#amity parkers have figured out what's going on and are just trying to help keep the fenton children alive

[spacedace]

Continuation/blurb/snippet from this writing prompt.

It took less than a week to get custody of the Fenton children.

Oswald expected that it wouldn’t take long with his connections, but even that turn around is faster than what he expected. He'd anticipated pulling strings, greasing palms, maybe making some threats, but before he can even think of getting things moving to do so the paperwork is signed and a social worker is calling him to sort out the travel arrangements for the kids.

It's all done local, the judge, CPS, the witnesses and lawyers, each and every one calling the town home. Each and every one pushing the case through at a speed that Oswald didn't think was possible even in the most crooked of situations. He smelled conspiracy, but not - surprisingly - a malicious one.

Amity wasn't the smallest place in the world, but it was small enough. And the Fentons were public figures, though not in the way that Jack and Maddie Fenton obviously thought they were. How long had the people of Amity been watching things go wrong for the kids? How long had they been trying - in their own, limited ability - to help? Long enough to get desperate, seemed to be the answer.

The only resistance Oswald can find as he reviewed all the information he could get ahold of, was from the Mayor - Jazz and Danny's godfather, somehow more crooked than even Gotham's elected officials as far as Oswald could tell - and the Dr's. Fenton themselves.

The Mayor was summarily denied any influence of the case by the judge on the grounds of the long standing and publicly recorded ugliness of Master's relationship with Danny - which was something else Oswald was going to have to figure out. Along with all the…ghost stuff.

Oswald wasn't sure what to make of the ghost stuff.

Honestly he was leaving it for his people to figure out and wrangle into a reasonable explanation to report to him later. It was…something, a big something, and not - as he'd originally suspected upon initial cursory research into the town - a tourist gimmick or an overly high meta population. A later problem, provided he had to co tend with it at all once the children were officially in his custody in Gotham.

The biggest issue had been the kid's parents. Or really, the biggest issue had been the shady government agency backing the kids' parents.

The Fentons were the Ghost Investigation Ward's pet mad scientists. Creating weapons and genocidal plans - against ghosts - and generally tormenting the towns' living inhabitants just as much as the undead ones. The GIW had been protecting Jack and Maddie from any repercussions of their recklessness, and were willing to butt in on an unexpected custody battle in order to keep their maniacal golden geese happily working away.

From what Oswald had heard, a representative of the GIW had shown up to convince the judge to dismiss the case, but the judge had been faster. By the time the men in all white appeared - garish and tacky in their ill fitted, bulky suits - it had been too late of course. The judge had apparently anticipated their impending appearance and had made their ruling and had everything filed tidily late the night before. Courts did not typically stay running til three in the morning, but apparently an exception had been made.

There were a great many things wrong with Amity Park - wrong in a lot of ways they were in Gotham, wrong in ways they weren't - but the people that called the place home seemed to have come to a decision on one thing: the Fenton children were not safe, and unknown or not they were trusting Oswald to get them out of there.

It was strange and a little overwhelming, for an entire population that did not know him to see him as some kind of hope. Some kind of hero.

There were many, many things wrong in Amity Park.

He tried to assure himself when everything was said and done and the kids were packed and on their way that it wasn't his problem. He was officially Jazz and Danny's guardian, in a city half a country away that even with his - nominally- cleaned up act he held a great deal of power over. He was nearly untouchable within Gotham's shadow, and no one from some half-mad town was going to be able to do anything to change that.

He made preparations though, just in case. He hadn’t gotten where he was by being stupid. The Bat could use something to chew on that wasn't one of Oswald's entirely legitimate business ventures anyway. An ethically suspect government agency that was likely to come sticking their noses in Gotham's business sooner than later would do just nicely for that, and might even earn him some kind of grace from Gotham's brooding knight without getting him in hot water with any of the city's criminal element.

All that was left at that point was actually meeting the kids in person.

His kids.

He ignored the strange, bittersweet ache that touched his heart at that. It was, after all, entirely a means of improving his reputation in the city. The kids mean an end. He'd take care of him the same he did all his people, but not any more than that.

It was just business.

If he reminded himself enough, it might even be true one day.

He suspected though, as he laid eyes on them for the first time - shadow eyed and leery, haunted in a way that ghosts couldn't manage and looking not much at all like Oswald outside the fear and the pain he did his best to forget from his own upbringing - that the point of not caring had been passed the minute he'd gotten that first call.

*

Apologies if Penguin is out of character, all I know about him is what I vaguely remember from TAS, what I’ve absorbed from fandom and what I tried to put together from a wiki lol.

I did this instead of sleeping last night because I couldn’t get the initial idea out of my head (which slightly defeats the purpose of making it a writing prompt so that I could just read everyone else’s wonderful thoughts and writings on the idea instead of getting side tracked from my other writing projects - again lol - but oh well).

I don’t know if I’ll write anymore, and as with everything else I post this is open for anyone who is interested to run with.

Tag time!

@phoenixdemonqueen @justgray15777 @gin2212 @blankliferain @meira-3919 @lexdamo @hallowsden @derpygirl64 @thewondersoflebanon @amercurio @vythika96 @my-perfect-storybook-love @apointlessbox

[scarletsaphire]

The 4th chapter for Deranged Senses, my EI with @pokkeshii and beta'd by @pricklenettle. The art for this chapter can be found here, as well as in the fic. Still go show her some love, it Looks SO cool.

Links for Tumblr Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Trigger warning for this chapter: Violence, loss of control, gore, cannibalism

Sam ran through the streets as fast as she could go. It wasn't fast enough, just like it hadn't been fast enough the last week, or the week before. She shouldn't have been surprised. It had always been Danny who could find ghosts quickly, Danny who could get to the ghosts quickly, and Danny who could wrap up the ghost fights quickly. Now that the ghost they were trying to find was Danny, all of that worked against them.

Jazz had called her and Tucker after coming home one day to find her parents in the basement lab, muttering to each other. "They know," she said over the phone. "And they know that something's wrong with him."

Sam and Tucker had arrived at Fentonworks as quickly as they could. Jazz had already explained the whole story, letting Maddie explain her side of things. Sam had known that something was wrong with Danny before the talk. 

She'd known that something was off with Danny for months. Its was why she'd started the fight with him in the first place; if she didn't make a fuss about it, than he'd just keep it a secret until the whole thing blew up to bite them.

She'd expected him to crumble within a few days, to give up and let them help him with whatever was the problem. That's always how it had been in the past. But a few days turned to a week, and then two, and now they were over a month after their fight and Danny was missing.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Danny Fenton was missing. Danny Phantom was just as active as ever, maybe more so. That's where Sam was off to.

The Fentons had taken the news of everything very well, and had quickly thrown themselves into figuring out what was wrong with Danny, with Sam and Tucker helping in whatever ways they could. In this case, that meant that they were all constantly rushing to any and all ghost fights, trying to beat the clock.

It hadn't been going well. Danny had gotten very good at cleaning up fights quickly, and whatever it was that was wrong hadn't made him any less efficient. If anything, he'd gotten faster. He'd clearly decided that property damage wasn't something he needed to worry about. The frequently torn up roads, caved in buildings, and broken fire hydrants did nothing to help them get to the scene quickly.

Maybe, maybe this time they'd get lucky. The detected ecto signature was one that neither the normal Fenton Tech or Tucker's recognized, which meant that whoever it was was probably a newcomer. A new foe meant that Danny should be slowed down, at least somewhat. That gave them an opening to corner him before he could go running off again.

It also helped that the attack was so close to the school during a school day. So close, in fact, that nearly the entire student body had heard the distant sound of a crash, and like the Amity Parkers they were, had all run towards the sound. Sam was only able to out pace them because of her years chasing after ghosts and her extra time in the gym. Tucker was lost somewhere in the back of the pack.

She needed to get there first. She needed to get there, so she could use the net tucked into her skirts pocket, drag Danny back down to earth, and apologize for this whole mess. And maybe slap him, but that could wait until everything was cleaned up.

Sam slammed into a corner store, using it to push off of and shifting her moment as quickly as she could. She finally got a good look at the source of the signal.

Just like she had expected, Danny was floating about 15 feet in the air, his hair whipping around wildly in a nonexistent wind, his eyes and hands blazing a brilliant green. She had not expected to recognize the other specter, hadn't expected to see a second Danny, this one with black hair and blue eyes and a white suit that he hadn't worn since that day.

She nearly tripped, stumbling over a loose stone and barely managing to catch herself with her hands. She pushed herself up as quickly as she could, but that small misstep was enough for the more athletically inclined members of the student body to catch up to her, and she was quickly swallowed into the crowd.

She couldn't see who she assumed to be fake Danny's face, but Danny Phantom was talking. A few weeks ago, and that wouldn't have been noteworthy at all. Now? It felt like a miracle. He'd been cutting out any and all banter, replacing it with hard punches and clawing hands.

Sam reached into her pocket, fishing out the new and improved Fenton Phones and placing it in her ear with practiced ease. It was a bit more difficult switching it to the integrated Ghost Gabber, since she'd never really had a reason to activate that, but it wasn't difficult. The cheering of the crowd fell into background noise as the Fenton Phone picked up on the conversation above her.

"It's not so easy now, is it?" Danny said. Or at least, she thought it was Danny, before she noticed that the real Danny wasn't speaking. "When you're met with your face staring back at you? You've been on such a rampage, ghost child. Far more than should have ever been allowed. That's why I'm here to put a stop to it."

Danny's laughter was loud enough to pierce over the cheering of the crowd, letting Sam hear it in both ears. The laughter coming through the Fenton Phone was clear and familiar. It was cold and angry and delirious, but it was still Danny's laugh. The laugh coming through her other ear was anything but. It was a forceful thing that, if she hadn't spent so much time around ghosts, she wouldn't call it a laugh at all. The air chilled around her as the hair on her arm stood on edge. There wasn't even any real sound to it, but she could feel it rolling over the crowd in waves.

When he finally stopped laughing, his face was split into a wide, eager smile. "Oh, this is going to be fun," the real Danny said. That was the only warning the doppelgänger got before he was being charged, Danny ducking low and flying fast.

Sam didn't bother turning around when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Is that...?" Tucker said, his voice barely above a whisper.

All Sam could do was nod and watch the fight. The Not-Danny seemed to have been expecting some kind of hesitation or moral dilemma, but there wasn't any as Danny tore into him with fists flying and searing ectoblasts pressed to ectoplasm. Sam had to keep reminding herself, with every hit the imposter took, that the real Danny was winning. That it was the real Danny, the creature of fists and teeth and ice and fury, who was winning, who was her friend.

The rest of the crowd was cheering, the people in the back pushing the whole group forward in an effort to see better, forcing Sam and Tucker to follow suit. Danny didn't seem to notice or care, pressed close to the imposter to the point where they were indistinguishable from each other. She barely managed to dodge a spray of green that fell to the ground from a wound she couldn't make out as the two spun around each other.

The fight, if you could call it that, lasted for a few more minutes before the floating figures separated. The fake Danny was covered in cuts and gashes, all sluggishly leaking ectoplasm. The real Danny was, as far as Sam could tell, uninjured, but was still dribbling ectoplasm off of sharp fingers she wouldn't define as claws and down his cheeks from his mouth. He was still smiling ear to ear.

The imposter tried to say something, but all that came out was a sickly gurgling noise that even the Ghost Gabber couldn't translate. Danny seemed to understand it. "See, that's only one of the many, many things you did wrong."

Danny floated forward. The imposter tried to get away, but Danny was quicker, wrapping his hand around the already bleeding arm and squeezing with a squelching noise. "Your first mistake was showing up here at all." His grip tightened, and the imposter's arm displaced like a squeezed stress ball. It tried to let out a cry of pain, but whatever it was choking on distorted that too. 

"Your second mistake was showing up now ." Sam wasn't sure which finally quieted the crowd; the ectoplasmic gore that drenched them all when the arm was finally squeezed to hard, the resounding popping noise that came with it, or the still distorted scream that didn't come from the imposter's mouth but from their whole being. Whichever it was, the crowd's cheers finally died out, replaced by a thick silence only broken by the massacre above them.

The imposter tried to flee, now that it wasn't being held on, but Danny dropped the appendage and grabbed the ghost by the back of the suit. "Your third mistake," Danny said, dragging the flailing creature closer. "-was showing up with that face."

There was nothing to drown out the sound of Danny's free hand digging into the imposter's chest, nothing to drown out the ghosts gurgled pleas for release. Danny continued despite it all. His fingers disappeared into the flesh, and then his hand, all the way to his wrist, before he yanked it out with one clean jerking movement.

The imposter melted. There was no other way to describe it, as its skin liquefied, falling away from muscles, which fell away from bones, and bones fell to the ground in a puddle of green. Sam and Tucker had to stumble backwards in tandem to avoid getting soaked, and Sam could still feel it on her tights and shoes. She could hear the crowd whispering and mumbling and a couple of people retching at the sight still floating above them.

Danny had removed a green heart, still beating and spraying ectoplasm from disconnected arteries. In the center of the heart was a glowing blue crystal ball, covered by the construct around it. The ghosts core, its very essence, almost exposed to the world. Sam knew just how bad that was from the trips to the far frozen. She'd never seen one before, and she'd hoped to never see one. Its faint glow, barely concealed by the ectoplasm, turned Sam's stomach more than anything else she'd seen today.

And then Danny brought the dripping heart to his lips, and the churning toward to bile that she had to force back down. Danny's teeth were sharp, sharper than she remembered them being, piercing through the layer of ectoplasm as if it wasn't there. The teeth reached the core, and the cracking sound echoed far louder than it should have.

"Of course it did," Sam thought distantly. "It was the closest to a dying scream it could give."

It was certainly harder for Danny to bite through, but he didn't struggle or stop. The core splintered in half between his teeth, shards flickering with a faded light caught in the now still heart shaped casing. The piece he'd bitten disappeared in his mouth, than down his throat as he swallowed hard.

Distantly, Sam could hear the crowd behind her, a combination of retching and gasping and heavy breathing. Tucker's hand, still on her shoulder, was squeezed tight enough that it was probably supposed to hurt. It probably would, when she couldn't feel the adrenaline pumping in her veins. She felt sick and jittery, but she couldn't run or fight or do anything besides sit there and stare at her friend, her best friend, as he ate someone's soul.

Ectoplasm dribbled out of Danny's face as he finished. His eyes sparkled with a mix of his normal green and the soft blue the other ghost's core had been. Sam watched as the blue mixed in with the green, turning teal, and then fading completely into Danny's green.

She only realized why she could see it so clearly after it was completely gone. Danny was looking straight at her, his eyes wide and face one of horror, a mirror of what was certainly her own expression. 

Sam fought to try and say something, anything. They'd been trying to get his attention for so long, and now that she finally had it, she couldn't speak around the lump in her throat and the pain in her chest. "Danny..." she choked out, her voice strained and shaky.

He disappeared before her eyes, vanishing once again. The only sign that he'd been here at all was the ectoplasm staining the ground.

[phantomphangphucker]

DannyMay Day.2: No One Knows AU - Frostbitten Family: Chap.1 - If You’re Cold, He’s Cold. Bring Him Inside

Phantom seems like something of a loner in the eyes of Amity Parker’s, but that’s certainly not the case and some of a grandma’s cookies might just help that along even more

Currently, the weather outside wasn’t exactly... nice. Negative forty-five with a snowstorm. And years ago Danny wouldn’t have even considered being outside in this, because holy crap cold. But now he’s got a job to do and basically complete immunity to said cold.

What’s weird though is that while he’s been out here kicking ghost ass, multiple people have stuck their heads out of their doors and seemingly tried to wave him over. Like, more than ten people have done this. Every time he had to keep flying past, chasing some ghost or another. But this time he’s just finished capping his thermos and wiping his forehead when Mrs. Sootfield sticks her gray-haired head out of her door and waves at him; it even looks like she’s trying to coax him down with cookies. Which yes, Danny chuckles to himself over.

Regardless Danny should probably figure out what’s going on, the fact that he also happens to be a bit peckish has nothing to do with it.

Nothing at all.

Zipping through the air towards her, quirking an eyebrow as he lands softly on her front porch, “what’s up?”; and is it just him or did he catch someone sighing with relief? while looking out of their window towards him? What’s going on here?

Mrs. Sootfield smiles softly and gestures for him to follow her in, which he does while feeling only more confused as she shoos him over to the couch; leaving the cookies on the coffee table before she heads off into the kitchen. Danny’s munching on a cookie -they’re obviously for him... hopefully, or this is about to get awkward- when she comes back with what smells to be a mug of hot chocolate. Which yup, is exactly what it is, there are even little marshmallows floating in it; her handing it off to him. Danny blinks down at it, “o-kay?”, only feeling more confused. Like sure, everyone in Amity liked the Phantom him these days, there was even a Phantom Festival every year now, and people cheering or offering him stuff wasn’t that uncommon; but this seemed a bit more than the normal.

Mrs. Sootfield shakes her head at him as she sits down with some tea in a small flowery tea cup, placing a teapot on the coffee table, “dearie, it is much too cold out there. You’re quite the dedicated boy”, chuckling seemingly to herself, “but I doubt anyone will be out tonight for those ice ghosties to pester”, nodding curtly and looking him over, “and you shouldn’t be out pestering them, let them run around for a night”, grinning very specifically at Danny grabbing another cookie, “looks like grandmas cookies work just as well on ghost boys. Good”, and sips her tea.

Danny blinks a couple times while alternating between cookie munches and hot chocolate sipping. Was everyone just worried about him being in the cold? You know, like that ‘if you’re cold, they’re cold’ saying for outdoor pets? He’s not sure whether to smile happily over that or laugh. Having people actually caring was... it was nice. But also, cold weather’s his jam now; the Far Frozen was way colder anyway. But also, does the town not realise he’s an ‘ice ghostie’ himself? Sure he didn’t use his ice often but it wasn’t some secret power or anything. Eh, he should just ask. Sipping at the hot chocolate again before speaking up, “oh is the weather why everyone kept waving me over?”.

She sighs with fond disbelief, “of course, dearie. Wouldn’t want you catching a cold”, shaking her head while eyeing him, “and that jumpsuit certainly can’t be very warm”.

This time Danny does chuckle, leaning back into the couch and crossing his legs, “my jumpsuit is fantastic”. She smiles and laughs too while refilling her cup. Danny sips his drink so more and smiles to himself before shaking his head, “you guys don’t need to worry so much. I’m gonna take a guess and say no one’s realised I’m a frostling?”.

Her eyebrows furrow, muttering to herself, “‘frostling’... ‘frostling’... ah! Didn’t those Fenton’s list that as one of the Core types?”, looking to Danny, “are you saying you’re an ice ghost too?”.

Danny nods and chuckles, “yup!”, and holds up one hand to form a small ice crystal, “sure I don’t use my ice often but eh”, absorbing the ice and nabbing another cookie, “so negative forty is pretty comfy for me. I’ve even got some friends whose land never gets warmer than negative sixty-five”.

She shivers but smiles, “well I’m quite glad it never gets that cold here, dearie. And you’re welcome to stay, enjoy the cookies and drink, even if this weathers apparently fine for you. Give this old lady some peace of mind and company”.

“Oh you’re not old”.

She crinkles her eyes, “I’m seventy-five, dearie. I know my age”.

Danny waves her off, “my guardian’s been around since the dawn of time”, pointing at her, “now that’s old”.

Both her eyebrows raise at that, “ah so you have a parent?”.

Danny chuckles and nods, “five actually”, has he never talked about his family to anyone?

She nods at him, clearly encouraging him to go on and blab about them.

Smiling a little Danny starts counting off on his fingers, “there’s ClockWork, the really old one. Pandora, the big four-armed ghost who comes here to beat up Boxy sometimes; she’s pretty old too. FrostBite, who’s a Frost ghost too. And the other two don’t like to be talked about”, namely because he’s referring to his human mom and dad. Maddie and Jack. Even if he wasn’t super close with either of them these days; hiding yourself does that. And shrugs loosely.

Mrs. Sootfield shakes her head with a smile, sipping her tea, “wow, big family you got. You’re lucky to have that”, quirking an eyebrow, “I’m surprised they all let you do what you do. It’s dangerous work”. No one in Amity would dare ever argue otherwise.

Danny rubs his neck and chuckles awkwardly, “well two don’t really know”. She gives him a bit of a judging look over that. Which Danny ignores, because he knows he should tell them but he’s scared alright? “But Frostypa and Mythicma actually encourage it, taught me how to fight and fight better. Clockpops is sorta always watching me so...”, and shrugs, “also got two sisters and an uncle”. Him and Vlad got on well enough nowadays that he was willing to consider the guy family. Never going to be his dad though. Nope. “One of my sisters also doesn’t like being talked about, but the others Dora”, chuckling to himself, “she’s actually older than me but still considers me her older brother”. Danny honestly blames Aragon being an abusive piece of shit for that.

Mrs. Sootfield chuckles, “that’s sweet”, and sips her tea.

“My uncle’s actually Plasmius. That vampiric ghost that shows up sometimes”.

She raises her eyebrows at that, “didn’t that one used to fight you all the time? And he’s attacked the town...”.

Danny rubs his neck, “yeah, he’s got issues. A lot of them. I’ve been kinda helpin’ him be better”, shrugging, “eh, we’ve all got a rotten egg or two. Dora’s actual older brother is a perfect example”, and scowls.

“He’s your sister's brother but not yours?”.

Danny pauses before chuckling, sometimes he forgot that the way ghost family worked was so totally different from human family, “ah yeah see, I’m not actually related to her. Same goes for FrostBite, Pandora, ClockWork, and Plasmius. Ghosts are a little different with family relations”.

She laughs and takes one of the cookies for herself, “I should have guessed. So what happened with this brother that’s not your brother”.

Danny snorts humorously but still grimaces, “he was very abusive and controlling, he’s basically in jail now. I beat him up for abducting and trying to forcibly marry a friend of mine. I’m pretty sure he also ended his and Dora’s parents”.

Mrs. Sootfield shakes her head with a frown, “that’s awful. I wouldn’t consider someone like that a brother even if we were related”.

Danny nods, “agreed”, and finishes off his hot chocolate, “FrostBite also has a young son, that he’s actually related to, so I might wind up having an actual brother if we get on well when he’s older”.

She nods, “well that’s good to hear. I’ve got a likely grandson in the making myself. Any other family?”.

Danny blushes green a bit, “uh yeah, I’ve got a... daughter actually”.

Her eyebrows shoot up, “oh!”, leaning towards him some, “you have to tell me all about her”.

Danny chuckles, he so saw that coming, “well she’s a mischief maker that’s for sure. Real case of wanderlust too. Pretty sure she’s flying around New York right now, that or she’s with FrostBite again practicing her hunting skills. She’s technically twelve but she’s only two years old. She tried to end me when she was a month old and we meet for the first time”.

She shakes her head with a slight smile at that, “well at least she wasn’t successful. Don’t get on well with the mother?”. Making Danny blush green a bit, “I’m technically both. She’s a hundred percent me”.

“Interesting”.

Danny rolls his eyes a little, “it’s way too complicated to explain”; plus he’d rather keep her being a clone entirely to himself. Wouldn’t want anyone calling her a clone.

She shakes her head with a small smile, “I don’t doubt that. You ghosts sure are an interesting lot”, tilting her head, “do you have any living family around still? If that’s not offensive to ask”, eyeing his empty cup, “more hot chocolate?”.

Danny hums, nodding a little, “sure”, and hands over the cup. Rubbing his neck, sounding a little sheepish, “and I do. But well, things change when you crossover; so they don’t recognise me”, shrugging, “no one from my living days does”. And he’s honestly thankful for that, really. Sam and Tuck… no way they wouldn’t have insisted on helping him, inevitably getting hurt in the process. Should he tell them? Probably. Just like with his parents and sister. At least by now Phantom is established as a ghost that can handle themselves. So Sam and Tuck wouldn’t feel like they had to help him. But eh. Maybe someday or maybe never. Besides, how do you tell someone ‘surprise! Uh, I’m not really dead dead’. Plus… shrugging again, “but I’ve gone and made a new family for myself so I’m alright”.

She brings back the cup, refilled and steaming, with a disappointed almost chastising head shake, “I don’t think you should need me to tell you to tell them, they’d be happy just to see you again. No matter how much you might have changed or how much time has passed. Unless they were… unkind to you”.

Danny immediately lifting his unoccupied hand up and waving it back and forth, nearly spiky the hot chocolate, “no! No! They’re fine!”, muttering a bit as he puts his hand down, “sure they were always a bit negligent, but they’re still good”. She nods to herself curtly, “then tell them. The biggest worry is that they might spoil that daughter of yours rotten”, and winks; making Danny blush a little and rub his neck.

He honestly knows she’s right. But it wasn’t like he wasn’t still around them. Well okay… he wasn’t actually still around them. Not visibly and not to their knowledge. His bedroom was all boarded up but he was still actually using it… not that they knew that. He still watched Tuck play video games and brushed Sam’s hair for her; sure neither of them knew that but still. It counts. Kinda. He wasn’t as close to any of them as he used to be either way… and neither were any of them as close with each other as they used to be actually. Sam was spending more time with fellow goths, Tuck with the geeks and nerds, Jazz pretty much just holed up in her room preparing for university, and his folks had stopped doing the ‘family bonding’ trips and nights.

Mrs. Sootfield speaking up again startles him a little, “wait too long and the time will have passed”, looking down to her tea, “there’s plenty I missed out on in my younger years because of being stubborn and fear of the future”.

Danny practically downs half the steaming hot chocolate. “I’ll… think about it“.

She huffs, “you better do more than just ‘think about it’ but I’ll take it”, smiling slightly, “and if it goes poorly, you come get me and I’ll give them a good ol’ whacking with my cane”.

“Wait, are you the one who beat up Boxy with a cane in the middle of an intersection???”.

She smirks, puts down her cup and wanders off. Returning with a mildly bedazzled blue cane. Danny can’t help but laugh, at least until she pokes him with it. “Yes. Now out with you. Talk to them”, poking him again till he gets up and actually goes towards her front door, “I doubt they’re anywhere but at home, if they live here anyway”.

Danny rubbing his arm like she’s bruised it, “okay okay!”, looking to the cup and going to offer it back. Her shaking her head at him, “you can return that later and tell me how it went”, and closes the door on him; leaving him blinking before kind of awkwardly flying off with the cup.

[spacedace]

Jazz remembered the way their parents loomed in the living room as they’d laid out that verdict. Ever-present weapons gleaming, standing in such a way that they blocked access to both the front and back entrances. Their eyes had been what struck her the most of that horrible tableau. What made her stomach fill with jagged stones and drenched her back in a frigid sweat. The way they looked at her little brother, their gazes cold and hollow and -

Hungry.

---

Things are not well in Amity Park.

With the GIW getting more and more aggressive and their parents becoming ever more suspicious of Danny each day that passes, Jazz knows that they're running out of time. It's not safe, and their options are painfully limited. Out of sheer dumb luck or a little intervention from Clockwork, she manages to discover a distant relative that just might be their salvation.

If asked Oswald Cobblepot would say that it's just good business. Adopting a few kids had done wonders for Bruce Wayne's reputation, why not his? It's not like he can't afford to put them somewhere out of the way if they get to be a problem. It's just business. Nothing more.

(His soft heart says otherwise.)

*

The Uncle Oz AU is finally up! Or at least the prolog/first chapter haha. I don’t have a real update schedule for this one, but I do have a solid plan for how I want the story to go and I’m really excited for it so I should hopefully have new stuff out somewhat regularly haha

Title comes from the amazing @justwannabecat! Thank you again so much for letting me use your title!

Tag Time!

@depressed-bitchy-demon @spoopyspoony @meira-3919 @eiderdown-eider @temporalhunter @rhymey-workshop @tired-yet-awaken @mnemovoid @theauthorandtheartist @darkhinauniverse @moonlupine @aconitewolfsbane @phantom-dc @undead-essence @sroomheaddoc @readingalldaysleepingallnight @larkcoe1 @malice-of-the-sunrise @overtherose @freakofyournature @introvert-even-on-the-internet @nutcase8691 @runfromthemedic @seraphinedemort @cutelittlebeanie @psycoaces21 @evilminji @screamingtofillthevoid @sunflowershine03 @avelnfear @impulsiveasshole @persephoneblackrose @gearstorm @s-ourbuns @mynameisdoofthelizardandamlesbi @cat-in-a-fedora @illya-roma @cursivemissive @my-nameis-apollo-kid-number7 @the-legal-shipper @treepainting @mouzerequis @regressor-marina @mimilikey @aarinisreading @mentalcarebear @thegatorsgoose @samgirl98 @cocopopm @24-7shipping @sakitsune-09 @stargirl1331 @fictionsthings @terzatheunderscorerima @agent-jaselin @nomorefuckstogive0 @theauthorandtheartist @joseph557 @tncreep100 @alonedustspeck @ascetic-orange @boredteen19 @bonestasteweird @alexzandria-747 @56thingsinaname @cyber-geist @dolfay @nixthenerd @roman4517 @thermitecookies @rainbowbunny0159 @longlivethefallen @thecatchat @goodfish-bowl @coffeeandcrown @f4nd0m-fun @mygood-bitch99 @razieldjinn

[spacedace]

So no, most likely not a scam. But he wasn’t going to simply accept everything told to him out of hand either. Oswald told the girl as much once he’d been able to sooth her back into being able to speak without breaking down into tears again. Jazz, for her part - sharp and precise and driven in a way he could respect when she wasn’t having a panic attack from the weight of years of pent up stress and anxiety - had understood.

“Honestly Mr. Cobblepot, I’m just thankful you didn’t hang up on me. Most people would have.” She’d said, voice still a little rough and watery from her earlier crying. She sounded so terribly young in that moment.

Oswald had smiled wryly, eyes moving up from the careful notes he’d taken during their conversation to the large window over looking the Iceberg Lounge in all it’s glory.  “You will find, Miss Fenton, that I am not most people.”

“I know.” Jazz’s voice had gone a little soft then, and Oswald imagined she had something of a wry smile of her own as she said, “I did my own research before I reached out to you, sir.”

--

Chapter two of the Uncle Oz AU (where Penguin adopts Jazz & Danny) is up!

Tag time below the cut so this isn’t super long for everyone haha

@depressed-bitchy-demon @spoopyspoony @meira-3919 @eiderdown-eider @temporalhunter @rhymey-workshop @tired-yet-awaken @mnemovoid @theauthorandtheartist @darkhinauniverse @moonlupine @aconitewolfsbane @phantom-dc @undead-essence @sroomheaddoc @readingalldaysleepingallnight @larkcoe1 @malice-of-the-sunrise @overtherose @freakofyournature @introvert-even-on-the-internet @nutcase8691 @runfromthemedic @seraphinedemort @cutelittlebeanie @psycoaces21 @evilminji @screamingtofillthevoid @sunflowershine03 @avelnfear @impulsiveasshole @persephoneblackrose @gearstorm @s-ourbuns @mynameisdoofthelizardandamlesbi @cat-in-a-fedora @illya-roma @cursivemissive @my-nameis-apollo-kid-number7 @the-legal-shipper @treepainting @mouzerequis @regressor-marina @mimilikey @aarinisreading @mentalcarebear @thegatorsgoose @samgirl98 @cocopopm @24-7shipping @sakitsune-09 @stargirl1331 @fictionsthings @terzatheunderscorerima @agent-jaselin @nomorefuckstogive0 @theauthorandtheartist @joseph557 @tncreep100 @alonedustspeck @ascetic-orange @boredteen19 @bonestasteweird @alexzandria-747 @56thingsinaname @cyber-geist @dolfay @nixthenerd @roman4517 @thermitecookies @rainbowbunny0159 @longlivethefallen @thecatchat @goodfish-bowl @coffeeandcrown @f4nd0m-fun @mygood-bitch99 @razieldjinn @hallowsden @saltyladynightmare @lumosfeather18581 @whitetigerdemoness @birdie-24-05 @lyra689 @jayphoenic @alcorbearson @iosonotoro @akikkobara @firedrakegirl @ae-vixrose @ladythugs @felicityroth @capricedhusara

[spacedace]

Danny knew his sister was planning something.

Notebooks filled to the brim with her carefully created shorthand that only she could read. Late nights curled over the terrifyingly secure laptop Tuck had made her for her birthday the year before. Disappearing during the day while he was in his make up classes but always back in time for their parents to come pick them up. She was always there to have his back if any ghosts popped up - these days it was more in an effort to save any poor ghosts that made the mistake of slipping over to the living side, rather than to fight them - to help him get away from their parents or the GIW. Her absences were still noticeable though.

She’d barely left his side since he’d been… grounded . Always hovering close, hands landing on his arms or shoulders ever few minutes as if to make sure he was still there. Her tall frame always wedged between him and their parents like a shield whenever they were all in the same place. He knew about her late night research binges because she ’d started sleeping his room at night, a sleeping bag on the floor right in front of his bedroom door where she’d be woken up immediately if someone - if their parents  - tried to come in. A couple years ago he would have found it annoying and smothering, his big sister being overprotective and ridiculous. These days…

The point was, her recent habit of slipping away during the day when she was supposed to be volunteering as Lancer’s assistant was noticeable. So were the understanding looks she kept sharing with Tucker and Sam during the limited time his friends were allowed to come over. Jazz was planning something, and his friends were helping her.

But no one was telling him what that plan was.

--

Chapter three of the Uncle Oz AU (where Penguin adopts Jazz & Danny) is ready and posted on AO3!

Tag time below the cut so it’s a bit cleaner for everyone:

@depressed-bitchy-demon @spoopyspoony @meira-3919 @eiderdown-eider @temporalhunter @rhymey-workshop @tired-yet-awaken @mnemovoid @theauthorandtheartist @darkhinauniverse @moonlupine @aconitewolfsbane @phantom-dc @undead-essence @sroomheaddoc @readingalldaysleepingallnight @larkcoe1 @malice-of-the-sunrise @overtherose @freakofyournature @introvert-even-on-the-internet @nutcase8691 @runfromthemedic @seraphinedemort @cutelittlebeanie @psycoaces21 @evilminji @screamingtofillthevoid @sunflowershine03 @avelnfear @impulsiveasshole @persephoneblackrose @gearstorm @s-ourbuns @mynameisdoofthelizardandamlesbi @cat-in-a-fedora @illya-roma @cursivemissive @my-nameis-apollo-kid-number7 @the-legal-shipper @treepainting @mouzerequis @regressor-marina @mimilikey @aarinisreading @mentalcarebear @thegatorsgoose @samgirl98 @cocopopm @24-7shipping @sakitsune-09 @stargirl1331 @fictionsthings @terzatheunderscorerima @agent-jaselin @nomorefuckstogive0 @theauthorandtheartist @joseph557 @tncreep100 @alonedustspeck @ascetic-orange @boredteen19 @bonestasteweird @alexzandria-747 @56thingsinaname @cyber-geist @dolfay @nixthenerd @roman4517 @thermitecookies @rainbowbunny0159 @longlivethefallen @thecatchat @goodfish-bowl @coffeeandcrown @f4nd0m-fun @mygood-bitch99 @razieldjinn @hallowsden @saltyladynightmare @lumosfeather18581 @whitetigerdemoness @birdie-24-05 @lyra689 @jayphoenic @alcorbearson @iosonotoro @akikkobara @firedrakegirl @ae-vixrose @ladythugs @felicityroth @capricedhusara @saltyladynightmare @lumosfeather18581 @whitetigerdemoness @birdie-24-05