OK so I had this idea and several others for a bit and I wrote something for this happy nugget meal. (Its very much a rough draft of a thing) I don't think ima make a fic for it but I wanna share what I got going on here.
First we got Superman the invincible mortal man to the everyday person. We also got a summonable King Phantom now that he's taken the infinite Realms Throne.
And people being people for a variety of reasons summon Danny. But an uncomfortable amount of them summon him to ask him to kill Superman. Because they can't be bothered to look up his history as Phantom and read the fine print of summoning him in particular.
And it's to the point most of his summons are about asking him to kill Superman, kill the League as a whole, or it's a slumber party and it's a complet accident. Sometimes it's a Cult asking for power but like it's those big three things mostly and it's supper annoying to Danny. Cause he can't just NOT accept the summons. There could be sacrifices being made for his being and he cannot allow that.
Now we have a slightly less stabby Damian in the fact he's forcing himself to make stabbing not his first reaction. It's not going the best and he does slip up. But it's a task and dammit he's gonna complete it. Being petty and very literal seems like a good alternative so he'll do that.
Now to the very unfinished thing I wrote.
Damian did his research regarding this entity he's about to summon. As hard as it was to research and fact check himself and his found sources.
But he did his research so he's not doing this blindly. He's not stupid. (His father would strongly disagree on this fact. Though whether that's because he's decided to meddle with supernatural elements, that the basis of his research came from the League of Assassins archives from memory, or that his "first hand accounts" are from mostly crazy cults recruitment forms, and dumb children with their sleepover activities.)
Regardless, he knows this particular entity is passive and doesn't take or require blood sacrifices to summon. The online posts of the first hand accounts say that the entity doesn't demand offerings, though won't refuse offered food.
Alfred's cookies are the best so Damian's not worried and it's reasonable to him to "pay" the being for its time. After all, the main reason this is happening is because he's trying out "being petty" to his art teacher.
It's absolutely absurd that the middle age woman is a teacher at Gotham Academy. he would have preferred to get the art teacher fired and publicly humiliated for her crimes of her needless insults to his character and tallent.
No instead he's taking a leap of faith with Graysons advice of just be petty. So he's gonna take the literal approach to this "petty" business.
Though as an added bonus. He's sure he can get an ally out of this. Because as much as his Father says supernatural things don't happen in Gotham. There most certainly is and has been.
There's a reason why Constantine and the other magical aligned members of the Justice League adimitly refuse to enter Gotham. Why his Father never asked for details is an oversight on his part. An oversight Damian is going to correct and rectify.
So he has studied the summoning circle, drawn and scrutinized it to make sure the requirements are met for this summoning to commence. He had abit of a hard time finding a suitable place to do the summoning. That also had the unique atmosphere he wanted for his new art piece
He eventually found something that fit his requirements perfectly. A decrepit greenhouse with a large inground pool turned pond. It was located just on the cusp of the Wayne property deep in the surrounding woods. It was short of a miracle that he located the place.
You couldn't see it from satellite because of the old tree growth. There's only mentions of it existing in old documents regarding the Wayne estate. Though you gotta dig pretty far back to get to it. Nothing about the actual location of this hidden garden was written down.
To be truthful he found it by pure chance, with Titus in tow. He'd been practicing his other taught skill sets from his time within the league of Assassins. He refused to be rusty in any aspect of his training regardless of what Father thought about some of the Leagues practices. (It has nothing to do with the fact he likes tree hopping and it's how he gets his nature scenes for his paintings.) It was also a good excuse to run Titus thoroughly through his energy.
The supplies weren't nearly as hard to abtain as finding the location. The only thing that made it semi difficult was paying for the supplies under the radar. (He went shopping with Alfred. He only raised an eye to his wanted purchases and made no comments to the strange and very specific supplies.)
The supplies were pretty minimal. Chalk, sea salt, offering dish, and candles with special components within them.
The only candles he could find with what he wanted. Was a box of a random assortment of different wax animals. One that kept catching his attention within the packaged bundle was a red rubber duck looking candle. This specific candle had a sticker on the bottom of it claiming to float on water. Though he didn't really care or understand why he felt the need to give this candle attention…..
He's burning that one first. The green dog though was staying on his desk in his bedroom. Along with the blue cat and purple cow….
Yeah ok he needed to get more candles, because clearly a lot of the first batch of candles he got weren't viable for this summoning. Clearly an oversight on his part.
Ever since he accepted his place as the Infinite Realms King. Things had been going decently well for Danny.
He's gotten the ghosts to stop attacking Amity Park and the living in general without cause. Which was for the best considering the GIW were getting more bold with their hunting tactics and the Fentons were becoming more unstable by the day.
Becoming the King had some other perks though. He's now way too damn rich for his own good.
The down sides? He's drowning in paperwork that his predecessors neglected and he now gets summoned monthly for the most part. (Halloween is the exception to this. Halloween is now the second holiday he hates with a burning passion equal to Christmas.)
The summoning isn't too bad and not much of a security risk to himself. There really isn't any magic that can control him anymore or contain him for long since accepting the crown. Not to mention that the GIW and the Fentons have refused to do anything regarding magic. Simply because they are "above using make believe ritualistic practices."
The summonings that happen with him are frankly amusing. It's mostly kids and their slumber parties. Though several cults have been making themselves known to him and their demands are boring. Though morbidly and interestingly enough. The most common request he gets is for him to kill Superman. Yeah he gets some asking for the downfall of the whole Justice League but it's mostly just Superman's demise asked for.
Speaking of, a familiar tugging feeling begins nagging at his core. It's an insistent tug with a fuzzy chill to it. Someone did their research and it's too strong of a tug for a slumber party. Must be another cult or another insistent villain wannabe wanting a hero (Superman) dead. Though there isn't any trickling ick in the summoning. So no blood sacrifices this time around…. Did someone finally figure out he didn't need or want that?
Whatever the case, he'll answer the summons. Better to be safe and make sure there isn't human lives at risk.
Once Damin had everything prepared and ready to go. He found his instincts telling him this was a bad idea.
Which is nonsense, he's got everything for this summons down to perfection. The summonings circle is around 3 meters in diameter located at the deep end edge of the pool. The intricate line work within the circle was practiced many times. The candles are all placed in their designated spots. (Amazingly the red duck candle does actually float and was placed in the water lit… it absolutely has a purpose to the summons… don't question him about it.)
His optional offering dish of Alfred's cookies sits off to the side of the circle. Waiting for him to summon the being and be offered up. He just has to cite the words and begin the calling.
He's got his chosen canvas at the ready behind him. Along with all the other art supplies he thinks he'll need for this project on a foldable table next to the canvas stand. There's nothing else he truly needs for this.
He kneels next to the summoning circle. Fingers lightly touching the outer circle.
He only pauses for a brief moment more before softly speaking. "Great King of the Dead, The Great one, Balance Keeper, Ancient's Choosen Child of Stardust, The Merciful Ruler of the Land of Infinity, Please here my call and grant me an audience."
Once the words left his mouth. The summoning circle glowed a soft toxic green. Strikingly similar to the toxic pools of his grandfather's Lazarus pits. He can feel the circle buzz beneath his finger tips.
A gentle chill settled within his bones. His breath was now visible and a smell of ozone mixed with the earthy wet plant smell of the green house.
The air now charged, grew heavy as a massive invisible presence answered his summons.
A dense greenish blue fog spills from the summoning circle and fills the space of the greenhouse pool and hides the answering party momentarily. It's a tense silence that lasts for only a moment before the sounds of something massive fills the air suddenly with noise, bone clinking together, and the splash and shifting of old water.
Large mostly white arms lift and push through the fog from the middle of the pool. The massive appendages sparkle like freshly fallen and further frozen over snow reach for the edge of the obstructed pool. The large claws grip and crack the decorative tile there with ease.
Six glowing toxic green eyes pierce through the fog that enveloped the space above the pool. Next to cut through is bone white twisted antlers with a toxic green flaming black iron crown trapped within the twisted bone. Matching black iron rings and chains further decorate the bone of the large twisted rack.
The fog fades away to show Damian the face of this Ghost King. Which if his instincts were telling him earlier that this was a bad idea. They're screaming at him now to not fuck up in the presence of the great being infront of him.
The six glowing toxic eyes float in pitch black sockets and have fixated on him. With the clearer view. It has him agreeing with those instincts of his.
The being's face is reminiscent of a snake. Though with noticeable key differences. The skin is surprisingly smooth instead of what most would assume to be scaly. The slick, dark gray void of the skin stretches over the unique angular sharp bone structure of the face. The most noticeable being the bottom jaw has an overbite filled with sharp ice fangs poking out of the overly large mouth. A mane of wispy silky snow white hair surrounds the beings head and trails down to cover the chest.
Most of the being is in the water of the pool though the arms holding its front part up isn't the only pair. A set of smaller arms hug close to their chest. Almost hiding in the thick chest fur of the main. Though there being held wrong for that to be the case
The rest of the body is very different. For starters the smooth gray black skin that was present on the face is nearly nonexistent for the rest of the thick long body. It's just about translucent. Showing off stark white ribs caging multi colorful nebulas and other similar celestial bodies within the curved bone.
Speaking of the rest of the body. He doesn't know how the being is keeping the constantly moving coils of its body within the pool. The pool's space is most certainly not big enough to hold the entirety of the summoned. Though nothing of the creatures body spills out of the pool's dugout spot within the old greenhouse foundation.
This… was a great idea. He doesn't care how fucking crazy this was. This is an absolutely striking picture. The vibes of the old greenhouse mix beautiful with the otherness the Ghost King's being resonates.
The King doesn't seem to take in his surroundings much before speaking. It's a hissing multi layered voice that speaks lowly and echos through the enclosed space.
"I'm here what do you want, Superman dead?"
Damian: ".... perfect stay right there.."
Hes quick to get to his sets up. He's quick to start sketching out on the canvas. The rough shape of the being and surround scene.
Damian: "No I don't need Superman killed. Just stay there so I can paint you."
Confused frog blinking Danny: "...Alrighty then"
Damian: "Let me get the base of this done and I'll give you the cookies. I have to pay for your time."
Impressed Danny: "I've got to say. This is a first for me, never been summoned for a portrait."
Damian: "My art teacher is an imbecile and I'm not allowed to enact the revenge I want."
Danny: "Which would be…?"
Damian: "Humiliation and Murder."
Danny: "Mmm…. I can see why that wasn't quite an option for you. Though how is summoning me a good second option for whatever this is?"
Damian: "She isn't a good art teacher and is obsessed with one particular style. She doesn't like my choice of art media and common subject. She's made the choice of failing me for her class if I don't follow her criteria."
Damian:"So I decided that I would be 'petty' and 'make art of something not alive'. I can't get her fired for illegal actions on her part. Her reputation is already tarnished among the student body and faculty for being an art teacher and an imbecile."
Grinning Danny: "Mmmm so I'm the 4th option. Good. Don't want your first option for anything to be summoning eldritch entities for pettiness. Though I do know quite a few who'd be ecstatic if they were summoned by a living for such reasons. Sadly they don't quite know what's too far in living standards."
Damian: "Why would anyone above 'mortals' be interested in mortal pettiness?"
Danny: "Arguably among the living. We are considered below you. Ghosts can be pretty bored and want entertainment. Though revenge of any sort is a pretty common obsession and pettiness can be fulfilling."
Damian: "Explain why you'd be below us?"
Danny: "Your government has saw fit to make laws against our existence on this side of the veil. Any who can be proven to produce or need Ectoplasm to exist are considered non-sentient and upon discovery. Must be handed over to the GIW for study, experimentation, and eradication. The same fate awaits anyone who's found to be willingly harboring or adding ghosts."
Danny: "So many have and keep falling into their clutches despite my efforts to keep my subjects safe…"
Damian: "Can't you just order your subjects to keep to the other side?"
Danny: "It's not as simple as that. Not when those who've come back to the living as reiments, zombies, or have become liminual like you. Fall under beings containing or producing Ectoplasm and while part of my subjects. It's unhealthy to take them from this side for extended periods of time. This is not even getting into guardian spirits or city spirits which are beings who cannot leave their birth land, sworn bloodline, or similar situations to the like."
Danny: "A liminull. Someone who's been around large amounts of Ectoplasm for a long time and have therefore have been contaminated… Though for you in particular your Liminullity is stronger than typical cases. Enough for you to form a full Proto core…. You've died before."
Damian: "Yes I have died before. Father brought me back. A while ago. I wasn't dead longer than a few months."
Danny: "You don't need to share details of the specifics of you don't want to. If you were dead for longer you'd have been brought back as a Reinvent, a dead soul tied to their reanimated body by shear force of will. Different from a Zombi, a reanimated soulless corpse."
Danny: "Mm….. a core is essential your soul turned physical. It's a ghost's everything and the only thing physically about them typically. A proto core is a pre formation or new formation of a core. It's fragile and starved for energy in this state. Instincts label you as a child. Barely older than a baby."
Damian: "Why are you readily telling me all this?"
Danny: "You have a new fully formed proto core. Making you a child ghost to me and seeing as you have that. This knowledge is rightfully yours to know. Especially knowing now if this is found out by the wrong people. You would be declared nonhuman and killed."
Danny: "The details of cores isn't to be shared with anyone though. Can you understand this?"
Danny: "Thank you….. mmmm. If you wish to reach me, here's a quicker way to do so."
Damian: "A phone number?"
Danny: "It's quicker then a summoning circle isn't it? Not to mention I do have a more human form."
Danny: "Need me for anything just call. I'm willing to help you."
Damian: "What do I call you?"
Danny: "I've got plenty of names and titles, though for you Danny Phantom is fine. Danny for whenever I appear human to you preferably."
Danny settling in for the long haul for this kiddo: "You'll have to introduce me to whoever made these. They are absolutely delicious."
Damian: "Father, your now sharing custody of me."
Tuting Damian: "Father is now sharing custody of me. I've been adopted. No I'm not sharing my new Father. You all got adopted by Father already. He's mine."
Bluescreening Bruce: "Can you explain a bit more?"
Damian: "I got into contact with someone to help me with a painting. They gave me some crucial information and I am now going to research everything to see if what he said is true and if it does turn out to be true. I'm taking down the government because I refuse to be seen as something non-sentient."
Tim not needing the coffee to stay awake with this bombshell drop: "……What does any of THAT have to do with you apparently getting adopted?"
Damian determined to be a good adopted son: "Not now, I must research."