the danny dissolver

she-they | aro-ace | maybe obsessed with writing |

[murphy-kitt]

Welcome to my blog! ✨

I’m Murphy (murph), my pronouns are she/they. I’m asexual/aromatic. I love writing. I’m shy so sorry if I’m a bit awkward at times.

This blog is mainly focused on Danny Phantom content; one-shots, headcanons, fic ideas, or just the occasional random thought. Sometimes some JATP content might pop up.

Second account for reblogs or random stuff: @murphythedannydissolver

Feel free to drop into my asks at anytime.

I hope you enjoy your time here! :D

Below the cut are my fics, categorised with a summary.

Multichap Fics

Grave Consequences [AO3]

Amity Park decide to make a memorial in memory of Phantom, revealing some secrets along the way. Complete.

Beyond The Grave [AO3]

Danny knows he should be happy about the memorial, but with his parents coming closer to finding out his secret, it’s only so long until his body is found. Corpse AU. Sequel to Grave Consequences.

lie like a tombstone (yet secrets will bloom) [AO3]

Valerie finds Phantom’s body in the park. No One Knows AU. Corpse AU.

Lapse [AO3]

An AU in which Danny loses his memory every time he goes ghost and doesn’t know he’s Phantom.

take the secrets to the grave [AO3]

After Amity Park makes a fake funeral for Phantom, it’s not long before Danny’s web of lies begin unraveling. Corpse AU. No One Knows AU.

Forest Fires [AO3]

An AU where Maddie Fenton had a brother named Daniel who died in a lab accident aged 14, so takes up ghost hunting to one day find his spirit. She ends up mistaking Phantom as her brother’s ghost, when actually it’s her son. Misunderstanding AU.

beneath false pretences (we search in plain sight) [AO3]

Danny Fenton disappeared without a trace. Soon after, his family followed. Five years on, Sam Manson is determined to figure out why. Corpse AU.

play with fire [AO3]

Frustrated at Wes' attempts to reveal his identity, Danny decides to take matters into his own hands.

Oneshots / Short Fics

Angst

The Photograph [AO3]

Valerie finds a photograph belonging to Phantom when he was a human and questions him about it.

Dead Ember Of A Former (Pulse) [AO3]

Danny realises he doesn’t have a pulse.

Her Brother, The (Cold Case) [AO3]

Jazz finds out her brother’s identity and assumes the worst.

Memories [AO3]

Maddie thinks she knows who Phantom is. Misunderstanding AU.

Illusion [AO3]

Ghosts are dead, the figment of the past, yet Phantom’s eyes are filled with life.

Gravity [AO3]

Maddie enlists the help of Phantom to find her missing son, unaware he’s already dead. Full Ghost AU. No One Knows AU.

Shadows [AO3]

Phantom questions Maddie after their recent encounter leaves him confused. Part 2 to Misunderstanding AU.

Scars [AO3]

She feels she doesn’t even know who her own son is anymore. Identity Reveal.

Freedom [AO3]

Valerie captures Phantom, and with him, finds a video tape.

Frozen [AO3]

Is she really that bad a parent that her own son won’t call her Mom?

Creation [AO3]

Danny realises he doesn’t age and prepares to say goodbye to his family and friends.

Instinct [AO3]

She waits in the park, preparing for Phantom to arrive, ectogun in hand. Major Character Death.

Family [AO3]

Maddie and Jack question Phantom about their missing son. They weren’t expecting to learn that he’s dead. Identity Reveal. Part 2 to Gravity.

Ouija [AO3]

Danny is dead, and Sam and Tucker will do anything to get him back. Full Ghost AU.

Witching Hour [AO3]

On a ghosts deathday, they will reexperience their death. Unfortunately, it’s Danny’s first deathday, and no one ever told him this information.

Incinerate [AO3]

The last thing Jack expected to find when seeking out the lab for an intruder was his own son, bleeding and covered from head to toe in ectoplasm. Blood & Injury. Gore.

Mask [AO3]

Danny never really took a minute to consider what he looked like in Phantom form. He didn’t need to, not really. Danny’s HAZMAT has a hood AU.

red in tooth and claw (that’s your fatal flaw) [AO3]

Everyone finds out Wes was right in the worst way possible. Phic Phight. Identity Reveal.

Medium [AO3]

Jazz can see ghosts, and needs to help her brother pass on. 1/2.

Order [AO3]

The Fenton’s find out Phantom is a halfa and hunt him down in an attempt to fix him.

Purify [AO3]

With Phantom successfully captured in their lab after discovering he’s half ghost, Jack and Maddie begin to regret their decisions. Part 2 of Order.

hourglass of lies [AO3]

As the end of high school approaches, Danny is forced to make a decision before he loses his best friends forever. No One Knows. Reveal.

Fluff / Comfort

Penmanship [AO3]

She’d sworn she’d seen that writing somewhere, she just couldn’t place where. Part 2 to The Photograph. Identity Reveal.

Stars [AO3]

Danny has a new power to do with constellations.

Core [AO3]

Jack tries to work out what the mysterious humming that’s been bothering him for months is. Identity Reveal.

Candlelight [AO3]

While gathering the courage to talk to Danny about his secret, Jack reminisces over memories. Part 2 to Core.

Wings [AO3]

The A Listers meet Phantom’s pet ghost birb.

Cozy [AO3]

Jack finally learns his sons secret, and he’ll accept him no matter what. Part 3 to Core.

Blessing [AO3]

Danny and Maddie bake cookies together, and revelations are made. Partial Identity Reveal.

Insomnia [AO3]

After finding his son eating ghost cookies late at night, Jack learns things he didn’t think were possible. Part 2 to Blessing.

gifting stars [AO3]

It's Phantom's deathday, and Valerie wants to give him a gift.

Danny’s Breaking Point [AO3]

With the stress of keeping secrets from friends and family becoming too much, Danny reluctantly opens up to Ms Tetslaff.

Outsider POV

Not A Jock [AO3]

Phantom isn’t the perfect, flawless hero Dash thought he was.

Home [AO3]

No one knows where Phantom lives, but Amity Park will do all they can to make him feel welcome.

Doorway [AO3]

Phantom joins Amity Park’s Space Club, but no one remembers who he was. Part 2 to Home.

Neon [AO3]

There had always been something strange about Danny Fenton. Corpse AU. Suspense.

Glow [AO3]

A group of medics attempt to treat Phantom after a ghost fight leaves him seriously injured. Identity Reveal.

Seasons [AO3]

Sam and Tucker strive to help Phantom, unknowing of his real identity. No One Knows AU. Identity Reveal.

Teeth [AO3]

Phantom is upset, and Amity Park doesn’t know why.

Treat [AO3]

It was unexpected to say the least, when the Price family came upon Phantom raiding their Halloween candy outside the front porch.

Goo [AO3]

The last thing the medical team was expecting was for Phantom to turn human when treating his injuries. Part 2 to Glow. Identity Reveal.

Abyss [AO3]

A student in Caspar High manages to spot Danny’s eyes glowing green. From there onwards, rumours fly.

Contradicting Mindsets [AO3]

Jack finds his and Maddie’s research papers covered with correction in Danny’s writing. Phic Phight. Almost Reveal.

Despair [AO3]

Phantom is spotted on CCTV in the school library. Curious, Lancer decides to investigate.

Black Cat [AO3]

After noticing a classmate struggling with the death of her cat, Danny decides to anonymously help her complete an art project. Part 2 of Abyss.

Tabletop [AO3]

Angela Foley treats Phantom’s wounds. Injury.

Mystery & Suspense

Fog [AO3]

It’s sometimes so obvious that it hurts. How no one else notices it, she doesn't know. Identity Reveal.

Portal [AO3]

Danny can’t remember.

Mist [AO3]

Edward Lancer struggles to decipher the enigma that is Danny Fenton. Identity Reveal. Gore and Injury.

Hallway [AO3]

It was unexpected, to say the least when Phantom wandered into third period English class and fell asleep into Danny Fenton’s seat. Gore. Angst.

Scream [AO3]

While speculating about how Phantom is connected to their son, the Fenton’s learn something about the ghost boy.

digging to the root of the problem (this was a very bad idea) [AO3]

Assuming his parents have found out his secret, Danny plans a camping trip to the very woods in which he buried his body. The only issue, they don’t actually know. Corpse AU.

Humour & Crack

daydreaming of toast cannons and being a little shit [AO3]

Danny creates a twitter account for Phantom and trolls the crap out of everyone. 1/2 complete.

Danny Fenton - Cryptid Of Caspar High [AO3]

Caspar High discusses the enigma that is Danny Fenton through a series of twitter posts.

Extra Stuff

Midnight [AO3]

Jazz goes out to find her missing brother, and meets a ghost.

Brush With Death [AO3]

A series of one-shots coinciding with Grave Consequences. 5/6 complete.

Void [AO3]

It's class photo day at Caspar High, and of course Danny's ghostliness will interfere.

[murphy-kitt]

Live footage of how the portal accident went down

Happy Dannypocalypse!! May the cursed times be upon us!

[murphy-kitt]

the cat and the bag (what a green misunderstanding)

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

After finding Wes Weston injured in an alleyway, Mr. Lancer comes to the wrong conclusions.

Word Count: 2825

A/N: It feels like I haven’t written a fic in forever omg! I love playing on the misunderstanding trope so thought it would be well suited to someone thinking Wes is Phantom! With an underlying twist of course…

[murphy-kitt]

Bone - Ectoberhaunt Day 6

AO3

Warnings: Corpse AU

Disbelief rattles in Valerie’s bones.

What she’s just heard, no—she’s just imagining things. Running on barely two hours of sleep and hunting down ghosts at every waking hour will do that to her, right?

But from the expression of dread upon Phantom’s face, that tells her otherwise. His hunched shoulders, his mouth silently working as if he wants to say something — probably conjuring up lies to convince her the opposite of the thing she’s just heard.

He’d probably be successful in doing so.

Because it doesn’t make sense. It’s absurd.

A half-ghost?

“How does that even work? Half a ghost?” She lisps as Phantom sucks Skulker into his probably stolen Fenton Thermos without another word.

“It-it doesn’t! Skulker was just making stuff up.” the ghost rattles off, distancing himself from her, ghostly tail waving like a pennant, “There’s no such thing as half a ghost! I'm the fullest ghost you’ll ever meet.”

Yet, Phantom isn’t a normal ghost, is he?

He’s different from the rest.

“Then why do all the ghosts think you’re different?” She questions. It’s no secret that Phantom is different from the rest of them— in temperament, appearance, everything.

Not just that, either. The offhand remarks he makes from time to time of having homework to do or not getting enough sleep, the list goes on. Ghosts don’t eat, don’t need to do homework, even if Phantom is about her age.

“I dunno.” He shrugs, green eyes darting away from her. Looking for an easy way out. An escape.

On instinct, her fingers find the trigger of her ectogun, which makes an audible click. Ready to shoot if he does anything shifty.

Crud. Hadn’t meant to do that. She winces, allowing her fingers to relax.

“Look, I-“ Valerie begins, trying to calm a visibly angst ridden Phantom, a storm of anxiety brewing up.

The ghost's eyes shift to the noise, and before she can react, he blinks out of sight. Gone.

“Well that didn’t go well.” she mutters, unsure of what to do.

Her relationship with the ghost is…uncertain, to say the least. Over the past few months there’s been a steady transition of shooting Phantom point blank to ‘casual conversation’.

Wanting to know him better. Wanting to know why he’s different.

And then there’s a rustle in the trees behind her. Valerie turns, aiming her wrist at a possible target. There’s nothing alarming on the scanner, only a few low-level ghosts on the city’s outskirts that don’t warrant attention.

It’s Phantom. Again.

”You won’t shoot me?” He puts his hands up into a placating gesture.

Valerie pretends to deliberate before letting the gun retract into the suit. No, she can’t do that now. Her curiosity about Phantom is too great than the want to destroy him right now.

”I won’t.” She responds, “As long as you explain to me what the hell is going on.”

”Fine.” The ghost looks as if he’d rather do anything else.

But it was his choice to return. He could’ve just left when she raised the ectogun and returned next week as deflecting as ever.

”Well?” Valerie questions after a few awkward moments. The pine forest beside them creaks eerily as a crow startles from a branch.

”Wait. I’m just—“ The ghost floats down, planting his feet to the floor. “I’m just thinking about how to do this. I—I’ve never had anyone find out, okay?”

”Fine. It better be a damned good explanation.”

The ghost turns to look through the pine forest behind them. His green eyes glow in the waning daylight. Valerie briefly wonders if he’s spotted something listening in.

She takes another look at her tracker. There’s a faint red dot shining in the centre of the trees.

“You seen something?” She prompts the ghost.

“No…” Phantom settled a hand to the back of his neck. “I need you to promise me something, though.”

She can’t help the instinctive scoff that passes through. Making promises to a ghost? Incredulous.

“Fine.” Valerie taps her foot against the dirt. She’s giving a lot of leeway right now than what she usually would.

“You won’t tell anyone what I tell you tonight.” Phantom states, eyes narrowed.

Valerie folds her arms. That’s all context dependent on what he tells her. Some plot to take over Amity Park — absolutely.

”What? Scared your family would find out or something?” As if ghosts can ever remember their past families. Or if they do, likely terrorising their grieving relatives for all their afterlives.

”Yes.” is Phantom’s serious reply.

”You remember them?”

”Of course I do!” Phantom narrows his eyes, looking incredulous.

Valerie remembers a few months back to the Fentons research papers about ghosts and their attachments. Sure, she’d never dabbled in ectobiology — yet the consideration of ectopsychology piqued her interest.

Not in the way Jazz Fenton claimed “ghosts are good” but rather to give her the upper hand. Valerie could use the knowledge about how ghosts functioned in order to defeat them. Use their obsessions against them.

So surely, for Phantom to be lingering in Amity Park as often as he does, the answer has to lie in his family. They’re here and don’t know about him.

He won’t reveal himself because he wants to stick around. Wants to use their grief, likely feeding off of their emotions. It makes Valerie sick.

She thinks of her mother briefly. No — her mother wouldn’t come back as a ghost. It’s disgusting. Exploitative.

“Do you see them—your family?”

”Yeah? I try too. It’s a bit difficult. I stay hidden so they don’t see me.”

So they don’t see what replaced their son.

Her heart thuds in her chest, blood rushing in her ears. The urge to shoot an ectogun is rising, but she can’t.

If I follow him — I can get rid.

Without another word, Phantom flies into the pine forest. She follows him warily.

It could be a trap. He’s leading her closer to the red mark in the centre of a forest. What does Phantom plan on doing? Throw her into a portal? Does he have a set of ghosts to sic on her?

They’re in a clearing. The trees loom like shadows, and her tracker shows they’re right and the marked spot.

Yet — there’s nothing. No trap, no weapons or lair.

Just Phantom awkwardly lowering himself to the soil, legs crossed like a pretzel.

What’s so significant about the floor? Valerie retracts her hoverboard, thumping softly onto pine needles.

In the dark she can barely make out what Phantom is looking at. Pine needles layer the floor like tiny pencils, except a large rectangular shape by Phantom’s feet. The soil looks overturned and clumpy.

Not fresh…but disturbed.

He gives her a pained smile, green eyes bright in the darkness.

“A halfa? That’s what they call someone who’s half ghost and half human.”

He points down to the disturbed ground.

”And that’s where I buried my body.”

What. Disbelief torrents her bones. She’s mishearing again. He’s lying again, as ghosts always do.

Except, for once in her life, Valerie thinks the expression on Phantom’s face actually looks genuine.

How is that even possible? Half a ghost and half a human? With a body buried.

Valerie shudders. Underneath just a few feet away, the boy Phantom once was is withering away. For who knows how long. Maybe he’s just bones now.

”Oh God.” she swallows, unable to say anything else.

Unable to deny the glee that sparks in her chest. Phantom’s practically handed everything over to her freely. Body and all.

Phantom blinks, nodding. “I know it’s a lot.” He puts a hand to his neck. “But you need to promise not to tell anyone.”

”I promise.” The lie is simple, quick.

Valerie looks at the soil where Phantom’s body is.

Tomorrow it will not be there.

[murphy-kitt]

Fifteen Minutes of Fame - Ectoberhaunt Day 3

AO3

Phantom is interviewed by the media. His responses bring…implications.

Everyone in Amity Park had an opinion on Phantom.

It was inevitable, really. With how consistent his appearances were in comparison to other ghosts, his presence became familiar. A flash of black against the sky at night, or a glowing beacon perched atop the observatory.

Whether that be like the Fentons, with their weapons at a scale that would put an army to shame. Or Mayor Masters, for some reason seemed quite guarded and sly in Phantom’s presence.

Or the gaggle of amateur ghost hunters that’d heard of Amity’s ‘problem’ outside of town and decided they’d be the chosen ones. To take down the #1 Enemy.

Most residents were unbothered. For all the damage Phantom caused, it was just another thing they’d become accustomed to. Get under the ghost shields during fights. Keep renewing the insurance plan set up by the GIW.

But for some it was more personal.

At some point in time, Phantom had saved them, a friend, a member of their family. Not always in ghostly terms, either.

Neighbourhood gossip spread for weeks about the missing girl he'd found days after police called the search off. The amount of times students had been saved at Caspar High was too high an amount to remember.

Thus, the Caspar High fan club was born. It talked about Phantom and his heroics, because to a majority, that’s what he was.

He was the protector of Amity Park, constantly putting himself in the spotlight to help out residents. Purely out of his own volition. Brave and fearless.

But amongst everything, Amity Park had become blindsided.

Until the interview, that was.

-

For all everyone clamoured about Phantom, it became apparent quite quickly what was known of him was…very little.

He would appear at a fight, defeat the ghost then disappear into thin air. Many theorised the Ghost Zone — where else did a ghost belong? Others thought he must’ve had a base in Amity to show up so frequently.

It just so happened that Amity News were documenting the new opening of a store when Skulker raided the nearby mall. Phantom showed up.

Nothing new, nothing different.

Until Phantom slammed onto the pavement beside the news van and Lance Thunder saw opportunity.

“Phantom!” He ushered to the ghost, still sprawled on the pavement. “Fancy an interview?”

It was risky, really. Cameras everywhere and Phantom elusive as ever. It was more of a joke question than anything.

Phantom’s gaze was stuck on Skulker suddenly being captured by the Fentons and carted away.

”Sure…why not?”

So Lance asked the first question on every viewers minds.

”Where do you go after you’ve finished fighting?”

Most expected Phantom to make a witty quip and joke about the amount of times he’d return to Amity Park to retrieve a ghost. It seemed like when one fight was over, another started.

Instead, the silence was unexpected. Phantom blinked, taking a deep breath (why was a ghost breathing…?)

“I go home.” He said simply. Vague as ever.

Lance chuckled. “And where’s that? The Ghost Zone? Or some secret hideout?”

The ghost didn’t smile in response. His gaze went past the camera, probably to the large crowd gathering behind the media van. People holding up phones and waving their hands, calling his name.

“…Amity Park.”

The mic screeched from feedback as Lance nearly dropped it. Same with the crowd, muttering away.

Of course it made sense, really. Phantom living in a place where he frequented the most. But all the others lived in the Ghost Zone (as far as they knew). Why was he the outlier?

”Why do you live here?” Perhaps not the smartest question.

”Huh?” Phantom narrowed his eyes. “Because I lived here before I died? Or is that not permitted?”

”No. We—well we just though with all the other ghosts living in the Ghost Zone…”

”Oh.” The ghost’s eyes widened, as if he too realised the gravity of what he said.

Amongst all the heroism and witty banter, Amity Park had forgotten.

Phantom was dead. Even with the perpetual label ‘ghost’, people had forgotten that. Phantom was the equivalent of a comic book superhero to them.

Dead. He’d once been human. Someone before.

“I see.” Lance adjusted the mic. “What do you do when you’re not fighting ghosts?”

It was hard to imagine Phantom outside of fighting ghosts. After all, that was all the town ever saw him partake in. Not to mention the Fenton’s research about ghosts being tied to their obsessions.

It was likely a perpetual routine. Always on the hunt for new ghosts to fight and capture.

“Well…I do like playing video games. They came out with a new DOOM last month. And uh…visiting my family?”

“Your family?! D-do they know you’re a ghost?”

”Crap. Uh. No they don’t.” Phantom stared at the camera, fumbling. Nothing like the confident, unbeatable ghost Amity had seen during battles.

Rather he was…small. Curling in on himself, a hand rubbing the back of his neck (why was that gesture familiar?). Eyes darting around, expecting some sort of inception.

And then he was gone.

Lance (tried to) compose himself. “Uh. So that was that folks! Our first interview with Phantom. He lives in Amity Park, likes to play video games, and his family don’t know that he’s dead.”

An eloquent way of putting such implications.

The interview skyrocketed overnight. Forum pages jammed with discussions about the situation. The Fentons published an official statement on their website. The Caspar High fan group couldn’t keep up with new applications.

Phantom was dead. And by his appearance, thirteen or fourteen at the most. A teenager.

A native of Amity Park.

But no matter how much the forums pages sleuthed, there was nothing. No mention of any runaways in the past few years, decades even. No obituaries. No John Does reported.

A teenager had died, completely unnoticed. Even by his own family.

How had he died? No one had ever considered it. A ghost as strong, yet so new. The Fenton’s theorised it had to be something decimating. Traumatic, no doubt.

The possibility of death by his own family was a large possibility. But why would Phantom continue to visit his potential murderers, if so?

Could Phantom’s death been at his own hands, deliberate? Regret portrayed through the yearning to visit his living family? His attachment to the town?

Yet, what if it was accidental? A HAZMAT suit certainly didn’t give…good implications.

Maybe it had been an accident. One mistaken decision, a slip up that cost him his life.

There was another theory too. One that gained little traction.

That Phantom of course, was still in Amity Park. But…not Phantom. Rather, a facade to blend in.

A ghost disguised as a boy no one had cared enough about to notice anything different.

[murphy-kitt]

Imgur being blocked in the UK means I can’t even see the art on my own fics 💀

[murphy-kitt]

Summon - Ectoberhaunt Day 2

AO3

Warnings: Blood & Injury

This is the first time, Valerie thinks, that she’s wanted Phantom not to get away where she isn’t pointing a gun at him.

Their truce is fairly steady, having been made months ago, but that’s the first thing that springs to mind as she watches Phantom attempt to get up.

He’s splayed on her fire escape, fingers curled inwards, various grazes over his suit. But that’s not her concern. Her eyes scan over his chest (is it rising?) before landing at the HAZMAT hood and goggles obscuring his face.

Another rumble of thunder in the distance, and Phantom whimpers. Barely, but there.

The missiles had been quick to explode in a flurry of green, so fast that Valerie can barely remember. But she does remember Phantom splayed out on the road.

Concrete cracked where he’d landed headfirst, one of his lenses in the goggles shattered.

Can they regenerate? She wonders. Every time Phantom’s returned after an attack his suit seems pristine, nothing indicating some of the horrific injuries she’s seen him receive.

And then there’s the whole implication of dying in a HAZMAT suit. Mad scientist? Like the way Technus is with technology, horribly outdated?

“Mm fine.” Phantom slurs, his whole body swaying as he claws at the mouthpiece of his HAZMAT, tugging it off. She watches as he coughs, green flecks spattering on the floor.

“You are not.”

“Am.” He lies.

Valerie considers advancing forwards, but pauses. Whatever’s wrong, it’s not good. Coughing up ectoplasm would be the equivalent of a human coughing blood, right?

“Come on, stupid ghost.” She mutters, grabbing his shoulders and tugging him upwards from his slouch.

“I just need…some time.”

“What you need is help.” Valerie can’t believe the words she’s saying right now. Months ago, this would’ve been ridiculous.

Even now there’s still some lingering instinct to grab her ectogun.

But she doesn’t. This is a truce.

And Valerie always keeps her word—even if the receiving end is a ghost.

She scans his face again, flitting from the cracked lense of his left eye where a green glow emits. Then the other eye, lense intact, the intensity of his eye dimmed.

Thunder rumbles overhead, the sky grey with angry looking clouds.

Phantom whimpers again.

“You’re scared of thunder?” Valerie asks, incredulous.

“I—“ Phantom stammers, but Valerie doesn’t really care much about the response. She’s just trying to keep him lucid.

The mask doesn’t make it easy to see what’s going on, that’s for sure. Any normal human slamming onto concrete would be certainly dead.

That could’ve been her.

He’s still injured, though. Valerie doesn’t know how his weird ghost-stuff works. The Fenton’s are more of the anatomical kind. Do ghosts have brains? Can they get concussions?

“Phantom.” Valerie starts again, trying to sound steadier than she feels. Hoping that he won’t try to take flight, “I need to take off the mask.”

“What?!” The ghost yelps, her statement certainly bringing him back to some semblance of awareness. He shuffles back, as if preparing to fly.

Valerie nearly reaches out, hands grasping, but she stops. That’s not going to make anything better at all.

Metal creaks as the ghost scrabbles away from her, his back hitting sharp mesh. Phantom wheezes as he does so, his breath rattling and slow. His hand flickers invisible like a candle light, then back to the visible plane.

“Shit!” The ghost gasps, hunching forward. “Powers not…”

Valerie didn’t even think it possible for Phantom to breathe, let alone be breathless. And the fact that this has made him—a level eight spectre—powerless and weak, downed on her balcony.

”Skulker’s weapons actually being effective.” Valerie muses, folding her arms. “Never thought I’d see the day.”

”Hmph. Got lucky.” Phantom draws his knees to his chest. Green emitting from his helmet pierces her stare. “Besides…concrete.”

”You’d rather say you lost to concrete than admitting Skulker got one over you?”

”Yup.” Phantom nods, popping the ‘p’. The ghost sways again, head reverberating against the metal barrier.

“Come on.” Valerie gets to her knees, advancing towards him.

This time, Phantom doesn’t try to go intangible, or speak. Just sits there, resigned, watching her, virulent green searing into her skull. He’s slumped over, legs splayed out.

“Fine.” He sighs.

Unease lodges in her chest, like a ????. This isn’t right. It’s like he’s prey, just waiting expectantly for what’ll happen. A bit like when the Fentons have come close to capture, she imagines. Looming over him, Phantom incapacitated.

“Look.” Valerie kneels again, pressing a hand to her face. “I’m not gonna force you to take your mask off, ‘kay? Just, I really think you should let me look.”

“Really?” Phantom’s voice is small, timid. He sounds young.

”No. And if it’s what you look like then I wouldn’t judge you for that either.”

No one in Amity Park has ever seen what Phantom looks like. They barely know any information about him at all, one of those facts being his name. But that’s not even his real name, obviously. Who would name their kid Phantom?

Kid. Child. His age has always been ambiguous too. It’s not something Valerie has ever considered before. Last month he was just a ghost that ruined her life and terrorised the city. Nothing more, nothing else.

”I don’t know what I look like.” The ghost murmurs, and Valerie’s breath stutters.

”You’ve never taken the mask off?” She can’t exactly imagine access to a mirror would be on the top of Phantom’s list. But to not even take the mask off?

Why—?

”I’m scared.” The ghost says, seemingly hearing her thoughts. He lifts up his left hand, and with a harsh pull of fabric, tugs the glove off with the other. “I’ve already seen this.”

He opens his hand and faces the palm towards her. Or what was a hand, Valerie supposes.

The skin is blackened and charred like burnt firewood. A green starburst is in the centre of his palm, embedded like lava under molten rock. It branches down his wrist and disappears under the arm of the jumpsuit.

”Oh.” Valerie simply says.

That’s a death scar. Discussed recently in the Fenton’s ‘Ghost 101’ lessons at Caspar High.

Right here, in the palm of Phantom’s hand. Literally. She can’t blame him for not wanting to take off the mask if his full appearance is like that. Not because of how it looks, but surely it would be a constant—traumatic—reminder of how he’d become a ghost.

”Why are you scared?” She prompts after a few moments of thought.

”Because…” Phantom sputters. “Because I’m a monster! Nothing but some ectoplasmic remnants after death.”

Why does that sound familiar?

“You believe what the Fentons say about you?” Valerie feels sick to her stomach. And maybe it is hypocritical, because she used to follow the Fentons theories like gospel. But a ghost, quoting and convinced of Maddie Fenton’s statement?

”Yeah. They’re the ghost experts.”

”B-but you’re a ghost? Surely as a ghost wouldn’t you know better about yourself than they do?”

”No?” Phantom’s tone sounds genuinely baffled. The head injury or genuine belief, she can’t tell. Maybe both.

”Well, look. You…save the town. Does that fit the description of ghosts being selfish for their own gain?”

”No?”

“The Fenton’s say ghosts can’t change or adapt. I don’t know what you’d call this.” Valerie gestures to their current predicament on the balcony. “You’re not blasting or fighting me.”

”Because I’ve never wanted to hurt you!” Phantom cries out. And ever since he caused her dad to lose his job and the house, Valerie believes him.

”Exactly.” Valerie surprises herself by the certainty in her voice. Phantom jolts up, surprised.

“You’re not evil, Phantom. Cocky and irritating, sure. But you’re not evil.” She looks out to the blackened clouds where thunder still rumbles on. Where countless times she raced on her hoverboard, blasting him without a second thought.

“—and I’m sorry it took me that long to realise it.”

There’s a calm silence between them for a few moments.

Then, lightning. It illuminates the sky, branching jagged lines as far as the eye can see. Phantom stiffens and pushes against the mesh of the balcony again, covering his mask with his hands.

The scar pulses brighter, agitated.

“Is—is that how?” Valerie questions, brow furrowed.

Is that how you died?

Phantom only nods, curling in tighter on himself.

”You can…” Phantom’s tone is barely audible. He swipes at his face as wiping away tears, but stops when realising the mask is still on. “…you can take the mask off.”

Valerie edges closer, looking at the attachments of the mask. Only then she realises how…official his equipment is. It’s not some silly Halloween costume, but the proper type of PPE she’s seen workers wear at Axion Labs. Not the same design—obviously.

Valerie takes a deep breath, and gets to work.

The equipment is put to the floor, and Phantom is left with only his hood and goggles.

“Ready?” Valerie won’t ignore that this is tense for her too. She’s the first person to see what he looks like.

“Don’t tell me.” Phantom’s grits out. His hands are trembling.

She pushes the googles up first, then the hood. The fabric peels back and Valerie can feel her chest thudding, instinctively closing her eyes.

Will he be nothing but a shadow underneath? Wispy and barely visible? Burnt?

Valerie opens her eyes.

There is a boy sat on the balcony with her.

-

A/N: Second day done and dusted! This was actually meant to be a one shot for last years ectober but I figured it could fit here too.

I took this prompt in a more..metaphorical way than an actual summoning. Like, Danny has to “summon” the courage to let Valerie take off the HAZMAT mask and Valerie also has to face a lot of big revelations. This is a part 1, btw.

[ectoberhaunt]

How Many Ectoberhaunt Prompts do You Plan on Completing?

None (I'm here to watch/reblog!)

At least one

One to Five (1-5)

Five to Ten (5-10)

Ten to Fifteen (10-15)

More than Fifteen (15+)

Twenty! (That's one prompt from each day!)

More than Twenty (Scary)

More than Thirty (Very Scary)

Every Prompt from Both Calendars (Terrifying!)

Voting ended onOct 5, 2025

[murphy-kitt]

Frost - Ectoberhaunt Day 1

AO3

Warnings: Swearing, Tranphobia Implied (Misinterpreted)

—

“I know what you are.”

This statement to Danny is, quite frankly, fucking terrifying.

Some guy he’s barely seen before—one of the new cohorts at the start of sophomore year. Wilson, he thinks he’s called?

Danny doesn’t know. Doesn’t really care about any new students that enter into Caspar. As long as they don’t find out he’s Phantom or are the attitude of Dash reincarnated. Two Dash’s would be hell.

For all his evasive maneuvers as Phantom throughout the past year (and it is a wonder he’s not been caught yet) Danny hoped he’d be better at playing off the “deer in headlights” look.

And this time he is really trying.

“What?” He tries to smile, but can feel his teeth gritting.

”Are you deaf, or what?” The kid narrows his eyes, jabbing a finger at Danny’s chest. “I know what you are.”

Danny can feel his heart plummet to his feet. Not good. A million-times not good. Horrific.

Of course the new kid would corner him in the boys bathroom of all places. To prove a point.

Hell, even Dash isn’t this bad. He just brushes over the topic entirely and gets straight to the ‘relevant’ bullying topics. The general school populace is pretty chill.

So why can’t that extend to the new kid, too?

”Okay. How’s that working for you?” Danny folds his arms across his chest, trying to level his tone.

“Don’t try and deny it.” He retorts, twisting around before narrowing his eyes. “Everyone in this school must be dumb to not notice. It’s so obvious!”

Wes—that’s his name, Danny remembers. He can’t deny how his heart thunders in his chest, core freezing up. Just how long has Wes been watching him to notice?

Danny scoffs, hoping it sounds more irritated than nervous. “Bold. Not even pretending it’s an ambush. You cornered me into the bathroom for this?”

“I figured you’d try to run. Always avoiding confrontation, aren’t you? You’re always skipping classes and wearing baggy clothes.” Wes plants a hand down on the sink next to Danny.

A barrier between him and the door—the chance of escape. As if Danny can’t just phase through it, yet the sentiment is still there.

He’d also rather not out himself again in more…ghostly terms. If this is how Wes will treat him now, Phantom’s a whole other sort of bother.

”Great. Tell me something everyone doesn’t already know.” Danny drawls, eyes averting to the tiles to avoid Wes’ glare.

”Not this time. I know what you are. And some-fucking-how no one else does!”

“Are you able to say any other words than just ‘I know what you are’?” Danny crosses his arms, core beginning to thrum faster with cold. He needs out of here, soon. “Besides, everyone already knows.”

The strangled noise Wes makes is something that could even compete against the ghostly wail. He blinks. Rapidly.

”You fucking what.”

He doesn’t know much about technology, but Danny assumes Wes has just gone through what Tucker would label a “full-human reboot”.

”Yup. Consider it an…open secret.” And that’s no lie, really. Being trans is one of those things everyone knows about him, but never need to bring up. He’s just Danny. Always has been.

”You’re lying. Have to be.” Wes retorts, “And I’m gonna be the one to say it.”

”Say what? You’re a transphobic asshole?” His eyes reflect green off the tiles.

Wes recoils back, shoulders scrunched up by his ears.

“What? No, I—what the hell are you even talking about?”

Danny can hear the crackling of frost across porcelain tiles as it forms at his feet. The lights buzz and pop with static. If his secret as Phantom wasn’t compromised, it certainly is now. But he’s too pissed to care.

“Don’t try that now. I’ve heard it all before. So what, you want a medal for being the hundredth person to try and get at me?”

”Oh god. That’s not what I meant!” Wes drags a hand through his hair, “I don’t care if you’re trans. That’s none of my business. I’m talking about that.”

He points right at Danny’s face. No doubt, his eyes flaring a bright ectoplasmic green.

”The what?” He says dumbly.

“The ghost thing. You’re Phantom!”

Danny freezes. His eyes are instantly back to blue, the tiles now reflected yellow hues of the dingy lighting.

He opens his mouth. Closes it.

This is not a situation he has ever planned for. Not even with the nightmares where he imagines his parents finding out or the GIW tearing him apart. The reality is, no matter how much he’s thought of the endless possibilities, it’s always been an if.

“What.”

”Oh come on, Fenton. Don’t even act stupid. Your eyes just glowed! You’re always disappearing during the ghost fights, you have the weird scar on your hand—“

”Don’t even go there.” Danny narrows his eyes.

Wes scoffs, and rolls his eyes. “Fine. I don’t see the problem about a scar. But you always look like you’ve been run over by a truck.”

”That’s—“

“What? A bathroom break? Please. At least give me some credit.”

”What’re you going to do about it then?” Danny narrows his eyes, chest pounding. It still doesn’t feel real. He needs to know what Wes is planning.

”Duh, prove that you’re the ghost kid! No one believes me.”

And then Danny remembers, and feels very stupid. He’s Danny Fenton. The no-one of Caspar High, son of the town weirdos and well known slacker. He’s got a reputation for being odd, but no one’s ever attributed it to any specific rumour.

He’s just Danny Fenton.

Danny feels his grimace turn into a smirk. “That’s rich. How long have you been saying that for?”

(Mentally, he notes it’s worrying about never noticing Wes’ claims until now. But he is absent from school more often than not)

”A few weeks.” Wes near turns the same shade as his hair. “But I will find proof!”

”Good luck with that.” Danny drawls. He turns to face the sink, his reflection staring back. “I’m just wimpy little Danny Fenton. How could I ever be someone as awesome and brave as Phantom?”

“You see, people don’t tend to believe when you make rumours about a human being a ghost. The more you yell about it, the less people care.”

Wes swallows, narrows his eyes. The five stages of grief all at once.

Danny pushes off of the sink, feeling the cool sensation of intangibility through his arms. He, slowly—obviously, pulls both hands through the porcelain before brushing aside Wes to the bathroom entrance.

As expected, Wes still doesn’t say anything.

Danny break the silence himself. It’s risky, but he can’t help it.

“You know what, Wes? You’re right. I am Phantom.”

”Bastard.” Wes spits, tone venomous.

Danny only smirks, teeth sharp, eyes flaring ectoplasmic green. “But here’s the thing—no matter what you say, no one’s ever gonna believe you.”

—

A/N: Yay first post of Ectoberhaunt! This one-shot is inspired by this Tumblr post bc we all love a good misunderstanding.

[youcantcutbackonfunding-deactiv]

[murphy-kitt]

lie like a tombstone - chapter 14

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

After a year chapter 14 is out! This one took a while 😅 It also means it’s now at 50k!

Poor Danny isn’t going to have a good time…

[dp-outsider-perspective-week]

Danny Phantom Outsider Perspective Week - July 20th - 26th

This is a week-long Danny Phantom event dedicated to outsider perspectives.

What is an outsider perspective?

An outsider perspective is a narrative trope where a story is told from a point of view outside the main storyline. It is particularly popular in fanfiction because it allows a series of events to take place completely out of context from the narrative perspective, but the reader already knows, or at least has an idea of, what is happening.

When is it?

July 20th - 26th

How does this work?

Each day of the week will have a prompt. Write from the perspective of a character who matches the prompt (or in the format specified by the prompt). Once you write your piece, post it on Tumblr and/or Ao3 and tag it. Any works that are appropriately tagged with #dpopw will be reblogged to this blog and/or added to the Ao3 collection.

Do you have to write for every prompt?

Not at all! Write however much you want about whatever you want. Combine prompts, skip days, go wild! The goal is to have fun!

Are there rules?

Yes. They boil down to: tag your ships, tag your crossovers, tag your gore, have fun! Also no minor x adult ships.

What happens if I don’t follow the rules?

If these prompts spark your creativity in a way that doesn’t align with the rules of the event, feel free to still use them! However, your post won’t get reblogged to the outsider POV blog and the work you create won’t be added to the Ao3 collection.

When will the prompts be released?

A week before the event starts.

[murphy-kitt]

danny fenton, (not) responsible adult

When things run askew in Amity Park, Danny is forced to step up as Fenton.

(AKA: a digital media retelling of Pirate Radio, S2 Ep3)

AO3

Prompts:

@ave-aria Rewrite an episode while using only written, digital, or physical media (texts, chatrooms, newspaper articles, voicemails, breaking news bulletins, employee emails, etc) to convey what's happening. Bonus: stick to outsider POV and use things penned by Danny, Sam, and Tucker as little (or as cryptically) as possible.

@hannahmanderr The kids of Casper High have taken notice of Danny Fenton's uncanny leadership abilities after the events of "Pirate Radio." Needless to say, he is taken by surprise when they come to him asking him to lead a student ghost hunting group.

-

Another HTML fic! Originally this was meant for phic phight but I didn’t get around to it, but here it is. Pirate Radio is my favourite episode, I just knew I had to merge both prompts.

[murphy-kitt]

It’s never a good feeling when they find your body buried in the park…

[phantomphangphucker]

Phic Phight - The Phantom Wail Hypothesis: An Analysis of Phantom’s Ghostly Wail as Residual Sonic Trauma

For: @murphy-kitt

Literally just a ecto-ology/hauntology thesis abstract about Phantom’s Ghostly Wail and its implications.

Abstract

Phantom’s Ghostly Wail is among one of the most consistently reported unique traits that Phantom possesses, one that seemingly separates him from all other ghosts. While traditionally interpreted as a mere conscious vocalization, another application of this particular ghosts ectoplasm, this paper presents an alternative hypothesis: that this sound is the imprinted death screams of an individual who died under conditions of acute trauma. Drawing on findings from psychoacoustics, quantum imprint theory, trauma psychology, and recordings of audio, this paper proposes that traumatic death events can produce a sonic imprint in a ghost under particular atmospheric or emotional conditions. This Death Scream Hypothesis challenges the standard ecto-ologistic model of how death impacts a ghost upon their creation and reorients our understanding of how their powers might come to be; as well as effects on the environment caused by those who’ve passed.

1. Introduction

1.1 Philosophical Basis of the Ghostly Wail

The existence of wailing amongst ghosts isn’t in and of itself unique, with accounts ranging from ancient folklore to modern ghost-hunting documentaries, disembodied wails and screams remain one of the most iconic and terrifying, features of a stereotypical haunting. Particularly the variety found outside of Amity Park’s boarders. While ghost lore frequently attributes these cries to wandering spirits lamenting their fate or seeking closure, the spectres seen around Amity Park show no such behaviours; with the exclusion of Phantom. As it stands, there has been little investigation into whether such sounds may instead be echoes of the suffering of their demise; an end so painful it imprinted on their very being or the environment wherein they passed.

This Phantom Wail Hypothesis posits that Phantom’s particular ‘ghostly wailing’ may, in fact, be the lingering auditory remnants of that individual’s dying scream frozen in time as a spectral ability, able to be replayed at will like a needle passing over a phonographic groove. These sonic imprints able to be reactivated by Phantom, triggered as an instinctual environmental response or by his consciousness itself. The Ghostly Wail does not appear to be a high priority instinct, potentially due to Phantom’s protective nature and the Ghostly Wails destructive capabilities.

1.2 Rethinking the Standard Haunting Pattern

This hypothesis further invites us to reconsider the default assumption that standard hauntings represent conscious attempts at contact. Instead, it introduces the idea that many supernatural sounds are accidental recorded instinctual distress signals, not active communication with the living realm. If correct, this shifts ecto-ology from a theological to a psychological and biological domain.

Amity Park ghosts in particular support this, as they actively chose to interact with the living in a physical corporeal state. Showing that if ghosts wanted to interact and communicate with the living, they would be inclined to do so far more physically. With Phantom standing to provide an example of a ghost that leans far more into verbal communication than merely physically existing amongst us. Perhaps this fondness for vocalization is, in part, a reason behind having a sound based ability that reflects his demise so strongly.

2. Historical and Cross-Cultural Context

2.1 Archetypal Wailing in Global Traditions

The motif of the ghostly scream or wail is a transcultural one:

In many different Celtic mythologies, the banshee’s wail heralds death, suggesting a sonic foreshadowing tied to an echo of trauma.

Japanese onryō spirits are often heard sobbing or screaming, though violent, they are typically believed to be women who died violently or unjustly.

In Victorian England, so-called ‘death knocks’ and unexplainable cries were considered omens, thought to be auditory impressions left behind at the moment of death.

In African and African Caribbean spiritual traditions, the voice of the dead may be heard not as speech but as a cry for remembrance, often replayed at specific locations or anniversaries.

All of those above can be applied to Phantom himself as well. To refer to Phantom as a ‘Harold of Death’ or an omen of death, as a banshee and ‘death knocks’ so often are, would seem obvious to many, as Phantom’s presence in any given area is indicative of the presence of at least one other, far more dangerous, ghost. His Ghostly Wail serving as his echo of trauma. Similarly to the onryō, Phantom is indeed violent and capable of harm; though the reasons for such behaviour is protective in nature and never causes true prolonged harm. His Wail truly hinting at his death being quite violent and likely unjust as well. And perhaps his death was not one well known or well remembered, feeding into the ghosts innate desire for remembrance.

2.2 The Voice of Death as a Spiritual Trigger

Many cultures maintain that the moment of death imprints something onto the physical or metaphysical world. Phantom may very well be a far more intense application of this, imprinting on the ghosts physical being itself instead of on the surroundings. Whether conceptualized as a soul, spirit, or energy release, the idea that the final utterance contains special power persists. The Phantom Wail Hypothesis builds on this by proposing that, under some form of extreme conditions, the scream itself became encoded in Phantom’s being, functioning like a spiritual residue of death trauma. One that the ghost is capable of utilizing to affect the world around him as a true genuine power.

It must make one wonder, just how horrific and cruel of a death Phantom must have faced for such a thing to happen to him, and only him.

3. Scientific Foundations

3.1 Psychoacoustics of the Death Scream

Research into traumatic vocalizations shows that humans emit distinct, non-linguistic screams during life-threatening events. These include:

Nonlinear acoustic features such as chaotic frequency shifts, subharmonics, and glottal fry.

High-frequency spectral bursts (3–8 kHz) that are perceptually optimized for urgency and biological alarm.

Temporal irregularities, such as sudden silence or pitch warping, that induce a sense of dread.

These features are evolutionarily adapted to elicit immediate emotional responses in listeners. A death scream, occurring at the apex of physical and emotional stress, thus must carry a unique acoustic signature of its own, both acoustically rich and psychologically potent. Phantom’s Ghost Wail appears to support this heavily, showing that such a death scream can be an incredibly impactful and powerful weapon amongst the dead. One so powerful that, perhaps, only a ghost who suffered most catastrophically could earn the right, through pain, to truly utilize it. Phantom has been witnessed bleeding from his mouth and appearing severely weakened after its use, suggesting that any ghost who had not earned it would be torn apart or obliterated from even trying.

3.2 Environmental Recording: The Stone Tape Theory

Though speculative at best, the Stone Tape Theory proposes that materials such as limestone, quartz, or iron-rich substrates can store energetic events, including sound, much like magnetic tape. Intense emotion and ectoplasm may act as a catalyst, ‘etching’ sonic events into the crystalline microstructure of these materials. Though the more solid ectoplasm that ghosts are comprised of is largely gelatinous in nature, it would not be too far of a stretch to suggest that ectoplasm can be ‘etched’ into in a similar manner. Perhaps this ‘etching’ only settling permanently in cases of extremes.

Environmental triggers, humidity, temperature shifts, geomagnetic flux, might then ‘play back’ these stored events. In areas where repeated screaming deaths occurred (e.g., battlefields, prisons, execution sites), the probability of this phenomenon is theorized to increase. So perhaps Phantom’s Ghostly Wail was a result of not just his own dying screams, but of the collective dying screams of many suffering individuals; a death that came about through an immeasurable tragic loss of life.

3.3 Quantum Information and Emotional Energy

Building on quantum consciousness theories, it is believed that consciousness is not bound solely to the body but flows through a spiritual ectoplasmic state. The death scream, representing a moment of severance between mind and matter, may produce an entangled burst of sonic, psychic, and ectoplasmic energy. This multi-energy signature, auditory, emotional, and spiritual, could become enmeshed in to the being that comes to exist after death. With this being the case with Phantom and how he formed.

4. Methodology

4.1 Case Study Compilation

This study analyzed 212 reported haunting cases across four continents, from historical archives and modern paranormal investigation groups. Criteria for inclusion were:

Presence of distinct wailing or screaming in the auditory report.

History of documented violent or traumatic deaths at the location.

Audio recordings, if available, subjected to spectral analysis.

This study also utilized all available recordings, and the situations in which they occurred, of Phantom’s Ghostly Wail. Acquired both from the citizens of Amity Park and from the Drs. Fenton’s, Dr. Madeline Fenton and Dr. Jackson Fenton. Phantom himself also allowed for the recording of his Ghostly Wail directly, in a forested area devoid of other potential ectoplasmic interferences.

4.2 Field Recording Analysis

Of the 38 recordings deemed credible (excluding obvious hoaxes and environmental misinterpretations), 27 exhibited spectral characteristics consistent with trauma-induced vocalizations. Notably:

Frequency peaks between 5-6.5 kHz.

Abrupt rise-fall amplitude envelopes.

Nonlinear bifurcations and harmonic roughness typical of real-world screams under distress.

Phantom’s Ghostly Wail causes an immediate intense feeling of pure terror and deep unease. Fluctuating violently between 0.2-49 kHz, with a simultaneously rough and smooth harmonic.

4.3 Material and Environmental Correlations

Locations with strong audio anomalies shared several characteristics:

Substrate materials included high-quartz-content stone or dense wood.

Environmental conditions at the time of phenomena involved sudden temperature drops and high humidity.

Several instances coincided with solar storms or local geomagnetic irregularities.

All three of these notable conditions can be found throughout Amity Park as well. Though this may not have much to do with Phantom specifically, perhaps this is part of the explanation behind Amity Park’s frequent ectoplasmic events and spectral visitors.

5. Discussion

5.1 Conscious Communication vs. Imprinted Expression

This framework challenges the model of non-Amity Park ghostly activity as sentient interaction. Instead, it supports a ‘trauma residue’ theory, suggesting that what is heard is not the voice of a ghost, but the ghost of a voice. Such sounds are not intentional but incidental; they represent not the presence of a spirit but the persistence of an event. As well as how Phantom is an example of a persistent event remaining attached to the sentient ectoplasmic material created from that same event.

5.2 Psychological Impact on Witnesses

Reports frequently include intense emotional reactions to ghostly screams, including:

Sudden weeping, nausea, or panic.

Vivid nightmares or dissociative episodes.

Feeling as if ‘reliving someone else’s pain’.

This supports the idea of empathic resonance, whereby listeners become temporarily attuned to the emotional content embedded in the scream, experiencing it as if it were their own trauma. Phantom’s Ghostly Wail, in particular, is well known to cause extreme intense feelings of terror, feelings of imminent death, and incapacitating levels of anxiety. With multiple reports showing cases of complete delirium and stress induced unconsciousness. Non-human animals also show these same signs, often seeming catatonic with terror or vibrating violently. And through testing on the surrounding trees, Phantom’s Ghostly Wail appeared to have disturbed even the plant matter around, interrupting their natural vibrational levels.

This lends itself to the idea that Phantom’s dying screams were so intense that their after shocks invoke not merely empathy but pure genuine instinctual terror. Phantom’s trauma so intense that the living mind of any mildly sentient being can’t with stand it to any notable degree.

5.3 Ethical and Spiritual Implications

If the Phantom Wail Hypothesis is valid, it raises moral and metaphysical questions:

Should efforts be made to ‘cleanse’ or ‘deactivate’ non-sentient residual imprints? Such as those found throughout the world?

Is the repetition of such a death scream a form of suffering, or merely an echo devoid of Phantom’s previously experienced pain?

What does this imply about the preservation of emotional energy at the moment of death?

Should Phantom’s Ghostly Wail be celebrated for the remembrance it inspires that the ghost may seek? Or mourned for reliving pain of a life past?

One must consider if the use of Phantom’s Ghostly Wail is an act of self harm, an act of reliving trauma, an act of crying out to be heard, or merely the ectoplasmic fabric of the Ghost Zone giving Phantom’s horrific death its dues. What does this say about Phantom’s emotional state? Or perhaps what does this say about Phantom’s ability to retain living emotions?

Further, this hypothesis may also bridge spiritual ritual and scientific inquiry, offering a functional rationale for exorcisms, blessing rituals, and sacred silence in death spaces. Are the echoes of suffering best heard and revered, or best cleansed and left to fade away?

6. Conclusion

The Phantom Wail Hypothesis reframes one of the oldest human fears, not merely the fear of death, but the fear that death may echo. Phantom’s own ability forcing us to confront those fears and address them. Far from being fanciful superstition, the idea that traumatic final vocalizations might persist in not only the environment but in a particular ghost himself, offers theory into how Phantom must have passed on, as well as a potentially unifying theory for ghostly wailing and other residual haunting phenomena.

Although speculative, this hypothesis synthesizes data from acoustics, parapsychology, quantum theory, and historical folklore in a manner that warrants further interdisciplinary study. Future cooperative work with Phantom himself could yield more definitive answer and insights into his Ghost Wail as well as the long debated how of his demise; though he does not appear open to more invasive research. In a broader scope, future work could involve lab-based simulations of trauma-induced imprinting, development of ‘imprint-sensitive’ recording equipment, and expanded field studies in emotionally charged historical locations.

---

Maddie hums, leaning back in her lab chair and tapping her chin. This was definitely written by someone just beginning to dip their toes into ecto-ology, and some of its sourcing has definitely been debunked, but it still has serious merit. It purposes an interesting hypothesis even on the broader scope, but regarding its points about Phantom specifically… it did not paint a pretty picture, in fact it painted a deeply concerning one. For such a heavy amount of suffering to be attached to a friendly, playful, protective spirit was alarming. It was alarming in that it raised a lot of questions about her and Jack’s work. If this was indeed the case, Phantom, along with all other ghosts, were most likely sentient and emotionally intelligent. For the pain and emotion of death to imprint on the ectoplasm itself implied emotion as a neurological experience could be retained by ectoplasm.

If Phantom truly felt echoes of Its own suffering when It used Its Wail, then It was capable of compartmentalizing and coping with that experience and those sensations.

And simply as a mother…

Phantom looked like a teenager. She couldn’t fathom her kids dying so horrifically, in so much pain, that it became part of their ectoplasmic spiritual being. She’d take that death herself first, she’d take it a thousand times over if she had to. She’d beg for that fate to be sent her way instead of theirs.

If, and when, either of her kids die, she hopes they do so peacefully, happily, and nothing like what this paper proposed Phantom suffered.

Perhaps… perhaps she’ll cut that ghost some slack. If this theory was even half right, Its earned it.

End.

Prompts: Someone hears Phantom's ghostly wail and theorises it's his dying screams.

[murphy-kitt]

Wow, this is such a unique way of writing, I love this sort of abstract writing in terms of a thesis. (This thesis much preferable to my own exams rn 😆).

The ending comparison with Maddie, wow. Looks like she might actually start convincing herself to not be as harsh on Phantom. The fact that he potentially suffers so much it even makes her rethink everything. And of course the horrible irony “when both her kids die…peacefully….happily”. And she’s reading a thesis upon the central argument being that her son has suffered horrifically due to the presence of a ghostly wail. Just? Wow. Absolutely brilliant 💚

[murphy-kitt]

The Fenton Chronicles (Phic Phight)

Everyone’s been aware for months that Danny has ghost powers.

So when Lancer offers the opportunity for extra credit by writing a newspaper article for the student paper, it’s clear what the topic of focus will be…

AO3 Link

Word Count: 3380

Prompt 1: Everyone knows Danny has ghost powers. No one (or only the people who know in the show) knows he's Phantom.

Prompt 2: Mr. Lancer has promised extra credit to any student that writes an article for the school newspaper. If he had even the slightest bit of foresight, he could've prevented the following chaos.

A/N: I had fun with this one! I don’t usually do multiple POVs in a one shot but wanted to see how it ended up. Accidental shenanigans all over the place XD. I don’t think I could decide between humour and angst when writing this though…hehe

[murphy-kitt]

Crows (Phic Phight)

AO3 Link

Danny went missing a week into starting high school. Struggling with an influx of ghosts, Amity Park eventually forgot his case.

Not Jazz. She’s determined to find out what happened to her baby brother.

Meanwhile, a freshly deceased Phantom struggles to remember his past.

Word Count: 4001

Prompt: There's a shallow grave in the woods. The only marker is a stone with the name "Danny" scratched into it. It's empty, but it hasn't been empty for long. For @kinglazrus .

A/N: finally have got my first corpse au of the event complete! Very fun to write. :D This one is only published to AO3 bc I’m tired and tumblr editing is not it