-Danny-
"Psst. Danny."
Danny tapped his pencil to his chin, his brows furrowed in intense concentration.
"Danny."
Said halfa grunted a response, absently ignoring the pokes.
"Danny."
"What!" The raven-haired teen finally snapped, whipping his head towards Randy's wide-eyed expression. A quick incline of his head was all Danny got before a different voice bounced onto his radar.
"As I was saying Mr. Fenton." A stern but nasally tone narrowed its eyes at the back of Danny's head. "It is commonly assumed that ghosts have obsessions, yes?"
The halfa flinched, turning to face Rotwood. Sorry, Professor Rotwood. "Um..."
"Incorrect Mr. Fenton!" The 'teacher' slammed his ruler onto the table as his face briefly reddened. He coughed his shout into a controlled tone before continuing. "Ghosts cannot have obsessions because they do not have the capacity to feel emotion. They're malicious, greedy, and destructive! You should know that Mr. Fenton."
"But-"
"You would know that if you listened to my lectures! I'll be adding that to the test on Friday. So write it down class." A sick sense of victory crossed Rotwood's posture as Danny slowly nodded, sinking into his chair, quietly obeying the command. Rotwood took a moment to observe his class as they took the desired note. "Good." The aged man then trotted away from Danny's desk, offering a "I expect to see you after school for detention Mr. Fenton. Next time pay attention please." before turning to the whiteboard.
As soon as Danny was in the clear, he fiercely banged his head onto the desk, practically declaring war on the object. He let out a light groan, thoroughly not enjoying the day so far. First he was woken up in the middle of the night for a rather strange fight with the Box Ghost, then he was forced to stay awake by an even stranger feeling, then he almost had a core meltdown when he sat at the breakfast table not even an hour ago. It didn't help that Jazz was missing from the household- which lead Danny into an even more worrisome thought process when he asked Mr. Lancer about it directly before class.
Something was wrong.
He didn't know what or how, but he felt it in his very makeup that something was changing. Whether that was good or bad, he couldn't tell. He had a suspicion it had something to do with Jazz, but he also sort of... Well, he'd been having dreams about Pariah Dark, Dan, and Clockwork. It seemed like the world was coming to an end. Strange, saying that there was no sight of that doom in either of his superhero pal's eyes. There was a bundle of nerves and fears rising to the surface, threatening to take over and force the teen into a secluded state for the rest of his half-life. A deep, exhaustion-riddled sigh escaped his form, his eyes slowly closing without his consent. Just a few minutes...
"Danny!"
Once more Danny was slapped out of the thought process, jolting his face up and towards Randy Cunningham's worried features.
"What's wrong bro? You've been acting kinda weird all morning."
Danny sighed again, whispering a response after a long, drawn out silence. "I have a bad feeling Randy. Something's not right and it's driving me insane just thinking about what it could possibly be."
"Danny... If this is about Vlad again... I swear you're obsessed-"
Anger flared at the word, "This is much more than just Vlad!"
Silence froze the hushed conversation where it stood. Randy blinked, his eyebrows furrowing as a question formed on the hero's tongue. Shit. Oh shit, oh no. Dread settled in Danny's gut as he processed what he said and how he said it. A spike of adrenaline rushed through his veins, causing the halfa to instinctively toss his hand up into the air, barking out a common question: "Can I go to the bathroom!"
More of a statement than a question, Danny fled the room before the declaration was even answered, puffing out his apprehension in small bursts of air. Already at the end of the hallway Danny ducked into the nearest bathroom, slamming a cubicle door closed, and taking controlled breaths. Oh ancients why did he run? It's not like he even said anything out of the ordinary. His face flushed at the memory. The teen then buried his head in his elbows, taking shaky breaths to calm himself.
"Danny?"
Said teenager froze at the name, all of his battle instincts instantly shoving his thoughts away.
"Dude I know you're in here."
Danny sighed again, relaxing as he recognized the voice. "Not now Tuck. Kind of having a mental breakdown in here."
"I know, Randy texted. Didja wanna talk about it?"
"Um, not really."
The halfa could imagine the shrug the technogeek performed, "Do you want me to call Sam? Or Jazz?"
Danny shook his head, then vocalized the choice. "No. Tucker, this is the boy's bathroom."
"You know Sam wouldn't care about that right?"
The halfa chuckled, then closed his eyes, turning serious again. "Jazz hasn't been home in a few days."
"...Really? That's..." Tucker's voice got closer before rustling clothes indicated that he'd leaned against the wall outside the cubicle door. "Strange. Is that what you're worried about?"
Danny shook his head again. "Jazz is strong. I don't know where she is, but if she needs help she'll let me know. Somehow."
"Mhmm. Okay well that's checked off the list of 'materials for possible breakdown mentalities'."
The halfa opened his eyes, only to roll them.
"Is this about the trio?"
"No. Jake and Randy are fantastic friends. They're stable and reliable."
"Hmm. Um. What about..." Tucker's voice dropped as he got quieter. "Vlad?"
The anger that previously consumed Danny returned, "No! It's not about him! Why does everyone think that?"
"... Maybe because he's your arch-nemesis and you always snap when his name is mentioned?"
A growl escaped Danny as his anger showed through, "But it's not about Vlad!" The halfa immediately felt a bit guilty at yelling, knowing that Tuck wasn't meaning to aggravate him, but that didn't stop him from continuing, "At least, it's not all about him."
"We're trying to help you dude. But we can't do that if you don't say what's on your mind."
Danny stifled a sigh, "Yeah, I know. Just..."
As the halfa trailed off, he heard Tucker tapping away on his PDA.
"If you're calling Sam-"
All typing instantly ceased. "What? Me? Call Sam? Psh, naawww..."
Silence made its way into the bathroom, leaving the two boys to mull over their thoughts. FInally, Danny let out a heavy sigh and stood up, opening the cubicle door. "I think the world's going to end."
-Jake-
The dragon anxiously tapped his foot on the fake wood floor, creating a rhythm only he could understand. Arms crossed and brows furrowed it was clear that he had a lot on his mind. So much, in fact, that he didn't even dodge the stray rubber ball, the object smacking him in the face before he even had a chance. The teen yelped out, falling onto his butt with a rather surprised expression. It took him a moment, but his gaze traveled up, reaching the PE teacher's words.
"-ay? You should really pay attention! You were lucky it was a ball and not a spear!" The gangly Coach Green had rushed to the dragon's side, shielding Jake's form from the battlefield with his torso. An enthusiastic grin crossed his features. "Even if the spears don't have edges, they still hurt. Kinda like the difference between a bullet and a paintball shell."
"Oh, uh, yeah, my bad coach." Jake absently took the crazy teacher's hand, accepting the help to pull himself to his feet. He didn't think much of the PE teacher in his short while here, but he'd heard the rumors. Well, that and he was pretty sure Dodge Spear wasn't a normal gym game to play.
"Here, lemmie get you a hall pass-"
"Ah, no need, coach." Jake hastily waved off the offer. Even if it did sting he didn't really want to go to the nurses office over something so small.
"Nonsense Jake, you're bleeding. Here." Coach Green shuffled around his pockets, magically producing a hall pass on command. Jake could only assume that meant he handed them out often. Scary.
The dragon quietly lifted his hand to his nose noticing that he, indeed, was bleeding. When he glanced to the dodgeball field, however, no one seemed to pay this little detail any mind. It seemed like Coach Green was about as good at controlling his class as he was his sanity. WIth a frown Jake found himself grabbing the slip, suddenly abandoned as the PE teacher dashed towards the other side of the field, whistle half in his mouth as he watched the game with an intensity that rivaled Trixie's sarcasm.
Jake glanced between the paper and the gym, then back to the lamination once more. With a light shrug he made his way out the door and into the hallway. He habitually brought his phone out of his pocket at the buzz, scanning the text as a frown took over. It was from Randy. Something about Danny freaking out and retreating to a bathroom. He sent a reply text asking if he needed to go, quickly getting a response that Tucker had answered first. A worried feeling filled his gut at the thought, confident that Tucker had it covered, but still feeling an obligation to check on his ghostly friend. With a heavy sigh he shook his head, glancing to the floor above him.
"Guess I should go." He turned his attention to the nearest staircase, jogging to the object. With the efficient scaling, Jake found himself nearing the boy's bathroom, hesitating to a crawl as he questioned his need to intervene. What if it was just something small? With a frown he breathed "ear of the dragon!" before quietly leaning next to the entrance.
"...-ng to do with Vlad - not - ure what -"
The dragon's brows furrowed at the halfa's whisper, feeling a bit dirty as he listened in on his friend. He shook his head again. No, he was trying to get the tone of the situation. He wasn't spying. That was more Randy's gig anyways.
"Danny I'm sure you're freaking out about nothing."
"...I can't say th - as muc - fidence - ou."
The dragon deactivated his ears, deciding that enough was enough. With a deep breath the teen twisted the door's handle, tossing it open with a casual hand in his pocket and an eyebrow up. "Yo, what's this I hear about my favorite ghost kid panicking?"
Two sets of eyes, one blue and one brown, were wide at the entrance. Danny was half scrambled up the wall, frozen, as if he tried to stand while the door was opening and got caught. Seemed fully likely to Jake, Danny did have good reaction times after all. Tucker, also, seemed to be caught mid-action, one finger hovering over his PDA, dangerously close to the 'Sam' contact.
The halfa puffed out a sigh before melting back onto the floor, "Jake. Don't do that. Remember? Leave the spooking to the professional please." A light jab of his thumb towards his face indicated who he meant by that statement.
"Aw, but Danny, ya gotta let the Am Drag do some spooks too." He offered a half-grin, half-smirk at the words, taking a few more steps into the space. "But what's the deal here Dan, ya gave Randy a fright."
The halfa tensed at the nickname, but took a deep breath when Tucker placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm fine Jake, really." Danny turned his gaze back to the dragon, a lopsided smile on his face. "I bet it's nothing."
"Then why don't I believe you?" Jake quipped back, his face falling neutral. He crouched down into a squat. "Dude, you gotta tell us what's wrong. You, me, Randy? We're a team. Teams don't keep secrets. We got a name and everything yo."
Danny chuckled at that, exchanging a look with Tuck before taking a deep breath. "Okay fine, I'll tell you guys. But not here. Not now. After school. Let's meet up at Randy's. His parents are out tomorrow anyways if I remember correctly."
Jake searched Danny's eyes for a brief moment before relenting. "Better be. Fu's gettin' real cross about our portal hoppin'. Somethin' about peace and quiet." He straightened to his feet, "'sides, my 'I'm a dragon' card has a limited supply of plus ones." Jake nodded towards Tuck, "See ya after school then Danny."
With one final smile Jake turned around and left the bathroom, shutting the door with a soft click and a sigh. "That kid's more anxious than a nyx on a full moon." He softly shook his head, barely catching Tuck's whisper-shout voice followed by an exasperated Danny. That sobered the dragon up. His smile fell once more as he trudged back to the staircase. He'd seen genuine fear in the halfa's eyes the moment he walked into that room. Whatever had Danny scared had to be serious. Jake's never really seen true fear in Danny's eyes. Sure, they'd only known each other for a short time, but in each and every fight he could count on the halfa's stable bravery and level-headed calm. He even started to believe that nothing could truly rattle Danny.
Seems like he was wrong.
Hey hey everyone! The authors note that (hopefully) you've been waiting for :3c
First off, I'd like to say that I'm changing up the trio's ages! Danny's now 15 (almost 16) instead of 14, Randy is 15.5 instead of 14, and Jake is 14 instead of 13! It's not much of a difference, but it just puts Danny closer to end-of-season-3 age. I also set up birthdays for the kids but those are surprises :3c
It also sort of annoys me that the trio in this fic are all in the same area geographically. I personally see Amity Park in Illinois, Norrisville in Maryland, and NYC in... well, NY. SO! I'm changing it to verse canon that the above locations are the official spots for the characters' hometowns. What am I going to do about their combined school? Uh... Well, from now on, it's a student exchange program hosted in Norrisville by the three principals (all of whom are old friends). Their reasoning is for the students to see different ways of life. Principal Slimovitz was adamant that he host it, and the other two principals didn't see a reason not to. It's basically a big ol field trip! The trip, in canon, lasts about two and a half weeks (Chapter 30 is on day 14, a Monday). It's a bit of a cliche but I didn't want to write myself into a geological corner for this verse ^^;
DP has the biggest world changes for the three, so I'll run through what I've added real fast:
-Obsessions. Basically, every ghost has one, but it doesn't control the ghost unless they're "primal" (aka the blobs of the GZ) or they let it control them (aka Dan). Most ghosts can ignore their obsessions, and there can be repeats.
-Cores. There're 9 core types. Each have societal and built in behaviors, but like obsessions, they can be ignored. Many ghosts are unaware that their cores influence them. Each core is unique, and each gives a specific set of powers and general personality type.
-Lairs. Every ghost has one! We won't really be seeing Danny's in this fic, but let me know if you want to read it in a future fic and I'll try to add it!
-Ghost King requirements + powers. Pretty self-explanatory, and for the most part, just specifics on how the core interacts with the GZ. The Core is a sentient artifact, but it's shrouded in mystery. The Crown of Fire and the Ring of Rage are renamed to the Crown of Elements and the Ring of Emotion. Basically reflects the current King's ruling style.
If you want more explanations on any of the DP changes let me know! I've written 11 pages on this. I'm not obsessed what're you talking about.
Moving on, I haven't really changed much for Jake or Randy. I did make it so S1 of RC9GN is canon for this novel, but not S2 (aka Dark Jullian). At least, for now :3c
Side note: all of the character's personalities have been altered slightly, though hopefully not by much haha.
And, finally, a huge thing I've been working on for the last three years! (wow has it really been that long? huh...) *drum roll please*
This is a confirmed 5-part series.
Remember how I said I was thinking of a trilogy? Well, I went a little overboard lmao. I'm gonna try to show you my progress without spoiling anything for you, so we'll see how this goes! (Quietly cackles in the background about a possible 10 part series- if I want to die, anyways)
Novel 1: TNSST (the one you're currently on) | 34 chapters planned, 30/34 chapters complete, 30/34 published. (wowie we're almost done ;v; ) (number subject to change as I make the chapters longer)
Novel 2: HKP | 15 chapters planned, 0.75/15 written
Novel 3: MN | 15 chapters planned, 0.25/15 written (possible that I'll make a different plan for this one)
Novel 4: MDP | Either 20 or 22 planned (depends on how I want to end it haha), 7/20-22 written
Novel 5: TNSST#2 (Currently with the initials TTNRQ) | 17/30 planned, 0/30 written
Also though, guess what! I've put dates to the novels (based on the 2019 calendar since that's what year it was when I did the dates)! So now we know what season/month each story takes place uvu
TNSST (1): September 13th-30th HKP (2): January 24th - February 4th
MN/MDP (3/4): May 6th-21st TNSST2 (5): August
(Yes, #3 and #4 happen in parallel to each other heehee! They will be released as such when they're published.)
And, finally, I want to say that I'm planning to fully write the continuing novels before releasing them. That way I won't be making my lovely readers wait for three years for a chapter,,, aha,,,
(ngl tho I might just do the same thing I did here and release HKP the same way... we'll see how I feel after the first chapter's written)
Quick question: How would y'all feel about a Human!Nomicon appearance in the future? I mean, there are only two seasons and three blocks of time between stories. I also wanted to try and maybe slip some Wes shenanigans in here somewhere... Maybe some Fred Nerk... Hmm... (I do seriously want an answer to Human!Nomicon though so lemmie know if that's interesting. No guarantees but! I have an idea already lmao so... personally I'm very inclined to add it in!)
That's all for now! Thanks for staying with me y'all. I love each and every one of you so much.
