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mossy-covered-bones · 2 years

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Ectober Month Day 30: Summoning

WC: 847

TWs: body horror maybe? phantoms built a lil weird

Ao3

The gray concrete floor of Paulina’s basement was broken up by white chalk in the shape of a summoning circle, white candles standing at each point of the pentagram, all but one lit.

The girl struck a match, touching it to the candle closest to her, the only one without a flame.

“Phantom,” she whispered as the wick caught.

The flames all turned bright green.

The chalk began to glow the same toxic green, the shadows cast by the candles deepening. Paulina hovered anxiously as the concrete in between the lines of chalk was stained black, almost as if the ground had fallen away.

A hand reached up, wrapping around the glowing chalk.

The creature that clawed its way out of that summoning circle was vaguely humanoid, with too-long limbs darker than pitch. It had two eyes, glowing a bright, unnatural green matching the candle flames and a wide, thin mouth filled with needle sharp teeth. It was fuzzy around the edges, like the creature was made from the static noises that permeated the basement upon its arrival.

A shiver went up Paulina’s spine, and she tried to shove down the instinctual fear bubbling up her throat. She, instead, offered up a pleasant smile, greeting the creature by name. “It is good to meet you, Phantom. My name’s Paulina. I’d like to talk, if that’s alright.”

Phantom tilted its head to one side, just a little too far to look natural, then glanced down at the summoning circle.

“I’ll let you out of the circle if you promise not to cause me harm.” There hadn’t been a single reported case of a human getting harmed by Phantom, and no cases of anything serious while in his presence, but Paulina wasn’t about to release a being she didn’t know all that much about without some degree of protection. She wasn’t an idiot.

It held still for a few beats, eyes trained on Paulina, before it nodded.

Paulina grabbed for the rag and bowl of water she’d set aside before she began the ritual, using them to scrub a section of the chalk off of the concrete.

As soon as the circle was broken, Paulina felt another wave of fear wash over her. A lesser witch would have run, too blinded by panic to work through the supernatural fear, but Paulina just squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath.

She could handle this. It was just one spirit, and not even a vengeful one. It had promised it wasn’t going to hurt her.

Her fingers dug into her thighs as her eyes opened, settling once again on Phantom. It hadn’t moved, had even shrunk in on itself slightly. As if it was trying to make itself appear smaller. As if it was trying to make itself appear as less of a threat.

Paulina’s breathing settled a little more even, her hands going slack. “You want to know why I summoned you, I bet.”

Phantom nodded, finally shifting out of the summoning circle. It sank closer to the ground, settling itself.

“You’re not hurting anyone.”

It blinked at her, slowly shaking its head.

“And you’re constantly fighting ghosts who are trying to hurt people.”

Phantom leaned towards her, head tilting to the side again.

Paulina swallowed back a wave of unease. “A-And that means that the Fentons are wrong, you’re not any sort of menace. If anything, you're trying to help people.”

The spirit let out a few small bursts of sound, an odd mix of static and moaning, that grated against her ears.

Paulina winced, grasping around for her chalk and tossing it to Phantom. It flinched, fumbling to catch it.

Its shoulders rose and fell, almost in a huff, and the corners of its eyes crinkled. Was that amusement?

Paulina shook her head, trying to clear the uncomfortable feeling of Phantom’s voice. “I hope you know how to write, Phantom. I can’t understand spirit.”

It blinked, looking between her and the chalk in its clawed hands.

Slowly, it bent down to the floor, pulling the chalk over the concrete in smooth, slow lines.

Paulina leaned forward to read it when Phantom was finished.

‘I protect.’

She nodded to herself. “That’s what I was hoping for. I want to help you.”

Phantom’s mouth split open as it let out an indignant squawk, which somehow grated against Paulina’s ears a lot less than proper words.

She waved her hands in front of her. “I know, you’re capable of facing what has shown up so far, but there is always a chance you could face something that is stronger than you, and it’s in all of our best interests that you don’t get ended. I’m a witch, I know how to handle the supernatural. I want to help you, any way I can.”

Paulina smiled up at it. “And if you don’t ever need my help, the least I can do is offer you a friend, in exchange for you protecting us all.”

Phantom held her gaze, mouth stretching in its own bastardized version of a grin, and nodded.

#ectober month #ectober month 2021 #ectoberhaunt 2021 #ectoberhaunt trick #ectoberweek 2021 #ectoberweek2021 #sev writes #danny phantom #danny fenton #paulina sanchez #do they have a platonic shipname?#ficlet

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deuynndoodles · 3 years

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ectoberweek 2021 | headstone/boo

fall cemetery vibes are great, why not hang out and chat with your friends there?

#doodles #dp #ectoberhaunt 2021 #ectoberweek2021 #with ectoberweek im trying to get experimental! heres a drawing thats toned red instead of purple like it always is ahfjsjfs #OOP forgot to tag the people #sam manson #tucker foley #danny fenton

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ainolop · 3 years

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day 27 - burial „i dont even remember what happend…”

#danny phantom #ectoberweek #ectoberweek2021 #ectober #ectober 2021 #danny fenton #dp #too sad? maybe…

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floq · 3 years

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ectoberweek 2021 | autopsy vs pumpkin

laying on fall leaves… probably overthinking some stuff

#dp #danny phantom #jazz fenton #my art #ectoberhaunt 2021 #ectober month 2021 #ectoberweek2021

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hauntedwalmart · 2 years

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ectoberweek 2021 - Circus

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#danny phantom #ectoberweek2021 #Ectober Month 2021 #Ectoberhaunt 2021 #my art #when struggling with a prompt #I ask myself #''can i shitpost my way through this''#for today the answer was #yes #yes i can #yes he is phantom in that last one #yes the wig does change colours when he transforms

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darks-ink · 3 years

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Pumpkin - Ectoberweek 2021

Rather than take just the sword, Danny takes the pumpkin with the sword still in it during Fright Night. He thinks about taking the sword out and faking being Fright Knight, but seeing the pumpkin gave him a better idea: to wear it and act like he had a sword stuck through his head. He phases the pumpkin, with the sword in it, onto his head, and has a jolly good time. Until, when the night falls and the ecto-energy increases, his powers glitch–and he and the pumpkin fuse. His core, young and adaptable, absorbs the Fright Knight’s energy, and Danny’s form alters to take on traits from Fright Knight. He pulls the sword out of the pumpkin automatically, almost instinctively, and it feels… good. He wields this power, it’s his own, and he uses it to protect, because he’s a knight, and he’s Phantom. Any ghost who endangers Amity Park now faces permanent banishment, but he eases up on less dangerous ghosts. He can still turn back to a regular human with barely any changes, and none physical: he was already very prone to defending others, after all. (although Sam and Tucker do question the shit out of his changed ghost form, and Sam chastises him for the stupid idea, but they’re glad it turned out okay. Imagine if he had accidentally unleashed the Fright Knight instead?)

#Ectober week 2021 #Ectoberhaunt 2021 #Ectober month 2021 #Ectoberhaunt treat #dark art #danny phantom #wow apparently Tumblr only remembers tags if you match capitals? wild #anyway this one is kind of out there/not self-explanatory so I added the concept as I wrote it out #the helmet didn't turn out super pumpkin-y but making it the same purple was ugly soooo

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ghosttrolls · 3 years

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Ectoberhaunt/Ectoberweek day 26: Autopsy vs Pumpkin

Spooky Danny Fenton... they say he has scars. Strange ones that nobody should have...

#ghostly posts #ectoberhaunt 2021 #ectoberweek 2021 #my art #danny phantom #danny fenton #scars #autopsy

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apinklion01 · 2 years

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Trailing Along the Dark

Day Twenty-Seven: Insect

A03 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34214308/chapters/87217672

<- Previous Next -> No warnings this chapter! Reblogs appreciated!

Lately Danny noticed his ectoblasts weren’t as strong as usual. Or his ghost sense. In fact it felt like everything was off on his ghost half. Sam and Tucker weren’t around to help him on the patrol tonight as they prevented him from getting into trouble, but the same couldn’t be said for them. While he was free to fight any ghosts, they were grounded.

“The sooner I figure my powers out, the better,” He said to himself as he walked around the streets as Danny Fenton, not wanting to attract attention as-

The sound of a motorcycle revving up echoed in the alleyway. Danny turned around to spot a guy who looked around the age of a high school senior driving the vehicle.

“Oh hey Shadow, it’s Inviso-Bill,” Johnny said, his ghostly companion chirring in agreement. “Where’s your friends? I didn't take them for the kind to ditch you.”

“First off, it’s Danny Phantom, not Inviso-Bill. And second, it’s none of your business, Johnny,” He said, giving a scowl.

“Ouch, rude. You’re not still mad about the thing with your sister, are you?”

Danny turned into his ghost form, relieved that they were somewhere away from the streets where someone could see him transform.

“Shit, you still are,” Johnny said, his eyes widening in alarm before he began driving away as fast as possible. Danny jumped into the air and flew right after him, his legs disappearing into a ghostly tail.

The motorcycle went down an empty boulevard. “Look, I said I’m sorry alright,” the older ghost teen tried to apologize.

“Yeah right, you’re sorry for trying to get your girlfriend to possess my sister,” Danny replied, aiming an ectoblast at one of his tires.

Shadow appeared to cover the vehicle, absorbing the blast.

“It was the only way to get Kitty out of the in between, I didn’t want to actually date your sister,” Johnny continued.

“I bet that’s a lie.” Another blast fired, Shadow once again taking the hit. This time they gave Danny a look, as if it wasn’t as powerful as the previous one.

“I swear to the Ancients it wasn’t a lie. If I didn’t get Kitty out, she would’ve faded away, forever,” Johnny replied, his voice tinged with pain. “I couldn’t let that happen. I didn’t like fake dating, it felt wrong. But since she was your sister, that means she could walk down to open the portal like the rest of your family.”

“Well you could’ve just asked-”

“The kid whose parents are ghost hunters? With a lab full of ways to, capture, torture and or damage me permenantly? Do you have any idea what they could do to Kitty, or even you? I’m surprised you’re still living under the same roof as them, you could get caught in your own house.”

“That’s not true,” Danny replied, firing another shot. Shadow appeared again, the ectoblast a bit further away from the motorcycle.

“Wait, you’re serious? Let me run that by you again, you’re a half ghost who’s living with ghost hunters. You’d have easier luck trying to live in the Ghost Zone than risking your neck saving people every day of the week from ghosts.”

“At least they don't full on hate me like you do!”

“Wait what?!” Johnny called out, tires screeching as he turned down another street, narrowly missing a car. “Where did you get that idea?”

“I don’t know, maybe because you keep calling me Inviso-Bill?” Danny replied accusingly.

“Wait, that's not your name? Sorry, I didn’t know, kid!”

“Why do you care?!” Danny shouted, aiming his palms to fire more blasts but none appeared. Something inside him gave a sharp twitch of pain. A wave of exhaustion overcame him, and he found himself drifting to the ground.

“Shadow, catch!” He heard Johnny yell, his tires screeching to a halt. His vision grew dizzy before it all went dark.

“...C’mon, kid wake up,” Danny heard faintly. “Fuck, you didn’t hurt him right?” Shadow grunted in response. “Ancients, kid, don’t die on me for real.”

His eyes opened up to see Johnny frantically attempting to shake him awake.

“You’re awake, oh fuck, you’re awake. I didn’t see what happened, had to keep my eyes on the road. No one hurt you or anything, right?”

Danny pulled his arm away before sitting up. “No.”

He didn’t hear Johnny answer back, a reluctant sigh exiting his mouth. The older teen ghost sat down a few feet away, Shadow giving an uneasy rumble as the silence entered the alleyway.

‘Bet he’ll just walk away like every other ghost has done until now,’ He thought bitterly, his arms holding his legs. ‘I mean really, it’s not like he cares.’

“... I really didn’t hate you when we first met,” Johnny softly said.

Danny didn’t answer, staring instead at his reflection in a puddle.

“I think I was mostly scared cause I couldn’t figure out whose side you were on: your parents, or something else. I didn’t want to take that risk, I-I couldn’t. Kitty needed me, and i-if I failed… I’d never forgive myself.”

“But when I saw you putting me and Kitty out into the Ghost Zone, I realized you weren’t them. You spared us when you had every right to capture us and let your parents do whatever the hell they could. You’re something else. Literally, I mean you’re a halfa for ancient’s sake-”

“I hate that word!” Danny spat out. “It just makes me feel worse about what I’ve gotten myself into. I’m already a social outcast in my school, I don’t need to know that I’m also an outcast species wise. Do you have any idea how hard it is to control my ghost powers? To not hate that side of myself? I just want answers as to why am I like this, what am I, why didn't I die?”

His chest felt heavy as he gazed at the other. Johnny’s eyes were watery and wide open in fear, and Shadow had quietly ducked under his jacket.

“I’m.. I’m only fourteen…” He quietly said. “How fucked up is that…”

Johnny swallowed a lump in his throat. “Danny, I know it's not the same, but do you know how long it’s taken me to accept that I’m a ghost? Decades. Every day I wish I knew why I died, or could go back to being alive…”

“I’ll never get that answer, and neither will you get answers to yours, but listen. I’d give anything to be even half alive. For whatever reason, fate decided you couldn’t die just yet. Your story deserves to continue, and that means whatever you’re going to become does matter. You matter a lot, Danny, to everyone you’ve been protecting, to your friends, your family. Maybe someday, you’ll matter to ghosts too.”

Danny couldn’t help but give an empty laugh. “You’re kidding, right? You said it yourself, who’d want to ask the kid with ghost hunting parents for help?”

Tears started to fall from his eyes, and he held his face in his hands. “I feel like I’m the world’s worst case of irony,” He muttered, trying to fight back crying in front of them. “A ghost living with ghost hunters… only Sam and Tucker know, and it’s probably going to stay that way…”

Another pulse of pain came up his body. Danny clenched his chest. “Fuck, again?”

“Again?” Johnny repeated. “You mean that happened when you fell out of the sky?” The white haired teen didn’t answer as he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth from a smaller yet still painful pulse. A growl escaping his throat.

“Okay, just stay with me kid. I think I know what you need.” He paused. Danny heard his jacket rustle, and a small concerned chirr from Shadow.

“Here, eat this.”

Danny cracked open one eye to see Johnny holding out some glowing green leaves and a few crawling isopods.

“... You want me to eat ghost weed?”

“It’s not weed, just trust me,” the older ghost teen insisted.

Danny hesitated, but after another pulse, he grabbed it all and ate it. Surprisingly, ghost isopods tasted just like regular ones, and the leaves tasted like kale. The pain that was in his chest began to fade.

“What… what that stuff?” Danny asked.

“Just ectoplasm,” Johnny answered. “Most of the time ghosts are okay with absorbing ambient ectoplasm, but sometimes we need to eat it directly from something that’s in the Ghost Zone. So, think edible plants and insects.”

“Insects?”

“Yeah. It’s gross, not gonna lie,” Johnny added with a grimace, “but it keeps us stable. I still can remember how freaked out Kitty was when we first got told that by our zonekeepers.”

Danny’s green eyes faintly glowed. “Zonekeepers?”

“..You haven’t heard that word before?”

“No.”

“Yeah, so a zonekeeper is a term used for the ghost who greets a new one in the Ghost Zone. They’re typically the first one that greets them, and it's custom for them to help out with figuring out the basics on being a ghost, getting used to defending themselves, and learning anything else.”

“Oh...” Danny muttered, glancing away. “I… I doubt any ghost would do anything like that for me.”

“... I would.”

The teen glanced at Johnny with uncertainty. He stared right back, a small warm smile on his face, without a sign of hesitance. Shadow finally poked out and slipped under Johnny’s hand.

“You look like you need at least one ghost on your side,” He continued, petting the shade who purred contently.

For the first time Danny felt safe with being near another ghost.

It took a few minutes to drive back to Danny’s home. He would’ve flown, but Johnny insisted he needed to rest and offered him a ride. Shadow temporarily turned into a helmet for the teen’s safety.

“This is as far as I can take you,” Johnny said as he halted the vehicle a block away from Fentonworks. “No offense, but I don’t want your parents to try and shoot me.”

“It’s fine,” Danny replied, Shadow floating away from his head. He took a few steps away but then paused.

“... Thanks… for helping me,” He muttered.

“Just take it easy kid,” Johnny answered. “I’ll see if I can bring back some ghost plants and maybe a guide on what you can eat in the Ghost Zone.”

“... Can you bring ghost insects too?”

The older teen’s face froze briefly before he nervously chuckled. “You liked those?”

“Yeah, I used to eat bugs when I was little.”

Johnny laughed, and Danny found himself laughing too. “Alright, see you later,” He said, giving a handwave. Shadow gave an odd but friendly grin as both took off into the night.

The teen watched until the motorcycle disappeared from sight before sighing. He was tired, but there was some comfort in knowing that there was one more friend willing to help him out.

#danny phantom #ectober 2021 #ectoberhaunt trick #ectoberhaunt 2021 #ectoberweek 2021 #johnny 13 #danny phantom phantom

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ghosttrolls · 3 years

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ectoberhaunt/ectoberweek day 27: burial vs cobwebs

They say he was lost to time, consumed by his own greed, frozen in a moment long gone. Aging past his time, wishing for better days, but outliving them all...

what if ghost powers made you “live” forever?

#ghostly posts #my art #this one is REAL late sorry #ectoberhaunt 2021 #ectoberweek 2021 #cobwebs #vlad plasmius #thats who this is supposed to be anyway

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apinklion01 · 2 years

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Trailing Along the Dark

Day Eighteen and Twenty-Seven: Spider Lily and Burial.

A03 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34214308/chapters/86994121

<- Previous Next -> Warning for mention of death.

Ji-Ji is a westified background character that a few others along with myself turned into Kwan’s sister.

The sky was gray today, covering up any hint of the sun. While the weather forecast said there wouldn’t be any rain, Kwan kept an umbrella tucked in his arm. He didn’t want to get soaked.

His other arm was busy holding a pot of spider lilies, which were red. Right beside him, Ji-Ji, his younger sister, held another one with golden spider lilies.

“Are you sure it’s okay for us to go to the cemetery?” She asked.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine,” Kwan said.

“But what if a ghost attacks us?”

“As long as we don’t do anything to bother them, they shouldn’t hurt us. Unless it’s that weird ghost who likes boxes, then we’ve got nothing to be scared about.”

The grim appearance of the cemetery was a stark contrast to the rest of Amity Park, its old iron gates foreboding. Ivy creeped up on the posts, and the trees planted inside were mere skeletons without their leaves.

Both siblings stood at the gates, which were unlocked during the day hours. “Well… here goes nothing,” Kwan said as he walked in first, Ji-Ji quickly following behind him.

A few graves had some fresh flowers. Others weren’t as lucky, and had either wilted flowers or none at all. Kwan had made the trip to the cemetery enough times to know exactly where to go.

Finally he stopped near an unusual spot: a small garden near a grave, flowers still blooming nearby. Aside from the dull green grass, it was the only sign of life.

“Hi Aunt Yun,” He spoke gently. “Min-Ji and I came here to see you.”

He remembered the funeral in pieces. His mom and Uncle Yong crying from losing their sister, his dad busy holding Ji-Ji’s hand. Ji-Ji herself was five, but she said she couldn’t remember Aunt Yun at all.

Meanwhile Kwan remembered planting a calla lily close to the grave.

“Aunt Yun liked seeing flowers,” He said to his dad, still saddened over her death, but more concerned that she would miss her garden. “Do you think she’d like some?”

His dad gave a nod. “Not a bad idea, Kwan.”

So whenever it was her birthday or her death day, Kwan would come and plant some more flowers. He didn’t have a green thumb by any means, but some advice from the goth girl, Sam, gave him enough tips as for what new flowers he should get.

“I got you some spider lilies,” He continued. “Ji-Ji’s here to help me. She’s been doing well in school, though she attends a different one than Casper High. I still think she’ll be transferring in the spring semester.”

“No way,” Ji-Ji said. “Classes are hard already, I don’t want ghosts to make studying harder.”

“And you’re getting A’s and B’s on all of them, and they’re AP classes!”

“Well aren’t you going to tell Aunt Yun how you’re doing?”

Kwan sighed. “Fine. I’ve been getting B’s and one C, but only one! I’m hoping to do well on a class assignment and bring my grade up in English by a bit. Football’s going great, you should’ve seen the game we played on Sunday. I don’t think our school’s ever gone this far in the season. Coach thinks we might make it to the championships!”

He smiled, but it was bittersweet. “Mom said she was busy today, but she might come tomorrow to see you along with Dad. Uncle Yong still takes care of your garden, and if I don’t have school work, I come along with him.”

“... I miss you… a lot… hope you’re okay where you are…”

Kwan forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat, but his eyes felt watery. A careful step behind the grave, and he began digging the spot for the spider lilies to grow. Ji-Ji walked over and began helping out by clearing away any weeds among the plants.

“You want to know why I chose these flowers?”

“Why?” “Sam said that they’re often used on graves to make sure nobody tries digging them up, or to guide them to the afterlife. I don’t think we have to worry about the first one, but better safe than sorry with all the ghosts around.”

“...Do you think she’s a ghost?”

Kwan paused from digging. “I don’t know. Maybe? I’m sure we would’ve seen her by now, or she would’ve seen us.”

Ji-Ji gave a thoughtful hum. “Yeah, and I don’t think she would want to scare Mom or Uncle Yong.”

Kwan took out the spider lilies from their pots and placed them evenly apart. They seemed to make the garden more beautiful than before.

“Is it bad that I still can’t remember her?”

He looked at his younger sister, who was looking over the garden and the grave. “I mean you guys talk about her a lot, but I’m not sad. I should feel something, I should be able to say something, but… nothing’s there.”

He patted her head. “It’s okay. It’s enough that you’re here with me knowing she was important to me.”

“Really?”

“Yeah… Awkward sibling hug?”

“Awkward sibling hug.”

Both hugged each other, and then turned around. As they left, Kwan felt a warm breeze, and the scent of jasmine tea. Exactly like the kind that Aunt Yun made.

He paused and turned around. But the scent was gone.

“Bye Aunt Yun,” He whispered and then caught up with Ji-Ji.

They walked silently out of the cemetery but froze when they heard a low rumble. Both siblings jumped upon seeing lightning tear up the sky.

“I knew that the weather guy was wrong,” Kwan muttered.

“Race you home!” Ji-Ji said, giving him a playful shove before streaking down the sidewalk.

“Oh you’re on,” Kwan said, charging up behind her.

#danny phantom #ectober 2021 #ectoberhaunt 2021 #ectoberweek 2021 #ectoberhaunt trick #ectoberhaunt treat #dp kwan

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apinklion01 · 2 years

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Trailing Along the Dark

Day Twenty-Four and Twenty-Nine: Circus and Nightmare

A03 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34214308/chapters/86748157

<- Previous Next ->

Warning for those with coulrophobia. Added warning for manipulation. @floralflowerpower

“Come on Danny, we’re going to miss the opening act,” Sam said as they tore through the crowd of people gathering in the red and white tent. It seemed that all of Amity Park was awaiting whatever was going to happen inside.

Climbing on a ramp, the two of them found Tucker already sitting down with some popcorn, cotton candy, and sodas.

“Oh nice, you made it! I was starting to get worried that someone might ask to take the seats,” He said as he passed the food.

“What’s going to happen anyways?” Danny asked.

“We’re supposed to keep it a surprise, dude,” Tucker answered, slurping on his drink.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him,” Sam added.

“People of Amity Park, may I ask that you turn off your cellular devices, and have you direct your attention to the stage,” An announcer spoke. The lights around them dimmed. A hush followed.

“It’s starting!”

“I can’t wait!!!”

“Put your hands together for the Circus Scorpius!”

A number of acrobats, dancers, unicyclists, jugglers, and clowns began walking onto the stage, all glowing in the darkness from glow-in-the-dark paint, or from LED lights.

They all had a black, red, and white color scheme, a rather odd contrast when it appeared the circus was space themed. But Danny found himself smiling when he realized that a few of the lights were placed to resemble some constellations, like Orion, Leo, and Corvus. One clown on some large stilts even passed right by them and gave a wave.

Yet despite laughing, something didn’t feel right with Danny.

‘This feels familiar, but where have I seen this before? I’m pretty sure if this was supposed to be a surprise, then I shouldn't get deja vu…’

The opening ended as soon as the ringmaster got on stage. She had spiky hair and the visible tattoos on her arms seemed to shimmer in the spotlight. She wore a red tuxedo and on her wrists were some silvery cuffs.

“Greetings to our audience tonight! I’m your host, Lydia Scuro. For this first act, one of my fellow circus performers would like to perform, but he’ll need two volunteers from the audience, preferably friends.”

Her gaze set right where Danny and his friends were sitting. “How about any of you two?” She said, pointing a finger. A spotlight fell on the trio.

“Tucker, you want to do it?” Sam asked ecstatically.

“Oh heck yeah!” The other exclaimed.

Both teens walked to the center of the stage.

“Now, may I present to you Showenhower!”

A plume of smoke, and a man dressed in a grey coat and a black tuxedo appeared. In his right hand was a microphone, and in his left hand was a staff with a red orb. A mask that resembled one for theaters covered his face. Despite his wave towards the audience, a shiver crept down Danny’s spine.

“Good evening! Now, may I have the names of the two who’ve volunteered,” He inquired, holding up the microphone.

“Sam Manson!”

“Tucker Foley!”

“Well then, Sam, and Tucker, you are about to become a part of the show. All I need you to do is to follow what I say. Are you ready?”

“Yeah!”

“Let’s do this!”

Showenhower spun his staff around. “Alright then, I’ll need you to take a breath in, and then out. In… and out… in… and out… Another breath in… and another out…”

Danny saw them follow his orders and watched as the two began getting relaxed.

“Now, just follow my staff, back and forth, back… and forth… back… and forth…”

Within moments, they both began to sway uneasily on their feet, even bumping into each other. Yet neither of them gave a complaint as their eyelids began closing.

“Once more… yes, yes, now STOP.”

A snap of his fingers, and they stopped dead in their tracks. Their gaze was directly at Showenhower.

‘They’re hypnotized, but nothing like I was,’ Danny thought to himself.

‘Wait.’

‘Like I was?’

‘Showenhower… Frederic Isac Showenhower…’

‘...Freakshow...’

The realization hit him like stone just as everyone else in the audience started to cheer as the hypnotist made them backflip.

‘What were Sam and Tucker thinking about going to see one of their performances? I thought they knew that I already was afraid of seeing hypnotists, let alone a circus. Why didn’t they think this through?’

Danny wanted to say something, anything, to get them out of the trance. But his mouth wouldn’t open, his eyes couldn’t tear from the stage. All he could do was watch as his friends began performing tricks to Freakshow’s every whim. And under that mask, the raven haired teen knew he was giving a wicked grin.

“Now, since Hallow’s Eve approaches, why don’t we give them something to fear,” the hypnotist suggested to the audience, walking calmly about the stage. “Something like watching a frightful moment from a movie?”

The audience began applauding in agreement.

“Very well, it shall be done!”

A wave of his staff and Sam and Tucker looked up before they both began screaming, their eyes wide open with terror and their arms gripping each other. Danny’s core hummed loudly as he watched, unable to intervene with so many people around him, nor was his body willing to move from his seat.

And they were laughing. They were all cheering and laughing as his friends continued to tremble with fright.

Exactly like how they did when he was forced on a similar show.

Finally, the act was done, and Sam and Tucker were brought out of their state. They blinked and gave the audience a wave as if they found nothing wrong with being puppets for Freakshow’s performance.

“My dear audience, please give thanks for Showenhower and volunteers Sam and Tucker!” Lydia announced as the crowd applauded loudly.

“Danny, it was so cool!” Sam said as they walked back up, the spotlight still following them.

“Yeah, you should’ve been there!” Tucker agreed.

“Well isn’t it a coincidence that your friend’s dressed up right in time for the next act,” Lydia said. “May I present to you, the Grinning Reaper!”

Danny found the spotlight too harsh and the music too loud. He found himself transforming into his ghost half, and more terrifyingly, a too familiar costume. His normal black and white jumpsuit was replaced with a poofy clown costume with white gloves, two white pom-poms on his chest, and white ruffles around his wrists, shoes, and neck.

He found himself waving at the audience as he summoned a scythe, which revealed a tiny white hat on his head with two black pom-poms. As he looked at the reflection in the weapon, Danny saw himself smiling with two red eyes and his cheeks painted green.

Everything was too loud, it wasn’t right, nothing was right at all-

Danny woke up with a scream. His body shook uneasily as he frantically rubbed his face with his hands and checked them.

No makeup smears. No white ruffles. No clown costume in sight.

From both sides, Sam began to stir, Tucker already getting up to turn on a lamp.

‘We were having a sleepover,’ He remembered as his breathing grew quicker. ‘We didn’t go anywhere else.’

“Danny, what’s wrong?” Sam asked, rubbing her eyes awake.

“You sound terrified, did something happen?” Tucker added.

A moment of relief was eclipsed by the fresh memory of the nightmare, and he quickly broke down.

“Whoa, hey Danny, it’s okay,” Tucker called out. Danny felt his friend’s shoulder, and he leaned on it. Sam came up from behind and began stroking his head.

“Was it a bad dream?” She asked.

He didn't want to cry. Danny always felt so weak when he had to cry. 'I'm a hero, heroes don't cry, heroes are supposed to make people feel okay. I'm supposed to make my friends feel okay, not scared.' But the tears wouldn’t stop flowing as the terror from the nightmare still was holding on tight.

“We… We were at a circus,” He gasped out. “You… You got hypnotized by Freakshow, a-and I… I couldn’t stop it…”

Sam paused from stroking his head, and he heard Tucker breath in sharply.

“Everyone was- was laughing at you two, a-and then I was the next performer,” Danny continued. “I… I was under his control, I was the ghost clown again. I didn't have any control, I couldn’t stop myself.”

He sobbed harder. Sam silently hugged him, and Tucker followed.

“We’d never take you to the circus dude,” Tucker said quietly. “Not after what Freakshow did.”

“God I wish… I wish I didn’t take you there, Danny,” Sam said. “If I didn’t, you wouldn’t have these nightmares, it’s my fault.”

“Sam, you didn’t know what would happen, none of us knew he controlled ghosts to do his show. And you didn’t mean to harm Danny either.”

“You think I’d learn from the first time with the portal-”

“Sam, you didn’t know. Nothing can change that. I wish we could as much as you do, but we can’t.” He let out a sigh. “We’re best friends, and that means we’re together for good times, and bad ones. And somehow, we’ll ride them out together.”

“...I won’t do anything like that to you ever again, okay?” She whispered to Danny. He let out a whimper, but nodded in agreement.

“Do you want us to stay with you until you fall asleep?” Tucker asked.

Another nod.

It was a long time before Danny stopped crying. And longer till he felt he was safe enough to sleep.

#danny phantom #ectober 2021 #ectoberhaunt 2021 #ectoberweek 2021 #ectoberhaunt treat #danny phantom phantom #danny fenton #sam manson #tucker foley #dp freakshow #dp lydia #freakshow #lydia #[[ not sure what other tags to put here ]]

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