#day 9: ghost zone

[friendly-neighborhood-imbecille]

I’ll be honest, I spent like 10 minutes drawing this just staring at the boots.

Dannymay Day 9: Ghost Zone

[five-rivers]

Gnosis

Although it did not look it at first glance, the Far Frozen was a bastion of the sciences, both soft and hard.  They had their traditions and their superstitions, yes, and their ancient charge to guard the Infi-Map, but they were people of reason.  A curious people, always pushing at the borders of what was known and what was not, which was why they were among the first to notice.

.

One day, the numbers on a machine intended to determine the age of the Infinite Realms fell into place just so.  

The Infinite Realms, said the machine, were one minute old.  Twenty years old.  Sixty-two years old.  One hundred and one years old.  Three hundred and twelve years old.  Six hundred and thirty years old.  Nineteen hundred and forty years old.  

This, clearly, could not be.  

They started the machine again.  The Infinite Realms, said the machine, were thirty-two minutes old.  

The scientist in charge of the machine, an old yeti by the name of Firstfrost, scratched her head and hummed and hawed.  She looked at the first set of readings, and made note of the time, exactly thirty-one minutes before the second set.  

She reset the machine, this time thoroughly checking it for any flaw or damage.

The Infinite Realms were two hours and twenty-six minutes old.  

Again and again, Firstfrost ran the calculations, even doing them by hand.  

The Infinite Realms were twenty-five hours and eleven minutes old.  

This, of course, could not be.  Truly, even the longest of the times given by the machine were impossible.  Firstfrost could name many monuments, even many ghosts, older than two thousand.  

And yet, the readings troubled Firstfrost.  The spontaneity, the consistency, the presence of multiple times…  

She went to her chief, Frostbite of the Far Frozen, who had guided their people well for many years, and presented her team's findings, as paradoxical as they were.  

Frostbite, chief of the Far Frozen, burdened with the wisdom of many years, looked upon the data and said, "Can you detect the source of these readings?"

Firstfrost, who was also burdened with the wisdom of many years, and knew her nephew quite well, presented him also with her triangulation of the readings’ origin points.  

Frostbite looked upon the readings and was troubled, for he thought he recognized them.  He thanked Firstfrost, and went away, to the deepest tunnels of the Far Frozen, where their sacred charge was kept.  He stepped by the maze, those twisting places well known to him, and by the traps, their snares beneath him, and by even the guards, those brave souls the first to fight and all too often the first to fall.  

To take the Infi-Map out of its case was folly, so Frostbite examined it there, comparing each set of coordinates with the enchanted parchment.  It was in this way that he learned he was correct.  For each coordinate, for each time, there was a cluster of portals leading from that place, to that time.  But why?  And for how long had this been the case, for Frostbite to remember and notice it?  

He went back to his usual duties, but he pondered the matter, deeply and long, for his people were much concerned with philosophy and science, for the storm-season was long, and often drove them into the deep and dark for many months.  

Thus, he resolved to send out warriors, young and restless, in pairs.  To look, only, and not to pass through any portals, not even the ones to the now, for portals were not to be relied upon, even when they gathered in such great numbers.  

The first two were Nightchill and Bluster, and they were known to be silent and loud in turns.  They went to the place that cited the Realms as nineteen hundred and forty years old.  There they found the echo of a mighty coliseum, competitors of all kinds and all ages still battling with one another, spectators jeering from overhead.  They went among the people there, and paid for news by the strength and skill of their arms.  They heard of a city that was built and burned and built again, and emperors who ruled for years or months, days or weeks.  It was an old place, with many stories, but it held no special legend, and they went home with little more than they had set out with. 

After them, went Polarice and Snowcoat, twin brothers only lately called to the defense of the Far Frozen.  They went to the place that claimed the Realms were six hundred and thirty years old.  A monastery was erected there, a peaceful place of contemplation that put them much in mind of their own home.  They were made welcome, and walked the same paths as the monks, and heard their stories.  The monks were of an old order, from old times, and knew much of history.  But they knew nothing of the beginning of the Realms, and the twins went home with little more than they had set out with.

The next two were Snowshadow and Alpine, women as beautiful as the false aurora that danced upon the peaks of the Far Frozen.  Their goal was the place that read as the origin of the Realms three hundred and twelve years ago.  They came across a small archipelago, inhabited by just twenty-five souls.  These men, women, and children were eager to speak with travelers, and even to share the fates they suffered in life, to some degree.  They spoke of hangings and burnings, of trials and false accusation, of tortures and injustices still at large in the world.  They knew nothing of the origin of the Realms, beyond what they retained from their religion, and Snowshadow and Alpine went home with little more than they had set out with.  

Then, Blizzard and Flurry set off, in a hurry, as always.  They raced to reach the place that would have the Realms be only one hundred and one years old.  It was wide and open, a plain set beneath a green sky.  Some would call it empty, but there was a memory there, a memory that was history.  The roar of an engine– wind beneath fragile wings– But there was little else, and Blizzard and Flurry went home with little more than they had set out with.  

Next were Bluesnow and Blackice, both unusual in their coloration.  They went to where the Realms were read as only sixty-two years old.  There was nothing there but a ringing in the air, an eternal repetition of a voice, and they spent their time trying to decipher its meaning.  Nothing to fear but fear itself.  Nothing to fear but fear itself.  Nothing to fear but fear itself.  Even so, they returned home with little more than they had set out with.  

Then, Snowbound and Coldsnap were sent out, the youngest and most restless of the warriors.  They went to where Firstfrost’s readings said the Realms were only twenty years old.  

And that was when things started to get really weird. 

.

From the twisting gloom of the inchoate Realms rose a tower, ticking, ticking, ticking.  A clock, the likes of which Snowbound and Coldsnap had never seen before.  

“Have you ever seen anything like it?” asked Snowbound.  She wore her spear strapped to her back - a peacebond, so that any who saw her would not think she sought battle, but knew she could fight one nonetheless - but her forepaws itched for it.  The tower was dark and foreboding, and so very unlike the smooth white snows of her homeland.  

“Perhaps once, in a book,” said Coldsnap.  “But I couldn’t be sure.”  They flew closer together.  “It was in a book about the Ancients,” he continued quietly as they flew closer.  “Undergrowth, Pandora, Vortex, Sojourn, Phobos, and–”

“Me, Clockwork.”

The two young yetis whirled to see a strange ghost.  To all appearances, it was a child, with blue skin and red eyes.  Both Snowbound and Coldsnap knew better than to trust appearances, however.  The smaller ghost had a clock embedded in its chest that ticked in time with the tower behind them.  It smiled, and smoothly grew into young adulthood.  

“Your people have started to understand, I see,” he said.  “Or, at least, to investigate, which is the first step to understanding.”

“Understand what?” asked Snowbound.  “What does it mean, that your lair is where our machines say–”

“That the Realms were created, just twenty years ago?” finished Clockwork.  “Because this is where the Realms were created, just twenty years ago.”

“That’s impossible,” said Snowbound.  “Even I am more than a hundred years old.  Coldsnap is even older.”

“Quite so,” said Clockwork, inclining his head.  He turned his head slightly, gaze drifting sideways.  “We do not have much time.”

“Time for what?” asked Coldsnap, finally coming forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Snowbound.  “Why not?  Don’t you control time?”

“Ah, children.  Always curious, and to our benefit, it seems.  Your people are the first to notice.  You will not be the last, even today.”  He blinked slowly, aging just a hair, into adulthood, then middle age.  “Time does not fly like the arrow, from one place to the other, with no diversions.  Tell your elders to find histories and trace them, as far back as they can.  They may not lead where expected.”

“May?” asked Snowbound.  

“May,” repeated Clockwork.  “Where time is dismayed, then so am I.  Perhaps this is all a mistake.  Perhaps it is nothing.  Perhaps it is everything.  There are–”

“Clockwork!” came a shrill, warbling voice, muffled only slightly by the clouds of ectoplasm surrounding them.  “Clockwork!  What is the meaning of this?”

“--many things which I must attend to,” finished Clockwork with a sigh, his frown deepening into the wrinkles and lines of old age.  “Return home, children, and share what you have seen.”

Clockwork flew back to his tower, little eddies of ectoplasm being sucked into his wake and resolving into glowing green gears.  A pair of Observants rushed from the doors of the tower to meet him.  

“Do you think he realized we’re both adults?” asked Snowbound.

“I don’t know,” said Coldsnap.  “I think to someone that old, everyone is a kid.”

The air around them shuddered slightly.  

“I heard that,” came a spectral whisper.  

Coldsnap and Snowbound wisely fled.  

.

The investigation was no longer a passing curiosity.  An Ancient, a member of one of the most respected and powerful groups of ghosts, who defeated and imprisoned the tyrant Pariah Dark, was involved.  The Observants were involved.  

This was clearly something important, something relevant to the Realms as a whole.  

Frostbite called upon the historians of his people.  They were many, and from many walks of life, ascribing to both the philosophy of the written word and that of the spoken.  They were craftspeople, scientists, teachers, hunters, record-keepers–  All the people of the Far Frozen knew some degree of history, after all.  Frostbite set them to work.  

But there was work he kept for himself.  He gathered Firstfrost, Snowbound, and Coldsnap, and went to the place where the Realms were read as only months old.  

That seemed to be where it all started, after all.  Whatever had happened over there was what had triggered everything else.  

At first, they were alone in their journey.  The Far Frozen was, after all, far.  But before long, they were joined by others.  First only one or two other ghosts, then many.  Their traveling companions were not terribly talkative, as a group, but Frostbite was not a stranger to the art of conversation, and the younger two members of their group were very personable.  

At their destination, they were told, was a portal.  

This portal was not like other portals.  Not only was it consistent, it was permanent.  It always led to the same place, and time passed in the same way on one side of it as the other.  It had, the rumors went, been made, artificially, by living scientists.  

Such a thing was unheard of.  

But, by the streams of ghosts heading for it, converging on the spot from all directions, it must be very real.  Or, at least, very convincing.  

When Frostbite first saw it, he was underwhelmed.  The line of ghosts waiting to use it, few of them fighting one another for the privilege, was a much more unusual sight than a single, small portal.  It was, perhaps, large enough to accommodate him, if he stooped, and circular, its surface showing a regular spinning pattern, not unlike that of a whirlpool.  

But the longer he watched, the more uneasy Frostbite became.  The portal was too circular, its edges too stable.  They did not flicker, they did not bend.  Apart from its gently pulsing surface, the portal itself might have been fashioned from a rigid object, something solid and unyielding.  

Simply saying that it was wrong would have been incorrect.  It was not wrong.  No.  That would be easier to parse, easier to process.  There were, after all, many things in the Realms that were wrong. This portal…  If there were such a thing as too right, Frostbite might call it that.  

There was something about it that pulled.  

They did not go closer.  Firstfrost set up her tools, and Frostbite and the others questioned and watched.

Ghosts entered the portal in a regular pattern, one after another, taking turns.  At irregular intervals, each no more than two days, a group of ghosts would be expelled all at once.  Generally, these ghosts were injured, but not seriously so.  More as if they had gotten the worse half of a territorial tussle than a serious fight.  

Sometimes, ghosts Frostbite had not seen enter - animal ghosts, mainly - would be expelled, causing a small amount of chaos among the more intelligent ghosts waiting their turn.  Other times, there would be a large gap in expulsions before a single more powerful ghost was cast out.  

Most of these ghosts did not wish to speak of their defeat.  But soon a narrative emerged.  The human world did indeed lie on the other side of the portal, but so too did a young, brash, territorial ghost, who had claimed the town beyond as his, and no other.  

Other scraps of data emerged.  The city’s name was Amity Park.  ‘Pranks’ and other troubles caused by the ‘visitors.’  The young ghost was named Phantom, of all things.  Often, a school full of children was assaulted.  One ghost, to Frostbite’s disgust, had decided to hunt Phantom, for nothing more than sport.  The oddly noble decision Phantom had made to not leave any ghosts in the hands of a pair of deranged-sounding ‘ghost hunters.’

Then, a ghost that seemed… different emerged, gliding through the portal under her own power.

The woman looked around, strangely, as if she had never seen the Realms before.  Her tail was long, and her skin was green, and still… she did not quite seem like a ghost.  Or, perhaps, she did not seem used to being a ghost.  

Frostbite approached her, with Snowbound at his side.

"My name is Maram," she said, "but I cannot help but feel that I might be known better by a different name."

"Many feel that way, when they first come to the Realms," said Frostbite.  "Many take new names."

"Then perhaps I shall, as well.  Tell me, how long have these… Realms been established?"

"Forever," said Frostbite, though he had come to doubt that traditional assertion of late.  "My Realm alone has stood for five thousand years."

"Impossible."

"We have records," said Snowbound.  "It's true!"

“Impossible,” repeated the woman.  “Before I was imprisoned, I was a worker of wonders.  I spun magic and legends from the aether as easily as a lesser man might breathe - and for that, I was envied and feared.  I have plumbed the depths of mystery - and this place was not there.  No.  No, and I was not this.”  She looked around herself, then down at her hands, turning them over and over.  “Earlier, I felt…  Before my prison broke, I felt…”  Her hands clenched.  “There was a wonder worker even greater than I, but…”  She shook her head.  “No.  No, I must know more.”  She turned back to the crowds of ghosts, and disappeared among them.  

“That was… strange,” said Snowbound.

“Yes,” said Frostbite, “but of an unsettling pattern.”

They went back to Firstfrost and Coldsnap, who were tending the machines.  

“I do not know what else you intend to glean from this, nephew,” said Firstfrost, “but I can do no more.  Everything says that the Realms were born at the threshold of that portal, only months ago.”

“Are we going to go through?” asked Coldsnap.  

“No,” said Frostbite.  “We are not.”  He looked out, to the horizon that was not. 

“Then what are we going to do?”

“You will escort Firstfrost back to the Far Frozen,” said Frostbite.  “I myself will travel to the Time Locked Lands.  The Ancient says for us to trace history - very well.  As our historians do so, I shall as well, in my own way.”

“How long will you be gone?” asked Firstfrost.

“As long as I must,” said Frostbite.  

.

Frostbite went from Realm to Realm among the Time Locked Lands, recording every history he could find, from that of kings to those of peasants.  There must be some secret here, some clue that Clockwork expected him to find.  

And, then, he came upon a school building, floating freely on its own island.  

It was named ‘Casper High,’ in the American fashion, and built of brick.  There was no color to it, not even a speck of green.  A small ghost, equally gray, sat on the edge of the school’s steps, looking out into the green.

Casper High…  That had been the name of the school in Amity Park.  

“Hello there, young friend!” called Frostbite, waving.  “How goes it?”

The smaller ghost shrugged.  “Copacetic,” he said, listlessly.  “You?”

“I am well myself.  My name is Frostbite.  May I ask yours?”

“Poindexter.”  He pushed up his glasses.  “Or Sidney, but hardly anyone ever called– ever calls me Sidney.”

Frostbite nodded, then glanced again at the school’s lettering, deliberately exaggerating the motion so Sidney would notice it.  “I cannot help but see…  Is your lair at all related to the Casper High that Phantom defends?”

Sidney shuddered.  “Yeah, I guess you could say that, mister.  I thought– A while back a portal opened up between here and there.  I went through.  I shouldn’t’ve done that.”

“Why not?” asked Frostbite.  He knew the reasons he would not chance a natural portal, but the young were, quite frequently, more adventurous.  

“I looked myself up,” said Sidney, one leg drawn up to his chest, the other swinging back and forth over the void.  “I wanted to see if the bullies who killed me were punished, somehow, even if they didn’t look it from this side.  They’ve got this big old computer thing - like a library, but electronic.  You could look up anyone on it!  Get their whole life story, just about!  But…  They were there.  I wasn’t there.  None of us were!”  A small stone dislodged itself from the underside of the island and fell.  “Something like me was, but it was just a story.  An urban legend.  Nothing real.  Nothing like me.”  Sidney pulled up his other leg, so that he was in an almost fetal position.  “I tried not to think about it.  I really did.  But, mister… I’m not sure I’m real.”

“Nonsense,” said Frostbite.  “Even if you are a ghost formed from the Realms themselves instead of a death, that does not make you any less real.  You are here, aren’t you?  Speaking and thinking?”

Sidney looked up at him, a sort of desperation in his eyes.  “You don’t get it, mister.  I’m not sure if any of us are real.  I don’t think we have any history.”

.

There was a feeling - brief, but pervasive - of everything being picked up, moved a few inches to the left, then righted again, with almost nothing out of place.  

Almost.  

Frostbite went home after that.  

.

He was just in time, too.  

Some young fool by the name of Plasmius - a boy who fancied himself a king - freed the old, true king from his slumber, and it was all Frostbite could do to keep his people safe.  All the thralls of Pariah Dark - buried and kept asleep for many years - crawled from their impermanent graves to fight.  

The Far Frozen, deep with ice and snow, had been the site of many battles and was home to thousands of such graves.  Frostbite, back when his father had still been chief, had lost his arm in one of those battles, and the memory of it burned fiercely with every thrall he crushed or froze.  

And then - time stopped.  

“Hello, Frostbite,” said Clockwork, Ancient Master of Time.  “I would like to show you something.”

“I cannot leave,” said Frostbite, gesturing back towards the bulk of the fight.  

“Your people will not be harmed, you have my word.  Come.”

Reluctantly, Frostbite followed.  Clockwork made a portal in the air, and they stepped through to the site of what at first appeared to be a great battle, but which was soon revealed to be only a small handful of ghosts fighting against a huge army of thralls.  

“Have you called me here to give aid?” asked Frostbite, his core tense with fear.  

“Not in the way you think, or the time you think.  Watch, and watch, only.”

And Frostbite did watch, as one ghost - small, in a suit of armor much too large for him - fought his way closer and closer to Pariah’s keep.  Fought, until Pariah himself emerged.  

Frostbite started forward, but Clockwork put his hand on Frostbite’s shoulder, and they stayed still even as the smaller ghost did the impossible, and defeated Pariah Dark in single combat, forcing him back into his sarcophagus, and, Frostbite hoped, sealing him there forever.  Then, Clockwork pulled him back, back to the Far Frozen, back in time to the exact moment he left.

“Why?” asked Frostbite.  “Why show me, and me specifically, that moment?”

“History,” said Clockwork.  “That is Phantom, who defeated Pariah Dark.”

“The boy from the city beyond the portal?” asked Frostbite.  “He hasn’t even been dead a year.”

“History,” repeated Clockwork.  “You should look for it still.  When he comes to you, ask him where he died, and when.”

“Clockwork–”

“You need not fear.  He will not understand the taboo.  He is, after all, still half human.”  With that, Clockwork left, and the battle sprung to life once more.  

.

The battle finished, repairs made, and Frostbite’s story shared, he set out again.  This time, he looked for the ghosts he had seen fighting Pariah’s main army.  Some, like Sidney, were happy to speak to him again.  Others… were less so.  Although Frostbite probably did not need to hit Skulker quite so hard.  

Sidney directed him to a friend, a princess of a Realm that once numbered among the Time Locked Lands but which had since drifted free.  Dorathea was a courteous host, but she had the same story as Sidney.  

Her history was wrong.  

More than wrong.  And not just hers, but her brother’s…  And they were said to not be related at all.  

She directed him to others she knew of, other ghosts who had gone through the portal for closure, and had returned worse than disappointed.  

The pattern, it seemed, was this: ghosts, spirits of the dead, going to the real world and finding their histories recorded incorrectly, if they were recorded at all, or, worse, finding themselves nothing more than legend, nothing more than fiction.  

Frostbite was born of the Realms.  He did not, entirely, understand.  But what he did understand…

He went home.  

But, just miles away, an icicle fell from a cliff above him and–

.

Frostbite was more than pleased to meet Phantom and find that he was just as rumors had painted him.  Kind, heroic, curious, not prone to overly deep thoughts - but, then, those as young as he was rarely were.  He was a good child, and if a teenager had to have the power necessary to defeat Pariah Dark, well… there were worse choices.  

Far worse.  

Although he had only seen Phantom the once, and from a distance, he could not help but feel some sense of pride as he looked around the Far Frozen in wonder, seemingly not noticing the remaining scars of Pariah’s final battle.  He smiled, as Phantom and his human friends played with the younger yetis, and grinned as they sat down to the welcoming feast.  He even took pleasure from showing off the slightly silly monument some of the others had built in honor of Phantom, and found it amusing when, in the words of Phantom’s companions, the boy started to ‘get a big head.’  

It was fine.  The boy had saved the Realms from Pariah and had received, from all accounts, little thanks.  An accomplishment like that deserved at least a few accolades.  

It felt, paradoxically and without any reason Frostbite could determine, as if he had known Phantom forever.  But that was not, and could not be.  

And yet, the possibility danced tantalizingly at the edge of his thoughts.  At least, until Phantom and his friends accidentally activated the Infi-Map, and it whisked them away.  

.

“Where did you even go?” asked Frostbite, slightly exasperated.  He could not - at least, not very much - fault Phantom for wanting to use the map to explore.  That was a trap everyone fell into, at least once.  “And when?”

“Well,” said Phantom, blushing ever so slightly green.  “First it was… nineteen sixty-something, I think?  Pretty sure it was before the moon landing.  Just a feeling, you know?”

“Nineteen forty-two,” drawled Sam.  “Danny, there was a calendar.  It was right there.”

“Oh.  Right.  Then it was Salem, and they tried to burn Sam at the stake.”

“And I had to eat these nasty flowers.  Blood blossoms or something?”

“Yeah!” said Phantom.  “Do you know anything about them?  They really hurt.”

“No,” said Frostbite, mystified.  “I am afraid I have not heard of them.”

“Well, I hope that means there aren’t any more,” said Phantom.  “They really hurt.”

“I think it was some time in the sixteen hundreds,” added Sam, helpfully.  

“Yeah, yeah, before the American Revolution, right?  And then, um…  We followed Vlad to Ancient Rome.  He kind of… made us fight in a coliseum and burned down the city.  Anyway!  We got out of there, and wound up in China for about a month.  That was pretty cool.  The monks taught us loads.”

“I’m glad to be back, though,” said Tucker.  “The past was not good for my stomach.”

“Then we fought Vlad again - he still had the map–”

“He got the map when Sam was being burned at the stake,” clarified Tucker.  “He kept telling it to take him to his destiny.”

“Then,” said Danny, “he went to nineteen-oh-three to take out the Wright Flier so he could… rule over mankind from the air.  Yeah.  I don’t think he thought that through, either.”

“How come you know that date, and not any of the others?” asked Sam, elbowing him.  

“It’s aviation history,” said Phantom, almost whining.  “Of course I know it!  After that, we wound up back here, safe and sound.”  He shrugged, then ducked his head, bashfully.  “I’m really sorry about taking the map like that.  I just–”

“You were curious,” said Frostbite, patting him on the shoulder as if he were a young warrior… albeit with a great deal more delicacy.  Phantom was very small, even compared to Snowbound.  “It is not a crime, but… perhaps try to understand why something is kept under lock and key.”

Phantom grinned, brightly.  “Right!  I’ll do better next time, I promise!”  

“Yes, I’m sure,” said Frostbite.  “But… may I ask you a question?”

“Sure!”

“It is of a somewhat personal nature, and it is very understandable if you do not answer it.”

“Okay,” said Phantom, a bit more seriously.  “It’s not like my weight or anything is it?”  He giggled a little bit.  

“How did you become half ghost?”  That question seemed at least a little more diplomatic than how did you die?  “And when?”

Phantom stilled, blinking up at Frostbite, then looked away.  “It was… about a year ago, now, I think?  Right, guys?”

Sam and Tucker grimaced, but nodded.  

“They were, um, there,” explained Phantom, and Frostbite winced on his behalf.  Such a traumatic incident, witnessed so young, could not have been pleasant, to say nothing of what it must have been like for Phantom himself.  “Where… Well.  I’m kinda surprised no one’s said anything to you.  It was– I was caught in the portal, when it turned on.  It sort of… zapped me.  Haha.”

“Don’t laugh about that,” said Sam, elbowing him again.  

“Ow, Sam.  You’re going to give me bruises.”

“Getting thrown through walls doesn’t give you bruises.  You’ll be fine.”

Phantom stuck his tongue out at her, earlier topic of conversation seemingly forgotten.  

“And,” said Frostbite, “does the time twenty-one years ago mean anything to you?”

Phantom made a face.  “That’s when Plasmius got his powers.  I kind of might have, you know, time traveled there once.  To see it.  Because he decided to make a plague to force me to help him.  He’s such a Fruitloop!”  What followed was a rant about Plasmius that, as far as Frostbite could tell, based on his impression of the man, was supremely well-deserved.  It was, however, cut short because Phantom and his friends did need to leave.  

Only when the three of them had been brought home did Frostbite let the paleness that had been creeping up underneath his veneer of cheer overtake him.  He leaned against the nearest ice wall and clutched at his horns.  Those dates!  Those dates!

Over the past months, he had become familiar enough with human history for the numbers to have meaning to him, but even without them, the accounts from the warriors sent to investigate the ‘origin points’ of the Realms would have been connection enough.  

Time congealed around him, and Clockwork appeared.  “Do you see, now?” he asked Frostbite.  

“What is he?” asked Frostbite, shaking in a way he had never done before.  

“A child,” said Clockwork.  “One around whom time splinters, both backwards and forward.  One who would sacrifice himself for the greater good.  One who died half way, in a machine made to contact a universe that did not exist.”

“We exist,” said Frostbite, insisted Frostbite.  

“We do,” agreed Clockwork, “but we did not then, as you must well know by this point.  Firstfrost’s readings were accurate from the first.”

“But that is–”

“Impossible?  Many things are impossible.  Many things are wondrous.  Miracles existed before us, and they will exist after.  But here we are… a whole world and all its history, born from the mind of a dying child.  That we were created with any reference to extant history at all is remarkable.”

“But the dead–”

“Never lived,” said Clockwork.  “Never died.  Yet, they have done both, and remember both.”

Frostbite stilled.  “My parents?  My friends who have faded?”

Clockwork shrugged.  “They are real to our history.  By my sight, that is real enough.”  He leaned forward, with a slight smile on his lips.  “Be brave, Chief Frostbite of the Far Frozen.  There are few beings indeed who can say that they have met their god, fewer still that can attest with such certainty that their god is good.  And,” he added, almost as an afterthought, “there are worse people, to have even the residue of such power.  Far worse.”

Clockwork vanished and time resumed, and for once - for once, Frostbite wished that the Far Frozen was somewhat less of a bastion of the sciences.

[tanglepelt]

Falling into the Zone

AO3

Danny gets lost in the ghost zone having entered via natural portal. The one good thing out of it is he catches a vigilante likely saving them from death.

Tim was not originally in my plan. It was just going to be Danny seeing new sites. Then Tim fell into Dannys arms.

It was meant to be an uneventful trip into the ghost zone. Danny just needed to get to Amity and then back before the fruit loop noticed. Danny was not attending that gala with Vlad without a way to defend himself if he could help it.

Vlad wanted his little badger to attend a gala with him. Of course, his dad agreed right away and sent him off. No matter how tired he fought against it. Vladdy knew best Afterall. Who cares if it makes Danny extremely uncomfortable? Not his Parents.

Even his mom knew he didn’t like Vlad. She just went along with it of course. It would be a good bonding experience for the two.

It couldn’t even be a day trip. No. Vlad had a suite in some hotel in Gotham. They would be there two days early. There was no need for it. The fruit loop is only doing it to make him even more uncomfortable. To rub his wealth in his face or something.

The first day was spent just being lectured on proper etiquette followed by threats if he didn’t behave. He wasn’t going to risk Vlad releasing his experiments on Amity when he wasn’t there. So, he would behave at the gala. Only the gala got specified in that deal.

Danny couldn’t even contact his friends to warn them. The fruit loop had “accidentally” knocked into Danny causing him to drop his phone. Only to “accidentally” step on the phone breaking it.

There is no way the outfit Vlad had specially made didn’t have some form of anti-ecto properties. He was starting to think there was more to making himself look better. It was a disaster waiting to happen.

If Plasmius made an appearance at the Wayne Gala. That was on the bats. Danny wouldn’t need to get involved. If Amity doesn’t need help, he’s sure an experienced vigilante could handle it. He had no experience and handled it himself.

Danny was set to behave, be good and stick around. He was trapped in the hotel room anyways. Anti-ecto shields keeping him stuck.

Then a glowing green portal opened in front of him. Which Is odd. Now he wasn’t at the Gala so why behave? Was it a bad choice? Probably. He didn’t care, better than staring at a wall.

He went through it. Right into the ghost zone. The portal closed behind him. At least he didn’t have to worry about Vlad following. All he had to do was make his way to the Fenton portal warn Sam and Tucker and be back within an hour. Should be easy.

He’d have to find an excuse for how he got out. But that was future Danny problem.

Current Danny problem was being lost in the zone. Nothing here looked familiar. It was all new, with different islands and different doors.

The farther he flew the more he saw.

Floating islands made of candy, waterfalls in thin air, floating rivers with glass walls and flooring you could see ghost fish swim, and the massive number of flying animals.

He had seen dragons, unicorns, rabbits using their ears to fly, there was even an emu. They all just were chilling in the zone. Now he knew animals resided in the zone. Cujo was proof of that. He just didn’t expect there to be so many.

The sheer size of the zone shouldn’t surprise him. It was officially known as the infinite realm for a reason. A place that connected every universe and every dimension to the afterlife. Even if you believe when you’ll die you go to the void you must pass through the realm first. Anyone who dies travels through it. Only around 2% ever stay. Yet 2% of an infinite is too much to count.

Those who remained in the infinite realm had tragic deaths or had business left to attend to.

Take ghostwriter for example. He died in the fire that took down the library of Alexandria. It’s why he was so protective of his books. His human life ended trying to save the books of the past. He couldn’t protect them so now he can write books his own way. On top of having a library of all the past books to ever exist. Danny destroying his book reminded him of his death.

No one wanted to relive their death day.

Danny was content to take in the sights. See a whole new area of the zone. Once he figured out where he was this area would go on their map. Better than no map but certainly not the infimap.

This area of the zone was astounding. So much better than by the prison.

An island of floating water with what appeared to be mermaids and mermen.

An island with large trees and a giant nest. Humanoid creatures with wings resided there.

Did the zone have property value?

The Fenton portal was right near walkers’ prison. Maybe they just opened the portal in a bad area.

Danny had even passed a few ghosts while flying. He had prepared to be attacked. Yet none came. The ghost just looked at him and left. He wasn’t sure but Danny is positive one called him a baby. Which rude. He is 15.

Around an hour in, he was about ready to ask someone for directions. Someone had to know where the prison, the far frozen or even the river of revulsion was. He was interrupted before caving.

A bright green light came from above.

Another natural portal. He was tempted but knew better. He could end up in the wrong time. No, he needed to get to the Fenton portal or frostbite.

While he was considering what to do a body fell right into Danny's arms. A human. Black hair red/black/yellow cosplayer outfit and a black mask. There wasn’t much time to process.

The screaming from the portal was overwhelming. Then a boomerang hit him square in the face. A tracker?? Listening device?? something attached. Something was being shot through then with a woosh the portal closed. A grappling hook??? Yea, that’s a grappling hook. Well, half of it got cut off when the portal closed. Thankfully it wasn’t a body part.

Danny did crush the device. He didn’t want Technus to get his hands on that technology. It was far smaller and more advanced than what he had. Regardless of what it was. Not worth a potential headache.

Either way, it’s not like it would work.

Tucker had specifically made stuff to work here. Which Danny didn’t have. Man, maybe he should have thought twice about rushing into the portal. No, his impulsive thoughts were of use. Regardless of if Danny was here, the guy passed out in his hands would have fallen. Which means who knows if he would have survived.

It was more important than ever to get to frostbite.

Danny went to investigate the wounds it all clicked. The boomerang, grappling hook, and tiny device. This was Red Robin, one of Gotham’s Vigilantes.  One of Gotham’s Vigilantes was unconscious in his arms with a bleeding head.

That wasn’t good.

Thankfully Sam had made him read up on all the vigilantes in Gotham. She stressed not to reveal himself as Batman seemed to have a bad reputation with metas. Which was funny.

Danny was half-dead not meta.

Batman shouldn’t have a problem with him.

Unless he hated the undead.

Back to the problem at hand. Well, three. First, a human was in the realm. Secondly, the human was injured. Thirdly he had no idea where he was. Bad odds.

There wasn’t even anyone to ask for directions from.

Danny had never been more relieved for Cujo to show up. It was at least some sense of normalcy in the zone. When Cujo grabbed him by the ankle and dropped him and his guest off at the far frozen he could have cried tears of joy.

Frostbite took one look at the situation, and it was off to their medical bay. All the wounds were superficial, well, and apparently a sedative. Red would be awake soon. Now Danny just had to figure out what to say and how to explain the bracelet now on his wrist.

Humans were the ghost here. Red could just fall through the island into the zone if he wasn’t careful. Sam and Tucker each had their own devices in case they weren’t in the speedster.

Red bolted awake. Checking his mask then looking around the obvious med center. Not even double looking at the yetis. Then he made eye contact with Danny.

“Where am I”

“The afterlife!”  the look on Red’s face said that was the wrong thing to say. He probably assumed he died or something.

“You didn’t die first off. Secondly, stop messing with that bracket, take it off and you’ll fall through the floors.” Danny gave him his best-pointed look. He didn’t think it was effective. Red did stop messing with it. “You fell in a natural portal. Guess you fell for me, right into my arms. You're actually very lucky most who fall don’t make it out alive.”

Red then started messing with his sleeve. “Tech doesn’t work here, has to be specially made.”

The vigilante kept fidgeting with gadgets and gizmos. Even pulling stuff out of his belt. It wasn’t a surprise when nothing worked.

“How do I get home”

“I can take you once Frostbite gives you the okay. Well, frostbite and I. I’m not trusted with the infimap alone. Accidentally travel through time three times and you get deemed a problem. It's not my fault the fruit loop stole it from me.”

“Don’t leave out how you failed to return it Great one” Frostbite boomed as he walked in. Evidently letting in a chill as Red shivered. “Let me look over the human and then I can return you both to the human realm.”

The checkup went well. All Frostbite did was make sure he wasn’t going to pass out again. Nothing else. Frostbite grabbed the map.

No warning given frostbite grabbed the vigilante’s wrist and asked Danny to place his on the map.

“Take us to where they need to be”. There was a trick to the map. Not specifying a place.

Only frostbite landed nicely in some dining room. Danny and Red slammed into a wall. Red’s mask was gone; Danny’s ghost form was gone. There go secret identities.

“Welcome back to the human realm young ones. I shall take my leave. Do try and avoid the natural portals that spawn. You both were lucky.” Frostbite spoke voice full of humor. Frostbite used the map to return to the far frozen. Leaving Danny alone with a bunch of strangers.

He took in the faces around him.

Red Robin was timothy drake Wayne. Alrighty… how was he getting out of this situation. All the black-haired blue eyes people were just focused on him.

After a lot of explanation and a lot of Danny’s personal information being shared, it wasn’t that bad. He was at least able to warn the bats about Vlad.

[jamiethebeeart]

Day 9: Ghost Zone

[dnpanimationstudioclone]

Day 9, Ghost Zone👻

What if the Ghost Zone had a Travel Brochure

[lonelyassassin96]

Mmmmmm. Endless green void.

Dannymay day 9: Ghost Zone.

[aprocessionofthoughts]

There be dragons

ectoberhuant 2023 day 9- dragons TW- nothing summary- Danny comes across a new island while exploring the zone.

ao3 masterlist

Danny had been exploring the Zone when he heard a roar. Curious he followed the sound and came across an island full of diverse vegetation and what looked like a volcano at the center. 

It didn't feel like a lair so that meant it was safe to explore. Danny was just about to step onto the island when a giant creature zoomed up out of the trees. 

Danny flew back, startled, and watched as the creature, the dragon, circled back toward the center of the island.

That was a dragon! And sure, Dora could turn into a dragon and so could her brother, but still. Dragons! And this one didn’t have a medallion so it might actually be a real dragon and not just a ghost who could change into a dragon.

Danny flew forward cautiously, because ghost dragons might eat ghosts and he liked his unalivedness just fine, thank you very much. 

As he flew through the trees he heard rustling and looked up expecting to see ghost birds in the branches, but instead there were small dragons jumping and gliding between the branches. They were eating some kind of fruit. As he kept watching he saw a nest with tiny baby dragons that could fit in the palm of his hand. So cute!

He continued his exploration and came across a large river that he started to fly over when he noticed a shape in the water. He flew higher to get a better view. It was massive. Another dragon? Maybe, Danny quickly flew away. He didn’t want to find out if it was like an alligator dragon that would try to snatch him if he got too close.

For the rest of his exploration he decided that it would probably be best to continue invisibly. 

And there were so many different kinds of dragons! He barely explored a small section of the island which meant that there had to be so many more. But it was getting late and Danny didn’t want his friends to worry.

He wondered if he could get a pet dragon. He could probably convince his parents it was just a lizard.

He’d definitely have to come back.

[shadowfaerieammy]

DannyMay2023 Day 9: Ghost Zone

For this one I did a silly little painted style thing as a nice departure from my usual art style. It was refreshing. And I love the color palette for the ghost zone.

[jamiethebee]

Me, realizing I bit off more than I want to right now: huh. I've already committed though (made the sketch)

[deadsetobsessions]

Sea Cryptic! Danny- pt. 10

[Pt.1] [Pt.2] [Pt.3] [Pt.4] [Pt.5] [Pt.6] [Pt.7] [Pt.8] [Pt.9]

“This you?”

Danny glanced at the stone tablet in Spoiler’s hands and groaned, Phantom form flickering with embarrassment as his face got even more neon green. It was indeed him.

——

The first Atlantean and Ghost King encounter went something like this:

Imagine Danny, sleep deprived. Easy enough. Now, imagine Danny, trying to corral a ghost that had a penchant for sea life.

“Alabastor, I swear to Ancients, if you don’t get back here, I’m gonna make you into ghost sea-food boil!” Danny yelled as he chased Alabastor through the ghost zone. The crustacean shaped ghost cackled, skittering along the Zone.

"Make me, Phantom! You have not seen the might of the sea!"

"That's it, soup-time, crabby!"

Danny dove after Alabastor, chasing him face first into a temporal portal and right into the sea.

"BEHOLD!" Alabastor rumbled, claws raised and sea churning around him. Danny flew at him, noticing the screaming people below. He quickly raised a dome of clear ice to protect their entire city before returning his attention back to the giant crustacean. The distraction cost him, as Alabastor blasted him with a beam of his power. "THE MIGHT OF THE SEA!"

"SOUP!" Danny bellowed back, Alabastor's power forcing him into a giant crab form, aside from, hilariously, his head. Danny, always quick to adapt, slammed a massive claw straight into one of Alabastor's eyes and popped open the Fenton Thermos with a feral grin. In but moments, Danny manages to soup Alabastor but not before slamming him down onto the unbreakable ice Danny had just made.

Carefully turning by skittering sideways, he unmelted his ice.

"Sorry about that," he said sheepishly to the gawking civilians below.

"Suh-ree? What is suh-ree?" A brave woman asked.

"Oh," Danny uttered as he realized that he should probably switch languages. His giant crab body and small itty bitty human head swayed in an unsure motion. "Sorry means "my apologies." I had not meant to involve you. I am Phantom."

"It is alright... thank you for protecting us... God Phantom?"

He grimaced. "Not a god."

"King, then." She stepped forward. "May I ask of the ice?"

——

Spoiler, sensing weakness like the Riddler to a riddle, leaned in. "Did you know they have a traditional dance to honor the god that gave them the unbreakable ice that protects Atlantis to this day? It goes like this," Spoiler stepped back and did the dance, complete with exaggerated arm movements and, embarrassingly, the scuttle walk Crab!Danny was forced to learn with his new crab form.

"We shall never speak of this again," Danny huffed.

"But King Phantom, the God of Eternal Ice and Protection, how could we not celebrate your iciness?" Spoiler simpered, Black Bat not too far away and shaking with laughter. The purple donning vigilante did the scuttle dance once more, picking up bottles as she went a small circle around one of Bludhaven's rock beaches.

Danny scowled and plucked the tablet away from her, hair flowing an a more agitated direction. His jumpsuit burned brighter. "Why are you two menaces in Bludhaven? I thought your territory was in Gotham."

"Nightwing asked for back up and we were in the area." Spoiler, blessedly, stopped the walk to answer him. "By the way, are you and Danny dating?"

"Pardon?" He asked, insulted but highly amused.

"Oh, you know, he has your number, and you only ever talk to him outside of us, and how you guys have a high level of communication." Spoiler said leadingly.

Oh, Danny knew what this was about now. He found out their identities and now these two are interrogating him because he liked them best. They thought they were so clever. Well, they clearly haven't gotten to know Danny at all if they thought he was going to make good decisions.

Danny tilted his head, making sure his face gets as eerie as possible, shadows elongating and eyes burning just that much brighter. The neon green of his face shone even brighter against the suddenly dark landscape of the place. Black Bat stood up, laughter seizing immediately. Spoiler tensed.

"I have a riddle for you. You are good at those, are you not?"

Spoiler blinked but gamely said, "Bring it."

"What do these things have in common? An arguing couple, papers on a stranger's desk, and Star City's robbers."

"..." Spoiler slipped into her solving mode. "Stolen goods. Stolen hearts?" She guessed.

"No. The answer is that they're all none of your business," Danny snarled. His form flickered. "Keep your questing away from Danny- Daniel, vigilante. Your duty is to protect your city and help her," Danny swept an arm out. "Stick to that instead of inserting yourself into places you are not wanted."

Then, with a toss of an ecto-crossed recorder that held the verbal report he'd promised Nightwing towards Black Bat, Danny blinked out of the visible spectrum and flew above the two.

"... Shit, I think I pissed him off."

Black Bat nodded. "He was defensive."

"Yeah... did you hear that slip? Oh, they are so dating."

Danny grinned. He couldn't wait for Tim to interrogate him soon.

——

"You're kidding."

Danny shook his head, maniacal grin still on his face hours later. He'd taken the liberty to call his best friends before classes started for the day.

Tucker groaned. "Danny, I can't believe you're messing with Batman. Why are you like this."

"Look, I need your help."

"Oh no, keep me out of your dumbass plans, Fenton," Sam pointed at him through the screen, immaculately painted black nails threatening.

"Okay, if you go along with my plan, I'll give you Dr. Isley's number."

"Deal," Sam said immediately, changing her tune at a drop of a hat. Or, at a drop of a number.

"What about me?" Tucker asked, offended. "I deserve compensation for my work too, dammit!"

"I'll give you Tim Drake's number and persuade him to let you have a crack at Wayne Industry's tech basement."

"Deal, what are we doing?"

Danny's grin spread even wider. "We're dating. And, you two? You're Phantom's exes. Tucker, you say good stuff about me. Sam? You make up terrible things about me. But we're all dating each other and I'm dating Phantom on the side."

"I hate you," Sam deadpanned. "But fine, it's not that hard. I've got tons of embarrassing stories about Phantom. You better get me that number, Danny, because you know Dr. Isley was my gay awakening."

"For Tim Drake, I'd be willing to puff up your ego." Tucker said solemnly.

"Perfect. I'm cleaning his brother of ectoplasm today. so expect a call later! Love you guys!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, boyfriend." Sam clicked off the call.

"Think Tim Drake would be interested in a date?" Tucker asked Danny.

"Nah, I think he's got his heart on Benard."

"Damn," Tucker sighed. "Guess I'll have to mend my broken heart with the tools of a state-of-the-art lab, right, Danny?"

"Yep, see ya!" Danny hung up. Today was going to be a good day.

[redflagshipwriter]

Hot Ghouls in your Area 9

masterpost

“Good morning!”

Jason winced and moved the phone a little further from his face. “Is this Doctor Fenton?” 

“It's one of them! What can I do ya for?” Jack Fenton boomed, just as bombastic as his newsletter made him seem. Jason knew, deep in his heart, that Jack Fenton was indeed the one who had selected green neon bold for his headings and borders. 

Angels wept. Jason scrubbed his palm over his eye. This man had no poetry in his soul. “I, uh, had some questions about a ghost. I've read some of your articles and your most recent published paper on the topic.”

“We love ghosts!” Fenton bellowed. “Ask away!”

“Do you know a ghost called Phantom?” Jason tried.

“...Sure do,” Jack Fenton said. “Whatcha need?” 

Jason cleared his throat. “It's somewhat complicated,” he said evasively, because he didn't need these people to know he was the Red Hood. Fuck. He should have either gotten his helmet stored away or not given his real name. Phantom knew his face and that his name was Jason. Any information that got around via Phantom might tie his face to his alter ego. If Phantom said he got married to Jason, the Red Hood, that could lead to the end of the Bat family vigilantism.

“...He cause you trouble, sport?”

Jason let out a slight laugh. “You could say that, though it wasn't really his fault,” he admitted. He cast a paranoid eye out the window to be sure no siblings were creeping on him. “No, it's really more that…” Fuck, he should have planned this better. “Is there any information you can give me about how a human could contact him?” 

Not that Jason didn't have a phone number for the guy. But it made him very uncomfortable to have any basic knowledge or way to track Phantom down if he decided to leave Jason to whatever was going on. 

“I could probably do that,” Jack Fenton said slowly, now sounding like an entirely different human being. “Say, you wouldn't be Jeremy, would you?”

Jason blinked. “...How did you know?” He went with. Phantom had contact with a human guy named Jeremy? That might be his in.

“Oh, well then, you've definitely got to come over,” Dr. Fenton wheedled. It somehow came across as shifty. “You'll be wanting a whole primer on how the Ghost Zone works, won't ya?” 

“That would be immensely helpful,” Jason agreed. “But I'd hate to take up your valuable time.”

“Nonsense!” Fenton bellowed. Jason nearly lost his grip on his phone in surprise. “Come over Jeremy, I'm dying to meetcha!” 

So, there was a plan. Jason packed for a day trip and dialed up his travel agent. 

“Fuck off,” said Tim. “I'm busy. Christ.” 

“I need an airplane ticket and a rental bike to Illinois,” Jason continued. He tossed his mostly full bag on the sofa and went digging for the socks he knew he had washed the other night. “I'm going to go see some nerds about my impromptu adventure the other day.”

Tim groaned. That was the first Jason had given any hint at all about what had happened to him when he'd been ‘sacrificed.’ “What nerds?” He asked wearily. 

Jason grinned into his sock drawer. Gottem. “Why, do you all know each other?” He asked blithely. 

“Do you always antagonize people you want favors from?” Tim whined. A keyboard clacked rapidly in the background. “Jason, I swear to God, you massive bitch. Cut the crap and communicate, or I'm hanging up.” 

Jason frowned at his socks and grabbed a random pair. “You don't gotta be like that,” he said sulkily. He slammed the socks into his bag with a very unsatisfying silence. “So, the ritual doohickey sent me to the infinite underworld, I met a guy there actually and we are magically connected because he's who that dumb ritual matched me up to. He doesn't want to be stuck with a human so we are on the same page about breaking this. We started looking for answers and he took me back to Earth since it's not good for humans to be in the green dimension for too long.” 

There was silence from the other end of the line for a few seconds. “You're fucking lying,” Tim said. 

“Only by leaving things out.” A bit stung, Jason pulled a hand through his hair and accidentally ruined his good hair day. 

“What are you leaving out?” Tim rejoined swiftly.

Jason laughed at him. “You think you're getting that kinda information in exchange for plane tickets?” He asked incredulously. 

“You are the most annoying person who has ever tried to kill me.”

Ouch. That genuinely stung.

“Fuck off.” Jason slammed the drawers shut. 

“I could guess aliens or supernatural off of what you just said.” Tim ignored Jason’s very good point. “Based off of your trip to the Gotham U campus and-”

“Are you still stalking me?” Jason cut him off, incredulous. He scoffed. “Little buddy, you already got my pixie boots, Red Robin costume, and my Dad. What else do you wanna take from me?”

“I think that you were there to assess Daniel Fenton,” Tim ignored him.

Jason was silent for a moment. There was probably no point in pretending that Tim was wrong. “You already knew about the Fenton’s connection to the supernatural.” He was suddenly tired.

“His older sister is an intern at Arkham, she stepped out of line to get a chance to talk to Jeremy Waters.” Tim didn’t seem to notice that the mood had changed. He was caught up on whatever twenty level plan was whirring away internally.

Jason looked at the wall for a moment, not bothering to think about why that name was familiar. “...and that is…?”

“The guy who kidnapped you, keep up,” Tim snarked. “Her supervisor guessed what she was hinting at, shut her down, put a note about it in the private server so there was a paper trail if she turns out to be a collaborator.”

““Private” is a strong word to describe that server.” Jason rubbed at his jawline and hefted his bag out to the bathroom to gather his shaving kit. 

“Mmhm,” Tim said blandly. “I bugged her phone. The signal is absurdly bad, unexplainably bad. She doesn’t send a lot of messages, but she had a very suspicious call with Daniel Fenton where, among other things, she hinted she had inside knowledge regarding some kind of local mystery, possibly criminal activity. Her brother accused her of supporting crime.”

Jason groaned. “I’m going to interview their parents.” He checked that the razor blades were stowed away correctly before snapping shut the travel case. Then he noticed that his bathroom mirror could use a wipedown. He left his bag for a moment to dig for the cleaner.

“Probably for the best,” Tim said, definitely misunderstanding his purpose. “They seem…” He trailed off when he couldn’t find an appropriate adjective.

“You should read a book,” Jason said, because he saw an opportunity to be an asshole. “Anyway, I wanna get out to the area tonight and see them in the morning. What’s my flight?” He spritzed the glass and watched his reflection blur. It was oddly comforting to not have to stare at his green eyes.

‘That ghost zone was the same green as the Lazarus Pits,’ Jason thought dully. He didn’t really want to think about it. But he had a pretty good idea why he hadn’t had the reaction to the place that Danny expected a human to have.

“Kon could take you,” Tim said sweetly, which was basically a death threat. It was enough to jar him back to the real world. Kon was still not feeling chill about the Titans Tower scuffle. It probably wasn’t good for him to be so petty, but Jason was not going to be the one to tell baby Superdork that.

Jason winced. “I was thinking more like United.”

Tim snickered. 

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

Halloween prompts year 2 day 9

Au where the accident happened when Danny was like, 7 and Danny starts to see his parents are really crappy people. Like full narcissists. Luckly hes young enough that the conditioning hasn't set in and he's just mad about it

Tired of being talked over, ignored, neglected, guilt tripped and otherwise emotionally abused, he wanders around the ghost zone to vent his frustrations through combat. Eventually a fortune teller/seer/oracle ghost makes him an offer, a fraction of his power in return for finding the family he seeks. He agrees and she tells him his birth fathers name is Jason Peter Todd and that he will require proof to believe this.

She then punts him into the portal that opened up behind him.

Danny seeks out Jason, excited for a family who might actually care about him. But when he finds him he remembers the ladys words and decided he needed to steal some of his dads hair for a dna test so he'll have proof both to prove to himself that the lady wasn't just messing with him and to show Jason. The problem was that Jason was a ridiculously light sleeper and kept waking up to Danny standing in the doorway/ at the foot of his bed/ next to his bed/ or invisible and making the room cold out of frustration.

Jason is freaking out cause he thinks hes hallucinating his child self standing in doorways and around his bed at night.

...and when he discovers the truth he has violent flashbacks to when he was searching for his birth mother and how that ended. So hes like extra overprotective of the kid that he suddenly can't freaking find cause he scared the crap outta him earlier thinking it was a demon/ manifestation of his trauma or something

Bruce and his flock are not coming within 500 feet of his kid

Unfortunately, Danny discovers that Jason is a crime lord as well as some of the horrible things he had done and thinks Jason is worse than his adoptive parents. It probably doesn't help that Jason threatened him and scared him off before finding out who the kid was.

Now Danny is trying to silence his sobbing (and failing) outside inthe Gotham rain. He's terrified and one of the other bats find him and they wind up chasing him around as a group because this kid is so slippery and obviously terrified.

Who would have thought that the only person he would be willing to talk to Robin, a fellow kid

[artemismoorea03]

DP x DC: If You Take A Ghost Dog to The Dog Park

Cujo was what Sam called a 'Hound of Hell' and she meant it literally. After Danny became the King of Ghosts at the mature age of 15 and 2 days old, Cujo - his "dog" - became a listed Ghost Zone Hound which had multiple other names which included 'Hell Hound'. With Cujo's new found ability he was able to find Danny wherever he went and get him out of any potentially dangerous situation he found himself, as well as carry out orders given to him by Frostbite, Clockwork, Sam, Tucker, Jazz, Elle, Valerie and of course - Danny.

But Cujo was still a dog.

A very excited dog who dragged him all the way to a corner of the Ghost Zone and through a natural portal into an city Danny hadn't visited in person before. Gotham City. Specifically Cujo took him to the Gotham City dog park where he proceeded to try to play with the other dogs in the park.

Most of the dogs seemed hesitant at first until a great dane puppy jogged over and the two started to play together. It was nice to watch considering how little Hell Hounds there were in the Ghost Zone, but on the other hand Danny was in his human form and having a glowing green dog was quickly gaining attention, specifically from the owner of the great dane, a 9-year-old kid with black hair and green eyes.

"What kind of dog is that?" The kid asked.

"Honestly? No idea, he's a rescue." Danny said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "His names Cujo. What's your dogs name?"

"Titus."

"Like the Roman Emperor?" Danny questioned, seeing the surprise on the boys face.

"Exactly. Cujo is the name of a horror movie dog, correct?"

Danny nodded, "Yeah."

"Why is he green?"

Danny shrugged, "Dunno, he came that way." Danny said, then facepalmed when Cujo suddenly took on his huge form and began running through the park with Titus right on his heels.

It wasn't just Titus anymore either.

Suddenly more and more dogs were chasing Cujo through the dogpark as Cujo howled, barked, then turned and bowed occasionally at the other dogs before he finally turned and made a mad dash at Danny.

The kid took a step back as Danny just sighed, bracing himself as Cujo got closer and closer. Then, when he was close enough Danny held out his hand.

"Cujo, stop!"

Cujo slid to a stop, ending up less than three feet from Danny, his tail swishing excitedly.

"Cujo, sit."

Cujo sat down, his tail now thumping on the ground.

"Good. Now, Cujo, shrink."

Cujo popped into his small figure and jumped into Danny's arms as he pet him then looked at the kid and other very concerned and confused people.

"Uh... bye." He said, walking away leaving everybody concerned and confused.

---

Damian sat at the Bat-Computer curled up slightly as he tried to find information on what he'd seen when Drake walked in. Drake approached, looking at the computer with a tilt of his head.

"Is that a giant green dog?"

"Indeed. It was able to shift size, was glowing, and is seemingly well trained."

"So.. what you're doing research so you can get one of your own?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm trying to find the boy was who had it."

"Why?"

"Because the boy whom was with the dog had rings of glowing green around his eyes. Lazarus green specifically. I suspect a Lazarus pit has opened up within the Gotham Limits and that this boy and his dog are playing in it. If a Lazarus Pit has opened within Gotham we must get the boy into custody and get both he and his dog some help, then we must seal the pit."

"What if you can't find them?"

"Then they'll find us. That green dog and Titus enjoyed playing together and dogs thrive on patterns. The dog - Cujo - had fun at the park so it's only a matter of time before they return to it."

"Huh... if you take a dog to the dog park, he'll want to play again."

Damian looked at Drake with a raised brow.

"I was referencing a childrens book about a mouse and a cookie."

"Leave such things for Todd." Damian said simply, looking at the computer again.

[raders2002]

Day 9 - Ghost zone

[lakes-writting-rambles]

Out Of Choice, But Not Out Of Reach - #1 Inevitabilities And Such Unfortunate Things

words:2889

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Sometimes your destiny is completely out of your hands – Danny Fenton couldn’t seem to find a way to avoid learning that lesson. First; when he was shot when Slade invaded the headquarters of the League, and subsequently his family, was using, while the fight between Slade and Grandfather was going on, he used the chaos to get to the Lazarus Pit before he bled out; a second time when he died in that godforsaken portal; the most prevalent one was definitely his first meeting with Clockwork, there he noticed that it doesn’t matter how hard you try, if it isn’t meant to be, someone will interfere. It doesn’t mean he won’t still do things as before, but now there’s forever the dread of knowing.

It’s been about a year since what he, Jazz, Sam and Tucker dubbed “The Dan Incident”, and Danny can't seem to stop thinking about it. Well, not really about Dan, no, but about Damian. He can’t stop thinking about how Dan likely ended up killing Damian – it’d be inevitable, and, considering the state the future he had been shown was in, he hoped Damian went early on, really, he also hoped it was quick, like he tried to do when he was in the League.

What really bothered Danny, though, was that he couldn’t help but wonder if staying with the Fentons even was a good idea at this point. Surely he has learned that misfortune would follow him anywhere he went, so why wait for the shoe to drop? Before the accident, he was relatively safe to live the rest of his life in Amity, sure, it was kind of a deadend, but it was tranquil, so he couldn’t really complain. Now, though? He was in constant danger inside and outside his house, being half dead meant no place with the living and no place with the dead. He should leave while he still can.

The League isn’t likely to spot him, considering it’s been years since his “death” and he probably looks different enough from Damian now… which is something he’ll have to think about later. And the threats of dissection (vivisection?) by his parents keep increasing – he doesn’t want to fuck around and find out.

So, the League is probably not an issue anymore, staying seems to get more dangerous each day and he’s pretty sure most ghosts only come to Amity to fight him.

Nevertheless, running away also came with a plethora of problems, for one: leaving Jazz and his friends. When he got adopted into the Fenton household he tried not to get attached to anyone. He couldn’t keep that up for long, as a touch starved 9 year old that came from a violent background and got thrown into a very loving family. First, he got attached to his parents, then Jazz, Tucker, and finally, Sam. He doesn’t regret it, not one bit, but it might make this choice hard to make – since the easiest way to run away would be to fake his death and forgo any contact with everyone from his old life. Maybe they’d know he wasn’t (fully) dead, maybe they’d just be extremely miserable, he wouldn't know. 

Another issue is that he’s the current Ghost King, and oh boy doesn’t that complicate things? He keeps getting more powerful, which means keeping his cover is getting harder – an unsettling and overpowering aura surrounds him now, and sure, it reacts to other people’s emotions as well as his own, which in theory should make it easier to hide, since everyone in Amity seems to have differing opinions on his two  personas, but the fact that his aura is big enough that others take notice is concerning enough on its own; he’s control over his abilities needs to be impeccable or he risks getting found out; and he’s pretty sure some of his more ghostly traits are beginning to bleed over into his human form. He also needs stable access to a portal, since he needs to take at least two trips per month to the Ghost Zone so he can check over things with Clockwork and parade around to remind the citizens of the realm that he is their king; he can’t officially take over since he’s still alive, once he’s entirely dead he will, but for now the observants act as regents and that’s more than fine by him.

And third: he’s not really sure where he should go. You’d think Gotham would be his first option because of his father, but he has too much media presence, so Danny’d be brought to the spotlight. Does anyone in Amity care about Gotham? Not that he knows of. But it’d still be too big of a risk. Plus, Tucker really wants to work in Wayne Enterprises in the future, he’s sure that it’d become a problem in no time.

So… what to do? Money isn’t a problem, since he has access to all the treasure hoarded by Pariah Dark over the centuries, but that’s not all he has to consider. He needs some sort of safety net, that much is obvious, and since he won’t be able to count on his regular support system, he should fall back on his blood.

Maybe he could go to Blüdhaven? It’s close enough to Gotham that he can go there if he somehow needs to come into contact with someone from his biological family but not enough that he’d be immediately clocked… but then there’s Nightwing… as long as he doesn’t get  into any trouble it should be fine, right? It’s not like there’s a city without a hero nowadays… Urgh, nevermind, he’ll come back to these thoughts later, he’d rather not spend his rare moment of peace coming up with what to do after he fakes his death.

Sometimes fate decides that things should be ultimately out of your hands – but Damian Al Ghul Wayne fights with all his might to avoid such a thing becoming a rule in his life. When he came to live with his father, around 7 years ago, he held out hope that his twin had made it and would eventually return to his side. That never happened. And now Damian isn’t sure how to approach the topic of Danyal with his family, so he just… doesn’t. Even after all this time, it feels wrong to keep the memory of Danyal to himself, he should be celebrated, even if his death was premature and almost a decade has passed.

Danyal had died the same day as Grandfather, which is why his grief isn’t questioned –, even if the Bats are well aware of his distaste of his Grandfather’s actions, now that he’s recognized them for what they were. Damian isn’t sure if it’ll ever come to pass, because in quiet moments like this, he thinks of what could have been.

His twin was never needlessly violent, and his killings were virtually a mercy, compared to the others in the LoA, even himself. Maybe he would have adapted faster than Damian did, maybe he would have made a better Robin, maybe they would still wake up together and share little moments of quiet.

It’s all speculation, all it will ever be. They never found his body, but even now, years later, the image of his pierced chest is burned between the other twin’s eyes, it wasn’t likely to survive a wound like that, and even if he did, the bloodloss would’ve killed him regardless. But to a 9 year old, the what ifs often overshadow reality, which is why Damian had kept his hopes up, afterall, one of the many teachings of the League was that “if there isn’t a body then one should always consider the possibility of the victim having survived”. But now, at 16, he could see it for what it was, the foolishness of a child longing for what is gone – he’ll never admit it, but in the darkest, deepest and most hidden part of his heart, Damian still has a little bit of wonder, almost completely squashed, but a bit of hope of seeing his brother once again remains.

There’s no use for pondering at the moment, time doesn’t stop and soon one of his siblings will notice his absence at breakfast and come to pester him, thus he gets up and readies himself to face another hectic morning.

“If I were to go missing, where would you search for me first?” was not a question Tucker was ready for, like, at all, but especially at two in the afternoon on a saturday. Danny hadn’t been the same since that thing with Dan or whatever they had dubbed it, he didn’t change much, but he seemed to get lost in thought more frequently, and Tucker didn’t blame him! Really! But man, what went through his head was morbid at times, and he maybe shouldn’t voice those out of nowhere.

— Uhh I guess… your parent’s basement? — awkward silence fills the air, it’s the most obvious answer, but not a thing they normally consider outloud. A grimace crosses Danny’s face for a second.

— No, I mean, if I …ran away. — he says, and there’s some hesitancy. Obviously, there’s more to the question, but Tucker can’t for the life of him figure out what it could be.

— I’d guess Wisconsin, since it’s close by and you might be able to rely on Vlad if push comes to shove, but that is not likely at all, — Sam starts before coming to a slight pause to think. — Maybe Missouri?

— Why…?

— Cause it’s close by, it’s not like we’d let you get far before going after you. — she smirks and gives his arm a little punch.

—  I think we’d find Danny in Florida, actually, — Tucker chuckles before continuing — it’s the only place where he wouldn’t stand out.

— Oh, screw you. — He says before he lunges at Tucker.

Sam watches for a bit, the conversation got to her more than it did to Tucker. She decides that now isn’t the time to worry about it, she doesn’t think Danny would leave them behind without saying anything, not after all they’ve been through, but it did leave a sour taste in her mouth. To stop herself from spiraling down a rabbit hole, she jumps – literally jumps – into the struggle. 

That is how the three friends end up scratched all over, with dirt and grass stuck to their clothes and silly smiles on their faces, looking up at the sky as the clouds pass by. Moments like this used to be common, but with the chaos that is Amity Park nowadays a chance to just relax and joke around as friends seems more and more like a luxury.

Their peace is interrupted when Danny sighs, a defeated sigh that usually comes after his breath fogs – which means there is a ghost nearby. A shout ruptures the quiet and kills any hopes for the rest of their afternoon.

— BEWARE! I AM THE BOX GHOST!

— Alright, — he gets up and stretches. — Just wait for me, I’ll be back in a sec.

Sam and Tucker look at each other, worried glances on both ends – they didn’t even need to say anything. Things will never go back to the way they were before, that is something all three know intimately. Danny died. Everything they have witnessed is bound to leave some sort of mark as well. And there are the Fentons. Sam and Tucker knew Danny and Jazz loved their parents, but at this point it seemed inevitable that someday they’d turn on Danny, and it seems that even if he doesn’t talk about it, it’s also something he believes.

It feels unfair, Danny seemed to have come from a bad background and was settling into his own skin and fully letting his guard down for what felt like the first time before the accident. And wasn’t that heartbreaking? He’d adjusted to the life in Amity early on, but to actually enjoy himself? That took some 2-3 years, and to trust that he could always rely on the people around him? It had just started happening into the beginning of their ninth grade. Then the portal opened and he had to put some of those walls back up to protect himself, not just emotionally, but physically as well. Now, they’re in 11th grade, they should be looking for colleges and studying for entrance exams, but instead, Danny is thinking of running away.

They know how their friend thinks at this point, and it’s undeniable they’ll likely have to say goodbye soon.

Dealing with the Box Ghost wasn’t hard, but it sure was annoying. After the fight (if you could even call it that) ended he went back to Sam and Tuck, they laid on the grass for a while longer, ultimately, they got hungry and headed to the Nasty Burger and ate before parting ways.

Danny plops face first into his bed. Well… he could have approached that with more subtlety. Maybe it was his subconscious trying to get them to look for him, or something, to prepare them for his absence. That sounds too close to something Jazz would say…

He turns around, putting his arm on his forehead. His thoughts keep getting away from him, always back to Damian – would he have liked Amity Park? Probably not, if he was being honest with himself. He couldn’t even see himself liking it there when he arrived – in fact: He had hated it. The city was so calm it felt forced, the Fentons so loving it felt like a trap, the kids lacked any malice at all, everything screamed danger at him, like he was about to be ambushed. Nothing ever came to that, just a nice, cozy, little town. 

Well, until the portal opened, that is. 

He stops and just looks at his ceiling for a bit, the old glow in the dark stars already discolored and lacking any actual functionality, there was no reason for them to remain there but the attachment to what they used to be, kinda like him. There was no escaping his current reality. No escaping his need to desert this city, this family, this life. 

Danny sits up and looks around his room, which for the last few years had become his safe haven. He looks at the stained carpet, marked by his many sleepovers with Sam and Tuck, he looks at his ceiling fan, that was cracked from the time the trio had tried to recreate the solar system on it, he looks at his closet, his posters, his desk, everything that was proof of the life he had lived here.

He needs some water and something to eat before setting his plan up.

As he heads down the stairs to the first floor he hears his mother’s soft voice coming from the kitchen.

— Oh Jack, I’m so worried about Danny, — the phrase startles Danny, he turns invisible and intangible, floating a bit so as to not make any sound, — his ecto-contamination has only gotten worse over the years… how can we be sure he’s okay?

— Honey, I’m sure Danno is fine! He must be building up resistance!

— But what if… what if it’s fusing to him? What if there’s no reversing this? — His mom is chewing on her lower lip, clearly distressed. 

At the sight, his dad softens up and hugs her, his voice comforting as he speaks, — We’ll make sure he’s fine, Maddie. We might not know what happened, but we know each other and we know what we’re doing, we’re experts in our field. 

Danny can’t stay there anymore, they know he has ecto in his system and they know it’s getting worse. They know and they want to “fix” him. He’s completely and utterly fucked. 

Alongside his nervousness there is also newfound resolve. He quickly phases into his room, grabs his thermos, maybe two shirts and a pair of pants, he shoves it all inside an old backpack he hasn’t used in years. He will need to dispose of his phone, taking anything electronic with him will leave a trail and he can’t have that. Hopefully his parents don’t have his ecto signature yet, he doesn’t think he has the time to get rid of it if they do.

He checks the kitchen again, they aren’t there anymore, likely back in the lab, then. He has to leave through the front door, to not raise any suspicions. Now, how to make this realistic? Maybe he can fake being murdered? No, Amity doesn’t really have that type of violence. Maybe he can fake being a casualty in a ghost attack? But he’d have to damage public spaces to do so and he doesn’t want to endanger anyone else… Fake getting kidnapped? It wouldn’t be the first time it happened, even as a human.

He could also just up and leave. It’s not like Amity has any actual investigative police force… Maybe he’s complicating things too much. He needs to go before he has time to chicken out. His parents will probably make a move on his ecto contamination within the week and he can’t be there for that.

— Bye mom, dad, be back in a bit! — and so, he shuts the door – leaving his house for what will probably be the last time.

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Inevitabilities And Such Unfortunate Things > Those We Leave Behind

AO3

[mfshipbracket]

welcome to ghost mod's thought experiment, the m/f ship bracket bonus round where every single m/f ship from the original round is pit against reylo of the 97/3 #shreksweep infamy.

why, you ask? mostly cuz of this.

they're going from lowest to highest per the original rankings, starting off with our newcomers adam/eve. 9 polls per day will roll out on queue throughout the est evening from may 12th-18th! after polls are closed one week later, i will post the final rankings of who swept the hardest (or failed to sweep...)

all polls can be found under the #bonus round tag, and this masterpost also contains links to each specific poll. there is also a spreadsheet with current bonus round standings and stats from the original bracket if you like numbers. :)

disclaimer: not a reylo hater. i'm just ardently devoted to the bit

DAY ONE

1. Adam/Eve (The Bible) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 2. Barbie/Ken (Barbie) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 3. Branch/Poppy (TROLLS) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 4. Hori/Kashima (Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 5. Naegi/Kirigiri (Dangan Ronpa) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 6. Fakir/Ahiru (Princess Tutu) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 7. Jake/Amy (Brooklyn 99) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 8. Sonic/Amy (Sonic the Hedgehog) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 9. Vax'ildan/Keyleth (Critical Role/TLOVM) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars)

DAY TWO

10. Barry Bluejeans/Lup (The Adventure Zone: Balance) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 11. Westley/Buttercup (The Princess Bride) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 12. Lucas/Max (Stranger Things) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 13. Bella Swan/Edward Cullen (Twilight) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 14. Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa (Six of Crows) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 15. Zagreus/Megaera (Hades) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 16. Greg/Rose Quartz (Steven Universe) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 17. Orpheus/Eurydice (Hadestown) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 18. Sans/Toriel (Undertale) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars)

DAY THREE

19. Megamind/Roxanne (Megamind) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 20. Inuyasha/Kagome (Inuyasha) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 21. Mamoru/Usagi (Sailor Moon) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 22. Anne/Gilbert (Anne with an E) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 23. Mako/Raleigh (Pacific Rim) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 24. Nancy/Jonathan (Stranger Things) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 25. Wanda/Vision (Marvel/MCU) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 26. Aragorn/Arwen (Lord of the Rings) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 27. Rayla/Callum (The Dragon Prince) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars)

DAY FOUR

X. Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars VS King Charles/Camilla (United Kingdom) 28. Anakin/Padme (Star Wars) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 29. Anthony Bridgerton/Kate Sharma (Bridgerton) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 30. Percy/Vex'ahlia (Critical Role/TLOVM) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 31. Kyo/Tohru (Fruits Basket) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 32. Batman/Catwoman (DC) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 33. Tenth Doctor/Rose (Doctor Who) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 34. Cassian/Jyn (Star Wars) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 35. Joyce/Hopper (Stranger Things) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 36. Aang/Katara (ATLA) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars)

DAY FIVE

37. Mermista/Seahawk (She-ra and the Princesses of Power) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 38. Robin/Starfire (DC/Teen Titans) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 39. Tamaki/Haruhi (Ouran High School Host Club) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 40. Mulder/Scully (The X-Files) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 41. Glimmer/Bow (She-ra and the Princesses of Power) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 42. Zuko/Katara (ATLA) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 43. Steven/Connie (Steven Universe) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 44. Han/Leia (Star Wars) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 45. Beast Boy/Raven (DC/Teen Titans) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars)

DAY SIX

46. Edward/Winry (Fullmetal Alchemist) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 47. Peter/MJ (Marvel/MCU) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 48. Katniss/Peeta (The Hunger Games) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 49. Marinette/Adrien (Miraculous Ladybug) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 50. Kim Possible/Ron Stoppable (Kim Possible) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 51. Darcy/Elizabeth (Pride and Prejudice) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 52. Roy/Riza (Fullmetal Alchemist) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 53. Miles Morales/Gwen Stacy (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 54. Zelda/Link (Zelda Series) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars)

DAY SEVEN

55. Twilight/Yor (Spy X Family) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 56. Sokka/Suki (ATLA) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 57. Hunter/Willow (The Owl House) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 58. Chidi/Eleanor (The Good Place) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 59. Ms. Piggy/Kermit (The Muppets) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 60. Rapunzel/Eugene (Tangled) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 61. Howl/Sophie (Howl’s Moving Castle) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 62. Percy/Annabeth (Percy Jackson Series) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars) 63. Morticia/Gomez (The Addams Family) VS Kylo Ren/Rey (Star Wars)