#the lunch lady ghost

[s10127470]

Danny Phantom vs. Hazbin Hotel: Afterlife Designs

Happy Halloween folks!

This is my first time doing a special post for a holiday.

And for today, I wanted to have this discussion about a topic I had with some friends.

Specifically about two animated shows that both focus on an afterlife.

A poorly-defined and explained afterlife.....

Those two shows are none other than Danny Phantom and Hazbin Hotel.

However, one is able to get more across about that afterlife simply through its character design, while the other doesn't.

And if you haven't guessed already, it's the former.

But before we discuss how DP is able to get across more about its world simply through its character design (along with just having far better ones than Hazbin), first we need to talk about why both these shows have poorly-defined afterlives.

Danny Phantom’s was the result of conflicting visions.

Those being between the show’s infamous creator Butch Hartman, and its main producer and developer Steve Marmel.

Butch wanted the series to be relatively episodic and comedic, while Steve wanted it to be a little more darker and put more emphasis on story and world-building.

This resulted in Steve, along with most of the Season 1 and 2 crew, to leave the show.

There’s also the fact that Nickelodeon didn’t want them to mention the obvious, hence why despite the show being about ghosts, there was hardly ever any mentions of death in general.

And this wouldn’t be the last time they’ve done something like this.

Fellow Nicktoon, Avatar: The Last Airbender, famously killed off the character Jet, who was a one-off character in Book One before becoming a major character in Book Two.

When making his death scene in the episode “Lake Laogai”, Nickelodeon wanted the crew to make this scene more ambiguous.

Which the crew themselves would go on make fun of in the penultimate episode of the series, “The Ember Island Players”.

In the case of Hazbin Hotel, this can be all blamed on VivziePop.

Viz is famous for not exactly being that good at storytelling.

And this is especially the case when it comes to world-building.

She has a bad habit of revealing major details about the world in her chats and streams, and then never bothering to actually implement them into the show.

And when she eventually does implement those details (whenever that'll be), who knows if she'll even keep those details intact.

But with that out of the way, let's talk about the actual character designs.

Color Scheme:

Color schemes are crucial for character design because they directly influence how viewers perceive a character, conveying their personality, mood, and even their role in a story.

The ghosts of Danny Phantom and the sinners of Hazbin Hotel have a primary color: Green and red.

Largely thanks to the realms they inhabit: The Ghost Zone and Hell.

The sinners of Hazbin have been heavily criticized for their heavy use of red in their designs, and the fact that it's prevalent with many of the characters, can make looking at them a bit tiresome.

But the ghosts don't have that problem....

While their primary color is green, if you notice, the amount of green each ghosts has tends to vary.

Some have green eyes like Penelope Spectra, Ember McClain, The Fright Knight, Johnny 13, Walker and even the titular Danny himself.

Some have green hair like Kitty.

Some have green eyes and hair like Skulker and Youngblood.

Or in the case of The Dragon Ghost, scales.

Some have green skin like The Lunch Lady and Technus.

Hell, some don't even have any green like Vlad Plasmius, Sidney Poindexter and The Box Ghost.

Ghosts also have other colors to help balance out of the green.

Skulker for example is primarily made up of gray and black, with a little bit of blue and the aforementioned green.

Another thing that makes the green works is that it's shown to be part of the ghosts' physiology.

While you could argue that this applies to the sinners as well, since they have red in their eyes and hair, but look at these background characters.

There's hardly any red on them.

So this only really applies to the main ones.

(And also yes, just like everyone else, I do agree these guys have far better designs than the main cast).

Body Types:

If you know Viv, you'd know that one of her biggest criticism is her lack of body diversity.

Her characters are infamous for being INSANELY skinny.

Sure you'll get some characters like Adam, Verosika Mayday and Vortex, but they're the expectations.

Actually now I think about it, I think Helluva Boss has more diversity in body types present.

Most of the secondary characters and even I.M.P. themselves have differing body types from each other.

But the ghosts....

Actually, scratch that....

EVERYONE in Danny Phantom have unique and differing body types from each other.

The Danny Phantom characters would definitely pass The Silhouette Test.

The Hazbin characters would barely pass.

Outfits:

A character's outfit can really go a long way.

As it can tell you what a character is like by just looking at them.

Each of the main ghosts get this down right.

Even if you haven't watched Danny Phantom, one glance at each of these guys have already tell you what their deal is.

Skulker is a high-tech hunter.

Sidney Poindexter is a nerd.

Ember is a rockstar.

Johnny is a biker.

Technus is a technological genius.

Desiree is a genie.

Walker is a prison warden.

And The Box Ghost is a total loser.

But if someone who hadn't watched Hazbin Hotel looked at the characters, I'd highly doubt they would be able to get a read on what their deal is.

Maybe except for Charlie and Husk.

There's also the fact that a good chunk of the main cast causally wear formal attire.

Which doesn't make them stand out from each other that much.

Some of the ghosts' attire also give hints to when they lived/died.

Desiree lived during The Ottoman Empire.

The Dragon Ghost lived during The Middle Ages.

The Lunch Lady and Sidney lived during the 1950s.

Johnny and Kitty lived during the 1970s.

And Ember lived during the late-1990s/early-2000s.

The sinners unfortunately lack that.

They don't really have anything that would hint or allude when and where they lived or died.

Physical Traits, Powers and Biology:

One small but strong detail that really makes and breaks the ghosts and sinners are their physical appearances.

While this does get a little muddled for Danny Phantom come Season 2, there is a pretty solid explanation for it.

Throughout Season 1, the major ghosts we're introduced to were either humanoid or animalistic in their physical appearances.

This was a small but subtle detail to imply that the ghosts were, well, the spirits of humans and animals that were once among the living.

However, everything changed with the introduction of Clockwork, the master of all time.

This was quite strange, since he was a ghost.

This only got stranger with the introductions of ghosts like Frostbite and Undergrowth, who despite being ghosts, were notably more monstrous than the ones introduced in Season 1.

However, I think having ghosts there are just monsters or Eldritch-like entities is actually pretty cool.

It really helps makes The Ghost Zone feel like it's own universe and not have it completely be connected to Earth.

Plus, this was actually kinda intended from the beginning.

In the pitch bible for Danny Phantom, The Ghost Zone (originally called The Unreal and eventually Ghost World) was not only suppose to be an afterlife, but also a realm of fantasy, being home to monsters, Eldritch beings, and even mythological creatures.

It seems that for Season 3, Butch decided to go back to that concept.

Mostly like to continue avoiding having to state the obvious.

And given that he would go on record years later to say that ALL of the ghosts of The Ghost Zone were just monsters, I can believe that.

The best showcase of this is in the episode, "Boxed-Up Fury".

In that episode, Danny seeks the help of the actual mythical Pandora, who had her legendary box stolen by Box Ghost, who used it so that could FINALLY be taken seriously by everyone.

Along the way, he faces off against a wide array of monsters from Greek mythology.

These included a hydra, a gorgon, a centaur, a minotaur, and a cyclops.

I think the reason why people took a problem with many of the new ghosts was because the show itself never really explained which ghosts were the souls of the dead and which ghosts were just monsters.

As for the sinners, they're explicit said to be a sub-species of demons that were once humans but died and were sent to Hell.

But with that being considered.....would you be able to see that by just looking at them?

Due to how monstrous and animalistic they look, it's hard to see the sinners as being the living embodiments of once-living humans.

Made even worse with the fact that none of them have any canon backstories to possibly explain their appearances.

Or at least any that have been shown IN THE ACTUAL SHOW.

I know Danny Phantom has a similar problem, but remember, they were being restricted by a creator and a network that were too cowardly to address the damn obvious.

What's Hazbin's excuse?

Hell (heh heh), the sinners could've just easily been regular demons and it wouldn't make much of a difference.

Another thing to note about the ghosts and sinners are their biology.

The ghosts are able to fly, turn invisible, become intangible, immortality, and possess superhuman physicality.

Plus most of them to possess some kind of special ability.

Like Skulker and his ecto-skeleton with a variety of weapons, Desiree and her wish granting, and Johnny 13 and his Shadow that causes bad luck.

The sinners are......kinda lacking in this regard.

They have special abilities (albeit not as flashy or impressive as the ghosts), a few have the ability to transform into larger and stronger forms, and have animalistic tendencies.

And while we're on the topic of biology, we need to address the demon elephant in the room.....

As I just mentioned earlier, the ghosts are immortal, since they're dead.

And with the fact that the sinners are the souls of the dead, you would think they would be immortal too.

But if you've watched the show, then you'd know that isn't the case at all.

Although sinners can't age (dead and all), they can be killed via the use of the angelic weapons.

Who thought this was a good idea?

Just like Mantis said, this makes no sense!

Plus it's totally redundant with the fact that the sinners are already DEAD!

I know some people are gonna bring up Coco, which had The Final Death.

But there, it made sense.

Those living in The Land of the Dead would fade into oblivion after getting forgotten by everyone in the human world.

But in Hazbin, what's their excuse?!

And don't even get me started on how Sir Pentious dies and ends up going to Heaven.....

Also before we move on, I did wanted to bring up a few cool things about the biology of the ghosts.

In the TV movie, "The Ultimate Enemy", we find out that....

-Although ghosts can't die, they can still age, albeit slower than humans.

-Even though they can't die, ghosts can still be badly injured. As we see with Future Ember (who had her vocal chords destroyed) and Johnny (who became a paraplegic).

-Ghosts can even reproduce, with the reveal of Box Lunch, the daughter of The Lunch Lady and The Box Ghost.

As for the sinners.....

They can't age, but they can still die (once again, makes no sense).

And as far as we know, they can't reproduce.....

Which is for the better because the last thing I need to see is Angel Dust being able to have kids.

Anyway, that's all I have for now.

I wanted to do something special for Halloween.

Let me know what you guys think about this post.

And also, let me know if there's anything I missed, because I feel like I missed something in this post.

But until next time.....

[mr-3rr0r]

Headcanon:

The Lunch Lady ghost either died of old age or food poisoning

[red-hoods-left-sock]

Im thinking of writing some back stories for the Danny phantom ghosts

Y’all got any ideas or anything u want included?

Or just stuff I should know

[bet-on-me-13]

Runaway Rogue

So! A couple of years ago, Danny lost one of his Rogues.

It's not that they got Ended or anything, he literally lost them and couldn't find them. One day they ran off after being defeated and never showed up again. They were one of his Joke Villains, not posing a real threat but still extremely annoying when they wanted to be.

He hadn't seen them in Years now, and with the situation in Amity quelled and more free time on his hands than he had gotten in Years, he decided to finally track the Ghost down and see what he had been up to.

His search led him to Gotham, where he finally found the one Rogue that he had lost all those years ago.

Condiment King.

[cupcakedieabetes]

DPXDC prompt: Greatest Treasure

In Gotham, there was a new rogue named Box Ghost who had been stealing random things. But, as his name suggests, the random things he stole all were boxes or box shaped. He stole from stores and pharmacies as long as they had a box shape. They were all random, and it didn't matter what inside of the boxes.

To name a few, he stole food that was packed in boxes, packaged furniture, toys, clothes, shipment, diapers, blankets, fishing gear, books, bags, jewelries, etc.

Then, there came the rumors. Despite all the boxes, he had a box that he loved the most. "The Greatest Treasure".

It became a man hunt soon after as many speculated it may be expensive things inside, maybe gold bars since that's box shaped.

As people (not only rogues bc normal people also need money, duh), they started frantically searching for "The Greatest Treasure".

It was too chaotic and the bats knew that they had to act quickly. Time was against them and it was running quickly as practically EVERY gothamites were searching for it.

Idk who manages to find it, maybe a rogue, maybe one of the bats, but they managed to trick Box Ghost from being away from the box he was guarding.

He was guarding it so desperately that it made them wonder what exactly was in the box that made him go bat shit.

Inside the box were two children, one older and the other an infant, sleeping peacefully next to each other, covered in blankets and toys.

Oh

______________________________________________________________

Box Ghost had to flee Amity Park alone. In his arms were 2 vulnerable children. One is his own daughter and the other is a de-aged Phantom. His wife stayed behind to give him more time.

The GIW had been capturing anyone that was 'infected' with ectoplasm. As Amity Park was full of it, a lot of people were, of course, exposed to it.

Maddie and Jack, after discovering that their son was kidnapped by the GIW otw home from school, they pretended they were on the GIW's side.

As soon as they located their son and had a chance, they broke out and freed everyone who was captured there—well, anyone who was still existing.

Box Ghost, Lunch Lady, and Box Lunch were some of the few there and were surprised when they were handed an infant version of Phantom.

There was absolutely no time for any explanation for that, so as the Fentons helped fend off the enemies, Box Ghost and Lunch Lady were both carrying a child in their arms.

They had to get separated from the Fentons as they sacrificed themselves for the sake of their now-infant son.

But, they were ambushed once more by the white agents. Lunch Lady, carrying their daughter, shoved her at him and told him to run.

Box Ghost tried to refuse, but she yelled at him so fiercely. Full of love and tears, but she would do anything for their family.

She turned into a large meat monster to be a better target and to keep eyes away from her fleeing husband, roaring at anyone and fighting against them as best as she could as a distraction.

Box Ghost fled. He had two children to protect now. His daughter was clinging to him tightly while shutting her eyes. Phantom still sleeping, dressed in rags and covered in stitches.

He didn't know where his friends were, but he had no time to think about that. He had two children to care for, so he needed to prioritise a place to run to.

The only place he knew with enough ambient ectoplasm was Gotham. It may take him some time to get there, but he needs to get to safety.

When he stole in Gotham, he may have kept stealing anything that was box-shaped, but many things are in box-shaped containers now, and he couldn't let anyone know what he was stealing. So, what he stole may have been random, but some were needed, and some were distractions. He couldn't let anyone go after his 'Greatest Treasure'.

______________________________________________________________

Prompt:

[novelistwriter]

Phantom Feast

DP x DC Prompt (That came to me while listening to Roar of Dedede)

Lunch Lady, when she was alive years ago, was a famous chef who loved to spread her food around so others could eat. She wanted to bring joy to many who couldn't eat any food daily, Gotham was one of her most frequent places to visit. She was even a mentor to one Alfred Pennyworth when the young man sought her out to learn under her.

No one knows how she died, but since she became a ghost, it had to be violent. It had become her obsession, to feed others and bring joy to them, and to make sure young ones are fed and healthy.

Danny was flying through the Infinite Realms, mind his own business, when he smelled some truly delicious food coming from somewhere. He followed the smell, and it led him to Lunch Lady's Lair, where the Ghost was making food for Boxy and Box Lunch, Food made by using Ectoplasm is one way for Ghosts to gain energy, but not a commonly used way, Boxy loves Lunch Lady too much to care, and Box Lunch will always eat the food Lunch Lady makes, that's her mother.

Danny was outed by his own stomach since he didn't get to eat at all today. His parents had overfilled the fridge with containers of Ectoplasm, again, and Jazz has been trying her best to provide for the family, but she doesn't earn enough with her tutoring to make every day filled with regular food on the table.

Lunch Lady couldn't ignore her obsession, so she allowed Danny to eat with the family, Boxy wasn't about to stop her since he would be denying his loves obsession, and that's something he won't ever want to do. Danny was surprised by how real the Ectoplasmic Food tastes. It's a power Lunch Lady has. Her food made of Ectoplasm is filled with all the nutrients and flavor of real food, but it's only for ghosts and other undead beings to consume. Since Danny is a Halfa, he counts.

Danny spends more time with Lunch Lady and her family after that, mainly to get more food, but it's nice having others to rely on. Like with Alfred, Danny had begun to learn how to cook under Lunch Lady. Even as the Ghost King and a 19 year old, he is visiting Lunch Lady and learning some more recipes to make. Even Lunch Lady is learning some recipes with the same amount of protein and nutrients like her meat recipes, but with no meat or animal products at all.

Cue a reveal gone wrong happening and Danny escapes to Gotham. He gets settled in the Gothic City and decides to open a restaurant, Lunch Lady's stories of her time alive have influenced the Halfa to do so, she said that Gotham always seemed more happier and brighter when she cooked for the residents of the city, and it would help his protection obsession, as he would be protecting people from dying of starving.

Danny had bought a building on the edge of a place called 'Crime Alley' for his restaurant with his Ghost King inheritance, Phantom Feast, and invited Lunch Lady and her family to help him run it. Lunch Lady obviously accepted that offer since it was going to fulfill her obsession, Boxy would get fulfill his obsession with the boxes of food Danny orders.

So now Danny was running his restaurant, and he was slowly gaining regulars for it. News of his restaurant spread like wildfire when an Elderly couple got some food to eat in his restaurant, because when they were kids, their parents took them to a stand with delicious food when a woman came to Gotham to feed them all.

And now an Elderly Butler is hearing the rumors of a restaurant with food that tastes just like the food of the woman who fed Gotham because she wanted to. He is going to it to verify for himself if it's just like his mentors food.

[on-the-clear-blue]

Original idea coming from @the-witchhunter and then added on to by many others.

Dead Man's Diner

---

Danny was tired okay? It may very well be his own damn fault but he can't keep waking up during daylight hours, while yes, he can fully be up and sitting at a desk, the likelihood of him waking up getting shouted at by his boss for sleeping on the job was astounding.

So at 19 years old, freshly jobless, Danny said Fuck it and moved away from Amity Park, Valarie was more than willing to handle the few ghosts that still came through the portal since he became the King.

You might be wondering, why isn't Danny filthy rich and rolling in it as the ghost king? Two words, the Observants.

Those flouting eye bastards had moved in and said that unless he was the king full time, he was unable to access the vaults of the Infinite Realms.

So once again, 19, freshly jobless and wanting to get out of Gotham? Danny was very lucky to have friends that love him far to much, Sam and Tucker both pitched in to move him out to where they had chosen to do collage.

*Gotham* oh Sam was in love with the place, the architecture, the people, (and maybe a certain green supervillian that was determined to make the city better) and Tucker was obsessing over being in the same city as Wayne Enterprises, trying his best to get into their internship program by his own merit rather than just hacking himself into it.

And Danny? He was loving it for a slightly different reason.

While the death rate was unfortunately high in Gotham, that also meant that the amount of passive ectoplasim generated by the deaths was massive, it was almost as rich as back in Amity Park with the portal into the ghost zone!

(Oh and the many job opportunities but Danny was a little less worried about that.)

---

Letting out a sigh, Danny scrubbed at his eyes as he leaned back into his chair, another job he had to turn down due to it being shady as all get out.

4 hours and he was getting payed 200 bucks? Major criminal vibes from that...

Taking a moment to get himself balanced, Danny leaned back and looked to the clunky laptop that Tucker had given him, it was modified to hell and back, so it still ran quickly, but it sure as he'll wasn't pretty.

Clicking on yet another job listing, Danny paused as he felt a shiver run down his spine, and a blue mist pass through his lips, blinking, he twisted around to look at the spare room of Sam's apartment, Ghosts tend not to get close enough to him to trigger the ghost sense in Gotham...

Seeing nothing, Danny turned back to his laptop only to find a piece of paper stuck to the screen with tape, freezing at first, the dark haired man sighed deeply, peeling it off he held it close as he read it.

[Help wanted at Big C's Dinner! Looking for a night cook that knows their way around a kitchen!]

There was a few more lines that Danny's eyes skimmed over, picking up the location that it was at, it even had a decent pay, but he paid more attention to the scribbled on note at the bottom of it.

[Daniel, head to this place at 12 am tonight. While the Observants said that you may not touch a single coin in your vaults, they side nothing of your properties.]

---

So Danny knows how to handle himself, he has fought many, many people and still came out half alive, but even he felt a little on edge coming down to the railroad tracts in Gotham, because apparently that was were Big C's dinner was at...which he apparently owned? Clockwork works in mysterious ways that Danny was so done trying to figure out.

Stepping up to a bit of abandoned tract, he blinked a few times at the site of Big C's.

It was a decent sized Dinning Car, with a ramp that attached itself to a proper street, it had peeling green paint and dirty white accents with charming rusted steel connecting it to the tracts, the only thing new looking on it was a bit banner stretched across it, stating the name "BIG C'S ALL DAY EVERY DAY BREAKFAST CART! OPEN 24/7!"

The windows were close off by tinted yellow blinds, but he could still see light coming through them. Stepping up the ramp Danny felt the cart under him shudder and something inside of him fluttered, and by the time he was opening the door he could feel the reason why.

The very cart was *alive*, taking a quick breath, Danny could practically taste the energy from it, there was a buzzing undercurrent of excitement that rung through the whole cart.

A little unprepared for his, Danny just smiled warily, "Uhh, hey there? Anyone around?" In response to his words the cart shuddered, the blinds dancing up and down and he could hear the squeel of the wheels.

"O-okay then, um my name is Danny Fenton...Clockwork sent me?" There was another flapingnof the blinds, and the small wooden flap that let people into the back lifted up suddenly before clacking down loudly.

Taking a steadying breath, Danny slipped through the bar and into the back.

It was surprisingly clean and orderly, the stove and fryer looked over than his parents but well maintained, the flat top was perfectly scrubbed and was already heating up.

As Danny looked around, he felt a familiar shiver run down his spine, looking around once more, Danny fell into a fighting position as he spotted the figure of a familiar foe

"Lunch Lady? Aren't you a little far from home? What did your order of fist not come in?" The bright rings of light around Danny's waist swirled into life as he went into his ghost form.

He got a thrilling grin from the older apparition, but she only crossed her arms, "While we can tumble later little King, Lord Clockwork sent me personally, said you need a bit of help learning how to cook? And ain't nobody better slinging food than me, dead or alive!"

---

Down in the dripping depths of the cave system deep under Gotham, one Bruce Wayne, still in his Batsuit sat in front of the Bat Computer, eyes glaring at a map of Gotham.

He had been tracking a strange energy pattern that made its way through Gotham, he had first thought it was some sort of layline, but the more that he tracked it the more he realized it was closer to watching a person's walking patterns, sometimes following roads, and sometimes crisscrossing through streets and alleyways.

But tonight that power signal tripled in size, off-putting energy that Bruce hadn't seen it done before, tapping the com on his ear, he spoke clearly "Nightwing, take Red Robin and investigate the coordinates I am sending the both of you, observe it, I just got a massive spike in an energy at that location."

There was silence for a moment before the com crackled and his sons responded "Got it B! Me and RR needed a little time together huh Babybird?"

There was a quiet hum from Tim, before the teen spoke "On route Batman, after this I am heading in, we have a meeting with a suspect in the morning B, Vlad Masters has been poking around Gotham."

[daisyjoyflower]

[call-me-strega]

Dc x Dp Prompt #10: Inter-Dimensional Bake-Off

Alfred was checking the mail the manor had received that day when he found it. In between bills, fan mail, and company missives was a regal purple envelope addressed to one Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth. Intrigued, Alfred set aside the rest of the mail and sat to open the letter.

Inside was a high quality cardstock invitation of a metallic silver color decorated with luxurious midnight green script. It declared on the front:

“You Are Cordially Invited”

Alfred raised an eyebrow and flipped open card.

Dear, Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth You have been cordially invited to participate in the first annual inter-dimensional bake-off to celebrate the coronation of the young, King Phantom, age 21, Ruler of the Infinite Realms, the Great One, Protector of Souls, Keeper of Peace, The Perfect Balance, The Infinite King, Ancient of Space and Reality. We have discerned that you are among the top 25 bakers in the 11 most stable and prominent dimensions with an open connection to the Infinite Realms. Thus, we would like to offer you the opportunity to show off and test your skills against talented competitors. Should you accept, all transport, accommodation, amenities, materials, and potentially needed medical care shall be provided by the King and his court. If you would like to bring any specific ingredients or tools you are welcome to file a request for them when you arrive and they shall be summoned to you at the start of the competition. You are allowed one plus one either as an assistant or moral support. Should you have any questions please write them down and place them on the sigil on the next page and recite the incantation bellow: “bonvolu respondi mian demandon” The event shall occur in a fortnight upon the weekend before the kings official coronation ceremony. In order to confirm your participation in the competition please burn this letter with one of your most recently made baked goods. In order to decline simply dissolve this message under running water. Please confirm your attendance or absence within a week’s time. Kind Regards, the Council of Ancients Advisors to the Good King Phantom

Well, it seemed like Alfred had earned a place in a rather prestigious event. ‘It seems a finally have a reason to make use of all those vacation days Master Bruce keeps insisting I must utilize.’ He smiled to himself, tucking the letter into his pocket. ‘I wonder if Master Jason would be amicable to accompanying me for a weekend of baking in a magical dimension?’

~ Just in case anyone has trouble reading the letter:

Dear, Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth You have been cordially invited to participate in the first annual inter-dimensional bake-off to celebrate the coronation of the young, King Phantom, age 21, Ruler of the Infinite Realms, the Great One, Protector of Souls, Keeper of Peace, The Perfect Balance, The Infinite King, Ancient of Space and Reality. We have discerned that you are among the top 25 bakers in the 11 most stable and prominent dimensions with an open connection to the Infinite Realms. Thus, we would like to offer you the opportunity to show off and test your skills against talented competitors. Should you accept, all transport, accommodation, amenities, materials, and any potentially needed medical care shall be provided by the King and his court. If you would like to bring any specific ingredients or tools you are welcome to file a request for them when you arrive and they shall be summoned to you at the start of the competition. You are allowed one plus one either as an assistant or moral support. Should you have any questions please write them down and place them on the sigil on the next page and recite the incantation bellow: “bonvolu respondi mian demandon” The event shall occur in a fortnight upon the weekend before the kings official coronation ceremony. In order to confirm your participation in the competition please burn this letter with one of your most recently made baked goods. In order to decline simply dissolve this message under running water. Please confirm your attendance or absence within a week’s time. Kind Regards, the Council of Ancients Advisors to the Good King Phantom

The Esperanto translates to “please answer my question"

Edit: now with possible contestants

[kettlefire]

As Good as Good Gets (DP X DC Snippet)

Richard "Dick" Grayson is the golden child. In the eyes of the public, and in the eyes of the league. Dick is a sweet, caring son, a man who went from being a sidekick to being a hero. The pipeline from Robin to Nightwing had many people applauding his dedication to keeping Gotham safe.

No one knew the full story, not truly. No one but Bruce Wayne himself. And maybe a certain butler. Many don't know that Dick only became Robin to stop him from hunting down and killing the man who killed his parents.

No one really knows about the harsh fights and arguments he has had with Bruce. The times when Dick would find himself cut off from the Wayne name for a week or so. No one knows that the first person Dick warmed up to was Alfred. Having been bribed with cookies.

Things weren't always this good, trusting, happy relationship between Bruce and Dick. It had been a rough ride, a complicated one. But that was okay, because it got better.

Dick stopped being so moody and angsty. He grew up, he learned, and he changed. He became an older brother, found people that needed him. Needed him in a way that the citizens of Gotham didn't need him.

His brothers like to call him annoying. A goody two shoes who Bruce trusted more than everyone else. They couldn't fathom how someone like Dick could be so stupid and bubbly at all times.

All times, except when shit hits the fans. Despite the name calling, despite coining Dick as the stupid Wayne. They all knew better. They knew that when it mattered, Dick Grayson always pulled through. He was a force to be reckoned with when needed.

The whole Wayne family was a force to be reckoned with when called for. It didn't have to be under the guise of costumes and vigilante acts. Whether he was Officer Grayson or Nightwing, Dick was a man with his morals and values.

One night on patrol as Officer Grayson, Dick found someone who needed that force. A force willing to protect and care for the innocent. The hurt. The damaged, yet still good.

It started like any other night. A call of shots fired by an empty warehouse. There was no sighting or knowledge of any rouges being there, so Dick took the call. Told the team he'll contact them if it seems more than just a civilian incident.

The warehouse was dark, reeked of copper and oil. It didn't take long for Dick to find the trail. The liquid he found looked like the person had been dragged before walking. There was a clear struggle, even with the mess and emptiness that was the warehouse.

That wasn't Dick's biggest concern. The concern lay in just how much blood there was. Too much for any normal person to lose and still manage to stumble through the warehouse.

It wasn't just blood. It wasn't that much, but Dick could spot the strangeness in the liquid. The mixed in green that had an eerily similar color and glow as a certain pit.

Without thinking, Dick followed the trail. Barely remembering to make contact with his family. Give them an update on what he found. Words telling him to stay put for backup went in one ear and out the other.

Something in Dick's gut was telling him he couldn't wait. He needed to find the source. Whoever was currently bleeding out in this warehouse. He silenced the comm, moving further through the dimly lit building.

Then Dick found it. Or more so, he found him. It was just a boy. A boy that reminded Dick too much of the youngest Wayne. A boy sat against a wall, looking pale and weak.

Red and green coated the front of the boy's shirt, arms wrapped tightly around his middle. An attempt to stem the bleeding. A puddle had already started to form beneath the boy, and Dick moved without thinking once again.

He quickly found himself kneeling beside the boy, hands carefully reaching out. Before Dick even touched him, the boy flinched. Eyelids suddenly opened, wide and terrified blue eyes landed on Dick's.

In just that one look, Dick knew what he had to do. The haunting, terrified, and pained look in the boy's eyes told Dick everything he needed to know. The boy was in danger. Someone had hurt this kid, and it was clear it wasn't the first time.

The boy struggled weakly against Dick's touch, terrified whimpers, and barely coherent pleas spilled from the kid's lips. It had Dick's heart aching, clear as day the poor kid has been through hell and back.

It took a lot of reassurance, gentle touches, and promises of help before the kid let Dick take a look at the bleeding wound. A promise on Dick's soul had been the final thing that earned him any semblance of trust. A strange promise, but Dick was willing to make it.

That concern turned to pure anger the moment Dick managed to pull the sticky shirt away from the wound. The sight of a Y-incision cut perfectly into the skin, stitches tight on the skin, but blood still leaking heavily from the wound.

It didn't take long for Dick to realize why. Despite the perfect surgical care of the wound, a good couple of stitches had broken. Leaving gaping spots for that red and green liquid to pour out of.

The boy was deathly silent, tears streaking down his cheek as wide blue eyes stayed trained on Dick. In that moment, Dick knew he had to help. Had to get the kid to safety, patch him up, and find out what kind of monster would do this.

It didn't matter if the kid was human or not. It didn't matter if the kid had special abilities or not. No one, absolutely no one, deserved to be vivisected.

The kid was shrouded in mystery, but that mystery only seemed to grow and become clearer when Bruce had entered the scene. The boy had tensed, eyes flashing a bright glowing green.

Lazarus pit green.

It set a pit of dread in Dick's gut. His mind brings forward memories of Jason. Jason, after his revival, after his dip in that cursed pit. The same flash that his brother would get if he got too angry. Too emotional.

As much as Dick wanted to focus on finding who did this, if it had any connection to Ra's al Ghul. He couldn't. Not when the kid tried to get up, to pull away as Bruce and the others made their way closer.

Right now, Dick only cared about making sure the boy was okay. Fixing those stitches, getting him a meal, and a warm bed.

He needed to get this kid someplace where he felt safe and secure. Comfortable and protected. Dick wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the promise he had made, but he wasn't letting anyone get to the kid.

That included his family. As strange as it seemed, Dick put himself between the others and the kid. Shooting them all a glare that they had only ever seen a handful of times.

Dick lifted the poor boy up in his arms, cradling the crying child close as he led the way out of the warehouse. Ignoring the questions or confusion coming from Bruce and the others. As Dick walked, feeling the trembling boy clinging to him, he made a rather obvious realization.

Maybe the eldest son really was more like Bruce than he expected. Just a few short moments the the boy, a boy that Dick didn't know his name, and he was ready to pull out adoption papers. To give the boy a safety he so desperately needs.

Give him the chance that Bruce had given him all those years ago.

[justhereforsomethingnice]

Good media

Danny is hated by the town until a de-aged Ellie and a year old boxlunch enter the picture. Now the entire towns social media is one and the same. Phantom corralling and running after two chaotic floating ghost toddlers who insist on exploring every damn inch of the town, get distracted by a bug and chase after pieces of dust at the drop of a hat.

The two of them are also incredibly capable of increasing the others energy levels. They really do enjoy each others company. Sadly, Danny now has a full time job worth’s of work on these two. The date boxy and lunch lady are going on better be one heck of a date, or Danny will be angry.

The town loves seeing their hero be a worried parent. The memes are legendary.

[letswonderspirit]

I just think they’re neat

[hugsandchaos]

One of the things I think that would result in one of those “Villains actually being nice” scenarios is when Danny, either in human or ghost form, is trying to study in some secluded area and the Lunch Lady shows up. Danny’s all “Oh, no, you don’t! I have a test tomorrow!” and she actually listens and goes “Oh, my apologies, dear.” and they just sit in silence instead.

Now Danny has a habit that had already developed before becoming half ghost, a habit called “not eating dinner and staying up later than he realizes because he’s so focused studying”. His stomach growls loudly like he hadn’t eaten all day, and he probably hasn’t, but he completely ignores it. Lunch Lady soon comments on it, but Danny just brushes it off saying that he’ll eat later. Lunch Lady presses on, maybe ranting about how important it is to eat even as a half ghost, and slowly gets irritated until Danny lets it slip that he often goes with only two meals a day because everyone keeps interrupting lunch and he’s sometimes so tired that he sleeps through dinner or just keeps studying and looses track of time, and that this isn’t a new thing either.

Lunch Lady wins in the end, giving him something that’s not poisoned like Danny suspected, and made a promise to herself not to attack during lunchtime anymore. Or any meal time. As a ghost, her obsession is making sure people eat healthy, not just children. Realizing that she was often the reason he missed meals hurt a lot, and she’s determined to make it right. Who knows? Maybe she’ll even try to stall other ghosts so Danny can eat.

Lunch Lady’s redemption arc!

[nelkcats]

New place, same fight

Danny loves his friends, they have been with him since they were little and they have experienced too many things together, things that have helped them grow, things that only strengthen their friendship. Because Sam and Tucker were everything to him, as he was everything to them.

But at the same time, Danny could admit that he hated his friends; not always, but there were times where they wouldn't stop fighting, where they forced him to choose. The halfa could understand, Sam and Tucker had different world views, they saw different things and occasionally Danny thought they only got along because of him.

That was okay, he learned to live with them, to be the center of their arguments. And when they moved from Amity to Gotham, when they decided to rent an apartment together and go to the same college (which miraculously had all their majors), he thought everything would be fine.

It was idiotic of him. Because at the time he could only see a repeat of what had happened in high school; Sam was having a protest about the cafeteria menu and Tucker had organized the meat lovers (again), and the halfa knew how it was all going to end.

The point is, Danny was tired of repeating the same cycle, a cycle that apparently included Waylon and Poison Ivy fighting in the cafeteria at his new college (and how the hell did his friends manage to get the Rogues of Gotham into their fights?), so when he saw the people in bat suits he exploded.

When Sam and Tucker turned to ask his opinion he shook his head, pointed at Lunch Lady, who had her arms crossed and decided it wasn't his problem before disappear. Literally, no matter if half of Gotham was calling him meta, he was tired.

Red Robin gawked at him before turning his attention to Lunch Lady, who was gathering all the meat around her to form a giant meat monster. And Danny decided it wasn't his problem.

Apparently, Sam and Tucker decided that the bats could take care of it before they looked worried and started looking for Danny. It became obvious that the bats needed help when Danny looked at a giant meat monster two hours later, the halfa arched an eyebrow in dismay, weren't they supposed to be professional heroes? Lunch wasn't even trying...

[bet-on-me-13]

Ghostly Host AU

So! Ghosts need a physical Anchor in the living world, or they are liable to fall apart and fade away if they stay for too long.

In Amity Park, this usually isn't too much of a problem. Sure most Ghosts can't stay for a week without a Host, but the ambient Ecto-Levels in Amity Park are enough that they can stay for a few days or so at a time with little worry.

This changes however, during Reign Storm.

When Pariah Dark awakens, Tens of Thousands of Ghosts use the Fenton Portal to escape the Rule of Pariah Dark, running away into the Human Realm.

If Amity Park had stayed where it was, this would have been fine. They could have stayed in the Living Realm for a few days, and maybe the Weaker ones would need to find a temporary Host, but that was fine since Amity was filled with thousands of Liminals.

Unfortunately, Pariah Darks first move was to suck Amity Park into the Ghost Zone, alongside all of the Ecto-Energy that had accumulated there.

Now left trapped in the Living Realm with no way back to the Zone, thousands of Ghosts suddenly needed Hosts or they would start dying off by the Hundreds. In a Panic, they spread out across the Planet in search of viable Hosts.

Any normal Person wouldn't do, they needed a Living Being that could actually handle their Power, or someone who matched their Soul. Preferably both. Liminals were the best since they had a durable Body and a Malleable Soul, so any Ghost could use any of them as a Host.

But outside of Amity Liminals were very rare, and finding someone who matched their Soul was time-consuming and hard. Thankfully, in recent years the population of Aliens, Metahumans, Enhanced Soldiers, and even extra durable baseline Humans had spiked across the world.

All across the planet, People suddenly found themselves stuck with a new Passenger in their Bodies.

Those new passengers thankfully weren't malicious, for the most part, but it was still annoying. The only good thing was that they now had new Powers, which neat.

They could summon the Ghosts in their Body outwardly, and then command the Ghost to use their Powers in whatever way they wanted. Only other Hosts could see another person's Ghost, which meant they looked very awkward to normal people when they fought. Generally, Hosts seemed to act more strangely after getting a Ghost, as if they lost a few of their Inhibitions.

Why did they feel the sudden need to strike a flamboyant Pose? Or over dramatically scream?

[declamationark]

Between Danny’s constant sleep deprivation, school stress, and his villains’ differing levels of goofiness, I’m surprised he didn’t try just.. crying, like there’s a reasonable chance they immediately regret making this kid cry

like dude, you get catharsis and your enemies get Guilted into awkwardly going "there there buddy (help??? how to stop crying??? do I just pat the kid's head????)" and giving you gifts