Team Bonding, AMA

[the_civilian]

[ Tadashi is reclining in a bed in medical, wearing the beatific smile of the enlightened and the well and truly stoned. ]

I love biology. Well, no, I'm enthusiastic about biology, I don't love it. I love programming and engineering and my family and helping people. Not in that order. Maybe in that order in regards to science. Except programming and engineering are the tools I use to help people, but I do love them too.

[ He stares off into space for a moment, then shakes himself and focuses back on the camera again. ]

But, you know, the thing about biology that's so cool is that we don't understand it all the way. Sometimes biological interactions happen unexpectedly. Like, these painkillers. I don't have an example of them to show you; they're already in my system and the medical staff won't give me more of them because they make me really loopy. Which is cool, because it's not an allergic reaction or a result of a miscalculated dose, it's just a reaction that happens sometimes to some people. Which is cool! Even almost a thousand years in the future of an alternate universe -- which has seriously weird rules, oh my god you guys I wish I loved biology and philosophy and physics more so I could study how weird this place is, I could write so many papers -- people still don't really know how our bodies work and why they react to certain things the way they do. Reality is amazing and I am so happy it exists!

[ He beams at the camera, but his smile eventually fades into confusion. Then he gasps in apparent surprise. ]

Oh yeah! Anyway, I'm super bored right now and I can't concentrate enough to read anything longer than a few sentences. And I've kind of been focused on dealing with my own stuff and not lighting things on fire when I shouldn't to get to know people, so I was thinking I should get off my ass and do that. Metaphorically, not literally, because the medical staff has confined to this bed until I metabolize the painkillers.

I was thinking we could do a...thingy. That thing people sometimes-- AMA! Ask Me Anything, that thing! We could do that, but just for Legionnaires. Not that I don't love the staffers here, I do, but I was thinking it could be a team bonding thing and some people here are more private than others. But I'd need one of the scary computer ladies to lock it down for me, because I can't figure out how to do that right now.

[ His eyes widen suddenly. ]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean that like "scary computers who are women", that would be rude, I meant it like "scary women who are good with computers". Computer programming has a long history of ignoring the contributions of the women who are it's backbone, and we have a lot of women here who area really good at what they do and they deserve to be afforded all the respect due to them as people and as badasses. The patriarchy sucks like the vacuum abhorred by nature.

...I think this got away from me. What was I talking about?

Comments

[unrecovered]

Because it changes your role on the team. IF you have experience with and reliable control of your powers, you're treated differently than if you never had them before showing up here. You get different training, you're trusted with more, and you don't have to get frustrated at people talking to you like you've never done this before.

Plus, not knowing a team member's capabilities works against everyone on the team.

[ordinarily]

[ Oh. That... is an actual logical point, and that's not fair. ]

That's... w-well, I don't have powers, so it doesn't matter anyway.

[ Unfortunately, Danny's a stubborn idiot. ]

[unrecovered]

[Either Danny has social anxiety or he's a terrible liar. Either way, that was a stumble.]

Except that you do, because everyone here has powers. But I'd imagine you're used to delivering that same line back home.

[He is going to feel like such an ass if he's wrong about this.]

[ordinarily]

[ Aaaaaand that ticks him off. ]

Who the heck are you to tell me what I do back home?!

I don't go around asking you about your secrets!

[unrecovered]

[Well, that did it. It also says something that Danny considers it a secret at all, but he'll hold off on that one.]

That's because my secrets don't affect the team, and when they did, you'd better believe I got called out on them.

[ordinarily]

[ Danny was too annoyed to notice the slip-up. If anything, he just got angrier. ]

Okay so, what, did I do something wrong? Did I mess up somewhere? Or do you just like assuming stuff?

[unrecovered]

Like I said: you're the only one acting cagey about having powers, to the point where me bringing it up is evidently "asking about your secrets."

[Okay, so he didn't hold off on that one for very long.]

[ordinarily]

[ You know what? Fuck you, you don't even understand what it's like. ]

Maybe because, FOR ONCE, I don't have to worry about being the FREAK! YOU EVER THINK ABOUT THAT!?

[unrecovered]

[Aaaaaand there it is. Yikes.]

Not really, because super powers are pretty normal here and you don't ever bring it up.

Why? Do you think people here are going to treat you differently because you had powers back home?

[Well, there is that "your role on the team" bit he'd mentioned earlier, but that's not what either of them are talking about right now.]

[ordinarily]

Probably not, but you know what?

I've been wrong before.

[unrecovered]

[...who hurt you, Danny?]

You know, I'm pretty sure nobody's gone after Rich for having powers back home. Or Sam, or Robbie, or Barry, or anyone else who brought their powers with them.

And I know that if anyone tried, no one here would stand for it.

[You're safer here than you think.]

[ordinarily]

You know we have a guy in this team literally called "Ghostbuster", right?

Because guess what?

No one likes ghosts.

And my town takes that? And turns up up to eleven.

[unrecovered]

[He knows Danny has met Ray, and there's a conversation to be had there, but that's not where this one is going. This is Danny admitting he had to hide who - or what - he is to survive, and boy does that hit close to home.]

Did anyone at home know?

[ordinarily]

[ That's none of your business, is Danny's first instinct. Because he's still angry, and upset, and not thinking rationally. But he's slowly coming down, slowly realizing what's happening. And while he's still upset, there's also something else.

Fear. ]

... Sam and Tucker. That's it.

[ Also Jazz and Vlad, but those were extenuating circumstances. ]

[unrecovered]

[So not only does he have (presumably) ghost powers in a town that hates ghosts, but almost no one knows about it. Yikes.]

Do your parents have any idea, or do they just see...I don't know, Ghost Boy?

[It's a reach, sure, but a fairly informed one. Not everyone brings their powers from home, but a lot of people bring their hero names.]

[ordinarily]

[ Fuck it. ]

Danny Phantom.

[unrecovered]

Okay now that's a better name.

[He just can't help himself sometimes.]

Anyway. They're paranormal researchers and they don't know about you?

[ordinarily]

[ He scoffs. If he wasn't so upset, he'd laugh at the approval. Right now, he just gets a soft chuckle. ]

Oh, they know plenty about me.

They know they want to rip me apart 'molecule by molecule'. [ He says that part with an obvious exageration, as if he was mocking his dad. ] Or dissect me. One or the other. You know, whatever they feel like at the moment.

[ If this sounds fatalistic, it's because it is. ]

[unrecovered]

[Yikes. Hearing that from your own parents...Wash has been through some shit and he still can't imagine that.]

But they still haven't figured out that Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom are one and the s- oh my God.

[He hadn't realized how it sounded until he said it out loud. That is some river-in-Egypt level denial there.]

[Jesus.]

...point still stands.

[ordinarily]

Yeah, I get it, evil future self already made the joke, don't need to hear it again.

And no, they don't know. They don't know, because I don't tell them. Because they're ghost hunters. And I like keeping my molecules where they are.

The only reason Sam and Tucker even know is because they were there.

[unrecovered]

["Evil future self" is getting tucked away for another conversation, because there just isn't room to get into it now.]

You think they'd put your ghost powers over the fact that you're their son?

[It's an honest question - he doesn't know Danny's parents and can't make that judgment call.]

[ordinarily]

I think they put ghosts over everything, even common sense.

[ And really, that's the whammy. He loves his parents, but he's a little scared that they'll put their obsession with ghosts over their love for their son. It's a dumb thing to worry about, especially after he witnessed a reality where his identity was revealed to the entire world, and his parents supported him anyway, and even defended him from the government.

But fear wasn't rational. Paranoia wasn't rational. And at this point, he had nightmares about being strapped to a dissection table. ]

I'm not telling anyone. I don't care what you think, I like feeling almost normal. If you're disappointed in me, then fine, whatever, join the teacher's club. But if you tell anyone...

[unrecovered]

[That's...Jesus. Wash has no context outside of what Danny has provided, and Danny has painted a very specific picture of his parents with what he's said. If that's his home life, no wonder he's cagey about it.]

It's not my secret to tell.

[Sadly, it's also not that simple.]

One exception: if your secret puts anyone's life in danger, including yours, all bets are off.

[ordinarily]

Pretty sure that's not gonna happen, so sure, whatever.

[ Not that he can guarantee that, but that's part of why he's kept it completely hidden. Can't attract the usual trouble that way. ]

[unrecovered]

Given the sheer amount of bullshit we deal with on a weekly basis, I'm not ruling anything out.