#EH: Science

[lilianade-comics]

Ectober Haunt day 12 (Obsession)

[fandonnavyce]

Ectoberhaunt 2023 Day 5: Hunt

Ghost King Phantom the Great, High King of the Infinite Realms by Right of Conquest, Saviour Sovereign of the Infinite Realms, Master of Space, Minister of Time, Deliverer of the Unquiet Dead, Restless Spirits, and Lost Souls, Lord of Harmony, Champion of Amity, Protector of the Balance, etc. long be his Reign.

Cordially Invites you to the First-Ever Wild Hunt Since Long Ago. This Wild Hunt will be Led by The Great One Himself. We greatly anticipate your presence.

For such auspicious occasion and the commencement of a renewed tradition, to the victor go the spoils: Bragging Rights, the possession and ownership of the soul in its entirety belonging to one John Constantine the Hellblazer, the Laughing Magician, the Master of Bad Luck Magic, upon his Death, and the Friends, Foes, and Fellows In-between you’ll make along the way!

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“There hasn’t been a Wild Hunt in centuries” Clockwork muses. 

Danny looked up from his paperwork. Accidentally befriending the latest generations of Observants had the best of unintended consequences. Instead of a bunch of naggy, bureaucratic, homicidal alarmists, always ready to bring about Danny’s immediate End. He now had a cohort that scouted the infinite dimensions and then told him the interesting things they’d observed. They were interdimensional news reporters, always ready to bring back the latest from all over the realms. His reports now read like gossip tabloids or snarky info-dumping blog posts. People got up to the wildest shit in all the dimensions, and Observants were spilling all the tea. His next objective was seeing if they would be willing to give reports in comic book form.

Upon hearing Clockwork, Danny squinted.

“Ok, what’s that got to do with me?” Clockwork doesn’t make random announcements. Danny could feel this in his core, this was gonna lead to shenanigans. 

“You are the newly crowned High King of the Infinite Realms are you not? You of all spirits have enough power and authority to lead a Wild Hunt”.

“But why can’t you do it? You’ve got power and authority. You’re literally the God of Time!” Danny protests. Clockwork shifts into his decrepit Father Time shape.

“But it wouldn’t be fitting for an old creaking ghost like me to be leading the Wild Hunt. The Wild Hunt is an event better suited for youngins”

Danny stares at Clockwork utterly unimpressed. “Clockwork you were literally a baby just seconds ago”

Clockwork scoffs, “To you maybe. My seconds last longer than yours, however. I experience Eternity in a Hour,”

“That’s not, no they don’t. I know that’s not how that works. Why are you even? Wait, hang on, was that last bit a quote from somewhere? You know what fine, fine,” Danny sighs in resignation, “What even is the Wild Hunt?”

“A H̛̤̰̲͙͈̘̺́u҉̯n̂̑͗̆҉̪̪̲͇̙͔t̬͊͌” ::chase-thrill-pursuit-procession:: (nostalgia-of- fierce-fury-and-rampant-joy)

“A H̛̤̰̲͙͈̘̺́u҉̯n̂̑͗̆҉̪̪̲͇̙͔t̬͊͌. ::chase-thrill-pursuit-procession:: (unimpressed-incomprehension) Danny repeated in a different tone. "Wow, supremely helpful CW. Anything more you want to add to that?”

Clockwork shrunk down to his baby form.

“No”

Then shifted through his adult form and back up into his old man Father Time form.

Danny face-palms. “You know for a ghost who wants me to lead the Wild Hunt, you’re not being very persuasive in getting me to lead the Wild Hunt.”

“That’s fine I don’t need to persuade you”.

“What?”

Suddenly the stack of paper that Danny had been reading from glowed green. A new report had come in. Eyeing Clockwork suspiciously, who smiled benignly back in his adult form, he picked up the report and gave it a glance over.

Then he read it again to make sure he was understanding this right.

“Clockwork, this guy has bargained his soul like five times over and now a bunch of Demonic Sovereigns want me to mediate because I am quote-unquote "a neutral party”.”

“Ahh yes, the quadruply damned soul belonging to the Hellblazer, one John Constantine.”

“This petition was submitted by… The Third of the Fallen? Well that name's pretentious.”

“They are all Fallen, arrogance and pretentiousness is a tiresome given” Clockwork sighed. “Also the Heavenly Host has reportedly made endeavours to ensure that John’s soul doesn’t end up into the hands of Hell. Specifically that the Presence, their God figure, is incentivised to prevent John’s transformation into a powerful demonic threat. So Heaven technically wants John’s soul too even if it’s just to keep it out of Hell’s grasp.” 

“This guy has Heaven and Hell fighting over his soul when he dies. John’s soul better be the prettiest in all the realms because even Helen of Troy didn’t kick off this much warfare.” Danny stared hard at the report. “What do they even want me to do about this?”

“No parties want to relinquish their claim on Constantine’s soul, or to be more precise, no party wants any of the other parties to claim it.”

“If I can’t have it, then no will,” Danny said wryly.

“That is the current status quo," Clockwork affirmed. "But Constantine is mortal, that man will die one day sooner or later. But no party wants to have a full on war over Constantine’s soul either.”

“Which is why they come to me, an outside party, to arbitrate the matter”

“They hope that you will judge the matter and decide who gets his soul upon his mortal demise”

“That sounds like a whole lot of bother, absolutely no fun, and like I’ll get a bunch of powerful demons, angels, and whatever else pissed off at me.”

“If a Trial and Judgement is not to your liking you could just provide an alternative to War”

“What like a,” the dots start to connect in Danny’s head, “Like a Wild Hunt, to the victor go the spoils i.e. John Constantine’s soul”.

Clockwork smirks. 

@ectoberhaunt

[sykloni]

23. Technus

Ectober 2023

I just love the idea of Tucker and Technus becoming friends.

[fentoaster]

Ectoberhaunt Day 18: Unravel

Jack sat at his dining table, feeling pleased with his new invention. He scanned the room, waving around his prototype Fenton Ghoul-Glass, searching for spectral activity (albeit not expecting much.)

Danny walked into the kitchen, sending his dad a questioning glance. Jack beamed at him, launching right into an explanation.

As he pointed the glass to look at Danny, though, the words died in his throat.

For where his son should have been, stood the Phantom of Amity Park.

[blue-dissolve]

Thinking about them still....

[long-live-astronerd-ghost-king]

Ectoberhaunt 2023. Day 5. Hunt and Haunt.

~Well, here we go again, good old Ghost Hunger AU~

Description: The Ghost Zone is inherently a violent place. You can hunt or be hunted, there is no other options. However, for some reason the Halfa does not understand what is happening. And no one rushes to explain it. NB! ghost cannibalism is mentioned.

Prompt after memes

Suppose there’s a conventional division among ghosts. Some of them are potential predators capable of hunting their own kind, while others are only able to absorb the surrounding energy and therefore build up power more slowly than hunters.

So, predation is used as a method of survival in poor ectoplasm areas of the Ghost Zone, less often as a means of gaining power. Even less often hunters are created.

It is obvious that the appearance of a hunter who is the son of human ghost hunters in a haunting place without stable sources of ectolasm has caused panic in the society of the dead ones. For the newly formed ghost to have ectoblasts, fangs or ghost sense is a rarity and great luck. So the newcomer had everything and more to be a serious threat. An awful danger for the surrounding spirits…Right?

But Danny doesn’t know the specifics of his new biology ectology!

Even though he’s a hunter, he’s never had a ghost hunger. Probably because thanks to his parents he has an amazing ectoplasm concentrator in the basement. Soon everyone understands that the boy does not attack first. Those who return through the portal never report any losses at all. He does not bite or attempt to capture cores of other spirits. At first, the ghosts think it's a trap. Smart enough for a beginner. Not everyone has the tenacity to pretend to be an idiot to get close to them. But the Phantom never feeds on them. He’s…safe?

What’s more, Danny seems to think they’re a threat to the city. Which is fun and weird. Normally, there is no competition for feeding using human emotion. But the owner of the lair did not like the smell of fear in the air. Is this ghost broken?

When the ghosts who visit Amity realize that the halfa does not know that he can hunt them, rather than just guard his territory...Well, it explains a lot. Everyone agrees not to explain the situation to the boy so that the city behind the portal remains a relatively safe haven during the during a "hunting season" and other troubles in the Infinite Realms.

~~~~~

The problem arises when Phantom begins exploring the Ghost Zone. What if the other hunters make the boy stop being a freak?

In addition, more experienced ghosts may well attack the careless halfa. And Amity Park under the control of a more predatory spirit would be a terrible outcome. Most dead ones near the portal are used to the fact that the area before Wisconsin is open to travel and migration without the threat of being eaten.

All rational ghosts try to avoid the territory of hunters. If you can’t defend yourself, there’s too much risk of being a free meal. It’s much safer to settle down with spirits with similar energy levels at door clusters. If the hunter does not purposefully show up at your lair, you will have a much better chance of keeping the afterlife.

Those of the Ancients who have won their position and those of them who were created for it have become accustomed to isolation. Although all the Ancients have lost the need to eat 'cause they have absorbed enough energy, legends about their past are still be nightmares for all spirits. Just because they don’t need to eat other ones doesn’t mean they won’t. It is clear that a weaker hunter can also be hunted. No reason to risk.

Therefore, how freely and fearlessly Phantom communicates with Frostbite, Clockwork or Pandora is puzzling. Does he feel threatened at all? The Ancients find this experience refreshing. Lil communication without fear makes them feel sympathy for this youngling. Danny is always glad of their company. And the boy is not afraid to express his opinion. It is strange but...pleasant?

Their minions from time to time complain that they teach a potential enemy but it is very difficult to see a possible rival in Phantom. Danny is always in trouble. The youngster is silly and careless. Like a wet kitten that can’t even make a threatening hiss. So Ancients, to their own surprise, don't mind helping him. Why isn’t his naivety annoying?

For example, Frostbite’s trying to teach Danny hunting and tracking techniques because he thinks the little cub doesn’t know how to be what he supposed to be. Meanwhile Danny sees his attempts as a course of self-defense that he can use against ghosts who try to infiltrate his city.

~~~~~Bonus~~~~~

Some insufficiently powerful ghosts mimic predators to scare away dangerous spirits and protect themselves. Skulker is quite pleased that he managed to deceive halfa:

[parad0xm0th]

Science fiction double feature starring a grown up Sam Mason

[jackdraw-spwrite]

Day 5 - Hunt

I've never drawn Skulker before, so I figured this would be a good opportunity :)

[natinkart]

the 2 sides of my medic ships

anyway, I only ever drawn the tf2 gang as women... I never even tried to draw the ogs because, like, every time I think of doing something with them I go "you know what would make it better?? WOMEN"

the second one is done on ms paint, god I love ms paint

[drawnale]

Day 2 Tecnomancy

Ghost zones greatest hunter is 10cm tall.

[lucienarcheron]

I know I've seen people talk about this but Eris's beast form? I feel like we should talk about it more. I can see him having a sexy dragon-like form.

[cartridgeconverter]

is this anything

[papiliomame]

Ectoberhaunt 2023: Day 19 - Claws

[sykloni]

5. Hunt

Ectober 2023

[pricklenettle]

I hate drawing robots but I love skulker and I’ve been woefully neglectful to the tech side of the prompt list

[long-live-astronerd-ghost-king]

Ectoberhaunt 2023. Day 17. Blood and Flesh.

CW: TW! Recurrent pregnancy loss. TW!Abortion. TW!Bleeding

Maddie: Jack, we need to talk. I know this is gonna sound crazy but I think Phantom, the ghost boy, is actually our son. And I’m sure Danny and Jazz know about it too.

What if we bring down on the Fentons the knowledge that they have ghost children without revealing Phantom’s identity?

Text+Chat+Memes=Prompt:

Of course Maddie wanted to have children. But…Not in college. She felt it was too soon. The lack of stable earnings and time were not conditions for growing a new person. She had nothing to give this potential child. Maddie did not hesitate long before deciding to have an abortion.

And for years, neither Jack nor Maddie have thought about this unplanned pregnancy.

Ectoplasm is toxic, obviously. But since ectology was only recently recognized by the scientific community, no one has ever fully analysed the effects of ectoplasm on the body.

When Maddie and Jack had the misfortune to become one of those couples experiencing recurrent pregnancy loss, they immediately suspected that the ectoplasm in their lab contributed to their reproductive difficulty. Put simply, death didn’t go with life.

They may not always have followed the lab’s safety rules perfectly, but is that why one of their first works will be exposing a teratogenic effect of ectoplasm? What if they’ve lost their only chance to be biological parents?

What a cruel price to pay for the work of life. Jack and Maddie so dreamed of their little happiness. Do they have to forget about it?

No, the Fentons don’t give up that easily!

They may have to spend a few years doing only theoretical work, but they’ll try again.

~~~~~

Ectoplasm is toxic. Tests, hopes…and a few miscarriages too.

Jazz was a miracle. Fenton family literally didn’t get out of hospitals to look after her health.

Danny was an even bigger miracle, because they didn’t have any hope of having a second child. Maddie and Jack didn’t even plan this pregnancy. Danny was born premature, with signs of hypoxia... but alive. His potential twin was not so lucky. Single intrauterine fetal death (sIUFD).

Right. Death still followed them. Of course, parents didn’t tell Jazz and Danny that they might have had another brother. It was their grief. Children had no reason to know about it.

~~~~~

"You filthy ghost!" Maddie stopped to rest after a chase for elder Phantom.

"Exhausted?" Dan was flying at a safe distance from her. "Maybe it’s time to retire, Maddie? A little exercise never stopped you before." The ghost was clearly making fun of her.

"Not going to happen, I’ll do it until I die if Amity Park need it. And my son will be here to stop you instead of me after me or Jack."

The smile on Ghost’s face faded immediately. "I hope he die first." The ghost whispered in a hoarse voice."It's best for everyone."

"What did you say?" Maddie rose up in anger, pointing her weapon at it.

"Has any thought crossed your mind about what happens to your children if anything happens to you? Go out every day and yell like idiots, attracting all the ghosts around." An ectoblast is blowing right up against her temple and crashing into the wall. The ghost frowned and turned away. "Did you ever think that Danny wouldn’t want to live without you? Did you think that he would be hurt if he had to lose you? No! Is it always about your stupid desires and ambitions, Mom."

For a moment Maddie thought he it was looking at her like it had seen a ghost, which was obviously just ridiculous. Maddie wanted to laugh about it, but somehow she couldn’t. Why would the ghost trying to fake human emotion care to hide the tears that gather in the corners of its eyes?

Maddie tried to get it out of her head. Anyway, it’s not that important. Phantoms have always been atypical. She’ll come home, take a warm shower, and tell Danny how much she loves him.

~~~~~

Maddie: My son is a strong boy and Dan: He’s weak! He’s a freak! He can’t handle it, Mom!

Maddie had long pondered this theory since the day Jack admitted that Phantom had misspoke during the fight and called him his father but she had never experienced it before. Or maybe she wasn’t paying attention.

Maddie: Hey, Phantom, just a question, how old are you? Dan: Why are you changing the subject? Twenty-four, twenty-five… Hell, I don’t remember. Stopped counting after 17, nobody cares anyway. And her first months dating Jack were 24 years ago. Right. The eyebrows, the shape of eyes and the height is all from Jack. The waist and the side eye from her. Theoretically. Still need more proof.

~~~~~~

Dan: Is this all your frail human form can do?

Maddie walked past the Casper High playground when she saw a ghost flying around. It was one of the new ones. The Phantom’s full-grown specimen. More dangerous. And totally unpredictable. Maddie squeezed the gun harder. Her theories are just theories and she can’t have such a dangerous spirit near the school, near her children.

Danny: Shut up and give me my bottle of water, asshole.

This voice. Maddie stopped in shock. What’s her boy doing so close to a ghost? He’s always so terrified of them.

Dan: No pull-ups, no water. You need muscles. Without them you’re gonna look like a worm if you’re gonna grow up to be taller than Jack as I am.

Danny: Just so you know, you’re a terrible big brother and I hate you.

Dan: Well, that just means I’m doing a good job.

Danny: When Mom asks who destroyed the furniture in Vlad’s house I’m pointing at you. A little run around town will be good for you. And as they say, Older siblings are like your parents' personal science fair. They're a bunch of experiments.

Dan: ...Just so you know, it sounded completely insane. Terrible. Good job, but don’t go near Dani with those jokes. Jazz will kill us both for setting a bad example. Danny: Bad example? Since when has a good sense of humor become a bad example? Dan: Shut up. Drink water and go to the shower. Jazz is gonna kick my ass if you die of overheating.

Danny: Huh, afraid of one know-it-all? When dad chased you with a bazooka, you didn’t seem scared.

Dan: Сome on, dad has a lot of strengths, yeah, but the ability to aim isn't one of them. And not

Dani: driving a car?

Danny: Right. Wait, how long have you been eavesdropping? Dani: Long enough to blackmail you both. Сomputer’s mine for the rest of the week. Dan and Danny: Shit.

~~~~~

The Invisobill. or Phantom. Ha. Danny Fenton…Danny Phantom. Weston boy said crazy things. Yeah. But what if he was only partially wrong? Everything except the color of its eyes and hair is so much like Danny's. If this were typical manipulation from a ghost hoping to shake the desire of ghost hunters to chase a creature similar to their child, he would have had to give it up months ago. But phantom did not change his disguise. This is his true form. What about ghost girl and older ghost? They are also so young.

Maddie could not sleep. In her head struggled scientist and woman weighed down by feelings of guilt and shame. She was tormented by philosophical problems and religious issues. No, Maddie, not even a neural tube is formed at that time. It was just a collection of cells. It’s not a person. It doesn’t feel pain. And ghosts do not too. Right? Is it even acceptable to compare such things? Is it possible that a ghost is not the remnant of negative human emotions and memories? What is responsible for its formation then? What is the purpose of such a ghost? And more importantly, how long have these ghosts been near and they did not notice? Has the portal become a source of energy necessary for their existence in the physical plane? Or is it only they who have not seen them?

So painful. It’s so unpleasant to think about what monsters they look like to their dear Danny and Jazz. Ghosts or not, she threatened creatures who might have been part of their family in front of her babies. God, naive teens must think that three Phantoms are their siblings or something. Of course! That explains the disappearance of fenton thermos and the way the Phantoms sneak into the portal and Danny’s always somewhere in trouble and…Oh my God, they could be in so much danger! How long has this been going on? No, the real question is..Hm, if this is going on for so long, why haven’t the ghosts done anything…evil? If their nature is in the destruction then why didn’t anything happen? Jack and she would never have missed something that would hurt their children.

~~~~~~

The fight between the Skulker and Invisobill was particularly fierce this time. Maddie was unlucky to be in one of the damaged buildings. But who is she if not a scientist? She will find a way to benefit in such a situation.

Unnecessary risk, completely unprofessional. But… The debris of the wall does not lie on her very tightly and the weapon still with Maddie. Yeah. She has to test her theory. She has to. She can get up and leave if she needs to. Right? A little dizziness never killed anyone. She just feels cold and sounds are strange. Maddie: Help. Help! Someone! M-Maddie? An insecure voice with an echo sounds. Yes, it's near. Maddie: Help! I can’t.. I can’t get up. T-Hard to breathe. Danny: Mum! Mama, hold on, I’m coming.

Phantom checks her pupillary reflex. Who taught him that? Jazz? The touch of his hand, so cold and shaky. Now Maddie really doesn't feel so good. It’s good that the ghost is her boy. She doesn’t have to worry about anything happening to people around. Neither he nor Danny know how to lie. She can breathe. Just cover her eyes for a moment and… Just a few seconds. Phantom:Jazz, Jazz! Call an ambulance. I don’t know what to do. I..I can’t just make mum intangible. What if she has a crush syndrome and I make it worse or… Her boy. Why is Danny so scared? Danny: Tucker, she is bleeding and she’s not responding to me and… Sshh, my little star, is all right. Mom just needs to lie down and rest a little.

~~~~~~

Maddie could not believe that she had actually passed out. But the time spent in the hospital gave her enough time to think about everything.

Maddie: Jack, we need to talk. I know this is gonna sound crazy but I think Phantom, the ghost boy, is actually our son. And I’m sure Danny and Jazz know about it too.

Jack: Honey, are you sure we don’t need to double-check if you have a concussion?

~~~~~~

Maddie and Jack decide to watch surveillance videos for the first time. After all, it concerns the safety of their children, they have the right to know what happens in the house in their absence. Especially when the ghosts are nearby. Children *live in their own sitcom*:

They have seen enough. Maddie decides to check chats on Jazz’s phone. It’s for their safety, only. She’s a good mother but what if the ghosts are up to something?

The chat was so..Teenage? And Chaotic. Normal? No, definitely not. How many times have they punished Danny unfairly? Did Jazz learn to lie and they didn’t even notice? And what the hell, why were they joking about dissection. It’s just awful. They need to talk immediately. No, it will look suspicious. They need to try to make contact with ghosts. And then they’ll all be grounded. All five.

Oh, and she thought two kids were a lot of work. How are they gonna handle three more with the bizarre biology ectology? Do they have hobbies, interests? They are definitely more complicated than theblob-ghosts. Was she wrong? Do they have emotions, a need for socialization? Can she trust her emotions in this matter?

~~~~Bonus~~~~

"What the hell happened to freak’s neck?!"

Danny: Um, excuse me, ma'am, he’s been doing Hatha yoga in India for years. Practice opens up amazing flexibility in the joints! Right, brother?

Dan: Fuck off.

Ma'am: Don’t take me for an idiot! What about his skin color then? Jack: You have something against my son’s tan? Dan: I told you going shopping with me was a bad idea. Dani: If you didn’t scare everyone around, it wouldn’t be so bad.

Dan:...I didn’t even try to do it this time. Why is she meddling?!

~~~Bonus~~~~

Dan: Why am I only third? Dani: Because I have successfully stabbed Danny in the back when he did not expect it. With you he is always waiting for a trick. This makes me much more successful than you :)