Title: Wishers Lost by Tavalya_Ra
Pairings: Timmy/Crocker
Author on LJ: tavalya_ra
Author Website: tavalya_ra@insanejournal fanfic masterlist
Why this must be read:

This is unlike most DP/FOP crossovers - which there are many of. Most of them are cliche-Timmy-somehow-meets-Danny-and-they-go-on-PG-rated-ghostly-adventures (or vice versa), and other stuff in that vein. This is an ONESHOT mostly set in FOP, where the Danny Phantom elements only play a small, yet crucial part. Timmy and Crocker have clearly undergone character development offscreen, yet still are perfectly themselves. Choosing an excerpt is impossible, since its so short that an excerpt it could be a spoiler, and I have no desire to do that.

Wishers Lost

I'm hoping to get one more rec up tonight, but if not, what better way to end the month than with a story about the series finale? It's been a fun drive. I hope you enjoyed the fics and that you're hooked on the fandom.

Fandom: DANNY PHANTOM
Pairing: Danny/Sam, Jack/Maddie; discussion of Danny/Jazz, Tucker/Valerie, Danny/Valerie, and Vlad/Maddie
Length: 32,000
Author on LJ: myaibou 
Author Website: Fanfiction.net

Why this must be read: The series finale, Phantom Planet, tied up a lot of loose threads but still had a few gaps, which people have naturally tried to plug. Some of the biggest problems with the episode are that we don’t know who all knows Danny’s secret by the end, we never really get much of a revelation-reaction from Valerie, and we don’t know what the government standpoint on ghosts ends up being. Tales from the Phantom Planet fixes the problems so smoothly it should be canon.

The fic isn’t just about plugging the gap, though. It’s about the actions and reactions of the main characters as they work to save the world, try to keep Danny’s secret, think they see him die… and then dealing with the necessary aftermath of having saved the world and now what?

Tales from the Phantom Planet

Fandom: DANNY PHANTOM
Pairing: Danny/Sam, possible hints of Tucker/Valerie
Length: ~64,000
Author on LJ: chaosdragon 
Author Website: Fanfiction.net or Pomme de Sang if you want Anita Blake fic

Why this must be read: A future fic with a difference. Danny was presumed dead but reappears in Amity Park. After realistically awkward and relieved reunions, it starts coming out that wherever Danny was and whatever he was up to, it’s left him scarred and much, much older than he’s supposed to be. And he’s steeled himself for an inevitable something that is going to involve a very nasty Vlad….

There and Back Again

Fandom: DANNY PHANTOM
Pairing: Danny/Sam, Danny/Valerie, Tucker/Valerie, Jack/Maddie, Vlad/Maddie
Length: ~150,000
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: Fanfiction.net
Why this must be read: Nonny’s written a number of really epic, wonderfully characterized stories. I’d rec them all if I could. Since I can’t, I’m choosing this one, half because she alternates narrators through the core cast and has them all pitch-perfect, and partly because I haven’t really recced a story with Vlad yet, and that’s a shame because he’s the main villain. (He’s also one of the hardest to really get right, and Nonny manages it.)

The story starts off with Danny almost dying after being attacked by Valerie, and then Vlad involves himself and things get ugly…

Disclosures

Sorry! I sort of dropped out there, didn’t I?

Fandom: DANNY PHANTOM
Pairing: Danny/Sam, Danny/Paulina
Length: ~50,000
Author on LJ: imekitty
Author Website: Fanfiction.net
Why this must be read: If you tried to slot this story into a fanfiction "genre" it would probably be classified as body swap, but that makes it sound simplistic and shallow. Luckiest Girl is a phenomenal, novel-length, redeeming character study of Paulina, as well as a well-thought-out analysis of “what could have been” if Sam had conformed to her parents’ expectations. I love how everyone's a little confused by the situation, and I really, really love how Paulina grows over the course of the story.

The Luckiest Girl in the World

Here’s a romance, for anyone who needs something lighter after Pits.

Fandom: DANNY PHANTOM
Pairing: Danny/Sam
Length: 98,000 words
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: Fanfiction.net, Sadness-Coloured Sandglass
Why this must be read: This fic takes one of the logical implications of Danny’s half-ghost status—that he won’t ever age—and places it in an AU where the Fentons were active in the 1960s. Sam Manson is sent to her grandma’s house to recover from mono and “shape up”, and she ends up making friends (and then more) with the ghost in the attic. It’s is a believable romance, but there’s still action, family reunions (good and bad), and unexpected twists.

Estrelas

Fandom: DANNY PHANTOM
Pairing: None (unless you count Jack/Maddie)
Length: 170,000 words
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: Fanfiction.net

Why this must be read: Danny Phantom is generally a pretty happy and non-scary show, but it does have dark undertones and characters that could, outside of a cartoon, do a lot of damage. Walker, the Ghost Zone's sheriff, is one of those characters, and he gets much less fanfic time than some of the other villains.

Thankfully, we have Cordria's Pits. It's brutal, it's twisted, it's intricate, and it's very, very heavy on angst and gore.

Basically, Walker captures Danny and forces him to be a gladiator in the Pits, one of the few places ghosts can actually die. It’s not just that Danny has to kill to survive, or that he really doesn't want to. It's that he has to kill humans as well as ghosts. It's that he's being manipulated by three different people, who have conflicting interests. It's that Walker has a really nasty sadistic side. It's that he might be going crazy.

I get scared just remembering reading it.

Pits

I know I've sort-of recced something by this author before, but this crossover beat the others out of the water, and, well, this is a different penname of hers.

Title: Running Blind by Dejah Thoris of Mars  
Pairing: Danny/Sam (in the background)
Length: ~22,600
Author on LJ: marsdejahthoris 
Author Website: Fanfiction.net or her other FF.net account

Why this must be read: This is probably the most popular crossover in the fandom. It's absolutely pitch-perfect for both shows, has spot-on characterization for everyone, and has a very interesting take of Vlad. The Vegas CSIs are on the case of a blob(?)  that sucks all the moisture out of its victims, and they've got a material witness, Danny "Parker", who's on the run and convinces Child Services to let him stay with Grissom. Who, of course, figures Danny out eventually and becomes a ready defender of him. Then Vlad and his minions show up, trying to get Danny. The ensuing car chase is brilliant.

Running Blind

Fandom: DANNY PHANTOM
Pairing: Danny/Valerie friendship
Length: approx. 17,000 words
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: Fanfiction.net, Geocities

Why this must be read: Danny decides to talk Valerie around to the fact that he’s Phantom. Alone. At night. And he gives her a Fenton Thermos, which she can use to capture him forever, if she wants to. Except that by the time Danny gets around to properly revealing himself, maybe she doesn’t actually want to anymore. But maybe she does. Fics about their relationship don’t get much better

A Thermos for Valerie

Fandom: DANNY PHANTOM
Pairing: Danny/Sam, Tucker/Dora, Box Ghost/Lunch Lady, Johnny 13/Kitty, Paulina/Danny Phantom (one-sided), Jack/Maddie, Vlad/Maddie (one-sided), Vlad/HoloMaddie; Valerie/Dark Danny if you want it
Length: 30k+ total
Author on LJ: firefury 
Author Website: Fanfiction.net
Why this must be read: In my overview, I mentioned that the Danny Phantom fandom has a fascination with “The Ultimate Enemy” (TUE) because of the angst and potential for darkness and gore. There are a lot of TUE-based stories out there, and Firefury’s are among the very best.

The first two stories trace the lives of Valerie (“Jeremiad”) and Phantom (“Anathema”) from the time of the Fentons’ death until Danny’s intervention in the timeline ten years later. They stick religiously to the known canon, explaining even the smallest details, and really, really getting into the hate, anger, fear, and stubbornness of both characters—to the point of getting the reader to agree with some pretty insane actions. Her Dan voice is especially fantastic and handles the dual memories very well.

The last two stories are about redemption and forgiveness, and are no longer retellings of canon. They explore Danny’s relationship with Dark Danny, the fall-out of having two minds in the same body, and Dark Danny’s relationship with Future Valerie and the rest of Future Amity Park. There are also epic battle scenes, with appropriate character whumpage and spatters of ectoplasm.

The stories have gotten an impressive amount of attention from the fandom (you’d be hard-pressed to find a dedicated fanfic reader who doesn’t know them) and it’s pretty obvious why. They’re well-written, epic in scope and undertaking, and have lots and lots of angst from everyone (and it’s about TUE and Dark Danny).


Jeremiad, Anathema, Benediction, Indemnification

Fandom: DANNY PHANTOM
Pairing: Danny/Sam, Lancer/OC
Length: 20,000
Author on LJ: akoya_mizuno 
Author Website: Geocities
Why this must be read: Lancer finding out that Danny Fenton is Danny Phantom is practically a genre in its own right, and this is one of the best examples of it. Lancer’s confusion, curiosity, and conflicted morals are perfectly blended, and this characterization of him has been very influential. The take on an older Danny is also excellently done, and, okay, characterization is excellent across the board.

( Excerpt )Phantom’s Sketchbook

Hi! I’m quettalinde and I’ll be driving the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle Danny Phantom van for June. My tastes tend toward crack, angst, and "revelation" stories where people find out Danny’s secret, so my picks will probably be slightly biased. I’ve got a few romances coming up as well, but I can’t promise slash. Maybe, if I find a good one. (There's a lot of unfinished stuff.) 

Anyway, on to the first rec…

Fandom: DANNY PHANTOM
Pairing: none
Length: ~16,800
Author on LJ: marsdejahthoris
Author Website: here, here, or Fanfiction.net
Why this must be read: Because the insight into the characters is genius, and it’s an outsider’s perspective to boot. Because every fan seems to have read it (and then tells everyone else to). Because there’s snark, and sneakiness, and villain baiting, and psychology, and multi-layered chess games.

Outside Looking In

Danny Phantom is a Nickelodeon cartoon created by Butch Hartman of The Fairly Odd Parents). It follows Danny Fenton, a.k.a. Danny Phantom, a teen who gains ghost powers and uses them to protect his town from paranormal invasion. ( Read more... )