#phanphic

DPxDC fics:

what was lost, found again by Halfagone

I just started reading this one and I'm only a couple of chapters in so far, but I already love it. Halfa is so good at writing angst, and I love the concept of Danny just finding Jason like this.

Textonymous Ltd. by LialeeEderian

A DPxDC + Miraculous Ladybug crossover. This one's a chatfic that has a lot of fun details and plot in it!

We're Coming Home by AKelaNakamura

An incredibly sweet (sfw) omegaverse fic. I love how oblivious Jason is in this, and the hurt/comfort is so good.

I Chose to Close My Eyes by TheWritingOwl

This one was written for a recent writing game in the HH server and ooooh the angst. I love the progression of the story in this one.

Silence by Finemeal

Oof this oneshot's got some good, good angst. Very somber vibes.

Snow Superstitions by halfagone

Halfa writes such good Danny/Tim fics. This one's somber and sweet <3

Makin' My Way to You by DisillusionedDanny

Demon twins/siblings is still one of my favorite tropes in this crossover and I love the idea of them going to find each other when shit hits the fan.

The Stiches That Bind Us Together by Die_Erlkonigin6083

Identity shenanigans AND sickfic?? Yes fucking please. I love it.

It's Just a Name by Dogometer

The shenanigans. The identity shenanigans. The slow build, just-- and it's Tim/Danny too. Perfect.

To Fail to Succeed by nerdpoe

This one was really neat, having Bruce get affected by the portal in a way that kind of mirror's Jasons situation.

Fingers on the Pulse of your (sometimes) beating Heart by Milaley

Milma has only just started this one and I'm already Feral over it. I might be biased, but STILL

Wrong Number by pipertia

Wrong number fics/accidental calls my BELOVED. Love the concept a lot.

Danny Phantom fics:

Caught on Camera by AttacusAbacus

This one is really neat. I love the idea of trail cams being used to investigate ghost stuff in Amity Park.

Late Night Hangout by Carelisswriting

Another really sweet savant par one. I love the exploration of their characters in this.

Danny Vs. A Boeing by Danesincry, Spookberry

This one is SO damn cute and fun; I love savant par, and I adore the art that goes along with this.

Blobs of Love by blobghost

I adore identity reveals, no one knows AU, and blob ghost shenanigans. Just-- yes.

Laundry Day by SummersSixEcho

Such a simple idea (ectoplasm staining clothes) that makes for such a neat oneshot. I love it.

A Familiar Taste of Poison by AKelaNakamura

Akela writes the Far Frozen yetis SO fucking sweet. I adore the transformation stuff in this as well <3

Alligator by DizzlyPuzzled

Good GIW agents is such a fun thing to read and explore. Such a sweet take

Phantom Phuckery by nanaarchy

I love a good chatfic. Finding a long one like this is such a treat.

The Apocalypse Club by dumbdpaus

This one has some really nice focus on side characters that don't usually get a chance to shine! And in such a neat way.

Sakura by SirenSecondWind

He can’t exactly blame her for thinking he’s run-into-the-bathroom-to-hide levels of freaked when the ghosties show up, but it’s led to her being slightly…protective. Which had led to him being slightly…incapable of protecting the town. 

It’s a whole thing—is how he finds himself darting a glance around the computer lab as the monitors start to rattle and shake, staticky bars splitting every screen. His classmates scream and scatter, but he manages to spot a head of ringlets ducking out of sight just as the pixels on his computer collect into blocky sunglasses, a voice crackling out from the speakers. 

“Fear me, mortals, for I am Technus, master of all things mechanical!”

“Really?” Danny asks under his breath, arms crossing over his chest. “I was almost done my report.” 

“Ghosts do not care about such things as this report you speak of!” Technus bellows, an eerie green glow surrounding the monitor as it bobs up and down in midair. 

For pete’s sake, Danny doesn’t have time for this. But if he pops into the hallway to do a quick transformation, he can punch this guy so hard he’s seeing zeroes and ones for days before Val has a chance to—

“Not so fast, ghost!” 

Welp. So much for that idea.  

She stands on top of a table in tight-fitting black and red, a crimson headband pushing back her hair so her hot, angry scowl is on full display. She doesn’t even flinch as mice and speakers detach from computer towers all by themselves, dangling aux chords trailing behind them where they lift into the air, just holds her blaster arm toward Danny’s possessed monitor. 

“Looks like you forgot one thing before infecting the school’s computers, cyber dweeb,” she says.

“Oh?” 

“We’ve got firewall protection,” she finishes, a slight lift tweaking her lips as she punctuates the sentiment with the chuck-chuck of the blaster’s pump action. 

Has he mentioned she is super cool? 

“Now back away from my boyfriend!” she demands, brows dropping low over her eyes once more.

“Boyfriend?” Technus asks. “Well this is unexpected!”

His cheeks warm. “Hey!”  

“Danny, you’re going to need to move away from the computers, okay?” she asks him in the softest, sweetest voice, like she’s comforting a lost puppy. He doesn’t hate it. “I know you’re scared, but can you do that for me?” 

Scared? Oh right. Scared. 

“Uh, I—I don’t know,” he says, widening his big blue eyes as he injects a quaver into the words. His crossed arms turn into a protective posture, hugging himself close. “What if he attacks me?” 

“It’s okay. I’m right here.” 

“What is happening right now?” Technus’ monitor twists to look between Danny and Val, bewildered.  

They both ignore him. 

“Are you sure?” Danny asks, blinking fast as he gazes up at his girlfriend. “He seems pretty powerful.” 

“Oh, I can handle a couple circuit boards in a trench coat,” she says, giving him a wink that he feels in his stomach. 

“What is this now?” Technus is saying. 

“Okay then, I trust you,” Danny says, lifting his hands in surrender, biting down on his lower lip to keep from laughing as he skirts away from the floating computer. 

“Trust her to what? Child! Is this thing on? Trust her to what?”

Technus is still blathering away when Val releases a bright flare of magenta energy, the blast arching straight into the floating monitor with a whoosh that sends Danny staggering backward. The computer is obliterated, the rest of the floating equipment falling lifeless around the lab with loud thumps and clatters as their puppet master is banished to the ghost zone. 

Val is vaulting tables and is beside him in an instant, clasping his face in her hands, concerned eyes roving over him as she smooths his hair away from his forehead and asks if he’s okay.

“Fine, fine,” he tells her with a breathless laugh. “That was awesome!”

Her shriek at once echoed off his chamber walls.

Erik’s grim face twisted in an expression his decaying features alone could produce; he had expected this tragic outcome and yet seemed to revel in its arrival. His smile was jagged and his eyes fiercely trained on her, a warning of his slow approach.

“My dear.”

Christine gasped and backed from the horrible sight, nearly tripping over herself in the skirts of her robe and costume from Hannibal. “No… no! It’s too horrible!”

“Feast your eyes! Glut your soul!” He cackled monstrously. “Yes, you wanted to see, my dear, you wished to know what lay hidden beyond the veil!” He snapped with reproach, finally darting forward to ensnare her wrist in his dead hand and drag her closer to the sight.

“Erik, no!”

“You wanted to know?! Look!”

Her wide, terrified eyes beheld the sight. A yawning black chasm, sinister wires affixed to a metal rod, hanging there like so many nooses. And on each…

A fleecy, super soft garment to keep you warm and your hands free. The machine-washable fabric seemed to taunt her in the candlelight, so unnervingly versatile enough to be worn anywhere, so eerily lightweight. The perfect, horrifying companion for lazy days.

“You see, I no longer live by the rules of man,” he explained from behind the mask, letting her go as he straightened and gave a simple gesture towards the open closet. “Man, who has shown me nothing but hate!… Snuggies, on the other hand—“

“Erik!” She cried. “How can you possibly commit such a fashion crime? Why not a sensible cloak, or a long jacket?”

“Jackets show no compassion to me!” He cried like a wounded animal. “Besides, finding a tailor for the sleeves and length is an absolute nightmare. Now, with Snuggie’s one-size-fits-most accessibility…”

Poor Christine moaned with dread, and once more began to distance herself. But a long arm clad in super-soft black material snaked round her waist and held her captive once more.

“There is beauty one can find, Christine, in this life, if only one chooses… you shrink from me! Ah, Christine, you do not yet know the joys of all-day comfort whether you’re watching TV, working from home, braving the cold at outdoor sporting events…”

She was helpless as he led her to an adjoining closet, but she could not look away, no matter how hard she tried; at last, when this fresh nightmare was revealed, it was all she could do to give a squeak of pure terror. Before her stood a mannequin, a bride, unmistakably; the figure bent forward, as if to embrace, wearing a veil…

And a bright, white Snuggie.

She fainted in his arms, and the Angel of Music held her to his breast, looking over her limp figure almost mournfully.

“No, thank you,” said Jazz, leaving her hands folded in her lap.  

“Very well.”  He set the tea down on the coffee table and started pouring a second cup.  “During the incident with his future self, Daniel promised that he would not become that person, would not become a killer.  But, as you may imagine, a promise by itself is flimsy, breakable.  He needed it to mean something, to be unbreakable.  But why should one promise be unbreakable when no others were?”

“I suppose it couldn’t be,” said Jazz, voice clipped.  

“Precisely.  For this vitally important promise to mean something, all his promises must be similarly weighty.”  He sipped his tea.  “It is a very common frailty, overall.  The general category it is traditionally placed in is Stygian, after the river, which also includes inhibitions against lying, dishonesty, and dishonor, but there are other name schemes and other methods of classification.”

“And this is relevant because…?”

“Because, you see, Daniel has made a promise.  Are you sure you wouldn’t like any tea?”

Jazz smiled thinly.  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t trust you at all.  What promise did he make?”

Clockwork smiled slowly, fondly.  “It is rather sweet, actually.  But you know how he is.”

Jazz clenched her hands, the fabric of her slacks crumpling in her grip.  “What.  Happened.”

“You do understand this will largely be speculation on my part?  I may know what has, will, and could happen, but I have no ability with reading minds, least of all your brother’s.”

“Yes.”

Clockwork nodded.  “Daniel is, perhaps surprisingly, careful with his frailty.  When he must make a promise, he qualifies it.  He says, I will try, or, for today, or, even, if disaster does not strike.  In his own idiom, of course, but the point stands.  However, he broke this pattern earlier this week.”

“I made him promise me that he’d start sleeping a healthy amount,” said Jazz, briefly closing her eyes.  “I told him not to say he’d try, to say he’d do it.  But that shouldn’t have caused all this.”  She spread her hands angrily, her little finger almost catching on the lid of the teapot.

“No, by itself it wouldn’t.  But that is also not quite what you said,” said Clockwork, “although I cannot fault you for misremembering your exact words.  He did manage to put a time limit on the promise, although it was a much more distant one that he usually uses.  He appended his promise to attain a healthy amount of sleep with this month.”  Clockwork shrugged.  “But you are not the only one who can compel unwise promises from him.”

Jazz’s eyes narrowed.  “Who?”

“Sam and Tucker,” said Clockwork, “although they are aware of their role in this as much as you were aware of yours when you first stood on my doorstep.  In an attempt to satisfy his promise to you, Daniel took to sleeping in unconventional locations.  Under the bleachers at school, park benches, trees, bushes, rooftops, alleyways…  After all, ghost attacks didn’t stop attacking just because he promised you he would get more rest.”

On the couch, Jazz squirmed just a little as Clockwork paused, sipping his tea.

“His friends were naturally alarmed.  Upon retrieving him from a tall tree for the second time, they made him promise to stop sleeping in unsafe places.  The promise was extracted with the best of intentions, but I believe you can see why he never would have made it if he hadn’t just been woken up.”

Jazz opened her mouth to deny that statement, then closed it.  “He doesn’t feel safe at home, does he?  He doesn’t feel safe in Amity Park.”

“As I said, I cannot read minds.”  Clockwork gestured with his cup.  “But considering the circumstances that brought you here, I would reach that conclusion as well.”

“And then there was whatever happened in the Far Frozen.”

“Yes,” said Clockwork.  “Daniel asked Chief Frostbite what ghost sleeping schedules were like.  Chief Frostbite, naturally, told Daniel that for ghosts of comparable power, when they feel the need to sleep, they sleep for months.  As you can imagine, that only exacerbated the problem.”

“What do I–  How can I fix this?  Can I fix this?  Or is the only way out to wait for the end of the month and hope he’s still–”  She cut herself off.

Clockwork hummed.  “Perhaps.  On the other hand… It is possible,” he said, “that you or his friends could release him from the promises he made to you.  It is a common feature of Stygian frailties, though not a universal one, and not one that has been tested on Daniel.  You would, however, have to find him first.”

“And where is he?”

“That,” said Clockwork, “I cannot tell you.”

"Excuse me?"

"I am already bending the rules by giving you information you may have put together on your own from information you have already gathered.  I have done what I can do.  Further action on my part would be… unwise.”

Jazz pursed her lips.  “Fine.”  She stood up, hauling her bazooka back up over her shoulder.  “Thank you for…”  She waved in Clockwork’s general direction.  “This.  But if you aren’t going to tell me where he is, I need to go.”

She made a quarter-turn away from him and raised the bazooka, engaging the lever that would allow it to make portals back to the human world.  She fired, a beam of green light splashing to a stop on an invisible wall and a scintillating portal spun itself into being.  Jazz stalked forward, her speed just a few steps below running.

“Jasmine.”

“What?”

“Are you entirely sure you will not take some tea?  You have a long journey ahead of you.”

Jazz’s face scrunched, the lines of it thrown into stark contrast by the glowing portal behind her.

“No.”  She stepped through, leaving Clockwork behind.  The portal rippled and flared, then vanished.

“Well,” he said.  “I tried.”  He finished the rest of his tea and put the cup down, folding his hands in front of him.  After a few seconds, he looked down and adjusted one of his wrist watches.  “Any time, now.”

The door of the clock tower creaked open, a shaking figure in the doorway casting a long shadow.

“Hello, Daniel,” said Clockwork.  “Would you like some tea?”

“I wh– What?”  Danny’s teeth - fangs, really - flashed white in the dimness of the clock tower.

“Would you like some tea?  It should be cool enough now for you to enjoy.”

Danny, still shaking and visibly nodding off between steps, made his way to Clockwork’s couch and sat down, his weight on it so feather-light that he didn’t even bend the cushions.

“I made it,” he said.

“You did,” said Clockwork.  He stooped to pick up the still-full teacup and the corresponding saucer and pressed them into Danny’s hands.  

“Wh-what?”

“Tea.  My own blend.  It should help you sleep.  Which you do need to do eventually.  It has been days, Daniel.”

“Sleep,” said Danny.  “Safe?”

“It is safe,” assured Clockwork.  

Danny nodded, eyes slipping closed again, and raised the cup to his lips.  He drank it all at once, then immediately slumped to one side.  Clockwork caught the cup and saucer before they could hit the ground and sighed heavily.