#The phantom doth protest too much methinks

[birdstooth]

This is a really silly doodle that fits in with what is now an ongoing saga I guess 🤷‍♀️

(1) phantom obedience training, (2) positive reinforcement

EDIT: omg I forgot I wasn’t supposed to post this until the POLL finished 😭😭😭

far too many NOTES below the cut 🎶

As part of his ongoing efforts to be“good” Erik is learning doing his income taxes this year!

(Like he definitely 100% does every year! Multiple times even, just for fun!! And bc he is very extremely skilled!!!)

idk if they had income tax at that time tbh… but I feel like it would come up if Christine encouraged him go legit and negotiate a salary with the opera managers haha

Also Erik would prob be really excited about it, like “omg we are doing our income taxes together, like a HUSBAND and WIFE would!! 😍😍😍”

In my mind he gets unreasonably giddy imagining all the domestic activities that “normal spouses” might do together eg:

“we are brushing our teeth at the same sink, like a HUSBAND and WIFE!”

“She is tidying the inside of the lair house like a WIFE, while I am outside lighting the 300 candles that float on the lake like a HUSBAND!”

“My WIFE is making dinner while I do the HUSBAND task of drowning intruders feeding the siren!”

[andrewlloydwebber]

JUST LET PEOPLE ENJOY THINGS HOW IS THIS TOO HARD TO GRASP

methinks the anon doth protest too much. i don't understand what i am doing or saying that prevents anyone from doing anything. maybe you don't actually enjoy what you're doing that much if a random fan making some observations is enough to make you send me an all caps message about phantom of the opera fanfiction. if you were so secure and confident in your knowledge that you weren't doing anything wrong (which is a sentiment have never expressed in my 2 whole posts on the subject) what does it matter what other people say, why does my opinion even matter to you? why are you giving me the power to lessen your enjoyment. why are you defending erik's fictional honor?

[artistfingers]

There’s one ~silver lining~ of my iPad being broken: I’ve had loads of time to think about my many half-formed undercover phantom au ideas! Since I have no idea when or what will make it to comic form, here’s the lowdown…. AKA, everything that’s been rattling around my brain recently :P

For context: Danny, Sam and Tucker have never met, and nobody knows Danny is Phantom. When Vlad’s newest bit of tech gets Danny stuck in ghost mode (with the rest of his powers on the fritz to boot), he meets Tucker and Sam—who instantly see through his disguise and lend a helping hand. (Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4!!)

So. After that, Danny—no, Phantom—becomes friends with them. It’s exciting! He was invisible at school even before the ghost powers; he was pretty isolated and lonely and being Phantom for the last year hasn’t exactly been a social boon. Kid’s lonely, ok?

But now… two human friends? Who’re his age & share his interests? It’s like a dream come true! If only they weren’t exclusively friends with his ghost self… and if only they didn’t wanna be so involved in his dangerous ghost hunting things…Uhhh. Hm. Could be a problem.

Danny angsts about the danger he’s putting his new friends in, and about not being able to befriend them as a human. He plays with the idea of telling them Everything but that’s… risky to say the least. He’s only known them a few weeks! ugh….!! it’s too much. maybe he should just throw the towel in.

Buuut Sam & Tucker don’t take no for an answer. Especially after they rescue him a third time.

Thus… Phantom friendship shenanigans!!

Sam filched some parts from the Fentonworks Lab when Phantom took them there, and later convinced Tucker to help her build a custom mini ectogun in case of emergency. They didn’t tell Phantom.

Danny is really sentimental about that DP hat he wore when he first met Sam & Tucker. He wore it as Phantom for a while but it got singed in a fight. He still wears it when he hangs out with Tucker & Sam but otherwise keeps it squirreled away for Sentimental Reasons.

“So Phantom, how old are you?” “I’m 15.” “15 now? Or 15 when you died?” “Yes.”

Tucker has a bunch of awful 90s button up shirts, and gives one to Phantom

They aren’t able to convince Sam to wear one too, but they sure do try.

Phantom won’t tell them when he died, so once he starts wearing 90s shirts they start using terrible 90s slang with him

“I am NOT from the 90s!!! They didn’t even SAY that then!!!” “methinks the lady doth protest too much…..home slice” “NOOO!!!”

“Phantom I have an extremely important question. Like, life or death. SHIT is on the LINE here. Are you listening?? I really need to know…. Do ghosts play video games”

The answer may surprise you (no it won’t)

Sam is completely convinced they can ACTUALLY get a good working guess of when Phantom lived and died based on the fact he liked Nasty Burger when he was alive, since NB’s a regional chain with a not-so-distant past. Tucker meanwhile thinks Phantom probably has a good reason for keeping them at arm’s length—but regardless of method, they can agree: they want to break down Phantom’s walls.

The next arc is less “Undercover Phantom” and more “Undercover Fenton” because the juxtaposition of him having to do hidden identities squared (squared again) is too good for me to pass up. It boils down to this: during a ghost attack at school, Danny finds himself stuck being “protected” by Sam and Tucker.

Sam and Tucker take their new jobs as Phantom’s ghost hunting companions too seriously to let this skinny stranger they just met run TOWARDS the danger. WHY does he keep trying to run TOWARDS the danger

NO YOU CANNOT GO TO THE BATHROOM THE SCHOOL IS ON G H O S T L O C K D O W N

Sam pulls out her ectogun.

Danny: WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?!

Sam does not tell him.

“Wait, your last name’s Fenton? Like Fentonworks Fenton?” “No, the other Fenton.” “Oh… well, that’s too bad…” “YES LIKE FENTONWORKS FENTON”

Sam is initially wary of Danny because of his parents’ super strong anti-ecto views. Danny is clueless as to why she isn’t very friendly to him-as-a-human when she’s great with him-as-a-ghost. but she warms up after he helps resolve the ghost issue in a way that shows he doesn’t subscribe to his parents’ views.

afterwards you get this excellent situation where Danny is now friends with Sam and Tucker as Phantom and as Fenton, and they’re not connecting the dots as quickly as they did when it was just “that’s Phantom wearing a hoodie and a cap with his own logo on it”.

the potential here? *chefs kiss* here’s a few things but honestly? the possibilities are limitless

Danny pretending to not have a cell phone because he already gave them his number as Phantom

Tucker: *dials Phantom*

Danny, standing directly next to him: *frantically attempting to silence his phone*

Sam & Tucker try to introduce Danny and Phantom. Danny has to make excuses to avoid this happening in both forms.

Danny takes Sam & Tucker down to the Fentonworks Lab to get them some real equipment. Sam & Tucker pretend (very badly) that they’ve never been there before

Rooftop chill sessions as Phantom, late night teenage hijinks as Fenton, plus school AND fighting ghosts does not do any favors for Danny’s sleep deprivation. Tucker introduces him to caffeine pills with… mixed results.

Tucker and Sam teach Phantom some sign language. Later Danny slips up and uses it casually with them as Fenton

…. And many other silly mixups that I’ve yet to think of because I live for that shit

Sam & Tucker have theories about the Fenton-Phantom connection and they’re all wrong but somehow also plausible and that freaks Danny out just a little bit if he ever overhears them

Ultimately, I see this AU having a final arc where a New Situation occurs in which Danny-as-Phantom has to—once again—pretend to be human. This time, he’s with Sam & Tucker as Phantom from the get go, and can’t disappear or transform, even if being Phantom is extremely dangerous at that moment. Somehow this scenario would lead to the Fenton-is-Phantom (or, in this case, Phantom-is-Fenton) reveal…. But the details still escape me :P

so in short………… I really like hidden identities

[robertsheehanownsmyass]

I didn't know you knew the smaller character films he's done!

https[://]www[dot]google[dot]com/search?q=robert+sheehan+the+messenger&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjAnM7lmdbsAhULeRoKHUrACxwQ2-cCegQIABAB&oq=robert+sheehan+the+mess&gs_lcp=ChJtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1pbWcQARgAMgIIADoCCCk6BggAEAgQHjoFCAAQsQM6BAgAEAM6BwgAELEDEEM6BAgAEEM6CAgAELEDEIMBULoLWKI1YKw7aABwAHgCgAHwAogB7BqSAQgyNy4zLjQuMZgBAKABAbABAcABAQ&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-img&ei=J9KYX4DtH4vyacqAr-AB&bih=403&biw=412&prmd=inv&tbs=itp%3Aanimated&hl=en-GB#imgrc=ze2Hk1wrSHBfJM

Can I request a jack x f reader fic where the reader is a ghost that sticks around Jack keeping him (somewhat sane) and it develops into something more? Thank you!!

Sheehanoween! 

(gif by @vousnavezrienvu. seriously the amount of submissions I’ve gotten that are her gifs is pretty insane. You’ve provided the world with a service milady)

I Spy

Jack (The Messenger) x fem!Reader  Warnings: none, really. like, one f-bomb? this is sweet, a tiny bit angsty but nothing crazy

Despite the rolling gray clouds and occasional spattering of drizzle, Jack felt the most at peace-- the most untethered-- when he was outside in nature. There was something about the way the breeze stirred his hair or brushed his cheek that soothed him in a way that four walls and a roof never could. He sat on a park bench reading the newspaper, occasionally lifting his eyes to watch the passersby go about their day. It was then that he first noticed the girl.

Since his release from the institution, Jack had made it his mission to improve his quality of life, and that meant telling the mournful spirits that so often sought his aid that he wouldn’t help them anymore. For a while they would linger, begging and pleading for his help, but Jack remained firm in his convictions and ignored them. After a while, word spread among the spirits that their messenger was closed for business, and the harassment ceased.

The girl though, she was an interesting specter. She never spoke to him; never even looked at him. She just stood and stared off into the distance. She looked terribly lost. Jack began to wonder if it was only a coincidence that he was seeing her. She seemed to take no interest in him whatsoever, so he began to doubt it had anything to do with him at all.

That all changed one morning about two weeks after he started seeing the girl. Jack was sound asleep in his room at his sister’s house, and he suddenly awakened, feeling as if he was not alone. When he opened his eyes, the phantom girl was standing with her back to him looking out of his bedroom window.

***************

It had taken you weeks to work up the nerve to approach the messenger. The others had warned you that he was no longer assisting the dead. Nevertheless, you felt a pull toward him that bewildered you.

It had been six months since the accident that caused your death, and you just really needed to talk to someone.

You supposed there were less creepy ways to approach someone aside from standing in their bedroom as they slept, but you wanted to ensure privacy. So when Jack suddenly awakened and sat up, all messy brown curls and wild green eyes, your initial emotion was shame.

“Excuse me,” Jack said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, “but what the fuck?”

“I’m sorry if I startled you,” you said quietly.

Jack took a moment to steady his breathing, his annoyance apparent on his face.

“You seem to have not got the memo,” he said, “but I am closed for business.”

You fixed him with a puzzled look. “What business?”

“The business of doing favors for the dead. It’s over and I’m done.”

“Oh I don’t need a favor,” you replied.

This took Jack by surprise. “Wha’?”

“I don’t need any favors,” you repeated. “Well, not unless you consider talking to someone a favor.”

Jack said nothing, only blinked and stared at you.

You sighed, exasperated. “Me. I hoped you would talk to me.”

“Oh,” Jack said. “Why do you want to talk to me?”

“I’m lonely,” you said, and shrugged.

Jack’s expression seemed to soften. “Wha’, you haven’t got anyone waitin for ya?”

You shook your head. “My parents gave me up for adoption, and no one chose me because I was a sickly child. I lived in the foster system until I was of age and struck out own my own. I have some friends but they’re all alive and… I’ve got no one.”

Jack’s shoulders slumped. “I know how it feels to feel like you’ve got no one. It’s awful,” he said.

“So that’s all I wanted. Someone to talk to,” you said.

Jack smiled. “I don’t see the harm in that. But!” he said and held up a finger. “No creeping around in my bedroom, deal?”

You smiled. “Deal.”

***************

Over time the two of you grew quite fond of each other. You talked often, the subjects varying widely depending on your moods, and you consoled each other during the hard times. You gave him the necessary space, of course; you didn’t want to interfere with his life too much. But you always looked forward to the time you could see each other again.

One day, you were in the park in a secluded spot, sitting together and chatting companionably, when Jack turned to you and asked, “Are you getting sick of me yet?”

The question caught you off guard and you sputtered in response before blurting, “Of course not!”

Jack’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open for a moment before he grinned. “Have you got a crush on me?”

“What?” you said, momentarily panicked. “Of course not! That’s absurd.”

“I think you’ve got a crush on me,” Jack teased.

“I haven’t!” you yelled.

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks,” Jack said, but he was laughing.

“I will stop coming to see you!” you shouted, but you couldn’t help smiling.

“No, don’t do that,” Jack said and reflexively reached out to grab your arm, which of course he couldn’t do. His smile faltered, and he let his hand drop onto the grass.

“I spy with my little eye, something….blue,” you said in an attempt to change the subject.

Jack lifted his head and looked around the park. “That bloke’s jacket,” he said and pointed.

You continued in this vein for a little while, relaxing into the ease of your companionship. You pondered how long you could go on this way; were you friends for life? Would you watch Jack grow old and die? Would he join you in the afterlife or would he have more important people to be with? It squeezed your nonexistent heart to think of a time when you wouldn’t be in Jack’s life.

“I spy with my little eye, something pink,” Jack said.

You looked around. “the flyer on that tree,” you said, and smiled. For now, this was the best you could hope for, and it was enough.

[goldeyedinfamy]

*Smirks.* The Phantom Thief doth protest too much ,methinks. Anyway I always try to acknowledge people that help me in someway or another but I don’t always remember to express it or sometimes I don’t recognize it. If I ever fail to do so tell me and I’ll remedy that ASAP. Now goodbye for real this time dear ,kind ,Pyrite.

“Whatever floats your boats. And I’d let ya know.

“See ya ‘round, grey shadow.” Or not, but that would be neither here nor there. It was up to fate if they’d meet again.