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Danny Phantom: Cursed

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Cursed is the eighth story in Danny Phantom: Stranded. Danny and Star try to enjoy their first Valentine's Day but the Ghost Writer has other plans.

Tropes:

  • Abhorrent Admirer: Star outright tells Kwan he’s this to her for being a terrible boyfriend who was dumb enough to be easily charmed by Colette, and she only considers him a mistake now.
  • Act of True Love: Danny partakes in a series of challenges to prove his love for Star and undo the Ghost Writer's spell on her.
  • Adaptational Villainy: In canon, the Ghost Writer was simply teaching Danny a lesson on what happens when you act spiteful to people over Christmas. Due to his imprisonment by Walker, he's become far less well-intentioned. He curses Star for being Danny's girlfriend as an act of spite and goes about ruining other people's Valentine's Day out of pettiness.
  • All for Nothing: Star points out to Kwan that even if Danny was two-timing her with Colette, she wouldn't associate with him or the A-Listers ever again because Kwan was a horrible boyfriend and they were lousy friends, so trying to beat Danny up for supposedly cheating on her is not going to impress her.
  • Apology Gift: In the end, the Ghost Writer is forced by Madame Valentine to make amends to Danny and Star by using his powers to give them a Valentine's Day gift. The couple asks him to expose Colette and Paulina's scheme so as to mitigate any fallout from the forged love letter. Along with destroying Colette's collage of Danny.
  • Beauty Breeds Laziness: Sam and Paulina were once partnered for an English assignment, during which Paulina refused to do any work under the excuse that "writing would ruin her manicure".
  • Brutal Honesty:
    • Star makes it clear to Kwan that he was a lousy boyfriend even before he broke up with her to go out with Colette. She still hasn't forgiven him for that act and emphasizes that she’ll never date or be friends with Kwan ever again.
    • Star admits to Kwan that her dad Johnathan never liked him.
  • Call-Forward: Sam's secret admirer is revealed in the future to be Christopher John Morgan.
  • Contrived Coincidence: When the Ghost Writer takes Danny to the Ghost Zone to test his love for Star, the ghost in charge of testing Danny turns out to be Madame Valentine/Shelley, the Ghost Writer's ex-girlfriend.
  • "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Shelley notes that Ghost Writer could've just used his powers to restore his destroyed poem.
  • Destructive Romance: Star reminds Kwan that the reason they broke up in the first place was because he was a lousy boyfriend who would ignore her to hang out with the jocks or chase other girls like Colette, which he hypocritically gets mad at Danny for doing when he thinks the Fenton boy is cheating on Star with Colette because of a doctored photo the latter made. Plus, he wouldn't defend Star or provide emotional support.
  • Didn't Think This Through: Star angrily reminds Kwan that he was a terrible boyfriend to her, especially because he chased after other girls like Colette, so of course she wouldn't get back together with him regardless of whether or not Danny was cheating on her with Colette, and she wants even less to do with the A-Listers now that they've made Colette a member because she hates her stepsister with every fiber of her being.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: While it's understandable that the Ghost Writer was angry with Danny for destroying his poem, as well as getting him arrested, he went completely overboard turning Star into a swan, just for being Danny's girlfriend.
  • Dumb Jock: Star is disappointed that Kwan hasn't gotten any smarter since they broke up because he easily believes a doctored photo implicating Danny of cheating on her with Colette.
  • Dumbass Has a Point: Kwan wonders what happened that made Star change so much, pointing out she never seemed to have a problem with the popular kids' ways or said anything before the island incident. This unintentionally hurts Star, who's reminded of the insecure, spoiled rich girl she used to be.
  • Eviler than Thou: Danny finds Colette to be an even creepier and more unhinged Stalker with a Crush than Paulina when he sees her Stalker Shrine in her room.
  • Evil Is Petty: The Ghost Writer's real motive (aside from wanting payback on Danny) was based mostly on him being bitter that his girlfriend broke up with him prior to Valentine's Day and jealous of the other couples.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: Even the Ghost Writer regards Colette to be despicable and while he briefly thought about rewriting reality to make Danny and her a couple, he rejected it as he couldn't consider typing anything about her that would compliment her.
  • Excellent Judge of Character: The Ghost Writer knows Colette is a horrible Spoiled Brat with no redeeming qualities.
  • Extreme Doormat: Star calls Kwan out on his inability to stand up to A-Listers for her or even his own sake.
  • Fair-Weather Ex: When Kwan insists things will be better if he and Star get back together and she rejoins the A-Listers, Star is quick to point out that he didn't feel that way before, as detailed multiple times below.
  • False Soulmate: Kwan was this to Star.
  • Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: The Ghost Writer has an understandable reason for hating Danny since Danny destroyed his poem and even gloated about it. Originally, he just tried to get even with Danny and teach him a lesson, only to end up in jail as a result. Upon confronting each other, Danny acknowledges that the Ghost Writer has a good reason to be upset and genuinely apologizes to him. However, the Ghost Writer refuses to accept Danny's apology, pointing out that it is not enough for being in jail and destroying his keyboard. Initially, Danny accepts that, but when the Ghost Writer turns Star into a swan, Danny feels he crossed a line since Star was innocent and did nothing to him. Danny still tries to apologize to the Ghost Writer and asks to end this peacefully, stating that he does not have a right to take out his anger on Amity Park. However, the Ghost Writer refuses to listen and keeps trying to ruin Valentine's Day. Upon revealing the real reason that he wants revenge (his girlfriend Madame Valentine/Shelley broke up with him through a letter before Valentine's Day while he was in jail), Danny is disgusted by the Ghost Writer's hypocrisy; Danny and Shelley would later point out that it does not excuse his petty actions. Danny loses whatever sympathies he had left for the Ghost Writer and is more determined to stop him.
  • Friend to All Living Things: Sam becomes more protective of Star when she's turned into a swan by the Ghost Writer since that technically makes her an animal.
  • Full-Name Ultimatum: While punishing Colette for how she and Paulina tried to sabotage Danny and Star's relationship, Stella calls her "Colette Anastasie Marie Bevier".
  • Fury-Fueled Foolishness: Shelly calls the Ghost Writer out on being so angry at Danny for accidentally destroying his poem that it doesn't even occur to him to use his reality-altering keyboard to fix the poem himself.
  • Hormone-Addled Teenager: Star hasn't forgotten how Kwan ruined their relationship by breaking up with her to date Colette for a week because he easily fell for the latter's beauty and fake charm.
  • Hypocrisy Callout:
    • After the Ghost Writer's motives were revealed, Danny calls him out how hypocritical he is acting, given that he had punished Danny for his own negative attitude towards Christmas. The Ghost Writer, however, points out Christmas is far more important to the Ghost Zone than Valentine's Day is.
    • Star calls Kwan out on getting mad at Danny when he thought the latter was cheating on her with Colette despite Kwan having previously dumped her to date Colette for a week.
    • Star also confronts Kwan for thinking Danny was a coward due to a misunderstanding in "Pirate Radio", when he and his fellow jocks still get scared of any ghost.
  • Ignored Epiphany: Zigzagged as Kwan shows that he still misses Star and wishes she would return to the A-Listers. This is despite Star having made it clear that she hated her time with the A-Listers and no longer wished to be a part of them. Star has shown that she desires to become a better person and has outgrown her former "mean girl" mentality. Kwan, for a while, tried to respect her decisions, and while he did want to confront Danny out of jealousy and blame him for Star's change, he did not actually want to start a fight with him. He only thought Danny was cheating on her.
  • Implied Love Interest: It's hinted that Georgia (the Strong family's housekeeper) has a boyfriend or at least an admirer named Frank, who is a delivery man.
  • Innocently Insensitive: While Kwan genuinely wants Star back in the A-List, he fails to understand that she left in the first place because they're Fair-Weather Friends at best and wants even less to do with them now that they made Colette a member.
  • It's All About Me: Star is justifiably disgusted that Kwan only wants her back for his own convenience since he doesn't even grasp why they broke up or why she left the A-Listers for good.
  • I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: After the ordeal with the Ghost Writer, Sam not only accepts Danny and Star's relationship, but genuinely hopes they'll be happy together despite her lingering feelings for Danny.
  • Jerkass Has a Point: Sam isn't trying to be mean, but she is right that Star technically counts as an animal after being turned into a swan by the Ghost Writer.
  • Jerkass Realization: Downplayed but while he doesn't express it out loud, Kwan starts to feel guilty for how he treated Danny in "Pirate Radio" when Star takes him to task for throwing a party at Danny's house without his permission and deeming him a coward for seemingly abandoning them during the ghost battle. Kwan had no idea Danny got grounded for the party or that he was actually tossed overboard, and shamefully admits to himself that he had just gone along with Dash.
  • Love Letter Lunacy: With Paulina's help, Colette creates a fake love letter addressed to herself with Danny's signature on it and sends it to everyone he knows in an attempt to break him and Star up.
  • Lonely at the Top: Kwan feels miserable being stuck with Paulina, Dash, and Colette in the A-Listers, especially due to Colette's growing cruelty and mean-spirited behavior.
  • Misplaced Retribution: The Ghost Writer takes out his anger over his girlfriend breaking up with him on all of Amity Park just for enjoying Valentine's Day.
  • Mistaken for Cheating: Colette's plan to break up Star and Danny is to make it seem like Danny is in love with the former using doctored photos and a forged love letter with his signature. Kwan definitely falls for it.
  • Moment of Weakness: Star hasn't forgotten Kwan suggesting they continue partying after all their parents were kidnapped in "Pirate Radio". Kwan sheepishly explains he was just caught up in the moment and figured Danny Phantom would save them.
  • Name One: Star refuses to get back together with Kwan, citing that their relationship was turbulent and unhappy. However, Kwan denies this and challenges her to name one example. She promptly brings up the time he dumped her for Colette for a whole week. Kwan then weakly suggests she can't name another one, only for Star to list off two other times he ditched her (for another girl and to hang out with his friends) and makes it clear there are many more, causing him to give up.
  • Never My Fault:
    • Instead of accepting his own behavior as the reason Madame Valentine dumped him, the Ghost Writer blames Danny. He also blames Danny for rallying all the ghosts at the Christmas truce party, ignoring the fact that he led them to Danny, hoping they'd attack the latter.
    • Kwan refuses to acknowledge that he drove Star away by being a lousy boyfriend. He's forced to begin rethinking this after her "Reason You Suck" Speech.
  • Not Good with Rejection: The Ghost Writer reacts to his girlfriend breaking up with him by cursing all of Amity Park.
  • Not Helping Your Case:
    • Star makes it crystal clear to Kwan that attempting to beat up Danny just because of a fake photo making him believe the Fenton boy is cheating on her with Colette is not going to make her like him again, especially since Star became disillusioned with the A-Listers' bullying and it only shows Kwan is still the same meathead he was when they broke up.
    • Star asks Kwan, if he misses her as much as he claims, why he never stood up for her when Dash, Paulina, and Colette kept harassing her and Danny after she left the A-Listers (such as in "Sunk"), or even tried to talk to Star afterwards about her actions. Kwan defends that he's not allowed to hang out with former A-Listers except in emergencies because it's against their code, only proving Star's point that he's too subservient to the popular kids to put her first.
  • Parent-Preferred Suitor: According to Star, after she told her parents how Kwan was not very faithful or helpful to her while they dated, Johnathan and (eventually) Stella believed that Danny is a better boyfriend for her.
  • Pet the Dog: Sam is genuinely concerned for Star when she is turned into a swan and briefly takes care of her until they can help her. When Danny, Jazz, and Tucker are surprised, Sam defends that she loves animals (and would never want anything bad to happen to Star).
  • Psychological Projection: Star calls Kwan out for getting mad at Danny when he thinks the latter is cheating on her with Colette because of a fake photo since that's something KWAN would do and has done, but not Danny.
  • “The Reason You Suck” Speech: Star rightfully berates Kwan for sticking his nose in her relationship with Danny since it's none of his business and he has no right to beat Danny up just because he thinks the latter is cheating on her with Colette, especially since it's completely hypocritical due to Kwan himself once dumping her for Colette. Star then goes into a tirade about how terrible the A-Listers are for mistreating Danny, that Kwan is no better for always going along with their ways using weak justifications, even at his own expense, and how he always cared more about his popularity than her.
  • Rejected Apology: The Ghost Writer does not forgive Danny after he apologizes for destroying his poem, given he spent months in Walker's prison the entire time since then.
  • Secret Admirer: Sam finds a black rose and gothic poem in her locker from a secret admirer on Valentine's Day. When it happens again the next day, she becomes intrigued.
  • Secretly Selfish: Star is justifiably outraged that Kwan only wants to get back together so he doesn't feel alone in the A-List anymore.
  • Shout-Out: Star rejects Kwan by saying, "Plus, if I'm going to be an artist by the time I graduate college and open my own art studio by the time I'm in my 20's, I need a boyfriend who's not such a complete doofus, who'd dump me when he gets a 'better offer'." This is similar to Elle Woods telling off her ex in Legally Blonde.
  • Spotting the Thread: Sam recognizes Paulina's handwriting on "Danny"'s love letter, which, combined with the sloppy penmanship and superficial wording, causes her to realize Paulina and Colette faked it.
  • Stalker with a Crush: After seeing Colette's edited photos of him in her room, Danny declares her to be an even worse stalker than Paulina is with his ghost half.
  • Stating the Simple Solution: After the Ghost Writer tells Shelley what Danny did to earn his ire, she points out that, since he can alter reality with his keyboard, he "could've just rewrote the poem back to normal whenever the mood struck".
  • Super Gullible: Star calls Kwan out on this for believing that Danny was two-timing her with Colette just because of a doctored photo the latter made, lampshading that he never was bright.
  • Took a Level in Kindness: By the end, Sam has grown to accept and be happy for Star and Danny's relationship.
  • Tricked into Signing: Paulina got Danny to sign Colette's love letter by presenting it as a petition.
  • True Love's Kiss: The final step for Danny to turn Star back from a swan into a human is to declare his love for her and kiss her. Danny lampshades the cliche and ridiculous nature of this, but his feelings are sincere.
  • Turned Off by the Jerkass: Kwan has lost interest in Colette due to her mean, controlling, and self-centered attitude, not to mention becoming increasingly weirded out by her fixation with Danny.
  • Valentine's Day Episode: This story is about Danny and Star's first Valentine's Day as a couple.
  • Villain Has a Point:
    • While it doesn't justify his excessive attempts at revenge, the Ghost Writer is right to be upset over Danny destroying his poem, especially since the Ghost Boy refused to apologize for it at the time. Danny even admits this is the case and sincerely apologizes to the Ghost Writer for it.
    • Even the Ghost Writer knows Colette is a horrible excuse for a human being and can't think of a single good thing about her.
  • With Friends Like These...: In response to Star's criticisms of the A-Listers, Kwan tries to justify their policies by saying Dash, Paulina, and Colette can be mean sometimes, but... only to falter when he realizes he can't think of anything.

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