#everyone else is scared of the Ghost King but Amity ghosts have seen him in all sorts of states of embarrassment

[livannasalinger]

Dc x Dp prompt 3

I was thinking lately that most of the prompts and fics that I see, they range from: focus on Danny, focus on Jazz, oneshots here and there with some different characters, maybe sam and tucker, but not much more than that. Of course, ultimately, the idea of Dc x Dp goes through the importance that Danny has to establish this connection (ghost king, meta laws, being a hero, classic black hair and blue eyes of the Waynes, etc etc) and focus more on relationships with DC characters (batfam, superman, Wonder Woman, etc) . At the same time, I've recently been thinking about how there are few fics that portray the rest of the Casper High as a functional group (not counting Everlasting trio). And then, there's this fic that I really like (see prompt 2) that talks about a different way that the incident with Spectra could have happened. With all this, I thought:

- what if, these incidents with the ghosts made the group more cohesive: I'm not talking about everyone being super friends, although that can be cool, but I'm talking about actually seeing them build a dynamic because they need to protect themselves from danger and they can't get help from anyone else -  Justice League doesn't interfere/doesn't know/doesn't believe

- Anyway, X years pass, the events of DP (except Danny's revelation to the world) occur, but unlike canon, the children mature faster, and start to blossom like powerhouses - imagine Assassination classroom and how they became after graduation, that kind of thing.

- But that's when things start to get interesting, because "out of nowhere" a group of people with impressive skills and suspicious training in different areas begins to appear, young people trained in things they shouldn't. At first, the connection was not clear, as everyone is in different areas, but little by little a pattern starts to become clearer: maybe their presence, maybe some more ghostly physical characteristic.

I see two ways this starts to get noticed:

-- At a Justice League meeting, several superheroes start listing people of interest and justifying why. They might have noticed these people as possible future villains, or maybe they want to recruit them, or something like that. The point is: when one person starts talking, another hero starts remembering that he knows a similar person, a pattern starts to be observed, an investigation starts to be made.

OR

-- An investigation is already under way, as there is a group of people who came from the same place, started to become influential in the field of choice, and nobody can prove, but many suspect that this group is responsible for the disappearance of a mysterious government organization called GIW

In any case, an investigation begins showing  the different ways that the Amity Park group has grown to be BAMF including: Tucker Foley, Sam Manson, Jazz Fenton, Valerie Gray, Dash Baxter, Paulina, Kwan, Star, Wes weston.… maybe even Ellie and Dan.

The investigation proceeds, old photos of the group can be found and they notice the disappearance of only one person: Danny Fenton. Which makes no sense, as he is seen multiple times with all the suspects, but effectively there is no record of him anywhere: no college, no job, not even how he gets from one place to another, no plane ticket, nothing.

It would still be really cool if everyone in the group followed certain customs, derived from the lessons they received on how to deal with ghosts or because they are Liminal and that's why they behave a little differently and, even if they've been living with "normal people" for years , sometimes they just forget common sense and scare people without intending to.

The conclusions that the JL, villains  and other groups, can come to are potentially hilarious: are they villains? what are their goals? Are they a secret cult with this Danny as their leader? Are they or are they not doing something illegal? Are they a threat? And if so, a threat to whom?

At the end of it all I can see Mr Lance showing up and thinking "how come this is supposedly the most powerful group of people in the world?!" and in 5 minutes solving any chaos or misunderstanding like:

"Pride and Prejudice, not even Mr. Weston was that bad" (looking at Red Robin's conspiracy board)

[redrobin-detective]

I think one of my favorites aspects of Ghost King Danny is the fact that 99% of ghosts treat their king with extreme obeisance. They’re politely distant (both out of duty and fear) and, love or hate him, they have a health respect for him. And then there’s the Amity Park ghosts.

The Amity Ghosts act so familiar with him, like aggressive older siblings. They call him names like “whelp” and “foolish child” and some even refer to him by proper name. They’ll walk right up to him, no bowing or platitudes and just, pull him into a headlock and give him a noogie. 

“Hey after you’re done with your oh so important kingly duties,” Skulker will say sarcastically. “How about you let me test my new electric skin peeler on you? The pelt of a king will just complete the look in my den.” And by God does the King look excited when he accepts the offer. 

When the King has himself worked up into a rage, ice and ectoplasm will pulse off of his form in waves. Every other ghost will cover save for the lowly, idiotic Box Ghost who will float forward, grab the King by his cape and set him in a box with Tantrum Box written on it until the terrifying aura fades. The Fright Knight may be the King’s most loyal servant but they say that All Hallows Eve, he chases his Liege through the Infinite Realms with his sword at the ready. 

A young man and woman on a bike will roar into the King’s lair unannounced to pass on a message from their Majesty’s human sister before screeching off again. A monochrome nerd will perch on one of the arms of the infamous Ice Throne and play hand slap games with his Master for hours on head, whooping and hollering when he’s victorious. A Lunch Lady will boldly force snacks into the Lord King’s hands and stare at him until he finally relents and eats it. 

Ghosts will be flying around and see two other ghosts engaging in a vicious but playful battle. They’ll shrug, it’s none of their business. But one ghost will notice the iconic symbol on the young ghost’s chest, the familiar white hair and green eyes. He won’t be wearing his cape or crown but that’s undeniably their King cracking puns and covered in goo, mud and other various substances. But to the ghosts of Amity Park, Phantom isn’t just their ruler and the most powerful ghost in existence. He’s also the scrappy young thing who could barely aim an ectoblast and they ground under their heels once or twice. They have history and none of them will ever pass up the chance to engage in battle with their Lord, their Liege, and their annoying Ghost Boy turned King.

[astrodances]

This is That AU + bonus Resistance Cell AU (Danny Phantom)

(This turned out way longer than I intended, but god it’s a fun idea. If anyone creates anything out of this, please send it my way! And if you have any ideas to add, feel free!)

Danny Phantom “The Ultimate Enemy” AU where the future is the Ghost Zone and the Ghost Zone is the future (aka they’re switched, and the future is thought of as a location in time).

Skulktech’s medallion falls off? The gang’s sent 10 years forward in Amity Park, and Danny’s introduced to the mayhem he causes firsthand. Perhaps Clockwork has headquarters set up there now bc Dan drove him (and all the other ghosts) out of the Ghost Zone.

The Ghost Zone itself, much like the human realm, is also destroyed, but even more so. When Dan was done with Earth he invaded the GZ and didn’t look back. He declared himself the Ghost King, and when he learns the Ghostly Wail, he uses it to wreak even more havoc and scare off any lasting threats to his reign.

The ghosts that dare to stay in the GZ are either:

trying to appease Dan by doing his bidding so they’ll be spared (not that it helps much)

actually want to side and fight for him (like the Fright Knight)

got stuck in the aftermath of the invasion and are basically prisoners

or are part of the small resistance cell that tries to take Dan down (like Valerie in TUE)

So Danny and co. end up running from Clockwork into the GZ (which is also 10 years in the future) and Danny meets Dan and all that. Things go pretty much like the episode, except everything’s adapted to the switched environments:

The trio doesn’t need the medallions to stay in/leave the GZ, but perhaps they’re still wearing them from their fight with Clockwork anyway. Perhaps they work the same way for Sam and Tucker, but when they take them off before being crushed, they end up back with Clockwork in the future and not back in present-day Amity Park.

Since Dan knows keeping Danny’s medallion tethered to him would be pointless, he just takes it and uses it to go back to present-day Amity to ensure his future.

Dan throws a tied-up Danny through his self-created portal back to Earth. Whether Danny ends up back where he started with Clockwork or somewhere else entirely is up to you, but oooh, consider the ramifications of both:

He goes back to Clockwork:

he’s with Sam and Tucker again. He can explain everything he learned to them and they can come up with a plan, perhaps form a team with Clockwork and others.

BUT as a result, he doesn’t learn the Ghostly Wail (at the very least, not here, and possibly not at all bc up to this point, he probably hasn’t seen the Wail in action: he didn’t see Dan through one of Clockwork’s screens, and Dan didn’t use it on him during their first encounter. So it’s likely that the first he’ll see of it is when Dan uses it during their fight at the present-day Nasty Burger).

He ends up somewhere else entirely:

he could end up alone somewhere random, and possibly the only thing that saves him is the Boooo-merang that’s floated through time and the GZ (bc Jazz probably doesn’t know which realm he’s in in the future?) and found a natural portal to Earth?

Or maybe he ends up exactly where he needs to be, in Vlad’s lair, and although he doesn’t need the medallion removed, Vlad can at least free him from being tied up and can explain things, maybe help him get back to Clockwork.

Or maybe he ends up alone but then finds/is found by some ghosts (much like in canon). Maybe they still act like his enemies and he gets aggravated enough to learn the Ghostly Wail (à la canon). Maybe he doesn’t and they destroy him and (unknowingly) their chance to have things be different. Or maybe he can convince them that he’s not the same guy as Dan (yet), and they work together to organize an attack against Dan, maybe even with some humans (since this is Earth, and Dan destroyed both their homes, I’m thinking at least some groups of ghosts and humans would sympathize with each other and learn to live together). They also find Clockwork, Sam, and Tucker, since they need Clockwork to go back in time. (And maybe even future!Valerie, if she’s around?)

Or maybe Danny just ends up alone and stuck somewhere, and just...dies completely, leaving everyone and everything doomed.

However he gets back (if he does) and whoever with, the present-day story has a few key notes:

Unless Clockwork decided to send Sam and Tucker back, Jazz’s role is pretty much the same, only she might be a bit more worried about not being able to find Danny or his friends anywhere to confront him about cheating. When she sees Dan (posed as Danny) for the first time, she might be a relieved at first, maybe even hugs him, before going into the cheating thing. She’ll also try to send the Boooo-merang, but again, the odds for it finding Danny in the future are very slim since he’s in the human realm.

Also regarding Sam and Tucker: if they return, they end up tied to the sauce at the Nasty Burger like in canon. But if they’re still with Clockwork when Danny finds him?? Hoo boy, just you wait.

The final battle with Dan is the big present-day difference:

Danny likely doesn’t have the Ghostly Wail, so unless he learns it like right after Dan uses it against him, Dan will probably win and ensure his future (particularly if Danny fights him alone).

But if Danny has allies (regardless of how he got them/who they are)? You better believe the odds go up in his favor. That’s a whole lot of organized firepower, and it leaves Dan with only 2 truly useful powers: the Ghostly Wail and duplication. But Team Danny did a lot of training. Heck, the ghosts probably told Danny about the Ghostly Wail, so even if he doesn’t learn it/hasn’t actually seen it yet, they can all be prepared to take cover or whatever when Dan uses it.

What’s more, while most of the team is fighting Dan, a small group (either humans with ecto-weapons or w/ghosts’ help) can free Jack, Maddie, Jazz, and Lancer (and Sam and Tucker if they’re tied up, too; otherwise they’re probably leading this whole group). Now they got all the Fentons fighting Dan (and a much more motivated Danny).

Basically, Team Phantom wins and then some.

But consider this: in any of the scenarios where Sam and Tucker are fighting Dan alongside Danny from the get-go, something glitches in the plan and while they’re able to defeat Dan, they’re not able to save Danny’s family + Lancer. And for whatever reason (either Dan defeated him or he just decides to let this one play out or whatever), Clockwork doesn’t reset the timeline.

What does that leave Danny with? Two best friends (and possibly some allies, maybe even future!Valerie (which is a whole ‘nother rabbit hole to dive into)) that support him through the grief and loss. Perhaps they make him feel less alone, and he grows stronger bc of this and learns some lesson about the value of friendship or “some such nonsense.” 😉

But maybe Danny doesn’t see that lesson. Maybe Sam and Tucker are there to see him struggle with this new reality. Time after time he tells them that he’s afraid of turning into that monster, and no matter what they do, they watch as their best friend slowly evolves not into a Dan created through a fusion of two ghost halves, but a (still half-ghost?) Dan bred out of fear, anger, and self-hatred. Not the same Dan as the original; perhaps something much, much worse, and much more personal (YOU try shooting your evil best friend when you know there’s still good in him, you hope).

And yet another alternate ending to all this (bc apparently I can’t be stopped): perhaps Dan does survive the Nasty Burger fight and sees his goal through of stalling Danny just long enough to see the Nasty Burger explode and ensure his future (or so he thinks). He just isn’t able to defeat all of Danny’s allies. Heck, maybe they’re even able to free the Fentons + Lancer in time. All that’s for certain is that when the Nasty Burger explodes, Dan vanishes, leaving Team Phantom with their Ultimate Enemy™️ at large (and likely still with a time medallion).

Enter the Resistance Cell AU (and the opportunity for me to work in DS9 references): all the survivors of the Battle at the Nasty Burger band up behind Danny, and while everything’s fine in the world at first, they immediately start hunting down Dan to try to stop him before he can screw things up again.

This, of course, is way harder than it sounds (and depending on Clockwork’s status/willingness to help, could be even doubly so).

Depending on the original battle’s outcome, Danny might be motivated in part by a desire to avenge his family (which could lead to some conflict within the group). In any case, he’s definitely motivated to not turn into Dan, though sometimes he needs reassurance from Tucker and Sam late at night.

The way I picture it, Dan slowly sends the world into chaos yet again, with Team Phantom usually one step behind him. (Though maybe, they’re able to at least form some relief teams to help victims after they hear about an attack and try to gather clues to hunt him down? And maybe these victims join the team and help the fight, and maybe Dan doesn’t end up as powerful this time.)

But to go the angsty route, Dan basically gets a second chance to take over the world and GZ, and ten years later, the only thing stopping him from achieving complete domination is an undercover resistance group led by a young man who’s kept his vow to never become like him.

The only thing is, Dan has an ally of his own this time around (one more powerful than the Fright Knight): Vlad Plasmius.

[captainbookworm103]

Why do you keep putting wonderful tidbits like this in the tags?

everyone else is scared of the Ghost King but Amity ghosts have seen him in all sorts of states of embarrassmentthey are immune to the power and charm which Danny appreciatesDanny half asleep during some judicial meetingTechnus busting in with a boom box over one shoulder blaring meme music: CHILD DO U WANT TO BE STRANGLED BY CORDS WHILE I CONQUER YOUR WORLDDanny shedding his cape and crown to go fight: Technus you're so fucking stupidsometimes its nice to be the annoying brat instead of an allpowerful kinghe loves it as much as they drive him crazyhe barely gets enough sleep as it is without the frenemy ghosts deciding they don't fear him and trying to steal every bank in north america

I think one of my favorites aspects of Ghost King Danny is the fact that 99% of ghosts treat their king with extreme obeisance. They’re politely distant (both out of duty and fear) and, love or hate him, they have a health respect for him. And then there’s the Amity Park ghosts.

The Amity Ghosts act so familiar with him, like aggressive older siblings. They call him names like “whelp” and “foolish child” and some even refer to him by proper name. They’ll walk right up to him, no bowing or platitudes and just, pull him into a headlock and give him a noogie. 

“Hey after you’re done with your oh so important kingly duties,” Skulker will say sarcastically. “How about you let me test my new electric skin peeler on you? The pelt of a king will just complete the look in my den.” And by God does the King look excited when he accepts the offer. 

When the King has himself worked up into a rage, ice and ectoplasm will pulse off of his form in waves. Every other ghost will cover save for the lowly, idiotic Box Ghost who will float forward, grab the King by his cape and set him in a box with Tantrum Box written on it until the terrifying aura fades. The Fright Knight may be the King’s most loyal servant but they say that All Hallows Eve, he chases his Liege through the Infinite Realms with his sword at the ready. 

A young man and woman on a bike will roar into the King’s lair unannounced to pass on a message from their Majesty’s human sister before screeching off again. A monochrome nerd will perch on one of the arms of the infamous Ice Throne and play hand slap games with his Master for hours on head, whooping and hollering when he’s victorious. A Lunch Lady will boldly force snacks into the Lord King’s hands and stare at him until he finally relents and eats it. 

Ghosts will be flying around and see two other ghosts engaging in a vicious but playful battle. They’ll shrug, it’s none of their business. But one ghost will notice the iconic symbol on the young ghost’s chest, the familiar white hair and green eyes. He won’t be wearing his cape or crown but that’s undeniably their King cracking puns and covered in goo, mud and other various substances. But to the ghosts of Amity Park, Phantom isn’t just their ruler and the most powerful ghost in existence. He’s also the scrappy young thing who could barely aim an ectoblast and they ground under their heels once or twice. They have history and none of them will ever pass up the chance to engage in battle with their Lord, their Liege, and their annoying Ghost Boy turned King.