π°πππππππππππ 2021_Day 25 [Treat]
~Headcanon from artichokebean's headcanon:"Emotional Support Blob~
Category: Humor, Fluff, Family, Friendship.
π―ππ ππππππ ππππ: πππ!
Maurice Foley stared helplessly at the father of his son's best friend as the man greeted him at the door of the Foley household.
Tonight it was Game Night and it was Angela and Maurice's turn to host (as they generally tended to do every time since the Fentonworks was a safety hazard even in its best moments), but none of them would have anticipated the extra guests literally hanging on Jack's back.
Phantom was practically draped on the ghost hunter's back, arms hanging on the man's chest, head nestled in the crook of the man's neck and ghostly tail coiled around the man's waist, acting like a safety belt.
The second guest was a blob nestled on the (free) crook of Phantom's neck, purring/humming like a storm, both instances completely ignored by the hunter.
β Come in. β Angela, always Maurice's Jimini Cricket, greeted the Fentons and bodily moved her husband to let their guests enter the house. Maddie smiled at them as soon as she was inside and greeted them (though without the usual energy).
β¦Even Jack had been softer while talking and moving, what was happening?
Was Phantom being paraded like a hunter trophy or had something else happened?
β Jackβ¦ You didn't warn us about the extra guests you were bringing. We weren't ready to canter for five people. β The male host tried to discretely shift near said man to check on the limp spirit. The protector of Amity didn't deserve to be put on a display like a prize with everything he did for them.
β Ah, don't worry about D- Phantom, he'sβ¦ β The hunter looked at his wife at a loss, probably having forgotten about whatever they had agreed to say, because she sighed.
β He has contracted an odd strain of ghost flu. It won't affect any human, don't worry. β She hurried to reassure. β We're keeping him under observation, though, so we brought him with us. Sorry for not giving you the forewarning. If he's making you uncomfortable, we can come back another time. β That was an incredibly considerate move for the Fentonsβ¦ Howeverβ¦
β Oh, no no, Phantom will always be welcome here! β Angela clarified, a bit offended as if ther had been the belligerent parents who had fought against the spectral teen. β We're just concerned for his wellbeing. I mean, I bet that's not comfortable for him to be carried around like that. He can rest on the couch. β The woman pointed to said furniture after a quiet epiphany about keeping a ghost as far as possible from the Fentons' Lab.
It was true that they had formed a permanent alliance with the protector of Amity, but the woman hadn't forgotten about the abuse they had spitted against him in the past.
β I'm afraid that's not possible. β Maddie smiled, genuinely contrite. β This strain makes Phantom's obsession go in overdrive, but since it also weakens him, all he can do to partially satisfy it is to latch to the nearest person he feels he needs to protect. β The redhead softly chuckled and gently ruffled the white mane of the clingy ghost (because now the Foleys recognized the real purpose of that position: he was acting as a non-living backpack/koala). β He did the same with me while I was cooking lunch. As if the flames of the stove could be a threat to me. β She added fondly.
Oh. That was adorable.
β What about the little one? Shouldn't it stay away from Phantom to avoid catching the flu, then? β Maurice curiously asked, offering the Fentons a spot on the couch. The large man gingerly sat, in order not to jostle his passenger.
β Oh, no need. Luckily this strand of flu only targets the obsession, so those without one are safe. Blobs and tiny ghosts have usually too little ectoplasm to develop a full fixation. Moreover, most of them were animals, so we still don't know how much sapience affects consciousness as a ghost. βAt the Foleys' hundred yards stare, Maddie elaborated. β Usually animals manifest mainly a drive to survive, right? Survival and reproduction are at the base of the behavior of every living being, are you following me? β She asked, earning two nods. β But, when the being passes away, the urgeβ¦ fades. They do not require as much sustenance as they did when they were alive and if they live in the Ghost Zone they don't even have to search for ectoplasm to keep on existing. This way they can do whatever it pleases them. This constant state of bustle usually doesn't let them settle on the fixated goal that we call "obsession". We are still studying this field, it's so fascinating. Both Danny and Phantom are helping us on this. β She sounded proud of the fact (as she should).
β So why is it staying with him? β The mustached man inquired.
β Usually for company. From what we observed, blobs generate spontaneously from concentration of ectoplasm inside the Zone. Phantom hypotheses that the catalyst is a strong genuine emotion felt by a nearby individual and that is why the newly formed blobs tend to prefer hanging out specifically with them. The nature of said emotion also seems to influence their behavior: negative emotions or "positive" ones dealt with a negative intent generate violent non-sapient blobs that usually are naturally selected out the habitat by every ghost they come across. Probably because they attack everyone with abandon. β Madeline explained in a low voice, as she sat beside her husband. She gently scratched the purring blob, making it louder.
β How do you know that they are non-sapient? β Maurice asked at the same time as his wife, who had focused on another particular.
β Wait, so blobs are ghosts' children?! β The Foleys looked at one another, as if deciding which was the more pressing matter, but that was resolved by Jack.
β Ah, no, ghost offspring are made from their parents' ectoplasm. β He reassured Angela. β The creation of blobs are more akin flowers pollination. Strong emotions work as bees that carry the pollen to flowers. This is why blobs like this one are grateful to the ones who helped their birth. As for the aggressive ones being non-sapient, before we savvied up, we captured many of them as study subjects. β Jack turned pensive and a bit sheepish.
β Most of them were flushed back in the Zone, but the ones we studied intensely never mellowed out, even if offered "good" stimuli and neither they were translated by the gabber- On the other hand, cuties like this are able to vocalize meanings. β Maddie carefully pinched the "cheek" of the blob, who blobbed happily something in return. β Jazz thinks that the negativity that generated them either corrupted or rotted the neutral ectoplasm, making the blob devolve. We intended to ask Phantom's ice-mentor about this before he caught the flu, but as you see, we're waiting for the illness to flush out of his system.
β The blob is actually helping! Boo's purr and the snuggles have proven to ease the intensity of the obsession, as well as the stress coming from not fully pursuing it! So, don't mind whatever the two of them do tonight, nobody will be attacked. Even regulars have officially deserted Amity to quarantine it! β Jack's expression turned eager. β Perfectly in time to beat you at RisiKo!
β Beat us? In your dreams Fenton! Com'on Ang. Let's show them the Foleys' pride! β Maurice rallied, making his wife smile as predatory as him and start to open the game box to sort out the pieces.
~OoO~
It was well into the night and game that the group heard the front door open and Tucker come back home. He had been out in a pseudo-date with a girl a grade below his, to "tutor" her in Math, but since they had to be under the watchful eye of her father it hadn't been much of a real date.
β Hey guys, how is itβ¦ β The teen trailed off at the sight: Danny (in his ghost form!) was kneading his father's flannel (flannel!) shirt, while he was slowly chewing a blob, which seemed content with the "abuse" given its happy expression, all the while the halfa's ghostly tail was wrapped around the hunter's waist. β What's happening?
β Oh! Tuckerino, don't worry! The only one hurt here is my husband's pride! Your father just decimated his army in South Asia. β Mrs. F. patted sympathetically the man's shoulder while he pouted.
β I mean, what's D- Phantom doing here? Danny told me that he had to rest due to ghost flu. β The Fentons had discovered a while ago* about the halfa-thing, but the Foleys were still in the dark about it. Both Tucker and Danny had mixed opinions on telling them, though now wasn't the right time in any shape or form. β Shouldn't he be back at the Fentonworks? β The Techno-Geek edged towards Danny (unknowingly mirroring his father's previous actions) to check on his friend and the blob. He knew that the tiny was immune to slash damage from previous experiences, but better safe than sorry.
β We tried to make him latch to Jazz, but he became growly if we tried to pry him off Jack. β The redhead chuckled. β We were about to call your parents to postpone the game night when he became coherent enough to tell us to go and that he wouldn't have minded to tag along since he couldn't let go. We agreed on the condition that he would tell us whenever he felt uncomfortable. β She reassured.
β Oh. β Tucker uttered, before carefully pocking at a chubby cheek to try to get his friend's attention. β Hey dude, are you with us?
The chewing paused, as a green iris peered at the meat-lover teen. β Mmm'uck?
β Yeah man, how are you feeling? β The blob phased out Phantom's mouth and nestled contently on the crook of his neck, letting its perch speak more easily.
β Been bett'. β The white gloved hands gripped steadily the flannel, stopping the kneading, and their owner straightened a bit in an attempt to stretch but maintain the koala-pose. He was ridiculous and Boo on his shoulder didn't help. β D'te?
β Oh, Algebra totally ruined the mood, not counting that her father was watching us like a hawk. My smooth flirting would have been wasted. β Tucker shrugged, uncaring. The girl was cute, but nowadays there were things more important than go skirt-chasingβ¦ Or at least that would have to wait until his best man felt better.
Apparently that was the "wrong" thing to say, because Danny's eyes flashed white and he untangled one of his hands to reach for Tucker, who almost jolted in alarm. Although, after being on the receiving end of a clingy Phantom more than once in the past three days, he was already resigned to his fate.
In less than two seconds, the halfa was already wrapped around the Techno-Geek and was sighing contently in his shoulder. The younger Foley sighed as well (but in defeat) and enveloped the ghost boy in his arms to adjust the other's position on his front, in order to allow him to walk around.
β Ah, Tuckerβ¦ β Angela made to stand up, but her son waved her off.
β Don't worry ma', me and the others have already got used to this after we went to study at the Fentonworks. Plus this big guy won't let anything bad happen to us, right buddy? β Tucker patted his friend's back, earning a nod and a slight squeeze. β But if it makes you feel better, I'll stay here until the Fentons go home. β He offered as a compromise.
β Thank you, son. β Maurice's smile turned mischievous. β This way you'll see your old man trounce Jack.
β Oh, it's so on! β The hunter answered the challenge, making the others laugh.
As the game re-started, Tucker whispered so low that only the ghosts beside him could hear. β Hey Boo. β The purr paused in question. β I have to ask you a favor. β The blob squeaked in delight at being requested something. β Can you keep Danny's drool from staining my jacket if he start chewing on you again? Ghost drool is so difficult to wash away.
Phantom mumbled something in protest, while the blob enthusiastically agreed, making the larger ghost whine in embarrassment.
β Nah, don't worry man, it's not your fault. β Tucker patted his back once again, this time comfortingly. β Get well soon.
* Either via "Abbreviation" AU or "Odd Wish" AU, your pick.
A/N. Insert: "BOO IS ADORABLE, Change my mind." Meme. (ΰ² _ΰ² )-ββ -β
(By the way, Boo was born thanks to Danny's affection for Frostbite as a second-dad/mentor, so this one of the reasons why it's particularly cuddly.)
I had half-mind to add Floralflowerpower's headcanon that "blobs evolve into Observants", but then it would have become too long, so I'll only describe the general points of how I would have adapted it.
Since in the canon there were so many of Observants hostile towards Danny, the reason in this AU would have been that during Pariah Dark's reign, there were so many negative emotions around that some of "corrupted" blobs survived thanks to the numbers strategy (AKA the "r strategy" from the r/K selection theory: i.e. schools of fish or cloud of flies).
Basically there were too many blobs for the regular ghosts to kill them all, allowing some of them to mature into new (asshole) Observants.
But, as I said, this would have become as interesting as long and I don't have time! (β₯οΉβ₯|||)
Anyway, as I stated in a previous Day, this was born before the Ectoberhaunt list and was tweaked a bit to fit the prompt (read as: the blob didn't have a name before, but gained one after the List). Did you like it? Or was it too on the nose?
Thank you for reading, following/favoring and commenting, type ya tomorrow!
Will Day 26 be Autopsy or Pumpkin? Check in "Domestic Phantoms" and you'll find out!