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elizabethemerald · 1 year

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DP/DC Week 2022: Mistaken Identity

AO3

Danny was tired. That wasn’t really anything new, but it still felt like just one burden too many. Danny was homeless. Danny was on the run from his parents and the GIW. Danny was desperately trying to heal from when his parents vivisected him. And on top of all that he was tired.

He hadn’t been able to really get consistent sleep since the accident. Late night ghost attacks were far too common in Amity Park for him to really get the sleep he needed. He thought for sure now that he was away from his home he would sleep better. Except Gotham was in many ways worse. There were explosions, gunshots and Rogue attacks at all hours of the night. There were the constant nightmares of feeling his parent’s hands inside his…

At least there weren’t any ghosts.

Except…

There were.

Quite a few ghosts followed him from Amity to Gotham. Cujo, of course, had tailed along, because Danny could only barely get the ghost dog to obey his orders at the best of times and they were still working on “Stay.” Ember had dropped by to check on him. “Just to make sure her ‘Babypop’ was Ok.” Even Clockwork, Fright Knight and a few of the Observants had dropped by to ensure the Ghost King was recovering a pace. For some reason, Boxy had followed him to Gotham, because “Where Phantom goes, boxes follow.” Danny couldn’t even begin to parse out that statement.

As if the Amity ghosts following Danny when he explicitly said he wanted to remain hidden wasn’t bad enough, apparently having the Ghost King in Gotham gave the local ghosts enough juice to cause even more problems if they wanted to. And Gotham had a lot of ghosts. A lot of people died with their emotions high, with things in their life left undone, or with a grudge to bear in this city.

Ghost attacks in Gotham suddenly went from zero to an all time high. If Danny didn’t get a handle on the situation soon Gotham’s daily ghost attack numbers would beat even peak Amity numbers. Danny couldn’t even do anything against the hordes of ghosts while he was healing. He had to simply watch over the city as his people caused problems for the living. Danny had even seen the Joker getting chased down the street by numerous Jokerized ghosts looking to tear him apart. He couldn’t have intervened even if he wanted to, not that he really wanted to get between the Clown, his numerous victims and their well deserved revenge.

With Danny still out of commission, while the scars on his chest healed and his organs finished regenerating, the ghosts of Gotham were left to the vigilantes of Gotham. The Bats were woefully unprepared for a sudden incursion of ghosts. Fortunately, Gotham itself, whatever ancient spirit of the city gave Gotham its perpetual gloomy and melancholy vibe, seemed to like the Flying-Fury-Brigade and the bats were safe from overshadowing and could disperse ghosts for a short time with their attacks. However, dispersing the ghosts for a few hours did nothing to stop the overwhelming number of ghosts currently in the city, and Danny knew the Spirit of Gotham wouldn’t be able to maintain that protection indefinitely without rest or assistance.

At least Danny had managed to find an abandoned Warehouse, far enough from the main centers of crime, where he felt he could actually rest for a few hours. He needed to rest. He was so tired and his body couldn’t repair itself, even with the ambient ectoplasm that now filled Gotham’s streets without rest. Except, apparently even this far off corner of the city couldn’t go undisturbed.

Just as Danny had managed to curl up under a stolen blanket in a corner office his rest was disturbed again by the sounds of crashes and thumps. Only, this time they were coming from far closer. Danny groaned as he dragged himself to his feet, his blanket, which was more hole than fabric at this point, wrapped around his shoulders like a cape.

Ancients, he hoped it wasn’t Box Ghost, even as he walked past stack after stack of long abandoned boxes and crates that filled this warehouse.

If his heart hadn’t already stopped long ago when he first stepped into the portal it would have stopped now. There standing in the warehouse he had chosen to hide in, was a large, broad shouldered man, with dark hair and a bright, orange, jumpsuit. Jack Fenton had found him.

* * *

Bruce was tired. That wasn’t really anything new, but this was almost to a whole new level. On top of running a multinational corporation, assisting with JLA missions, and protecting Gotham from his regular Rogues gallery, his city had some become infested with ghosts. Which were apparently real. And a real problem.

He had tried to reach out to Justice League Dark, but Constantine had taken one look around the streets of Gotham, declared them all “properly fucked,” then opened a portal to somewhere that stank of sulfur and promptly disappeared. Batman had taken a single moment to allow himself a long, world-weary sigh, before he got back to work.

If he wasn’t going to be able to get magical help with their problem, maybe technology would do. Barbara and Tim had spent hours trawling the internet, cracking bizarre morphing firewalls and verifying ludicrous claims before eventually finding the Fentonworks website. Barbara had sounded like she wanted to pull her hair out when she described the archaic design for the site, but the Doctor’s Fenton seemed to have weapons and tools that could be used to counter the ghostly threat.

For some reason, that none of Bats could determine, they were kept safe from the Ghosts that now inhabited Gotham. They had all felt the ghosts try to enter their bodies, yet they had all felt the ghosts get repelled by some unknown force. They had personally seen that no one else in Gotham seemed to share that same immunity, cops, goons, civilians and rogues alike had all been possessed and controlled by the ghosts, yet Batman and his family were safe.

That sort of unexplainable defense would never sit well with Batman. He needed something tangible, something he could see, touch and modify himself before he was happy. So when Oracle and Red Robin had managed to find Fentonworks he was all but ready to jump on the opportunity even if they turned out to be a hoax. Just as Wayne Tech had subsidized gas masks to counter Joker Gas and Fear Toxin, he would buy up the Fenton’s entire supply to keep his citizens safe.

Oracle digging deeper into the Fenton files stayed his hand. The Fentons apparently had a considerable amount of data and research on the Ghosts. Except even a cursory glance at their papers showed them to be wildly biased against what they termed “ecto-entities.” Even in their brief experience with ghosts each of the Bats could clearly see that they were thinking and feeling beings. They had some small success with talking ghosts down from attacks on civilians that showed them to be capable of rational thought and empathy.

Batman decided that the only safe option was to acquire some of the Fentonworks products secretly and see if they could be reconstructed by Wayne Tech. So Oracle had purchased a small number of items, a jumpsuit, the Fenton Peeler and a thermos? Robin had much to say about the inanity of their naming conventions and product designs. The order was shipped through a number of shell companies and across the country to ensure no one knew that Bruce Wayne was interested in Ghost hunting equipment.

The shipment had finally arrived, after a few delays and a few extra reroutes to throw off any trackers, in a warehouse far away from the crime centers of the city. Bruce would be able to sort through the supplies in safety, before handing them off to Tim to try and take apart or modify.

He found the protective jumpsuit to be too tight to be able to wear over his armor as Batman, so he shed the outer layers in order to wear the orange hazmat suit. The color really was horrifically bright. He couldn’t imagine any of his rogues, or any of his children for that matter seeing him something so bright. He was just about to reach for the Peeler when he heard a sharp breath from behind him.

Batman whirled, reaching automatically for a utility belt that wasn’t there, to find a child behind him. The boy couldn’t be older than Tim, maybe 16 at most, with dark hair and blue eyes. Eyes that were wide with panic and fear. If he had been wearing his cowl he could understand why the child seemed to be so afraid of him, but he was merely wearing the orange jumpsuit.

The boy immediately started sobbing, terrified tears rushing down his face, as he stumbled backwards, tripping over a ratty blanket as he went. He fell hard and Batman swore he heard something pop over the sound of the boy’s tears. He took a step forward in concern and the boy immediately threw himself further back, cowering with his arms crossed over his head to ward off any blows.

“Please dad! It’s me. It’s Danny! Please, I’m alive, Dad, I’m alive.” Bruce was thrown by the boy, no, Danny’s words. “Dad, please don’t hurt me, I’m alive, I’m Danny, please dad, please.”

Bruce reached for him, but Danny cringed away from his hand. In that moment he could see Danny squinting at him past tear-filled and tired eyes. His terrified eyes were only focusing on the orange of the suit. Bruce leaned back and zipped the suit down and pulled it off his shoulders as fast as he could.

“Danny, I’m not going to hurt you.” Bruce called softly, trying to keep his voice calm and comforting like he had used with his own sons. “You’re safe, Danny. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Danny looked up at him, past his own tears.

“You promise? Dad, you promise?”

“Of course, Danny. I promise. You’re safe.”

Suddenly, Bruce’s arms were full of sobbing teenager as the boy flung himself at him. Bruce immediately held him tightly, one hand going to his hair as he held Danny tight to his chest. He could only barely contain his own grief at the fear Danny had been experiencing.

After several minutes of crying Danny started to pull back away from him.

“Dad, I was so scared, I-” He wiped his eyes as he looked at Bruce. Then wiped them again. Then his eyes widened in renewed fear that Bruce hurried to try and alleviate.

“I’m sorry, I’m not your father.” Bruce kept his voice gentle. “But I meant my promise. You’re safe, Danny. I’ll protect you.”

Danny started to shy away, but winced and a hand went to his chest. Bruce’s eyes widened as blood spots appeared on his shirt. Bruce grabbed him immediately and held him close as he stood.

“We need to get you to a hos-”

“No hospitals.” Danny whispered. “They’ll kill me if they find me.”

Bruce ground his teeth. This child who was injured, clearly exhausted and scared out of his mind was afraid to go to a hospital. He nodded then pulled his cowl over his head one handed as he carried Danny to the Batmobile. The Batcave was the best place for Danny to get medical care and the Batmobile was the fastest way to get there.

“Oracle, I have an injured child.” Batman growled into his coms as he buckled Danny into the passenger seat. “Clear a route to the Cave and inform Agent A and Dr. T that they have a patient incoming.”

“Understood Batman.” Oracle’s voice came through his ear piece.

Batman studiously ignored his other children asking if he was bringing them another sibling. Just because he was already filling out the mental adoption papers for the traumatized teen, didn’t mean he had to dignify them with a response. In the passenger seat, Danny eventually gave into the exhaustion from the day and fell asleep as the Batmobile roared toward the Batcave, and his future home.

TAGS: @starkcravingmad, @blacksea21090, @rainybyday

#Danny Phantom #batman #dp x dc #dp/dc week 2022 #mistaken identity #let me know what you think #and please reblog!

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lexosaurus · 1 year

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Lexx pray tell what is Phantom Phight Club?

OHOHOHO

I'm so glad you came to me. Let me take you on a little story of our Phandom History.

So the tl;dr is that it's a Danny Phantom shitposting tournament. There are 64 entrants who go head to head over 6 rounds. It's a stereotypical tournament style, so head to head rounds until there is just one final Phight Club Champion.

The history of this epic tournament is that in 2018, @ectopusses and @raycr0ak (formally rayhoosier) challenged me to an epic phight behind the Denny's. We trash talked for a while before @dannyphandump (aka Tali) started a Betting Booth on me vs ectopusses, which was then coined as an official phight.

After the idea gained popularity, Tali made a post to see if people wanted to set up a genuine, Hunger Games style shitpost tournament. @catalystofthesoul then set up how the tournament would work, and Tali and Vic (@babypop-phantom) then worked to bring it all together for January 2019.

2019 came with the FIRST Phight Club. @reallydumbdannyphantomaus won, @heyheyitsstillgay came in second, and I came in third.

Here are some amazing examples of the hilarity to come out of this event.

An incredible Danny outfit change by @heyheyitsstillgay

A Conlang Ghost Speak I made in one day

Danny reveals himself via snapchat by @punkhalfghosts

Danny cooks an egg by @reallydumbdannyphantomaus

2020 came next, and it was another slam dunk year. @ecto-american won, @auroraphantasma came in second, and @grimgrinningghoul came in third.

2020 also had some fantastic content:

A Clockwork Animation by @auroraphantasma

This Fenton Washer/Dryer Infomercial by @half-dead-half-wit

The time Danny convinced everyone he was being kinned by @grimgrinningghoul

When Vlad revealed himself by becoming Butch Hartman by @lumanae

So then 2021 came, and unfortunately both Tali and Vic needed a break. The events were always massive and involved essentially two full months of festivities, including art making, ghostsonas, oneshots showcasing epic battles, fake jobs and fake workdays, and more. Then 2022 came and went with no phight club even mentioned.

At this point, many of us just assumed that Phight Club was a thing of the past. A fun little thing we participated in for a few years that had stayed in that era of the phandom along with the famous Apocalypses and other meme-y events.

Well that was, until Last Night where Vic mysteriously posted this ominous flickering Denny's sign, the first peep this blog has had in the past few years.

Then shortly after, they changed their header to say this.

So is a Phight Club 2023 in the works?

Are we going to get an epic reunion?

Well, let's find out.

#danny phantom #phandom phight club #dp history #remind me to update the calendar tomorrow #im going to bed lol #thank u tali for all the cited links #literally would have spent hours digging that up if not for u #phandom history #quality content

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im-totally-not-an-alien-2 · 2 years

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Hi hi hi ballet dancer Danny. Yeah this is a very loose connection but the idea of him performing at some fancy like. Grand opening of a theater or something and the Wayne family is expected to watch tickles me to no end. Just. Every single one of the birdies fall in love right then and there. Bright blue heart eyes on all of them.

Then there's Phantom (I would come up with a play off a ballet but despite being a ballet dancer, I don't actually know many ballets) who pretty obviously has the movements of a professionally trained dancer. Doesn't even have to be only ballet. Mix some contemporary or modern in there. Some contortion and gymnastics? Got yourself an elegant and flexible mfer right there.

Also hi yes hello I am the babypop in gotham person. I made a side blog for it! Its limbless-ghosts and I've got all my sketches n stuff for it on there

I love this. Did you know that some combat experts actually recommend learning some form of dance style before learning how to fight? It builds up muscle and teaches you posture and how to control your body better so there's less chance of injury.

Anyway, I love the idea that all the batkids just fall for the same person on sight. Can you imaging the bickering? The fights? Them racing off to flirt with the pretty ballet guy every chance they get. Lol, Danny freaking out and calling his friends saying the batclan keep finding him and he thinks they're onto him being Phantom.

Danny also quickly discovers their identities because of this, a fact none of them know about and one he intends to keep secret.

#the alien answers #long post #i knew it was you #everytime i read one of your usernames i think of a cartoon person with thier limbs falling off #in a funny way #but its rather jarring the first few times

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sassysadisticsarcasms · 1 year

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DP Head canon/Prompt #1

In the show, ghosts are portrayed as beings made out of a substance colloquially known as ‘ectoplasm’. With the rumble-tumble half-assed science we’re given in the actually show, this is left relatively unexplored. We know, colloquially, that that ghosts have certain ‘cores’ that are essentially center of their being and have some determination factor in the abilities presented per ghost.

Not a bad foundation, so of course I had to add something to it.

What if, in typical circumstances, ghosts can take several years to fully form. Take Vlad for instance, it is referenced multiple times in the show that he took a decade to finally roll over into the halfa life. For a moment consider enzymes. Enzymes, as catalysts, work by lowering the activation energy needed for a reaction in certain circumstances.

Living people would act as the substrate (what the enzyme catalyzes for the non-science peeps), and ectoplasm would act as the enzyme. The less ectoplasm, the less likely, weaker, and slower a ghost is to form. The more ectoplasm, the more likely, stronger, and faster a ghost is to form.

Of course, this is ignoring the cause of death and emotions during the occurrence of said death, but hey, I’ll save that for a different head canon.

Basically, the thought I had was that when death occurs and all the right circumstances have been met, that is when a ghost core forms. The core will default into a state of intangibility and invisibility, and follow the unseen ley lines of liminal space back to the Ghost Zone. Form there, the core would spend years just kind of vibing, absorbing the ambient ectoplasm of the zone until it reaches some predetermined threshold.

(Halfa’s, since there liminal, rely on the ambient ectoplasm of liminal space during their formation)

Thus Danny’s formation would be kind of confusing for everyone. I have this idea in mind that most ghosts would view the zone as some sort of mother goddess or unfathomable being deserving of the utmost respect.

Like it’s standard practice to appreciate the realm for basically treating ghost cores like the first born child of new parents who have gone to all the parenting classes and read all the ‘how to not kill your child in the first ten years’ books. Heck, even Pariah had lines he didn’t cross when it came to disrespecting the zone.

Compared to Danny who basically had so much ectoplasm blasted at him in such a short period of time he instantly became a ghost.

(Think less of the panicked, loving care of a new parent, and more so one of those ‘I just thought I was fat till this baby slipped out of me.)

Consider Phantom to just be a really, really premature baby ghost.

I think this would be a really fun way to explain why Danny has such trouble with his ghost powers at first. Like how a lot of premature babies have trouble with lung development, his core had a harder time stabilizing and meeting the threshold for how much ectoplasm he needed.

I think this could also explain why Danny has a lack of knowledge in most things ghost related. While all the other ghosts where safe in the zone being spoon fed knowledge by an eldritch goddess, Danny just kind of existed and was then expected to adapt to violence being his only interaction with other ghosts.

I just feel like this would set up such great interactions with other DP characters.

Like maybe one day Ember floats up to Phantom and is like, “Hey babypop! You coming to the Summer Solstice Festival in the zone tomorrow? I’m playing.”

And Danny just looks up from where he’d just punted Skulker into the ground with distrustful eyes and stiff posture. He’s just kind of confused by the random invitation and more than a little wary. If this festival is anything like Ember’s last festival, well... he wasn’t sure he wanted to attend. Naturally, Danny’s curiosity would take over and he’d question Ember with a stupid one liner.

Ember, of course, would be like ‘oh haha, what’s the SSF you’re so funny’ and then she’d realize Danny wasn’t kidding. Obviously, she would be shocked because Ember’s was fairly sure ghosts new about the festival whether they wanted to or not.

“Jeez, Babypop, you really are a baby.”

“Am not! I’m nearly fifteen!”

“Not what I meant, dipstick. When did you become a ghost?”

“Almost a year now, why?”

“She means when did your core form, welp.”

“A year ago. What do you want?”

It is then that both Skulker and Ember realize they’ve been fighting a literal fetus.

#ghost zone #Danny Phantom #dp prompt #dp headcanons #baby phantom #ghost cores #danny fenton #ember #skulker #danny is fetus by ghost standards #sentient ghost zone

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jackdaw-and-hattrick · 1 year

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Slipping

Ao3

Damien was not proud to say that, when he first heard the noise, he had been baffled at what it could be. It was beautiful, strung together and structured with all the planned grace of his favorite sword. It was not until the women started singing that he realized that what he had been listening to was music. Sure, he understood in theory what music was, had been taught the word and understood the basic principles that governed it, but he was an assassin. There was no reason for him to need music, and so like all superfluous things Damien had simply never been exposed to it. Nor had he ever sought it out. Still, he found himself being drawn forward

Before him was a stage much like those he’d seen in photos of old theater houses, the bright overhead lights casting a down in strange colors with no name. At the center of the stage was a woman. She wore odd clothing resembling a superhero costume, though without any identifiable armor, and her face was painted with swirls of black that differed from any makeup he’d ever seen. She had the look of anyone of this realm. Her skin was mottled and hair burned a phosphorus blue, eyes glowing like the Lazarus pits. Damien did not recognize the instrument in her hands, but the sound it made was… enchanting. From his place in the empty audience, Damien found himself swaying ever so slightly.

“Little boy

Why are you here?

So far from the world you hold dear

Oh kid

Quite your spying

Don’t you know you are dying?

Does your mother know

You’re playing with ghosts?

Does your father see

Your liminality?”

“So you finally got a new song?”

A soft hand hand lands on his shoulder and Damien starts. He doesn’t remember the last time someone snuck up on him like that. He looks at the person who so rudely interrupted the performance. Phantom stares at the woman on the stage with something resembling anger.

“What? You like it Babypop?”

“That’s KING Babypop to you, Ember.”

The woman, Ember, laughs. Phantom’s grip tightens and Damien hears a low growl radiating from his chest. He glances down, the worry radiating from him like heat from the noon day sun.

“Hey,” Phantom says, “you wandered off. Everything good?”

Damien stiffens; it suddenly occurred to him he may in fact have done something wrong by leaving on his own without any sort of warning to follow the ephemeral melody.

“Yes. I was merely listening to the music. She is very good, I’ve never heard anything so lovely.”

“Don’t tell her that, she’ll never let me hear the end of it.” Phantom grinned. He glanced back to Ember, clearly calculating what to say next. “Do you want to keep listening?”

Damien nodded mutely. Ember took this as her cue to begin playing again. Phantom took him by the hands and began guiding him closer to the stage.

“Do you know how to dance?”

“No”

“Would you like to learn?”

“I can’t see what possible purpose it could have.”

“Absolutely none.” He said, pulling Damien around so that they where face to face, “here, stand on my feet”

“Will that not hurt?”

“I’m a lot sturdier than I look.”

Damien followed his instructions and Phantom guided him through the basic steps of what he would later learn was called a waltz. They stayed like that, stepping and spinning to the melody for the better part of the day. Occasionally Ember would switch up the tempo, and Phantom would have to show him new steps, until finally he stepped back and began dancing on his own.

“Come on,” he encouraged, “Don’t worry about the form, just follow the melody, same as before.”

“I am not yet ready.”

Phantom smile, a sort of boundless sorrow hidden just beneath the surface.

“No one ever is.”

…………………………..…………………………..………………

To say Dick Greyson was nervous would be the understatement of the century. If asked why, Dick would probably be hard pressed to explain why the thought of meeting his second brother’s new partner was as absolutely nerve wracking as it was, although he was fairly sure it had something to do with the fact B seemed to be dead set on treating this as an interrogation. Not even the standard well meaning but ultimately misled, “explain everything about yourself and if I get so much as a hint you’re not good for him they’ll never find the body”, type interrogation. No, an actual, criminal interrogation. To be fair, given he was dating Jayling, the odds were Danny was involved in at least some sort of criminal activity, but that was to be expected. Probably not a great way of thinking for a cop, but so long as he kept out of Bludhaven; not his monkeys, not his circus.

Really, it wasn’t that Dick didn’t understand why B was acting this way. Danny was, after all, an unknown, something Dick knew his adopted father couldn’t abide in much the same way he couldn’t abide sunlight and injustice. If they could just find something, anything that told them this guy had a life prior to coming to Gotham than maybe he would feel less like a threat. As it was, even Dick had to admit he was antsy. Still, he had to respect the skill with which Danny had so far avoided their questions. He could see what Little wing saw in this guy.

That was it really. Jay bird saw something in this guy and for all his anxiety and suspicion, Dick still respected that. If anything, this proved to make him more nervous. Jas was flighty. Getting him to agree to do anything with the family was an uphill battle of mammoth proportions generally only achieved by the likes of Alfred, but he had agreed to bring Danny to dinner so they could meet him. Moreover, he had agreed to come to the manor specifically. Dick couldn’t remember the last time he’d come here without actively bleeding out. Dick wasn’t so self centered to think Jayjay was coming back just for little old him. This was because they had been harassing Danny and he wanted it to stop. Of course, if it had just been that they would have just met on a rooftop, so Jay must honestly want Danny to meet his family and see his childhood home, and wasn’t that terrifying. It felt as if Dick were walking on egg shells, knowing a single wrong step could be the end of whatever faith he had put in them.

There was another, deeper fear that they would, somehow, scare Danny away entirely. They weren’t exactly the easiest people to deal with, long term. Jas deserved people; to feel loved and wanted in a way he understood and reciprocated. He would never forgive them if they took that away from them. Moreover, Dick would never forgive himself. It boiled his blood that B was willing to put all of that at risk to calm his fears.

This is why, when the knock finally came, Dick found himself quite literally tripping over himself trying to get to the door. Luckily, his training kept him from landing all that hard, and with a quick forward motion he rolled himself back to his feet. By this time Alfie had, of course somehow beaten him to the door despite definitely being in the kitchen mere moments ago. There in the door frame, standing next to his wonderful baby bird, who looked about ready to punch someone, was the man Dick knew must be Danny. It occurred to him suddenly that he had never seen him up close before, given that all cameras seemed to be unable to get a good image of him. Besides his obvious adoption bait traits (Dick was probably going to have to have a TALK with B later), he looked… well… he looked odd, but not in a way that immediately made sense. He was thin, sure, upsettingly so and it took all the self control bestowed by his Robin training not to pick him up and take him straight to the dining room, but his skeletal frame wasn’t it, not exactly. There was something to him, to the sharpness of his teeth when he smiled, the fluid bend of his limbs and neck as if unimpeded by joints or bones, the absolute depth of his eyes and the silence of his steps that seemed terribly wrong and absolutely familiar. He reminded him of Dami.

See, Dick Greyson was a lot of things; an acrobat; ex-boy wonder, current detective-extraordinaire; eldest daughter syndrome poster boy; and easily the hottest Wayne; but for all his acting, he was not an idiot. He may not be a genius on the level of, say, Tim, and he still didn't get how Cass did her whole “definitely not mind-reading” bit, but he had experience. He was bright in his own right, and he knew his family, maybe better than they knew themselves. When Dami first came to the manor, back when they were strangers and his threats meant something, he’d been… feral. Dams was still feral, but he’d improved; he’d become more human, less… whatever else he was that led him to hiss and bite and scratch with claws too sharp to be human. Whatever made the air around him so oppressive when he was angry or frightened. At first, Dick had assumed he was a meta of some kind, but a quick genetic panel (and what a thought that the idea of running and reading a genetic analysis had become so straightforward he could probably do it in his sleep) had shown that, besides the honesty concerning levels of Lazarus water in his system, there was nothing which he could see that would make him anything but a standard human. He’d asked Dami before, but he’d only said he was “the son of Batman and heir of Al Ghul, of course his steps were silent and his movements fluid,” completely ignoring the rest of his concerns. Dick hadn’t pushed. It wasn’t his place. As long as he was safe and happy, Dami could keep whatever weird-kid secrets he pleased. Then Danny hugged him, and Dick wondered if maybe this was his concern after all.

The dining room they moved into was not the private one usually used for these dinners but the great one reserved for parties. Dick rolled his eyes. Of course, B would insist on this room. Intimidation was key, apparently. Dick wondered when precisely the others were planning on arriving. Being late was not unusual in this family, much to Alfred’s eternal displeasure, but keeping Jayling and B from going for each other’s throats was becoming increasingly difficult. Having more people wouldn’t necessarily help, but it would spread out the attention. Dick wished B would kindly take a hint and back off. He didn't like something in the way Danny and Jay were acting. It felt too familiar. Too much like the way he acted when trying to keep his siblings from learning something he knew would inevitably hurt them; the dodging, misdirecting, and a look of absolute fear he had suppressed almost every day for the last ten-odd years. They knew something, and whatever it was, Dick was willing to bet his last box of cereal it was about Dami. So when he asked how exactly Jas and Danny had met, it had less to do with his own genuine curiosity and more to do with changing the subject right now.

“Ancients,” Danny started, “I’m pretty sure the first time we met was… the auto shop?”

…………………………..…………………………..………………

It was pitch black out when Jason arrived at the shop. He’d heard about it in the usual way, words whispered in dark corners amongst people with downturned eyes and who spoke in quiet voices. The building itself was unassuming, located at the very edge of Crime Alley where the city began to fall away. The worn bricks were painted with graffiti; strange and winding shapes of no recognizable language or culture. Jason couldn't help but feel that if he just stared long enough, he could read the messages left there facing the street. There was a neon green sign above the door. It read,

“ Vehicles, appliances, and more!

You break it, I can fix it!”

Something about the color reminded him unavoidably of a certain toxic pit. Jason did his best to shake that off. He needed to be here. See, the word on the street was that the sign didn’t pull any punches, that the Mechanic, as he’d come to be known, really could fix anything you could break, be it mechanical, medical, mental, or even spiritual. His next-door neighbor, Synthia, claimed he’d helped her with her “ghost problem,” fixed her stove, and saved her house plants to boot. The man on the corner selling samosas said he’d ended his nightmares, which he’d had every night for the past thirty years. One lady even claimed he cured her cancer. All of the stories had two things in common. One, there was a young man they called the Mechanic with dark hair and blue eyes. In Gotham, that wasn't exactly much to go off of, given the city’s disproportionate number of people fitting that description. The second bit was more interesting. People said that the Mechanic used a kind of barter system. You could pay cash for most things, but if you either couldn't afford it or the service was particularly unusual, he’d ask for other things. Favors, mostly, sometimes stories or promises. Even trinkets, if that was all you could afford. The general consensus seemed to be that he preferred things with strong emotional connections. Folks seemed split on whether this guy was an angel or the devil.

Even the building itself was suspicious. For all the wear and tear apparent, he had it on good authority it hadn’t existed until about three months ago. There was no paperwork for the lot, no signs of an owner, and no records for the business itself. Hell, the place didn't even show up on Google Maps. The whole deal screamed illegality. So, a building that didn’t exist, a business with no name, and an owner who was apparently a miracle man. It had been a pain in the ass to find the place. Jason didn't know how he had gotten lost in this town where he’d lived almost all of his life.

There were no hours on the door, but when he turned the knob he found it unlocked. The door creaked loudly.

“Huh, guess he can’t fix everything after all.”

“Maybe I just like it that way.”

Jason started. Maybe he was getting rusty because he had been absolutely sure the room was empty. That or the man in front of him could just walk more quietly than any Bat besides maybe Cass. He certainly fit the description of the Mechanic, however vague it may be. Messy black hair, silver-blue moon eyes. He was... Beautiful. Etherial. He looked like the kind of guy people wrote poems about. When he walked, he moved with the grace of a dancer. He didn't look like a mechanic, but his skin and clothes were stained with motor oil.

“Long time no see,” the man smiled.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?”

“Guess not,” he said. His voice was comforting, like the sound of old cartoons playing in the next room on a rainy day. The guy could make a killing as an ASMR YouTuber. “What can I do for you?”

“I,” Jason knew his story, but part of him was struggling with the feeling that he was betraying an old friend, “I wreaked my bike.”

“Ok, I can fix that.”

“What’s your price?”

“For you? Hmm...” He tapped his chin with a long clawlike nail. Jason couldn’t imagine how he kept his nails so long while working with machines. “How ‘bout... Lunch.”

“Lunch?”

“I don't have to stay around or anything, just drop off some food when you come back for your bike and we’ll call it even.”

“You realize we’re talking about a good $750 repair job at least, right? We’re not just talking about an oil change.”

“I know.”

“Why?”

“I live in Crime Alley, pretty sure that means I already owe you my life.” the man’s grin widened, his eyes sparkling, “Or well, whatever it is I’m doing”

Jason snorted.

“Trust me, you don’t owe me shit.”

“Don't I get a say in that?”

“Alright, fine, be indebted if you want. Free bike repair for me. What do you want to eat?”

“As long as it’s dead by the time it gets here, I couldn't care less.”

“That’ll make two of us.”

“Three.”

The man’s eyes flashed a familiar green, and Jason braced himself for an attack but none came. Looking at him, Jason saw none of the anger he associated with that color. If anything, he looked... Sad.

“Who are you?”

“The name’s Phantom, but most folks here know me as Danny Nightengale.”

“What? Your real name say a bad word?”

“Guess you could say that.”

Jason left after that, but he came back the next day. He brought empanadas, which they ate together on the sidewalk just outside. The work on the bike was a masterpiece, especially given the time it took. Jason came back again later. And again. And again.

“My fridge’s busted and won't stop making ice.”

“There’s a mole in my gang and I’m not sure who it is.”

“My helmet broke.”

“I got shot.”

“My head hurts.”

“My heart hurts.”

His reply was always the same.

“Ok, I can fix that.”

The next time Jason came to the shop (he still didn't know the name) it was sunset, he was covered in blood, both his and not, and all he could see was green. Tear tracks cut through the red. He threw his helmet to the wayside where it sent a precarious stack of papers flying.

“Hey, Hood. Long time no see.”

Danny looked how he always did. If he noticed the blood, he didn’t show it.

“What can I do for you?”

“Please,” Jason begged, “It’s the Pits, I...”

He fell to his knees, body shaking from the force of silent sobs.

“...I just want to be ok.”

Danny dropped down next to him, cupped his face so gently as if he might just break, and did his best to wipe away his tears, with the corner of his sleeve. Jason cried harder. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone has held him so carfully. Had they ever?

“Ok”

Then Danny plunged his hand into Jason’s chest. He froze, the cold sensation of clawed hands grasping at his very soul shocking him to his core. It was unlike anything he’d felt before, and as quickly as it started it was over. Danny pulled back. Grasped in his hands was a writhing black mass, like earthworms fat from eating their kin. Then he opened his mouth, much wider than any human ever could, and Jason watched in horror as he ate it whole and struggling. Then Danny cupped his hands together, a strange green liquid that looked horribly like the Lazarus Pits, if a bit brighter and not bubbling angrily the way they should, filling them. He plunged his hands and the liquid back into Jason’s chest, though this time he could only feel a vague tingling chill.

“What the Hell?”

Jason wasn’t sure how else to react to what he had just seen.

“This,” Danny said, indicating with a nod to his hands, still very much in Jason’s chest cavity, “is pure ectoplasm. It should help clear out the last of the corruption. Think of it like dialysis; I clear out the bad stuff and replace it with something clean.”

“What corruption?”

“The corrupted ectoplasm in your system? I’m pretty sure that was clouding your head and messing with your emotions.”

“You... Got rid of the Pits. You... Ate them.”

Jason wasn’t sure how to process this.

“I guess? A rose by any name and all that.”

He withdrew his hands. Suddenly Jason felt very empty. Emotionally, he was drained, and he was pretty sure he was still in shock from what had just happened, but more than that, Jason’s head was uncharacteristically quiet. There was no rush of blood, no bubbling murmur corrupting his thoughts, no green tinting the corners of his vision. It was just... Him. A cool rag touched his face. At some point, Danny must have stood up and gotten a damp washcloth to clean the blood. When had that happened? Golden sunlight streamed in from the glass door, casting soft shadows and making a moon of Danny’s face, his pale skin glowing in the reflection of the setting sun.

“Who are you?”

“Danny Phantom, remember? You know me.”

“No,” Jason paused, “I mean, what are you?”

“What are you?”

Jason wasn’t sure how to answer that. A dead kid with daddy issues and a gun fixation? A ghost of Robins’ past? A zombie? A fucking mess? Suddenly, a blinding light haloed Danny, spreading from his middle and passing over him. When his vision finally cleared, he saw Danny, greyed skin and vibrant green eyes haloed by glowing white hair which floated as if unbound by gravity. He looked like an angel. Something untouchably beautiful and impossibly holy. He smiled, and his teeth were as long and sharp as a deep sea predator.

“I’m a halfa.”

“What does that even mean?”

“Honestly? Not much. It's sorta a slang term for someone who's both alive and dead.”

“How does that work?”

“Well sometimes I’ve got one foot in the grave, and sometimes I’ve got the other foot outta it.”

“Is that what I am?”

“Not quite. As far as I can tell, you’re a revenant.”

“And here I thought I was just a plain old zombie.”

“Oh trust me, if you were a zombie, you’d know.”

“How do you know all of this?”

“It's kinda my job.”

“I wasn’t aware a working knowledge of the undead was a requirement for mechanics.”

“What can I say? I’m just good at what I do.”

“Speaking of which,” Jason said, “any idea what I owe you for literally giving me back my sanity?”

“Ancients... I don’t know.”

“I’ve got an idea... How about...”

They both paused, Danny halting what he was doing to listen to what Jason had to say, the rag in his hand now thoroughly saturated with blood, harsh red against snow white. Jason wasn’t sure what it said about him that he found the sight of his blood on his hands so attractive, but damn. Before he had time to think about it, Jason peeled his sweat-soaked leather gloves from his fingers and took those ivory hands in his. God, they were cold. It was like holding ice. If he kissed him, would his lips freeze to his skin? Would they ever come apart, or would they stay connected forever? Jason was starting to suspect he might be a little hysterical from shock and exhaustion.

“My heart.”

“...What?”

“You gave me my head, let me give you my heart.”

Danny opened and shut his mouth, gaping like a fish seemingly at a loss for words.

“You don't have to do that.”

“No,” Jason said, “no I don't. Hell, the truth is I’m ripping you off if you accept, ‘cause I’d just be paying you something that's already yours.”

“Ok,” Danny nodded.

“Deal?”

“Yeah, deal.”

It wasn’t clear who moved first, but the two met in a kiss. Sharp teeth knicked Jason’s lips, soothed by cool saliva. Danny’s hands, so frail looking, gripped his wrists as unyielding as iron cord. Overhead, the electric light flared, popped, and burned out. The sun had long since set, and the only light was Danny’s otherworldly glow. They sat there for a long time, neither speaking. Finally, they got up and together stepped into the rest of their afterlives.

…………………………..…………………………..………………

“Oh,” Dick asked, “you work in an auto shop?”

“Well, sorta,” Danny shrugged, “It's my shop. I’ll fix up just about anything, but yeah, I get a lot of cars and bikes.”

“Babe, calling what you do “repairs” is like calling Supes a pencil sharpener.”

Danny waved his hand dismissively.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

By then, Alfred had served the salad course, making the rest of the siblings officially late. Danny eyed the salad, a rose vinaigrette with summer greens, as if expecting it to bite. Dick couldn’t help feeling personally offended on behalf of Alfie’s cooking. Finally, after poking it a couple of times with his fork, Danny seemed to decide it was in fact edible and began eating with the speed and ferocity of someone starving. Watching him, Dick couldn’t help but feel deeply uncomfortable as Danny unhinged his jaw and consumed the salad without chewing. There was something almost… predatory in it. Looking closely, he swore his tongue was split.

To his left, B watched with wrapped attention, his eyes steely and stern, building fear and distrust building behind his standard mask of stoicism. On his right, Damien seemed utterly unaffected. If anything, he seemed almost cheerful, listening to Danny talk about his job, his school work, and all the dull details which come with any life. He had a pet dog named Cujo; his older sister had just started her own psychology practice—tiny details which did nothing to explain the bone-deep discomfort permeating the air. Danny, for his part, was animated. He spoke with an effervescent energy that felt almost unreal. Jayjay sat back, occasionally throwing in a smart comment with no bite but mostly seeming content to watch. It was nice seeing his brash and bullheaded brother so comfortable. The usual anger which seemed so ever-present was absent. Dick didn't know how to cope with that. Danny was disturbing. Still, he made his beloved brothers so happy, and the contradiction ate him alive.

Throughout the meal, siblings began to filter in. Duke was the first to arrive, followed by Steph, Cass, Barbra, and finally, Tim. Each would introduce themself, take their seat, and find themselves slowly introduced to the madness that was Danny’s existence. He had this odd habit of saying the most baffling, concerning things Dick had heard in his life. Honestly, that alone was an achievement to be proud of. He watched as his siblings shared glances, seemingly trying to figure out whether this guy was for real. Duke, in particular, was staring Dick dead in the eye as if daring him to stand up and yell, “Sike!”. The only exception seemed to be Cass, who, much like Damien and Jason, was apparently unaffected, even cheerful. It seemed like the most screwed-up members of the family were the ones most comfortable with this strange man, and it was starting to paint a harrowing picture. Dick had to ask himself, what made them different? What set those three apart from the rest of them? He thought he might know the answer, and he hoped to God he was wrong.

After all, if he was right, what would it mean that this guy seemed like catnip for the previously deceased?

Tag cultists

@mur-ururu @krzys2000 @soren1830 @fisticuffsatapplebees @emergentpanda-blog @heirxofxtime @plotwholls @phoenixdemonqueen @avalnfear @historyboiiiiii @rangerhorsetug @zgirlxy @mistrfuzzles @thegreawizards @aroranorth-west west @emeraldcorpral @the-archer-goddess @gin2212 @undead-essence @eleiteranger @bianca-hooks123 @currant-owo @angelartist @theauthorandtheartist @aroranorth-west @wackyattack @mygood-bitch99 @apolloofthenight @mnemovoid @ever-changing-weirdo-3100 @readerzj @nappinginhell @luckykittens198 @autumnrosnor @pastalavistamf @overtherose

#danny phantom #the batman #dp x dc #dc x dp #Underland #jason todd #dead on main #damien wayne #I put this off so long #I am so sorry #hopefully it was worth the wait #my app is still broken and I can only post in color

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phandomphightclub · 1 year

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Important 2023 Phight Information

By popular demand, the one and only Ghost Zone Denny’s is reopening to host the notorious PHANDOM PHIGHT CLUB! Tali (@dannyphandump) and Vic (@babypop-phantom)are returning with the help of new recruit Lexx (@lexosaurus) to mod the biggest and baddest fight in the Ghost Zone! Get ready to face your friends, acquaintances, strangers, and enemies in immortal combat an organized shitposting tournament!

So… what the heck is the Phandom Phight Club?

THE SHORT EXPLANATION

It’s basically a Danny Phantom shitposting tournament, involving 64 entrants and 6 total rounds of posts. Rounds are single elimination, leaving one ultimate Phight Club Champion.

This post provides a great backstory as to how the Phight Club came to be!

THE DETAILED EXPLANATION

Please read even if you have participated in previous years as some information has changed!

For Entrants:

Registration begins December 4th at 12am EST

Entrants will be sorted randomly into a single-elimination bracket. This bracket will be posted on December 31st for everyone to view.

ONLY 64 PHIGHTERS CAN ENTER. In past years, spots filled up very rapidly, so we suggest signing up as early as possible!

Please only sign up if you plan to participate in the Phight. We don’t want people taking up slots for people who actually want to compete. If you sign up and decide you do not want to participate, or find out you do not have the time to, please reach out to one of the mods before December 31st and we will remove you from the phight. We will offer up the spot to someone else who would like to participate.

The 2023 Phight™ will take place throughout the month of January. More specific details on the schedule will be included on the January calendar to be released November 26th.

A new round will take place every few days, with a couple “dead days” scheduled for phighters to prepare their shitposts.

Please be sure you’re able to submit your entry on each entry day. Participants will be disqualified if they do not submit an entry by the deadline.

PHIGHTERS WILL CREATE THEIR POSTS ON THEIR OWN BLOGS. This is to ensure that all Phighters get credit for the shitposts they create. Phighters will paste a link to their post in a google submission form that will be released for each round. Phighters may create posts as far in advance as they would like, but submission forms for the next rounds will not open until the results of the previous round have been posted. (It is recommended that even if your post is ready beforehand, you wait to post it to keep each round organized and in case you are eliminated beforehand.)

Submission posts will be reblogged to @phandomphightclub throughout the day submissions are due.

Voters decide the winners of each round. The winners will move onto the next round. The phinal round occurs when only two phighters are left. The semiphinalist phighters will also compete in the phinal round prompt for third place. (If you make it to round 5, you automatically compete in round 6, the phinal round, to determine phinal standings.)

You cannot ask people to vote for you! This may result in disqualification! Try reblogging the voting polls to get people to vote, instead!

Limit of one vote per person. You do not need a tumblr to vote, but the form will require you to be logged into a google account to prevent duplicate votes.

Prizes for winners will be announced if we find people willing to provide them, but no prizes are guaranteed other than bragging rights and certificates for the top 3. Who wouldn't want to brag about winning the Phight?

For Voters:

Voters are crucial to the success of this competition. A poll to vote for the winners of each round will be open the whole day after the submissions are due.

Anyone can vote, whether you are a phighter or a spectator (Technically, you can even vote for yourself, but there should be enough voters that this won’t matter much).

Follow @phandomphightclub for the links to the voting polls.

Other Information:

There is no phight the day of voting.

People will be able to place bets on who will win the Phight. Betting booth information will be released with the January Phight calendar on November 26th.

Round results will be posted on @phandomphightclub after voting ends.

PHIGHT CLUB RULES:

The first rule of phight club is you don’t talk about phight club.

All entries must be SFW (absolutely no sexual content or excessive gore). People who submit this kind of content may be disqualified at the discretion of the mods.

Submissions are meant to be Danny Phantom shitposts, so please don’t worry too much about artistic or writing quality. This competition is meant to be open to anyone who wants to enter, regardless of perceived talent.

No direct personal attacks in your submissions or towards other entrants, please. This phandom is pretty good about this, but just remember to keep it clean, folks. Lighthearted trash talk is allowed; use your best judgment here.

Please do not take losing as a personal attack.

When voting, try to be as unbiased as possible. The submissions will be posted in the poll without the competitor’s name attached in order to help facilitate this.

Competitors are allowed/encouraged to advertise the Phight on their blogs, but please do not ask followers to vote for you specifically. If phighters are found to be asking, bribing, or cheating to gain votes, they may be disqualified at the discretion of the mods.

If you’re confused about anything, don’t hesitate to send an ask to @phandomphightclub.

Don’t eat food off the ground in the Denny’s parking lot. Trust me, please.

Please be patient with us mods as we work to provide the best Phight experience for you. And to those of you who have participated before, please note that this year’s Phight may not be as extravagant as it was in previous years. We are working to streamline our system and smaller side projects are very hard for us to manage on top of everything else. It is also important to note that write-ups of round results will not be as prevalent this year in lieu of our new system. Thank you for your understanding while we navigate these changes, but don’t worry… us mods still have some tricks up our sleeves…

Thank you for your interest in the Phight Club! Order an appetizer at the Denny’s, place your bets, and get ready to watch the greatest Phight this side of the ghost portal!

💚 Mod Tali, Mod Vic, and Mod Lexx

#ppc2023 #phandom phight club #phight club 2023

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ashboy-3 · 11 months

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Senior Celebration

Written for DannyMay 2023 Prompt: Campfire Fandom: Danny Phantom Characters: Danny, Kwan, Dash, Ember, Star, Paulina, Tucker, Sam, Jazz Words: 3115 Warnings: Underage drinking and drug use Summary: It's that time of the year again! the Casper high senior campfire! All the seniors gather wood and fuel and go out to the woods at the designated spot and set up a bonfire with no adult super visitor. No one on team phantom really wanted to go, but with Jazz offering Danny a deal that gets Embrer involved how could he pass up the opportunity?

“Are you going to the campfire tonight?” Jazz asked, visiting from college, as Danny looked up from his ectoplasm noodles.

“It wasn't really on my agenda,” Danny shrugged.

“I think you should go. It’s senior tradition and you never know, you might regret it in the future,” Jazz spoke, using the wisdom Danny sometimes wondered where she got it from.

“I’ve never really thought about it. Besides you never went to yours,” Danny shrugged.

“I never went because I was busy studying for finals and worrying about my little brother who made it his own decision to save the world every day when he was 13,” Jazz countered.

“I was 14 mccuse you,” Danny glared as Jazz rolled her eyes.

“I’m just saying. This will be maybe the last time you will all be together. After this, it’s going to be boring classes and graduation,”

“Who would I even bring? Sam doesn’t like the big functions and Tucker will gladly staff the night in with Sam if she asks,” Danny asked.

“You could always bring one of your ghost friends,” She proposed.

“They’re all busy with their things. The only one who might be mildly interested in it is Ember, but she’ll only go if we’re drinking.”

“I don’t like the idea of you drinking underage but unlike mom and dad, I know about your ghost half. If you can clockwork to approve of your activities for the night and send me a note assuring me that you will be safe you can invite Ember and go wild,” she suggested as Danny’s eyes lit up.

“You Promise!” Danny stood up in his seat, ready to rush to the zone.

“I promise, but If I don’t get a note I don’t want to see you flying home stumbling! I don’t want to see you flying at all!” Jazz yelled as Danny was already off to the ghost zone.

“Is someone flying!” Jack came storming into the kitchen.

“We were just talking about a show dad,” Jazz rolled her eyes, a soft laugh escaping her lips at her brother’s antics.

“So can I?” Danny asked clockwork, his ghostly parent.

“I suppose it is good for young ghosts like yourself to experience things. I know Ember will agree and bring the drinks. I will allow this on the conditions that Sam and Tucker are on standby to bring the two of you home, Ember has to provide the drinks, and no human is to drink our drinks. One sip will probably kill any of them from alcohol poisoning,” Clockwork held up a finger each time he said a condition.

“I promise,” Danny assured him as he got out his phone to text his two best friends.

“I have already sent the note to Jazz. Oh and Danny try to not reveal yourself to your entire graduating class,” Clockwork hid a smirk as the young King flew out of his chamber. He might not be able to see into his future anymore, but the King was known for his antics.

“Ember! Yo Flamehead open the damn door!” Danny was banging on the entrance to Ember’s lair.

“I’m coming Babypop! Damn have some patience,” yelling could be heard from the inside.

“What do you want of great king,” Ember let the sarcasm lace her voice.

“Was going to ask if you wanted to party with the humans, but if you’d rather not,” Danny shrugged as he started to fly away, but not before he was stopped.

“We going to party with the humans?” Ember asked, a smile on her face.

“As long as you provide the drinks and we give none to the humans we are good to party. Jazz and CW both approved it,” Danny smirked as Ember's smile matched his.

“We getting ready at your place then?” she asked.

“Hell yeah. I’ll stop by Sam’s and pick up the face paint. You worry about the clothes and booze.”

“I knew you were my favorite for a reason,” she flew back to her lair to get the supplies while Danny flew back to Fenton works.

“I see that Clockwork agreed,” Jazz said on the other side of the portal, holding the sticky note.

“He approved. Ember’s going to be over in a few hours so we can get ready. Gotta fully let Sam and Tucker know to be on call,” Danny told her.

“You’re really excited about this now,” Jazz smiled back.

“I can a free pass to drink and to fuck with the humans. What would make this better!” Danny told her, the two walked out of the lab towards their rooms as Danny got his phone out.

“You better not be planning anything,” Jazz glared.

“Me never!” Danny faked being offended as Jazz rolled her eyes and pushed her little brother into his room, walking to her own room.

“Okay dude so elaborate on that text. I need more than be on call,” Tucker’s face showed up on the face time.

“Yeah, no offense Danny but just saying I’m fucking with humans tonight doesn’t really help either of us.”

“Remember earlier this year we went out to the clubs and I couldn’t get drunk off of the human alcohol.”

“Yeah, dude. This disappointment on your face when you found out you had to be the DD was amazing,” tucker laughed as Sam glared.

“Yeah well in the GZ ghost have ectoplasm-infused alcohol. Alcohol meant for ghosts and I got permission from both Jazz and Clockwork to go all out tonight. We’re going to the senior campfire. Ember is getting the clothes and alcohol and I need to borrow the glow-in-the-dark hair and paint from Sam. I also need both of you to be on call to make sure Ember and I can make it back home.

“Fuck being on call. I’m going to be there! Want me to bring human alcohol Tuck?” Sam asked.

“Hell no someone has to be responsible. Might as well be me,” Tucker rolled his eyes at the backward situation. In any other situation, Sam would be responsible, except for clearly rebelling against the parents.

“Want to smoke before you go?” Danny offered.

“What makes you think I won’t be smoking,” Tucker rolled his eyes as the two laughed and made plans to meet up in two hours with everything they need.

It was two hours later and everyone was in Danny’s room. Ember had bought the ghost alcohol and clothes, Sam human alcohol, with an ice chest, and the glow-in-the-dark stuff, and Tucker, bring the responsible one, bought the weed and camera.

“We trying to get crossed tonight?” Ember asked, looking towards Danny’s open window and Tucker sitting next to it.

“If it’ll affect you I won’t stop you,” Tucker shrugged as Sam grabbed the joint out of his hands and easily inhaled the smoke.

“Alright first gotta get switched,” Ember said as her body started to glow as she muttered words to herself in her place that were the same clothes and hair, but instead of dead gray skin, she was now a caramel color.

“Bringing out the human costume?” Sam observed.

“The council has been pushing on us to try and blend in more. I have Danny vouching for me but the last thing I want is Walker on my ass,” she rolled her eyes as she passed out the crop tops to the group, all, of course, different from her brand.

“I’m sticking with my sweater, but thanks,” Tucker declined the shirt, as Ember rolled her eyes.

“I didn’t forget about you geek boy. Put it on to match the neon theme,” she threw the sweater that had her guitar on it toward him.

“Danny, did you want a skirt, leggings, or pants?” Ember asked as she dug through the clothes, passing sam a mini skirt and leggings and Tucker a pair of matching skinny jeans.

“Got any shorts?” Danny asked.

“Bitch you know I have everything,” Ember found a pair of shorts that would reach to his mid-thigh, along with a fishnet long-sleeve t-shirt to put underneath the short sleeve crop top

“I’ll go and change in Jazz’s room,” Danny grabbed the clothes as Tucker left for the bathroom, leaving the two girls to quickly change into Danny’s room. Ember sticking with her normal style, just changing into the neon glow-in-the-dark versions.

Once they got back, Tucker quickly put out the joint as Ember got out the hair die. “I got ectoplasm color for you two, and this lighter blue for me. You don’t need much because it’s going to glow and it should be washable,” Ember assured them as they quickly put in their hair, making sure the fumes can fully escape.

“Ready for makeup boys?” Sam asked as she and Ember already had theirs completed.

“Let’s go!” Danny smirked.

“I feel like I should be to straight to hang out with all of you,” Tucker groaned, but let Sam man-handle his face to get the eye make up on.

“Hey, every group needs their token straight!” Danny defended his best friend.

“Good to know you all keep me around for something,” Tucker said as the group rolled their eyes.

“Ready to head out?” Ember asked once everyone was ready an hour later.

“We drove Tucker’s truck over here so just put everything in the back. We already packed the blankets and shit,” Sam said as the crew headed downstairs.

“Hey, sweetie! Going to the campfire?” Maddie asked as she noticed her son and friends walk down the stairs, pausing at the teenager's outfits.

“Really Danny?” Jazz asked with an eye roll.

“As you said last time we’re going to be together, gotta make it count,” Danny said as his friends already walked out to the truck.

“Just be safe,” she smiled, stopping their mother from saying anything as he left to join his friends.

“Don’t wait up!” Danny yelled, closing the door.

“If the cops call tonight I’m not picking them up,” Jazz said as she closed her book to walk back upstairs.

“Dude isn’t that the geek's truck?” Kwan pointed out to Dash as the beat-up truck with a black and green paint job pulled up backward, letting the bed of the truck face the fire.

They had the attention of most of the senior class by now, simply because everyone thought that wasn’t going to show up. Not from bullying or being made fun of, they have all grown out of that by now. Not everyone thought that they wouldn’t show because they have all made it a point to avoid most of the senior functions.

“Alright let’s party!” a caramel-skinned girl with bright blue hair that seemed to have a glow to it, hopped over to the bed of the truck where there were two ice chests stored.

“I’m not fixing any property damage,” Tucker got out from the driver’s side, a joint in his hand.

“Relax. Danny hasn’t been able to have a night out in a while,” Sam got out from the passenger side. Everyone’s clothes seemed to be matching, the only thing different was their hair and makeup.

“Not my fault! I said no to the responsibilities,” Danny rolled his eyes as many stares followed him as he got on the bed, happy the bonfire was already going, opening the ice chest that was marked with a green x and getting out a bottle of something green, bubbling, and had no label.

“That is definitely the geek squad,” Dash assured, as the entire senior class saw the geeks in a way they’d never seen them before while at school. Relaxed and in their element.

“Please don’t tell me you’re staring at Fenton’s ass?” Paulina pleaded.

“Not my fault if it’s a good ass!” Dash and Kwan were quick to shoot back as both boys blushed, realizing everyone was no looking at them.

“So this is supposed to be the unsupervised senior party? Ember asked nothing the bonfire was surrounded by cars and trucks and just normal groups talking and drinking around.

“Yep. didn’t want to come only came to drink and fuck with humans,” Danny shrugged in a what can you do kind of way.

“Well, this party’s shit. Let’s get it started!” Ember said as she bought out her equipment and a device that had plenty of preloaded songs. Standing on top of the car she got the attention of everyone.

“Alright losers! I came here to party and this is seriously the lamest party I have ever been to and I’ve been to too many fucking awkward dinner parties! Now I finally got my chance to hang out with baby pop and I will not let your high school bullshit ruin it so starting now if you have a request come up here and write it down! If it’s lame or not a party song I’m not putting it on!” Ember yelled as she pushed play and P!nk’s Get this Party Started started to play and fill with noise.

Already team phantom could see people breaking out into smiles and dance

“Since when did Fenton know such a party person?” Star wondered as they saw him and the girl stare deep into each other's eyes as, both with a non-open drink sam counted down and instantly both twisted off the tops of the green liquid and chugged it down, Danny throwing him into their own personal trash bin.

“I’m beating your ass flame face!” Danny yelled, getting his third drink open.

“Keep going baby pop! It’s going to take a lot more than that to get your ass drunk! If I’m not dragging you through the realms as we piss off Cw then this was for nothing!” she cheered him on as the song changed.

“You’re gonna go talk to him aren’t you?” Star and Paulina wondered as they looked toward Dash, a blush forming on his face.

“No, I’m not!” Dash countered.

“But he wants to!” Kwan taunted, avoiding Dash going for him as the two girls rolled their eyes and filled up their cups with wine.

“Ready to push him?” Star asked.

“Oh very much so,” Paulina agreed as they waited, and when they caught Dash staring for the eighth time and forty minutes passed they walked over towards the geek squad, now only containing two.

“Chug chug chug!” Ember shouted as Danny downed another drink, he wasn’t sure about the drink but he knew he was tipsy.

“Sup Star, Paulina,” Danny greeted, as he fell over to the other side of the truck to greet the two girls.

“Hey Danny. Did you come with this girl as your date?” Star wondered as Ember almost split her drink out.

“Me and baby pop are you kidding? Sorry but I’m not into him,” Ember shrugged as Danny placed a hand on his heart.

“Flame face, m’urt.”

“Yeah, you be m’urt. You’re finally starting to slur and we only had to drink six drinks. I’m becoming more and more proud. Anyway, what do you want with baby pop?” Ember asked as she banged on the back window of the truck. “Slow it down you two! I’m trying to have a conversation!”

“Fuck off Em! It’s my fucking truck!” Tucker yelled back.

“Ignore them. You know they're like fucking rabbits,” Danny rolled his eyes. “You wanted to ask something?”

“Yeah want to dance with Dash or Kwan?” Paulina asked as she pointed to where both boys were blushing and not looking.

“Do I gotta choose?” Danny wondered out loud.

“I swear you are such a whore,” Ember rolled her eyes.

“No slut shamming in Tucker’s truck!” Danny shouted back.

“You’re only defending the two rabbits in the backseat,” Ember fought back.

“Tell em yes,” Danny shook his head. “But I don’t think I can get out of this truck by myself,” Danny groaned as he laid down and was about to roll off the tailgate.

“See baby pop this is why we have Tucker. Tucker! Get your dick covered and come out here!” Ember yelled.

“If he wants to fuck Dash or Kwan then make them come and get him!” Sam yelled back.

“You heard the girl,” Ember shrugged, but still gave Danny another drink, laughing when he didn’t sit up to drink it and ended up pouring it on himself.

“Please warn your friends that Danny is indeed and whore,” Ember shouted back.

“If you want Danny all you have to do is get him out of the truck. You also might want to keep him drinking. I think is you stop him he’ll get upset, not angry upset, but sad puppy upset,” Star observed.

“First one there wins?” Kwan asked, as Dash didn’t wait for a start and ran ahead getting to Danny first.

“So wanna dance?” Dash asked, helping Danny get off of the car.

“Get me a drink from Em and I’ll happily dance!” Danny smiled as he drank his eight drink.

“How many have you had?” Dash asked as they went to where the other seniors were dancing around the campfire.

“Who knows? It tastes good. You can’t have any,” Danny said as took another sip and blood rushed to Dash’s face as the way Danny was dancing would not be counted as appropriate.

“Why can’t I?” Dash asked, thinking it was just a drunk brain talking.

“You're funny! It’s not for humans!” Danny laughed as he took another sip, as Dash’s eyes went wide.

“But you’re human,” Dash wondered.

“I’m not human. I’m only half. I died when I was fourteen. It’s why I needed Em here to get drunk. You still wanna dance?” Danny asked, hope in his eyes and Dash figured he could get his answers another time as the two danced and eventually made their way into the back of Dash’s truck.

The next morning Danny woke up, already questioning why he was in his bed, but walked to the bathroom to get something for his killer headache. After that he went down to the kitchen to get some food.

“Good afternoon. Did you have fun?” Jazz asked, placing a plate of food in front of her brother once she heard him shuffling upstairs. “Eat. It helps.

“I don’t know. Can’t remember,” Danny moaned as he ate the food in slow bites as his stomach started to work.

“Don’t worry you'll be hearing the stories soon enough, but in case you were wondering the whole school now knows that you have a thing for Dash and Kwan,” Jazz said with a smirk as her brother almost choked on his food. Instead of elaborating she just walked up, smirking in victory as her brother launched for phone to message Tucker.

#danny phantom #danny fenton #dannymay2023 #dannymay #dash baxter #dash baxter x danny #sam manson #tucker foley #paulina sanchez #dp fanart #ghost king danny

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britcision · 1 year

Note

in ur whiny king babypop idea one of the tags was about lunch lady and I IMMEDIATELY thought of like

idk Danny complaining about how he’s not eating enough to someone when he’s in his haunt and then flash forward later that day to some big battle that’s taking place. then a giant meat monster takes down the guy the justice league is fighting and then lunch lady appears and is like

“DANIEL PHANTOM YOU HAVENT EATEN IN THREE WEEKS. STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND EAT. NOW.”

Danny can try and run all he wants but he can’t hide and there’s no escaping the wrath of the Lunch Lady 😈

Someone else in the League comments like “wait that can’t be right he’d be dead” and the chase stops and they all just stare at the person who said that

Cuz yeah he’s a ghost that’s how that works

#dp x dc #whiny king babypop #that is now the name of this AU

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dp-marvel94 · 2 years

Text

The Sanctuary

Summary: Danny finds a little ghost girl swinging at the park. Not just any child, but the spirit of one who once lived in Amity Park. With help from some friends, will he be able to help her through this?

Words Count: 5,353

Also on AO3 and FF.net

For @briarlovesu Someone in Amity dies and becomes a ghost. Danny has to help the ghost through their death. The other ghosts stop attacking to welcome and respect the moment. Meanwhile the town has to grapple with the idea that ghosts use to be human is finally clicking in their minds. (PR220)

The Lunch Lady runs a soup kitchen. (PR223)

Note: This is hypothetically set post Face to Face, though specific knowledge of that story isn’t needed. The important thing is, Danny’s parents know about him being Phantom and fully accept him. His relationship with the ghost is pretty different from canon, much friendlier, since Jack and Maddie found out about him being half ghost before he’s even seen another ghost and have been helping him figure out all this ghost stuff since.

Danny floated through the portal, a somber expression on his face. His heart was heavy but… he took an unnecessary breath, pausing at the edge of the island housing the portal. He could do this.

The boy’s eyes drifted, taking in the Zone in front of him. It hadn’t changed much since the first time he’d seen it. The same swirling green clouds, the same floating doors, the same abandoned rocks. Yeah, still pretty much the same except… the corner of his lips turned up…. One big addition.

With that, the half ghost flew forward, into the open air. There, not far in front of him, hung a large, rectangular building, suspended in space. Greenish-red brick, tall windows, and three stories high. Other than the altered color scheme, it was a perfect replica of Casper High.

Danny approached, quickly landing on the front steps. He opened the front double-doors and called. “Hey! Anyone here?”

A commotion rang out from somewhere down the hall, chattering voices, laughter, and music. The boy’s ears twitched at the noises. He recognized that song.

Danny followed the voices, deeper into the building. He turned a corner, coming to the open doors of a library. He floated into the room.

“Hey Ember.” He gave the rocker ghost a wave.

The fiery-haired teen looked up from where she was strumming. “Hey, Babypop.” She acknowledged with a nod.

“Danny!” An excited voice called his name.

The half ghost turned, eyes lighting up. “Sidney!” He held his hand for a fist bump. “What’s up?”

The monochrome ghost lifted his own hand, reciprocating the gesture. “Not much. I’m just working on the book you recommended.” He held a copy of The Martian. “It’s really great.”

“I knew you’d like it.” Danny teased.

Sidney shook his head. “Of course you did.” Then he waggled his finger. “But you, buster, still have to read Out of the Silent Planet.”

“I know, I know.” The half ghost waved him off. “It’s next on the list, I promise. School’s just trying to kick my butt right now.”

The full ghost’s mouth ticked down slightly. “Oh yeah… I remember what that was like.”

Danny gave him a sympathetic smile. “Hey don’t worry. It’s almost summer. Then I’ll have plenty of time to dive into the mile-long book list you gave me.”

That earned a chuckle from the other boy.

“Anyway.” The half ghost continued. “I can’t really hang around for that long so I should… uh… go ahead and deal with this.” With nervous hands, he fumbled for the thermos on his belt. A pit grew in his stomach at the thought of the inhabitant.

Sidney must have picked up on the anxiety, his smile dimming. “Who’d you bring this time?”

“Oh, it’s…a….” His voice quieted, tinged with sadness. “It’s a little girl.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An hour earlier

Danny flew through the dark sky, a Fenton Phone in his ear.

“There’s a ping about a block from you, sweetie.” His mom said. “It’s coming from the park, I think.”

“Okay.” He turned around a building, the grassy field and trees coming into view. He slowed as his ghost sense billowed out of his mouth. “I just sensed something too.” His eyes flickered across the area, searching for the tell-tell glow of another ghost. His gaze fixed on… “There, in the playground.”

“Can you see what it is?” His dad asked.

“Not yet.” The boy drifted closer. “It doesn’t feel very strong though. I’m gonna get closer.”

“Be careful.” Mom reminded.

Danny rolled his eyes. “I always am. Besides, this’ll be easy. I’ll just get it in the thermos and be home in ten….”

The boy trailed off, eyes widening. There, in front of him, was the ghost and… his mouth dried, heart sinking like a stone. There was a too long, too silent pause as he just watched. Then…

“What is it, sweetie?” The woman asked, concern leaking into her voice.

“It’s… It’s a kid.” On the swing was a little girl with black pigtails, wearing flowery overalls. “She’s… god… she’s maybe six?”

Neither of his parents replied for several heartbeats. In that time, Danny just watched. The little girl swung silently, pumping her legs to lift herself higher. Her blue-tinted face wrinkled in displeasure, a far away look in her eyes.

His mom finally spoke. “Danny, do you want me and your dad to come? We can help.”

Danny opened his mouth, wanting to say yes. His heart ached, threatening to break. Because… because this little girl was way too young to be… to be a ghost. He was used to dealing with animals and blobs and the occasional adult ghost. He’d even met other teens like him but… a literal child? How could… how could he do this? The boy took a breath, preparing to beg his parents to come and take over. But then…

The girl’s expression shifted, clarity entering unfocused eyes. The swing’s chain creaked, the movement slowing. She looked up, gaze meeting his.

Danny’s core ached. There was… there was something familiar about her. “No. I can… I can help her.” His voice quieted. “I need to.”

“Alright, Danno.” His dad replied, voice ringing with sadness despite the normally cheery nickname. “We’ll be here if you need us.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” The boy said softly. With a nod that his parents didn’t see, he moved to take out the earphone. “I…uh… I think I should… I mean, it’d be better if…”

“You don’t want us in your ear?”

Danny sighed, relieved his dad picked up on what he was meaning. “Yeah.”

“No problem.” There was a click, his dad’s line closing.

“Good luck, sweetie.” Another click as his mom sighed out.

With that, Danny was alone with the little ghost girl. He straightened, feeling her eyes on him.

The boy stepped forward, offering his best attempt at a smile, despite his heavy heart. “Hey there. Can I join you?” He asked, motioning to the swing beside her.

The girl’s eyes flickered from him to the empty seat. Then she nodded.

Danny took that as a yes. He carefully approached, coming to sit in the empty swing. Silence fell for a moment, the boy trying to put his thoughts in order. How did he even start trying to convince her to come with him?

He took a breath. “So, what are you doing out here so late?”

The little ghost shrugged, looking down.

“Well… I saw you swinging earlier. You were going really high, weren’t you?”

That elicited a nod.

“I bet you really like the swings.”

Another nod.

Danny bit his lip, nervousness flaring. He’d yet to get any words out of her. He kept trying. “I really like them too. My mom took me and my sister to this park all the time when we were little. The swings were my favorite when I was about your age.” He glanced to her face. “How old are you?”

The girl opened her mouth but then closed it, looking down again.

“Come on. You can tell me.” No response. “Alright, I’ll guess then.” Danny shrugged, forcing the corner of his mouth up. “You’re… four.” He guessed, deliberately low.

Her nose wrinkled in disgust.

The boy blinked, as if surprised. “I’m wrong? Is it higher or lower?” He waved a hand. “It must be higher so.. Four and a half? Or… Five?”

Danny let the words linger, his eyes brow raised, while the disgusted frown deepened.

Then, when the boy thought he’d have to try pushing again, the girl muttered. “I’m six.”

The half ghost blinked, surprised. “So you do speak.” He offered a teasing smile. “I was way wrong, huh?”

She crossed her arms, nodding fervently.

Danny sighed, taking pity. “I was just messing with you, ya know?” He lifted a hand to his face, rubbing his eyes. How was this so hard? They hadn’t even gotten to any of the hard parts yet and he was already sucking. The boy took a breath. Maybe he should try something different. “It’s just… I was worried. It’s so late and I saw you out here by yourself. So… I wanted to make sure you’re okay.” It wasn’t completely the truth but… it was a start.

The girl responded to the words, turning to look at him with tilted head. A pit started forming in the boy’s stomach. He could have sworn he’d seen her before

Something in the girl’s expression softened. “I’m waiting for someone.”

The half ghost blinked, genuinely surprised. “Who?”

Her brow wrinkled in thought. “I don’t…. I don’t remember.” A troubled look passed over her face.

Danny’s own brow furrowed. “Do you remember how you got here?”

The girl’s frown deepened. “I think… I got hurt really bad.” Her eyes widened slowly. “The crosswalk was green… so I could cross the street, like my teacher said. I stepped out and…” She flinched back, a pained expression suddenly marring her face. “I… the car was goin’ so fast and… I hit my head. Someone yelled and… and…” She sniffled, bursting into tears. “It got so cold… It hurt so much.”

The girl’s chest shook with sobs, her small frame seeming to curl in on itself. The sight sent a stab of pain through Danny’s heart. His own eyes threatened to water. He… he hated this. God… he was watching a little dead girl cry and…

Another sob. And… Danny wanted to reach out and comfort her. He… he should but…. Tentatively, he stood, stepping in front of her. He bent down slightly. “Hey, it’s-”

The girl threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and sobbing into his shoulder. The boy stiffened momentarily, startled. Then, he carefully wrapped his arms around her, returning the hug.

"It's gonna be okay." He whispered, trying to sooth her. "You're safe now. You're going to be okay." The boy poured all the heart, all the belief that he could into the words. He wanted to believe it. He needed to but…

His own tears were threatening to well, because…He realized where he recognized her from. It was on the local news, a story about the tragic death of an elementary schooler. The images flashed through his mind. A little girl's smiling picture. Police tape. An officer asking the public for any information about the vehicle and the driver who'd hit the girl and ran.

Gracie Watkins. That was her name. Danny had just started middle school at the time. He hadn’t known her before but…

A memorial, one he’d passed everyday for weeks on the way to and from school. A fence a block from the elementary, lined with candles and teddy bears and Gracie’s picture. People stopping for a long moment to leave a memento, their faces sober, eyes watering. Bowed heads, mumbled prayers. And… one of his classmates falling to her knees, weeping.

Danny remembered standing there, awkward and confused. Then… eyes widened. Lizzy Watkins. The same dark hair as the picture, the same nose. She has a sister, right? Or… his stomach dropped. She had a sister.

The knowledge had left him feeling nauseous, a pain stabbing his heart. It hurt, seeing her cry. And yet.. He was ashamed to say he’d walked away instead of even trying to offer her comfort.

Soon after, Lizzy had disappeared. According to one of her friends, the family had moved away. They couldn’t bear living in that house anymore, not with their Gracie gone. And yet…

Now, Gracie’s ghost was in his arms, crying into his shoulder. How long had she been here? It had been almost four years. Had she lingered, invisible and immaterial the whole time? Or did she just manifest now? He hoped for her sake it was the latter.

The girl hiccupped on a sob and Danny hugged her tighter, more confident now. “You’re going to be okay, I promise.” No matter what, she was here and she needed him. The boy soothingly rubbed her back, just like his Mom did to him when he cried.

Slowly, so slowly, Gracie’s tears ceased. She sniffled, the sounds of her sobs quieting. After a long moment, she pulled away from him.

“Better?” Danny gently asked.

The girl whipped her nose with her hand, looking down. She nodded.

The teen let out a relieved sigh. “I feel better after crying too. Sometimes you’ve gotta let it out so…” He trailed off, unsure how to proceed.

Gracie looking oddly at her hand made the decision for him. “It’s glowing.” She wiggled her finger, as if checking that the light was in fact coming from her skin. “I feel weird.”

Danny frowned at the assessment, his stomach flopping. “You’re…” He hesitated. Could he tell her this? Should he tell her this? But… how could he justify not? “You’re… a ghost.”

She nodded, as if that explained everything. Then… she looked up, taking him in with furrowed brow. “Are you a ghost too?”

Danny blinked once, surprised. Then he nodded. “Yeah, I am.”

Gracie gave an understanding hum. Then she asked. “What’s your name?”

Danny blushed, sudden embarrassment and shame washing over him. “It’s Danny.” He couldn’t believe he’s forgotten to tell her who he was… or to ask her own name. “What’s yours?”

The girl opened and closed her mouth, her brow wrinkling in thought. A troubled pause passed over her. Then… “I don’t know.”

The boy’s heart ached at the words. But he still offered reassurance. “That’s okay. A lot of ghosts don’t remember at first either.” That was true, according to what Sidney and Ember had told him. “You can figure it out later… or even pick something different.”

Either way, he wasn’t going to share her name from the flyers, not with the pain and confusion it was likely to cause her. Anything related to their previous life was touchy for a lot of ghosts and if she was to remember her past, it should be on her own terms and in her own time.

The ghost girl nodded. “Okay.” She looked up at him. “Did you pick out a different name?”

Again, another expected question. Danny let the corner of his lip rise in a bittersweet smile. “Yeah. Some of the other ghosts call me Phantom. It’s like… a last name, I guess. But my friends still call me Danny.”

The girl paused at the answer, a thoughtful look on her face before she looked up at him, a sad, desperate hope shining in her eyes. “Are you my friend?”

Danny’s eyes softened. “Of course. I’ll be your friend if you want me to.”

“I want you to be my friend.” She tentatively drifted forward before wrapping her arms around him again.

The boy’s heart ached. He returned the hug. “Hey, it’s okay. I know… I know how you feel.” He swallowed. “I got really hurt and turned into a ghost, just like you. I was really scared and sad and confused too. But things got better. My best friends and family helped me. I made new friends too, with other ghosts who helped me figure stuff out.” Danny comfortingly ruffled her hair. “Do you want to meet them, some of my ghost friends?”

The girl bit her lip. “I don’t know…”

“I know they’ll want to meet you. And we can help. Me and my friends made a place to help people who are hurt and lost, like you. It’s called the Sanctuary.”

She looked up. “Sanctuary?”

Danny nodded. “Yeah. It looks like a school. There’s a library with so many books. Not as many as the Ghost Writer’s library but it’s a comfy place to read… or listen to Ember play guitar. There’s a gym to play in. I like to play basketball with Johnny but I'm sure we can find some games and toys you like." The corner of his lip turned up. “The garden is really nice. There’s a bunch of rooms to sleep and rest in too. And the cafeteria… the Lunch Lady makes the best soup and grilled cheese.” He patted his stomach. “It makes me hungry just thinking about it.”

“I like grilled cheese.” The ghost girl said tentatively.

“Yeah!” The boy patted her on the back. “What do you say? We can go, you can meet everyone. And we’ll get some grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup.”

The girl still looked unsure. She let go of him, stepping back tentatively. “But… I’m supposed to wait for someone. What if… they come back and I’m gone?.” There was just a hint of doubt in her voice.

The words squeezed Danny’s heart. He bit his lip, debating. He wanted to convince her to go with him willingly, not just suck her up in the thermos. And if she was waiting for someone who wasn’t coming….

He lowered himself to kneel in front of the girl, their eyes meeting. “You’ve been waiting long enough. Besides, you can’t stay here. Let me take you somewhere safe.”

The ghost girl’s eyes fixed down, her arms wrapping around herself. “They’re not coming, are they?”

The boy’s shoulders fell. “No, I don’t think so.” It hurt to say but whoever this faceless person was, one of her parents, her sister, even a friend, they didn’t know that their loved one had returned as a ghost. And the thought of them seeing her, when the girl herself couldn’t remember them…

Danny took a breath. “So… will you come with me?”

Listlessly, the girl nodded.

The boy frowned, opening his arms to offer another hug. It was all the comfort he could give. She stepped forward. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After briefly convincing Gracie’s ghost to let him capture her in the thermos, Danny left the park. His heart felt like it was rippling itself apart. That was… that was horrible, awful. This was… a dead child. A little girl and.. One who’d lived in his town, who he could have met before. Sorrow and anger warred in him. She was too young, way too young to die. She’d been hit by a car, a hit and run, and to his knowledge, they never figured out who ran over her. There was no justice for her, not closure for her family. But now… her spirit was in the device at his hip. And she didn’t even remember her name. It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair. It shouldn’t have happened.

The boy rubbed his face, coming to his street. At least he’d found her and was taking her to the Zone. But… guilt swirled. He’d done so horribly, trying to comfort her. He… he sucked at this. He’d convinced her to come but… did he really make things worse, just make her more scared and sad? His sister, even his parents would have done a better job. But he… he thought he could help. He thought he could make things better. Why… why wasn’t he any good at this?

Letting out a sigh, Danny let his eyes drift to the driveway. There was the GAV; it looked like his parents were back. He invisibly phased into the living room before returning to visibility.

“Mom, Dad.” Both adults looked up from where they were eating a post-patrol snack. He gently shook the thermos. “I’ve got her.”

A pained expression crossed his mom’s face. “How did it go?”

The boy shrugged sadly. “Okay, I guess. I…” He rubbed his face. “It was Gracie Watkins. I don’t know if you remember but… the first grader who died in a hit and run four years ago.”

Both his parents’ eyes widened. Grieved looks passed over both their faces. “Oh, Danno, I’m so sorry, son.” His dad tried to comfort.

The boy shook his head. “Just…it was a kid and… and someone who lived here. She didn’t… she didn’t even remember her name.” He lowered himself in the air, now just floating just inches above the ground.

The woman reached out to hug him. “I’m glad you found her, then.”

Danny’s eyes fixed down. “Yeah.” He lightly returned the hug before pulling away. He wiped his watering eyes. “I’m gonna take her to the Sanctuary. Hopefully I’ll be back soon.”

“Bye sweetie.” “See you later son.” Both of his parents offered parting words.

The boy waved listlessly. With that, he floated down the lab stairs and into the portal.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in the Sanctuary, Danny uncapped the thermos and pressed the release button. Blue light shot forth, leaving the pig-tailed ghost girl sprawled on the floor.

The half ghost floated forward, Sidney at his side. “Hey there.”

The girl looked up, blinking as she took in her surroundings. “Where am I?”

“This is the Sanctuary." Danny asked, offering his hand. The ghost took it, letting herself be pulled to her feet. Danny then motioned to the glasses-wearing boy. "This is my friend, Sidney."

"Hello." The nerd smiled. "Danny said you're from Amity Park too."

The girl nodded, even if she sounded unsure. "I think so?"

Sidney gave her a sympathetic look. "It's still a little fuzzy, isn't it? That's alright. It takes a bit for things to come back. But I know you'll remember soon."

The little ghost seemed comforted by the words, her shoulders relaxing ever so slightly.

Danny let his own muscles untense at the reaction. He turned to Sidney. “Is the Lunch Lady here?”

The nerd nodded. “The last I checked, she was in the cafeteria, like always.”

“Alright.” The half ghost looked down, addressing the little girl. “What do you say we go get that grilled cheese I was talking about?”

The six-year old nodded. “We can get some soup too? And… can Mr. Sidney come?” She looked down, suddenly shy.

The monochrome teen chuckled. “Of course.” He offered a hand which the girl took.

With that, the trio floated out of the library and down the hall, the younger between the teens and holding each of their hands. They passed a corner and the cafeteria came into view.

“Oh. Do you smell that?” Sidney said, eyes widening in excitement. “Someone’s cooking up something special.”

The little ghost perked up a little at the words, eyes drifting from the floor to the door. The two ghosts and half human passed over the threshold.

Danny’s gaze flickered around the room, empty except for the Box Ghost, before landing on the kitchen window. “Lunch Lady?” He called, getting the ghost’s attention.

She turned around from where she was cutting up vegetables. “Well, good afternoon, Phantom. Sidney.” She gave a friendly greeting. Then, her eyes widened, expression softening. “Who do we have here?”

The half ghost’s heart lurched at the question. “Uh… a new ghost. I found her in Amity.”

Sadness flickered across her face for just a moment before the soft, friendly smile returned. “What’s your name, little missy?” She asked.

The little ghost wrinkled her nose, shoulders falling. “Don’t remember.” She muttered.

The Lunch Lady floated closer to the window while the trio also approached. “Well that’s just fine. You’ll remember soon enough. Now,” She bent down slightly, more at eyes level with the little girl. “What can I get you, sweetheart?”

“Grilled cheese?” The child asked, hopefully.

The old woman chuckled. “Of course.” She leaned through the window, patting the girl’s head. “Oh, you’re a cheddar and provolone gal, I see. Golden brown bread. And… chicken soup.” She hummed, eyes moving up to the two teens. “I’ll get you boys some sandwiches too.” She stood, waving them off. “Go sit down. I’ll bring it to you.”

Danny smiled, already drifting towards the table. “You’re the best, Lunchy.”

“I know. I know.” She waved her hand again. “Now, shoo. I have work to do.”

The trio of young ghosts floated through the chairs, quickly approaching a certain blue skinned ghost in the back of the room. Danny picked a seat, lowering into it and motioning the little girl to do the same.

She sat, before frowning up at him. “She touched my head and…. said how I like my grilled cheese. How did she know?”

“That’s her gift.” A man’s voice said. Danny turned to find the Box Ghost moving from his table to theirs, taking the seat across from the youngest ghost. “The Lady makes the best food, ‘cause she always knows exactly how someone likes their food. Like how they like their eggs or their favorite grilled cheese.”

The little girl’s eyes widened, slightly. “Really?” She asked, a little awed.

The man nodded enthusiastically. “She’s the best cook in this part of the Zone. Getting to have her own kitchen here and feed folks makes her so happy.”

Danny let the corner of his mouth turn up. “Yeah. I’m happy she’s happy.” Considering how badly things had gone in their first meeting, the half ghost was glad she agreed to work with him on The Sanctuary. “Plus, she does make the best food.”

The statement just seemed to make the younger ghost more eager. She squirmed in her seat, glancing back at the kitchen window.

The half ghost decided to change the subject. “So Boxy, got any cool new boxes?”

That got the girl’s attention. “Boxy?” She tilted her head at the blue-skinned man.

“Box Ghost.” Sidney elaborated.

“That’s the terrifying, fearsome Box Ghost to you.” He lifted his hands, summoning boxes out of thin air. “ My might is unparalleled! The world will tremble at its corrugated cardboard doom!” He curled his fingers as if they were claws, laughing faux evilly. “Beware!”

The two teens both chuckled. At the same time, the corner of the little girl’s lips turned up.

“You laugh at I, the menacing Box Ghost?!” The overall-wearing ghost pointed at the two teens. “You’ll face my cubical wrath!”

With a wave, Boxy sent boxes right into both of the boys. The empty cardboard lightly hit Danny’s chest and the boy threw himself backwards, exaggeratedly falling out of his chair. He sprawled on the floor as more boxes landed on him.

The half ghost fought back a laugh. “I’ve been bested! Oh, truly horrifying Box Ghost, mercy! Have mercy!” He held up his hands, surrendering. A box landed squarely over his head. “Hey!”

The little girl let out a giggle. Danny’s eyes widened. He quickly lifted the cardboard blocking his vision and his gaze fell on the youngest ghost. She was looking down, lips pressed closed but her cheeks quickly turning green in a blush.

The Box Ghost grinned. “Someone appreciates my magnificent cubes.” He held up a finger. “I have just the box for you.”

With another wave, he summoned a new box. This one was covered with brightly colored flowers and butterflies with a crank at the side. “I got this one from a ghost at the edge of the Barrens. Her name’s Dolly. She collects, fixes, and makes toys. I traded a whole box of antique toy cars for this beauty.” He rubbed the side of the box. “That’s the incredible thing about boxes. Anything could be inside. Old toys, books, family photos, someone’s insect collection. It’s a mystery.” The blue-skin ghost looked down at the little girl, his grin softening. “Do you wanna see what’s inside?”

The young ghost nodded excitedly.

The Box Ghost turned the crank. A song started playing. Pop goes the Weasel, Danny realized. The music ramped up, happy and energetic. Boxy kept turning the handle, a quiet mechanical whirring just below the nursery rhyme. A soft hum sounded beside the half ghost.

“All around the mulberry bush,” Danny turned to the side; Sidney was softly singing along.

The modern teen smiled, mouthing the words himself. “The monkey chased the weasel.”

He braced, excitingly watching the little ghost girl for her reaction to the next part. But…

‘The mon..key… thought…’ Danny’s mind supplied the words, even as the tone wound down instead of up. ‘it was aw…fully fun…’

The song whirled to the stop. Danny looked to Sidney, both’s brows starting to wrinkle. Then-

“POP!” Something fuzzy sprung out of the box.

Both teens and the girl flinched back at the surprise. Then, the little ghost burst out laughing.

“Goes the Weasel!” Boxy sang the last part, loud and off key. The girl just giggled harder.

The Box Ghost beamed proudly. “Isn’t it great?” He held the box out to her. “You don’t see many unicorns in the box, huh?”

The girl took the toy, rubbing the stuffed animal with one hand. “It’s so pretty. And soft.”

The Box Ghost gently patted her on the back. “Why don’t you give it a try?”

The girl lowered the lid, slowly turning the crank. The song played and… Pop! She giggled as the unicorn popped up again.

“Sounds like someone’s having fun.” The Lunch Lady’s voice interrupted the scene.

“Look!” The little girl held up the Unicorn-in-the-Box. “Boxy gave it to me.”

The older woman looked at the Box Ghost proudly. “That’s a beautiful find, Charlie.”

“Not a beautiful as you, Ms. Georgia.” Boxy (the apparently named Charlie?) said fondly.

The Lunch Lady blushed. “You spoil me, hon.” She bent down, placing the tray on the table. She motioned to the pot of soup as she spoke right next to Boxy’s ear. “This has those blue-sparkly carrots you brought me. I still can’t believe you found a delicacy like that and brought it to little old me.”

“Of course, I did. You deserve the best.” The man answered, eyes still soft and fond.

Lunchy blushed again, sitting down. She leaned to the side, giving him a peck on the cheek. “Well, thank you, dear.”

Danny just stared at the exchange, blinking. He slowly looked at Sidney, pointing at the couple(?). “How long have they…”

The ghost nerd shrugged, looking just as surprised as Danny.

“Stop gawking, you two.” Lunchy (Georgia?) chastised. “Let’s eat.”

She passed out bowls, giving a square one to Charlie who grinned at the dish. Grilled cheese sandwiches were handed out as well and the group ate in quiet discussion.

“Favorite food?” Charlie asked.

The little ghost stared at her half eaten sandwich, stars in her eyes. “This is the best thing ever.”

Georgia laughed, bopping her on the nose. “Well, I did make it just for you, little Missy.”

The girl wolfed down the rest of the sandwich, eagerly starting on the soup.

“Slow down.” The man chastised, even still chuckling.

The youngest ghost lowered the bowl, nodding in answer. Soup spilled down her chin.

Georgia clicked her tongue, wiping the girl’s face with her apron. “And that’s why you slow down.”

The two adults asked the little girl other questions. About her favorite color, animal, toys. Any topic they seemed to think off. Danny stayed for what was probably far too long, asking his own questions but mainly watching and listening. He smiled softly at the interactions.

The girl’s head nodded, eyes blinking tiredly.

“Someone’s getting sleepy.” Charlie said.

“Na, ‘m not.” She muttered.

Georgia chuckled. “Sure you’re not, sleepyhead.”

Charlie stood, gently picking up the little ghost. And Danny’s heart squeezed again, but for a more pleasant reason than it had earlier.

“Let’s get you to bed, Missy.” Lunchy said, patting the child on the back.

“Missy?” The girl muttered. “Tat’sa name, right? I like it.”

Boxy ruffled her hair. “Well, talk about it in the morning.”

The two adults floated off, carrying the girl off. Georgia lingered in the doorway of the cafeteria, looking back as the two teens. “Thank you for bringing her here.” She smiled softly. “Now, you should be home, sonny. I’m sure your folks are worried.”

With that, the woman disappeared. Danny stared after for a long moment, his eyes starting to water again but for a different reason. Maybe it was exhaustion. It was late and it had been a hard day. But… he breathed out, a knot of worry uncurling in his chest.

His friend floated forward, putting a comforting arm around him in a side hug. “I think she’s gonna be okay.”

Danny turned to Sidney, a relieved, hopeful light in his eyes. “Yeah, I think so too.”

#Danny Phantom #phic phight 2022 #Phic Phight #my fic

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