A Mr. Lancer ficlet for the Danny Phantom Phic Phight 2025
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After Mr. Lancer’s stroke, the substitute had the class create a get-well card as a group project.
Danny had signed his name, and drew a smiley face beside it. It wasn’t as nice as Sam’s vining purple flowers along the border of the poster-sized card, or Paulina’s Sayonara Pussycat stickers, but it was all Danny could think to contribute.
When Mr. Lancer returned one morning with his usual optimistic smile, the class cheered. Like during a football game. Though Danny was pretty sure Dash and the other jocks just wanted to make as much noise as possible for the fun of it when they started letting out ear-piercing whistles and stomping their feet.
Lancer actually sniffed and used a finger to wipe away a tear, before asking the class to quiet down.
He thanked everyone for the card and well-wishes, and said he was feeling much better and was eager to get back to teaching them all.
Then he turned to write on the chalkboard.
As he filled the board with writing, the class started whispering. And once he was done, and turned around to tell the class that the page numbers and questions to answer were on the board; Star had hesitantly raised her hand and delicately told him that none of the class could read it.
It took a few minutes for Lancer to be convinced that the class truly couldn’t make out his writing. Then he paled. And went back to the hospital.
He didn't come to school the next day, but did return the day after.
Each time he picked up the chalk to write something on the board, he paused, and then put the chalk back down.
Even Lancer’s notes on their returned assignments were unreadable to the class. But, as the weeks passed, people stopped mentioning it.
The thing was... Danny could read it.
For the rest of the class, Lancer’s writing was nothing but odd squiggles—a lingering side-effect of his stroke; maybe brain damage to the language part of his brain, or nerve damage in his hand messing up his fine motor skills. But to Danny, Lancer’s writing was as clear as day.
Lancer was writing in Ghost Script.
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He, Mr. Lancer, glanced around, pulling the collar of his coat a bit higher around his face, before entering the door to the old warehouse.
He couldn’t let anyone from Casper High know about his extracurricular activities. About his secret double life after dark.
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When Danny got an invite from the Ghost Writer to join a book club, his first impulse was to shred the invitation.
But he managed to keep from destroying it—barely.
The last time he’d destroyed something of the Ghost Writer’s and mocked the guy, he’d stuck him inside a story. Danny thought he’d never get out of those rhymes!
So, Danny, with gritted teeth, took the invitation politely, and thanked him for the invite.
If the Ghost Writer saw Danny’s eye twitching, he said nothing.
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After a week of his eyes randomly landing on the invitation sitting on his dresser, Danny decided to go and see what that book club was like.
Even if he didn’t particularly like reading.
When Danny got to the rusted door, he double-checked the address.
Was that a 6, or a 9 that got loose and flipped upside down?
No, it really was a 6.
Danny tried the doorknob, but, though it turned, the door wouldn’t budge. When he shoved his shoulder against it, he heard a little rust falling, but that was all that happened.
Eventually, he sighed and went intangible through the door.
He’d gone to the address as Fenton, not wanting to draw attention by going as Danny Phantom, so he’d of preferred not to need ghost powers. But it did look like an abandoned part of town, so it probably didn’t matter.
Entering the warehouse, and letting his eyes adjust for a moment, he looked around and saw the Ghost Writer and several other ghosts sitting in midair in a circle, glowing books in their hands.
Then Danny squinted at a ghost he didn’t instantly remember. His back was to Danny, and Danny traced his eyes across the ghost’s pointed ears and bald head, and his maroon shirt.
Johnny called out to Danny, grabbing his attention for a moment, and all the other ghosts turned their heads to see Danny as well, waving or welcoming him to the club.
The mystery ghost looked over his shoulder, and Danny’s eyes widened. “Mr. Lancer?”
Lancer’s mouth dropped open.
Then the Box Ghost asked, “The teacher often found at your school?”
The Lunch Lady said, sweetly, “The one who took all the meat from the poor students?”
“The one who keeps hiding the boxes?” The Box Ghost added.
“The one who tried to give me detention for riding my motorcycle in the halls?” Johnny asked boredly.
Lancer glanced around, wide-eyed, at the ghosts in front of him, and at Danny Fenton.
“Fuck!”
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I used these prompts:
@pennerjones "Mr. Lancer returns to school about a week after suffering an apparent stroke and needing to be rushed to the hospital. He's feeling much better and is ready to get back to teaching...only, when he tries to write anything on the chalkboard, all he can seem to write is a series of odd squiggles. --- Only Danny realizes that Mr. Lancer is now writing exclusively in ghost script"
@higgidigs "Mr. Lancer has a secret double life that nobody else knows about."
@ecto-mochi "All the ghosts decide to make a book club. To their surprise, Lancer shows up!"
@finwe77 "The incident that gets Mr Lancer to use actual curses instead of just book titles."