#zantanna zatara

[ledesaid]

The shadows in Gotham…

It is common to find its hurried inhabitants carrying on with their lives, day by day, without giving up. Bruce has understood this, but there is a constant that has repeated itself over time that doesn't let him rest.

In the last half decade, every time he is about to die from the attack of a renegade or the villain of the moment, someone drags him away from danger and leaves him next to an ally who can help him.

He has not been able to see who it is; Oracle can only see a shadow that drags him and spits him out in another shadowy place.

It works through the shadows, no one seems to see it, and apparently, it is on Batman's side if it prevents him from dying. But Bruce is a detective and wants answers.

One afternoon, Zatara warns him that something very strange is surrounding him, it has no form, but definitely, a foreign shadow looms protectively over the Bat. They reason that it takes a visible physical form when it wants to interact with Batman.

However, it is reluctant to be touched by anyone, but Zatara offers Batman a spell to be able to see it at all times if he so desires...

Since then, Bruce can see it...

From its height and build, it most of the time appears to be a child. It likes to sit on the chair in his office and lie on the cave floor. It observes Damian furiously when he is near but shows interest in Alfred and Dick. And it likes to see the suits, especially the one Jason once wore.

The rest of the time, it hangs on his back and accompanies him.

Months go by until a magical convergence causes the shadow to disappear.

The years they spent together make Bruce feel, to a lesser extent, the same as when Jason died. But the next time he is about to die at the hands of the Joker, his shadow saves him again. However, it is no longer a shadow; it has a pulse, jet-black hair, sky-blue eyes, and is a child.

Bruce takes him to the cave against all common sense. When the boy wakes up, and as Bruce had intuited, he resumes the shadow routine.

The mystery is solved when he sees his name on the computer screen: William Joseph Batson, missing since he was eight years old. There were never any proven indications of kidnapping or homelessness, no police reports regarding it. The boy should now be fourteen years old, but looking at the boy behind him, he really looks seven. Perhaps it was something magical responsible for this. But Zatara can only confirm that the boy is free of any evil magic. Bruce is not unaware that he is an orphan without available relatives, only an uncle imprisoned for murder.

The boy lies on the cave floor, Bruce tries not to pay attention to him, looks at the suits, Batman doesn’t pay attention to him, even when it is obvious that the little one doesn’t leave his side while they walk.

But Billy cannot speak or remember, so there is no explanation of what brought him to Gotham, what turned him into a shadow, or why he stayed with Bruce for five years. Bruce doesn’t press him, just lets William follow him like a little duckling, as Dick advised, and waits for him to eventually be able to speak.

It happens when Damian argues with William about monopolizing his father's time, time that belongs to his real son and heir.

“He... He is Billy's dad too!”

Bruce closes the case upon hearing him, little by little some of Billy's memories return, he learns to speak fluently under Cassandra's supervision, and a new Wayne is registered in the family book.

[toobytoobs]

I need a fic where all the magic users know that the Champion of Magic is a child so they just start unintentionally co-parenting Billy.

Like, John Constantine will take him on outings to hell. Billy will run off and come back with a piece of Constantine’s soul that had been gambled away and Billy will refuse to explain how he got it.

Dr. Fate (against his better judgment) sets up a playdate between Billy and Klarion the Witch Boy where they are just running around causing chaos (nothing harmful thanks to Billy)

Zatanna lets Billy come to her shows where he’s putting every other audience member to shame with how loud he claps and cheers whenever Zatanna does a trick.

Give me a scenario where magic users are regularly teleporting into the watchtower just to give Captain Marvel a packed lunch, and telling him off —in front of the JL— for forgetting it.

[ghostpainters]

DC Ladies: Loungewear designs

Once again, the goblins in my head took over. So, let's make a game of it....

Choose your aesthetic: Batgirl, Supergirl, Black Canary, Raven, Starfire, Blackfire, Zatanna, Artemis Crock, or Miss Marian?

[youcalledsworld]

Summonings and Grave Misunderstandings

The Justice League summons Ghost King Danny Phantom to help save the Earth. They are tired, they have numerous allies unconscious or unable to fight they are willing to do anything.

Danny was having some trouble, the entertainment he had for Danielle's birthday party just cancelled because they had a family situation. He didn't blame them for cancelling but now he had to stop a civil war from starting in one of his territories and look for new entertainment and have their backgrounds checked. Thankfully he had two weeks to do it. That was when he felt someone summoning him.

Zatanna knew she was a beautiful woman and she knew any man or woman would love to have her. So it wasn't surprising when the Ghost King asked for her as entertainment for a day after he saved the earth and had his people's doctors heal everyone. He just showed how powerful he was and a portion of his people's technological advancement and power. She couldn't even look into her teammates eyes when she accepted. She knew they would do anything to get her out of this situation but it was her dignity or the lives of the people she loves and that was a no brainer. Sadly, after steeling herself to go with the King then and there he had told her he would send for her in two weeks.

Danny has one problem down now and he swears Clockwork was behind this because it was too coincidental but he's not complaining. He now has entertainment for his little sister's birthday party and the one, entertaining the guest was a superhero magician famous for protecting the innocent and performing magic on stage. Maybe his Fenton luck is turning around.

Two weeks passed and Zatanna, the Justice League and JLD couldn't find anything to break the deal. So, when a portal opened the Fright Knight walked out to greet her, she couldn't even look at her friends as she walked towards the portal. When she came out the other side she noticed ghosts scrambling around putting up what looked like birthday decorations.

I see this ending in one of two ways.

1. Zatanna tells Danny what she and the League thought she was going to do. Danny apologises and tells Zatanna that he can pay her to entertain the party and that the Justice League can come if was comfortable with that.

2. She doesn't bring up the misunderstanding and does the show. It goes so well that Danny pays her a huge amount, that has Zatanna grinning ear to ear and a promise to hire her again. She returns to the League smiling and tells them how much she enjoyed entertaining everyone over there and that she can't wait for Danny to call her again, not noticing their shocked expression.

[spacedace]

It was the final hour. Doomsday at their door, with only hours left before the world was consumed entirely and every last living thing was devoured right along with it.

Summoning the High King of the Infinite Realms was the only option left, and even then felt more like choosing a firing squad rather than a noose at the end of the day. Pariah Dark might - might - accept the task of destroying the foe they faced, but tmit would come at a cost that was near equal to doing nothing at all. Provided the tyrannical ruler simply didn't let them all die, an entire planet dead was an entire planet to add to his endless armies.

They had to try. Stupid and suicidal as it was.

Zantanna and John worked in silence as they created the summoning circle, hands shaking and stomachs cramping as they worked under the apprehensive eyes of the rest of the League. They all understood that no matter what happened, they would all likely end up dead by the end of it. That the best case scenario meant that death was only the beginning of their problems.

Candles were lit. Insense burned. Blood spilled. Words spoken.

Nothing.

Nothing.

It failed, not so much as a flicker of magic. Which was impossible, they'd checked and confirmed a dozen times that they had the right ritual, that they were following the steps, they had done everything right way wasn't it working? What had they done wr-

"Ugh, gross is that blood?"

Elle Phantom, fifteen minuted late to the site of the ritual with both the boys Super, the most murderous Robin and a sugary abomination of an iced coffee from Starbucks, scrunched her nose in disgust as she looked at the summoning circle.

"This ritual is so out of date, where did you even find it? Wait is that Latin? Who tries to summon someone from the Ghost Zone in Latin?"

John had burned through every drop of alcohol and cigarette he owned hours ago while trying to find this bloody damn ritual and was very much not in the mood for the little hellspawn's color commentary on the process.

"I don't bloody well seeing you providing with any alternatives for summoning the Ghost King." He swore, turning away from the gremlin to tear through the ancient book he and Zantanna had discovered with the ritual inside.

There was a loud slurping noise as the undead hero sucked the last remnants of her drink through the straw. John's brow twitched, even Zantanna - who usually seemed endeared by the chaos goblin - looked at the end of her rope.

Then - "Oh, is that who you wanted to summon? Why didn't you say so?" She drifted over, handing her empty drink off to a disgruntled looking Batman, and began rummaging through the unused magival supplies left over from the - failed - summoning circle. "Here, give me like, five minutes."

John was fairly certain his head was about to explode.

"You know how to summon the Ghost King? You?"

Phantom rolled her eyes at him. "Duh, obviously."

"Obviously." Zantanna repeated, looking like she was half a moment away from having a breakdown. She didn't try to stop the ghostly girl, though, and to be fair neither was John. They were already fucked, might as well let the gremlin try her hand at it.

It took less than the five minutes Phantom had claimed she needed.

When she was done there was a significantly smaller circle on the ground. At the cardinal directions of the circle, written clockwise she'd drawn not any magical runes but instead what appeared to be the Roman Numerals for one, then two, then something akin to a sideways T with an additional mark rising upward from the long horizontal bar, then the letter L.

It had to have some kind of ancient magical significance John didn't know as Shazam made a noise like a dying goose and squeaked out the word Loss like it was a question. Phantom gave the Champion of Magic a sharp toothed grin before adding some words in a language John didn't know before she finally allowed gravity to pull her back to earth and plant her feet on the ground.

She wiped her hands together a bit dramatically, looking pleased with herself, but at that point John didn't care. He could feel the building magic, heavy and oppressive as she had begun her task. Unlike the circle he and Zantanna had attempted, this one was working.

He couldn't help thr nervous swallow he gave as Phantom then declared, with a strange amount of seriousness. "All that’s left are the words."

She took a deep breath, eyes closing for a moment, and the world went utterly silent around them. This, John could feel, this was the real deal. Fuck him sideways the hellspawn was actually doing it.

Phantom's eyes opened, glowing with that bright eerie green light of her power. Another deep breath and then -

"You are my dad! You're my dad!" He watched, any scraps of hope she'd instilled in him dying an undignified death as she gave a terrible little wiggle dance while she sang(?) Off key, "Boogie woogie woogie!"

Every last person on Earth was going to die and one of John's last moments was going to be spent watching the little undead shit do the Macarena. Well fuck him, he guessed.

Then there was the sound of the veil between the world's tearing in two and the fucking Ghost King was standing in Phantom's summoning circle screaming in a screeching falsetto:

"When will you learn? When will you learn that your actions have consequences!"

You know what actually at this point John would rather the apocalypse kill him.

[mythoughtfulwindow]

Mod Zatanna!

[skittlejustwannahavefuns]

Zatanna!!

[puppetwoman17]

This involves my headcanon that the magic-users always knew Cap’s identity

I feel like the magic users would try to bond with Billy through using words they feel like the current generation of kids use, and Billy would have no idea what they’re saying because he’s way too busy to know modern slang.

Zatanna: anyway, I went up to him, and showed off my rizz

Billy: You’re…you’re what?

Zatanna: you know, my rizz

Billy: …excuse me?

Specter: And that’s when I realized, he was CAPPING at me.

Billy: He was…He was “capping?”

Specter: Yes, he was. I knew right then and there that he was damned for all eternity.

Billy: *thinking that he’s referring to bottle caps* I’m sure he’ll find it…?

Just them trying to bond with this new important being because he’s the only one that isn’t completely uptight. And him being totally clueless because he has THINGS TO DO, OKAY?

[spocks-husband]

There's something so so special to me about Bruce and Zatanna being childhood best friends. I genuinely just love their friendship so much-- like they probably could have romantic chemistry if you want but honestly I think that their platonic bond is so unbelievably strong and I definitely prefer it that way.

She's the only Justice Leaguer who knew him before his parents died-- hell, she's one of the only people on the face of the planet who knew him before his parents died. There's a piece of Bruce's soul that she knows in a way that honestly I think probably only Alfred does.

He's a logical man; he's suspicious of magic even when he knows it's factually real. He wants so badly to be in control of everything around him, and he just can't be, and that terrifies him.

Zatanna on the other hand is naturally relaxed, free flowing. She sees the universe as something to be in, not take control of. There's so much that their strengths and weaknesses can teach each other. I'm obsessed with them.

Additionally I also think we should throw her into the Batfam more often. Just for fun. She's their cool magical aunt.

Oh I'm totally gonna put her in my fic now

[yeesa]

Smthn smthn DC women smthn smthn

[ledesaid]

FAMILY ONLY◄☼►

—We are his parents! Can't you see the resemblance?

—John, lower your voice, it's a hospital... —Zatanna's sweet voice slightly calmed the sorcerer.

—Sorry... my "husband" gets a bit tense when it comes to our little Billy's health.

—Billy? —the nurse raised an eyebrow in confusion.

The doctor interrupted the nurse as he came out with a clipboard in his hands.

—Are you the boy's parents?

—Yes! —they both said at the same time.

You shouldn't judge parents by their appearance, but... The father, inherently to his disheveled appearance, smelled of something peculiar... like hell itself. The doctor held back his comments and focused on the child's medical history.

—Well, it's not serious. —both magical users sighed in relief— We'll do an MRI and I'll prescribe some medication to reduce the swelling. He was lucky. What was he doing?

—Jumping rope with the devil in frigging hell! —Constantine's nerve jumped.

Zatanna looked at him in surprise; she didn't expect to see him so agitated. She had already heard what happened, but John still seemed not to believe it.

—He fell while playing... with his uncle... in the park... —Zatanna tried to calm the blond while being the voice of reason.

—They don't get along very well... We love him a lot —she smiled a bit in panic.

"Please don't call social services... We're good parents," was the last thing Billy heard before losing the battle with exhaustion. His friends were great, but this time... he would have preferred to remain the runaway Billy Batson.

But that little lie warmed his heart.

[finemealcreates]

Magic

July 17: Going to an event where a relative is performing | planet

Danny vibrates in his seat. 

The curtains are drawn, and other people sit around him. He doesn’t know any of them, and while usually sitting by himself would cause some anxiety, he’s okay. Only because he knows what’s about to happen. 

A show he’s been waiting for since what feels like birth. A show that has been hyped up for him time and time again. 

His aunt, performing on stage in front of everyone. 

Okay so she’s not technically his aunt, but she may as well be. He calls her Aunt Zatanna and she calls him nephew, so they’re basically family. 

Basically. 

He’s drawn out of his thoughts, though, when the curtains draw, revealing Zatanna on stage. The entire auditorium erupts in applause. 

Zatanna grins at the crowd, waving and throwing some air kisses. When her eyes land on Danny’s, her grin widens and she throws him a wink in greeting. 

Danny winks back, happiness coursing through him. 

“Hello everybody! Who’s ready for a show!” Zatanna calls out. 

The crowd cheers louder, and Danny’s grin grows. He can’t wait to watch the show.

[lavena]

Been wondering what the culture of magic folks is like in DC.

Like with Cap we obviously have the fics or HCs where he hunts for wendigo or joins the great hunt on Halloween or is weary of Fae, Gnomes and Leprechauns. But ehat does that imply about the culture of Prople Of Magic. (Like PoC but PoM) They're obviously going to have a vastly different culture, especially those surrounded by magic. How does this affect the kids who are PoM but not immersed in the culture.

Perhaps Giovanni Zatara believed in the importance of seeming more human as to hide among them and riase Zatanna that way, she didn't get the bed time stories of fae or clever foxes, didn't get the stories of offerings and hospitality towards strangers.

How would Zatanna feel knowing that she was suddenly lacking such an integral part of her. She knows it was for her safety and for easy of fitting in with her more human peers, but she is still missing something.

She is a being of Magic and just as connected to the plights and feelings of that culture, but it has not been ingrained in her. She will not *give* her name to a stranger, but she may hesitate to provide lodging to a strange man cloaked in shadows and glowing faintly gold.

And then this hero pops up, calling himself Captain Marvel, coming from the distinctly Magical Fawcett and boasting stories of hunts and fae dinners, of the kids on the sidewalks playing hopscotch and bouncing past the small Farie circles.

Of every little action having a small sparkle to it. Of kids who aren't even technically magic knowing more about her culture and experiencing more than she ever will be able to.

How does Cap go about involving her in their cultures celebrations without upsetting her father, she so clearly wants to be apart of the maypole ceremony, but the blessings bestowed on the town affect those who complete the dance, but all children of magic and those with connections complete it at least once before they become an adult. And wouldn't that be horrible to find out you missed such an opportunity.

[spacedace]

DPxDC snippet/prompt:

-

“John.”

Zantanna’s voice had that cadence to it. Faintly strangled. Forcibly calm. Her rising blood pressure and rapidly approaching limit for his special brand of excitement evident in every single letter of his name.

Felt like old times.

“Z.” He said, smoke curling out of his mouth and billowing towards the dreary grey sky above. The one nice thing about Gotham, it had the same gloomy dark ambience of ol’ London town. “Long time no see. How’s show biz been treating you?”

He saw the faintest of twitches at the corner of her eye. Could almost hear her counting to ten in her head. He smiled at her winningly, leaning back against the damp bricks of the alleyway as he waited. More smoke drifted upward from beside him in time with a bored sigh. Patience was running out on all sides it seemed.

“That’s a child.”

“Sharp as ever.” He said, taking another drag. He nudged the child in question beside him gently with his elbow, glancing down with a sly grin. “See this is why the Justice League pay her the big bucks. Nothing gets past our Zantanna Zatara.”

He got a cloud of smoke blown directly in his face for that, little shit.

“John.”

“Z.”

“Why do you have a child? Why is the child smoking?”

“Long story.” He said with a wave of his hand.

“I learned it from watching him.” The kid said, with the same cadence as that old American commercial. All dramatic and overwrought emotion. The gremlin swooned against John's side in an imitation of collapse, hand holding the lit bifter coming up to their forhead to really sell the melodrama. He nudged his ghostly companion off, grinning at Zantanna’s slipping patience as he did.

“Don’t worry about it. Kid's fine.”

“A child wandering around with you in a dark ally in Gotham smoking cigarettes is fine?”

“I mean, I’m already dead. And short. It’s not like smoking is gonna be able to do any worse to me.”

[cloudycera]

Tell us John.

Text if my hand writing is killing yall

Billy: Pray tell my good John, how do you keep as the kids say, keep fumbling these bad bitches?

Zatanna: HA!

John: Who gave you that bloody cell William?

[queenofghost]

Incorrect DC quotes part 7 (I think... I Kinda lost count)