I have a simple fascination and joy in the thought that, for the Ghost King AU, most of the time Danny is literally so normal compared to other ghosts.
Like, he’s a kid. He looks like a kid. Going by canon appearances, he is the most human looking ghost we see (aside from Ellie). Even Plasmius is more inhuman, which is where all the vampire jokes come from. Every single one of this enemies is off even in a human disguise. They’re not human, and people don’t expect them to be.
So aside from the implications of Danny looking like a child ghost, I wonder what other characters would think if they summon the Ghost King, expecting this huge monstrosity worse than anything they’ve ever seen, and getting a totally normal human-looking kid.
I’d be terrified. Because if horror movies have taught us anything, it’s that the most innocent and normal looking people are the worst monsters you’ve ever seen.
When Danny asked his mother how she felt having a half-ghost son, he didn’t like the way her expression froze, muscles twitching like a TV switching between static and picture, her eyes darkening for a split second before she said it felt wonderful, and he decided to never ask her again.
When her son asked Maddie how she felt having a half-ghost for a son, she didn’t like the way he had cast his eyes downwards and nervously shuffled his feet around. Her face had frozen and a stab of anguish and self-hatred had stabbed through her - her son didn’t trust that she’d always love him even if he was a half-ghost. She was a horrible mother. Quickly re-adjusting herself, Maddie gave him a sweet smile.
“It feels wonderful, honey.”
She hoped he would talk to her about things more often.
DP x DC AU where the entire JL thinks Danny a dead high school student tragically still haunting his school and pretending to live out the life he never had but he’s just a fucking teacher at Casper High
Reasons they think this:
Danny’s ghost form is permanently 14. Reasonable enough for them to think he’s a high schooler, considering he looks like a high schooler
His schedule operates around a standard school schedule (only free in the afternoons, weekends, and holidays)
Occasionally slips up and mentions “school” as a location (“back at school”, “i was by the school”)
He seems to have a lot of beef with high schoolers, like, as a concept (because he is a teacher. tell me high school teachers do not have beef with The Concept of High Schoolers)
Danny teaches science at Casper High, mostly ectobiology and other science classes. He absolutely loves his job except when he hates his job because he has to cancel class because one of his ghost buddies is tearing up city hall to get his attention or whatever. His identity is kind of an open secret in Amity where We Pretend We Don’t Know Mr. Fenton Is Phantom And He Doesn’t Give Us A Pop Quiz.
Danny CAN change his ghostly form. In Amity he shows up as an adult ghost but he had the Brilliant Idea to disguise his identity by appearing as a 14 year old to the JL, also to lean into the timelessness of his ghost form, because he’s been reported as a 14 year old for over a decade now.
Danny doesn’t know the JL thinks he’s haunting his old high school or something. This is because his a) lying and b) observation skills have not improved since he first died. He thinks he has them fully convinced he’s an immortal being from like, 1000 BC, a la Captain Marvel. He does not.
Superman is unconscious, and he's...kinda the only heavy hitter available for Danny to overshadow.
A threat to Earth has landed, kinda near Amity Park, and Superman...was slapped with Kryptonite.
The aliens came prepared.
Danny can't come out and do his thing, because the GIW (opportunistic rats that they are) are sniffing around the area for any sign of Phantom.
So.
He quietly overshadows Superman.
Immediately there's a cacophony of shouting in his ear as Danny gets a first row seat to the pure Panic and Chaos that is fighting off a random alien invasion.
Okay.
Alright.
The Comm is clearly for Superman to talk to the others of the team, given the massive migraine Danny can feel coming up just from borrowing this body. He also, completely against his will, now knew from experience just how far Superman's hearing reached.
It was pretty fucking far and he was hearing things he Did Not Want To.
Danny struggles to his feet as Superman and puts up a hand to the comm. There's no point in lying to Superman's teammates, after all.
Batman at least would figure out what's going on.
"Hey, first things first I'm not Superman. Second things second I'm here to help. I just can't be out about it, cuz of the law. Where do you need me?"
The comms fall silent.
"Is Superman alive?" Batman asks, voice all gravelly and really, how does the man talk like that all the time? Doesn't it hurt?
"Yeah, he's just unconscious; I'll head out when he wakes up."
Danny wracked his brain for what the superhero could do, but with everything very literally crashing down around him, he decided to just go the easy route. Flying up to catch up to the supes, he replied to the grim voice in his com. "Whatever Supes can do, I can do, for now, and more. Shriek, blasts, nevermelt ice, invisibility, intangiblity- wait, can Superman go invisible?"
"Focus uh-not Superman." Green Lantern chimed in.
"Call me Pha-Spectre. Spectre. That's safer on this com." He instinctively looked around for a GIW agent as if they'd somehow know he eas inside Superman. As Danny flew past falling debris toward the ship looming on the edge of the atmosphere, he couldn't help but giggle a bit at the strength being exhibited as he fought a few goons in a few throws.
"Just tell me where you need me."
"You said Intangiblity?" Danny nodded before realizing they wouldn't be able to hear that and agreed in the coms instead. "Good. Get onboard. Find the main server room. We need to dismantle the ship's computer to stop it from-" Danny interrupted the Bat.
"Why not just dismantle the ship?"
"Its a suicide mission. Their whole race is on this ship unwillingly. Families who want to go home in peace." Martian's voice was cool and calm, unaffected by the crackle of the coms. "I would be on the ship myself by now, but they came prepared for everything we've thrown at them, and I can't get in."
"Roger that." Danny flew through the ship's shield and walls undetected, searching for the server room. "Wait. Was that guy in my head!?"
A cacophony of voices shrieked in his ear to focus, and Danny flinched as he found the main computer room. Dropping a few bodies with his newfound superstrength, he contacted Batman for instructions as he sealed the door.
"Okay, computer room secure, what can I do?"
"Whatever you can to shut that computer down. You're the only one able to make it through the defenses, so shut those down first, and we should be able to help." Danny looked over the confusing alien computer interface as he listened to Batmans orders, and had an idea.
"I have no idea how to read this thing, soooo I'm going to drain the battery." Danny barely registered the "what" resonating from everyone's com before he put hands on the computer.
Something the halfa had learned over the year was that after the accident, he was very, very, prone to lightning strikes. In fact, any sort of circuit he was close to completing, he did, whether he wanted to or not. It was this talent, and nothing else, that came to mind when told to short out the computer. And so with hands on the weird alien screen, he started drawing in every ounce of electricity the ship had. Far off, he heard the cheers of Supermans teammates as they got through the shields. He kept going, tears forming in Supermans eyes. He knew the electricity was only being passed through the heroes body, and going straight into Dannys core. He was glad he was the only one to feel this pain, even if the man of steel was unconcious.
"Whatever you're doing, Dont Stop. We're almost to you." Danny couldn't waste the strength to reply, just trusting they would be able to handle things from here. That was until the power failure also opened all emergency doors. He couldn't help but cry out when enemies poured into the room firing at his back. He generated a temporary shield that pushed them all back but had to focus his energy on draining the ship. He thought he could handle both. He thought they'd make it in time.
He never stopped to consider the reason Superman had fallen out of the sky.
Searing pain like none other wrapped his body as one of the aliens fired off a shotgun shot of kryptonite into his back. The scream ripped out of him before he could stop himself.
He barely registered Batmans "hold on" as he used all his remaining strength, not Supermans, to hold onto the computer, drawing out more power. Danny hated the feeling of a current going through him. Coupling that with the pain and weakness he felt with kryptonite buried inside him was too much. He started seeing stars even though he was sure he was still inside the ship. Worse, he could tell Superman was waking up and starting to fight for control. Shit. He was so out of it at first that he didn't feel Batmans hand on his shoulder. When the dark knight pulled him away from the console, his hearing started to come back, the scream dying in Supermans raw throat. Danny fell to his knees trying to catch up with the supers' senses running wild.
"Please," he muttered under his breath, "I need to hold on a little longer. I need you safe big guy." Danny sighed as he felt Superman stop fighting and rest, before turning to a confused Batman.
"He's hurt. Shot, kryptonite, need it out now. I can't hold him much longer." Batman nodded and put his arm around his shoulder, helping carry the man of steel out as other supers flooded in, looking in a mix of wonder and horror at the glowing green eyes of not-quite-Superman. Danny wouldn't let go. Not until this throbbing, searing, draining pain was gone from the body he overshadowed.
---
An hour on the operating table. They carefully removed and disposed of the kryptonite. Danny had made himself intangible but visible to allow them to be able to carefully pull out the shrapnel along the path it made into the skin.
He did his best to stay silent, but he could tell heroes throughout the watchtower were growing more concerned with every unintentional whimper that slipped. At least the horrifying amount of things he could hear made it hard to focus on the pain. Heart rates getting faster in fear, tapping and pacing of nervous heros and whispers of what was really happening with Superman.
Danny was relieved when they finally decided the last of the kryptonite was removed, and he was able to pull himself in to release control to Superman. In fact, it was not near as cool as he'd hoped. After leaving his body and dropping the temperature of the room by about 30 degrees for a few seconds, he landed next to the operating table and showed himself. Only to immediately collapse.
Vision swimming, he was a bit confused as to why his head hadn't smacked clear onto the sterile floor. Looking up as much as he could, a loopy laugh spilled out of his mouth as he said hello to the Man of Steel himself, who had caught him just in time, before his vision went black.
Looking on from behind an observation screen, Batmans stomach churned as he realized the gut-wrenching scream they'd heard earlier, came from what looked to be a child no older than his Damien.