#maddie just randomly walked into a portal without noticing

[decibly]

Maddie had been out for a walk when it happened. Because Jack had been injured by Phantom because of a piece of flying debris in a ghost fight yesterday (she would never understand the infatuation the Casper High students had with such a monster) she had left her ghost hunting gear at home so he could better defend himself. That, and it was nice to just get out of the hazmat every once in a while.

She was regretting those choices now, as she carefullly surveyed the swirling shades of spooky greens and purples surrounding her. The most likely thing that had just happened was that she had just ended up in the Ghost Zone by walking through a portal, either a natural one or one caused by a ghost with the intent of trapping her. It could also be some sort of ghostly illusion, but Maddie couldn’t think of any particular reasons a ghost that could create illusions would have made one like this, instead of something like tricking her into something like thinking her family was in danger. That possibilty didn’t seem at all likely, so she discarded it.

Maddie stayed there, floating, unsure of how to move through the etcoplasm-tainted air. She must’ve been there for about three hours, constantly creating and dismissing plans that all had no chance of working. Eventually, she just started looking around, trying to see if there was anything even remotely helpful. 

As Maddie scanned her surroundings, searching for some sort of exit, she couldn’t help but notice a slowly growing black speck on the horizon. Instinctively, she reached for her blaster, but only found a spare wrist ray. Maddie quickly slipped it on, and aimed it in the direction of whatever ghost was coming over to do who-knows-what to her. If she got out of this alive, she was never leaving the house without at least a basic blaster ever again.

Maddie squinted her eyes so much they were almost screwed shut in order to view the ghost better and possibly identify it. Just as she noticed the white hair, they ghost seemingly put on a vicious burst of speed, almost crashing into her. Maddie fired her wrist ray on instinct, causing the ghost to stumble just as it reached her.

“OW!” Phantom called out. “Not cool, M- Maddie!”

“Phantom,” she growled out.

“Woah, what’s with all the horrible hostility?” It grinned. “See what I did there? Alliteration!”

Maddie ignored the poor attempt to make itself seem likable. It should have figured out by now that she was wise to its tricks, but apparently not. “You injured my husband.”

Phantom frowned. “What? When?”

“Yesterday, during–”

“But that was Skulker! Sure, technically I broke those bleachers, but he was the one who shot me into them! Are you seriously going to blame me for that?”

“It’s not like you tried to stop it. Besides, wouldn’t it be a good outcome for you if one of us were injured?”

“I had no idea he was even there, why would I– well, this is just going to go in circles forever if we let it. Look, to cut this short, do you want a ride back home?”

Maddie glared at the ghost. “No.”

Phantom groaned, dragging its hand down its face. “I’m going to rephrase that, because I don’t think you’ll listen to me under any other circumstances. Let me take you back to the portal you made so that your kids will see you again.”

Her already-intense glare deepened. “Don’t you dare bring my kids into this.”

Phantom floated back about a foot or two, hands held up in mock surrender. “I’m not trying to! I’m just saying, as a fellow teenager, I’d be pretty upset if one of my parents went mysteriously missing in some alternate dimension, and your kids don’t deserve that,” he said placatingly.

Maddie scowled to give her glaring muscles a rest. “You’re damn right they don’t.”

Phantom grinned. “So can I take you home, then?”

This time, it was Maddie’s scowl that deepened. “Still no, ghost.”

It sighed. “I guess I don’t have much of a choice, then.”

Phantom blinked out of the visible light spectrum, and barely a second and a half later she was hoisted up at an awkward angle and flying away at high speed, back-to-back with Phantom in some sort of reverse piggyback. 

“STOP, SPECTER!” she screamed, trying to twist her body so that she could shoot her kidnapper. Unfortunately, it took her twenty minutes, which was far too long. By then, when she finally got a half-decent shot in that did more damage than just causing Phantom to flinch and actually managed to free her, the portal was in sight. When Maddie turned around to hopefully do more damage, even with her limited arsenal, she saw it and stood (well, floated) stock still.

“Did you just–”

“Take you where I promised to? Yes, yes I did.” That ever-present grin was plastered across Phantom’s face.

“Impossible, ghosts always lie. You must’ve–”

Phantom cut her off again by vanishing and appearing behind her once more. “Nope, I didn’t! Anyways, bye!”

Maddie was shoved into the swirling green.

[half-deadmagicperson]

Angstfest Day 2:

Title: I'll be in Denial

AO3

Rating: Teen

Words: 748

Summary: Danny is loosing his grip on humanity

Warnings: mild blood and tooth loss

Also not all of this fits as 'Nobody Knows AU', but most of it is.

    SMASH.

    Another case of beakers shattered. Danny sighed as he walked over to get the lab broom. It's been a few days since he died, and he's already having issues. He randomly goes intangibile. Sometimes he'll find himself sinking through the floor or having stuff drop through his hands, like a case of lab beakers for example. 

    Two weeks later, and it only got worse. He almost got exposed when his eyes started glowing after Dash had shoved him into a locker. Thankfully he noticed and calmed down before Sam or Tucker saw. He wanted to tell them, but he thought against it. They didn't need the weight of their friend's death on their conscience.

    One month later, it was getting harder to hide. His ghostliness leaked out at any given chance. It was harder to walk without floating. His eyes glow in the dark like a dog's. He woke up one day to blood on his pillow and a pile of teeth. His regular human teeth were replaced with unnaturally sharp fangs. 

    So he did what any person would do and tried to ignore his problems. He put on make-up and filed his teeth. Looking in the mirror, he tried everything to look human, to be in control.

    It wasn't enough.

    He threw on sweatshirts to cover how cold he was. Hair dye was used by the boxes to cover the strands of white that were leaking through. Sam and Tucker had asked him if he was okay when the changes first started happening, but now they don't pay him much mind.

     His aura causes people to pass him by. Their minds are too horrified to look. His parents, even his sister, don't notice his coming and going. Hell, they might not even remember he exists. 

    Danny packed his bags. He looked over at the pictures of before. Sam and Tucker are smiling with him at Nasty Burger. Jazz is teaching him how to bake a pie. His dad is teaching him how to fish. He sighs. His old life is dead.

    Soundless steps walk down the stairs. Make-up and dye have been long since forgotten. They don't notice him anyways. Danny places five pieces of paper on the coffee table, each adorned with the names of loved ones.

     Tired legs lead him to the kitchen. Jazz is sitting with Mom talking about her AP class. Danny smiles solemnly. He watches as Jack bursts through the door and shows them his newest invention. They looked happy. Danny sighed and turned towards the lab door. He could only hope to have happiness like that again.

     Green light greeted him from the other end of the lab. The portal's imposing structure dared him to go in. He grabbed his backpack and breathed a heavy sigh. He can't remain on Earth any longer. He needs to gain control. He needs to move on. The young boy took a weightless step into the abyss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   Maddie Fenton was cleaning the house when she noticed something on the coffee table. There were five notes each adorned with five different names. Maddie picked up the folded paper that read 'Mom'. Gently, she peeled the edges of the page and opened it to read.

   "Dear Mom,

   If you're reading this, I am dead. I've actually been dead for a while now, but I didn't want to accept it. It's been hard, not gonna lie. At first it was just little things like dropping beakers, but now -some scribbles- now I can't. I haven't been able to control it. It's been so hard, Mom. I've tried to pretend that I was still human, same old Danny, but I'm not. I've been so lonely, Mom. Seeing you, Dad and Jazz enjoying life while I was stuck watching. It's been hard. All this to say I've decided to move on with my life, or I guess afterlife. And maybe one day I'll be able to see you again, and maybe you'll be able to see me. Don't be sad for me, Mom, I'm trying my best. I'll come back when I'm in control!

-Danny"

    Maddie sobbed. Danny, her little boy, was dead! She didn't even notice. She ran up to his room. He's just messing with her, Right? She opened the door to find the bed was made and unoccupied. The woman flung herself onto the sheets.

  "Oh Danny, my precious boy," her voice croaked into his blankets.

   Maddie spent her night grieving the loss of her child.

[inthememetime]

Know what would be a funny AU? Amnesiac Vlad from before Bitter Reunions.

Disclaimer: yes, I know this isn't how amnesia works. This isn't real-world amnesia, it's trope amnesia.

Vlad gets hit with something like a car in public he couldn't avoid without drawing suspicion. Everyone is shocked he survived, but he's got partial amnesia.

He can remember his name, the year, and most stuff about Dalv Co, but when it comes to his personal life? Nothing. Well, the reunion is coming up (why did he plan this, anyway? Were these people his friends? Did he want to one-up them?), and unfortunately for him, a doctor breaks HIPPA laws for money so everyone knows.

The worst part, though? He's pretty sure he died in the car wreck, because he keeps walking through walls and there's a bunch of ghost vultures that call him 'boss'.

In comes Jack, Maddie, and the kids. Danny, of course, immediately picks up on the ghost thing, figures out pretty quick the dude doesn't know he's dead, and runs interference every time his parents pull out ghost weapons.

That's right. Vlad, Danny's mortal enemy, has pinged the protection obsession, so the dynamic between Danny and Vlad? Completely switched. Vlad is, ironically, the only adult he feels he can trust.

Over time, Vlad starts remembering things: not all at once, or in order, but one day he knows nothing, the next he knows he was oddly fascinated by vampires for the past few years, especially the capes. Why the capes? No clue. A week later, he's remembered how to do shields, so he teaches it to Danny. Wait a minute, he dated like 30 women who all looked like Maddie? That's a little concerning.

Then, Danny can't reach his ghost friend for a good 2 weeks because Vlad suddenly remembers dying. No, not when he took a car to the face. In the hospital, 20 years ago. And all over again, he's pissed off at Jack and Maddie, this time. He died in a portal accident (and he can acknowledge it was an accident), and 20 years later, their son dies in a portal accident.

They didn't notice either time.

Vlad comes to his 'abandon your father and come to ME' plan, but it adds abandoning Maddie and bringing his sister. And it's considerably more tempting because, by this point:

Vlad took him and Jazz away on Christmas so they could actually enjoy the holiday (both Danny & Vlad low key hate it for different reasons, so it was basically a few days of just relaxing)

Vlad has helped him learn how to deal with bullies, something his parents and teachers never cared to do

Any of Vlad's houses are way safer, and he can actually sleep there because there aren't weapons going off randomly

Vlad already knows he's a halfa, and is a halfa too- they're both learning the ropes here. And unlike his parents, he doesn't want to destroy/rip out his ghost half.

Danny and Jazz are really, honestly considering the offer. (Unlike cannon, Vlad has never tried to hurt Jazz in this). That is, until Desiree comes along, and somebody (it would be extra cruel irony if it's Vlad, Danny, or Jazz), wishes Vlad had his memories back.

Suddenly, Vlad is stuck, and his core is messing up, fighting with itself because his obsessions are now conflicting. Kill Jack and marry Maddie? Killing Jack is fine, but how's he going to keep the two teenagers safe from Maddie if he marries her? Love and care for the kids? Or control Danny, and get rid of Jazz as an unnecessary witness?

Up until now, it's been fine. But now that he remembers everything, not just parts and pieces, his past comes to bite him. It turns out Vlad, who always thought of himself before the accident and before gaining his memories as a pretty decent guy is actually pretty evil.

So what does he do? There's heartbreak any way you slice it. Does he try to pretend nothing's changed and force his old memories to the backburner? Turn his back on the changes he's made in his life? Try and release Desiree so she can take these damn memories back? Hunt down CW or anyone else powerful enough to get rid of them? Probably even debates taking a dip in the river Lethe.

Does his core just shatter at the conflict between his obsessions, truly destroying him? (If so- Danny's guilt would be...ouch)

What about Danny and Jazz? Suddenly, the only adult they ever really trusted is completely different. Tough but kind Vlad has been replaced by a cold, cruel monster right in front of their eyes. But sometimes, they can see the Vlad they know peaking through. Do they try to help him?

Are Vlad and Danny inevitably enemies, or is there a way for them to get along?