She Could Only Watch
is a Danny Phantom fanfic where the Ghost Zone itself is sentient, viewing the ghosts inside the realm as her children.
Gehenna, more commonly known as the Ghost Zone, loved watching her many children grow. One day though, a very special child was reborn on the edge of her realm. A Halfa, one she loved dearly and longed to help in any way she could. But most days, she could only watch...
Tropes:
- Anthropomorphic Personification: Both the Earth and Ghost Zone can create humanoid manifestations/avatars to interact with their inhabitants.
- The Chosen One: Danny was saved by Gehenna, the sentient embodiment of the Ghost Zone itself, during the portal accident, and upon sensing his pure soul and caring heart, imbued him with some of her power so he could act as a bridge between and protector of both Earth and the Ghost Zone.
- Darker and Edgier: The story is mostly an alternate perspective on canon, viewing the events of the episodes from Gehenna's POV, but it's made clear that some of Spectra's victims were Driven to Suicide.
- Driven to Suicide: A number of Spectra's previous victims eventually took their own lives.
- The Force Is Strong with This One: Gehenna has a direct link to Danny, which other ghosts can sometimes sense if they pay enough attention, though not all of them will know what it means. Skulker sensing the link is part of why he's so obsessed with hunting Danny.
- Genius Loci: Both Earth and the Ghost Zone have a sentient embodiment, Gaia and Gehenna, respectively.
- God's Hands Are Tied: Gehenna loves all of her children, but her ability to directly act is often limited, especially when it comes to Danny, since he's almost always on Earth, where she can't really sense him if he gets very far from the portal, let alone intervene.
- Good Parents: Gehenna views all ghosts as her children and cares for them deeply, though the rules and limitations of her existence often keeps her from intervening directly, and she views things like Spectra targeting children unforgivable, so her love isn't blind.
- Halloween Episode: Where Gehenna meets her sister Gaia again for the first time in ages.
- Invisible to Normals: Apparently not all ghosts can see/perceive Gehenna, Gehenna name drops Aragon as a likely example of those who can't, given his arrogance and vanity preventing him from recognizing anything greater than himself, despite having lived in an era of superstition like his sister Dora, who can see her. Apparently even Danny's unable to sense her properly due to initially believing that all ghosts are evil.
- Mother Nature: Gaia takes on this role for Earth, and as her twin, Gehenna is this for the Ghost Zone.
- This Is Unforgivable!: Gehenna despises those who, like Spectra, target innocent children, especially Danny.
- Wham Episode: Chapter 14's conversation between Gaia and Gehenna reveals that Vlad isn't the first halfa. More of them, called "Line Walkers," existed in the past.
