#the way i reflexively tried to tag this danny phantom

[kyofsonder]

Find the Word 2

I’ve been tagged by several people recently to find select sets of words in my WIPs, and this time I’m not combining them since those posts tend to get a little too long. For this post, I’ll find some words that @aohendo chose for me. Thank you for the tag, for your patience waiting for me to respond, and for the chance to keep playing my favorite game!

My Words: reflect, reach, raise, rely, rampant

I’ll Tag: @on-noon, @perasperaadastrawriting, @maybenow22, @inkovert, @inkspellangel, and as always anyone who wants to join in can use the following words and say I tagged them!

Your Words: stable, shift, reflex, start, influence

As always, I’ll put the excerpts themselves below the cut for readability. 

I found reflect(ed) in my Danny Phantom fanfic “Lingering Scars”:

"It's not just Vlad, either! Every time we fight together, someone else finishes the fight! Strong core? Stability? None of that even comes up! I only have fewer injuries than you because I've already been pulled out of the fight by the time things get serious! I'm always being protected, so of course I'm not getting hurt! Ever! You always keep me safe in dangerous situations!" Dani's eyes flash green, her palms glowing with an energy she immediately snuffs out as soon as she catches it in her peripheral vision. The growl he's been feeling in his own chest and throat echoes under her voice now, like the anxious rumblings of some kind of juvenile big cat -- something large and angry, but not yet grown into its size or its rage.

"Okay! Alright! You're mad! But you're in a house of ghost hunters who would shoot on sight if they caught you in my room, so keep it down!" Danny whisper-shouts back at her, that same growl reflected back at his little sister to drive his point home. It doesn't work. 

I found reach in several of my WIPs, including my short story “Kiyo”:

My sleep comes with dreams. I'm not the type to dream often, but I usually know when it's happening. I get the feeling that something is off. Shifted. Tilted diagonally, just a little. I can feel that now, in an apartment without Kiyo. I go over to her usual spot, wondering what kind of subconscious-fueled nonsense I'll see in her place. A black hole that eats everything that gets close, maybe. A well, full of water I won't be giving to my roommate at dinner time anymore. I drag my feet all the way there, somehow knowing that the dream won't let me do anything else until I've seen whatever it is for myself. When I finally get there, I don't see a black hole or a symbolic well or even an empty plant pot. I see a note, too small to have possibly been printed through a regular printer but too neat and uniform to possibly be handwritten. I don't need the dream to prompt me here. I just reach for the note on my own.

I found variations of raise (raised, raises, etc.) in almost all of my WIPs, including my novel “Apricots”:

"Alright. Okay. I'll say the thing. I... give me a second, it feels weird to say something like that so suddenly," he laughs under his breath, the sound a mask to hide his doubts about this whole situation, then straightens his spine and mimics the expression that Noah had made when he'd said the line initially, "'I walk in the direction of truth.'"

"Thank you," his friend sounds so relieved, it takes Ian a second to notice that there's something on his wrist that wasn't there before. Noah's own hands are raised on either side of his head, almost like he's apologizing. He takes a step back from Ian, who takes a step toward him to close the distance and instantly regrets acting on reflex. His leg jerks when it doesn't connect with the ground, his whole body lurching forward as his stomach tries to drop out of his abdomen. The sensation makes him dizzy, everything spinning so violently that he has to shut his eyes. All he knows is the sensation of falling, without ever landing.

I found rely in my novel WIP “To Be Honest”:

In fact, he'd prefer to avoid today's meeting altogether if he could. Keep studying on his own. Repeating the steps exactly as he reads them in his textbooks. Figuring things out without any outside input. Getting it wrong. Getting stuck. Having to retrace his steps and start the same spell over again. And again. And again. If he keeps going at this pace, he won't even pass the basic refresher course on bloodline spellcasting until he's cleared every other class Dawnriver has to offer. He'll never graduate. Never become Centerpoint. Never be in a position to actually negotiate on equal footing and get his answers. He can't afford to rely on himself alone this time. As much as he hates doing it, and as bad of an idea as it is to go when he hasn't had time to prepare, Micah needs a tutor. He needs help.

I didn’t find rampant, so here’s a fun fact related to the previous excerpt:

I’ve mentioned it before, but Micah is a Bloodline Witch. This means his magic is inherited as a natural-born ability. Having this type of magic also means he can be called a Circle Witch. The title of Circle Witch refers to the circles of influence in which these magical bloodlines operate. Every family that mutates the ability to use magic will also have branch families, allied neighbors, and magic users they're on friendly terms with or have authority over in some capacity. It's similar to an ecosystem, where every animal living in a tree has its own role to play and offers something to the tree but would be vulnerable without the tree's protection. The Renner family is the tree for branch families like the Ritters, and allies like the Path family of werewolves. Within every core bloodline like the Renners, every sheltering tree, there’s one individual who holds the most power and influence over everyone else in the bloodline and its extended Circle. This individual is called the Centerpoint, the core of the core of a family’s Circle. In the canon of "To Be Honest," the Centerpoint of the Renner family is going to step down in a few years. Anticipating this, Micah and his two cousins are all in training to take a test that might just earn them that coveted position within their family and its larger Circle. By the end of the story, one of them will become the new Renner Centerpoint. 

I’m not entirely sure that fun fact made sense when shared on its own, but it’s something I’ve been meaning to clarify since the on-page revelation of Centerpoints and Circles in TBH unfolds somewhat slowly. Thank you again for the tag, it was fun to find these words!

[lunar-lair]

I adore your tags on the post about my cousin asjdkskflg. perfection. and good on you for never doing what the comic showed!

When I was 19, I tried alcohol for the first time. it was basically sparkling fruit juice but I hated it. oh god I hated it so much and I didn’t get why adults loved this stuff??????? but my friends/classmates were always like ‘oh yummy, love me some flavored nail polish” so I kept quiet so no one would know something was wrong with me

turns out everyone I knew was severely exaggerating (trying to fit in). one guy said he dumped his beer in the bushes during a frat party. a girl I went camping with poured water into an empty vodka bottle so she could ‘participate’ without anyone mocking her. a classmate once showed me their trick for pretending to sip by covering the top of the bottle with their hand. I even remember being 22 and trying to claim ‘8 shots don’t affect me’ as if my worth as a human being was calculated by the number of empty glasses I collected

Drinking is a rite of passage for a lot of people. you’re mature if you drink and adults love it, so you can’t be a ‘real adult’ if you don’t drink. It’s less about liking the taste or enjoying yourself - people want to feel part of the ‘in group’ and they do this by othering the ‘out group.’ (in group- likes ‘manly’ drinks, never gets tipsy, takes shots by the handful, etc.) (out group- lightweight, doesn’t drink at all, likes fruity drinks, etc.)

I have severe ADHD and a family history of alcoholism so I have to be extremely careful. addiction is no joke and people don’t treat alcohol like the drug it is. Some families won’t inform their kids of a health history that increases risk factors (or might not even know) which makes underage drinking even more dangerous

…

TO CONCLUDE THIS ADVICE RANT TRIGGERED BY SUDDENLY REALIZING AT 3AM THAT I HAVE MINORS FOLLOWING ME and should probably try to set a good example;

enjoy being 16 and don’t adhere to the rite of passage cultural that makes you ‘look forward to being [insert legal drinking age].’ I know how isolating it can feel when everyone appears to be ‘growing up’ and doing adult things without you, but if nothing else I’ve learned that being the only sober person in a group full of fools is free comedy

*disclaimer for angry internet ppl; things are complex, perspective is subjective, and a single persons experiences cannot be accepted as the ‘one holy truth’*

Oh lmao. Ok ill answer this in blocks the same way you wrote it also hi!!!!! :DDD yet again this is funny?? I spent a good 10 mins commenting on evanescant signs earlier lmao. ok 1st block alright

It is so very funny you say that bc ive actually tried gin. Takes like shitty peppermint and blueberries. Same for red wine, tho i had permission that time (still tasted like shit); never beer tho!! Regardless tonic also tastes Bad, all of my experiences w it have been Bleh. Not to say i ever had more than a sip/severely watered down gulp

PPASNSPSJPD OK LISTEN TO ME. Ive actually tasted nail polish remover AND nail polish before (finger sucking habits r.i.p spaced out bc epic f) AND IT LITERALLY TASTES LIKE THAT AOSJSOSJ. Like the same shit as they put on switch cartridges dude!! Except, comparatively, the only ppl I Personally know who drink like. Period at all are full blown adults i just dont get them either

AND ITS LIKE 4 AM HERE TOO SO IM HANDLING THIS SO V V CLUMSILY RIP but yea!! I mean, peer pressure is lowkey nonexistent in my town; we are so so so so christian and apparently a ton of bad shit happens a lot? But it never reaches me sooo w/e lmao. Literally havent heard abt anyone i know drinking underaged enough for it to be like. Anything other than 'hehehe i sipped the gin in the fridge >:3' like my shit was which is straight up curiosity. Also i already know that lmao; havent been in a room with a bunch of 13 yr olds whove huffed sharpies before?

(Ok 1 how did u get italics in ask?? And 2 lmao dw too bad. Epic disclaimer ofc!! But im like. In this lil Bubble where i have like 180 followers but no one ever actual interacts w my shit its v funny)

[darks-ink]

Disinterred CH.13

Chapter 13: For The Ones Who Need A Hand

“Oh no, sorry my dear. Not the Phantom.” He turned the monitor on his desk around. On the screen was a photo of a ghost which clearly resembled Danny in his ghost form, but that wasn’t him. “I want you to hunt this Phantom.”

(Tumblr hates links and I want this to appear in the tags so… for author notes/full fic summary/links to the other chapters/mirror links to AO3 and FFnet, click here)

In her short life, Dani had seen a lot of crummy alleys. All things considered, the one she was currently in certainly wasn’t one of the worst. The boxes she was hiding behind covered her well, and her glow was dim enough that no bystanders would spot her.

Once she was sure that the coast was clear, she pushed herself out of her hiding place with a groan. She was feeling more and more tired lately, and had noticed herself getting weaker as well.

It was for this reason that she had cut off her explorations of the world. She was trying to get back to Amity Park, to Danny, but she hadn’t quite gotten there yet. The dirty alley she was in only confirmed this.

Elmerton wasn’t Amity Park, but it was close. She only had to get a little further. And then Danny would help her, she was sure of it. He wasn’t like Vlad, he refused to drop her just because she wasn’t useful to him.

She shifted, getting ready to launch herself into the air. A movement caught her eye, and she stilled immediately. She started turning around, trying figure out what she had seen, and if it was a threat.

A pair of glowing green eyes blinked back, wide open.

Dani huffed out a laugh, realizing that she had been spooked by her own reflection. “Whoa, that is one scary ghost.” She shook her head, amused at her own foolishness. But she was quick to focus again.

She pushed herself off of the ground. “I got to get to Danny fast!” Angled herself in the direction of Amity, pushing her speed to its absolute limit.

Her flight was slow and faltering, however, and she was soon drooping in exhaustion. “Or slow. Slow is good.”

Another wave of fatigue hit her, and she dropped back onto the floor. Rather than the sound of her boots softly hitting the concrete, Dani was greeted by a hissing sound.

A sound which was all too familiar to her. One she dreaded, that she had nightmares about.

One she heard more and more often, these days.

She grimaced, looking down to see her feet dissolving into ectoplasm. “I just hope that Danny can help me…”

Dani tried to keep her hopes up, really, she did! But her ‘cousin’ was just a 16 year old half-ghost. She wasn’t sure what, exactly, she was hoping he could do for her that Vlad hadn’t been able to do. Because, sure, her ‘creator’ hadn’t tried to save her. But if he had been able to stabilize clones, he would’ve done so already. She would never have met Danny if Vlad had been able to stabilize her, or any of her brothers.

Scrunching her nose in concentration, she managed to re-stabilize her body. But she knew it wouldn’t last. And as much as she wanted to make haste, it would be better to take it slow.

Walking to Amity Park might take a lot longer, but it would be safer. Especially since she could shift back into her human form, which was a lot less inclined to melt into ectoplasm.

She allowed her transformation to wash over her, turning her back into a perfectly normal human being. A pretty scruffy human being, but not very noteworthy otherwise.

Sticking her hands into the pockets of her hoodie, Dani sunk deeper into the loose fabric. As she left the alley, she softly muttered to herself. “At least Vlad is all the way in Colorado. There’s no way he knows I’m here.”

A vaguely familiar buzzing noise sounded in the back of Valerie’s head. She shoved her schoolwork away by reflex before stopping to consider the situation. She recognized the jingle, even if she hadn’t heard it in a long time.

Last time must’ve been before her suit got upgraded. Because she definitely didn’t remember hearing it like this, whirring in the back of her mind.

Vlad Masters, her employer, was calling for her. He rarely did so, but when he asked her, he usually offered further compensation. Hunt down some random ghost, get better weapons, or sometimes even straight-up money. There was no doubt in her mind about going to his mansion to hear him out.

She swept into the mansion soon enough. Hovered in front of the desk behind which Vlad Masters sat. He quirked an eyebrow at her sudden appearance.

“Well, that certainly was fast.” His eyes trailed over her body, and she felt herself stiffen slightly under his scrutiny. “My, don’t you look fancy.”

“Got a few upgrades,” she acknowledged, allowing herself to relax again. It was okay, he wasn’t being weird. He was just curious about her new suit. Which, she had to admit, no one had ever seen up-close before.

Well, except for Danny. But that didn’t count.

“Well, perhaps you’d be willing to upgrade your life as well.” Vlad leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk and weaving his fingers together. “Wouldn’t you like to finally move out of that rundown apartment?”

Well, that was certainly an offer she wouldn’t refuse. She allowed her hoverboard to retract back into the soles of her boots. “Absolutely. What do you need, Mr. Masters?”

“A little bounty hunting,” he purred, obliging.

Of course. He always asked her to hunt down ghosts. She resisted the urge to sigh at his obvious answer, instead imploring for more information. “Of course. What, or who, is the target?”

And now he smiled at her. She stamped down her instinctual shivers, her body telling her not to trust the man in front of her. Her alarm bells were ringing, but… Surely whatever he was going to ask for would be worth the reward?

“Phantom,” Masters finally answered. And, oh. Of course he didn’t know that she had made up with Phantom, with Danny. She couldn’t hunt him, but… maybe she should play along a little further. Find out more about why Masters suddenly wanted her to hunt down Danny, even though he had resided in the town for so long already.

“The Phantom?” she queried, cocking an eyebrow. Then she decided to play it up a little, falling back into her former behavior. “That guy has been an intangible pain in my ass for a long time.”

Masters untangled his hands again, raising them up in a motion clearly meant to pacify her. “Oh no, sorry my dear. Not the Phantom.” He turned the monitor on his desk around.

On the screen was a photo of a ghost which clearly resembled Danny in his ghost form, but that wasn’t him. The ghost depicted was female, and appeared slightly younger than him too. Her jumpsuit was also somewhat different, but it carried the same colors and even the logo.

Her employer had waited for her to finish studying the picture before he continued speaking. “I want you to capture this Phantom.”

Valerie was sure that there was a story behind this picture, and one that Danny could tell her. But she didn’t know it, not yet, and thus didn’t know if this ghost was of any importance to Danny. It was better to accept Vlad’s mission, anyway. If she didn’t, he would likely send different ghost hunters after the ghost girl. This way she could stall him until she knew more about the situation.

She scoffed, incredulously. “You’re kidding, there’s a girl ghost named Phantom as well? These ghosts need to come up with more original names.”

“Yes, well, this Phantom is an incredibly dangerous ghost out to destroy me.” Vlad must think himself a great actor, but Valerie knew better now. She could tell that his fear was faked. She didn’t know why he would send her after this ghost, this doppelganger, but she was sure that it wasn’t good.

On the other hand, she was aided by his clear underestimation of her. He was clearly falling for her act.

“There’s no way I’m letting that ghost girl get you, Mr. Masters.” She shot him a reassuring smile. “She is as good as caught.”

“I knew I could count on you, Valerie,” the man purred, and Valerie barely stifled her grimace. How had she never noticed how slimy he was?

Regardless, she summoned her board and flew off. First and foremost, she had to talk to Danny.

Tracking down Danny was a lot easier these days. She just had to search for Phantom’s ecto-signature and raise the sensitivity of her tracker way up. That way it could pick him up even in human form.

Not that it was necessary, because he was in ghost form. Apparently in the middle of a fight as well, since the tracker picked up a second ghost near him. Valerie turned to his direction and zipped off, hoping to catch him before he left.

She saw him suck up the ghost (an animalistic ghost of some sort) and called to him before he got a chance to leave. “Phantom!”

He stopped, whirling around to greet her. “Hey Val, what’s up?”

She came to a halt right in front of him, glancing down to make sure they were high enough that no one could overhear their conversation. Danny didn’t greet her by name if they weren’t, but better safe than sorry. She was sure that this wouldn’t be a light conversation.

“Hey Danny, I have to talk to you. Do you… know who my benefactor is?”

He frowned at her, but nodded. “Yeah, it’s Vlad, right? Well, not for your current suit, Technus made that. Why?”

She wasn’t sure how he knew, but, well. It wasn’t as surprising as it should’ve been.

“Well, he called me in today. Sometimes he asks me to hunt down specific ghosts in return for a reward, you know? But something was weird about this one. He was lying about why he wanted me to catch her, I know it.”

Danny nodded again. “Yeah, Vlad does that a lot. Can you describe the ghost to me? Maybe I know why he’s after her.”

“Yeah, that’s why I was suspicious of him in the first place.”  She kept her tone dry as she spoke. “He asked me to hunt down Phantom, but not you Phantom. He showed me a picture, some female ghost who looks just like you?”

“Dani,” Danny muttered, frown deepening. “Shit. That’s not good.”

Valerie quirked a brow at the unexpected swear. Danny didn’t make a habit out of swearing, and usually only did it in serious situations. “Who is she, then?”

He wavered for a moment, hesitating. Then he sighed. “She’s… my clone.” He clearly sensed her incredulous expression even without seeing it, because he continued his explanation. “Vlad is kind of obsessed with me, with having me as his half-ghost son. I turned him down time after time and eventually he snapped and decided to try and clone me instead.” Danny shrugged. “They were all unstable though. Danielle was the only one who survived, and she left to explore the world.”

“That’s...” Valerie didn’t finish her sentence. She couldn’t think of a word that was strong enough to describe how she felt. She settled on, “messed up. That’s really fucking messed up, Danny.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” he huffed, before combing his fingers through his hair. “Shit. Who knows what Vlad is gonna do to her if he catches her.”

“He’s not gonna catch her,” she reassured, making sure to sound as soothing as she could. “Because he send me to get her. I’ll track her down and bring her to you, no problem.”

Danny blinked at her, stunned. “You’ll do that for me?” And then he snapped back into focus. “Right, okay. I’ll… go talk to my parents about this. If she came to Amity, she’s probably destabilizing.” His voice gradually quietened as he spoke, and Valerie was pretty sure he wasn’t talking to her anymore.

She turned around to fly off, before Danny suddenly spoke again.

“And Valerie?”

When she looked over her shoulder, he shot her a wide grin. “Thanks,” he said, before disappearing. She huffed out a fond laugh in return.

“Yeah, no problem. Dork.”

Danny phased through the door of FentonWorks. He glanced around the living room, but didn’t see his parents. They were probably in the lab, then. Should’ve known, really.

“Mom, dad?” he called out, just to be sure. “I kind of have something I need to talk about!”

He didn’t have to wait long for the thunderous footsteps of his parents as they came out of the lab. His dad was, of course, storming ahead, but his mom wasn’t far behind.

“What’s wrong sweetie? What did you want to talk about?”

Danny grimaced, considering his words. He transformed back to his human form to stall, but it didn’t give him nearly as much time as he needed.

“It’s… Vlad.” More explanation, Fenton, he chided himself. “He’s… kind of my arch enemy? And for a good reason.”

His dad frowned and looked like he was going to defend his old friend, but he faltered when he saw Danny’s expression.

“Danny, I know that the two of you don’t get along, but… there’s something more, isn’t there?” Ah, his mom was so perceptive. Well, sometimes.

He nodded. “Yeah, he’s… like me. He became half-ghost during the accident with the Proto-Portal. It’s a long story and it’s… not really important right now.”

“Oh,” his dad said, looking rather downtrodden. “Then… why did you bring it up?”

“Well...” Danny hissed between his teeth, increasingly uncomfortable with describing Vlad’s misdeeds. “Vlad kind of… has been obsessed with me since he found out that I’m half-ghost. Wants me as his son slash evil apprentice and everything. But I turned him down every time, because… Well, because of a lot of reasons, really.”

He flapped his hands. “Eventually he kind of… snapped, I guess? And decided that if he couldn’t get me to join him, he would just make his own half-ghost son.” Danny licked his lips, uncertain. “So he… Well, he cloned me. Or tried to, at least.”

“Oh, Vladdie,” Jack whispered, hurt clearly audible in his voice. “I can’t- Why would he-”

“Sorry.” And he was, truly. He couldn’t imagine discovering that someone who you considered to be your best friend was… Well, was Vlad, pretty much.

“Don’t be,” his mom comforted him, also laying a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “I’m glad you told us, Danny. But…” she trailed off, not finishing her sentence. Danny could guess what she was going to say, though.

“The clones were unstable.” He grimaced at the memory of seeing them melt. “They… Whenever they used too much energy, they would melt into ectoplasm. Vlad kept forcing them to overextend themselves. Only one… Only one survived, she realized that Vlad was using them.”

“’She’?” Maddie asked, before waving her own question off. “Never mind, not relevant right now. What happened to her?”

“Well, she came along with me back to Amity Park. But with Vlad, she had never gotten a chance to explore. To be… free.” He shrugged, a sheepish expression on his face. “She wanted to explore the world. So she left. Dramatically flew off into the sunset, and stuff.”

His mom sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers. “I guess I can’t blame either of you for it. But if you’re telling us now… I’m guessing that she’s back?”

“Uh, yeah,” Danny admitted. “The, uh, Red Huntress is looking for her now. Apparently Vlad tried to hire her to hunt down Danielle, but he didn’t know that we have a truce now.”

“Well,” Jack tried, his voice wavering a little but regaining some of its usual bluster. “I wouldn’t mind another kid, especially one as wonderful as you, Danny-boy.”

Danny blushed, shoulders creeping up a little in embarrassment. “I… I don’t know if that’s what she’s looking for, dad. I think she might be… I think she might be destabilizing again.”

“And she’s hoping that you know how to help her?” his mom queried, but she was already nodding to herself. “Do you know a way to help her?”

“No.” Danny combed his fingers through his hair with a sigh. “I’ve never had such a thing happen. And if Vlad couldn’t figure it out… I’m not sure what else I could try.”

His dad snapped his fingers, a grin forming on his face. “Maddie, do you remember what me newest project was?”

“Yes...” His mom frowned as she turned to look at Jack. “You were working on a chemical which weakens ghosts, right?”

“Exactly!” Jack nodded, his smile growing wider. “But I just couldn’t get it to work. Every time I tried it on a weak ghost, it would get stronger.”

Hope bloomed in Danny’s chest, and he looked at his dad. “Do you think…?”

The man nodded again in response. “Probably! I’ll go get some Ecto-Dejecto right now, of the strongest batch I have.”

“Thanks Dad!” Danny grinned as his dad ruffled his hair. His mom remained seated, a thoughtful but warm smile on her face. Things were looking up for once.

Danny heard the hum of Valerie’s hoverboard approaching the house and made his way to the backyard. He had hoped that she would’ve taken the less noticeable route and just walked with Dani, but apparently not.

The hoverboard swept into the backyard, Valerie in full armor. Standing behind her, with her arms wrapped around Valerie’s waist, was Danielle. Her clothes were dirty and ragged, and she looked dead tired. The bags under her eyes were worse than his usually were, and that was saying something.

He extended a hand to help her off of the hoverboard, shooting her an encouraging smile. “Hey Dani, long time no see.”

“Yeah,” Dani agreed, voice tinged with exhaustion. She accepted his help and slumped off of the board, almost falling into his arms.

Danny wrapped an arm around her, supporting her weight against his own body. He nodded at Valerie. “Thanks for bringing her Val. I’ll tell you the full story behind Vlad later, okay?”

“You better,” she declared with a nod of her head. And then she was gone again.

Danny quirked a brow at the dramatic display, but then shook his head to clear the thoughts. Valerie might think him overdramatic, but she had quite a penchant for it as well.

“Come on Dani, let’s get you inside. Are you… destabilizing again?”

“Yeah,” she murmured, voice soft and almost impossible to hear. She was sagging against him, barely capable of carrying her own weight.

Danny was glad that she had had the forethought to shift back to human form. He was sure that she would’ve been melting into ectoplasm already if she had been a ghost.

He wrestled himself through the backdoor with Danielle still hanging off of him, and his mom spotted the two of them. She nodded towards the dinner table, a silent command to settle Dani there. Then she raced off down the stairs, going to retrieve his dad from the lab.

Danny had barely gotten Dani situated when his dad came up. She stiffened slightly at the sight of the burly man. Or maybe at the sight of the glowing green vial in his hand.

Really, he couldn’t blame her for either of those reasons. He felt the same way about his dad and potentially dangerous inventions, even if the man had gotten a lot better about it.

He moved to step in, but his mom had appeared from the lab as well and laid a hand on Jack’s arm. Then she shot Dani a warm smile, full of motherly warmth.

“Hey sweetie, you’re Danielle, right?”

Dani nodded a little sluggishly. She was still eyeing Jack with clearly visible wariness.

“Good.” Maddie took the vial from Jack’s hand, holding it out in her open palm to show it to Danielle. “Danny told us you were destabilizing. This should help, but we will have to inject it. Is that okay?”

Dani blinked for a moment before turning to look at Danny. He nodded at her, encouraging. “It’s okay, they know. About me, about you, and… about Vlad.”

“Oh,” she said, a little stunned. Then she shrugged at Maddie. “I guess… that it’s okay.” Then, more quietly, she mumbled, “Don’t have anything to lose anyway.”

His mom made a pained expression but covered it up quickly. Then she produced a syringe from one of the pockets of her belt, making sure to show it to Dani. Maddie uncorked the vial and sucked its contents into the needle. Then she eyed Dani speculatively.

“It might be better if you’re in your… ghost… form.” She held up the filled needle, the Ecto-Dejecto in it still glowing a vibrant green. “We don’t know how it might react to your human physiology.”

The clone scrunched her eyes closed. Familiar rings formed and passed over her, but they were faint. It clearly took great effort on Dani’s part to make it happen.

“Danny, can you hold her arm for me?” his mom asked, and he nodded.

He reached out to Dani, and she offered him an arm. He quickly removed one of the gloves, watching with dread as it melted into ectoplasm the moment it lost contact with her body. Then he carefully rolled up the sleeve of her jumpsuit.

Maddie came closer, crouching next to the chair Dani was seated on. Danny stabilized Dani’s arm. Jack hovered nearby, clearly wanting to help but knowing that there was nothing he could do.

The needle slipped into Dani’s arm with no resistance. Maddie pressed down on the plunger, and the Ecto-Dejecto flowed into the system of Danny’s clone. Its spread could easily be tracked, veins shortly lighting up green as the chemical made its way through Dani’s system.

And then the needle was removed again, and Danny rolled down the sleeve again.

Dani blinked, then blinked again. Then she rubbed her eyes, blinking rapidly.

It was like she was re-energizing before their eyes. The bags under her eyes seemed lighter, her skin seemed healthier. Her aura brightened significantly, although it still fluctuated a little.

“It… worked?” she whispered, looking at her hands as she clenched and unclenched them.

“Of course it did!” Jack boomed, grinning widely. “Only the best for my kids!”

Dani whipped her head around to look at the man, eyes blown wide. “Your kids?” Her voice was quiet still, but Danny couldn’t tell with what emotion.

His mom laid a hand on the shoulder of the girl ghost. “Of course, honey. It might be a little unconventional, but you’re our flesh and blood.” Then she hesitated a little, adding, “If you want, of course.”

“Really?” Dani gasped, looking between all three of them. “Even though I’m… just a clone?”

“You’re not ‘just a clone’ Dani,” Danny chided, frowning. “You’re family. To all of us. And you’re your own person, no matter what Vlad has told you before.”

Both of his parents nodded. Then Maddie spoke up again. “That man is sick, Danielle. He has done bad things. But… none of that is your fault.”

“And I’ve always wanted another daughter,” Jack added with an over-the-top wink.

Dani giggled at him, then nodded. “I would… really like that. Thanks.”

“Of course kiddo! Now, who wants some fudge?” Jack turned to walk to the fridge.

Danny grimaced, then leaned in a little closer to Dani. “Fair warning, there is about a 50% chance that food in this house spontaneously comes to life.”

Dani quirked a brow at him. “For re-”

She never got to finish her sentence, as loud growls suddenly came from the open fridge. Green hot dogs with teeth burst out of the appliance.

“Oh,” she ended up saying, stunned. “I guess I see your point.”