#dp dark ages

[radiance1]

There was a boy walking towards the invading army.

There was a civilian child walking towards the invading army from the infinite realms lead by their tyrannical ruler. The Justice League tried to stop force their way through, save the boy.

Instead of that, however, they were blocked by multiple ghosts, all hellbent on not leaving them alone. Superman tried to get close to the kid? Piles upon piles of ghosts knocked him back. Wonder Woman? The same thing happened.

The thing was, that wasn't even the ground army who did it. But the ones in the sky.

So the kid was walking towards an entire army by himself. One hellbent on taking over Earth and have no qualms about ending the short life of a human boy.

Instead of watching a child die, a life they failed to save. Something else happened.

The army parted for him.

Just as Moses parted the Red Sea, the same happened with the ghosts. They made a clear-cut line for him to walk straight towards their king with no obstacle, even clearing the way of anything that could pose as one.

Again, the Justice League tried to go down to drag the boy away, only to again be denied by the ghosts flying through the sky. Only to stop chasing as soon as they retreated a certain distance.

The ghosts stood still, and only moved as they got close, unlike their previous acts of causing havoc and mayhem. So, the Justice League, as much as they didn't want too, stood still and watched.

The boy stood at a stop before the king, painfully tiny in comparison to the massive ghostly tyrant standing before him with his arms crossed.

"Yo, dad." The boy said, and the Justice League froze in shock.

===

"Yo, dad." Danny lifted a hand up in greeting, before dropping that hand to rub at his neck. "Funny seeing you here, I guess."

"Phantom..." Pariah Dark's voice was soft yet booming and seemed to echo throughout the battlefield. "We meet once again on the field of battle, come to challenge me again, little one? Without your armor, no less?" Pariah tilted his head to the side slightly, questioning.

"Oh that? Yea that got destroyed ages ago," Danny shrugged, as if not having it didn't bother him at all. "Parents couldn't exactly, you know, finish it. Plus, they had other things to work on, so they just decided to scrap the thing altogether." He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged again. "So, yea..."

Pariah looked the boy over, his eyes hardening and he clicked his tongue at what he saw.

"You come here, not with armor," Pariah began, strength in his voice and a fire (literally) in his eyes. "Nor a weapon, or a shield, and no allies of any kind-"

"Well those guys are there" Danny pointed behind him, straight at the Justice League.

"-Walk up to a hostile force with no gauge of their strength." But Pariah just barreled on as if the Justice League were an afterthought. "And face their leader and do not expect to come to harm!?" The Ghost King scowled, and the Justice League tensed.

But just tilted his head slightly. "Well, are you going to harm me?" He asked.

Pariah Dark blinked, then whispered. "I could, child. I could kill you." He put a strong emphasis on the word kill.

"You could," Danny nodded. "But are you going to hurt me?"

The Ghost King remained silent, but his gaze intensified.

Danny shrugged, this time with a smile. "See? You wouldn't hurt me so it's fine. Ya big softie."

Pariah's scowl intensified. "I am not soft, child."

"Oh really?" Danny leaned forward and his smile took on a more playful edge. "Then what's you're reason for visiting Earth, hmmmm?"

"To wage war and fight against this world's mightiest heroes." The Ghost King answered quickly.

"Annnnnnnd?"

The king remained silent for a moment and Danny stepped forwards before he face planted onto concrete. "C'mon, dad. Tell me the other reason you came here." Danny crossed his arms, mimicking the Ghost King's pose.

They stared each other in the eyes for a moment, before Pariah looked off the side with green dusting his cheeks. "You have not visited in 50 years, son..." He whispered, but everyone heard it.

"Hah! Knew you missed me!" Danny said shamelessly with a satisfied and smug smile.

"And your father forced me out of the realms because I upset him." Small embers started igniting themselves on the tips of the king's hair.

Silence echoed over the battlefield, before Danny burst out laughing. Pariah Dark's hair fully exploded into green fire as he reached a hand to cover his face. "Of course, alongside the shameless and cheekiness, you get Clockwork's sense of humor as well..."

The Ghost King, at least this very moment, seemed more and more like a tired dad than some fearsome, tyrannical Ghost King.

[fangirlingpuggle]

Yet another DP AU this time Dad Pariah mainly just AU of Reign Storm where when Danny tires to attack Pariah instead of attacking him Pariah is like ‘Whose child is this? I am not killing a literal ghost infant’

Danny is offended and keeps trying to attack Pariah who is just holding him by the scruff of his neck like ‘Where are your parents?’ and then sees Jack and Maddie with literally house full of ghost hunting weapons and is like ‘NOPE! Not happening’

Pariah: ATTENTION DOES THIS CHILD HAVE ANY GHOST PARENTS?

Vlad*Raising arm enthusiastically*

Danny:FUCK NO

Pariah:...Yeah no

Vlad*lowering arm cursing under his breath*

Ends up putting conquest on hold to go see his husband like ‘Hey so we have a kid now can you watch him while I go conquer the human world’...he also brought flowers as a ‘Sorry I kind of went crazy and tried to kill you... and missed multiple anniversaries stuck in a sarcophagus’...there are a lot of flowers.

Clockwork is just there like.... well didn’t see this timeline coming but i’m not complaining, thank you dear I’ll watch Daniel please try not to get shoved into sarcophagus again and be back in time for dinner.

Danny is just sitting there with a hot chocolate Clockwork gave him no idea what the fuck is going on.

Bonus Pariah:I am not trying to kill a literal ghost infant who the fuck would do that??

All the other ghosts *Awkwardly avoiding eye contact*

[sykloni]

Dannymay 2023

21. Shatter

Other Ancients: You are not doing this just as an ultimate fuck you in the divorce, right?

Clockwork: Of course not 😇

[darkagesincorrectquotes]

Pariah Dark: Why is Danny so sad?

Clockwork: He took one of those “Which Amity Park Ghost Are You?” quizzes

Pariah Dark: And...?

Clockwork: He got Vlad Plasmius.

[ei-w]

hear me out (probably was done before, I don't know, send me the links of fics if it was done already, I'm interested): automaton Clockwork

yes, that's the idea and I already have a sort of concept for it, straining my mind for a release, question is whether I should make it more messed up and when I'd have the time to write it

[ashspecter]

Currently working on a Dark Ages OS based on the song Viva La Vida

I got very inspired initially by the OG song, but then I came across the "Epic Version" and brain went brrrrrr....

OG:

Epic:

I'll post the fic when I'm done with it ✨

[kawaiikenna]

I’ve been sucked into the rare pair hell that is Dark Ages. So y’all get to suffer with me. -w-

Our lovely story starts at the height of the rebellion/revolution where Pariah Dark is finally put away into the Sarcophagus of Eternal Sleep. At this time Clockwork is nearing the end of their carrying term and is fearful for their and Pariah’s child. So there’s the betrayal of Clockwork being the one to strike the final blow as Pariah is locked up. Sometime later, after Danny is born, the Observants come to the Long Now and try to kill baby Danny because of the whole; he’s going to turn into a tyrant just like his Sire was if not worse. Clockwork beats the ever loving shit out of them and escapes into a timeline.

They’re now looking for an adoptive family to take Danny in. Even though it’s the living realm, Clockwork is able to find the Fentons. In this timeline Jack and Maddie are more scientifically centered and less biased towards ghosts. But imagine their surprise when their second prototype portal spits out a beaten down purple specter and a tiny glowing bundle of blankets. Conversations happen and the Fentons agree to take Danny in. Clockwork basically erases the family from any and all timelines. This way the Observants won’t be able to find Danny. But in doing this Clockwork will also not be able to find him. But hoping against all hope they do it with the slim chances of a reunion later in their child’s life.

So Danny grows up as a human in the living realm. He’s happy and healthy and a normal kid. Well, at least as much as he can be with two scatterbrained scientist parents. They are definitely more there for both Jazz and Danny but they get distracted by ghosties and science and research more often than not. So sometimes they’re not there all the time. Definitely more stable than canon though. They’ve finally settled in the tiny town of Amity Park and things continue to go along. Danny is now entering high school as his parents are putting the finishing touches on their final portal. The accident happens but instead of getting spit back out into the living world, the Infinite Realms takes him back.

So Danny’s just chilling in the GZ completely unconscious for an indeterminate amount of time before a clock tower appears in his path. Clockwork on the other hand felt a disturbance in the ectoplasm and had come to investigate before the Observants could themselves. What they were not expecting to find was a newly dead child floating in the vast expanse of the Realms. So they take him in and only then do they recognize their child. So when Danny wakes up he doesn’t feel as afraid as he thinks he should be. If anything he feels safe and secure in this familiarly unfamiliar environment. Conversations and bonding happen between Danny and Clockwork. But Danny has to go back to the living world because it is still not his time to be able to stay.

Back in the living world Danny’s human friends and family are waiting for him. In a fairly calm and collected manner. This is because Jack and Maddie knew something like this was going to happen at some point. They wished that it hadn’t been this specific way, but what happened, happened; and there’s nothing more they can do than forge forward and look to the future.

Fast forward, Clockwork is more of a parent and mentor for Danny and Vlad has been thrown into the picture. Vlad gets jelly and goes after the Crown and Ring (I have a vague remembrance of these events. I’m going to have to watch those specific episodes to brush up on what happened and how.) and ends up freeing Pariah Dark. He’s pretty out of it from the amount of crazy that the Crown and Ring have given him. But once Danny defeats him and takes the Crown and Ring, Pariah is much more clear headed. It is then that he realizes just who Danny is.

This also makes Danny the Heir Apparent to the throne. As he defeated the prior ruler in a trial by combat. With this new status the Observants can no longer bring harm to Danny. Otherwise they risk the wrath of the Infinite Realms themselves in retaliation.

More bonding and soft family moments. Danny is still wary about Pariah and this makes the previous king sad. A possible redemption arc happens and the two grow closer? Maybe? Idk, I just want all the cute soft family moments between the three. -w-

[ajitated]

(Originally posted: 21 May 2021)

Summary: Everyone has wings, ghosts included. A ghost's wings are connected directly to their core, and can tell you a lot about the ghost. Pariah isn't very happy with how Clockwork has been treating their own wings.

Written for DannyMay Day 19, Wings!

[mymadmedleyw]

in the margin of ‘what if you give Clockwork a camera/phone’, taken in my au

words: 1592; belongs within ‘fate written in the sky’ (find series on ao3)

---

It was promised to last a millennium – or at least that was what she had said ages ago. (Was it ’ago’? Technically it was forward in time, but Time – for them – was much trickier than everyone else could have perceived from it.)

With gloved fingers now, he stared at the small screen, eying the remained little bar on the right side. He bit his lips.

“Soon it is then…” he whispered in a low voice, sadness reverberating from it.

He knew it would happen once – but yet naively believed that by her words, the battery belonging to this kind of phone would for real last for a thousand years. Chargers weren’t invented yet; it would take for them a millennium at least to create them.

He looked up. He knew Frostbite would have found him a way to travel across time, but… but he couldn’t do it, not yet. It would take a few decades more before he would be able to travel in time again without thinking about her. (Or wonder about the what-ifs.)

He couldn’t do it with himself, he had to think straight, and he had to keep this current facade on. He had to focus.

He had to be Clockwork - for a while, at least until it would be safe to change the game that he was playing since ‘turning’ the Master of Time.

(But when would it happen? – he took the question several times. Soon - he always said to himself, like a mantra on the hard days. Soon - and it burned into his mind.)

He blew out a long breath, clicking on the device for the last time before the battery gave up.

He couldn’t know how long time he had, but certainly, it wasn’t enough. The time for anything connected to them wasn’t ever enough…

---

“Is that a… what you call it?” He stared at the small palm-sized object some time ago. The one, dressed in a long skirt and tight upper wearing, reached ahead with her neat lace fingerless gloved hand, offering the odd device.

“You mean cellphone?” She asked with an arched brow, no doubt surprised by his question. “You have never… ah, yes, right, I always forget…”

He took it from her, examining it as he answered. “Even if I see time, As, I don’t understand it. Sometimes I can disappear into these visions, but I am not always merging into those pictures or people’s minds.”

She frowned, unvoiced taking the question. “Obviously, I can’t read minds,” he clarified.

Then she huffed. “I’m glad.” She nodded, but her smirk soon died away, red lips turning into a thin line.

He marked her strange reaction, then continued to explore the given cellphone. He testingly pressed some buttons, widening his eyes as it reacted.

“Hm… what’s it for?” He asked then.

“Actually, for many things,” she explained, “but right now, I only kept it to make notes to myself. It would be funny once making a journal about our travels, you see.” She folded her fingers, elbows resting on the small coffee table beside her croissant.

He lifted his head, eying her as she said out the words. There was some hint of nostalgia in that tone – even when she wouldn’t have ever admitted that.

“I mean…” she tried to correct her statement, “Sure, I can remember by myself where we were, but it is fun. For example,” she pressed a few buttons on it for him. “See? It is funny to make everlasting moments. Moments like places, people, time,” she listed, showing him some text.

It was about their current destination, telling the date and the place: August 28, 1888. London, England. She had just started an entry – or whatever it was.

“It’s like a diary then?” He asked. She shrugged.

“You can say it. I document our journeys – or what I find interesting, thoughts, ideas, happenings... Moments mostly that are important for me – or the ones that grab my attention.”

“Hm…” He couldn’t tell what else to say. He was curious about what she had written before, but he knew he couldn’t get into it. (Besides, there was some kind of worry what she must have noted down about him – about which he didn’t dare to wonder.) “And you keep surprising me… This is a unique device of yours, a mysterious invention from your modern era.” He turned it around now.

She hummed, lips curling into a smirk. “Well, and you haven’t met with the best it could do.” She smiled, pressing some buttons on the device in his hand. “Snake,” she pressed. “When I can’t sleep, I play. I have never enjoyed having smartphones – people kept telling false lives through them, so as much as it is old, and I am sure neither of my grandparents had it, I find it much better than anything I had in my time. And I couldn’t use navigation here, so it is only to occupy myself sometimes.”

He blinked, following in silence as she talked about her family but knowing those kinds of recalls never lasted long, he stared at the changed screen.

Apparently, as it turned out, this Snake was some game. It took their entire breakfast time to understand it, but then only due to her reminder to save its battery, he gave back the phone.

“I might have confiscated one with a camera, maybe. Taking some shoots through our travels would have been funnier, but this one has the best battery. And if I lose it, I can confuse archaeologists.”

She stopped in her steps as they then walked on the streets. The city around them quickly evolved, it was the time of inventions, and she followed everything with shining eyes, too, just as much he did.

“I can totally see a big title,” she had gestured in the air, emphasizing her vision. “Nokia 3310 can survive time travel too. Some conspiracy theorists would eat it up. And no one would believe it.”

He smiled at her entertainment, pocketing his hands and imagining that everything would survive hard times, unbothered. Strangely, this was the only time period so far when neither of them seemed unfitting, and he could have wished to stay here forever, enjoying a (human) life here.

---

It was a sin, he grasped that, to reading her brief notes, but he couldn’t stop himself. So far, he only allowed himself one game each day to pass the time since he was a ‘ghost’, to keep alive the battery as long he could, but now, the day came for the phone to give up.

For the last chance, he pressed the buttons, opening up the text messages she had never sent – only saved for herself as time-holders.

He didn’t have time to read all, so he had to be wise about what to open. He clicked and clicked until he found the one with the day he had so many times wished to forget.

She usually typed these notes during breakfasts, making the entries about the previous day, but…

The date was there, but the text was empty. She had no words. No one at all.

He swallowed, with a scowl, reading back a few from the days before and then some about later times… There was a change, a very palpable one. The earlier ones contained personal questions, mostly about him, mostly about whether he was that Clockwork or not, and about questions that were never taken aloud.

Then, after the skip, the notes were about observations, about her surroundings, but never ever again about her or him… Instead, she had drifted, day after day, silently, purposely distracting herself with made-up fragments of joy and normalcy, pretending that everything was as before.

He searched for the last never-sent text message, the one before their fall…

Have to do it. There is no other way

He knew what it meant and gulped over the memory.

Now, he could have wished for her to steal a device with a camera, then now, maybe he would be able to recall her, to have her features in front of him – not by the pictures that were burned into his mind (possibly engraved into his lost vision, gone along with his left eye…).

The phone beeped, the screen blackened for the rest of the time, and a sigh escaped from him.

He wanted to destroy it, but unfortunately, he was aware that this kind of one was indestructible. Perhaps, it would have survived psychically an ecto-blast even. So then, he instead slipped the device into his pocket, flying to the only person he knew would never ever open up a particular holder.

Hundreds of years… Ghosts could build up alliances – even though these allies didn’t know about pasts. Against his willingness, sometimes Time required to ask for cooperation in some cases.

The giant woman then looked at him questioningly.

“Don’t ask what it is,” he asked, phasing through the box with his gloved fingers and hiding inside the phone as the ancient Greek goddess brought for him the needed, infamous box. “It is not important,” he lied. “I just want it to be gone, that’s all.”

Pandora said nothing, just nodded quietly.

For a long second, he followed as she put the container back in its place. Still, before she must have come with her usual kindness to take care of everyone who deserved and needed it, he flew away, leaving behind the Acropolis.

Through decades, it was the only day he missed to visit the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep.

[taniaundertaleau]

Why do I want fluff from a ship that is just tragic ?

[bibliophilea]

“our days are numbered (but we don’t have to be)” 👀

This is a Phic Phight wip! Specifically, a Dark Ages (Pariah/Clockwork) phic! I wanted to complete it for the first year anniversary of Dark Ages being a thing (April 6, I think), but it's still a WIP! It's Clockwork arranging a date with Pariah on their anniversary, and Clockwork trying (and failing) not to think about the inevitable doom of their relationship while they do cute date things like admire the scenery and play with each other's hair and have a picnic.

Alas, to quote Baymax, I am not fast. Particularly when writing. I'll get there as the sun sets, but I will get there!

In the meantime, here's an excerpt!

They float in the middle of a clearing on a cliffside covered in violet grass. A red-orange sky rises above them, rose-colored clouds meandering their way across the vastness. A valley of silver forest lies spread-eagle below them, stretching to the horizon like a lover reaching for their beloved. A soft breeze runs its deft fingers through the branches of the trees surrounding them, and their silvered leaves jingle against each other like wind chimes. Clockwork takes a deep breath — the emerald and sapphire flowers scattered about the grass are in full bloom, and they smell like jasmine and petrichor and sunrise.

[radiance1]

Pariah Dark is finally released from his coffin, most ghosts in the know about this very on edge because he's, well, a literal tyrant king. But contrary to everyone's expectations (except Clockwork), he justs decides to vamoosh from the Infinite Realms entirely.

It's been fine without his active ruling for eons, so surely it wouldn't suddenly go to shit just because he's out of his sleep now. At least that's what he thinks and picks a random earth to go towards- this time surprisingly not for war- and plans to inhabit it.

So, there he was, Pariah Dark, Ghost King of the infinite Realms, one of the most powerful ghosts in existence and bearer of the Crown of Fire and Ring of Rage.

Now a humble mortal(disguised) farmer.

And he's surprisingly, never been happier. Well, actually he has been happier than this, on the day of binding between the Ghost King and the Master of Time.

He wonders what his spouse was up to these days. Most likely watching over the multiple timelines, no doubt.

It was on one of those days, where he carried his produce to go sell to a factory for money for more horses, that he ran into a little kid, one with black hair and blue eyes.

That was also, chalked full of magical power and might.

Really, it just escalated from there, if he were to be honest.

===

Billy Batson did not expect to be sitting in the living room of the giant man he ran into on accident. He was kidnapped, yes, but compared to others this was most certainly tame in comparison.

He was picked up by the back of his collar, placed on that guy's head, and was then just taken back to his house.

At least he makes extremely good cookies.

He should probably leave before he's never seen again, but first, cookies.

And milk.

[fangirlingpuggle]

Once again a dad clockwork AU/fic prompt only where everyone else thinks CW is Danny’s dad.

Basically AU where in big fight in amity against some powerful ghosts (Maybe Dan?) everyone is watching Danny fight and then CW steps in to try and help but gets hit, Danny accidentally calls out Dad and goes to help CW. Danny doesn't even realize he’s called him Dad....but everyone else does.

GIW, Maddie and Jack are freaking out because ghosts have parents? "Phantom has a parent? does he mean actually or adoptive or....this changes so many theories. If it’s biologically then ghosts can have kids?? If adoptive then ghosts have enough empathy and emotion to bond and care about a child and we have so many questions!!!"

All of amity is also freaking out because it’s just reinforced that the ghost kid saving them IS JUST A KID!

Vlad is currently being swamped with amity residents wanting they’re mayor to address this and we have to stop attacking the kid! Vlad is both annoyed as hell that all his plans have gone to hell but also apparently Daniel has picked another parent and  it’s not him! and he is pissed mostly because it’s CW one of few ghosts he does not want to fuck with and so is plotting.

Ghosts are not faring much better either the ghost zone is in fucking chaos because Clockwork has apparently become the dad of the kid they have all tried to kill on multiple occasions. THEY ARE FREAKING OUT! Clockwork is a legend he is terrifying and they all apparently nearly killed his kid. In fact a large part of ghost zone are pretty convinced that Danny may like literally be Clockwork kids because yeah he’s half human but honestly Clockwork is the master of time, he controls time if any ghost was going to have a kid with weird powers and able to change to a human it would be him.

The older ghosts and other ancients are all internally screaming because they know who Clockworks partner is. Now all the most powerful ghosts in the ghost zone have cork boards like Always Sunny meme drawing similarities between CW pariah and Danny. They are at this point convinced of a conspiracy in which they had a kid then Pariah went crazy and CW did some time shit to send the kid to the future and somehow make him human? They don’t know they’re freaking out.

Clockwork is trying to explain that no Daniel is not his child, there is no official adoption and no he is not his Pariah’s secret child... No one believes him.

Other ancients: We have connected the dots

CW:NO you haven’t there are no dots to even connect

Other ancients:We have connected them!

Danny is dying of embarrassment in the human world, this is so much worse than accidentally calling a a teacher dad. Tucker and Sam are still dying of laughter... less so when Fright Knight appears calling him ‘my prince’....and isn’t that a weird way to find out the CLOCKWORK IS MARRIED TO PARIAH.

Bonus: Pariah somehow busts out of the sarcophagus and busts into the tower

Pariah: WE HAVE A SON??

CW*head in hands* Ugh fine you know what just gonna roll with this

[sykloni]

Ectober 2022

24. Past & Future

Clearly I just had to do dark ages for one of the days 😂

CW is mostly just mad at himself, since he knew from the start that it would likely end badly. He could have - should have- just walked away when he met Pariah and yet he did not.

Bonus:

[darkagesincorrectquotes]

Clockwork : Pariah Dark and I are having a baby.

Danny Phantom : That's gre-

Clockwork, slamming adoption papers on the table: It's you, sign here.

[ei-w]

blind for all time always [ao3] (words: 500; tw: physical abuse)

[a short fiction that wanted to write itself today]

---

Glass shattered in the quietness, jingling on the ancient tiles. Only a second later did Clockwork recognise the noise could be traced back to their chest construction. Gloved fingers rushed to grip around the frail part to keep it together, retraining it from any further loss.

As they had fallen to the ground, the frame and casket must have been damaged, the vessel over their core crashing on a section, spreading spiderweb fissures through its entirety. The corner didn't exist anymore on the upper right side. Loose shards hung in mere air, not yet developed enough hairlines separating them to join the fallen pieces on the dorm floor. The chest broke, unchangeably. It deformed for eternity.

The Master of All Time halted in recognition of the seriousness of the harm that the sudden strike of power induced on them when roughly pushing them to the floor with a blast. A minute, maybe a second, departed them to end up with an exposed core, with no protection in case of any other assault. They had never experienced such fragility. It was cold and biting -- like death felt, dread overtaking one's existence.

The event shocked them. In an unfortunate moment, Clockwork glanced at their attacker with a hissed sneer, to the figure who towered vastly above their weakened laying body.

Pariah's eyes were burning. His crown and ring glowed threateningly in the faint light of their lair, flaring with power and anger within the dimness of their private dorm.

Their love never behaved like that, yet this treatment was justified. Clockwork knew it was. They went too far this time, and their meddling was revealed for Pariah, too. It was like a stab across a mortal heart. Unforgivable betrayal, a ploy summoned behind the curtains of the commander, as if laughing at his obliviousness…

Ectoplasm dripped next to Clockwork's aching tail that curled on the tiles. The old greyish blueness shone with shiny greenness now, seeming alien against the natural dull colour. Their contour quavered in the shadow of the tyrant. Fear reverberated from their core even though this attack was foreseen for a while. Deep down, Clockwork was struck with the terror of the continuation to unfold.

Still, they knew this moment would eventually come. They had ignored it until this moment, though. They had loved the man, and still would love him after everything, but until now, they hoped their visions were wrong about this day.

This moment had formed in their mind long ago, along with Pariah's first appearance. They had always refused to accept this future -- that everything would be led to the here and now.

The truth was, even after their core was shattered, and a part of it would be ripped out by the one they loved, Clockwork knew they would refuse that this horrific event ever happened. They would forget that they suffered through this harassment by his hand and had survived it -- barely, but they did.

They were blind. Always blind. Blind for Pariah.