ASTATIA GHAST

Danny Phantom fanfiction author who has been a fan of the show since the beginning. American, early 30s, female. You can check out my stuff via the #Astatia Writing tag, the "My Fanfiction" link below, or my AO3 account. Expect lots of Lost Time. Clockwork took up residence inside my brainspace over 19 years ago, and he still hasn't paid any rent. Jerk.

[astatia-ghast]

Quick PSA to all “Clockwork’s Odyssey” readers:

Originally, I intended to post chapters 3 and 4 on the last two weekends in November, but that’s going to be delayed for a while.

I love the story dearly and had a great time working on it, but it was also very challenging. I have a lot of confidence and discipline issues that were tested hard during the Invisobang, and I’m still mentally exhausted from it. I don’t feel ready to get back into the story just yet.

This is also why I haven’t posted all the deleted scenes and author commentary I promised. I’ve just been taking a huge mental break from the project as a whole.

So I’ll be taking some more time, BUT! The good news is that I’m not idle! I’ve been working on some other stories to freshen things up for myself, including a comedic one-shot I’m really excited about!

The deleted scenes and author commentary will likely come whenever I feel ready to jump back into the project. So when you finally see it, you’ll know it’s because I’m actively working on “Clockwork’s Odyssey” again. :3

[five-rivers]

Who is the Phandom?

Danny Phantom

Dan and Phil

Phantom of the Opera

Voting ended onNov 12, 2025

Obviously, I'm only in one of these, so help me out by reblogging.

[astatia-ghast]

So many Dan and Phil fans in the notes are insisting that they’ve been a more powerful force behind the word “Phandom.” Meanwhile, I’m over here in my Danny Phantom enclosure of 21 years, boxed in by three narrow walls and one window, confusedly peering through the glass at the Dan and Phil fans who visited the zoo today and asking, “Since when was there another fandom who used the word ‘Phandom?’”

[jackdaw-sprite]

Making this poll because of the frankly absurd number of times I have had someone in this fandom offhand mention that their <weird health problem> might be because of an iron or vitamin D deficiency they just discovered:

If you are in the Danny Phantom Fandom, have you had your iron and vitamin D levels checked?

I have not

Yes; they were fine

Yes; I am/was low on one of these

I don't know/can't remember

Jesse, what the fuck are you talking about?

What are you, a cop?

Voting ended onSep 4, 2025

addendum: I forgor to turn the 'one of these' option into 'at least one of these,' please use it for one or both

[astatia-ghast]

Yo wtf Jackdaw. I’ve been taking those exact two supplements for years on my doctor’s orders. Those EXACT TWO. NO MORE, NO LESS.

HOW DID YOU CALL ME OUT SO COMPLETELY??

[maebird-melody]

WIP Wednesday

I am once again working on Waypoints. Thinking to myself "maybe this time will be different. Maybe this time I will finish it."

So here's a snippet of the chapter I'm currently editing of my Danny Phantom fic (technically already posted on ao3 but the work overall is still a WIP so it counts):

“My parents don’t like coming down here,” he adds, “so they should ignore us.” “They don’t come down here…ever?” Tucker asks, flabbergasted. “Not even a little bit?” “No, why should they?” “Just sayin’, this space seems perfect for a lab,” Tucker says. “You’re sure they’ve never done anything…scientific down here?” “Okay, what is with you?” Danny demands as he throws his hands into the air. “What do you care what my parents do or don’t do?” “Tucker just thinks it’s a little odd, is all,” Sam comes to his defense. “No need to bite his head off about it.” “No, you guys are the ones being weird.” Danny shoots back. “This has something to do with what you guys were saying at lunch, doesn’t it?” By the stunned, guilty look on both of their faces, he’s pretty sure he just hit the nail on the head. “I knew it,” he mumbles. “Is this why you really wanted to come over to my house today? An interrogation?” “No, it’s not that,” Sam tries to reassure him, making a placating gesture. “Sam, I think we should tell him,” Tucker says with a set expression.

Tagging @prydoniantrash @the-oaken-muse @armed-with-knitting-needles and @imakemywings

Edit: @astatia-ghast tumblr was being mean on desktop and would not let me tag you!!! consider yourself tagged!!

Share a snippet of what you're working on! I wanna see!

[astatia-ghast]

Ohohoho, Tucker and Sam are trying so hard. From Danny's perspective, the insistence that his family's basement should be a mad-scientist laboratory must sound insane. XD Love what you've been doing to my brain with all these fic bits!

I'm glad you tagged me this fine Wednesday, because my WIP will actually be something no one expects. I've been having a lot of mental trouble with my chapter fics -- the idea of finishing a whole series is so daunting that I find myself failing to even start -- so a few weeks ago, I decided to gently encourage my own self-confidence by writing a one-shot instead. This one-shot will be the first thing I finish once I come back from my writing break.

Enjoy the opening scene!

------

SUBJECT: Franklin E. Stine AGE: 41 SEX: M MARITAL STATUS: Married, never separated (21 years) Two children, 11F and 8F.

"Look alive, Phantom."

Danny jerks his head up to see Brett sauntering past. With his lab coat unbuttoned, he looks a fair bit sloppier than everyone else in the laboratory, but that's nothing new. He yanks out a chair and plops himself down in it backwards, so that he can rest his arms across the seatback.

"I told you not to call me that," Danny mumbles, flipping to page 2 of Frank's file with a bit too much force.

"It's a hell of a lot cooler than 'Fenton.' That name belongs to the adults in the room, anyway."

Brett nods in the direction of the Drs. Fenton, who can be spied through the observation window looking out onto the operating theater below. They appear to be conducting one last integrity check of the equipment encompassing Mr. Stine.

"We're both almost 30," Danny grumbles, turning his gaze back downward.

"In the flesh only. I'm still a child inside."

With a sigh, Danny tosses the file down on the table between them. Not for the first time, he wishes that Brett would think before he speaks. Brett's perpetual grin finally simmers down.

"So I guess our chat last week didn't make you feel any better?"

Danny's gaze wanders back down to the operating theater below, where Mr. Frank Stine is ensconced on all sides by the direct successor to the Fenton Portal. Or something like that, anyway -- the metal behemoth looks and acts like an MRI machine, but it delivers the same DNA-altering blast of 1,200 megawatts.

He isn't sure whether the exchange they had last week could be categorized as a "chat"; the exchange was really more like 30 minutes of Brett proselytizing while growing increasingly downcast over Danny's doubts.

[There is a break here where I haven't written the events in between yet.]

In stark contrast to Danny's pallor, Brett watches the proceedings below with wide-eyed wonder. His nose is practically touching the glass.

"Imagine a world where everyone can fly, everyone can defend themselves, everyone has super-healing... Imagine the patients we'd save! My grandma died to cancer -- imagine if she was able to super-heal it away!"

Brett spins around on his heel, pelting Danny with a grin goofy enough to make him look lovestruck. "I'm gonna fly faster than you someday."

"Sure you are," deadpans Danny disbelievingly. He hoists himself to his feet, sets Frank's file aside, and joins Brett at the window. "If you ever get ghost powers, I'm gonna quit this job and spend my days making sure you don't harass girls."

"Ghost powers would be my one chance to get a girl. My girl at the Indian restaurant doesn't work there anymore."

When Danny doesn't reply, Brett pelts him with a more sober look. "You really still think this is a bad idea?"

"Yes. Playing with ectoplasm hasn't gone well for anyone, including me."

Brett scoffs. "Things are great for you! Everyone in the world loves you."

A spike of annoyance streaks through Danny. "Paparazzi peeking through my windows isn't what I would consider 'great.'"

"Well--" Nothing comes after that; Brett seems to have been stumped by that. Instead, he shrugs and says, "Just remember the cancer patients. We're about to enter a better future for everyone."

------

Welcome to the U.S. government's and FentonWorks' joint Hybridization Program, where everything goes right and nothing goes wrong!

Brett is based on a real person I used to work with, who had little to no awareness of what was proper to say in any given conversation. Reading this back, it strikes me that I need to crank his awkwardness up by at least 50%.

Also, yes, I know the name "Franklin E. Stine" is cheesy. It's a placeholder, I promise. 😭

Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear any thoughts you have!

[five-rivers]

Monochrome Maniacal part 3

This is the second entry of the first of my two experimental audience participation fics. Participation instructions are below the fic segment. The masterlist can be found here.

The winning prompt for the previous poll was: Danny getting sick because the ectoplasm was part of what was keeping him alive. (AO3: bluebird8683) (Note: it may take some time for this to fully come to fruition, but there are hints of it in this chapter.)

Tags for this section: Pitch Pearl (Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom), discussion of canon events and attitudes towards ghosts, discussion of a child basically running away from home.

Masterpost.

.

They stared at each other for a little while after that declaration.  Then, Danny forced a laugh.  It hurt his chest, and he stopped quickly.  

“I guess we agree on that, at least,” he said.  

“Hm,” said Phantom.  He flew over to the bed and laid down next to Danny. “I think we agree on more than that.”

Danny looked over at him.  “Do we?  You were kind of picking a fight, before.”

“And you weren’t?  It’s whatever,” said Phantom, not waiting for an answer.  He turned his head towards Danny, and his bangs brushed against Danny’s forehead like cold mist.  “We can hate ourselves and still agree with ourselves.  It’s part of being us.  Me.  You.  However you want to cut it.”

“Yeah?” whispered Danny.  “You think we hate ourselves? That I hate myself?”

“I think you hate me.  It’s kind of the same thing.”

“I don’t.  I already said I don’t.”

“But you’re tired of being me.”

Danny licked his lips.  “I like flying,” he said.  “I like the power, and- and feeling the way you do.  The way I do when I’m you.  When we’ve done something right.”

“I like feeling like we’ve done something right, too,” said Phantom.  “When we’ve saved someone, or– Or when we get a good grade.”

Danny sighed.  Saving people was good, but he felt like the later moments were growing further and further apart.  

“It’d be nice to hear people say thank you, though,” said Phantom.  

“Well,” said Danny.  “Thank you.”

Phantom rolled his eyes, but green dots colored his cheeks.  “Someone that isn’t me.”

“I’m not you right now,” said Danny.  He wasn’t sure how true it was, or if it would help anything.  

Phantom’s face twisted, then he pushed sideways on the bed so that his forehead touched Danny’s.  They stared at each other for a while, blue eyes meeting green, reflecting each other over and over again, like facing mirrors.  

“Aren’t you?” asked Phantom, so quiet that Danny hardly heard him.  

Danny’s heart was beating fast, straining, practically vibrating against his ribcage.  He swallowed, suddenly somehow afraid.  The moment felt fragile, breakable.  

“Maybe we should come back together,” said Danny, reaching for Phantom’s hand.  “Merge like we did before.”

Phantom snatched his hand back.  “What if we don’t?” he asked.  “What if we stay like this?”

“What?  No, why would we do that?  That would–  We talked about this.  You said you’d be stuck living in the Ghost Zone and everyone would hate you.”

“You said that first part, actually.  Think about it.  It would solve all of our problems.”

“And make new ones!”

“Yeah,” said Phantom, eyes bright in a way that had nothing to do with their literal physical glow, “the same problems we’d have if your parents found out what we are.”

“Our parents.”

“If they came in here right now, they’d only consider one of us their son,” said Phantom.  “You could stay in school.  You could make them proud.”

“But what about you?”

.

Thank you for reading this far! If you would like to participate, please reply to this post with what you want to happen or want to see in the fic next. This can be an event (e.g. the lab suddenly explodes), a character appearing (e.g. Wes, Sam, Undergrowth), a headcanon being added to the story (e.g. ghost hunger), a POV switch (e.g. switch to Jazz), a setting element (e.g. the year is 2104), a ship (e.g. Everlasting Trio), or something else I've forgotten to list here.

To be used in the poll, your suggestions must:

Fit in a poll option (80 charaters or less)

Not include crossover elements

Not include minor/adult ships

Be compatible with already established story elements

Other feedback is also welcome! Feel free to send me an ask!

[astatia-ghast]

Ahhh, I've been loving this fic so far! The bits are so short -- I need more nooowww! *Chomps*

My initial idea was suggested by someone else, so I've been brainstorming another one. How about "Danny's body can absorb Phantom's ectoplasm to stay healthy?"

EDIT: Actually, I’m going to change my suggestion to something that’s more specific to this scene. How about “Attractive, electrifying energy passes from Phantom into Danny?”

[alumbianchronicler]

Because I have terminal curiosity and can't leave well-enough alone... I'm going to make a poll later, but I need some information first <3

(Note: I would like to mention that if I have debated/argued with you over certain crossover matters, I don't hold any long-term ill will toward you. I enjoy debating, I enjoy data, I recognize I have my own biases and that my data is incomplete and imperfect, but I still think it's important to have it out there. It's important to talk about things, to learn more and get a bit more of a glimpse at the whole picture.)

SO.

If the matter of mischaracterization SPECIFICALLY in crossovers with your chosen fandom is something that particularly bothers you, what specifically is mischaracterized that bothers you?

[wafflehousevibe]

I’m sick, so here’s a sick danny watching tv

*sheds a single tear*

vicks vaporub will see us through this

[astatia-ghast]

Now this is a straight vibe! It’s all beautifully drawn, though my favorite detail is the anti-ghost pillow. Very “Jack Fenton lives in this house”-coded. <3

[papiliomame]

Ecto-Energy

[astatia-ghast]

Yesss, love this!

[letswonderspirit]

Amity Park

[astatia-ghast]

This art fills me with such simple happiness. <3

[astatia-ghast]

Re: The DPxDC Tagging Discourse

With the discourse over DPxDC tagging having gotten... pretty out of hand over the past week, I want to send out a request to the entire Danny Phantom fandom:

Please stop arguing about it for a bit. Give it three days -- three days to cool off, breathe, back up and reset your perspective. We're all too close to the problem right now, and because of that, we're getting mad and making things worse.

While we're all chilling out, I want to give us some things to consider.

To the #DPonly crowd:

This problem is not going to get better until you acknowledge that vitriol toward DPxDC fans is real. While your frustration may have come from a valid source, the anger and bashing you use to express it have only alienated this side of our fandom. They are part of our little fandom family, and we need to act like it. And that means listening to DPxDC fans' siren calls on this matter.

To the DPxDC crowd:

This problem is not going to get better until you acknowledge that, no matter how you feel about tagging culture, your refusal to stop tagging DPxDC works with #Danny Phantom is what led to all this. For two years, Danny Phantom fans have been sounding the alarm about how DPxDC content in the #Danny Phantom tag is causing people to burn out and leave the fandom (since it feels like our primary conversation space has been overrun), but you haven't been willing to change your behavior to help us recover. We need cooperation to fix this problem, and cooperation inevitably means compromise -- which may mean a tagging system that is not your personal ideal. Not tagging DPxDC works with #Danny Phantom doesn't mean that you are somehow less or unwanted; it just means that people who aren't interested in the crossover need their own space to chat.

Obviously, not everyone in the #DPonly crowd has been rude toward DPxDC fans, and not all DPxDC fans have been uncooperative on the tagging problem. Actually, I would dare say that most of us have been very reasonable. But the unreasonable among us are very loud, and they're stirring up the pot for everyone. And we all know someone who has said some choice words -- and that person may be you.

Take a moment. Reflect on your part in all of this. It's okay to make mistakes. I've made mistakes too, and this post is my way of undoing them. Just come back after a few days' break ready to solve the problem, and we're good. It's gonna be okay, I promise.

And, speaking of the solution -- while it's not my personal ideal, I think the #DPonly tag is the best solution we have so far. It has the greatest chance to make the most people happy. I'm going to keep supporting it and interacting with it, and I hope others will too.

Thanks for listening to my thoughts on this matter! If I sounded spiteful at any point, I promise it's not that; I'm just a direct speaker.

Signed,

A concerned Phandom member

[mostannoyingfandom-poll]

which fandom is the most annoying?

Genshin Impact

Danny Phantom x DC

Voting ended onJul 1, 2025

[wastefulreverie]

pov the worst bitches u know are fighting

[tourettesdog]

People that bitch about the crossover are tiring. I get that it can be annoying when you block tags and still see something, but jesus christ how hard is it to just scroll past, or block people who won't tag in a way that's working for you?

There's still so much animosity towards people into dpxdc just for being passionate and creating a lot of art and fics. And it ultimately just drives people away from participating in the parent fandoms more because they're met with hostility from either side.

For as many friends as I have who have decided to join Danny Phantom and DC events separately, with no inclusion of the crossover, I have just as many friends who refuse to touch those events because of all of the harassment that's occurred.

It's been... weird. And frustrating. Seeing people be almost territorial over fandom parent tags, as if it's wrong to want to tag the fandom for something you've made a piece of art for. As if it's wrong to want to share your work with people who may not even know the specific crossover tags exist yet.

No one gets to own a tag, or police how people use a fandom tag. It's up to each of us to curate our own fandom experience. Being told your slice of fandom is too much, too loud, too productive with their fan creations, when the vast majority of people are sticking in their lane and tagging in a way that can be blocked is just disheartening.

I don't care what crossover is popular in a fandom, how popular it is, or whether or not it's one I'm enjoying. I don't want to discourage people from having their fun when I can block or scroll past.

I'll take a fun crossover with talented creators any day over gacha hell. I think it's honestly embarrassing to see someone so petty over a niche crossover fandom that they'd submit it to an account like this.

[alumbianchronicler]

Oh wow, that's a lot of vitriol in the comments/tags. Are y'all so proud of yourselves for not being able to select "no crossovers" on AO3?

Or like... blocking two tags, and asking people *nicely* to tag with dpxdc or dcxdp? Because get this... People Don't Have Innate Knowledge.

And tagging something dpxdc also with Danny Phantom and DC, Batfam, or whatever? Is PROPER TAGGING, because it HAS both of those things in it.

Let people create in peace.

[astatia-ghast]

I want to provide some perspective on this, as someone who has nothing against the DPxDC fandom but has a lot of friends who feel burned by it.

First off, having this conversation in the notes of an annoying fandom poll has already started us off on the wrong foot, and I'm sorry about that. I'm trying to come from a place of equal footing.

But--

Under normal circumstances, tagging DPxDC content as #DPxDC, #Danny Phantom and #DC, #Batfam, etc. would be the correct thing to do. That's how I would expect anyone with a crossover to tag their things.

However, what's different about this situation is that these are not normal circumstances. The DPxDC crossover is so big that, back when everyone was tagging that way, the #Danny Phantom tag was unusable for people who wanted plain ol' Danny Phantom.

I took a screenshot of what I mean. I have done the proper protocol of blocking #DPxDC and scrolling on. However, this is what page one of the #Danny Phantom tag looked like this morning:

Out of 7 posts on this page, only 2 are visible.

Imagine if you wanted to interact with DPxDC content, but this is how the #DPxDC tag looked to you. Imagine how crestfallen you might get.

Now, I want to be clear about something -- this screenshot is an outlier. Most of the time, about 20% of the posts on any given page are blocked due to having DPxDC content. But the reason I'm sharing this outlier is because this is what the #Danny Phantom tag used to look like.

Remember back in 2023, when the moderators of both communities got together and created this infographic?

Post by @ectoentity · 1 image

💬 13  🔁 517  ❤️ 785 · Tagging Guide for DPxDC · Hey guys, there has been a lot of confusion recently about tagging the crossover on Tumblr.

Before this conversation started, that screenshot is what the #Danny Phantom tag looked like every single day. The reason the usual ratio is down to a much-more-manageable 20% is BECAUSE DPxDC fans agreed to follow these guidelines.

If every single DPxDC fan had said, "No thanks, I'm not going to let you dictate how I tag," then the #Danny Phantom tag would still look like my screenshot every single day.

I want to also try to illustrate this with a thought exercise:

Imagine a Danny Phantom convention and a DPxDC convention came to your hometown and set up shop right next to each other.

Now imagine that folks in the Danny Phantom convention are minding their business, having fun, when a growing number of DPxDC fans start entering the building and setting up booths and panels about their own interests.

Imagine the Danny Phantom folks said, "Hey, that's cool and all, but there's a DPxDC convention right next door. Can you please hang out there so we can talk about Danny Phantom?"

And then imagine the DPxDC folks said, "Danny Phantom is involved in our fandom! We have a right to be here!"

And now imagine that 80% of the convention floor is full of DPxDC folks, and the Danny Phantom folks are crammed off to a sliver on the side, or worse -- broken up into little pieces all over the place so that they have to wade through the DPxDC booths to find each other.

Meanwhile, the DPxDC fans still have a convention right next door, all to their own.

This is how a lot of Danny Phantom fans feel these days. We recognize that tagging #DPxDC + #Danny Phantom + #DC, #Batfam, etc. is the usual way to do things. But this problem has gotten so large that the usual way doesn't work anymore. So we're trying to speak up and say, "Hey, we know this isn't how things usually go, but can you please tag ONLY with DPxDC so we can have our convention back?" And when DPxDC fans take offense to that, it just feels tone-deaf and selfish.

All we Danny Phantom fans want is our own tag where we can interact with each other. And if DPxDC fans agree to stop tagging #Danny Phantom + #DPxDC and ONLY tag #DPxDC, then we can both have spaces where we can interact with people like us. But the status quo that the posts I'm replying to are trying to maintain is actively detrimental to one of us.

Like I said at the start, I, personally, am not too miffed about this, but I could find you dozens of stories right off the bat of Danny Phantom fans who say they don't check the #Danny Phantom tag anymore because their mood darkens at the very thought, or who stopped writing their fanfics because of how badly this burned them out, or who chose not to launch an interesting event because interacting with the Phandom just makes them feel depressed -- all directly because of this.

Is all that worth continuing to tag the way you want to?

My friends don't want to resent the DPxDC fandom. I don't resent it. But in order to get back to a place of peace, there has to be an acknowledgement from DPxDC fans that these are not normal circumstances, and because of that, a new tagging system needs to come into place for everyone to be happy.

I hope this makes it clearer why people are as upset as they are. It's not for petty reasons -- it's because of years of feeling like Danny Phantom fans are no longer allowed to have their own space.

Thanks so much for listening and considering what I have to say -- I'm open to more questions & discussions on the matter.

[aislep]

:')

[astatia-ghast]

Love this trope! Your ability to draw these characters is incredible. <3

[badgeringcereal]

[astatia-ghast]

UM HELLO?? TO WHAT DO I OWE THE PLEASURE OF CRUSHINGLY SWEET LOST TIME FROM THE BADGER CEREAL PERSON???

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 😭😭😭

[aislep]

[astatia-ghast]

omg LOVE THIS! <3 This is the kind of “the Fentons know AU” I need! <3 <3 <3

[papiliomame]

Dannymay Day 29: Ghost Biology

singular ghost cell Danny

Do you know Physarum polycephalum ( or "blob")? It's a slime mold that consists of only a singular cell which can be chopped up an fuse together again, makes intelligent choices without nervous system and is neither a fungus nor a plant nor an animal. One of the most alien things we have on the planet.

Maybe ghost behave also like that, that would explain why they can do something like this:

, and fuse together again like nothing happens.

[astatia-ghast]

I both hate this and love it at the same time. Ghosts as a single-celled organism is freaky, but it makes so much sense.

Kudos for the incredible idea!

(Also, my favorite detail is “Fenton apparatus.” :3)

[astatia-ghast]

Moments in Time #2: Cracked

Synopsis: Danny arrives in the Clocktower one day to find Clockwork with green eyes. It turns out that ghosts also enjoy a few mortal delights.

About my Moments in Time series.

------

This gem was written for Phic Phight 2025, for @reading-wanderer's prompt:

"Are you high right now?" Danny demanded. "Frankly, I'm not sure why you thought I'd do this sober."

I've been wanting to write this one since two weeks before Phic Phight even started, when Wanderer sparked this utterly cracked-out idea. Hope you and the #dissec crew enjoy!

------

Danny came to the Clocktower for some reason. There was definitely A Reason; he wouldn't have subjected himself to Clockwork's cryptic maxims and knowing smirks otherwise. But the problem is that his brain, already addled by the shackles of sleep deprivation and puberty, underwent a full factory reset the moment he rounded the corner and saw Clockwork with green eyes.

The two of them are currently in something of a standoff. On one side is Danny, frozen in a state of Lovecraftian horror, and on the other is Clockwork, smirking that stupid knowing smirk that Danny knew he'd be forced to see.

Clockwork breaks it first. "Danny," he sings, "it's good to see you—"

"Your eyes," Danny interrupts, his voice somewhere within the octave of just saw a murder in real life. "Why are they green?!"

"Oh yeah, about that. You see those pipes over there?" Clockwork gestures toward a rack that Danny has somehow never noticed, which is full of what looks like tobacco pipes. "Mind lighting one of those up?"

Danny looks at the pipes. And then at Clockwork. And then at the pipes. And then at Clockwork. This cycle repeats itself a few more times until Clockwork, barely holding back laughter, takes pity on him.

"Do be punctual. Even the Master of Time prefers some things to be done promptly."

Danny's legs drag him unwittingly over to the rack. He picks one pipe up at random and turns it over in his hands a few times. It's quite pretty, despite the absurdity of the situation; it's white and has been etched with motifs of mountains and snow. The rest of the pipes are decorated in a similar fashion, sporting different types of scenery.

Feeling unsure of himself, he casts a glance over his shoulder at Clockwork. The smarmy bastard looks like this is the most entertaining program to have debuted on Ghost Zone TV in the past decade. Danny grimaces and gets to work figuring this whole disaster out.

He fumbles open an ornate box and finds what looks like tea leaves inside. He has no idea what he's doing — no one in the Fenton family smokes — but it can't be that difficult, right? He fills the pipe with what looks like a reasonable amount of leaves and then looks around for something to light it with. There's a device nearby that seems like it could be a lighter, but it also seems like it could be from the 22nd century, and despite his best efforts, he can't figure out how to get it to work.

He casts another glance at Clockwork. Throughout all of this, the ghost's "most entertaining program on Ghost Zone TV" look hasn't faltered. If anything, he has gotten closer to devolving into ugly guffaws with each second. Now, he's practically on the brink.

Danny's cheeks go frigid with the chill of his ectoplasmic blush. He opts to light the pipe with his own powers to save himself from further embarrassment.

Thankfully, by the time he brings the haphazard concoction over to him, Clockwork seems to have gotten a rein on his laughter. He wipes his mouth — probably trying to wipe the smile off his face — and then takes a puff.

Danny can't help but be enchanted by his behavior in the moments that follow. Clockwork closes his eyes and leans his head back, and the wrinkles and worry lines seem to erase themselves from his skin — and not because his body is moving backward through time. Once the last of the stress ebbs away, he releases the smoke through his nose and opens his eyes.

And, to Danny's shock, his eyes are red again.

He sputters. He wants to say something about this bizarre transformation, but somewhere between his brain and his mouth, the words get twisted, and what comes out is, "Are you high right now?!"

"Frankly, I'm not sure why you thought I would do this sober." Clockwork idly flips through timelines in one of his looking-glasses.

Danny's still sputtering. "But— but you— you're Master of— you watch— timelines—"

Clockwork unleashes a great sigh and pats Danny heavily on the shoulder. "You'd be high all the time too if you had to be at the Observants' beck and call." He takes another puff.

Danny's mouth is hanging open, but he can't find it in himself to close it. "Do they know?"

Clockwork blows a smoke ring. "Of course they do, but they know better than to complain. It's either this Timekeeper or no Timekeeper at all."

Danny has no idea what to do with this information, so he spends the next few moments in a stunned silence. After a bit, Clockwork breaks it with, "Oh, and you should know that red eyes aren't natural in the ghostly world. Any time you see a ghost with red eyes, they're high, too."

Danny's brow furrows as, with growing horror, he mentally checks off the list of ghosts who have red eyes. He doesn't always pay attention to those sorts of details in the heat of a fight, but he thinks he may have seen red eyes on the Lunch Lady… and Princess Dorathea… and Skulker… and Spectra… probably Technus, too, if he were to remove the shades.

Oh. Oh no.

He lowers himself to the floor, at once too overwhelmed to continue standing. In a daze, he asks, "What is it you're smoking, anyway?"

Clockwork's eyes twinkle. "I'll keep that to myself. It wouldn't do for me to poison the mind of an impressionable youth."

Later, when Danny is heading home, definitely having not fulfilled whatever purpose brought him to the Clocktower in the first place, it occurs to him that his encounters with the Box Ghost are about to make a lot more sense.

------

Don't mind me, just gonna slide a last-minute Phic Phight submission right in there--

[summerssixecho]

Thank you @lokiitama for the tag! 💚

Writing game: Post the last line that you wrote and tag someone for every word in the line.

My current document is a mess lol I think this was the last one I edited at least, so it might be the last I wrote:

The dead phone in his pocket felt so heavy with questions and even heavier with conclusions that put one elusive medium at the center of it all.

Feel free to ignore the tag, but if you're inclined to share your last written line, I choose you: @ghostly-penumbra @sapphireswimming @roundaboutnow @akela-nakamura @thewritingowl @tourettesdog @seaglass-skies @agentianlegend @deathcomes4u @murphy-kitt @finemeal @littlestartopaz @little-dreams-of-life @five-rivers (and the first 10 people who see this and want to do it because 1) I can't count and 2) I don't want to tag too many ^^)

[deathcomes4u]

I am a lazy bitch so I'm chaining my tag as a reblog lol

Last thing from the most recent fic I'm writing who's main audience is @dullgecko lol:

Riz fought the choking despair trying to claw its way out of him.

Fic is up on AO3 currently in progress - https://archiveofourown.org/works/63836083/chapters/163878307#workskin

Short line so I tag 13 lol @dullgecko, @whatisamildopinion, @thepoweroffriendshipgivesumoney, @the-greatest-magic-of-all, @alfalfairy, @gingermarshmallow, @pennerjones, @emeraldsandamethyst, @lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks, @silverwing013, @gamma-radio, @ectoentity, @haloburns

[ectoentity]

Last thing I wrote is for a Murderbot fic. Just haven't been feeling DP stuff recently.

"Why can't we just toss it in a recycler?"

Tagging @jackdaw-sprite, @stealingyourbones, @gilbirda, @halfblackwolfdemon, @die-erlkonigin6083, @kawaiijohn, @bibliophilea, @wastefulreverie

[jackdaw-sprite]

I've been in drawing mode lately, but:

The file draws across his tooth. 

@reading-wanderer @echoghost1 @strawberrycamel @astatia-ghast @datawyrms @seaglass-skies

[astatia-ghast]

Ohoho, that’s a good one, Jackdaw! :3

As for mine? Oh God, it’s long.

His skin feels raw beyond belief; it's like a burn turned up to 100 — skin that crinkles painfully with the slightest movement and suffers a rush of sensitivity to the smallest temperature change (which he feels when the blanket shifts off his arm — too hot with the blanket on, too cold with it off).

This is from a first draft, which is why it’s a run-on and reads like a note to a director. Specifically, it’s from chapter two of my Oreo Cookie fic, Soul-Struck. Danny’s having a Bad Time. :D”

I’m just gonna tag a bunch of people without counting, and hopefully the number is in the right ballpark. If I tag someone who has already been tagged, then please @ me on your fill so I can enjoy it! :3

@five-rivers @datawyrms @wastefulreverie @reading-wanderer @echoghost1 @strawberrycamel @underforeversgrace @lexosaurus @bibliophilea @thesilentbard @phantomtwitch @ovytia @bixxelated @dreamwraith @hailsatanacab Okay honestly, I’m giving up because I’ve realized that I don’t actually know the Tumblrs of a lot of my friends. asgjllhdsxxh

[phantomtwitch]

Thanks for tagging me!

Everything would be fine.

Sorry it's not the most exciting sentence lol, but it's all I have.

Uhhh for tags how about @misosuper @modordracena @ghostly-cabbage @the-bastards-of-the-barrel

Feel free to do it or not, regardless of whether I tagged you. (Also I have no clue if any of you have been tagged before, once there's a list like the ones above my brain goes a little fuzzy reading them all)

[astatia-ghast]

Everything will NOT be fine because I got robbed out of a juicy fic bit! 🤣

Nah, thanks for sharing, and I hope life eases up soon!