Are (pistol) dummy cartridges particularly dangerous?

I’ll have you know I know next to nothing about guns. I peruse the internet for knowledge to be used in fictional stories. That is my only interest in guns.

Having said that, I am interested to learn how, exactly, dummies work. I understand they have no primer or explosive charges (I think, haha; correct me if I’m wrong). Does that mean they don’t have an actual “bullet” as well, like blanks? Also, what happens to the cartridge once the weapon is fired—it just drops to the ground? Does it even make a noise when fired?

And ultimately, are dummies relatively safe to use? Again, I’m only interested in this for fictional purposes, so you don’t have to worry about me going off and getting myself shot for no good reason.