phantom #danny phantom fanfiction #danny phantom fanfic #mute!danny fenton #disabled danny fenton #danny fenton #sam manson #tucker foley #anxiety #claustrophobia #panic attack #anxiety attack #sidney poindexter #dash baxter #mr. lancer #lost time #christmas truce #renegade writes

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danwhobrowses · 2 years

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Netflix's Wednesday - Review

So the latest attempt at rebooting the Addams Family comes in the form of Netflix's Wednesday. Fresh off of The Sandman's success, the show sported a cast of Jenny Ortega, Gwendoline Christie, Catherine Zeta-Jones and even Christina Ricci (Wednesday from the 90s movies), while also being directed mostly by Tim Burton, music by Danny Elfman, and written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, we'll see how Netflix does with this.

Bear in mind, the Addams Family I am perhaps going to compare this to the most is the 90s movies of Ricci, Raul Julia, Anjelica Hutson and Christopher Lloyd - as well as Burton, but I also will be observing Ortega's portrayal of an older Wednesday similar to Youtube's 'Adult Wednesday Addams' shorts by Melissa Hunter (who later went on to do some writing for Santa Clarita Diet and She-Hulk), whose shorts were sadly cease and desisted - which could've been partly due to production of this very show, but I won't hold that against it.

Spoilers for Season 1 of Wednesday

So I'm going to review based on four key points; Production, Plot, Side Characters, and Wednesday herself, hopefully this way I will be able to express the pros and cons of the full scope of the show.

Production Production of the show was very sound actually; music was good, setting and costuming was also very well-done, showing differences from Wednesday's gothic style, Enid's bright and bubbly, Kinbott's clean whites, there are the theme motifs that you'd expect from a Burton-esque story.

In that same vein though, cgi was an oof at times, particularly for the Hyde, which was too uncanny to see past the Burton-esque bug-eyed claymations, Enid's wolf form was a bit iffy too.

But for the most part, Jericho and Nevermore academy did feel like real places that existed outside the vacuum of Wednesday's presence.

Oh also! Some things were just wrong, particularly the off-comment on Ophelia, Ophelia wasn't driven mad by her family she went mad over her lover, Hamlet. Given how Ricci's Wednesday performed Hamlet at school that's a definite gap.

Plot The plot is probably one of the things I am most on the fence about. For its pluses, it did work towards creating character development for Wednesday, layered into a murder mystery story, layered into a spooky high school scenario. It had some lovely easter eggs primarily playing on Addams family leitmotifs specifically the iconic double snap. There is a balance as well of being gothic but also caught up to current affairs, expanding the world more familiar to the Addamses via the presentation of 'outcasts'. The plot does invite a second series as well, but doesn't try to force it either.

However, there are things I struggle to shake off. For one, it doesn't help that this feels far too much like The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, another stylistic reboot of a gothic female teen character in a gothic academy uncovering prophecies and having frosty relationships with the Queen Bee's kliq, while also engaging in her own love triangle and fighting a vengeful entity of the past. I do find it odd as well why we necessitated Wednesday to be in a high school setting, since her character had often been presented as emotionally mature and aware, in some cases it does feel like Wednesday was plopped into a monster high school concept to buff up its budget. Much of the murder mystery feels like it has holes in it as well, with characters simply acting oblivious or unhelpful to one another, Wednesday's continued distrust in Xavier for instance rides on the annoying side even when DNA didn't match, and Sheriff Galpin had been suspicious of a monster since episode 1 but chose not to suspect his son who he had worried carried on the genetics of his mother? Tis odd to say the least. Weens and Wednesday had their annoyances too, simply caused by a lack of communication.

The love triangle also felt unnecessary, it was perhaps to try and push the idea that Xavier was the threat to smokescreen Tyler but honestly I'm more disappointed in the Tyler reveal than shocked, because it falls so painfully hard down to cliché, as does much of the high school melodrama. For better or for worse; Bianca, Eugene, Ajax, Xavier and Enid are very cookie-cutter level high school clichés and frankly Xavier is still not a great love interest for Wednesday, let's not forget his actions at the Rave'N. For a story where Wednesday is being sent to an academy of people like her, there is an awfully apparent lack of people like Wednesday anyway, which bodes the need to change high school settings?

I will also note my dislike of the whole concept of 'outcasts vs normies', what made the Addams family good was indeed their counternormative lifestyle but they still existed peacefully among society, in Wednesday it wasn't bad that the main villain was a hypocritical reanimated pilgrim with a magic staff but it did harm the show that every 'normie' character was either dead or complicit to the evil side, thematically it failed in a lot of areas. Also was I the only one who caught on quickly that Thornhill was the enemy? Even before the introduction of Laurel? I mean Laurel is the name for a plant for one and it feels obvious to write Christina Ricci as the new Wednesday's antagonist anyway. The 'outcasts' don't seem too different in physiology either, it may've been a movie thing but the Addams often tended to be indestructible, they drink Cyanide, they can survive a point-blank bomb, they do the electric chair as a child's game, so it is kind of a far cry to 'do you mind ghost ex machina, I have been stabbed to death'. Finally it's probably gonna sound controversial to some but it was not lost on me that that nearly every male character ends up being useless in the climax, only Eugene comes in clutch and it's only to distract, Xavier makes things even more dire, Thing is AWOL, Galpin does shoot his own son but it's an extension of his inaction, and Ajax is just a spectator. I know writers want to try to stress strong female characters but that doesn't mean every male character must be either evil, useless or a cheap shot in it, the goal is supposed to be equality is it not?

Side Characters As a result of the plot issues, the side characters did suffer much. Enid was presented as the polar opposite of Wednesday, which did work in her favour a lot, her half-baked romance with Ajax is perhaps an underdeveloped spot however, underdeveloped also being the key word to use for Bianca and Walker - the mayor's son. Eugene is underbaked too, what could've worked as a good 'innocent cinnabon' character did end up being kept away from much of the series for too long. Tracking back to Enid, of course people immediately ship her with Wednesday, she could've been any kind of character and people would pair her because fandom is how fandom does. If you ship it it's okay but honestly I see it as platonic (reminder that two people of any gender are allowed to be just good friends), I feel like Ajax can be more of a character and it's a bit mean to disregard him too, bright colours doesn't always mean queer coding either but I will give you that 'Lycan conversion camp' did feel like a shoehorn of gay conversion therapy in its dialogue, however I don't think she 'wolfed out' because of Wednesday, they hinted it before she was clued on in Wednesday being in danger.

Principal Weems is perhaps the character who suffered the most from the narrative, it felt like she would be the obstacle for Wednesday out of jealousy towards Morticia, but really she just acts pretty fairly, if not a bit politically. Her then dying in the finale felt like a waste.

The Galpins became a mixed bag in the end, because Sheriff Galpin did feel like a good guy who needed to learn to trust the 'outcasts' more and open up, but in the end he just turned out to be a hypocrite indecisive about whether he's being oblivious towards his son's nature or looking for someone to take the fall for his son's crimes. I've already expressed my disappointment in the Tyler turn, mainly the fact that it ended up just being an act - it did a lot feel like the actor was only told when doing the final episode, because he did feel like a nice kid - I still don't know how he wounded himself but it just felt like a letdown that he was the cliché honeytrap minion who is fully aware of his evils. Thornhill at least had more method in her 'too nice' persona.

Xavier was the grumpy artist who felt more like he expected reward for interacting with Wednesday, and while she did wrongly hound him with accusations he wasn't exactly likable either. Rowan as well was a character who kinda was...well, dumb. The dude sees a picture his mother drew of Wednesday and a guy who clearly looks like a Pilgrim and decides Wednesday is the villain, sure maybe Telekinesis did fuck with his brain but it does mean that the foundation of Wednesday's investigations becomes born out of misinterpretation.

Which leads us to the Addams family themselves and, it's a mixed bag. I know people will say 'people don't think Morticia and Gomez are goals anymore because they're not hot' but honestly, chemistry is important. I've seen Catherine Zeta-Jones in the Zorro films, the chemistry she had with Banderas is far and beyond what she has with Luis Guzmán. I don't think I liked that their relationship with Wednesday had waned either, I understand high school is teenage rebellion phase but again, Wednesday had always been to my experiences very emotionally mature, in Addams Family Values one of the first things she says is 'they had sex' when countering a child's story about a stork bringing babies. Pugsley suffered the most in the short time he was there, suddenly unable to take care of himself and despite being Addams-like, still being conscious enough to be bullied by high school jocks. The Gomez murder plot was weak too, the build up of 'she wouldn't believe it' being just that Morticia killed Gareth Gates (not the singer) in self-defense was also weak I was expecting a lot more. On the plus side, Fester and Thing were great, Fester was only in one episode but was entertaining and frantic, while Thing provided a lightness as both accomplice and wingman to Wednesday, but also having a mostly unseen bond with Enid and experiences with Tyler and Xavier.

Wednesday herself Jenny Ortega, writing aside, was fantastic as Wednesday. Having nailed the cold wide glare, the dry tone and the silver tongued clapbacks, Ortega turned Wednesday into a capable, inquisitive loner but also one with flaws of being uncompassionate, untrusting and having been absorbed by tunnel vision. While Wednesday has these flaws that distances her from others, it also works to develop her on wearing down on these flaws. I do have some annoyance with the mother issues she has, the unpredictable nature of her visions are rather convenient also, but some of the best scenes are also moments where Wednesday is in full expression of her true self, particularly the cello scenes and the dance scene at the Rave'N. Ortega certainly filled the shoes of an iconic role that often kept the show afloat.

Conclusion Overall, Wednesday was a good start as a spinoff, setting the foundations of what the show would be like. I would certainly watch more of Wednesday herself but I would dedicate more time to fleshing out the side characters properly, while also remembering the counter-normalcy roots of the Addams Family's appeal. Remember that Wednesday is not simply a gothier Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and overescalation does not make things more successful, Adult Wednesday Addams thrived on putting Wednesday's character in normal and everyday scenarios such as one night stands, confronting catcalling or having a job interview, people will watch for Wednesday but that doesn't mean effort beyond cliché and the odd wink nudge to the camera should not be put in.

The show is a decent watch, but considering Ortega's performance and the shoes they're filling, there was certainly more we could've gotten out of it.

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meowmeowirena · 2 years

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Every decade so far has shown the fears of that time period, but the 60s in particular is very blatant about theirs. The 50s feared an outside encroachment into the lives of every day people, like aliens or new scientific discoveries. The 60s feared an inside encroachment. The danger was coming from the community and the changing society. It's not monsters that are so scary, it's people. And who is in danger? It depends who you ask.

According to some of these movies, it's the classic middle to upper class white people who are at risk. Proper middle-aged ladies are targeted by the hedonistic, malicious youth (Lady in a Cage, Eye of the Cat), robbed and mocked and abused. While not old, the blind wife of a photographer is accidentally caught up in smuggling and murder - by way of drugs hidden in an old fashioned doll (Wait Until Dark). Counterculture, drugs, and sex abound while the old ways of life slip away.

It's not just the heroes in danger, the villains are also lost in this new age (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?), desperate to bring back what they know. Jane pines for the 15 minutes of fame she had in 1911 and Blanche mourns the life of fame and stardom she lost in the 1930s, even when both of these periods were not as idyllic as they are remembered.

People are also fearing for their kids: what happens when your teenagers are overcome by wanting to venture into this new society and get entangled in a murder (I Saw What You Did)? Or get infected by whatever has the masses acting out, destroying your family themselves (Night of the Living Dead)?

On the other side of things, perhaps these so called victims are not faultless. In Lady in a Cage, our good proper heroine speaks of making money by investing in armaments - is that so much better than violently robbing a home to get money?

In both Lady in a Cage and Eye of the Cat, the older women smother their young relatives with an arguable inappropriate level of affection. In the former film, Cornelia's son, implied to be gay, is desperate to escape from under his mother. She is oblivious, living in what she believes is an idyllic American life with her dutiful son. Aunt Danny in the Eye of the Cat wishes for nothing more than her favorite nephew to return from his counterculture gallivanting to join her in her old fashioned mansion. She is uninterested in the mild mannered, conservative nephew who already lives there - she is drawn to the new.

Night of the Living Dead tackles the changing world a bit differently. A black man leads the rest of the white cast: a classic nuclear family, a damsel in distress, and two squeaky clean young lovebirds. But the nuclear family is buckling, headed by a cowardly patriarch who no one respects, not even his wife. Their daughter, the future of the American nuclear family, is unconscious and dying before she rises as a zombie and kills her mother. The lovebirds are brave and stick by each other but are destroyed as well. The damsel is not treated as such by the men around her: in this changing world, there is no time for that. She is merely a burden. The black lead does not escape either - after a grueling fight for survival, he is mistaken for a zombie and unceremoniously murdered by a (white) mob. A mob that claims to be there to protect the world from zombies (and thus the status quo).

The 60s was full of upheaval and while fear of this upheaval is shown clearly in these movies, a curiosity about it is also clear. Even if this new world is destroying the old, they ask, is the old so good? Is it just as bad? Perhaps it should be destroyed.

#antiblack violence cw

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im-totally-not-an-alien-2 · 2 years

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If you're right with drabbles, here's a short one based off the third black cat post. I wrote it in notes so sorry if there's any errors.

When he opened his eyes, Damian still felt dizzy, his head whirring constantly. He was still struggling to get his bearings, when he felt the warmth behind him.

He was being held. His back was against someone's chest., The shifting sounds suggested leather. A white gloved hand was braced arpu dhim, keeping him upright.

Black Cat!

The older teenager seemed to have already noticed that he had woken up, and moved his hand to the top of his head, ruffling his hair.

"Hey there murderbird. Don't make too much noise, we're hiding."

Damian wanted to snap at him, but he was still firmly against Black Cat's chest, and the space they were in was too cramped to move.

Outside, there was the faint echo of gunshors, but no familar voices or grumbling was present. His family was safely away.

The gunshots faded completely then, and the area outside their hiding place was silent.

Damian could still feel Kitty's left arm secured across his midsection, while the other ruffled his hair a little bit. He blushed, twitching slightly.

"Hey, don't move yet," the older teen cautioned. "Your arm's in bad shape."

"I can take care of it back home," he answered stiffly.

Kitty made a tsking sound. "Don't be like that. Let's get you out of here so I can look at that, and then I'll let you go on your way alright?"

He couldn't say no to that.

To say that Danny was oblivious was an understatement. After all he didn't get the moniker of "Clueless" for nothing, but even he could see it now. Robin would not have taken that hit for anyone else. He would have let them tank the hit no matter what position they were in.

But when that concrete monstrosity came up behind Black Cat the bird and came to his rescue and gotten his arm broken and knocked out for his troubles. He and the batfam decided to retreat and regroup but were seperated in the ensuing chase.

He could take whatever these things were out with ease, but then he would have to come up with an explanation that would fool some of the greatest detectives in the world. Yeah, fat chance. He liked Gotham. He liked living with Meowm and Ellie and pouncing on the birds, even if he now knew Red would never return his feelings. He enjoyed chatting with Damian at the flowershop and letting him carry him around both in the masks and out. He loved the new life he had and he refused to risk it for anything.

For murderbird he'd hide. Anything to keep him safe.

#the alien answers #black cat au #long post #i love this #kitty returning robins feelings #slowly though #can i just say #i love danny calling Damian murderbird

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mysterious-prophetess · 3 years

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Something I just realized

Does B*tch Hartman have something against parents and adults in general?

First we have Fairly Odd Parents where the Turners are almost confirmed as canonically neglectful to the point that Timmy qualifies for Fairy God Parents to offset the misery of his terrible parents and Vicki.

Like, the Turners are by far some of the worst and it was all played for comedy?

Then we have Danny Phantom where the Fentons-while not anywhere near as bad as the Turners-would still have done things that should have had Mr. Lancer calling CPS.

And yeah, Lancer would have had to do so because as a teacher he’s obligated to report suspected problems.

I genuinely think that Bitch Fartman was “attempting” the “absentminded professor” types with Maddie and Jack for comedic effect but playing up their extremes was—in retrospect—not a good look.

It’s frustrating because the Fentons aren’t bad, but the actions they’ve canonically taken are all things that were I a teacher in the DP world in Amity Park would force me to call shit into CPS.

That is, if anyone was even aware of the shit Danny goes through.

We know Danny’s ghost powers let him heal up super quick from the fact he gets blasted in the beginning of an episode and tends to be fine not long after in universe, so people missing injuries Danny has is actually not their fault if he hides said injuries AND heals too fast for notice.

This also goes for the people like Mr. Lancer who should be keeping an eye on students, but that goes into another problem of the Adults in any Hartman creation.

Namely that they’re usually one of five things: Stupid, Evil, Apathetic, Oblivious, or Incompetent. Sometimes, mixes of those five.

The GiW: Evil and Incompetent.

Vlad: Evil.

Mr. Lancer: Apathetic.

Jack (outside of very specific circumstances): Stupid, Oblivious and Incompetent.

Maddie: Oblivious

It’s frustrating because this also tends to happen in other kids media where the Adults are no help at all to give the kids time to shine and we’re not supposed to think too hard about this but still.

What gives?

It makes you wonder how societies in those shows even function if the adults are all so terrible at their jobs (in the case of Mr. Lancer) and at life.

And it was sort of part of the comedy of the late 90′s and early 00′s to have bizarre shit happen if the parents of the protagonist had a “wacky” or “zany” job or personality. A trend I’m happy to see is dying the death it deserves.

I get it that we’re dealing with CARTOONS. In Cartoons, normal logical reactions can (and often are) thrown out since the more Cartoonish a show is, the more people are shown to be oddly unbreakable.

Still, it just almost looks like B*tch H*rtman has some Mommy AND Daddy issues since his two biggest properties feature one set of absolutely awful parents (the Turners) and a set that mean well but I won’t deny cause harm (the Fentons) and male underdog protagonists. But I’m not a psychologist. I’m just a person with a laptop on the Internet.

#Danny Phantom #fairly oddparents

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hattafan2593 · 2 years

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Danny Phantom Rewrites - Episode 1: Mystery Meat

Like most kids, I watched Danny Phantom growing up. It was - and still is - one of my favorite cartoons.

That said, the show had many, many flaws, both character and plot-wise.

So I decided to come up with some hypothetical changes that may have made the show better. Call it an AU of sorts.

So without further ado, here are some changes to the first episode, Mystery Meat.

1. The parents. Writers really seem to love the "parents who are oblivious/ignorant to the point of being neglectful and abusive" trope, don't they? Well, we're scrapping that. In this version of the show, Jack and Maddie Fenton behave like actual parents, taking an interest in their kids lives outside of ghosts and acting like responsible adults, or at least more responsible than the canon Fentons. They're also less gung-ho and trigger happy, being more focused on paranormal research and data collecting than actual ghost-hunting.

Also, they know about Danny being half-ghost from the start. The B-plot focuses on them trying to find a cure from their son's "ailment", only to run into roadblocks, as any solution they come up with is likely to hurt Danny, or make things worse.

In the show, the ramifications of Danny being half-ghost are glossed over for the most part. Here, it's part of the plot - their son is a walking Schrödinger's cat, half-dead, half alive. (And yes, in the rewrite it is acknowledged that the ghosts in the show, at least the majority of them, were once humans that had died, and are not, in fact, alien creatures from an alternate dimension) And intentionally or not, it was their invention that made him this way.

This leaves them conflicted - on the one hand, the portal is now active. They now have access to the Ghost Zone, and the chance to study and learn more about the paranormal and how it affects the world around them. On the other hand, it came at the cost of their son getting hurt, and it's likely that they'd be putting their family in more danger if they leave the portal on. This actually makes them consider giving up paranormal research altogether, something that Jazz vocally encourages.

At the end of the episode, they decide that the portal is too dangerous, and have it shut down (for now). Of course, this doesn't stop all the ghosts that are suddenly showing up in Amity Park. After all, theirs is not the only ghost portal in existence, is it? But that's for another episode...

2. The main plot. Look, there's no nice way of saying this -canon!Sam is a bitch. A holier-than-thou, hypocritical, unlikeable bitch. Rewrite! Sam has most of canon!Sam's traits, only significantly toned down. Her stances and beliefs are more nuanced, and when she tries to make changes, she does so in ways that she genuinely thinks will be beneficial, and not just have her be edgy for the sake of being edgy.

As such, the rewrite has Sam prepare an actual vegetarian/vegan menu, and not just have the students eat grass. There are some objectors, like Tucker and Dash, but for the most part, no one really has a problem with it. Danny even tries a veggie burger and says it's delicious.

The rewrite then follows the canon episode's plot - Danny senses the Lunch Lady, Dash comes over and starts his shit, Danny starts a food fight as a distraction to get away, he confronts the Lunch Lady.

However, this is where things differ a bit.

When the Lunch Lady asks, "Did someone change the menu?", instead of saying Sam did it, Danny (backed up by Sam and Tucker) makes up a lie that they got a memo about the freezer being broken and that all the meat was spoiled, hence the change in menu. LL inspects the freezer, which is in working condition, and has plenty of meat inside. Suspicious, she goes to investigate. Realizing that they just threw the faculty and staff under the bus, Danny goes ghost and chases after her.

They end up in the teacher's lounge, where the staff are having their meat buffet. LL is furious. Not only did they change her menu, but these adults are apparently also stealing food from children and lying to them about it! Well, if it's meat they want, it's meat they'll get! She changes into a meat monster, and a fight ensues.

3. Dash and Lancer. Are you tired of teachers in media willingly turning a blind eye to bullies' BS?! So am I! So when Lancer gives Danny and his friends detention for starting the food fight, he gives Dash detention, too, as there were multiple eyewitnesses who saw Dash assaulting Danny beforehand. Dash objects, of course, but Lancer puts his foot down and says that Dash will serve detention, or he'll lose his spot on the football team. So, yeah! Dash actually suffers the consequences of his actions! Yay!

4. The Lunch Lady. I actually like her as a villain, and I wish she was utilized more, as a character if not as a main antagonist. That said, the rewrite has her personality changed slightly - instead of exploding in anger, she mostly maintains her sugary sweet tone, albeit with an undercut of malice. She only really gets angry when she thinks the adults stole the meat. With the kids however, she speaks sweetly and gently, almost grandmotherly, even when fighting Danny.

Like other ghosts in the series, however, the Lunch Lady has a one-track mind - her menu has been changed, and she needs to fix it. Then it's, "the school staff is starving the students, they need to pay!" She dismisses Danny's attempts to reason with her. When the Fentons show up to confront the ghost, she easily swats them away. Even when Sam confesses that it was her that changed the menu, she just pats her head and says "oh sweetie, you don't need to lie for them." Remember that Danny at this point in the series is still struggling with his powers, so she doesn't really take him seriously. It's only near the end of the episode does she go all out against him, and he barely manages to hold his own until he gets his hands on the Fenton thermos.

Aaaaaand that's it! That my rewrite of Danny Phantom Season 1 Episode 1 "Mystery Meat"! Let me know what you think!

hattafan out

#hattafan2593 #danny phantom #episode rewrite #au #fuck butch hartman #fix it

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slasherwhxre · 3 years

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Here goes nothing, I was wondering if you could possibly write the "slasher reacting to you wanting to be hurt in bed" scenario with Danny Johnson as well 🥺👉👈?

By the way I really like the way you write him, idk if that's a weird thing to say, but yeah, I feel like your interpretation of him is the closest to mine out of all the slasher blogs I follow and obviously all the other interpretations are very fine but also the one closest to mine will obvi be my fav gszezshhshs.

AAA yo 🖤 not to play favorites but danny is the most fun to write outta everyone so absolutely

DBD Killers' Reaction to: You Wanting to Be Hurt in Bed

Character(s): Danny 'Jed Olsen' Johnson

Pre-Entity (1993):

"Are you sure?"

His eyes bored into yours. The dark and intense gaze was full of something you couldn't exactly put your finger on. If there was a way to read him, you doubt you'd be able to comprehend the meaning behind those eyes at this moment. Intent, maybe, that would be your best guess. But you'd never come quite close to guessing it correctly, Danny already knew you were sure.

He knew you'd eventually give in like he wanted you to, whether you were conditioned into it or not.

So far, you had let him desecrate you, whether you were aware of that or not. Now, you were a step closer to knowing he had. It was a possibly destructive situation to put yourself in all thing considered, especially willingly.

After all, his initial question wasn't raised just for consent. It was a subtle way of shifting the blame, not that you'd ever catch onto it, not for a long while if everything went according to plan. The tone had, clearly, implied You asked for it, remember that.

Seemingly oblivious or straight up careless, either way worked for him really, you nodded. "If that's okay."

You don't know the half of it, Danny was thinking. Now you were walking on thin ice, or, well, his knife, technically. Eventually, anyway.

That short conversation was all it took and Danny more than delivered.

He was a natural. Years of experience had helped the development of his skills too, of course, yet it was all the same to Danny.

It occurred to you a few times how suspiciously good at 'hurting' he was, but each time it quickly vanished as there was no way or room for you to question his abilities, which was how he preferred it.

"Shut up," Danny told you whenever you couldn't take it. Role-play as it was supposed to be, it felt deadly serious.

If you couldn't comply, he'd simply shut you up himself. A blackout was inevitable, or so it seemed. The worry was in vain as his hand would leave your throat right when your world around would start darkening. It was good, scary good. The pleasure could easily make one desensitized, depraved even, and it did just that.

Danny hadn't expected you to succumb to him as much as you had. It was a surprise when you put your hand over his when it was in the middle of choking you.

His face stayed still, but his grip loosened slightly, his primary instinct told him you were trying to make him stop. Then you gave a weak squeeze.

More.

You wanted more.

And how funny that was.

He wanted to kill you.

And you wanted him to kill you.

Danny nearly chuckled, but even as his chest heaved, it didn't take him off his thrusting game. He didn't necessarily want to end your life now.

It will happen, trust me on that. Maybe at some point, he guessed.

You were more eager than him, which could only be described as sick. Right up his alley.

It made his desire grew.

Danny wanted to push the limits of what he could do to you and what you could take before you simply stopped moving underneath him.

Despite the dark urges that threatened to take over him which got him closer to taking your life during rough intercourse, he was always nothing short of a sweetheart afterwards.

Going as far as to shower with you and help you wash off.

Although, he never seemed to do anything about the bruises. Danny enjoyed seeing them and had to admit that hurting you outside of bed was getting almost too easy. Not to mention more and more enjoyable, until it would reach its peak.

He'd be nice until he would get to break you again and again, until the very last time.

Post-Entity (????):

As if you had to ask him anyway.

Still, Danny was pleased. You still wanted to feel his knife grazing you while he fucked you, and he'd have to be not himself to refuse that.

He didn't have to put up any acts anymore and being in control of you was ten times better now.

You cleaned his gloves better than he ever could that was for sure. Did he ever tell you how good you looked covered in blood?

Despite how much he enjoyed being in control, which was about most of the time, he nearly lost it seeing you lick his sharp silver weapon.

He no longer told you to shut up. Making you cry was a turn on, actually.

The very first time he noticed a single droplet rolling down your cheek, his tactical knife was almost too quick to catch it. Danny didn't really mean the act to come out as touching, that was obvious when the pointy item scraped down your cheek, tracing the natural route of your future sobs and leaving a vertical cut in its place.

Soon, satisfaction would mix in with the delicious sting as you embraced the pain and pleasure all the same. And never without a fail, Danny provided you both, often at once.

taglist: @prettycutebunny

#dead by daylight #dbd x reader #ghostface #danny jed olsen johnson #danny johnson x reader #ghostface x reader #fanfiction #dbd #dbd fanfic #dbd fic #danny johnson #dbd ghostface #ghostface dbd #dbd danny

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dannyphantom-justiceleauge · 3 years

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This may be a minor gripe but something that has kind of bothered me about discussions and depictions of Dan is how often people seem to forget that Dan isn't just an older evil Danny, he's a combination of Danny and Vlad's ghost sides. Like people always talk about him like Danny threw away his humanity and turned evil but that's not even true. Sure, we can say that Dan is the result of Danny's action but that's a little unfair. (1/2)

(2/2) Him cheating on a test, coincidentally putting his loved one's in a position where they could be killed, is absolutely not his fault. Letting Vlad take away his ghost powers with a strange contraption might not have been the smartest move, but we are talking about a grieving CHILD here, of course he isn't going to make the best decisions. If anything Vlad's the one to blame here, and even then, it's not like he could predict what happened

---

you aren't wrong, my friend. it really isn't entirely danny's fault and the whole 'if you cheat on a test, you'll loose everything you love' moral is confused at best. i think as fandom we find it more interesting to look at danny's potential evil and moral struggle with himself. so simplifying it to be dan is a worse case scenario of danny makes the conflict less abstract.

particularly because when it comes to self blame danny isn't going to go easy on himself just because it was excusable mistakes.

i think another talking point should be how danny is the target of the time assassination more than vlad is, even though vlad is part of the evil whole. you could argue that danny is the catalyst of his friends death and vlad inventing the claw things. but vlad invented the claw things. maybe because his human side survived and acted relatively harmless from then on? or maybe it's because the observants based on the available evidence recognized danny as more of a threat. i think that fits actually, for all vlad tried to be an evil mastermind, his achievements outside of terrorizing a teenager and theft isn't particularly impressive. danny was the one who got shit done. all his fights he finished one way or another and i could see how that would bleed into dan defeating everyone.

the real question is how to we fix this. ideally we could shape this idea so it's less confused, though i do honestly find the dynamic of half danny, half vlad interesting. if for not other reason. than two half ghosts make a whole. actually that's something else to be said about dan. his self-loathing is what led him to killing his human half, another negative aspect coming from danny.

i wonder if we could frame it like fusion, from su. obviously dan isn't stable or healthy, or based on love. he's most comparable to malichite. but with less internal debate. dan took the best and worst of both of them. danny's determination, danny's fighting ability, danny's anger, danny's sarcasm, vlad's anger, vlads lack of morals, vlads schemes, vlad's control. heck, vlads desire to rule the world. i don't think we ever got that from danny.

maybe if vlad was more involved in the fight with dan it could have been used as an opportunity to compare and contrast their characters. to go we're not so different you and i. danny gets to recognize that he has that dark potential. vlad gets to be humbled by the fact that what he wants isn't good for anyone, especially himself. and to be fair, we do see some of that humbling with future vlad, but none of that character growth is given to present vlad, so, really it's just another vehicle for danny angst. it also depends on what you want to do with vlad though. he's a fascinating character and could be given redemption under the right circumstances or be a character who has the opportunity for redemption but chooses not to be redeemed every time.

that fits him and makes him both a more pathetic and despicable villain. it's hard to pity someone who ignores the opportunities to heal and grow.

as for danny, he becomes far more aware of the consequences his actions, especially his selfish and cruel ones can have. because that potential was always there. he has a history of abusing his powers. perhaps for this specific incident him abusing his powers can be something less understandable than almost cheating on a test that he couldn't study for through no fault of his own. (maybe i just have flexible morals?). maybe it could be something more character relevant, like he did something particularly vlad like, maybe he set up a prank at the nasty burger to get dash but it set off the explosion that killed his family. or maybe he did something particularly cruel and manipulative. there are better catalysts than a test. either way he recognized that he should never go that far again and strive to avoid being actively cruel.

he also has the opportunity to recognize that vlad does have a human half, even the one he's fighting everyday. he can face some conflict in it's not entirely clear what trait belongs to vlad and what trait belongs to him. he can empathize with vlad and he can recognize that situations aren't always in black in white. those who fly the highest, fall the hardest, after all.

it can be a growing experience. and while making it solely a danny goes bad and learns not to do evil kind of story. maybe we could cut vlad from the equation and just have danny face himself, full evil refection. i think exploring both vlad and danny through this fusion is far more interesting. especially because we can build on what's revealed about vlad in these episodes, in later ones. danny sees a future where vlad chills and that maybe his vlad could get their. later he see vlads past and what he lost to become who he is.

and then there's vlads turning point episodes. i don't know when motherly instinct took place but maddie fully recognizing he's a bastard and rejection him, was a turning point for his sanity, and danny helped it along. then we have danny rejecting him repeatedly, then we the clone episode, which we can all agree was a desperate move on his part, that danny once again thwarted. and we can all agree that this was the cannon turning point for his character where he stopped fighting for a family and started trying to be danny's villain. in that episode, i think danny could potentially pity vlad enough to try and reach out. he's not going to justify what vlad did and he's not going to apologize for stopping him. he went too far. he hurt danny and dani, he crossed a moral line that can't be justified even with his desperation. but if he changes...

he lost this time but if he changes, maybe they'll reach the point where they're ready to accept him.

i think the same thing could be said about his relationship with jack and maddie. if he changes, if he reaches out. if acts like less of a crazy fruitloop, his friends would be there for him. jack is still trying to be there for him, even if he's being oblivious about vlad's faults. vlads the one driving wedges into his relationships and pushing everyone away.

and that's so freaking human and understandable.it would be such a cool thing to explore with his character.

i could also see a potential arc where after valerie finds out vlad and masters are the same person she tries to get close to him, both to sus out how evil he is and to understand him as a halfa. afterall danny got her to acknowledge dani as human enough, the same would apply to vlad/plasmius, right? only he's a bad person and the more she uncovers about vlad masters the man, the more she realizes it's not the ghost half that's evil. but this is a double edged sword because, vlad is getting attached to her and encouraging her to be more evil. he's encouraging her to go darker and darker in her fight against ghosts and her fight specifically against phantom. to the point where she finally draws the line and says, i'm not doing that! boom exploring the moral ambiguity of her character and getting her to take a hard stance on her morals, because there's a line too far for her.

and boom a further breakdown of vlads character because he finally had someone outside the fentons to redeem him. she could have helped pull him out of the hole he'd been digging himself into. she wanted to help him. he got attached to her, but he and his bad decisions decided to dig himself deeper instead. so once again he's 'abandoned and betrayed'.

from that point, i think it'd be time for him to finally face jack head on. not through manipulative schemes. not through veiled threats and insults. but the full confrontation of 'i always hated you. you ruined my life. you're the reason i lost everything'. which is really just his own self loathing speaking. and jack... empathetic jack can see that vlad desperately wants help. and jack would offer it to him. jack would try to hug it out and apologize and give vlad the love and friendship vlad's been fighting to steal this whole time.

and vlad would reject it.

he'd probably lash out a jack and go into a full breakdown/world destroying attack. could finally put the stolen crown to use and try declaring himself king and embracing his megalomaniac thing and actually be a threat this time. and THAT would be our series finally. everyone teaming up to fight 'king vlad'. danny probably finding out that he's technically king because he beat pariah dark but the matter being a bit confused because he had help. val and danny trying to find the ring of rage or at least find someone who can make one. secrets are out. i imagine vlad, upon revealing himself to jack would out danny to make danny as sad and alone as him. except nope, his family still loves him and val has had the character development to come around to him. (she's still gonna punch danny for lying for so long.) the ghosts will come and help because no one wants another tyrannical kind and vlads obviously off his rocker.

ah, the could have beens

anyway, i didn't mean for this to become a full vlad character analysis and rewrite when we were supposed to be talking about dan, but hey, i'm a simple creature. i like good writing, and i have to rewrite things myself, so be it. - Hestia

#dpjl #hestiawrites #danny phantom #vlad masters

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