#nocturn haunts the JL

[ew-selfish-art]

Dp x DC AU: Danny didn't want to rely on his rogues, but Tucker's computer skills only got them so far and if the media black out continues... Danny knows it's not going to be pretty for them. Nightmares begin to plague the Justice League.

---

Danny gets back from a shitty conversation with Clockwork and in his frustration, accidentally sets off one of the new GIW sensors that his parents allowed to be installed in the lab. Their collaboration seemed to be going no where but when Danny had new holes blasted through him... it must be going somewhere. Damn it.

The commotion is loud enough that Jazz hears it from her room above the lab (he knows she listens to more than just the lab... it's cause she cares, even if it is a bit invasive.) and rushes in to play the distraction while Danny gets away. This time it works- the Drs. Fenton might have the worst aim in the city but they demand all shots cease if a civilian is nearby- Next time his mom might be aiming her gun at him and not the ground. Danny decides he'll buy Jazz a coffee on his way home.

But first, new holes. Yikes. That like, needs medical attention- He heads to Tucker's place and he's pretty sure Sam is already there.

"Danny! What the fuck, did Clockwork-" She starts, her meticulous cat eyeliner making her glare all the deeper.

"Nah, it's the stupid GIW sensor, the stupid one I told you guys about that has a spring lose in the back?"

"I thought we decided those weren't a concern?" Tucker looks him over, face covered in undisguised and very blatant concern.

"Yeah well, Clocky pissed me off so I forgot about them when I came back in through the lab portal-"

"you were supposed to be practicing making your own." Sam interrupts.

"-And when I did, the thing got knocked and I was swatted like immediately. Jazz launched herself into the lab so Mom made them stop shooting and it gave me enough time to get out." Danny continued to explain, ignoring his friend's 'i told you so' faces.

"Dude. We're pushing it close this week. Sam already had a confrontation with the lab guys and I already got blacklisted on my new persona accounts. We're like seriously threading the needle for getting caught." Tucker, pulls his glasses down to pinch the bridge of his nose and Danny and Sam both get what he's really saying. They need to lie low.

"What did CW say to piss you off?" Sam asks after a silent moment.

"He said nothing really, just like he always does, but insinuated I should try getting a rogue to help." Danny sighs.

"What, Like getting Ember to announce the GIW invasion on her tour? We already agreed that-" Sam is getting angry as she speaks so Tuck cuts her off- "It's a bad Idea. She is- They are all just as likely to get captured and hurt as you are if you go out of town." He comes to the same conclusion they've agreed on for weeks. No rogue involvement.

"Maybe we just need to sleep on it... Hey... wait." Danny sighs, but then his gears start to turn.

"Nocturn. We need Nocturn to help us. He can get the message out through dreams." Danny comes to the new conclusion and his friends look hesitant but at least like they're considering it.

"Isn't he an ancient? He's not going to help us for free." Tucker, ever the Egyptian god in these moments.

"Most people don't take their dreams literally." Sam, ever the skeptic in these moments.

"Yeah but, if they dream it enough times, and they're the right people to do something... they can look it up and then at least see that there is a problem?" Danny sounds hopeful and its the first time he's sounded that way in months.

"What, you're gunna give Batman nightmares?" Tucker snickers but Sam looks inspired.

"That's exactly what he's going to do. We need to haunt the Justice League. They'll see past the fake facade the GIW put up online and they'll be able to get the right legislation passed." Sam is practically buzzing.

"Okay, so lets get scheming- What do you get the primordial beast of the unconscious? Should I google 'what to get someone who has everything'? " Danny laughs.

_____

Bruce and his children rarely do feelings when they have breakfast in the morning after a night of separate patrols, but it seems as though the room is plagued with unease. Tim looks about as tired as ever, so his unease is probably attributable to WE board meetings, but its unlike the rest of his children to be so... disturbed. For some reason, after Alfred has excused them all from eating more than a few nibbles, they make it to the cave. Bruce is glad for the noise his children bring.

The nightmare's he's been having are following a dark plot. A town, a boy who looks like he was kin, and so, so much death. Bruce has had vivid dreams before in life, but this nightmare is... unreal. He tries to remind himself that it's just a nightmare.

When his JL emergency communicator goes off at the computer desk, he's not expecting it to be Dinah Lance. She and her Birds are typically wary of him in Gotham, even if they work well together in the League. He answers it like he would any Batman call, with silence.

"Bats, we have a problem. Any chance you've been having weird dreams about a kid getting experimented on or a town being burned down? Ghosts? Lazarus portals?" Dinah sounds exhausted, but Bruce snaps to her voice with rapt attention. As do all of his children.

"I-" Bruce takes a look around the room, everyone's heads except for Tim's nodding up and down with distress," We all have."

"Something tells me that they whole JL is. Everyone I've talked to this week has had a variation of the same dream. We either have a telepath trying to tell us something, or something even worse than that."

"I'll call emergency meeting, we need to collect details and try to determine the complete message."

"I'll send you what I've noted down so far, sans personal details of course, it's definitely in a town called Amity Park though. My client this morning saw the sign."

Batman grunts and the call ends. It's time to get to work.

----

When the Justice League finally arrives, the town is glowing, and everything feels like... sleep. smothering. snoring. smoking. smoldering.

And then, despite the exhaustion that echos within them, the trudge onwards. The noise of laser guns certainly wakes them up a bit.

[currentfandomkick]

So previous part here

Danny’s adoption as far as GZ in concerned requires Plas to indergo some trials to prove himself as Danny—debated between being the Future King or exalted as the Will of the Infinite—‘s majority caretaker on the mortal side.

A mentorship is one thing—parenthood is taken far more seriously. Especially for a traumatized child ghost.

So, premise aside, lets begin!

Phantom had been beaming for a while. Everyone knew that. Between the JL spot and having a mentor, Amity “Mittens” Park knew her guard was more content than he’d been in a long, long time.

The city spirit was proud for him. Few kept their cool when it came three ancients appearing on their doorstep.

Her guard had chosen his mortal fright well. Between Undergrowth’s High Priestess and the Pharaoh reincarnation his choice of peers, though limited, was good… but he lacked suitable guiding presences.

There is only so much Amity can do herself. She’s not quite physical enough to manifest, no idea to form her base around. And she is not mortal, so how could she ever help?

As the witness to her guard’s life and death, her vote would hold the most sway, regardless of the Trials’ outcome.

Her wonderful guard found himself a father, she would see that this bond is acknowledged.

Nerves flooded Phantom’s form again. He twisted his tail around Plas’ arm and held Cujo close to his chest.

The JL light side hadn’t caught the implications of his potential adoption. They didnt have the whole story on Danny’s place in the Infinite’s pecking order…

Plas does.

Unfortunately, so does the JL Dark. Which is why Plas was checking over anything he should prepare for them by customs and for the usual rites for Living adopting a “Curtain Child” as Constaintine’s text dubbed Danny and his cohorts.

He’s not sure if he should just… ignore the scholarly term for his kind or not. On one hand, he’s been calling himself a halfa since he stopped saying he was a living boy with ghost powers. He’s hyperliminal—functionally dead on command, as far as Yeti were concerned atleast. He straddles the line of liminal and death, while remaining a living being. Three for one deal and passable as all three and not at once.

Halfas aren’t super rare naturally so much as exterminated en masse in the past, and the word for ‘too dead to be liminal’ that survived was, well, halfa. the slur used to justify genocide.

But his alternative was hyperliminal (which he barely qualifies as given he transforms and liminals just exist as ‘merged’ with the opposite natural state (be it mortal side or infinite) and the bucket of issues of using the wrong medical term as a species indicator. Or “Curtain Child” which. No.

Where was he? Oh right, finding Plas before the Trials and his death day and the ‘clock’ starts.

“Patro?” Danny began as he flew into the room.

Zatanna’s eyebrows shot up. Constantine turned to him slowly. Deadman was too happy for Danny’s taste—the off-ecto leaving a sickly sweet-bitter blend in the back of his throat.

“You good kiddo?” Plastic man ran a hand though Danny hair while Danny looped his tail around his arm.

He leaned into it.

“Just nerves. Mittens already approved, but Grandfather can be… intense. So can Auntie Dora, and Nocturne is a wild card on a good day… those three claim parental fright rights and all over me and my dumbass agreed before i understood since i was new and Ember and Kitty and Johnny didnt know i didnt know and—“

Plasticman hummed louder than usual, glancing at his phone and opening one of those boring adult apps Danny can’t be bothered with at the moment.

Patro whistled. “No wonder, why don’t we head back home? Ellie and most of your fright will be there.”

Danny made a small noise of protest, but let his Patro lead the way to the zeta tubes.

“Your doctor said if you can’t be in your usual haunt for this, you should at least be in your nest back home, before the symptoms get worse.”

Danny huffed, looking about the stars. He wanted to fly among them but Patro said not until after his Death Day and they can see the affects.

So two days.

Basically forever.

—

Jazz raised an eyebrow at Ellie, Sam and Tucker. All flopped down in Danny’s “not a nest” of blankets and star projection lamp.

The stray cacti pots and tech were not unnoticed.

Not were Ellie’s pictures of her travels.

Jazz put bearert and danny old lego starships in before he got back.

“Any preferences on what disaster smoothies we give Danny?” Jazz began. “He’s not allowed chocolate during this time—and we cant give him caffeine so no teas, energy drinks and coffee…which Nasty Shake horrors are we unleashing?”

“Lunchlady already swung by with some sandwhiches,” Penny answered from the hallway.

Jazz opened and shut her mouth, forgetting that she didnt need to be in charge of things this time.

They have reliable adults.

Weird.

Good weird, but still weird.

“That covers ecto food, not what he needs on the living side,” Sam answered while typing away on her phone. “Best Red agreed to watch Amity for the week solo and send any updates of GIW and Fenton activity.”

Patrick slipped in with an anxious, seven tailed Danny in ghost form.

“And Technus is in their tech, so he’s having a blast destroying their mainframe and plans.”

“Good for him.” Patrick herded Danny into his blanket nest.

“Patro,” Danny huffed, looking to his frightmates for help.

“Oh no, your dad, your problem, remember?”

“Don’t make one excuse for you when you got caught hacking sulker and this is what i get?”

“Yep.”

“Some best friend,” danny grumbled, rubbing his arm as he began to burrow under a galaxy blanket and turned on his lamp.

Patrick turned off the lights.

“So as the lead of in best friend olympics—“

“Hey!”

“—i say we plot our revenge. Jazz, Ellie, you two dont have to join but we will accept suggestions.”

Jazz smiled as Danny relaxed, skin bursting with nebula freckles more puddle than person.

—

Patrick isn’t dumb.

He knows he’s being tested by the gods the second he closes the door.

He has to get the Master of Time, the Guardian of Hope and Sleep Soother(? He’s still not sure what title to use for this flavor or sandman) to approve during a trial each of then get to run.

He smiles at Penny before time freeze and the cursed Eyeballs nab him and complain about him ignoring procedure and blah blah blah.

Do they ever get tired of hearing themselves talk?

He doesnt think so…

A familiar council appear before him, for once less riddled with the eyeballs of bureaucratic nonsense and attempted murder. On one side a too familiar yeti waved enthusiastically at him from the side, while the horned cosmos man next to him flopped onto the table unmoving.

On the other side there was a familiar set of armor on an excitable giant who should be on Danny-Sitting a week after his death day. his least favorite trickster had the same grin on that meant Plas would be refereeing Dan and Danny’s “visits” where Dan chose to be a menace about fixing paradoxes and demanded Danny ask more questions while Danny just… did as the weird ageshifter asked before stealing another batch of cookies for himself and hoarding them from his frightmates.

The blue four armed lady in the middle clapped her hands together, waking up the other occupants in the room.

Plas still wasnt sure if said being was related to Wonder Woman or not. both were (sort of) daughters of Zeus but something about dead one being made from all the greek gods available? He tries not to think about it, and roll with the Infinite’s insanity.

“Welcome Plasticman,” a four armed woman began. “We have gathered here to test you to your limits and judge your worthiness as our little star and his moonbeam’s mortal-side parent.”

“Told you we should have tested the first ones,” grumbled the horned man. “Their subconscious was a hot mess and we all know what they turned his holidays into.”

The armor suit made disgruntled sounds on the side, grabbing for a dimension dumping sword.

“Danny was not ready,” the trickster stated. “If he was to leave his caregivers, it will always have to be on his own terms. Especially given his core’s state.”

“He would have accepted it if you let me have Jazz bring up the idea sooner,” Nocturne complained, turning to Clockwork’s child state with a scowl.

“But no. Not part of the plan. Like all your plans actually work out Mr. time madness”

“I have it under control.”

“For the moment,” Frostbite added in. “But you have relapsed before, and now the Great One acts as the counter and has lessened the load.”

“You’re forgetting my second ward.”

“We dont speak of him when it is not a matter of his parole,” Pandora interupted. “Especially when we are here to be certain that Danny is not allowing another, what was that word he like to use to describe the other halfa?”

“Fruitloop,” everyone else chimed in.

“… yes. To ensure no kore fruitloops and otherwise unfit parental figures are able to mistreat, neglect or abuse Danny and Danielle.”

“So, do i need a number 2 pencil for the test, or is it trial by combat or,” Plas listed off absently, watching the five carefully.

“We have each designed a trial or test of our own design. You will begin now.”

Next here

So, any ideas for the trials Plas has to go through?

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[elithemiar-blog]

While Jason is traveling, he accidentally finds a ghostly party (holiday?) featuring one of the gods (Greek/Roman), he's accepted to the party after a tense standoff, the ghosts recognizing as one of their own despite him feeling off. 

The area has a barrier of sorts that will transfer earthbound ghosts into a half mortal, half zone area. This quiets the pit for some odd reason, he sees a teenager in the back and just sidles up next to him, like he feels similar to himself (emotional awkward projection/little dangerous ghosty).

Danny nods to the guy that glances around very confused, and he can sense the wrongness from him just like all the other older ghosts but still doesn't quite understand (GhostKing!Danny might be able to tell that it's corrupted, but not so much of how to fix it). 

He can hear some words in the unfamiliar static of the language (ghost speak), but something about the kid beside him being mentioned and thanked for coming despite putting his haunt in danger by leaving. The gods/goddesses compliment him of his defeat of Undergrowth, Nocturn, Vortex, and Pariah. Jason hears them, not like he had to listen very hard, but eventually comes to understand what they're saying. By the end of the night, he learns quite a few things:

The kid's name is Phantom

He defends a small town from other ghosts and the ghosts from hunters

This kid has stopped god level threats that may put even the JL to shame

He's a special kind of ghost

This kid let him know that he's liminal and that's probably why he even got through the barrier

Ghosts that can hurt the living exist

End of the night, the barrier drops, and Jason is left standing where the party was, and the pit slowly comes back. Now, he just wants answers and that means finding out where Phantom is. Except with a quick net search, there's no results.