Line #46 Fanfic/Harmless


1	After the events of ''WesternAnimation/PhantomPlanet,'' things have certainly changed for everyone. [[WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom Danny's]] secret is out, Vlad is MIA in space, Danielle is wandering the world and no longer about to dissolve into goo, Tucker is mayor of Amity Park, [[OfficialCouple Sam finally ended up with Danny]], and things are for the most part pretty good for our heroes.
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3	Which means it is time for things to GoHorriblyWrong. [[WesternAnimation/ReignStorm Vlad's deal with the Fright Knight]] finally comes into focus, but unfortunately [[SealedEvilInACan awakens something ancient and powerful]]. Something that makes Pariah Dark pale in comparison and utterly terrifies every single ghost in existence, from the Observants to the Box Ghost. Those that don't hide [[EnemyMine immediately seek out Danny]], knowing that he would do his best to stop the newly-unleased horror and that he has the best chance at success. And after Clockwork advised him to accept any and all offers to help, regardless of what form that help might take or who makes the offer, Danny begins to form a battle plan that includes friends, family, and enemies that range from practically useless to those he can barely trust.
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5	The story can be found [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9353312/1/Harmless here]] by Creator/BookwormGal.
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7	----
8	!!Tropes in ''Harmless'' include:
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10	* AbusiveParent: It is acknowledged that Vlad's treatment of Danielle in the past pretty much counts as this, thus turning him into her BerserkButton.
11	* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:The Fright Knight, Walker and Aragon were killed by Ammit, but it's not exactly a great loss]].
12	* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:Vlad]] is trying to be this, though no one trusts him. Valerie is having a slightly easier time making up for her past actions in regards to her treatment of Danny Phantom.
13	* {{Backstory}}: Several of the ghosts' backstories are touched on or expanded beyond what was in the show, showing how they ended up like they are in present day. Most qualify for [[DarkAndTroubledPast Dark And Troubled Pasts]].
14	** The origins of the scar on Clockwork's eye and [[WesternAnimation/ReignStorm Pariah Dark's]] missing eye are explained: they are the result of [[SealedEvilInACan sealing Ammit in the first place]].
15	** Just like Word Of God for the show, Ember was based on a teenage girl who was stood up for a date and died in a fire she was too exhausted to notice. This is one of the reasons why her relationship with Skulker is so rocky: she believes LoveHurts due to that [[TheFirstCutIsTheDeepest entire sequence of events]].
16	** Sidney Poindexter, just like as mentioned in his first episode, came from a kid who bullied relentlessly during high school. He was eventually DrivenToSuicide.
17	** The Lunch Lady actually met Poindexter while they were both alive.
18	** Cujo was a guard dog for Axion Labs that was put to sleep when they upgraded the security system and no longer needed him.
19	** Skulker's first moments of existence involved seeing tiny, weak ghosts such as himself being hunted and destroyed by larger ghosts for fun. This left him believing that everyone is either the hunter or the hunted and he was inspired to be the hunter.
20	** Technus' origin involves the human inventor working himself until his heart gave out.
21	* BerserkButton: For Danielle, Vlad is this. Let's just say that she didn't appreciate his parenting skills.
22	* TheBet: All the ghosts apparently got together to organize a betting pool on how long it'd take for Danny and Sam to have a RelationshipUpgrade (the Box Ghost won, having predicted it would take TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt to occur). Tucker is disappointed to find out he was left out of all this.
23	* BewareTheSuperman: When Danny asks Clockwork why he just doesn't just alter the past to ensure Ammit doesn't escape, he explains that in all the timelines he's seen, the ones where he takes the easy way out have him succumbing more and more to temptation, slowly becoming a monster. To seal the deal, he chillingly demonstrates how, if he wanted to, he could've monkeyed around with the day of Danny's conception, instead of putting him through the events of WesternAnimation/TheUltimateEnemy, as a means of stopping the BadFuture shown there
24	* BigBrotherInstinct: Danny has this in regards to Danielle. He even warns Skulker that if he tries to hunt her, the two of them would have a serious problem.
25	* BigBrotherWorship: Danny is the one person that Danielle knows without a shadow of doubt she can depend on.
26	* BilingualBonus: Wulf still speaks Esperanto.
27	* BloodKnight: Ammit loves a good fight. Part of his goal is to find a WorthyOpponent to battle.
28	* BreakTheHaughty: The events of ''WesternAnimation/PhantomPlanet'' served as this for [[spoiler:Vlad]] and forced him to confront the [[HeelRealization truth about what he'd done]].
29	* CanineCompanion: How Klemper's loneliness is solved: Danny gives him the ghost dog, Cujo.
30	* CantSpitItOut: Turns out that [[spoiler:Skulker]] can't admit that he loves his girlfriend and Sidney can't admit that he has a crush on Dora.
31	* CityOfAdventure: Amity Park. They have Ghost Drills now and a [[OnAScaleFromOneToTen grading system of warnings about ghost attacks ranging from Level One (pretty harmless) to Level Five (a disaster)]].
32	* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: Some ghosts are formed from human faith and beliefs. For example, Pandora and the other ghosts that appeared in "Boxed Up Fury'' were born from belief in Myth/GreekMythology.
33	* ContinuityNod: Several.
34	** [[WesternAnimation/ReignStorm Fright Knight making a deal with Vlad]] is what inadvertantly leads to [[SealedEvilInACan Ammit awakening]].
35	** The probe Damon Gray launched into the Ghost Zone in the same special is mentioned.
36	** [[spoiler:Vlad being gone]] when [[WesternAnimation/PhantomPlanet Danny's secret is revealed]], thus not knowing that it is public knowledge now, is brought up.
37	** Just before Jazz goes off to give Box Ghost some therapy, Danny jokingly asks her not to call him the "Crate Creep", much to her chagrin.
38	** Valerie learns about how Vlad overshadowed the voters to rig the vote and get elected mayor.
39	** Danny recalls the time he was [[WesternAnimation/TheUltimateEnemy in the alternate future]], with two points getting special attention: Box Ghost being a FutureBadass and [[spoiler:Future Vlad being repentant]].
40	* CrushBlush: Sidney Poindexter does this in regards to Princess Dora, though looking like a [[DeliberatelyMonochrome black-and-white photograph]] makes it harder to spot on him.
41	* DeaderThanDead: Ammit can destroy ghosts, effectively killing those who are already dead.
42	* DeathGlare:
43	** Several are being directed towards [[spoiler:Vlad]].
44	** Jazz ends up receiving one from Ember when she stumbled upon a touchy subject.
45	* DidntThinkThisThrough: PlayedForLaughs. When Sam, Tucker, Wulf, and Danielle head to the Far Frozen to recruit Frostbite and his people, Sam realizes she and Tucker forgot to bring ''coats''.
46	* TheDreaded: Ammit. When he's freed, ''every'' ghost feels it, and runs for the hills. [[PlantPerson Undergrowth]] even opts to hide inside a Fenton Thermos.
47	* DrivenToSuicide: Sidney's human self couldn't take the constant abuse and bullying and hanged himself.
48	%% * EasilyForgiven: Valerie is having an easier time of it, especially since she and Danny managed to talk things out.
49	* EnemyMine: Danny, his friends, and family are teaming up with ghosts ranging from [[AnIcePerson Frostbite]] and his Yeti ghosts to Poindexter and Dora to [[EgomaniacHunter Skulker]] and Technus to [[spoiler:Vlad]].
50	** Invoked by Clockwork, whose advice to Danny was to accept any help offered, no matter where it came from.
51	* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Everyone knew Danny and Sam would end up together. Apparently the ghosts started a [[SideBet betting pool]] for when they would figure it out. The Box Ghost won.
52	* [[ABoyAndHisX A Female Ghost Clone And Her Ghost-Werewolf]]: Danielle and Wulf
53	** Also, a Ghost and His Ghost Dog in regards to Klemper and Cujo
54	* FantasticNuke: The plan to defeat Ammit is to lure him to a powerful anti-ectoplasm explosive charge and let it blow, destroying him without doing any other damage to the city.
55	* FieldPowerEffect: Poindexter only has the basic ghost powers most of the time (such as {{Invisibility}}, {{Intangibility}}, and floating). But if he's at Casper High, he gains {{Telekinesis}} over everything on the school grounds.
56	* FlatWhat: Danny's reaction when the Box Ghost offers to help.
57	* GeniusDitz: Jack Fenton is brilliant when it comes to anything ghost-related, but doesn't really focus on anything else beyond immediate concerns.
58	* GondorCallsForAid: For the coming battle with Ammit, Danny and the others seek the assistance of not only their ghost allies, but also some of Danny's enemies.
59	* GoodParents: The Fentons. They love and support their children. And they instantly accept Danielle as family.
60	* HarmlessVillain: The Box Ghost serves as a {{Deconstruction}} of this early on. He ''knows'' he's pathetic, but doesn't want to admit it and that fact really bothers him.
61	* HeelRealization: After spending a few months in complete solitude after losing everything [[HoistByHisOwnPetard through his own actions]], [[spoiler:Vlad accepts he will never have what he wanted and that he didn't ''deserve'' it]].
62	** HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Vlad]] is trying to perform one. No one trusts him and almost no one wants him around. No EasilyForgiven for him.
63	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: After decades of [[NeverMyFault blaming everyone else]], the result of his actions in ''WesternAnimation/PhantomPlanet'' forced [[spoiler:Vlad]] to finally accept he has [[HeelRealization no one else to blame for his current situation but himself]].
64	* ImStandingRightHere: [[spoiler:Valerie starts going on about how nasty Vlad is when she learns about how he became mayor by overshadowing the voters, and Vlad can hear it and the resulting conversation over the Fenton Phones]].
65	* AnIcePerson: Klemper, Frostbite, and the other yeti ghosts all appear and are recruited to help.
66	* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: The Box Ghost, as Jazz figures out. He ''knows'' he's pathetic, and it really bothers him.
67	* KilledOffForReal: So far, [[spoiler: Fright Knight, Aragon, and Walker]].
68	* LargeHam: The Box Ghost and Technus definitely live up to this trope.
69	* LastNameBasis: Due to the sharp decline in their relationship at the end of the show, Jack now addresses [[spoiler:Vlad]] by his last name.
70	* MissionControl: Tucker has taken this role, arranging everything in preparation for Ammit's arrival, having Technus set up a way for him to keep visuals and audio all over the city during the attack, and figuring out the best ways to split up the team.
71	* MundaneSolution: Desiree causing trouble in another state? Make a wish over the phone for her to stop.
72	* NamesToRunAwayFrom: Ammit's titles include [[Myth/EgyptianMythology the 'Devourer,' the 'Devourer of Millions,' the 'Devourer of the Dead,' and the 'Soul-eater.']]
73	* NoIndoorVoice: Both the Box Ghost and Technus have issues with volume control.
74	* OfficialCouple: Danny and Sam, as established at the end of ''WesternAnimation/PhantomPlanet.'' Skulker and Ember are also still dating, though their [[VolleyingInsults relationship is less stable]].
75	* OlderThanTheyLook: Figuring out the age of ghosts is tricky. For example, Ember and Sidney Poindexter look like teenagers, but she's been around since TheSeventies and he's from TheFifties.
76	* OmnicidalManiac: Ammit. His plan is basically to slaughter ''everyone''.
77	* TheOmniscient: Clockwork
78	* OnAScaleFromOneToTen: "Just between us, how bad do you guess this is going to be? On a scale from one to ten, with one being the [[HarmlessVillain Box Ghost]] and ten being [[WesternAnimation/ReignStorm King Pariah]] tag-teaming with the [[WesternAnimation/PhantomPlanet Dis-asteroid]]."
79	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: [[spoiler:Vlad's]] behavior when he first arrived at Danny's house threw the teenager off balance and made him really frustrated until he remembered when he last saw [[spoiler:Vlad]] act like that: [[spoiler:the BadFuture from ''WesternAnimation/TheUltimateEnemy''.]]
80	** Earlier, the flood of ghosts diving out of the Ghost Portal in fear (and [[GreenThumb Undergrowth]] purposefully hiding in the Fenton Thermos) is what alerts the heroes that something really bad is coming.
81	* OpenMouthInsertFoot: Apparently, Tucker didn't know that Danny had yet to tell his family about Danielle's existence and ended up causally revealing it when he saw them talking. Sam [[WhatTheHellHero chides him]] over how they were able to keep the fact that Danny was half ghost secret for all that time, only for him to blurt out the fact that Danny had an OppositeSexClone at the first opportunity. Tucker retorted that he had no way of knowing Danny hadn't told them and it was easier when ''everything'' related to Danny's ghost fighting was off the table of conversation.
82	* OurGhostsAreDifferent: There are three different types of ghosts that are described in the first chapter: those that spontaneously form, those that are formed by the deaths of people with strong emotions or will power at the time of their demise, and those that are formed by belief.
83	* PunctuatedForEmphasis: ''"Why. Are. You. Here?"''
84	* ReassignedToAntarctica: Agent O and Agent K ended up this way.
85	* RedEyesTakeWarning: The first glimpse of Ammit are of his red eyes glowing out of the darkness.
86	* RunningGag: How everyone assumed Danny and Sam were a couple long before they figured it out themselves. There was even a SideBet that Danny's enemies had that the Box Ghost won.
87	* SadlyMythtaken: Ammit is portayed as a powerful male ghost when in Myth/EgyptianMythology she was a female demon who devoured the hearts of the unworthy dead. This is essentially ArtisticLicense and is immediately {{Lampshaded}} InUniverse when they look up the name and find the [[ShownTheirWork Egyptian myths about Ammit]]. It is stated the Egyptians based their stories upon the ghost and simply got some of the details wrong.
88	* SayMyName: Tucker plays Ember's music in the areas protected by ghost shields where the civilians are sequestered for the battle, giving her a power boost for the fight.
89	* SealedEvilInACan: Ammit, though the Fright Knight lets him out in the first chapter.
90	* SelfDuplication: [[spoiler:Vlad]] does this, as usual, and it's lampshaded.
91	* SemanticSuperpower: Jazz thinks the Box Ghost's powers could operate like this. With some flexibility about what he considers "boxes," it could provide him with a lot more versatility.
92	** Confirmed in Chapter 15, where he attacks Ammit with boxes he swiped from a Guys In White's warehouse, reminding everyone that he can not only control boxes, but their ''contents'' as well.
93	** Sidney Poindexter has only the basic ghost powers everywhere but the Casper High School grounds. ''Grounds'' is the key word here, when the school is attacked, and the Ghost Shield protecting the students limits his options, he drags up the plumbing and sprinkler system.
94	* ShoutOut: A few.
95	** "Procedure [[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc 23-19]]".
96	** Albeit it's in a tense moment, but in Chapter 7:
97	-->"So, hit the road," [[Music/RayCharles said Jack.]] "[[WaxingLyrical And don't come back.]]"
98	* SideBet: Apparently the ghosts had a bet on what it would take for Danny and Sam to admit their feelings for each other. The Box Ghost won and Tucker is disappointed he didn't get the chance to join the bet.
99	* SpannerInTheWorks: Based on some of what Clockwork has said, he is depending on someone to serve as this role in the coming battle.
100	* StealthHiBye: [[spoiler:Vlad]] does this to Danielle and Valerie.
101	* TakeThat: In Chapter 2, Sam's narration briefly goes into a rant about a vampire romance series called "''[[Literature/TheTwilightSaga Late Evening]]''", talking about how the female lead is useless, the male lead just whines about his existence, and both have no other personality beyond their obsessive love for each other.
102	* {{Technopath}}: Technus qualifies. He can create and control just about any piece of technology As long as he has most of the necessary materials, his ghost powers can compensate for the rest and fill in the blanks to make it work. If he focuses hard enough, he can still create something that can operate without the help of his powers and won't just fall apart the minute he takes away his influence.
103	* TimeAbyss: Ammit is explicitly stated to be one of the oldest ghosts in existence (though Clockwork is technically his senior).
104	* ThereAreNoTherapists: Jazz is doing her best to avert this, both for humans and ghosts.
105	* ThrowTheDogABone: Klemper now has Cujo, giving the lonely ghost a friend at last.
106	* TotallyRadical: Technus tends to use this somewhat. And Sidney Poindexter's slang from TheFifties is pretty bad.
107	* TransformationTrinket: The necklaces owned by Princess Dorathea and her brother, Aragon.
108	* UnderestimatingBadassery: When the ghosts first meet Danielle, they don't think much of her. Danielle takes offense to this and has to be reeled in to keep from picking a fight.
109	* ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend: Sam really doesn't like that [[spoiler:Vlad is back]] after everything that he did to Danny and his family in the past. One of the first things she does is aim a Fenton Wrist Ray at his head.
110	* VolleyingInsults: Skulker and Ember's relationship consists of this quite often.
111	* WantingIsBetterThanHaving: After Tucker used to dream of having [[IJustWantToBeSpecial power, adulation, and being important]], he ends up as Mayor of Amity Park following the events of ''WesternAnimation/PhantomPlanet'' only to discover that it isn't exactly what he expected. Most of his free time was gone, he didn't get to see his friends as much as he wanted to, and his new title came with more paperwork and boring meetings than he could count. Plus, he still had homework and a curfew his parents expected him to follow. And all of this while [[TheChainsOfCommanding carrying the weight of the population of Amity Park on his shoulders]] and [[ComicallyMissingThePoint he didn't even get supermodels to cheer him on]]. On the other hand, he does prove to be rather capable of dealing with the problems of a [[CityOfAdventure frequently-haunted town]].
112	* WeakButSkilled: Sidney isn't the strongest ghost, but, as the narration notes, he's clever and creative about what he ''does'' have.
113	* TheWorfEffect: Ammit destroys Fright Knight seconds after waking up. Then he takes out Aragon while he was in his dragon form.
114	* XenoFiction: The section done from Cujo's point of view.
115	* YoungerThanTheyLook: Danielle looks to be about twelve years old, but her real age is measured in ''months''.

Context Fanfic / Harmless