Good Vlad AU (Vlad’s Powers)
Alright, before we get started I’m going to be discussing canon Vlad’s powers a bit because there’s something I found interesting while researching them. Now, I do remember that in the show there were times when Vlad used ecto-energy that was a different color than his trademark pink energy, but I didn’t realize just how many he used. And sure while these might only be graphical errors in the show or inconsistency in general, I’d like to think there’s more to it. If not, then they just look cool! Lets take a look at them shall we?
First up we have Vlad’s first appearance in the show in “Bitter Reunions,” Vlad used a combination of green energy and the pink energy we’re more familiar with. Most likely they only changed the main color of his attacks to make him stand out from Danny, but it’s still interesting all the same!
Next up we see Vlad using blue energy in the episode “Maternal Instinct” which must be a sign because I wrote a whole re-imagining of that episode for my Good Vlad AU (https://thesoulspulse.tumblr.com/post/662310410203152385/good-vlad-au-maternal-instinct-re-imagined) AND I’ve been thinking of having my Good Vlad use white/blue ecto-energy for his attacks too!
And finally, while this is still pretty close to Vlad’s classic pink energy, in “Reign Storm” Vlad is seen here using purple energy so that’s pretty cool!
Alright, so that said I wondering if it would be cool if my Good Vlad’s energy is white but can change colors depending on the type of attack he’s trying to do? Such as for example, green could be standard/neutral ghost energy, and the energy gets more powerful from there going from blue, to pink, to purple, and then finally red? I know we don’t see Vlad use red energy attacks but canon Vlad does have glowing red eyes. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this theory before in the amazing fanfic “Checkmate” by pearl84, so credit goes to them or whoever came up with a headcanon like this first!
That said, I’m going to be putting my own spin to it and also say that the color effects emotions too like...the purple and red energy could indicate how ‘dark’ or ‘evil/hostile’ you feel which makes it hard to control unless you have a lot of experience for it such as the Fright Knight or Pariah Dark. With that in mind I imagine my Good Vlad tends to hover between mainly using blue and purple energy mainly because as good as he is he can be a bit selfish, possessive, and quick to anger at times even if its for a good reason. He just deeply cares about the few people in his life that make it a little less lonely, so if pushed too far Vlad can lose control if someone he loves gets badly hurt, especially Danny.
That’s just one idea I’m considering though so I’m not sure if that will be canon to this AU yet, and if I decide against it we’ll stick to him using the white/blue energy primarily. Anyways, lets move on to Vlad’s powers based on what I plan to expand on in this AU. I’ll skip over most of Vlad’s basic powers though like changing from ghost to human and all that though since those are kind of a given at this point of ghost abilities that he’d still have access to.
Ecto-energy Redirection: First up we have this sick move which Vlad literally only used once. He caught Danny’s ecto-energy attack and redirected it right at him! THAT has a lot of potential I think! And what’s funny is, Danny Phantom came out in 2004 but in 2005 Avatar The Last Airbender did and now I keep picturing Good Vlad doing something epic like redirecting Lightning the same way Zuko does:
So yeah, that’s one power I’d really love to add to Vlad’s arsenal that wasn’t explored in the show further than that first episode we see him use it or meet Vlad at all.
Ecto-Energy Shield & Constructs: I’m combining these two since it’s basically a crystalized form of ecto-energy that is much more dense and therefore more heavily reinforced which I imagine isn’t as easy to pull off as canon Vlad makes it out to be. Plus, I’m gonna be honest, I mostly just want an excuse to see Vlad use a sword again in battle so I’d love to add that as part the canon for this version of him. As in Vlad has been professionally trained in many styles of swordsmanship, mainly fencing (cause rich people just always seemed to get into that as a trope) and medieval combat since he has a soft spot for ghostly historic artifacts and history in general.
Power Augmentation: I’m going to redefine this so what Vlad basically does is overcharge his energy attacks which can take a bit longer to charge up but packs a twice as powerful attack. However, it also drains him twice as much so this has be be used sparingly even for him.
Money, Power, Connections and Influence: Ok, this one isn’t a literal ghost power so I’m kinda cheating a little, but consider this. In the show, Vlad IS confirmed to be the richest man in the WORLD right? Think about that for a second. Sure in the show we see him cheat his way to power, cut corners, and lord over people with his power and wealth, but what if Danny (and indirectly his parents too) had Good Vlad’s full support and access to all his resources?
What if Uncle Vlad could help out our hero from the sidelines by offering information that a normal teenager wouldn’t just be able to find online or read in a book? Like for example, having a text about a certain ghost in his personal library or sharing with Danny and his friends his latest inventions which unlike Danny’s parents are made from higher quality tech often made by Vlad personally since this version wouldn’t be stealing ideas from Jack and Maddie. He doesn’t have to, he’s just as brilliant if not more so than the two of them combined? Plus has plenty of connections not only in the real world, but also in the Ghost Zone so anything Danny could ever possibly need to figure out which big bad he’s fighting would literally be at his fingertips...
All he has to do, is ask for it.
Yep, easy as that because THIS Vlad considers Jack a friend again and respects Maddie as a fellow scientist so after meeting Danny all he wanted was the chance to be close to him since he feels like they have a special bond as the only half-ghosts in the world. Vlad still considers Danny a son, but he’d never ask him to leave his friends and family behind unless it was for their own safety. Even then, he’d invite them into the safety of his mansion/castle long before things got to that point.
Teleportation: I felt like this was worth mentioning on the list because it’s kind of another trademark move of Vlad’s so of course I gotta keep it in!
Ghost Core: This is a phandom thing based on something Frostbite says to Danny but this part is a bit tricky since we don’t know for sure what core Vlad might have in canon or which one I should give him in this AU so lets see what the options are:
Electric Core: Considering how many times Danny gets ‘zapped’ by canon Vlad it seems like this is the most likely candidate. However, that would mean that Good Vlad would have some immunity as a result from electrical attacks which may be a bit overpowered, although it would be fun to play with the idea that his powers even now still cause disturbances when upset or angry like making things short out, causing televisions to show only white noise/static, his voice being heard over the radio or phone like it’s being projected, that sort of thing.
Fire Core: Some of canon Vlad’s attacks look like fire so this could work too, but Good Vlad would use this really cool white fire which just looks pretty and very ghostly. So when he gets too upset or angry, stuff starts to burn or the room temperature rises. I kind of use this to explain his ghost sense, like his comes out as hot air which isn’t visible like Danny’s so it’s like when you inhale steam only he exhales it.
Heat Core (Both): Lastly, this idea is just to kinda combine the two ATLA style where Lightning and Fire are just two sides of the same coin. However, that would mean Danny has the opposite, a Cold Core, which would technically mean he could use water-based attacks in my opinion sort of like aquakinesis which is described as the psychic or supernatural ability to manipulate water, but I’m getting off topic so lets leave that for you to ponder.
Weaknesses: That’s about all I have for now on the ghost power end of things, I know I skipped over a lot of them, but for the most part just assume that Good Vlad still HAS all the same powers as canon Vlad. The biggest difference here is that he uses them mostly for Danny’s benefit, not his detriment or against him. Still, Good Vlad has a lot of weaknesses too. The characters in this show can get really overpowered, but often times, what takes them down is their own hubris...
After all, Vlad wouldn’t be Vlad if he wasn’t still a bit childish and overconfident.
Admittedly, Good Vlad ended up cutting some corners to get where he is today as far as his wealth is concerned too but unlike canon Vlad he didn’t resort to theft. However, with that in mind the only thing that actually stopped him from giving into that temptation to make things easier for himself was worrying about what Jack and Maddie might think of him if they ever found out he did something so underhanded. And he didn’t want his old friends to lose faith in him. Still, apart from that Vlad doesn’t really have any good role models in his life or friends who were close to him at that point to let him know when he’s going too far...
Once Vlad was basically left to his own devices with no one to stop him, he grew accustomed to just doing whatever he damn well pleased with his new ghost powers. Vlad didn’t have a whole town to protect, parents to hide from, none of the stuff Danny has to deal with so he could basically get away with stuff completely scot-free since ghosts just aren’t common knowledge to anyone where he lives. He’s like a spoiled child that doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong sometimes. Sure, Vlad does a lot of nice things with his money like making donations to animal rescues, saving rain forests, and orphanages, all the classics, but apart from that though Vlad just uses his powers to try and obtain tons of cool magical/ghostly artifacts from all over the world and in the Ghost Zone.
At least, that’s how it went until Danny came into the picture.
Danny is Vlad’s biggest weakness in more ways than one. Vlad cares about him and his family now to an obsessive degree which therefore means he now has something to not only protect...but to lose if his own enemies go after them. Therefore as much of a sweetheart as Good Vlad is, you mess with his ‘family’ and he will END YOU. Most of the time Vlad is very rational and strategic, but when to comes to Danny he’s prone to getting overprotective and truly vicious which brings out a side of him that even scares the man himself sometimes.
So Danny, in exchange for getting a mentor and someone he can turn to for help, is one of the few people that can keep Vlad grounded in reality when that happens. Not to mention Danny helps teach him better ways to use his powers for good the way his friends help him do that. Still, since they’re on the same side Vlad can be a bit of a bad influence too and encourages Danny to use his powers to pull harmless pranks on the classmates that bully him.
It’s one of the ways they like to bond and frankly, Danny’s friends can be killjoys sometimes since they don’t have to deal with the relentlessly bullying that he does on a daily basis just because he comes from a family of ghost hunters. They have it easy, but Vlad? In college he and Jack went through the same thing so Vlad can ACTUALLY relate to Danny’s situation much better. This isn’t the healthiest kind of relationship, but it’s still better than the way canon Vlad kept SAYING he wanted to help, wanted Danny to accept him as a father figure, but never ACTED like one.
