#danny phantom fanfiction

[thesoulspulse]

Sad to say, but Danielle has every right to feel paranoid since things are slowly being set into motion that will change her life forever. The question is, are these changes good? Or will they only make things worse...? But for now she’s just happy about getting the unexpected opportunity to become a lot closer to Vallen as a friend (possibly more) and that’s enough for now.

[phantomskeep]

I’m writing the greatest Danny Phantom April Fools fic ever right now and I totally blame Faust for it.

Ghost biology is fun to play with :)

[c-o-m-p-r-e-s-s]

A I read Danny phantom fanfic, specifically phantom dcu crossovers.

I’ve been reading Lex Luthor’s ascent from supervillainy to fatherhood and holy fuck

It got updated today and the new chapter fucking hit hard!!!

Yknow those scenes in books or movies that leave you kinda breathless? It was one of those

[darthfrodophantom]

After warring with my prompts for far too long, I finally signed up for Phic Phight! 😁

If you haven’t signed up yet, do it, because it’s an amazing event!

I won’t post my prompts here yet, but they involve opportunities for: reveals, ghost king Danny, a chance for Lancer to shine, astronaut Danny, meddling Clockwork, Valerie angst, nobody knows AU, and a focus on ghost side characters that deserve more love.

I’m excited about them and I hope you all will be too! 💚

[danimason2019]

Senior Photos

[glitter-gummy-bears]

New idea for a Danny Phantom DC crossover fic!

Danny always knew that he was adopted. His parent's had always been open with this fact and always made sure he knew they loved him just as much as Jazz. What they failed to mention was that they found him in a crashed spaceship while camping!

"You were so small and scared," his mom told him with a sigh, "We couldn't understand anything you were saying, the only thing we understood was your name."

"Sooooo you're saying Daniel is my alien name?" Danny asked in complete disbelief.

"Yep! But you said it kinda weird for a while," his dad chuckled like this whole situation was completely normal, which admittedly calmed Danny's nerves a bit. "You would point to yourself and say Dan El! Dan El! Gosh, it was adorable."

Danny felt his face heat up. His dad ruffled his hair and laughed, "I miss those days, now my kids are both moody teenagers! I'm starting to feel old!"

Danny found himself laughing lightly. Honestly, this whole thing would be pretty cool if he wasn't still freaking out. He was an alien. A freakin alien. As if being half ghost wasn't strange enough!

Danny could only pray that his life wasn't about to get even more complicated.

900 miles away Clark Kent sat at his desk at the daily planet.

As he typed about local long-lost sisters reuniting after years apart, he couldn't help the depressed, bitter feeling swirling around his stomach. Growing up Clark had always wanted a sibling, someone to play with and help him with chores on the farm. Someone who understood him.

So you can imagine his shock and delight when he learned he actually had a sibling! An older brother!

They were sent to earth in separate ships but should have landed at around the same time!

Clark did what anyone would do and searched for his brother. Then he started college but would still look. Then he got a job but would still look. Then he became a superhero, he didn't have much time to look. Then he joined the Justice League... he didn't look much anymore, and when he did he wasn't hopeful.

Clark was just about done with the article when a beep let him know someone from the league was trying to get ahold of him.

He quickly left his desk and headed for the hallway. Pressing the button on his earpiece, Clark couldn't even get a word out before a familiar brooding voice echoed in his ear.

"I looked."

Clark felt a chill go down his spine, "Did you find anything?" he demanded, sounding more like Superman.

There was a pause.

"You're gonna want to see this."

Clockwork watched as all the pieces finally fell into place. He waved his staff and saw the event that started it all play across his screen. Two Kryptonian ships heading to earth when a portal opens up, a portal Clockwork himself created, and swallows one of the ships.

The portal opens up again over a decade later, spitting out the same ship.

"Yes, everything is how it should be."

[phicphight]

The Phic Phight 2023 Form is up!

The infographics below created by @sailor-toni provide a summary of the event, the point system, and some basic rules. You will also find this information, as well as a link to the FAQ, in the form itself! If you have any questions that aren't covered by the form or the FAQ, please send an ask to this blog!

[Image ID in Alt for all three images below]

[kaezerdoodles]

It’s been a little while but the next chapter of Hunted is up! (Also gonna post updates here from now on)

[storyweaverofgondor]

Summary: Danny struggles but he's not alone. 

@febuwhump

[weshney]

In case any of my readers haven't found it yet, this is where you can find the audio for Portal Panic!

[reinaluna]

Chapter Six - Secret Bae

In all honesty, Danny did not call his sister back. He did send a her a text though through the group chat.

OnlyDiedOnce - Totes safe. Met w/ dead (ish) crime lord. Gave food, bad aura. 

He probably should've explained more but to be honest Jazz was 90% of his self-control and Sam and Tucker were 85% of his decision making. 

He also sent a text off to his boyfriend. 

OnlyDiedOnce - In Gotham. Safe to visit. 

And then he set a timer. Just for scientific study.

He finished tailing Red Hood, invisible, and waited as the vigilante/crime lord entered the Wayne Residence through the back door that, and Danny had checked, didn't exist on any blueprints from the city. 

Oh, my, god. Bruce Wayne was totally Batman. Which meant his birth father was a vigilante and apparently the greatest detective of all time. Wonderful, just wonderful. His birth father hated metas which Danny technically counted as. 

One of the birdies was particularly stabby . . .

He went back to his aunties and waited as his brain exploded with realizations. How had no one else realized? Oh god, I met Jason Todd. 

Another hour, for a total of two hours and twelve minutes and a familiar redhead barreled into him. 

"You missed me." Danny teased, "Tucker even said so."

"I didn't miss you." Wes argued with a happy look in his eyes. "Just didn't want you dead. Again."

Danny grinned, a feral smirk. "How long ya staying?"

"Indefinitely. I'll be a legal adult in three months and you and I both know no one can track me down in that time." Wes replied, almost the same smile on his face. He took a second and his grin turned a little more savage. "The clown?"

"Tripped and fell on my sword. Far better than he deserved." Danny answered truthfully. Everyone else would have gotten the not-entirely-a-lie "I have an alibi". "Even master duplication. Can't get caught, my aunties kept an eye on 'me' all night."

"A birdy saw you." Wes teased.

"I wore a mask. Totally clashed with my outfit though." Danny quiped and watched Wes playfully flip him off.

"You loved my design." Wes shot back.

"I love you." Danny stated, "Your designs, . . . eh."  Danny grinned. "I mean the color scheme alone . . ."

Wes cut him off with a kiss. 

"I missed you." Wes admitted.

"Aw. I knew it."

"Jerk."

Danny kissed Wes letting him know just how much Danny had missed him as well. It turned into a light make-out session. 

"You want to go on a date?" Danny asked, a little breathless as he pulled away from Wes.

"What do you have in mind?" Wes asked, a little bit of mischief in his tone.

"My aunties told me their friend Selina is busy tonight, liberting some very pricey artifacts from the museum." Danny gave Wes a mischievous smile. "Want to out-steal the professional thief?"

"God, I love date night." was Wes' response with an equally mischievous grin.

[thesoulspulse]

You know things are about to go down when there’s a title drop in the chapter. I had a great time working on this one and setting up the Gray-Ghost elements that’ll be important in the near future! I think I’ve already said that several times but I’ll say it again, I’m looking forward to delving deeper into this story again after bringing it ‘back from the dead’ so to speak. Now I can focus on improving it in a way that keeps what I liked about the old version while adding a fresh coat of paint!

That, and I’m super excited to not only show off some good old classic refined-villain Vlad, but also an epic team up together against a big bad he decided to unleash on the poor people of Amity Park for his own personal gain. Well, and Danielle’s of course since they actually are on the same side unlike in the original show. But how much longer will that last if he keeps up these schemes behind her back even with misguided but good intentions behind them and putting innocent lives in danger?

[paenling]

paenling's phic directory :)

DARK/ANGST:

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Psychosomatic — Danny gets a paper cut. It isn't just a paper cut. Warnings: ghost hunger, vomiting, body horror, sensory overload, panic attacks. Pairing: none. Words: 3,358. Complete (1/1). Part 1 of Vice AU.

Momma's Boy — The Wisconsin Ghost kidnaps Madeline Fenton. Plasmius saps Phantom's last reserves of energy. Danny Fenton tears Vlad Masters apart. These are not coincidences. Identity reveal. Warnings: ghost hunger/cannibalism, graphic violence body horror, dissociation, self-harm, PTSD. Pairing: none. Words: 63,207. Complete (10/10). Part 2 of Vice AU.

The Miracle Year — “I feel like shit,” he finally says. It lacks the slapdash eloquence of a proper existential crisis, but Danny decides he’s kind of over that. Post-reveal. Warnings: ghost hunger/cannibalism, body horror, disordered eating, PTSD. Pairing: none. Words: 7,095. Incomplete (1/?). Part 3 of Vice AU.

the art of backmasking — For the first time, Valerie and Danny are totally honest with each other. Identity reveal. Warnings: none. Pairing: Danny/Valerie. Words: 7,467. Complete (2/2).

Deucalion — A month after the funeral, they saw Danny again. Frankenstein-inspired corpse/full ghost AU. Warnings: child death, grief/mourning, dehumanization, child abuse/neglect, corpse desecration, non-consensual body modification/drug use, homophobia. Pairing: none. Words: 5,631. Incomplete (1/5).

a fort of lovers' teeth — Ghosts wanted attention from the living, but Paulie had vanished without a sound. Something was wrong. Pain Train AU, inhuman ghosts, eldritch/cryptid Danny. Warnings: graphic violence, dehumanization. Pairing: Paulina/Star. Words: 9,114. Complete (1/1).

FUN/FLUFF:

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Things To Do Instead of Rest — Maddie felt like she could understand him again. (Learning to love your weird dead son.) Warnings: None. Pairing: none. Words: 2,198. Complete (1/1).

softest sleep — When Danny has bad dreams, he goes to Tucker. Warnings: none. Pairing: Danny/Tucker. Words: 538. Complete (1/1).

Skating On — Nobody told Valerie about the winter truce. (Gift for SummersSixEcho for the 2022 Phandom Holiday Truce!) Warnings: none. Pairing: Danny/Valerie. Words 9,315. Complete (1/1).

OTHER:

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Space Case — Not quite consumed but too sick to stay human, Danny only escaped death by choosing exile instead. Warframe crossover feat. Infested!Danny. Warnings: body horror. Pairing: none. Words: 2,027. Incomplete (1/?).

Raising Hell — A seemingly-routine errand for Clockwork puts Danny in over his head when he finds an alternate Amity Park plagued by demons instead of ghosts. Warnings: implied/referenced mind control. Pairing: Danny/Tucker (background). Words: 12,228. Incomplete (2/?).

Last updated: 2/8/23

[dekalko-mania]

Danny hated flash photography.

If someone snapped a picture of him as Phantom, the flash would expose his blue eyes.

Sure, he could pass it off as a side effect of his ice powers, but there came another problem.

Snapping a flash photo of him as Fenton resulted in a similar phenomenon. Except, his eyes would blaze neon green, and how could he explain that?

[darthfrodophantom]

In Spite of Everything You’ve Done for Them, Eventually They Will Hate You

Summary: Superheroes have become a nuisance, and after much public outcry and demand, the government has passed a law that requires all superheroes to submit to registration and suppression of their super powers. After identifying Danny Fenton as Danny Phantom, he is now subjected to wearing a monitoring device that no only tracks him, but also cuts him off from his core and his powers. He's been given another shot at college, and he's trying to make the best of it, but is the promise of maybe being an astronaut if he behaves enough of a reward for everything he’s been forced to sacrifice and the emptiness he now feels with his core locked down?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/45872107

CW: panic attack

This piece was written for the zine Reality Trip: A DP AU Zine published in 2022.

This zine is full of incredible works of art by so many amazing artists and writers in the phandom, and all the pieces are inspired by Danny Phantom AUs. If you haven't checked it out yet, please do so! You can learn more about it by checking out the tumblr page for the zine @dpauzine

You'll also see that in the zine, this work is partnered with some phenomenal art by @abrielarnold (who also has so many incredible pieces on their tumblr page) so please go check out their work as well!

In Spite of Everything You’ve Done for Them, Eventually They Will Hate You

He staggered out of the room and collapsed onto the floor. He clutched at his chest, hand fisting in his hoodie. His chest tightened. He couldn’t breathe. He felt sick, nauseous. His heart thrummed in his chest in erratic patterns. His whole body grew warm and sweat dripped down his chest and back. In his panic he pulled at his core, hoping for relief. He needed the power and the courage. He squeezed his core. Pulled on it. Tugged it. Wrenched it. Hammered it. Bombarded it. Pleaded with it. Screamed at it. Threw his entire metaphorical weight into it.

But it wasn’t there. It would never be there. It was silent. Unresponsive. Empty.

Gone.

***

Fifteen minutes earlier.

A flurry of text alerts barraged his phone. A quick look showed they were all supportive messages from everyone he cared about. It felt like everyone set some kind of timer to remind themselves to text him: there were too many all at once for him not to be suspicious. They had the same general theme: good luck today, you’ll do great, we know it’s hard and you’ve been through a lot, but we’re excited and proud of you. And even though they all read the same, he stopped walking and took the time to read each one and feel those supportive wishes in his heart before responding. He wouldn’t be where he was without the support of his friends and family.

The texts added a surprising spring in his step as Danny continued walking through the crowded sidewalks of campus. His first day of class. Well…not really. He’d been to college before, but now he could actually do college, without any superheroing getting in the way. Last time, college was an excuse to stay close to his friends, because he thought he would spend his life being a superhero, defending the world from threats like so many others. He found peace and purpose in that calling, but that was before the public downcry of superheroes, before the Registration and Restriction Act for Persons with Abnormal Abilities, before anklets and handlers and GPS tracking and the silencing of his core.

No, those days were done. He tried to avoid it, then he tried to fight it, but now he just needed to accept it and move on to a different life. A new life that started today. It wasn’t the life he thought he would have, and admittedly it was a life the government forced on him, but he decided this morning in front of the mirror he would start this new life out right with a better attitude than the depressed slump he’d been in since they severed the connection to his core. He was going to attend class, study, do his homework, and hopefully become an astronaut, and he was going to use the supportive texts from his friends to get him through it and have a good day.

At least he thought he would, until his phone buzzed with another message, this time from “The Destroyer of Souls.” The short and syrupy sweet message felt so fake: “Hey Danny! You have class today! Hope you’re excited! Go in there and find your new purpose!” Leave it to Harmony, his demon of a handler, to ruin the positive spin he was working so hard to find. Oh she sounded sweet, but she was the true ultimate enemy. She monitored his every move by the anklet he wore and he was required to verbally check in with her daily. If he wanted to go further than a few miles off campus, he needed her permission, and she never gave it. She created his class schedule (to make sure college didn’t give him any rebellious ideas) and monitored his social media accounts. She was his constant reminder that the government saw him as a criminal. He had only tried to put his abilities to good use by saving people. He didn’t hurt or kill people or steal things; he saved them. And yet, that somehow made him public enemy number one.

He typed out a forced “Yeah, I’m excited” because he had to respond within a certain time before he shoved his phone in his pocket. He could feel the familiar ache in his chest, a deep well of emptiness that threatened to swallow him whole. No, he told himself he wouldn’t do this. This was supposed to be the first day of his new life. He’d let this emptiness consume him for so many months, from the moment that anklet locked down his core and hid it from him, and this was supposed to be his new start. He wasn’t going to give voice to the emptiness. He wasn’t.

He walked faster to class, hoping the change of venue and the start of lecture would force his thoughts away from the maddening void that used to be Phantom. This was why he was here, alone at a college so far from his friends and family, because he needed a change of venue away from everything that reminded him of being Phantom.

He tugged his orange hoodie around him. A far cry from his favorite shirt, but that shirt had too many memories attached to it and he couldn’t handle that. Besides, the college hoodie made him feel like he belonged at this school, like he was one of the crowd, and he could disappear. He rushed away to his first class - English 101. Maybe it wasn’t the most exciting class to start out his new attempt at college, but it was familiar. He had good memories of English in high school thanks to Lancer, and he had done okay in his English 101 class his first time around. He’d be repeating a lot of classes. None of his classes from before would transfer, but it also meant none of the bad grades would either. He could start fresh without those grades hanging over him. Haunting him.

He shook his head and walked into the large lecture hall. He settled in and took out a notebook and a pen. He looked at the student next to him, a Black woman with thick natural curls and a kind face. He didn’t know anyone at the school, and it sure would be nice to at least have someone to talk to. It took him a lot more effort to work up the courage than he was used to. Apparently all his bravery was wrapped up in Phantom too. It never used to be this hard, but then again, everything felt harder now.

“Hey, I’m Danny,” he introduced. He probably could have come up with something more clever or memorable, but it took all the effort he had just to say that.

She looked up from her phone. “I’m Shae. And before you get disappointed, I have a boyfriend.”

Something about her slight smile and teasing warning actually pulled a light chuckle out of Danny. Maybe some would take that as a rejection, but it didn’t feel like that. “Don’t worry, I have a girlfriend, so you’re safe.” He couldn’t say he was being a great boyfriend right now with how empty he felt all the time. Somehow tamping down his core seemed to dull so many of his emotions and he just couldn’t explain why. He felt bad, because Sam patiently put up with so much, but he knew their relationship wasn’t the same and he could feel it.

Shae blushed as she smiled back. “Sorry, you know how some college boys can be. Sometimes you have to be a little more forceful.”

“No no, I understand. I watched my girlfriend go through it. I promise, I’m just looking for someone to talk to…and maybe someone to copy off of,” he teased lightly.

“Only if I can copy back,” she laughed.

They chatted and exchanged basic introductions and pleasantries before the professor walked in. Neatly dressed with glasses and a trimmed beard, Danny would have pegged him as an English teacher if he saw him outside of this classroom. He stepped up to the podium and started the powerpoint behind him.

“I’m Professor Moore, and this is English 101,” he introduced in a curt voice before he began the boring review of the syllabus. Danny noticed a few of the books on the reading list he’d already read either in high school or in his first attempt at college English, and he felt a relief knowing a lot of the work had already been done for him. Sure he’d love to say he’d reread the books, but even with his renewed focus on doing well in school, he knew that wouldn’t happen.

“Now, the first book we’ll be reading is 1984 by George Orwell. A classic made even more prescient today. Can someone tell me why?” Moore asked.

He called on an eager student in the front. “Because of the RRAPAA and the policing of superheroes,” he answered.

Danny felt his heart stall. No. No this couldn’t be happening. He didn’t want to discuss this or learn about this. He didn’t want to hear the thoughts or opinions of other people on this subject. And he especially didn’t want to hear people agree with the law.

“Precisely.” Dread gripped at Danny’s heart. “Some have accused the law of being too heavy-handed and eliminating too many rights. Others argue it’s the price of safety. With such an interesting debate happening in the world, what better lens to examine that debate than through a novel about government control?”

No he didn’t want to do this. He didn’t want to read about government control because he lived it. He could already see the essay topic forming in Professor Moore’s brain and he wanted nothing to do with it. This was supposed to be his escape, his way to get life back on track, and not some way to have it shoved in his face even more than the constricting, itching, and tingling anklet did. His head swam as dread churned in his stomach.

The professor walked slowly around the lectern and gestured to a quote displayed on the giant screen. “Who controls the past controls the future,” he said, punctuating each word with meaning. “Who controls the present–”

“--controls the past,” quoted Mr. Lancer. He let out a content sigh as he leaned against his desk. “Such powerful words that always seem to be pertinent no matter how much time passes. It’s always important to–”

A scream cut the teacher short. Ectopusses swarmed the room. Their translucent tentacle arms reached for Casper High students and wrenched them from their seats. They flailed and screamed. Some struggled to pull themselves free from the tentacles. Some tried to fight them off. Others just screamed. In the chaos, Danny dashed under Lancer’s desk. He pulled at his core, waiting for the transformation.

Nothing happened.

He tried again. Still nothing. His core felt…empty. Gone. Silent. Useless.

The screams raised in pitch. The palpable terror suffocated the room. He peeked his head over the desk. The ectopusses were leaving and taking their prisoners with them. His classmates. His friends. And he couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t save anyone.

Except…no. No, that’s not how it happened. He had snuck away. He had transformed. He had saved them. Because he had been Phantom back then, and not some useless excuse for a superhero like he was now. This had to be a memory. This wasn’t actually happening. He was in college, not Casper High. He was sitting in a lecture hall surrounded by hundreds of students. He was safe. Everyone was safe. He didn’t need to save anyone. He couldn’t save anyone.

He shut his eyes tight and took deep breaths. Just like Jazz taught him. In and out. He dared to open his eyes. He was back in the lecture hall. The blurry lecture slides had moved on past 1984 and detailed the basics of literary analysis. The professor’s clear voice echoed through the room, so very different from Lancer’s deep tones. He cast around the room, but didn’t see any ghosts. He didn’t hear any screams. It had just been a memory.

“Hey, are you okay?” the girl next to him asked in a whisper. He couldn’t even remember her name right now, and she’d just told it to him moments ago.

He looked down at his clammy hands. He brought a hand up to his chest and felt the sweat soaking his shirt. His whole body radiated with heat from the inside out. The student on the other side looked worriedly at him. There were so many people around him. He felt trapped. Suffocated. He couldn’t breathe. He needed to get out of here.

(He couldn’t save anyone.)

He stood up abruptly and dashed out of the hall. He left his notebook and bags and probably even his wallet but he didn’t care. He stumbled and tripped over legs and bags in his rush to leave without apology. He needed to get out of here.

He ran pell mell through the building until he finally hit the outdoors. He collapsed onto the ground as he clenched at his chest, at his core.

He couldn’t save anyone.

~*~

His core still wouldn’t respond. He did everything he could to get something out of his core and yet…nothing.

But what did he expect? He knew there wouldn’t be anything. He knew it ever since his parents grabbed Phantom’s ankle during a scuffle and slapped the ghost-nullifying anklet around it. His core was still there, but just out of reach. Close enough he could constantly see it and feel the faint alluring whispers of its presence, but every time he tried to reach for it his fingers would brush infuriatingly close and be slapped with that cruel denial. It was maddening to know that warmth and that promise of unity was so close, and yet completely gone from him. Especially when he needed it–

His chest clenched again as panic reared its ugly head once more. No, he didn’t need it right now, because he was safe. He wasn’t in high school. No ghosts were attacking. He was safe.

He forced his brain to think through the angry buzzing of anxiety threatening to consume him. Deep breaths, like Jazz taught him. Focus on five things he could see: the grass under him, his book bag, a bench in front of him, a building in the distance, a tree. Four things he could touch: the damp grass, the cool concrete, the canvas book bag, the soft hoodie. Three things he could hear: student chatter, a clock chiming, birds singing. Two things he could smell: grass, Chinese food. One thing he could taste: the lingering flavor of mint gum.

It brought him back to himself. He still felt jittery and his heart thrummed in his chest, but he was present, grounded. He pulled himself onto the nearby bench. He knew people were staring, but he didn’t have the effort to care right now. He was far too exhausted.

He knew he had to fight through this. He wanted to fight through it. For so long, he had the will to fight through so much pain and hurt and exhaustion, so surely he had the will to fight through this emptiness and panic and despair right?

Unless that will to fight was locked away with Phantom.

His phone buzzed and he knew it couldn’t be anything good. Everyone who would text him knew he was supposed to be in class right now, which meant it could only be one person…

“Hey Danny, noticed you left class early. Remember this is supposed to be your second chance at college - no reason for you to be leaving class early this time! Did something happen?”

He scowled at the text from his handler. Did something happen? Did something happen?!

He typed furiously on his phone, lit with a fire he hadn’t felt in awhile. “Yeah, something happened. I have to listen to people discuss the RRAPAA and superheroes like there’s not one sitting with them and listen to them talk about how great it is when NONE of them know what it’s like to be hollow and empty and alone. And none of them CAN know, because if I tell any of them you’ll make me disappear and force me to start all over again at a different college with a warning that if I can’t get it together, then I can’t be in society. All while I have a PANIC ATTACK about how empty and useless and worthless I am right now because I can’t do anything to help anyone anymore!”

He almost hit send. His thumb hovered over the button and he was so tempted. But he didn’t. He knew he couldn’t say any of that. Not to anyone and certainly not to her.

As quickly as that explosion of anger came, it disappeared and he slumped on the bench. He deleted the lengthy text and typed a morose “Nothing, I’m fine” and stashed the phone back into his pocket. It was a lie. It was always a lie.

He leaned forward and buried his face in his hands. He took deep breaths of the fresh air and tried to let his mind wander, like Jazz advised him to do when he felt overwhelmed. Disconnected. Lost.

His phone beeped and shook him from his thoughts. Time for his math class. Had he really spent that much time just sitting there? It felt like barely a moment while he let his mind wander.

He flung his bag over his shoulder as he stood. Time to try again. The new start to his new life. A new life filled with emptiness and panic no one could ever see. He pasted on the mask of a normal student, pretending to be like everyone else. Pretending he was a normal college student. Pretending he wasn’t empty. Pretending he wasn’t hollow.

[astatia-ghast]

Moments in Time #1: A Divine Analogy

Synopsis: Clockwork explains to Danny why no one can simply fly to the Elsewhereness.

About my Moments in Time series.

------

I've always been fascinated by thoughts of how heaven, hell and purgatory fit into the Danny Phantom universe. I'm also fascinated by questions of how the Ghost Zone works physically. Where does it exist in the cosmos? What is the science behind how someone travels from one dimension to the next?

As I was pondering all this one night, I began to imagine what a conversation between Danny and Clockwork would look like if Clockwork were to explain how to get to the Elsewhereness. What kinds of analogies would he use? Thus, this scene was born.

(As an aside, I'm glad Butch Hartman confirmed the existence of the Elsewhereness. I always assumed that heaven was canon to the show, given Hartman is religious, but it's nice to have confirmation. It gives me something concrete to work with.)

I also imagined another conversation between Danny and Clockwork about how the Ghost Zone works in relation to realms like the Earth, the Elsewhereness, the Unworld, and so on. I'll post that one too if I can get the conversation to sound compelling enough. But for now, I'm just thrilled that this one is making its Tumblr debut!

Without further ado...

------

“...So, how come no one except this ‘Sojourn’ guy has been able to find the Elsewhereness?”

Clockwork smirks; Danny gets the odd sense that he is excited to explain this to him. “You know the story of Genesis, yes?”

Danny nods, though a second later, he brings his hand to the back of his neck and rubs it shyly. “Yeah... I mean, I’ve never been religious, but everyone knows the story of Genesis.”

“That is no matter,” says Clockwork, nodding encouragingly. “What is important is that you know.”

He dives into his analogy with hushed gusto. “Imagine that at the beginning of the Earth, there is a doorway in the Garden of Eden that leads directly to heaven. The first humans can use it to travel between Earth and heaven freely, whenever they want to.

“However, on the day of humanity’s fall, God closes the door and decrees that it shall remain closed forever. In fact, he doesn’t just close it; he destroys it. This doorway will never exist ever again, no matter how hard anyone tries to find it or reopen it. It is closed as completely as if it never existed at all.

“Now, you tell me: if someone born after the fall of man wanted to find this doorway, how would they do it? And before you ask: yes, there is a solution.”

Danny’s eyes bug out a little; he didn’t expect Clockwork to subject him to some impossible logic problem. He gets enough of this nonsense in school. His gaze darts this way and that as he rapidly seeks his bearings. “Um... It’s not prayer, is it?”

“No – though that would certainly help.” Clockwork smiles patiently. “The person in question is irreligious.”

If he were in any setting other than here, in Clockwork’s tower, Danny would have floundered on this until his asker took pity on him and gave him the answer. But as his gaze falls onto Clockwork’s timeless form, a surprisingly practical solution comes to him. “Could they... travel back in time?”

Pride brightens Clockwork’s features, and he nods. Danny is instantly sure that Clockwork already knew he would provide the right answer, so the fact that he was overcome with such pride anyway leaves Danny feeling surprisingly moved.

“Yes!” he exclaims. “No matter how fervently they may try, no human would ever find the doorway to heaven because they can only move forward, further and further from the day it was closed. But if they were to move backward, they would eventually arrive at a time when the doorway is perfectly usable.

“But there’s still a problem with this, isn’t there?” Clockwork beat him to it; Danny was already beginning to shift uncomfortably. “Humans can’t go back in time. So how would they get there?” A sparkle is in his eye as their gazes meet. “How would you get there?”

I would ask you to take me. Danny’s discomfort comes to a head. “You’re not about to tell me you single-handedly take the dead to the Elsewhereness, are you?”

A small, fond chuckle escapes Clockwork, and Danny’s discomfort is relieved. “Ah... If only it were that simple. No, I do not know the way to the Elsewhereness, but you have the right of it – the only way someone can get there is if one of its residents leads them there. Only they know the way. The rest of us are so blind that even if we were to find the path, we would wander off it immediately and not realize our mistake.”

The rest of the tension leaves Danny, making him once again a curious young charge in his mentor’s tower. “But do they actually have to go back in time?”

Clockwork smirks. “I don’t know, but I don’t think so. That is merely an analogy.”

Danny falls silent for a moment as he considers all this. He’d like to know what the path is really like, but something tells him his mind would explode if he tried to make sense of it. Besides, Clockwork appears to be just as stuck on this side of “Elsewhere” as he is. So instead, he asks, “Do you think Sojourn was just a resident of the Elsewhereness this whole time?”

Clockwork leans back, tapping his chin. For the first time, Danny feels like this is a question they’re working out together. “No – or, at least, probably not. Scarce have I gotten wind of what is contained within his writings, but what little I do know seems to suggest that he was no different from us. Just a normal ghost who persevered until the cosmos itself could no longer deny him.”

It’s Danny’s turn to chuckle. “Well, I’m hardly a ‘normal ghost,’ but I get your point.”

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Clockwork loves making time-related analogies. 😝

Thank you so much for being part of the first Danny Phantom fanfic I've ever posted to Tumblr!