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long-live-astronerd-ghost-king · 7 months

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Ectoberhaunt 2023. Day 5. Hunt and Haunt.

~Well, here we go again, good old Ghost Hunger AU~

Description: The Ghost Zone is inherently a violent place. You can hunt or be hunted, there is no other options. However, for some reason the Halfa does not understand what is happening. And no one rushes to explain it. NB! ghost cannibalism is mentioned.

Prompt after memes

Suppose there’s a conventional division among ghosts. Some of them are potential predators capable of hunting their own kind, while others are only able to absorb the surrounding energy and therefore build up power more slowly than hunters.

So, predation is used as a method of survival in poor ectoplasm areas of the Ghost Zone, less often as a means of gaining power. Even less often hunters are created.

It is obvious that the appearance of a hunter who is the son of human ghost hunters in a haunting place without stable sources of ectolasm has caused panic in the society of the dead ones. For the newly formed ghost to have ectoblasts, fangs or ghost sense is a rarity and great luck. So the newcomer had everything and more to be a serious threat. An awful danger for the surrounding spirits…Right?

But Danny doesn’t know the specifics of his new biology ectology!

Even though he’s a hunter, he’s never had a ghost hunger. Probably because thanks to his parents he has an amazing ectoplasm concentrator in the basement. Soon everyone understands that the boy does not attack first. Those who return through the portal never report any losses at all. He does not bite or attempt to capture cores of other spirits. At first, the ghosts think it's a trap. Smart enough for a beginner. Not everyone has the tenacity to pretend to be an idiot to get close to them. But the Phantom never feeds on them. He’s…safe?

What’s more, Danny seems to think they’re a threat to the city. Which is fun and weird. Normally, there is no competition for feeding using human emotion. But the owner of the lair did not like the smell of fear in the air. Is this ghost broken?

When the ghosts who visit Amity realize that the halfa does not know that he can hunt them, rather than just guard his territory...Well, it explains a lot. Everyone agrees not to explain the situation to the boy so that the city behind the portal remains a relatively safe haven during the during a "hunting season" and other troubles in the Infinite Realms.

~~~~~

The problem arises when Phantom begins exploring the Ghost Zone. What if the other hunters make the boy stop being a freak?

In addition, more experienced ghosts may well attack the careless halfa. And Amity Park under the control of a more predatory spirit would be a terrible outcome. Most dead ones near the portal are used to the fact that the area before Wisconsin is open to travel and migration without the threat of being eaten.

All rational ghosts try to avoid the territory of hunters. If you can’t defend yourself, there’s too much risk of being a free meal. It’s much safer to settle down with spirits with similar energy levels at door clusters. If the hunter does not purposefully show up at your lair, you will have a much better chance of keeping the afterlife.

Those of the Ancients who have won their position and those of them who were created for it have become accustomed to isolation. Although all the Ancients have lost the need to eat 'cause they have absorbed enough energy, legends about their past are still be nightmares for all spirits. Just because they don’t need to eat other ones doesn’t mean they won’t. It is clear that a weaker hunter can also be hunted. No reason to risk.

Therefore, how freely and fearlessly Phantom communicates with Frostbite, Clockwork or Pandora is puzzling. Does he feel threatened at all? The Ancients find this experience refreshing. Lil communication without fear makes them feel sympathy for this youngling. Danny is always glad of their company. And the boy is not afraid to express his opinion. It is strange but...pleasant?

Their minions from time to time complain that they teach a potential enemy but it is very difficult to see a possible rival in Phantom. Danny is always in trouble. The youngster is silly and careless. Like a wet kitten that can’t even make a threatening hiss. So Ancients, to their own surprise, don't mind helping him. Why isn’t his naivety annoying?

For example, Frostbite’s trying to teach Danny hunting and tracking techniques because he thinks the little cub doesn’t know how to be what he supposed to be. Meanwhile Danny sees his attempts as a course of self-defense that he can use against ghosts who try to infiltrate his city.

~~~~~Bonus~~~~~

Some insufficiently powerful ghosts mimic predators to scare away dangerous spirits and protect themselves. Skulker is quite pleased that he managed to deceive halfa:

#ectoberhaunt 2023 #ectoberhaunt #ectoberhaunt23 #EH science #EH magic #Day 5 #hunt #haunt #danny phantom #danny fenton #clockwork dp #ancients #frostbite dp #ghost hunger au #dp meme #dp memes #dp prompt #dp headcanons #dp

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tsubaki94 · 7 months

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Ectober 3

Black cat/ White crow

#danny phantom #Ectober23 #ectoberhaunt 2023 #art #fanart #sam manson #tucker foley #danny fenton #ghost

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ectoberhaunt · 8 months

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Ectoberhaunt 2023: Science VS Magic

Dear Phandom new and old, sorry for the delay but this here is our 2023 theme and prompt list! Once again we've changed it up a little to make it a little easier on all of us, and to invite fun and mayhem Phandom wide! Prompts are once again Monday-Friday, with Friday being singular prompts, and weekends being (mostly) free as catch up days. The only real change is our new 'isekai weekend' on the 21st and 22nd, with two different sub prompts for the days. Isekai is a subgenre of anime in which a character ends up in a different place or world all together. It literally translates to 'otherworld'! The two prompts for this weekend are 'past prompt', where we want to see the Phandom use a prompt from either of our previous calendars. The other is 'portal shenanigans'. We highly encourage you to create crossover content and AUs you've wanted to play with. As always, our last prompt day is October 24th to make way for the Ectober Week event. This means our free days are the 1st, 7th, 8th, 14th, 15th, with the 25th-31st being @ectoberweekofficial's time to shine. Please tag all prompt fills as "Ectoberhaunt23", and follow the additional posting guidelines below!

Posting for this event begins October 2nd!

Down below are our written out calendar prompts (for accessibility) AND our posting guidelines. Check 'em out!

The Prompts

Below are the listed prompts in date order, if it's blank it's a catch up day. First prompt is Science, second is Magic!

Tecnomancy vs Botonamancy

Black Cat vs White Crow

Aliens vs Zombies

Hunt vs Haunt

Tabletop

Robots vs Dragons

Pseudoscience vs Occultism

Dread vs Calm

Obsession vs Repression

Horror Flick

Revenant vs Death Echo

Blood vs Flesh

Unravel vs Intertwine

Claws vs Horns

Danse Macabre

Isekai: Past Prompts (2021 | 2022)

Isekai: Portal Shenanigans

Technus vs Magic

Science vs Dora Ectober Week!

coming soon

Post Guidelines

The following are the posting guidelines. Please follow them so we can reblog and share your posts without issue. We will also have this as a post available on our blog separately.

Tag all posts with “Ectoberhaunt23” so we can find it. If you do not use this tag, we may not find you.

Tag which calendar you're pulling from (“EH Science” or “EH Magic”), which day the prompt is for ("Day X"), and which prompt(s) you completed ("Eyes" "Teeth"). Example: #ectoberhaunt23 #EH science #day 5 #hunt Single day prompts, such as the ones on Friday, do not need a tag for which calendar it's for.

Put your fics under a readmore. Add a summary before the cut with a short preview, content warnings, and which prompts were used. Then, add a readmore no more than 150 words or 10 lines/groups of text under your summary. If you're using mobile, type :readmore: and hit enter to make a readmore. If you do not do this, we will NOT reblog your post.

Make sure to tag all common content warnings (blood, gore, death, drugs, body horror, existentialism, & vermin)

We will try to reblog every prompt we can. Feel free to @ us in the post too or send us a DM with the post!!

Feel free to shoot us an ask about rules/clarifications and any queries on prompts. Our discord is open as are our messages.

Here is a spreadsheet you can use to track your progress made by the talented @ajitated

Title graphic by @kawaiijohn | Calendar graphics by @ajitated

#danny phantom #ectoberhaunt #ectober month #ectoberhaunt 2023 #ectoberhaunt23 #eh originals #eh calendar #23 #mod technus

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five-rivers · 6 months

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Under Control

Written for Ectober day 28.

The first time Danny zoned out stargazing after the Accident he didn’t think much of it. He’d been about as stressed as it was humanly possible to get - and he was still human, one hundred percent, he just had ghost powers, that’s all - and he’d needed the down time. The fifth time, he started to get a little more concerned. Then, there was the incident that had put ViewTube behind a parental lock on the family computer. He’d started on one, reasonably short video about black holes, and somehow gotten through five college-level lectures on the life cycles of stars. He remembered all of them, of course, word for word. He just… didn’t know where the time went. There were smaller things, too. Talking Sam’s ear off and redirecting the conversation back to astronomy even when she obviously wanted to talk about the Humpty Dumpty concert. Grinding for the constellation-themed items in Doomed and using them to the exclusion of everything else even when they objectively sucked.

But, really, the thing that really scared Danny was when he got distracted in the middle of a ghost fight. It wasn’t a hard fight. The Box Ghost was routine at this point. He wasn’t even distracted for that long. It had just been a fraction of a second where he looked up, his eyes caught by the moon and how amazing it was. He didn’t think Tucker or Sam even noticed. If they did, they didn’t bring it up.

It didn’t matter. It was unacceptable. He couldn’t afford to get distracted by stuff like that. What if he was fighting Undergrowth? Vortex? Spectra? People were relying on him.

He knew what this was, though. He’d been fighting ghosts for months and living with his parents for years, and it wasn’t like any of them were subtle.

But… It wasn’t an obsession if he could keep it under control. Right?

He made lists. What had made him zone out. What hadn’t. He’d had to put the list on the list, because apparently remembering had sent him off into a rabbit hole and–

Well. Anyway.

He could budget his time. That was a thing. He knew it was a thing. He’d set aside one hour, maybe two, specifically for space things, and he’d fill up the rest of the time with all the other stuff he had to do. School. Homework. His friends. Patrol. Other random ghost fights. How best to protect the town. His chores. Helping old Mrs. Odell on the corner with her trash. He could do that, and then he wouldn’t get distracted. He had the willpower. He could do it. He would do it.

It didn’t work very well the first couple of weeks. Maybe he wasn’t always thinking about astronomy, but he was always thinking about when he was allowed to think about astronomy, his internal dialogue was a constant stream of how much longer how much longer how much longer. But he didn’t give in. It was too important. He had to think of the people who could be in danger if he couldn’t focus.

That made it easier. Thinking about how his actions could hurt or help others. If he put it into those terms, into terms of protecting, of helping, he wasn’t as tempted to run off to the nearest planetarium and live there, only going out at night. Lots of things could be put into those terms. If he got good grades, that made his parents, Jazz, and Mr. Lancer happy, and that was helping. If he went to bed and got up on time, his mom didn’t have to jostle him awake in the morning, and that was helping. Planning out his, Sam’s, and Tucker’s patrol routes in detail kept them safe, and that was protecting. Paying careful attention to his surroundings let him react to them faster, and that was protecting.

One month into his new way of thinking about things, and it was much easier.

He did have more time budgeted to astronomy than when he’d started. He needed it, almost physically. He wanted to do something space related when he grew up, even if he couldn’t be an astronaut, so, if he tried to always get an astronomy-related topic on essays for school, so what? It would still get done. And if he still went for the constellation items in Doomed, well, it was a game, and it didn’t hurt anything.

There were still things outside the neat little paradigm he’d built for himself, and he still had trouble holding on to those things, focusing on those things. Things like… like… Well. He couldn’t think of any. They tended to slip out of his head. They couldn’t be that important, though. He was pretty sure he had covered all the important things.

He didn’t have an obsession. He had it under control.

At least, that’s what he thought until Jazz saw his notes, just after he’d finally realized that she knew. Until she saw all the ways he’d organized his thinking until everything tied back to those important things. He hadn’t meant to leave it out, but it was just on his desk, it was where it was supposed to be, didn’t make things cluttered enough to rise to the level of a chore, of needing to clean up to make mom and Jazz happy.

“Danny,” said Jazz, obviously concerned. “This is… Is this really… Don’t you think this is a little… obsessive? Thinking like this?”

“I’m not,” said Danny, knowing how weak that must sound as an argument. “I know I– Look, I know ghosts have obsessions. And I know I sort of have one. Had one. With, you know, astronomy. But I don’t think about it all the time. I’m not like the Box Ghost. I figured out a way to get around it. To think about different things.”

“That’s… great,” said Jazz. “But I wasn’t talking about the astronomy. Or, well, I was, but not only the astronomy.” She held up his notebook. “I was talking about all of this.”

“Oh,” said Danny, very quietly.

“I think you should see someone about this. Because… Because this is a lot, Danny.”

“Who?”

“What?”

“Who could I see?” asked Danny, twisting his fingers in the hem of his shirt. “Safely, who could I see about this?”

“I don’t know,” admitted Jazz, softly.

Danny freed one of his hands to rub at his eyes. “That’s okay. Really.” He smiled at her. “I have it under control.”

#danny phantom #ectoberhaunt #ectober #ectoberhaunt23 #ectoberhaunt 2023 #ectober 2023

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silver-bunny6958 · 7 months

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Dread/Calm

Dick had recently learned about the fact that his little bro, his biological little bro, actually survived the fall that killed their parents. The hunt to find him was short and sweet. Turns out, Daniel, had been adopted by a couple who where living in Gotham along with their young daughter(bonus; new sister!) whom decide that two children where two too many to keep safe in Gotham and promptly moved. They, the Fentons, settled in a small town an hour away from the border of Illinois called Amity Park. Form a light search Danny had gained two friends; a black young man with glasses and a red beanie, and a pale young woman with black hair and a goth aesthetic. The three of them where all Adoptionbait. So Dick took a flight and knocked on the front door of a place that looks like an OSHA violation in the waiting with a neon sign that says “Fenton works” and held his breath

#sorry #all out of order #danny phantom #fanfiction #idk what im doing #dpxdc #dcxdp #ectoberhaunt 2023

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shabbyshoebox · 5 months

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Day 4 - Zombie

Based on the iconic textpost

Finally finished a WIP from Ectober

#danny phantom #shabbyshoebox #danny phantom fanart #danny fenton #zombie #ectoberhaunt 2023

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56thingsinaname · 7 months

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Ectober Haunt Day 1!

Botanomancy!

#ectoberhaunt 2023 #danny phantom #56thingsart #sam manson

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half-deadmagicperson · 7 months

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Ectoberhaunt: Botanomancy

First year doing Ectoberhaunt! Not sure if I'll be able to do every day. For my namesake: I'm sticking to the Magic Schedule for the most part!

#eh magic #ectoberhaunt 2023 #danny phantom #dp #sam manson #botanomancy #phanart #ectoberhaunt23 #day 2?

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oceankat8 · 7 months

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Heyo! Wanted to show off the Icon I made for @ectoberhaunt !! It was such an honor and a blast!!

#Danny Phantom #Technus #fanart #kat8 #icon #ectoberhaunt 2023

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megamindsupremacy · 7 months

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Ectoberhaunt Day 2: Technomancy vs Botanomancy

The wires begin to fray

Estimated time: 45 minutes

Happy beginning to Ectoberhaunt, everyone! To those of yall who weren't here/forgot, last year I made a cross stitch for every day of Ectoberhaunt and its followup prompt list, Ectoberweek. Last year was a bit of a trial run, but I have big things planned for this year's design!

As part of a personal project to raise awareness about the worth of fibre arts and needle crafts, I'm going to be putting the estimated time it took to finish every section of the cross stitch in my posts. I say "estimated" because I have already forgotten to set a timer and am therefore going off of how many hours of YouTube I watch while making these.

Ectoberhaunt masterpost

#mads posts #ectoberhaunt #ectoberhaunt 2023 #ectoberhaunt23 #eh day 2 #day 2: technomancy #ectober #danny phantom #cross stitch #x-stitch #deep breath. tag list done.

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dp-marvel94 · 6 months

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It was an Accident, I Swear. Part 8

For EctoberHaunt day 11, Dread and Calm

Summary: Elle finally meets Jack and Maddie.

Word Count: 3,376

First -> Previous

Also on AO3 and Fanfiction.net

Note: Surprise! Who thought this story was dead? *author raises hand* In all seriousness, I figured I'd brush off this story in celebration of finishing Face to Face (epilogue still to be posted!) Plus Ectoberhaunt gives me helpful prompts and more excuses to write! The dread/calm prompt for October 11th is pretty loosely used here but hey, I tried. 🤷 Anyway, enjoy!

The confrontation with Valerie behind them, the three half ghosts flew off into the night… and towards Fentonworks.

Elle’s stomach churned with nerves at the thought. Fentonworks. Where Danny lived. With his ghost hunter parents, the Drs. Fenton.

The half ghost had seen both of the adults before, of course. During her short stays in Amity, the girl had caught glimpses in passing, despite her efforts to avoid them. Jack and Maddie, barreling down the road in their RV, in pursuit of a ghost. The blue-suited hunter’s aim was scarily accurate. And the man…. His boisterous laugh rang in her mind, effortlessly swinging a massive bazooka on his shoulder. From the little she’d seen, the two were a terrifyingly good ghost-hunting team. And she was a ghost.

Normally, those two thoughts together would be dread-inducing. But…

“Long story short. Dad accidentally cloned me….. they know about me being Phantom now.”

They knew. Jack and Maddie knew about Danny’s powers, the ghost hunting, about Phantom. Not only that but… they knew about her.

“And he and Mom have already said they want you as their kid.”

When Elle had first met Danny, she’d overshadowed Maddie and Jack to get him and his friends out of trouble. She’d felt so much more than a flash of each parents’ worry for their son.

The overwhelming motherly love…the MADDIE program, Vlad’s sad attempt to copy the woman, was a painfully dull imitation in light of the real thing; The contrast shocked her, enough that her control of the overshadowing wavered.

And Jack…she’d caught a whiff of memory. Late at night, the man peering into Danny’s empty bedroom. A chilling dread in the pit of his stomach. Where was his son?

The Fenton parents loved their children, without a doubt. And…the off-hand comment Danny had made, about Jamie’s origin…..

The girl blinks, mind sputtering. “Your dad cloned you.”

“Technically he’s your dad too.”

That was true in the technical sense. Maddie Fenton was her biological mother, Jack Fenton her biological father. They were her parents by blood. And they wanted her.

But did she want them?

Elle pushed the thought away, the Fenton house now looming large in her vision. This was it…

Danny and then Jamie turned invisible, both half ghosts’ outlines shimmering in her vision. Elle followed, invisible herself, as the two boys flew down and phased through the front door.

For just a moment, the girl took in the scene. The living room, suspiciously clean and organized, compared to her last time seeing it. Maddie, mid-pace, worrying her lip. Jack on the couch, face just as tight, fiddling with something on his lap.

“Mads, they’re fine.” The man was saying. “The kids will be back any second- Ow.” He cut himself off, pricked finger going into his mouth. Needlepoint… that’s what he was messing with.

“We’re back.” Danny said, he and Jamie wavering back into visibility.

Both adults startled at the sound, turning.

“Boys.” The woman gasped. “Don’t scare me like that.”

“Sorry.” The oldest half ghost blushed sheepishly.

Maddie waved it off. “No need to be sorry.” She hurried forward. “Are you two alright? What happened?”

A hand reached under Jamie’s chin, concerned eyes looking for… something. Bruise? Cuts?

“Mom, I’m fine.” The boy didn’t pull away. He didn’t even sound annoyed, just tired. “A lot happened but we’re all fine.”

The woman just looked more worried. Jack joined her, standing in front of both boys. He hugged both while Maddie continued fussing over non-existent injuries.

And Elle… she still floated there invisibly, mouth agape. This was unreal. Danny and Jamie were in spectral form, both glowing and floating in the ghost hunters’ living room. And the two adults… weren’t blinking an eye. They were hovering, concerned, affectionate even. But… they were acting like this was completely normal.

Jack and Maddie knew. They really knew.

The man pulled out of the hug with his two sons. His head turned, searching. “Where’s Elle-bug?”

Elle- bug….?

“That’s right.” Maddie stepped back. “Your little sister was supposed to be here today. Did you find her? Is she alright? Where is she?” Her gaze flickered, just a hint below frantic. Why…

Right. Elle was still invisible.

She popped back into sight. “I’m uh… right here. Hi.” The girl gave a tentative wave.

Both adults turned at the scene, eyes widening.

“You must be Elle.” Maddie’s lips crinkled, a warm, relieved smile spreading on her face. “Danny told us so much about you.”

And Jack… “You’re here, kiddo!” His jovial voice boomed, all previous anxiety gone.

Before the clone girl even registered, strong arms swept her up. She squeaked, pulled to the man’s steady chest.

“It’s great to finally meet ya, Elle.” The laughter shook her. “Your mom and me have been so excited. We already starting setting up your room and-”

“Jack, honey.” Maddie cut in. “Don’t overwhelm her.”

“Oh. Sorry, girlie.” The man let her go.

Elle dropped, too overwhelmed to even try to keep herself in the air. She stumbled, managing to land on her feet.

Jamie drifted over, a comforting hand resting on her shoulder. “You alright?”

“Fine.” She shuffled awkwardly, half-standing behind him. “‘S just a lot.”

Both adults’ brows furrowed, for just a moment faces flickering between something like hurt and disappointment.

Then Jack reached up to rub the back of his neck. “Sorry, kiddo.” He smiled apologetically. “I got excited. Just so happy you’re here.”

“We’re both very relieved you’re safe.” Maddie added kindly. “How about we start again? I’m Maddie Fenton, Danny and James’ mom.”

“And I’m Jack! Fenton family patriarch. This one’s lucky husband and dad to two… I mean three… err, four? Beautiful kids.”

Elle winced at each of those slips up. Four… he wasn’t counting her, was he?

“And you are?” The woman gently cued her on.

“I’m uh… Danielle. But I go by Elle. I’m half ghost. I like burgers and traveling and playing tag with Danny. And uh… I don’t have a favorite color because they’re all great. And uh… what else am I supposed to say?”

The woman chuckled. “There’s nothing you’re supposed to say, sweetie.” She shook her head, a fond smile on her face. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Elle.” She motioned to the couch. “Would you like to sit down for a bit? Maybe something to eat or drink?”

“I’m sure you want some fudge!” Jack turned, enthusiastically stomping towards the kitchen.

“Uh… a snack sounds good. I guess.” Ellie shrugged.

“Yeah!” Jamie agreed. With a flash of light, he turned human. Danny and Elle did the same. “We didn’t get to finish our burgers and shakes.” He pouted, arms crossed.

“Oh, I’m sorry, sweetie. I’m sure we can fix that.” Maddie turned, also walking into the kitchen. “Burgers and shakes I can’t do tonight but…” She opened the freezer, brow furrowing in consideration. “How do pizza rolls sound?”

“Pizza rolls?” The girl perked up slightly.

“That sounds great, Mom.” Danny answered, at the same time Jamie nodded eagerly.

“What are pizza rolls?” Elle looked between the two boys, picking up on their excitement.

The oldest grinned. “It’s this crispy crust pillow thing.” He motioned with shape with his fingers. “With cheese and sauce and little bits of pepperoni inside.”

“They’re so good.” Jamie gushed, stars in his eyes.

Well, Ellie was sold.

The three half ghosts watched, wide-eyed and practically drooling, while Maddie lined up the tiny pockets on the tray. She placed it in the heating oven.

“It will take at least fifteen minutes.” The woman waved the kids off, fondly exacerbated. “Go sit down.”

“Fine, fine.” Jamie huffed, eyes still smiling.

He and Danny obliged, Elle following with a curious look. The three kids sat on the couch, the girl in the middle. Maddie joined, taking the armchair.

“I’ve got the fudge!” Jack announced, almost reverently placing the tray onto the coffee table. He grabbed a piece, flopping into the recliner. Then, popping the piece into his mouth, he chewed excitedly and swallowed. “Good old Fenton Family recipe!”

Both boys grabbed their own pieces.

As soon as Jamie took a bite, he groaned appreciatively. “So good.”

“I know, right?” Danny agreed, mouth full of chocolate.

“Danny, don’t talk with your mouth full.” Maddie reprimanded lightly.

“What’d ya say?” The boy answered playfully, opening his mouth wider.

“Gross.” Jamie laughed, a hand held up to block his brother’s mouth. “I don’t wanna see your food!”

“You don’t?” Danny’s head titled, tone exaggeratedly innocent. “How’s this?” He blinked invisible, another piece of fudge disappearing from the plate a second later. “Problem solved.” Came the witty response, through loud chewing.

Elle giggled at the scene, something in her loosening.

Jack’s eyes widened, excitedly fixing on her at the sound. “Go ahead and try some, kiddo.”

Without hesitation, the girl obliged. The soft confection touched her tongue and she melted. Not literally, of course. Her eyes practically rolled back in bliss, her body untensing.

Beside her, Danny laughed. “It is good, huh?” Popping into visibility, he ruffled her hair.

At that, Elle straightened up a bit, crossing her arms in a pout. Still…. Her lips twisted, pleased.

For a long moment, the group ate their own pieces of fudge, a contented quiet falling over the room. The youngest half ghost hummed happily, eating her third piece. Jack Fenton could make good fudge; she had to give him that.

Finally… Maddie wiped her fingers on a paper towel and broke the silence. “I’m very relieved that Elle found us safely and you three were able to spend time together. But you are back later than expected. And I’m sensing that wasn’t from just losing track of time. James, Danny, what happened?”

The woman asked gently, with no hint of accusation. And yet… dread dropped again in Elle’s stomach.

The boys traded worried looks. “Well….” Jamie bit his lip, drawing out the word. “Skulker kidnapped me for Vlad.”

“What?!” Both adults exclaimed at the same time.

The boy winced. “Apparently the fruitloop was mad you haven’t been answering his calls.” He frowned at Danny.

“Of course I haven’t.” The oldest teen crossed his arms. “He just wants to rant about how much better he is than Dad. And how I should have joined him when I had the chance.” His voice drawled, a grating impression of Vlad. “And ‘Daniel, how is your dear mother? Has she left the oaf yet?”

“Danny.” Maddie cut in softly, pained eyes flitting to her husband.

Elle’s gaze fell on the man and she winced. Instead of the happy, boisterous man she was getting used to, he was pale, face fallen and misty-eyed, like someone had shot his puppy.

“Oh.” Beside her, Danny looked down guilty. “Sorry Dad.”

“It’s alright son.” Despite the words, Jack Fenton did not look alright. But… he wiped his face, expression hardening. “James, son, did he hurt you?”

“No.. umm…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, he got in a few ectoblasts. And he slapped me…” The younger boy looked down, rubbing one of his cheeks.

A hint of Jamie’s discomfort and hurt brushed Elle’s consciousness and her core buzzed in sympathy. She understood. All too well. Vlad had yelled at her too, slapped her, and… done much worse. She shivered at the thought.

Across from them, Maddie sucked in a breath, a fire lit in her eyes. “That man…”

“I’m going to hurt him.” Jack’s fists clenched in his lap, shaking slightly.

“Jamie captured him.” Danny cut in. “In the thermos.” With a flash of light, the object appeared in his hands. He carefully placed it on the table.

Elle eyed it warily. “I still can’t believe you got him in that.” She said quietly, insides still twisting fearfully. Vlad was in there. In there, right in front of her and-

Meanwhile, both adults blinked, surprised by the sudden appearance. “Where did that come from?” Maddie pointed.

“From wherever my clothes go when I go ghost.” Danny shrugged.

“Anyway.” Jamie continued. “That’s one less thing to worry about, I guess.”

Jack just stared at the device. “That’s the thermos I made for Vladdie for Christmas.” He then shook his head, face hardening. “How long can he stay in there?”

“Jazz had me stuck in there for a whole day once so he’ll be fine for a while.” Danny said.

“No, I mean… can he break out?” His eyes narrowed.

Elle’s gaze whipped from the thermos. That tone. He didn’t mean…

“Probably not?” Danny eyed the device dubiously.

“Good.” Jack said darkly.

And the clone girl gasped, taken aback. Where was the bubbly man she’d just meet? Or…

“I want to bury that in the backyard and forget about it.” The man’s voice shook with anger.

Her stomach turned, sour. Was this the vicious hunter she’d seen chasing ghosts at all hours?

“Punt it to the farthest corners of the ghost Zone.” His fists clinched, eyes sharp. “Shoot it with ever ghost weapon we’ve ever made.”

Elle’s mouth was dry, her heart in her throat. What...

The man’s voice finally wavered. “He hurt my kids.” Something was glistening in the corner of his eye… “He’s tortured Danny-boy. Made Jazzy-pants fight her brother. Just met Jamie-bean and already hurt him. And… and…” That something fell. And it was… tears. “He almost killed Elle-bug, before we even knew she existed. ”

Jack Fenton was… crying.

“He tried to kill Elle.” Jack’s shoulders shook. “I hate him. I want to make him pay. I want to hurt him but…” His voice lowered, a near whimper. “I can’t. I can’t do it. He was my best friend. This… this wasn’t supposed to happen…” The man trailed off, sniffling quietly

The words sank the room into heavy silence and Elle’s head swam. Jack was crying. He was crying… over her.

“We’ll figure this out Jack.” Maddie finally cut in, placing a comforting hand on his arm. “It will be okay. We wouldn’t let him keep hurting our family.”

Another silent pause. Jack lifted his head, meeting his wife’s eyes. Still watery eyes, he nodded and squeezed her hand.

Then… he lifted his chin. Whipping his face, a determined gaze fixed on the three half ghosts huddled on the couch. “He won’t touch any of you. Never again. We’ll protect you.” Guilt flickered again, behind his eyes. “We should have been long before now. But we failed. We failed you kids. Especially you, baby girl.”

Baby girl… Something in her cracked at the affectionate nickname. “You didn’t… you didn’t even know about me though…” She looked down, wringing her hands.

“We should have.” The woman emphasized, eyes serious. “We should have made Danny and Jazz feel safe enough to come to us about anything. This should have been your home from the beginning.” She shook her head. “We can’t do anything about the past. But we will do everything we can to make it up to you now.”

Just then, the oven timer beeped.

“That’s the pizza rolls.” Maddie stood, walking over to the kitchen.

And Elle stared down at her hands, feeling her world turn on its head. The excitement, the kind words. The hug. The fudge. The nicknames. Promises of protection, a home.

The girl sniffled, her core aching. It was too much.

She barely registered the movement around her, mind consumed.

…Won’t touch you. Never again. Protect you…

Voices speaking. “...idea… do with him…. Lab… for now…”

Your home from the beginning… do everything we can to make it up…

The thump of metal against wood. Jack’s heavy steps, walking away.

Your mom and me have been so excited. We already starting setting up your room and-

Movement in front of her. “Here’s… rolls.”

Elle-bug. Baby Girl. Sweetie. Kiddo.

Red hair, kind purple eyes. “And… water.”

Mom and Dad said they want you as their kid.

“Elle?”

The girl blinked, the word finally perforating her watery brain. Her eyes focused on… Oh. It was Maddie, kneeling in front of her. A small plate was offered to her from one hand, a cup of water from the other.

Numbly, Elle nodded, reaching for the drink. A shaking hand enveloped the cup, pulling it towards her and… Water splashed onto her shirt. She dropped it.

In front of her, Maddie’s brow wrinkled… “Are you alright, sweetie?” with a motherly concern.

Elle broke.

Practically throwing herself at the woman, she blubbered, cried.

With a gasp of surprise, the woman hugged her back. “It’s okay. It’s just a cup of water.” She soothed.

No. No. That wasn’t…. She wasn’t…

“Do you… do you really…” Elle’s chest heaved, panting out the words. “Really want me?”

Silence. Maddie’s hushing cut off. The girl’s heart skipped. No. No. She’d done it now. She’d messed up and-

One hand reached, cradling the back of her head. “Yes. Yes, of course. We want you.” The sincere, intense conviction in those words… “You’re our daughter.”

“You’re our baby girl.” Jack agreed, strong but gentle arms enveloping her. “We love you.”

Love. They loved her. The words rung in her head. Impossible, unbelievable. They didn’t even know her and she didn’t know them. But…

Jamie and Danny moving to either side of her, their hands on her back, her shoulder. And… their conviction, determination. Her brothers loved her. They wanted her to be safe and happy and here with them. And…

Reassurance. A silence vow. This was true. It was real. Jack and Maddie. Mom and Dad did love her. They wanted to be her parents, this her home. And she could have it. Those things could be hers. If she could just have the courage to take them.

Elle cried harder, her core trembling. She… she wanted to believe but… Vlad’s red eyes, his sneaking face rang in her head.

You exist to serve me.

He’d… he’d been her parent. He’d made her. He’d been her father. And… and he threw her away. She’d just been a placeholder, a failed proto type to him. Vlad had never loved her.

So how could she believe…

But… Jack Fenton’s face, crying over her.

“He tried to kill Elle.” Jack’s shoulders shook. “I hate him. I want to make him pay.”

Anger. Not because he hated ghosts inherently. Not because he personally felt betrayed but…

He hurt my kids. His kids….. His kids. And… Elle counted in those, didn’t she?

The girl gasped, more tears coming. It really was too good to be true but… a touch of bravery from her brothers. It licked at the doubts, ready to burn them away. And…

Elle grasped the courage, fanning it into flame. “I… I want to stay.” She managed out. “I want to stay.”

The arms holding her tightened. “Of course you can stay. We… we want you to stay.” Maddie… Mom promised.

“You’re going to be okay, kiddo. I promise.” Jack… Dad said.

The girl nodded, relaxing more into the hug, into the caring arms around him. Soft words, reassurances washed over her. Love made manifest. The longer she stayed in the embrace, the more calm settled. A much needed peace.

Elle let herself believe her new dad’s words. She was going to be okay.

Note: Sorry for the rushed ending. I'd hoped to address where Jazz is; Jack and Maddie were supposed to get her when her younger sibs got back but they forgot. 😂 (Actually, I didn't want to add anymore characters to a full scene.) Also, the confrontation with Valerie still has to be addressed and the actual plan to deal with Vlad. Hopefully I can address that at some point. And maybe not with a three year gasp between chapters this time. That's it for now! 😅

But that's it for now. I really wanted to finish and post this before starting on my Ectoimplosion fic! I got my assignment tonight and I'm very excited!

#Danny Phantom #my fic #It was an accident I swear #Ectoberhaunt 2023 #Elle Phantom #James Phantom #Clone OC

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