A piece I commissioned from my dear friend @stardust-clearwater of my Sonic OC:
Humi the Mouse, or Humi Fiver. She's a tiny little gremlin who used to be homeless before getting adopted after the flood of Station Square by Perfect Chaos. She's a little roboticist, a peer of Tails, and she wants to punch Eggman's face concave.
Humi, her adopted father, and a bunch of other friends can be found in my series Hop To It, which can be read on Ao3 here and on Spacebattles here.
Danny sees a blond, middle aged man sitting on the curb, letting nasty puddle water spray him from passing cars as he drinks from a straightup liquor bottle.
Danny feels bad for the guy, but also he's creeping the student population out and that's the main sidewalk pretty much everyone uses.
So he walks up to him, gives him a tentative shoulder pat, and says "Sir, I'm sorry, but you're freaking everyone out, can you go brood on the other side of the street? There's some overhangs there!"
The man drops the bottle, staring at his own hands. Then he redirects his wide-eyed stare to Danny's hands. Then Danny's face.
"Kid what in the bloody fuck did you just do?"
The man reaches for Danny, Danny leans away in alarm, and Dash punches the guy so hard he's knocked out.
"Didn't your parents ever teach you stranger danger, Fenturd?"
"Come on, man, don't ask that; you know they didn't." Kwan says, jogging up and forcibly steering Danny away from the man and gently shoving him at Sam and Tucker.
They don't like Danny, but Amity Parkers protect Amity Parkers from creepy out-of-towners.
Or; John Constantine is having a pity party after getting so drunk he teleported into a weirdly big city in bumfuck nowhere Illinois, gets touched by some kid who broke his soul contracts and all his curses with a single shoulder pat, and gets knocked out by a football player.
Now with the contracts that granted him his powers as a warlock fucking canceled, he's gotta find that kid and also a new patron before his enemies realize he's up shit creek.
Phantom after getting flagged down at the nasty burger maybe half an hour later: "So you're asking me to be your patron because some kid just removed your powers?"
Constantine cringing at the simplification: "a little more complicated then that but yes, while I can still use my magic, the contracts I held were used to help me protect people as a part of my job".
Danny, getting a sinking feeling that he may have doomed people: "oh? Wow, what's your job?"
Constantine feeling all the demons and monsters he's tricked over the years becoming aware: "I work for Justice League Dark, we focus on magical situations that threaten the world. Anyway, are you interested in helping me? Otherwise I'm gonna need to bail before demons attack this town to get to me!"
Danny, definitely realising he messed up somehow even though he didn't do anything wrong this time and worried he's somehow gonna become Dan again: "uh, yeah that would be bad, out of curiosity... how do I patron you? I'm still kinda new to this and I mostly know some science not magic, other then dealing with the chaos of Desiree granting wishes" 'besides, magic's more Sam's wheelhouse'.
Constantine, definitely feeling a rumble in the ground as demons burrow up from hell and distressed at this powerhouse kid who doesn't even know what he's capable of: "you're bleed'n kidding me? Kid! you got more magic in your pinky toe then some of the demons that I've gone 'no-win scenario' against! (You literally annulled all the soul contracts and promises i was bound by, simply by touching my shoulder) he added to himself, Just focus your energy into your hand like a glove and think of making an agreement with me as your intention. Agree to be my patron and in exchange I can do something for you, like I can give you my soul if you wish-"
Danny, auto-reacting to stop him: "DONT SAY WISH!! Don't use that word in case she hears you. Alright, 'I will become your patron and safeguard your soul, I do not desire it though so you can keep it. instead in exchange, you will introduce me to the justice league and justice league dark. 'I could really use some advice or training man!'" He added nervously.
Constantine hunched over in shock as the green energy swarmed up his hand and settled around his body like a protective shield, slowly disappearing from view. the sensation filling him with comforting warmth unlike the hellfire he was used to and magical energy till his eyes glowed.
Danny nervous: "did it work?"
The parking lot behind them erupted as demons started to shoot out of the ground charging right at constantine to drag him to hell.
John waved a hand and a wave of green force came down and crushed them to pulp against the ground, plugging the holes and stopping any further attacks.
Apart from the car alarms going off the area was silent, no demonic forces attempted to rise again.
"I think that's a pretty good sign kid, damn, that was stronger then I expected! Sorry about the parking lot though, on the upside the soil can be used to grow demonic magical ingredients now, probably not a good thing for a town though..." (Sam mansons heavy breathing from behind a hedge holding a shovel and wheelbarrow)
He was deep in though before adding "you interested in visiting the watchtower this afternoon or do you have homework to do?"
Danny's eyes shone like a galaxy of stars themselves were in there "I would love too! Let me just- wait... how did you know I have homework?"
Constantine just grinned smugly "took me a minute but you're not really wearing a mask kid, I don't know what's up with your town but a magical girl colour change doesn't exactly throw off most villains" 'cept for clark' he added silently.
Danny snorted "most of my rogues knew about me before I knew about them, the only people who don't see through it are the humans that hunt me, they can't associate me with being both a ghost and human"
Constantine frowned, "humans hunting you? Who? And why?"
Danny was focusing on a thin immaterial line he could now see coming out of his core pointing directly to constantine as he answered "ghost hunters, usually my parents or the government nutjobs, ...sometimes my ex" he added before noticing something approach behind constantine.
"Uh... speaking of which, since your drawing power from me, that might mean you show up on ghost hunters radars. You might want to run, SEE YOU LATER!"
Phantom tore off into the sky and out of sight from John as he turned around to see a bunch of white vans, rapidly driven by guys in white suits pointing big silver weapons out the doors at him. There was a rumble and what looked like an armoured personnel carrier with tank treads somehow ramp-jumped over the nasty burger to land ahead of the vans almost hitting him.
A big man in a orange hazmat suit burst out of the vehicle carrying a bazooker and a small computer which was rapidly beeping. Both pointed at John "FREEZE ECTO-SCUM! Prepare to be torn apart molecule by molecule!" "JACK, check your target!" Came a woman's voice from behind the big man, a woman in a blue hazmat suit wearing the hood and goggles appeared carrying a just as terrifying weapon pointed at him.
John blinked, made the most of his time by lighting a cigarette and examined the situation 'Jeezus', trading demons for ghost hunters, he just could not catch a break could he?
The men in white suits arrived fanning out to surround him and pointing their guns at John "by the authority granted to us under the anti-ecto act, you ecto being, are now property of the US government, get on the ground and wait for containment"
John glared at them "ex-fucking scuse me? That is the biggest load of horseshite and bollocks I've heard all week and I've heared both a pestilence demon and a succubus promise to behave in a brothel. There is no act that would allow you to do that, I would know because you're all currently pointing your guns at a member of the Justice League Dark division, now lower those most definitely illegal weapons before either I have the ATF down here checking permits or I have you all shoved into the Hague for violations of any number of conventions including the meta rights act". John finished by pulling out his warrant card for the Justice League and holding it open to see.
The agents glanced at the card not convinced, it was pretty obvious these guys hadn't gotten their job for their brains, being told no was something foreign to them. "Its a fake, the league doesn't care what we do or they would have said something by now" one of them muttered making the rest form up guns level again.
Maddie fenton if his memory was correct frowned behind her goggles at the man. "I recognise him, he's the man at the ghost Hunter conventions constantly making fun of hunters and ecto-science. I've heard he deals with demons, jack! We can't trust him!"
"Or..." constantine continued, knowing these people wouldn't be leaving him alone. He used the heat from his cigarette to quick-start forming a fireball in his other hand as he put the card away "we can just get straight down to business and see who's got the stronger authority?"
-
The guys in white fired first, specifically the ones at the back behind constantine hoping to take him down without a fight. Fortunately their weapons were not silent and their projectiles were much slower then normal bullets and curses. John ducked and spun around blowing on the fireball spraying it out like a flame thrower, the flames rose high enough to make a wall blocking him from their sight as they began blindly firing into the wall of flame. Diving to the ground he dug into his pockets for items, finally fumbling for a piece of chalk, 'it'll do' he though quickly drawing a circle around him and concentrating. Hit by friendly fire, most of the agents were down groaning from plasma burns.
The wall of fire slowly settled down revealing constantine sitting cross-legged on the ground in a chalk circle.
The doctors fenton approached weapons drawn and not taking chances. "We're not that stupid ghost scum, you're on our scanners which means you're ghost like" Constantine smiled at them "you know, they're not really ghost hunting weapons if they harm people are they? Just a friendly note in my file for the ATF" John turned to wink at the three kids looking through the hedge, danny in human form another boy recording everything and a girl with gardening tools staring hungrily at the destroyed parking lot. "See you later kids!" John triggered his spell and was teleported to the watchtower barely being grazed by the fentons parting shots at him.
Now he had to do the tiresome thing of organising a league meeting and a Dark meeting, there was no way he was gonna jeopardise that kids contract, especially not with all he'd just found out...
Damn he needed another cigarette.
And why was there a glowing green ghost dog sniffing his shoes?...
(He still has his regenerative abilities, possibly stronger then the demons gave him, -hangovers dont last as long for starters)
Then just as quickly pokes his head back out "oh! And among other things, I may or may not be fostering some kids in the near future who are more then likely natural magic adepts. I think you'll love em, but... We'll see".
He heads off again then spins back out before she even looked away "also were having a few urgent meetings tonight, normal league and Dark, can you do me a favour and call everyone including Boston? I need to talk the Bats real urgently"
"Not urgent enough to skip drinking?" She replied dryly
"Zee, with what I just found out and experienced I'm gonna need something to cushion the nerves 'hitchhikers guide' style if I have any hope of not passing out while talking to B".
He hurried away before zatanna could stop and question him.
I wonder if John might have made a tiny bit of a mistake alerting the hunters to the kids' presence. Even with Danny in human form, I'm not sure that's gonna go well. Especially if Danny's new patronage bond might do something like create a permanently open tap to his ghostly side for John to draw power from. That seems like something that might set off a few sensors.
The thing about magic is that it works mostly off of the casters intent.
Unlike the previous demons John has scammed in the past, John couldnāt help but want an honest deal with the magical kid.
John might not be a good person, but he has a soft spot for kids.
Danny saw John, someone asking for his help, and wanted to protect him. So he went into the soul bond wanting to provide what John needed. But when John said he knew the Justice League, Danny realized that John could be something else for Danny. Someone to protect him, to take care of him.
Because they both went in with mutual protection in mind, their bond unified them less like a traditional patron bond, and more like a family.
John had basically magically adopted a god by accident.
There were a few things that neither one of them realized about the bond at first. Most notably, it affected Danny too.
As the Guys in White turned towards the teens watching Constantine, Danny and his friends panicked. Danny felt an immediate need to get away and go somewhere safe.
From the corner of his eye, Danny saw a door appear. Just a door in the middle of a parking lot. Danny considered ignoring it and just running, but wellā¦ the door was right there.
Danny fled through the door, dragging his friends with him. He slammed it behind him, barely cutting off a blast from an ecto-gun before it hit them.
Danny took a moment to catch his breath before taking a look at his surroundings.
It looked like this place was once rather nice, but had fallen into disrepair. The place stunk of cigarettes and cheap booze. The wooden chairs had elegant carvings of magical creatures, but were covered in layers of dust and grime. A dim glow came from the candles lining the walls, illuminating mysterious stains of various colors.
Despite the appearance, the place felt welcoming. Danny tried to put a finger on itā¦ relaxing, like a hug from his sister after a long day.
It felt like home.
āāāāā
Even though he absolutely meant to stay the night at the justice league headquarters, John had left something at home. He had found a book on the infinite realms, a land that connects the dead of all realities. Constantine thought it sounded like a load of bullocks, but information could always be useful.
Constantine had gotten into the habit of researching before bed. Nothing like a dry ancient tome written in a dead language to put one to sleep.
So he summoned the door back to his house, the house of mysteries.
Stepping through the door, he felt the normal welcoming presence of his house. It felt stronger, but his magic had gotten stronger too. There was that, and there was also something else.
Footstepsā¦ there was someone else in his house.
Constantine snuck out of his room. His house should have been warded against most intruders. No one but him should be able to get inside of his walls. The magic wasnāt perfect, heād fought plenty of things that had made their way inside his home.
So he crept around the corner, ready to fight whatever imp or demon had snuck in-
Only to find the teenager he became the patron of earlier today.
Damian, walking out the manor door in civvies with Purpose and a katana while his siblings watch in concern
Dick: uh, hey, baby bat, where ya off to?
Damian: I am attending an execution
Tim, looking up from his laptop for the first time in 6 hours: what
Steph: in civvies? I get not going as robin but at least wear your assassin gear
Tim: THATS WHAT WEāRE WORRIED ABOUT?
Steph: well yeah that stuffs meant to get blood on it
Damian: it is not the execution of anything that would bleed.
Dick: explain that
Damian, sighing with all the annoyance he can muster at his curious siblings: Do you recall my partner in the school project?
Duke: uh, you mean Danny? The teen dad transfer who you said set up a Prince and Princess Club with the other young kids in his apartment building, and hosts tea parties where he gives them political problems about unicorns and mermaids to discuss over scones?
Damian: yes. This Thursday the issue was a stuffed giraffe who brought tribute to the council, but the tribute snacks contained nuts. Danny tells me it was originally an attempt to make them refuse the snacks as a group, as the stuffed giraffe knowingly snubbed some of their members. But then it was pointed out that if the allergic children ate the snacks, there would be in great medical risk, and the scenario escalated to an assassination attempt.
Dick: ā¦so theyāre executing the stuffed giraffe.
Damian: yes. It is good to see the young trained early. Now if you will excuse me, I promised to be there. It is my duty as one trained with the sword to ensure Lord Longneck is dispatched properly for his attempts on Princess Bridget of apartment 114 and Prince Hunter of the top floorās lives. Good day.
I wanted to add a page where they get pulled over by cops but ironically I spent 10 hours driving myself today and Iām falling asleep at my desk kfbshckm anyway hereās a bonus meme:
Not really, She's implied to have gone for the broom.
Jazz is smart enough to know that there is no Diplomacy with Poultry until AFTER you make it respect you.
Computers are so scary what if I accidentally hit F12 in a steam game and it takes a screenshot. What if I press shift + F12 while in word and accidentally save my document š
If you had to learn what the F keys on your computer do through me reblogging this post, then I'm glad you did. Computer literacy is not a skill that gets taught anymore, and it is absolutely one that needs to be taught in order to be learned. Don't ever feel bad for not knowing something, but āļø don't ever stop learning learning about your environment, the tools you use, and especially the people around you
