#And THAT'S my reasoning for why Jack and Maddie never admit they're wrong send tweet

[liminalhollow]

Ghost hunting was fun for them.

Back in college, they were ridiculed. "Ectology" was a childish, make-believe term. Something to be laughed at. Not to them. Even if other scientists stubbornly kept their minds closed, they would persevere. They were pioneers, explorers of the unknown. Their sense of wonder and curiosity was alive and well. If anything, being outcasts only gave them a stronger sense of purpose.

The day they got the portal working, their dreams became a reality. Ghosts were real. They had real proof. Real specimens. Right in front of their eyes, just waiting to be studied. They'd made a scientific breakthrough for the history books. Decades of hard work finally paid off. All those insults and slander finally proven wrong.

They gladly threw themselves further into their work. They spent days down in their lab, creating, designing, tinkering. Adapting to this new, fascinating, ghost-filled world. They made weapons. Methods of containment. Ghost trackers. Shields. Anything anyone would ever need to deal with any kind of ghost.

They went out and searched. Real ghost hunting. Armed with equipment made by none other than themselves. It was empowering, being on the frontlines, willingly seeking out danger while others ran in fear. And when they fought, they weren't scared, just exhilarated. It was an adventure. They were monster hunters. They were the ones who bravely rushed into battle and triumphed over evil. They felt like heroes.

And they were the best at what they did. The world's leading ghost experts. Builders of the world’s first ghost portal. It was their biggest source of pride. They were right all along. All that time being made fun of, and now they were so successful that they didn't have to answer to anyone. 

(Certainly not any naive, unscientific people who tried to tell them they were wrong about their field of study. Or how to do their job.)

Jack and Maddie Fenton loved their work. They loved their at-home lab and their hand-sewn jumpsuits and their self-designed Fentonworks logo. They loved feeling like they were living their childhood fantasies. They loved climbing into their car at night, armed with their newest ecto-guns, following a blip on their ghost radar, just the two of them. Every day was exciting. Every day they discovered something new. It was beautiful.

Ghost hunting wasn't just something they did, it was who they were.

.

.

.

And then one day, Danny reveals the truth.

Their entire world is crushed.

The science they were so proud of and confident in, became flimsy, fabricated theories. Silly, embarrassing fairy tales. Just like everyone always told them they were.

The inventions they lovingly crafted with their own hands, like a blacksmith crafting the sword that will slay the dragon, became cold and heartless instruments of violence. Often with their own son's terrified face at the other end of the barrel.

Their best invention, their pride and joy, their ghost portal, became the empty, dangerous killing machine responsible for the death of their child.

They didn't even notice he was dead.

They didn't notice a lot of things about him.

He knew more about ghosts than them, for one. Much more. He spat out facts about the mysterious, unseen ghost dimension as casually as he talked about his day at school. It made them feel ashamed to have ever claimed to be experts.

He was braver than them, for another. He was so brave it made their stomachs turn. He understood danger and pain and fear like they never have. And he never told a soul.

And maybe worst of all, he was kinder than them. He didn't chase ghosts just to chase ghosts. He wasn't looking for specimens or information. He didn't throw himself into battle for the glory of it. He simply did it because he cared about other people.

This whole ghost thing... It was no longer about them.

With one undeniable fact, they're slapped in the face with the brutal reality that they're not the heroes of this story.

Danny's reveal forces them to see the consequences of their actions.

Suddenly, this is bigger than them. Suddenly, they have to be careful. Suddenly, there's real burdens to carry and real dangers to face.

Suddenly, there's a messy, bloody first-aid kit hidden under their son's bed. There's nasty scars littering his body. There's a calculated fear in his eyes, that they now understand the source of.

Suddenly, there's responsibility involved.

And suddenly, it's not fun anymore.

#And THAT'S my reasoning for why Jack and Maddie never admit they're wrong send tweet #Danny Phantom #Jack and Maddie #my posts #An identity reveal is the one thing severe enough to stop Jack and Maddie's endless stubbornness in its tracks. #Hey does this count as a fic? Did I write a fic?? Am I an official fic writer now??? #Oh god I'm sharing my writing other people can see this what have I done.