Danny: The one with the glasses?

Bruce: Yes. His name is Clark Kent. He can be trusted.

Danny: Okay. *Writes note down* What about the woman next to him?

Bruce: That's Cat Grant, and no, she can't be trusted. Everything you say to her will turn into a gossip-lifting, life-ruining article.

Danny: Got it. *writes more notes*

Jason, watching the two from a few feet away: Say, who's that kid Bruce is media training? Is he a new ward he took in?

Tim: No, that's Danny Fenton, the face of Fenton Works. They signed up as a sub-company of Wayne Enterprise. Originally, they were a paranormal investigation and capture company- yes, I mean ghost hunters- but it was discovered that almost all thier tech can be used on metas. Bruce wants to make medical equipment that can be used by our enhanced citizens.

Jason: I see. But why a kid so young? He's your age, right?

Tim: Hmm, apparently his parents, the owners of Fenton Works, made him CEO so they could focus on ghost hunting and the occasional meta medical machines for Bruce. He got here a week ago to shadow me for CEO training, and Bruce stole him after they met outside my office. Danny hangs onto his every word, and I think Bruce forgot what it was like to have a kid actually listen to him.

Jason: Ah thats makes sense. What do you think of him?

Tim: Well, he's a little naive, easy to trick, and has way too much empathy for the cold world of business. I'm gonna have him in my bed.

Jason: Ah....well that took a turn. One I do not like so I'm gonna....*walks away*

Tim: He will be ✨️mine✨️

sure he's not on the moon, but he's in space! he meets and talks to aliens on a daily basis! he can just go out of the station, fly around and come back in! he is very happy with his job.

so when danny went back in the watchtower after fixing a panel outside, finding out that everyone was being mindcontrolled, and danny is the only one who was not affected because he was outside-

well, the only thing he could really do is put the watchtower on a lockdown, and hope someone from the outside notices something before it's too late.(no matter how slim the chances of that are, afterall, almost everyone in the justice league was present in the tower, some kind of urgent meeting)

they don't want a mindcontrolled superheros flying around afterall.

-

or: extremely depuffed engineer danny fenton is stuck alone in the watchtower with mindcontrolled superheros, he needs to save the heroes before it's too late, with only his invisiblity, minor ice powers, flight, and night vision in his arsenal, anything else would be too draining and risky, he doesn't have any ectoplasm here to support him afterall.

-

the first person danny tries to break free from the mind control is the red robin

"why me? why not batman, or superman?"

"you're the only one who I realisticly could pin down long enough to break the mind control..."

"....."

"oh uh-and of course because you're the smartest-"

"save it..."

Danny, Sam and Tucker are scrolling through Bruce Wayne’s Twitter account for whatever reason (trying to find an announcement from the company, trying to find a stupid tweet, etc) and accidentally find a picture of Damian.

Cue everyone freaking out, because they look almost (aside from Damian being a bit darker than Danny) identical.

Even better, Danny is wearing a (much cheaper) near identical version of the outfit that Damian is wearing in the picture.

The group stages a quick picture in the same poses as Damian’s (Tucker, playing Bruce, is on a step stool) and post it in a reply.

They think nothing of it, find whatever they were looking for, and move on.

Except… Danny continues doing it. For months. People start following him on Twitter. The GiW have visited his house twice now because he keeps breaking through the media blackout to post (before being turned away due to lack of warrant).

Damian is not amused (Jon absolutely is, but this isn’t about him). He’s in deep Twitter beef with this random scrawny white boy for responding to every single photo of him with his own poorly done copy. He doesn’t even have an account, but he’s still finding ways to argue with Danny. He’s gone viral for blinking threats to Danny in Morse code during an interview.

The worst part is, this can’t possibly be a clone, so Damian isn’t allowed to attack him physically. Danny is fifteen, three years older than Damian. He’s not related in any way to Ra’s Al Ghul, or anyone who might have cloned Damian before. They just look remarkably alike.

Danny goes viral when, after a clip of Damian fleeing a rogue is posted to twitter, he responds with his own clip of him fleeing a ghost (probably Vlad). It’s clearly a genuine emergency, but Danny still put in the effort to move in the exact same pattern that Damian did (aside from a few quick dodges to avoid ecto blasts).

Damian is enraged.

He’s got to put an end to this somehow.

The Flashes are completely aware about Dan, ever since Danny joined Young Justice. But clearly something happened, since Dan will never happened - thanks to Danny, and none of the Flashes know.

Danny however, knows about the Flashes thanks to Clockwork and of course - decides to screw with them, because the Flashes don't know that HE knows about his Evil Future Self. Because he's currently reformed, at home, vibing with Vlad.

So, Danny decides to fuck with them the best way possible.

^0^

"Hey, Wally - c'mere for a sec! So I've been practicing this new move I created, and since I know your fast enough to dodge them - why not test it on you?"

Wally agrees, and is led to the Training room. There is a pause, before Danny pulls out his best Dan voice and goes, "Ready?"

Wally instantly has Flashbacks before instinctually dodging Danny's attack, only for Danny to stop, disappear - and then reappear next to Wally.

Cass decides to go with the plan and sneaks through the vents. She plans to drop down behind him and poke him or something. What she wasn’t expecting was for him to suddenly perk up and turn in his seat to look right at her in the vent. How had he noticed her? Not even Superman could notice her if she knew she was sneaking up on him!

Already knowing the plan is a bust she drops down with the intention of introducing and explaining herself when something weird happens. Cass had been trained since birth to read people’s bodies. To her it was her first language. So it surprised her when Phantom seemed to be doing the same to her. Reacting to her in the same way she was reacting to him.

Danny, for his part, is also confused that this bat person seems to be communicating in what he can best describe as a mute form of ghostspeak. She only has a proto-core so she can only project the most basic of intentions to color her emotions but combined with her body movements it’s almost as easy for him to understand as ghostspeak!

It was a silent conversation but the two young heroes quickly struck up a friendship. Cass is happy that she’s met someone she can converse with without any words or sign and Danny’s happy to meet someone who’s capable of understanding and somewhat replying in ghost. The only words shared between them being those that they can’t get through a combination of body language and a weak form of ghostspeak, but they’re mostly entirely quiet.

Unique or well-executed tropes, all platonic edition! Just because I feel like it. (This post is updated as stories update/go inactive)

COMPLETED

City Pigeons Bleed Green by PaperPuffin

Danny is Bruce Wayne's clone. He's discovered by the Bats, who promptly adopt him. Lots of angst and trauma, skittish Danny, very sweet. 20/20 chapters

Ghosts, Legacies, and CPS by Ace_of_Roses & Karnia_Queen

Vlad calls CPS on Danny. To avoid being placed into Vlad's custody, he goes to a distant biological relative for help - Tim Drake. This one is literally so good. Lots of identity shenanigans. 6/6 chapters

Grave Promises by Blueseabird2

Dick Grayson was trapped in the Ghost Zone years ago and taught newly-Phantom Danny how to be a vigilante. After a reveal gone wrong, Danny seeks out Dick "years" later for help. 11/11 chapters

sacrificial bat by hollowgast1

Shameless self promo! Nowhere near the level as these others, but hopefully you still like it. Danny is summoned by a cult and forced to overshadow Tim. Angst and identity shenanigans. 8/8

Like Facing Off Against C'Thulu, but it's Really Just your Fears by nerdpoe

Emotionally devasating. Dick is vivisected by the Fentons and Danny rescues him. The Bats rescue Danny in turn. One of my all-time favorites that you must read. 4/4 chapters

TWINcognito Mode by nerdpoe

Another one of my absolutely favorites. Nerdpoe, you get me. Danny is Tim Drake's clone, and they decide to be twins (and mess with the rest of the family in the process). 6/6 chapters

The Bat Trap by Threee

The Parent Trap, but with the demon twins who don't know they're twins. This one is such a journey. 33/33 chapters

We’re Longing For Daylight by AKelaNakamura

The population of Gotham begins to fall into an unexplainable sleep. When it gets Tim, Jason is ready to tell his soul to save him. 20/20

— — —

ACTIVELY IN PROGRESS

Corrupted Respawning by CosmicDustPoltergeist

Another "Danny is Tim's clone" masterpiece. Danny is more of a chill guy than a weapon, so the Batfamily decides to adopt him. 21/?

those who serve. by aryelee

Reread this one a dozen times. Alfred adopts homeless Danny instead of Bruce and teaches him to be the family butler. Absolutely stunning. 8/9

Little Ghost by flowerpetal275

Danny holes up in an abandoned apartment building. Little does he know, the room next door is a vigilante safe house. Dick finds him and adoption shenanigans ensue. 13/?

Plurality by Biofuel

When the Fentons are arrested, the Justice League takes custody of Danny under the impression that he needs to be cured. This and the works inspired by it are very fun. 13/?

ghost whiskers by hollowgast1

Danny is a catboy. No, it’s not a crackfic. Damian finds cat meta Danny and rescues him from the Fentons. Mostly fluff and recovery. 12/15

I thought you were gone (and you still found me) by TStarOPines

Evil Vlad keeps Danny captive. Dan and Ellie are reverted to cores, which Danny is "incubating." The Bats rescue him. Trigger warning for assumed noncon (there is none). 23/?

the moon will sing a song (i love you like the sun) by Imshookandbi

Stunning fic where Jason and Danny were childhood friends and neither knows the other is still around. Underrated gold. 5/?

Inhumane (It’s All In Gray) by AKelaNakamura

Beast Boy, stuck as a green dog, is captured by the GIW and escapes. The Amity Park kids have to figure out how to get him to safety as the GIW takes over. 9/?

Danny wants to walk everywhere, flyings too convenient or something, he wants to do something more adventurous!

Either he’s unaging or in another universe just to train, what execatly? Uhhh? His people skills? Point is if it’s another universe the time conversion rate is inconsiquential, like 100 years is 100 seconds in his home world.

Okay so…basically he walks. Thats the whole premise 😭 stay with me here.

Danny just chatting up or entertaining anyone who want to talk to him and at one point he just goes to Gotham, and commuting is not too unusual. Well, until it is, like Danny will just walk the entire crime alley, the fancy streets, get to a secluded island NEAR Gotham, with no like… flying or transportation or powers that they know of. Somehow.

The bats are just like, ‘hey I’ve seen that guy on my patrol route!’ ‘Oh! Me too!’ ‘Me too…’ ‘uh, yeah, same here??’

Obviously, they research, cause where is this kid even going?? Is he just…walking without a destination!?

Danny is stopping at places, of course, but he has to contemplate a bit and usually circles a city at least 5 or more times, which can take however fucking long.

Right. Anyways, they check all the cities he’s been seen in, not just where he’s been in Gotham, cause he’s so obviously not a local.

And he’s just been…everywhere man…

I’d like to think that he gets acquainted with entire random ass small towns too, the whole population of like three digits or less. Like north, east, south, west? Yeah, the villagers know Danny! Oh, which ones specifically? uh, all of them.

It would be so fun for Danny to get an absolute dompamain rush every time he randomly meets someone on his journey that’s like— a celebrity in their field, maybe not an actual celebrity cause that’s boring. Yawn. Like randomly meeting the director of something of some on vacation/in their home town.

He’d die of happiness coming across secluded scientists in their fields and just getting to hear all the worlds most exclusive audiobooks ever. He’d totally freak 10 times more if it was space related, and I reckon his mini travel phone book he has is the most insane line-up of people he just happened to meet. Walking.

It’s important to me that Danny remains youthful in this fic because the absolute comedy of ‘where the hell is this kids parents??’ ‘he walked here alone?? What. Across statelines?!’ ‘to fucking mexico????’

Dpxdc

I just read a prompt where Danny saves a colony of cupids from Vlad and receives a blessing from them. It got me thinking—I’ve never seen a story where Danny gets mistaken for a cupid.