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lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks · 3 years

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hi I wanna get into danny phantom but i don't want to watch every single episode do you know which ones i should watch to get a feel for the characters/show personality and dynamics

good question!

I would probably recommend watching most of the first season since a whole lot of recurring characters and ghosts are introduced

but if you really want to condense things, I can tell you which characters are introduced in which episode and you can skip ones you aren't as interested in

season 1

Mystery Meat is the first episode so it's a good place to start since it establishes the premise and main characters, it starts after Danny's already become a halfa tho, his accident is only depicted in the opening theme (and again in a later episode but we'll get to that) The main antagonist is the Lunch Lady Ghost

Parental Bonding, introduces a dragon amulet and, briefly, Dora, who comes back in a later episode, Danny discovers he can overshadow people

One of a Kind, Skulker's first episode! highly recommend

Attack of the Killer Garage Sale, Technus' first episode! any ep with Technus is a delight

Splitting Images, Danny swaps bodies with Sydney Poindexter, I vaguely remember the animation in that scene freaking me out, this one is probably fine to skip

What you Want, Danny discovers new powers and Desiree is introduced, lots of Tucker in this ep

Bitter Reunions, UNSKIPPABLE, this is Vlad's introduction, so it's hugely plot relevant

Prisoners of Love, introduces Aunt Alicia, Walker, and the ghost prison, actually has Danny working together with other ghosts and establishes some worldbuilding for the ghost zone, I wouldn't recommend skipping it

My Brother's Keeper, introduces Spectra, also a PINNACLE Jazz episode, I would consider this unskippable

Shades of Gray, the first Valerie episode! absolutely unskippable, also introduces Cujo

Fanning the Flames, introduces Ember, there's some pretty funny moments

Teacher of the Year, it's got Lancer, it's got Technus, it's got video games, it's got a very very early 2000s depiction of the internet, it's a good time, highly recommend

Fright Night, introduces the Fright Knight, I think this might be the ep where we discover Danny bleeds ectoplasm?

13, introduces Johnny and Kitty, this one is pretty fun, some good Fenton family shenanigans

Public Enemies, Walker returns, Wulf is introduced, this ep establishes Danny's reputation as a public menace

Lucky in Love, Kitty returns, a mostly character driven ep not much action

Maternal Instincts, another Vlad ep, definitely unskippable, it has ongoing plot relevance

Life Lessons, a Valerie ep where she and Phantom have to work together, featuring Skulker and a flour bag baby, highly recommend

The Million Dollar Ghost, another Vlad ep, introduces the Guys in White and various other one off ghost hunters, this ep also foreshadows Reign Storm

Control Freaks, the Freakshow ep!! this is the one where Danny is being controlled, highly recommend

season 2 electric boogaloo

Memory Blank, Desiree returns, this ep actually covers his accident with the portal in more detail, worth watching for that alone

Doctor's Disorders, Spectra returns, all the kids at Casper High get temporary ghost powers, it's pretty fun

Pirate Radio, introduces Youngblood, Ember returns, it's pretty fun

Reign Storm, UNSKIPPABLE, this is the Pariah Dark ep, enough said

Identity Crisis, this is the ep where Danny gets his human and ghost halves split, splitting his personality with them, a lot of fun! also a Technus ep

The Fenton Menace, Youngblood returns, a good Fenton family shenanigans ep

The Ultimate Enemy, ABSOLUTELY UNSKIPPABLE, this is the evil future Danny ep, introducing Clockwork

The Fright Before Christmas, introduces Ghost Writer and the christmas truce, it's also the ep we find out Sam is jewish

Secret Weapons, a Jazz ep, featuring Vlad, it ties up a previous plot point from Reign Storm, has some fun sibling banter

Flirting with Disaster, a Valerie ep, highly recommended for character development between Danny and Val, also features Technus

Micro Management, lots of Dash, it's fun but has no real plot importance other than establishing that Danny's strength in ghost form doesn't actually transfer to his human self

Beauty Marked, introduces Aragon, Dora returns, this is actually a really fun Sam ep, and we get to spend some time in the ghost zone

King Tuck, introduces Hotep Ra and Tucker as Duul Aman, I have a personal love for this ep specifically because it introduces the concept of Tucker being a reincarnated Egyptian Pharaoh, but other than being a good Tucker-centric episode, it's not wholly important and the characters don't return

Masters of All Time, Vlad and Clockwork return, a time travel/alternate future ep were we get to see Vlad's accident and what would happen if he never became a halfa, it's definitely an interesting one character-wise

Kindred Spirits, this ep is... oof, it's the clone episode, Vlad is back, Danielle is introduced, this is definitely unskippable, it's also pretty messed up

Double Cross My Heart, a Sam-centric ep, introduces Gregor, the Guys in White return for this one, other than that it's not especially important

Reality Trip, this is a pretty big one, features the Reality Gauntlet, Freakshow, and the Guys in White, I would not recommend skipping it

season 3

Eye for an Eye, Danny and Vlad have a prank war, this is the ep where Vlad becomes mayor, that's its only real importance

Infinite Realms, introduces Frostbite and the Infi-map, has a lot of portal shenanigans resulting in Vlad and Danny fighting each other throughout different time periods, has some ghost zone worldbuilding

Girls' Night Out, Spectra, Kitty and Ember team up, Danny and Jack are off on a fishing trip so Maddie, Jazz and Sam team up to fight, I don't remember much else

Torrent of Terror, introduces Vortex, I actually forgot so much about this episode, it features Vlad, and Danny temporarily gets weather powers, it makes very little sense

Forever Phantom, introduces Amorpho, a shapeshifting ghost, I don't remember much about this one either, but basically he impersonates Danny and shenanigans ensue

Urban Jungle, the Plant Sam ep, introducing Undergrowth and Danny's ice powers, highly recommend

Livin' Large, the first half of this episode is objectively terrible, but the latter half does feature the Guys in White, and Danny teaming up with some ghosts which I always love, I would say it's skippable tho

Boxed-Up Fury, introduces Pandora and heavily features the Box Ghost, this one is pretty fun, there's some good jokes and Pandora's design is rad, I recommend it

Frightmare, introduces Nocturne, arguably one of the coolest villains, his design is excellent and the episode is definitely worth watching

Claw of the Wild, Wulf returns, set during a school camping trip, I remember very little about this ep

De-Stabilised, Danielle returns, a lot of Valerie in this ep, I would consider this unskippable

Phantom Planet, uuugghhhhhh I mean you CAN watch this if you REALLY want to know how the series ends but honestly? the only interesting part is the introduction of ectoranium, and the fact that Jack gets to beat the snot out of Vlad, that's it, the rest is awful

if anyone else has any episode recommendations or remembers something important in an ep that I forgot to mention, feel free to add on!

I hope this helps ~

#asks #danny phantom #ep recs

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currentlylurking · 4 years

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Dannymay: 25 - 31

Days 1 - 24

Break

Ghosts are creatures of habits and bonds - if something happens to render their habits impossible, and severs their bonds, then they break. Sometimes, they go from complex people to feral beasts - others, their sole goal becomes to cause others to hurt as they were hurt.

In the Ghost Zone, the most common and tragic example of a ghost breaking is Pariah Dark - when one of the Ancients destroyed his wife and children, he began to target other families - he’d include them of improper grieving, and force the father-figure to watch as he hurt them just as he had been hurt.

The worst example of a ghost breaking, however, was known to very few - only the ones who had been involved in the creation of halfa-hybrid knew about him. His rampage had been averted and now he sat, contained, on a small shelf in a dark room.

And as the reasons he had broken in the first place were averted one by one, he gained a bit more control, a bit more realization of what, exactly, he had done.

Strange

Danny sputtered, “I - I just - I didn’t think you had any hobbies.”

Clockwork raised an eyebrow, and placed the half-sewn shirt on the desk in front of him - he crossed his arms and looked a bit offended. “Of course I have hobbies, Daniel - why is it so strange that I do something besides monitor the timestream all day? You sound like the Observants.”

Danny winced, and held up his hands in surrender - Clockwork still frowned at him. “I just thought you’d be more into, like, bonsai trees or something - not making clothes, especially since you only ever wear the one thing.”

Buried

“If we find a secret city buried under here, I’m leaving,” Tucker announced, which was the most valid thing he’d said since they entered Amity Park’s horror-movie-esque sewers.

“What if it’s Eldorado?” Sam said, which was more valid - Danny nodded along. “Are you really going to run away from the city of gold just because it’s a bit creepy?”

“If we’ve ended up in Mexico, then I’m leaving faster,” Tucker said, “every time we find a spooky secret teleport I have to do something dumb.”

That was also fair, but Danny thought for a second - “Wouldn’t it be more likely that we find Atlantis or something?”

Diner

“What can I get for you, sugar?” The ghost asked, and Danny did his best to force a smile - it still came out strained, and he could see the pity on the ghost’s face.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to one of your employees - she’s a friend of mine, and newly... new.”

The ghost sighed, “follow me,” she led him back to the kitchen, and Danny saw them - all of them. Every single employee of the Nasty Burger, focused on the work at hand - with Valerie near the back, flipping burgers like it was a normal day at work.

It was a bit comforting to see that, at least, none of them had suffered when the vat of sauce overheated.

Heat

Jack plugged in the heated blanket, turned on the space heater, and gave a final check that Danny was securely wrapped up in a multitude of quilts. When he’d checked on his sleeping son, he’d been as cold as the dead - except, of course, he was very much alive.

Hopefully the extra heat would help him. When he woke up, Jack would bring him a nice hot drink and some soup.

Let it never be said that Jack Fenton didn’t have his family’s best interest at heart, after all! Danny would be so much more comfortable in his nice warm bed, and he’d surely have an excellent sleep - maybe even dream about hunting ghosts with his old man!

Family

“He is the exact opposite of the kind of ghosts you should be focusing on,” Fright Knight said, “your subjects will be angry.”

“Let them be angry,” Pariah Dark said, and lowered the bow he’d been practicing with, “Clockwork is my brother - I am not just handing him over to the Observants just because he has some weird powers.”

“You’re supposed to work in cooperation with the Observants,” Fright Knight sighed, “antagonizing them with laws like this will only build animosity between our factions.”

“Good,” Pariah said, “Write it into law - if any ghost inflicts physical damage to another’s blood relative or significant other, then the family of the affected ghost is allowed to retaliate tenfold. The next time someone lays a hand on my brother I’ll make them wish they’d never formed.”

Free Day (aka pick your own prompt, and I picked Grief!)

“You’re not the only one who’s lost everything,” Clockwork said. “I lost my brother, my friends, any family I had - I do understand, I promise. But this isn’t the way to deal with it, Daniel.”

Dan laughed in the face of the Master of Time, the Observants’ little pet meddler, their puppet on a string. “That’s cute, did they tell you to say it?”

“The Observants don’t know I’m here,” Clockwork said, voice slow and gentle, “this is just a conversation between two people who are still grieving.”

#Danny Phantom #Dannymay2020 #things i write #Currently talking #I'm done!! I did all of them!!#I'm so proud of myself!!

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darks-ink · 4 years

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Absurdism Chapter 15

Vlad makes mistakes, and then makes some more mistakes, and then rounds it off by making even more mistakes.

Rating: Teen/K+ (a lil swearing, because teenagers, man) Warnings: - Genre: Family, Hurt/Comfort Additional Tags: Sibling Bonding, Family Bonding, Alternate Universe - Halfa Jazz AU, Jazz makes friends

[AO3] [FFN] [more Absurdism on Tumblr] First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

---

Chapter 15: Reign Storm

Jazz walked into the kitchen and stopped dead when she saw him. Danny grinned, waving at her.

Next to him, the other Danny also grinned and waved.

“Why,” Jazz groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Couldn’t I have gotten a normal brother?”

The other Danny gasped dramatically. “A normal brother? In this family?”

“Did you two plan this out?” She dropped her hand to narrow her eyes at them. Danny was pretty sure that she was trying to figure out which Danny was which. “Because this is bullying. I’m feeling very bullied right here.”

“Take it up with Sidney, then.” Danny, still grinning, took a bite of his sandwich. He should’ve had lunch sooner, but in his defense, he totally forgot. Until the actual Fenton kids were returning from school, that was. “He’s the local expert on fixing bullies.”

“This isn’t bullying, anyway.” His human counterpart rattled his fingers on the glass he held as he spoke. “This is just sibling fun.”

Jazz huffed, chagrined. “Phantom, I’m glad you’re here, but sometimes I wish you weren’t.”

“Amen.” Other Danny raised his glass.

“Same,” Danny agreed, raising his sandwich.

She narrowed her eyes even further, sparks of gold visible in the teal of her eyes.

Danny flashed his own eyes green, and Jazz relaxed a little. Ah. She really hadn’t been able to tell them apart.

“So you two really didn’t plan this out?” She finally entered the kitchen proper, pausing next to the table where they both were.

“Just a coincidence,” Danny assured her.

Other Danny nodded, then gestured over at him. “This one forgot to eat lunch until he saw me come home.”

“My day-night rhythm is in shambles.” Danny shrugged, taking another bite of his food. Just because this dimension’s Fentons insisted he come stay with them didn’t mean it fixed everything automatically. “It already was before I came here, though.”

“Yeah, you’ve mentioned that before.” Jazz hummed, thoughtfully. “Something about being practically nocturnal.”

“You wouldn’t believe how many ghosts attack at night.” Danny clicked his tongue, chastising. “You’re gonna have your hands full when I leave.”

If he ever left.

“And you will have to get used to being the little brother again,” she jibed, equally willing to ignore the possibility that he might never leave. “Did you two leave me any food?”

Danny stuffed the last bite of sandwich into his mouth. Other Danny grinned and said, “Nah, unless you want the Frankenwienies.”

“You two are the worst.”

He opened his mouth to joke back, but felt his core stir in his chest. Far, far stronger than usual; more of a heave than a whir.

Based on Jazz’ startled expression, she felt it too.

Blue vapor misted from both their mouths, and Danny quickly sorted through his memories. What could possibly…

Oh no.

He threw out his arms as he shifted into his ghost form, a green shield forming around the three of them before the light had even faded away. The other two made noises of protest, but fell silent when the first ghosts started zipping past them.

No one said anything when the few ghosts made way for a whole stream of them. Humanoid, animals, every type of ghost flew past them, including familiar faces. One or two even bashed against the shield as they flew past, but were clearly unwilling to stick around to try and get at Jazz.

Good. At least she wouldn’t have to suffer through that gang-up like he had.

“What’s going on?” Jazz asked. Her hands were shaking, but Danny wasn’t sure if it was fear or just jitters from her core. “Why are all these ghosts here?”

“They’re fleeing the Ghost Zone.” He kept the shield steady, even as the flow lessened. “The Ghost King is awake.”

“The what?” Other Danny was staring at him, wide-eyed. “Ghosts have a king?!”

“Sort of. He’s been asleep for ages, locked in the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep.” Finally, the stream of ghosts seemed to stop, and Danny let down his shield. He didn’t shift back. “He is… extremely powerful, and a harsh king. The other ghosts are afraid of him, so they’re fleeing to the human world, where they don’t have to deal with him. Or so they think.”

“I really don’t like the sound of that,” Jazz grumbled. Her shivers had lessened already. Probably just the shock of her ghost sense, then. “Is he gonna come here?”

Danny grimaced. “Not… necessarily. He doesn’t care about the human world.”

“But?” Jazz prodded. “Come on, I can tell you’re leaving details out.”

“But,” he repeated, before sighing. “He’ll be after one of his relics, which increases a ghost’s power. It’s called the Ring of Rage.”

“How did he get out, anyway?” his human counterpart asked. “If he was locked up for so long. Did someone free him?”

“Vlad, of course, who else?” Danny sighed, running a hand through his hair. He really wasn’t looking forward to doing this all again. Last time it had nearly killed him. Yes, he was stronger now, he’d probably be okay, but still. “And he knows Pariah is after the Ring, so he’s gonna bring it here and pass it off to some unsuspecting target, like his pet ghost hunter.”

Jazz’ eyes grew wide. “Valerie. She’s in danger!”

“Not until Vlad leaves and gives her the ring,” he dismissed. Paused. Cast out his ghost sense to try and track down Vlad’s minimal presence in human form. “Uh. Is Vlad still here?”

Jazz hurried back to the doorway. “Valerie is gone too!”

“Well, crap.” Oh, and he didn’t know where those two had gone, either… but he did know where the first big showdown was happening. “Come on, we’d better get going. Pariah is gonna send an army of ghosts here, and I know where he’s gonna open the portal.”

She nodded, immediately shifting into her own ghost form. No hesitation. “Let’s go.”

“Stay safe,” human Danny demanded. “Both of you. Stay safe, please?”

Danny nodded back. “I’ll make sure of it.” He stepped forward, paused. “And, um. In case Vlad is back before us… he may or may not believe we are the same person.”

“Phantom,” other Danny sighed, loudly, exasperatedly. “Again?”

He shrugged, putting on an innocent face. “What? It’s just the logical conclusion here! Anyway we’d better get going, bye!”

Jazz followed him up. “Did you really have to do that?”

“No, but this way he’ll have something besides us to worry about.” He leveled out, slowing down a notch so Jazz could keep up. “We’ll be fine.”

He would make sure of that.

---

The fight was a mess, chaotic to no end. Danny lost track of Jazz quickly, darting between Pariah’s skeletal minions. He would just have to trust that she could take care of herself. Vlad and Valerie also disappeared into the mass. It was just him, and the ghosts directly around him.

He caught a flash of green, his eye immediately drawn towards it. The Fright Knight, the ghost’s first appearance in this world. Or, more accurately, the flash of green of his swinging sword.

“Don’t get hit by it!” he yelled at Valerie, already rushing towards her.

“Thought that that was kinda obvious!” She dodged the next swing, the green metal carving a deep slice in her hoverboard. “Hey, jerk! Do you know how expensive this tech is?!”

“It is worthless in comparison to the ring,” Fright Knight snarled back. He lunged towards her.

Danny grabbed the ghost by the armor, bodily dragging him away from Valerie. “That’s enough outta you, pal.”

“The ring?” Valerie repeated, blankly. “They want a ring?”

Fright Knight swung his sword down at Danny, and he rushed to form a shield to catch it. “Yeah, they’re after Pariah’s Ring of Rage.”

“Oh,” Valerie said. Danny heard the click of a weapon assembling. “Well, I’ll take care of that, then.”

“Wait, what are you—” The weapon fired, and he twisted around to look. God dammit, Valerie, launching the thing on a missile doesn’t help!

The pressure against his shield disappeared, and a quick glance back confirmed that the Fright Knight had summoned his mount and was going after the missile. Danny needed to get there first, but he couldn’t be seen taking it.

It had been months since he last used this power, but… He split apart, meeting the bright green eyes of his duplicate.

“You know what to do,” he said to it, and it nodded back. It shimmered, disappearing from sight, but Danny could still feel it as it raced after Fright Knight. He would just have to hope that all that speed training would pay off.

“Damn, Phantom.” Valerie whistled, impressed. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

He blasted one of the skeletons away from her, cursing the distraction of his duplicate. This was not an ideal situation for this. “I don’t use them, usually. Splits my attention.”

“Gotcha.” She cocked her gun, turning her attention back to the fight as well. “Now what?”

“My duplicate is gonna grab the ring, make sure that Fright Knight loses track of it.” An ice-ray stopped a large swatch of ghosts that were coming in their direction. “Shooting it on a missile is a short-term solution, and we do not want them to actually get their hands on the Ring.”

His duplicate had caught up with the missile, snatching the Ring before Fright Knight could notice. Danny instructed it to flee, to hide the thing in a place where Fright Knight wouldn’t be able to detect it.

“Wow, I heard the capitalization on that.” Valerie snorted, blasted a few more skeletons apart. “Why is it so important?”

“It greatly increases the power of a ghost wearing it.” He swept a disc of ectoplasm at some of the ghostly skeletons, watching the explosion scatter them. His duplicate had made it back to FentonWorks unnoticed, stuffing the Ring into a Thermos. Clever. With its job finished, it dissipated. “Pariah wants it because it’ll make him the strongest ghost in the Ghost Zone.”

He could see her mask crinkle as she made a face. “And how bad is that?”

“Well, I had to use a suit that increased by power hundred-fold just to match him, so…” He could see her fretting, now. “Don’t worry, my duplicate snatched it and hid the Ring. They won’t find it.”

“Good.” The ghosts around them stalled, all of a sudden, and she drew closer to him, warily. “I don’t get it. Why did my weapons supplier have that thing?”

“Long story.” Danny angled his head upwards, saw the Fright Knight coming down again. Had he given up the search so quickly?

“You know my weapons supplier?” Valerie asked, skeptically. She had caught sight of Fright Knight as well. “Oh, there’s that guy again.”

The Fright Knight dismounted, the clanking of his armored boots loud in the sudden silence. Over the still skeletons, Danny finally caught sight of Jazz and Vlad; they were on opposite ends of the field, both having apparently decided to move to the edges of the fight instead of staying in the center like him and Valerie.

“By the authority vested in me by my Lord and Liege,” Fright Knight started, raising his sword. Green flames engulfed it suddenly. Danny felt his heart clench, but there was no stopping it.

“I claim this town now and forever under the weather of Lord Pariah, King of All Ghosts!” And Fright Knight drove the sword down, sinking it into the ground. A wave of ectoplasm emanated from it, a secondary beam shooting straight up.

“Stay back, and stay calm,” Danny told Valerie, not taking his eyes off of Fright Knight. “He’s not going to attack.”

She nodded, but the tense line of her shoulders told him she wasn’t happy with it.

The beam of ectoplasm spread out, forming a dome around their whole city. Jazz shot over the motionless ghosts, joining up with him and Valerie. “What’s he doing?”

“Right now? Upping the amount of ectoplasm we have in our air.” Danny let his eyes wander back to Vlad, but the man made no attempt to join up with them. “And he’s not gonna do anything else, either, except give us his demands.”

Fright Knight turned to look towards them. Danny stepped forward as well, Valerie and Jazz staying behind.

The ghost angled his head, but took the hint—Danny was the leader. “The sword has sunk, your die now cast. The sword removed shall signal fast. Make reappear,” he gestured at their group, “the ring thou hast. Or your next day shall be your last.”

And without another word, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

“That sounded… dramatic.” Valerie was clearly eyeing up the skeletons. “What about those?”

“They’re not gonna do anything for now,” Danny dismissed. “Pariah wants us to hand over the ring, he’s not gonna attack us until his terms run out.”

“Where is the Ring, anyway?” Jazz frowned at the skeletons, but turned to face him for his answer. “Why did they stop looking for it?”

“We hid it.” He shot a meaningful look at the skeletons below, and Jazz nodded in understanding. “You head back home, I’ll catch up with you in a minute.”

She nodded again, golden eyes darting between him and Valerie. “Gotcha. I’ll meet you there.”

“What was that about?” Valerie asked, skeptically, as Jazz left them. “Why not just tell her?”

“I didn’t want to risk the skeletons being able to listen in.” He shrugged, casting out his ghost sense. Vlad had also left, at some point. “And I wanted to talk to you about your weapons supplier, Vlad.”

“What about him?” Her posture was stiff, tense.

Danny rolled his eyes. “You don’t think that it’s weird that the Vlad Masters gave this kind of weaponry to a fourteen-year old? That he gave a powerful ghost artifact to you, knowing what—or who—was after it?”

“Ugh.” She sighed, shoulders slumping down. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it for a while. You gonna tell me he’s evil, now?”

“And also a half-ghost.” He grinned at her incredulous look. “That vampire-looking guy that was here with us? Vlad Plasmius, half-ghost. He’s been half-ghost for two decades, but he’s not as powerful as me, and Jazz will outpace him as well, when her core matures.”

She hummed. “And he’s no good?”

“And he’s no good,” Danny confirmed. “Told me—and Jazz, in this universe—to our face that he wanted to kill our dad and marry our mom. Most ghosts aren’t obsession-driven like people think, but Vlad? Absolutely.”

“Yikes.” She shook her head. “Now I’m gonna think of that every time I see my weapons. Big creep who refuses to deal with his own shit, got it. Anything else I gotta know?”

“Maybe get your gear checked out. I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him.” He frowned, one finger tapping on his cheek. “I know that your identity is a big deal, and I respect that, but the Fentons are probably your best bet. Well, after this.”

“Thanks for the head’s-up, anyway.” She turned her head, presumably to look at the dome above them. “Now what?”

“I’m gonna head back towards FentonWorks. You’re welcome to come along. Would probably comfort your dad, too, to know that you’re in the safest place in Amity Park.”

She nodded, shifting to follow him. “What kind of world do we live in where FentonWorks is the safest place in Amity?”

That startled a laugh out of him as they set off.

---

Danny stretched, hovering over one of the cluttered lab tables. His parents—or their counterparts from this universe—were hard at work on the Ecto-Skeleton, Vlad standing nearby. Not helping of course, God forbid. Just watching.

He was keeping an eye on Danny, but that was okay. Danny was keeping an eye on Vlad as well.

Once or twice, the man tried sneaking closer to him. Tried talking to him without anyone noticing. It hadn’t been very successful, not with Jack and Maddie in the lab. And hadn’t that been a surprise to Vlad? Finding Danny in his ghost form in the lab, his parents perfectly fine with that?

Jack sighed, interrupting Danny’s thoughts. “Let’s take a break, folks. Get some lunch.”

“I think I’ll keep working,” Vlad said, eyes on Danny the whole time. “I’m not hungry.”

Maddie threw him a skeptical look. “If you’re sure, Vlad. What about you, sweetie?”

Oh, he was so glad that his parents were playing along. Not using his name meant that Vlad had no idea of their knowledge.

“I’m good, thanks.” He flapped a hand. “You guys go get lunch, and Vlad and I will keep working.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, but nodded. With Jack right behind her, she left the lab.

“They know, don’t they?” Vlad turned back to him, meeting his eyes. “That’s why they are so nice to you. They’re afraid of giving away your secret to me.”

Well, no point in denying. He shrugged at Vlad. “They were already nice before they figured it out.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Vlad sneered. “But here you are, spending ages in your ghost form. Why not shift back?”

“Why would I? It’s not like my ghost form is hurting me.” He drifted closer to the suit, until he was above clear space again. “Or do you dislike it, Vladdie?”

“Don’t call me that,” Vlad hissed back, his eyes flaring red for a brief moment. Ooh, temper, Vlad. “It doesn’t matter, anyhow. The invasion will get worse when no one finds the ring they want.”

Danny rolled his eyes. “Yes, because you’re not at fault for any of this, are you? Come on, man.”

“I don’t have the ring, if that’s what you are suggesting.”

“Yeah, because you gave it away to the Red Huntress.” He sighed, twisting until he was in a standing position, matching Vlad’s eye level. “Come on, I know exactly what’s going on. Just tell me why you thought it was a good idea to release a ghost of Pariah’s caliber, just to snatch a powerful artifact.”

Vlad flinched back, eyes narrowed. “How do you know about any of this?”

“Because people think I’m stupid when I’m not.” He grinned at Vlad, cocky. “What are you gonna do about it, Vladdie? Gonna tell my secret to my parents? Or, wait, what if they know already?”

“You little—” Vlad’s eyes flared red again, almost immediately followed by the dark-light rings that signaled his transformation. The other half-ghost didn’t wait a moment, lunging instantly.

Danny formed a shield, pushing Vlad away from the battle suit. “What are you really trying to achieve, man? You lost the Ring, you have no chance of getting the Crown, not while Pariah has it. Now what?”

“The suit will have to do,” Vlad hissed back, hands clenching. “But for now, I’m willing to settle for introducing your face to the floor.”

A bolt of green ectoplasm whistled past Vlad’s ear. Danny followed it back to its origin, finding the entire Fenton family at the bottom of the stairs.

“You talk too much,” Maddie said, almost complaintively. The glint in her eyes was angry.

“What?” Vlad’s eye clearly caught on Danny Fenton standing with his family. Vlad turned back towards him. “What’s…”

“You’ve been outplayed, Vladdie.” Danny shot an ice beam, freezing the older half-ghost to the wall. “Sorry, pal, but they heard everything.”

Pink flames formed around Vlad’s fists, and he started wriggling out of the ice. “No! I will not—”

“We know everything, Vlad.” Jack stepped forward, a disappointed frown on his face. “We’re sorry for the accident in college, for hurting you. But it’s not our fault that we weren’t allowed to visit you. It’s not our fault that you broke contact.”

“Being angry with us is one thing,” Maddie chimed in. “But attacking our children over it? Wanting to kill one of us? That’s too much, Vlad. You cannot honestly think that that’s okay.”

Vlad snarled, the ice around him cracking. “Oh, please. Like you know anything!”

“They know more than you do.” Jazz quirked an unimpressed eyebrow at Vlad. “They know everything, Vlad.”

“But we also believe in second chances.” Jack curled an arm around Maddie, keeping his eyes on Vlad. “We need to finish the Ecto-Skeleton, and we’ll need to fight that big ghost afterwards. Are you with us, or not?”

The ice cracked, Vlad almost completely free. “And what will you do if I refuse to fight with you?” he hissed, aura flaring bright. “Will you—”

The blue vortex of a Thermos interrupted him, wrapping him up entirely. Danny Fenton grinned, a close match to Danny’s own cocky grin. Other Danny capped the Thermos. “Now what?”

“We’ll have to discuss it later.” Maddie took the Thermos, carefully placing it aside. “For now, he can wait in there.” She sighed, clicked her tongue. “I can’t believe that man.”

“Thanks for telling us, Phantom.” Jack heaved a sigh. “And for helping us catch him.”

“Hopefully he’ll be more receptive to a stern talking-to than mine.” Danny floated closer towards them. “How’s progress on the battle suit?”

Maddie sighed, taking one last glance at the Thermos before turning to the suit. “It’s almost finished. If you two had any allies to gather, this might be a good moment for it.”

“Gotcha.” He nodded, and Jazz stepped up next to him. “Jazz, can you handle Sidney and Valerie? I’ll go get the others.”

“We have other allies?” she asked, one eyebrow raised skeptically. “But, sure.”

Light flashed as she shifted to her ghost form, drifting up. “I’ll be right back, then.”

“I might be a bit longer,” he admitted, both to her and to her parents. “I have some actual tracking down to do.”

Jazz nodded, flying off, and Danny quickly did the same. Some of these ghosts, he could find; he knew where they had been in his own universe. But others…

Well, he’d try his best, at least.

---

Jazz sighed, impatiently, watching over the people gathered in the lab. Both Sidney and Valerie had been reluctant to mingle, but had eventually caved to her insistence. Now Sidney was hovering next to Danny, Sam, and Tucker, talking about… modern schooling? And bullying? Hm. Well, at least they were getting along?

Valerie, on the other hand, had cornered Jack and Maddie, and was discussing ghost weaponry and gadgets.

Finally, though, Jazz’ ghost sense went off. She thought she could recognize Phantom’s signature, but she wasn’t sure… and it was far too strong.

But no, there he was. Phantom phased through the ceiling, followed by the allies he’d gathered. She counted… seven ghosts. Seven?! What the—

Phantom, floating above the rest of them, grinned. Threw his arms wide to gesture at the ghosts floating behind him. “Sorry it took a bit! Had to track down and convince all of these guys.”

Jazz went through the crowd, mentally. On the far left was a ghost she didn’t recognize; metal, humanoid, with green eyes and a matching flame mohawk. Next to him was Ember, followed by the Box Ghost, Lunch Lady, and then Desiree, and Dora on the furthest end, her amulet glowing brightly.

Another ghost she didn’t recognize floated up closer to Phantom. Big and bulky, a humanoid body-shape but with a wolf-like face, paws, and even a tail. The entire ghost was covered in thick black fur, and it had some dangerous looking claws on its front paws.

“Most of these are familiar faces, but I’ll introduce everyone anyway.” Phantom gestured at the ghost on the far left. “This is Skulker, Ghost Zone’s greatest hunter. Then there’s Ember, grand musician. The Box Ghost, self-explanatory. Lunch Lady, a killer cook. Desiree, wish-granter, and finally Dora, princess of Aragon.” He patted the ghost next to him on the arm. “And finally, this is Wulf! He only speaks a little English, mostly Esperanto.”

“You speak Esperanto?” Tucker asked, elbowing Danny. “Since when?”

“Since I befriended Wulf and realized I had no way of communicating,” Phantom retorted, rolling his eyes. “You folks wanna do an introductory round as well, or what?”

Jazz rolled her eyes, stepping forward. “I’m Specter, half-ghost. That’s Sidney, full ghost,” she pointed at him, and he raised a hand, clearly shy. “Next to him on the left is Danny, my brother. On Danny’s left is Sam, and furthest right is Tucker. They’re taking care of flight and small guns.”

She gestured at Valerie, who had stepped away from the adults. “That’s the Red Huntress, some of you might be familiar with her. She’s one of the local ghost hunters; she’ll be main fighter among the humans. Next to her are Jack and Maddie, my parents. They’re also ghost hunters, and they’ll be taking the big guns. Any questions?”

“Yeah, I got one.” Ember’s eyes narrowed, her hair flickering like a flame. “Why do the humans have specific roles when we don’t?”

“Uh.” Jazz made a face. “Honestly, we had no clue who Phantom was bringing. Also, you all know your skills best. The humans, we had to equip, but you guys can all work alone.”

Ember hummed, apparently satisfied with that.

Skulker, meanwhile, seemed to be suspiciously looking between Phantom and Danny. When Phantom noticed, however, he grinned widely at Skulker—all teeth and no humor. That was enough to throw the ghost off, who promptly pretended he hadn’t been doing that.

There was a story there, and Jazz wished that they had the time to go into it.

Something sniffed next to her, and she started. Jerked around to see Wulf next to her—and how had she missed a ghost of his size moving?

“Amika,” the ghost greeted her, before continuing in Esperanto.

“He’s pleased to make your acquaintance!” Tucker yelled, hurrying closer so he could help translating.

“Oh, uh.” She offered her hand to him. “Nice to meet you, too. Are you…” She ran over possible situations in her head. “Are you the ghost Phantom rescued in the Ghost Zone?”

Tucker spoke, presumably translating it. Wulf nodded, immediately.

“Apparently they are close friends back home, and…” Tucker paused, quietly talking back and forth with Wulf. “I guess Phantom asked Wulf to keep an eye on you, when he goes home?”

She blinked up at the large ghost and his bright green hoodie. Wulf’s tail wagged, slowly, hesitantly.

“I’m going to have to look up a course in Esperanto, then,” she said, grinning slowly.

They were unfortunately forced to end the conversation there, as Phantom cleared his throat. He was now standing on top of the finished Ecto-Skeleton.

With everyone’s attention drawn, Phantom spoke up. “So, everyone knows the plan?”

A general murmur of acknowledgment sounded.

“Good! Let’s get ready to go, then!” He underlined the statement by uncapping a Thermos; Jazz stiffened, expecting it to be Vlad’s, but no ghost came out. Instead Phantom shook out… a ring.

Or, no. The Ring, based on the gasps of all the other ghosts.

Phantom stuck it onto his finger, frowning down at it. Then, with a shrug, he phased into the Ecto-Skeleton, activating it.

“Is that safe?” Jazz asked, although she wasn’t sure who she was asking. Phantom must’ve heard her, though, because he shrugged—and the suit shrugged along.

“Safe enough,” he said dismissively. “The suit alone is too draining. It almost killed me in my own timeline, and I’m not risking that again.”

Phantom’s off-hand mention of his origin was… baffling. It also startled every ghost in the room except for Wulf. Well, now they were in for a quite talk, weren’t they?

But Phantom must’ve realized, because he grinned at the slew of ghosts. “How about this, folks. We take down Pariah, and then I’ll tell you guys all about it! And no one will be able to claim a role as Pariah’s Bane, because I’m not a local. Yeah?”

“Dipstick, you’re something else.” Ember shook her head, clicked her tongue, then nodded. “What are we waiting for, folks? Let’s go!”

The other ghosts cheered—or something close it, anyhow—all raising their fists. Phantom led them into the Ghost Zone, and Jazz only belatedly remembered that she was supposed to stay close to him. Quickly, she darted through the Portal as well.

Inside, the Ghost Zone was… vast. An enormous expanse of black, swirled through with green. It felt lighter than Earth. Not necessarily in a gravity way, but more… It was hard to explain.

“First time in the Zone, right?” Phantom asked, suddenly next to her. He grinned understandingly. “There’s more ambient ectoplasm, so you’re probably feeling that. I would offer to show you around, when this is all over, but…” He shrugged, making a face. “I’m not very good at navigating.”

Oh, yeah. That was how he’d gotten into her universe in the first place, wasn’t it? She’d almost forgotten. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

The Portal’s surface parted, and the cylindrical shape of the Specter Speeder burst through. Danny waved at her through the glass, with Sam behind the wheel and Tucker in the co-pilot seat. Not a moment later, Valerie flew through as well, her hoverboard loud in the silence of the Ghost Zone.

“Looks like we’re all here,” Phantom declared, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Specter and I will go at the front. Once we’re there, you guys will be in charge of clearing the way.”

“We know!” Valerie yelled back. “Let’s just go and get this over with!”

“I agree with the human hunter!” Plane-like wings folded open from Skulker’s back. “Go, whelp, and we’ll follow.”

Phantom rolled his eyes but did as said, taking lead. Jazz sped after him, forced to keep more of a distance than usual thanks to the Ecto-Skeleton.

Pariah’s castle is easy enough to recognize, a floating structure with the land in front of it filled with ghostly skeletons. Jazz lined up next to Phantom when he stopped, the others all coming to a halt in front of them.

“Showtime.” Ember cracked her knuckles, then swung her guitar to the front. “Let’s go, everybody!”

Ember’s dive was followed by the Box Ghost and Lunch Lady, side-by-side. Sidney and Desiree went right after them, Desiree’s hands glowing green. Valerie dove next, weaponry charging, and Skulker drew even with her, panels sliding open to reveal his own guns.

Dora shifted into a dragon, roaring, and Jazz could feel the sound reverberating in her bones. Wulf answered it with a howl, and the two plunged towards the ground as well.

Last but not least, the Specter Speeder swept forward, staying high where the ghosts went low. The doors on either side opened, Jack and Maddie leaning out, heavy weaponry in their hands. The built-in guns started charging as well—Danny’s work.

She and Phantom stayed behind, watching the skeleton army get eviscerated. Before long, even the larger guards at the door were cleared out—or otherwise drawn away—and Phantom nodded at her. “Road’s clear. You got the key?”

“Yep.” She patted the pocket of her belt that held it. “You take care of Pariah, and I’ll make sure he won’t get out again.”

“Good. Let’s show him what we’re made of.” Phantom dove before she could answer, so fast that Jazz couldn’t even keep up. But that was okay—he was supposed to keep Pariah’s attention.

By the time she made it to Pariah’s throne room, Phantom had already engaged the ghost in a fight. And, wow. For some reason she’d imagined Pariah to be, y’know, mostly human sized. Not this massive bulking ghost, with twisting horns and a crown made of literal flames. Yikes. She was kind of glad she wasn’t the one fighting.

Phantom split himself, three duplicates joining him. All four versions of him shot ecto-blasts at Pariah, and the ghost was pushed back.

“You miserable pest,” Pariah grumbled, shaking off the hit. “You think you can stand up to me?”

“Ha!” All of the Phantoms grinned, viciously, but only one continued speaking. “I know I can stand up to you! I am Danny Phantom, half-ghost hero from another dimension. Pariah’s Bane!”

That caught the full ghost off-guard, because he blinked. The moment of surprise was enough. Two of the duplicates grabbed Pariah’s arms, and the third pushed against his chest.

Pariah seemed to struggle, but the final Phantom shot an ecto-blast at his feet. Pariah stumbled, almost tripping, and the three duplicates shoved.

The fourth Phantom shot forward as well, sweeping around the Sarcophagus. After a moment of consideration, Jazz followed him.

Phantom’s duplicates gave another shove, and Pariah knocked against the back of the Sarcophagus. The moment he crossed the threshold, Phantom himself pushed against the door, shutting it.

Jazz darted around him, the key already in her hand. It slid into the lock easily, and she twisted it.

It clicked shut.

The three duplicates dissipated instantly, and Phantom sunk to the ground, Ecto-Skeleton and all. It disengaged, the top clicking open, and he cheered weakly. “Whoo, we won!”

“We won!” she cheered back, flying over to him. “Are you okay?”

“I need a nap,” he confessed, slumping against her. “But we won!”

#danny phantom #dp fanfic #phanfic #phanfiction #dp fanfiction #danny fenton #jazz fenton #jazz phantom #halfa jazz au #dark writes #absurdism

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omajishans · 3 years

Text

Day 4 - Corruption

AO3

Everyone knew the story of the Fright Knight.

A ghost with a fear-based obsession that wreaked havoc during the Fear War in the name of his liege, the Dark King.

Owner of the sword Soul Shredder and responsible for slaying millions of ghosts during the war.

The Dark King’s most trusted general. Who was sealed alongside him in Pariah’s Keep when he was defeated by the Ancients.

They all had an idea of who Fright Knight was. It didn’t matter if they thought he was real or not. If he had been gifted by his liege a fear inducing sword or not.

The Fright Knight was someone whose story was widely known and accepted.

Except…

It wasn’t the truth.

There were few ghosts in the Infinite Realms that were old enough to have known the truth but not all of them knew the story. No, to know the complete tale, it would be better to seek one ghost in particular.

If they were able to find the Ghost of Choice and get him to talk, he’d tell a different story.

The ghost that would eventually become the Fright Knight had begun as a blob ghost, a Little not unlike the rest. He had been one of many that had formed into being during a violent time, centuries before the Fear War would truly begin...

The Ghost of Choice would fall silent for a moment before continuing.

And with a face that seemed to crack with every word, he’d tell of the innocent and chivalrous ghost that had defended him and other vulnerable Littles against the violence and monsters that seeked to eat them. Even at his own expense.

They had spent years together, a small but determined group of Littles that didn’t want to be afraid anymore. To be preyed upon anymore.

Then, they hadn’t been Littles anymore but fully formed ghosts.

The Ghost of Choice, lost in bittersweet memories, would pause.

It was indeed true when they say the story of the Fright Knight started with a sword, he’d say. A sad, empty, look in his eye.

Because that sword was the beginning of the end for his big brother.

He’d been there and seen it happen, after all.

There were only beginning to circulate rumors about the destruction caused by a powerful ghost that wanted the throne of the Realm. A throne no one was sure existed. A ghost everyone feared regardless.

The valiant ghost that was his brother had been worried. A threat that big couldn’t be a good thing for the rest of the Realm, much less the smaller ghosts like Littles.

A small smile graced the Ghost of Choice’s face as he told about their family. How it had only grown with more Littles, more ghosts and how they were always willing to help the weak and vulnerable.

Was it only a wonder that his brother had a chivalrous obsession?

Then, a ghost dressed in red approached his brother with the Soul Shredder in hand.

At that time, the Soul Shredder wasn’t known as the Fright Knight’s sword. It was mostly known to be a legendary blade forged eons ago in the screaming woods. A blade that had slain thousands and capable of shattering a soul to use it for fuel. And thus, it had gained its name long ago.

The ghost in red told them how he had modified the blade so that it only used ectoplasm as fuel instead of souls. It wouldn’t be able to harm anyone.

How he had heard rumors of a Valiant Knight with his earnest wish to protect and wanted him to wield the blade against the powerful ghost everyone was nervous about.

The Ghost of Choice would tell, with bitterness clear in his eyes, how the ghost in red gave his brother the sword. All of them hopeful it’d be a great aid in their future fight against that powerful ghost.

The sword no longer ate souls after all. It wouldn’t be a problem.

They never saw the ghost in red ever again after that.

The Dark King eventually rose to power and when that happened, a lot of ghosts also rose against him. Among them, their family, with his brother in the lead.

The Ghost of Choice remembered how brutal it was to protect his family and fight against the Dark King’s army. There was no time to think, just trust his instincts and react.

Years of fighting and planning and gruelling work in a war he had been too naive to know at first what was at stake, what they were fighting for. It had been the freedom of the entire Infinite Realms at risk.

It had never been a choice for his brother. And because of that, he didn’t realize what had been happening to him under their notice.

Until it was irreversible.

Soul Shredder was his brother's sword and somehow it was loyal to him. It was an extension of his brother.

The issue was how it didn’t use ectoplasm for its fuel, it used its victims' fears.

The modifications the ghost in red had done were clumsy. He hadn’t understood the blade or how its creator had thought so it became a Blight artefact. A blade that ate, consumed and tainted its wielder without a thought.

And the Soul Shredder thrived in fear. It ate the ghost and sucked them dry of their fear to the point they faded.

So his brother began to seek to instill fear in their enemies without conscious thought.

Instead of kindness and looking for the injured on the battlefield to bring back home, he went out of his way to get into fights and recklessly tried to make their enemies fear him.

But it wasn’t enough.

You see, The Dark King’s army weren’t truly ghosts but Vassals. Ghosts with limited autonomy and an extension of the ghost that created them. So they didn’t fear his brother the way he wanted them to. The way his thoughts were beginning to twist and tangle towards that as well.

He had gotten into fights with his brother then, because he kept scaring their allies and purposefully making them fear him. His brother never saw it. He never listened.

It wasn’t enough.

At some point, he had lost track of his brother for a couple of days. Worried sick he asked everyone if they had seen him.

He was met with scorn, as none liked his brother anymore, and pity, because he was still loyal to his brother. Overall, no one had seen him.

The Ghost of Choice tells how he had felt his brother make a choice at that time but hadn't realized it for what it was until much recently.

When he saw his brother again. It had been at home.

Where he saw the slain remains of the cores of everyone under their protection, their family and the Fright Knight upon them.

It was only because of the sword that he recognized his brother as he had never seen the black armor he will don from that moment onwards.

He still doesn’t know how he survived that encounter but one thing was clear...

He had lost his brother to the sword. Twisted to the point, he was no longer a true knight.

As the Fright Knight slayed all his former allies in the name of the Dark King time and time again, he joined a group of survivors to try to end the Dark King’s tyranny.

It took a long time to obtain victory, during which he couldn’t even gaze at the Fright Knight in combat. And regardless of the countless times he tried to get rid of the sword itself, it had been all futile.

His core would forever bear a scar in the shape of his brother. His family.

The Ghost of Choice had been there when his group finally defeated the Dark King and sealed him.

He was there when the curse he had created made the Fright Knight unable to speak at all as he was sealed as well.

A last ditch effort to preserve his brother’s memory. The Fright Knight would no longer be able to hurt him with his brother’s voice.

To this day, Pariah’s Keep is the resting place of both ghosts. Surrounded by their army of Vassals and several curses to prevent anyone from nearing the place.

And that, is the story of the Fright Knight. The Ghost of Choice would say gravely before leaving unprompted.

#going angst week 2021 #mlkoo writing #fright knight #danny phantom #i made myself sad #tho i'm not entirely satisfied with it #this is what i meant in a previous post about accidentally making him a tragic figure #i want to write more fics about the history/lore of the zone tbh

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