TUMBLR IS FINALLY FEEDING ME CONSTANTINE POST! LET'S GO!!!

jason's first birthday at the manor

I like to play dress up with him

btw important clarification: Duke chose the morning shift himself. the sentiment that bruce needed someone to patrol in the morning is straight up untrue, duke's early training was right beside batman solving crimes and chasing criminals at night but as he was figuring out his place in the Gotham vigilante scene working at night just did not work for him. Eventually he chose to work during the daytime specifically because of his mother's ideology, that it's easier to recognize truth in the light, and because it allows him better direct access to the people of Gotham.

Duke is a very community centered character. He is big on his beliefs about it and redemption. Saying Bruce chose the day for him removes Duke's agency as a character and is a fundamental misunderstanding of him. He was Gothams robin (not batman's) for a reason. he was going to do his "protect and uplift the community by any means" thing no matter what, he was doing it before he even met bruce and it was the reason they met in the first place. he works in the morning because it's where the people are and it's the best way to see them in all their truths and complexities and for them to see him and know that everything is going to be okay

Okay okay, but imagine if Danny just stalks Damian. Like, he has decided that he shall become this child’s unofficial guardian angel. Because Ancients know he needs it. 

So, one time Damian and Jon are out and Jon wants to go to the Arcade but Damian just says something rude and then…

Danny: *whispering in Damian’s ear* You should be nicer to your friend

Damian: Huh?! *looks around, only to find nothing* 

And that’s not all. Over time, Damian starts noticing how this strange presence as he calls it starts acting more and more. Whispering advice or words of encouragement in his ear (or just flat-out scoldings), making items he had misplaced magically appear back on his room the next day, protecting him from any surprise attacks any time he lowers his guard (which happens very rarely). 

Heck, once he even brought him a starving kitten he saw once in an alleyway that he was planning to adopt anyway! 

The Batfamily is aware of it. They refuse to do anything because they are far too amused. If anything, they give Damian a thumbs up and a “good luck" before sending him his way. 

It all ends up becoming too much for Damian to tracks down Constantine and tells him; 

Damian: I am being haunted. This annoying pest won’t leave me alone. Get rid of it, or else! 

Danny: *whispering on his ear again with a Disappointment Mom voice* What did we talk about? 

Damian: *sighs and cringes at the same time, before putting on a smile that looks more like a grimace* Please? 

What if Danny Fenton and Billy Batson become fast friends. Danny is annoyed at cultists trying to send "brides" to the Ghost King. Billy is weirded out when adults try to flirt with Captain Marvel. Danny hits upon the idea that they should be each other's beards. If the Ghost King and the Champion of Magic are very publicly dating, that should keep unwanted suitors off their backs, right?

Of course they are both absolute Chaos Gremlins about it.

Cultist: We offer you this sacrifice, oh great king!

Danny: One moment please *whips out fenton phone* Hey honey, guess what? Some idiots are trying to tempt me away from you again. You got my coordinates?

Billy: *Kool Aid man entrance* Who dares?!

Cultists: Run awaaaaay!

***********

Captain Marvel takes a hit while fighting a villain. Phantom out of nowhere with a steel chair!

Danny: Nobody hurts my schnookums!

Everyone: ???

************

Captain Marvel brings Phantom to the next JL potluck as his plus one, with Danny in full creepy ghost mode.

Billy: Oh yes, we've been on again, off again for the last thousand years or so. We have our differences, but nobody gets me quite like he does! *exaggarated dreamy sigh*

Hal: That's nice...

Meanwhile Danny is shoving an entire burger in his mouth, displaying multiple rows of sharp teeth.

Danny: Man, I love the 21st century! Food sure has changed a lot since I died. And the technology!

Ollie: Oh? When did you die?

Danny: *glares* It's incredibly rude to ask a ghost about their death

Nearby Leaguers are edging away, nervous about being on the menu next.

Flash: Hotdogs! Who wants hotdogs?!

Danny: Oh, me! As long as they don't fight back

Everyone: wtf is going on here

"DO BETTER!" Says Now Televised Fanboy

He, Dash Baxter is a Phan-Stan!! It's kinda his thing. See, he's a fancy ass talk show host now. Married Paulie, moved out of Amity, actually DID something with his life. His parents? Did not approve. Long n short of it? He got kicked out.

Paulie's parents were PISSED.

Retaliated by giving him all the help he needed getting EVERY scholarship he qualified for. He went to a really nice college. Missed his girlfriend like mad. But she was off in Metropolis, terrifying weaker men. Conquering the fashion scene.

And SOMEHOW? Thanks to that long talk he had with Phantom (*incoherent fanboy gibbering noises* SO COOL!) he's worked to be... more of a LEADER, you know? Less of an asshole. Cause he's popular. People copy him. He can't be an asshole.

So, somehow, when he's punching out some try-hard that thinks he's hot shit for bullying a Nerd? He and the nerd get talking, right? Cause the guy got his glasses completely fucked up. And it's what Phantom would do.

But GET THIS? Guy's never HEARD of Phantom! Is super curious, cause he runs a small time Hero's show on the web. And, Dude? Is it your LUCKY DAY! Cause you just met THE number 1 fan of Phantom, hands down!! He makes his VERY spirited case, about why Phantom is THE best Hero to ever have lived. And this guy?

Entranced.

In AWE.

Just straight up BEGS him to join his show. Cause apparently? He was BORN for it. Which? Yeah. He HAS been giving speechs to the team for YEARS now. And Talking at fan meet ups. Leading fan meet ups. Hosting parties... actually, now that he thinks about it? He DOES do a lot of public speaking? Huh.

But still, he's about to say "no", when?

Dude mentions? He'll get to talk about Phantom.

SOLD!

It. Blows. Up. Absolutely EVERYONE is in love with his pretty face, hot bod, and STRONG opinions. But they ALSO have no idea who Phantom is! Paulie! This is CRIMINAL! Horrifying! What is going ON!?

Some bullshit information black out, apparently. At least according to her... friendly Nemesis? The Goth Dweeb. Who's engaged, apparently? So good for her. Unsurprisingly, it's too the OTHER Dweebs, but still. Bout time she started planning to drag them to a court house. She's the only one with any spine in that group! If she waited for THEM to propose?

Not even as Ghosts, man.

They'd get distracted by shiny nerd shit and whimp out.

Still... a world where NO ONE knows how Awesome, Phantom is? Not on HIS watch!

So he works it in. To every segment. It becomes "his thing". Oh? Super man saved a kitten from a tree? Cute. Well PHANTOM saved a bus full of Ghost Puppies from a shady, rouge, Goverment agency. Do BETTER, Superman!

The Flash, who is a cheap knock-off and stole his name, took down an Ice Villian? Adorable! PHANTOM stopped a Rouge WINTER SPIRIT with the help of YETI WARRIORS then assisted in giving FREE medical care for anyone who needed it! Here's a picture of him making GHOST ICE SNOWMEN for small children! Do BETTER, Knock-off!

What's THAT you say? Wonder Woman fought a GOD in down town paris?

Excellent work Wonder Woman. Flawless as always. But YOU, god-boy, are a disappointment! All that power! And WHAT do you use it for? Are you even supposed to BE here?? PHANTOM uses his power to HELP people! Is awesome and knows TONS of better gods! You're just salty you didn't make the cut!

DO BETTER!

And obviously? No one believes him. There's no record of this "Phantom" guy. The pictures look fantastical and vaguely glitchy/glowy. Not quite right. They GOTTA be photo shopped. Manipulated somehow. But? As a shtick? A fake "perfect Superhero" is kinda funny and unique.

And it's one hell of Fake Hero!

A Dead Champion? Who fights gods and monsters? Rouge agencies? Sassy and tragic? With a mysterious past? Pretty cool! There's even an Offical Comic from some guy that went to the same high-school as Baxter!

Of course, as Baxter get more and more popular? The "meme" hero, Phantom, get more well known? People get more interested in where Dash grew up. You know, just a bored Google. Maybe see if the hero was based off a local legend or something. But... huh...

The Town website?

Weirdly? Sanitized.

Like... like aggressively sanitized. All smooth edges and no details. Very "move along, citizen". Ha ha... it's part of the joke right? They get it! They'll just look up local restaurants or som-....

Wait...

Hey, guuuuys?

Are you finding ANYTHING?

And! Nothing. And I do mean NOTHING! Triggers the "oh? Secrets???" Instincts of a Hacker, like finding a hard blank wall of "KEEP OUT". Especially when it's somewhere it rightfully shouldn't BE.

All it would take? Is ONE person, of decent skills and an account on Certain Forums, getting bored enough to Google the Dude On The TV(TM)? For the GIW's lil walls to come crashing down. Because yeah, you can stop ONE hacker. Even two. Probably five or six.

But how about thousands?

Hundreds of thousands?

From every time zone. Competing. Just to see what you HAVE and don't want them to see. Maybe they do something with it, maybe they don't. But fuck it, you're being RUDE and now they're CURIOUS. And THEN? Oh. Oh holy shit.

Not a meme.

Very real.

Not a joke.

The walls come crumbling down, down, down. Ripped apart by hundreds of hands. Emails sent to every sort of agency. The JLU line inundated with emergency tips. Not a joke. Not A Joke. Holy Shit, IT WASN'T A JOKE!

Phantom is REAL!

And there, on TV, stands the Man. The signal FINALLY breaching containment. Fighting off the invading God of the week. Built like statue, hair like an aurora borealis of white fire held almost delicately in place by a CROWN of ice, a suit made of void and starlight. Inhuman. Beyond human.

Here to help.

A laugh that crackles like ice and the snap of winter, rolls through the air like coming storms, rich and somehow warm. A smile that bares teeth, yet turns so KIND when he looks upon humanity, as though we are precious and worth fighting for. A living star.

A... a once living star.

And in the center of it all? Wearing his BESPOKE, custome made, Number 1 Phan full body outfit? That's right. Dash Baxter. Ha! You fuckers doubted him! Behold his blorbo and WEEP, ya fuckin casuals! The BESTEST of boys! The FINEST of Heros! Superman? Could NEVER.

And now? The weather!

@babbling-babull @nerdpoe @the-witchhunter @ailithnight @hypewinter @hdgnj @mutable-manifestation

Coming into a fandom late

Part 2: The Watchtower

Danny wasn’t technically a member of the Batfamily. But considering he had been crashing at one of their safehouses for the past couple of weeks and running night patrols with Robin, he was basically an honorary stray at this point. Which is how he ended up at the Watchtower when the Justice League was holding a debriefing.

Danny didn’t expect much to happen—until Superman walked in, took one look at him, and froze.

His eyes narrowed as he turned to Batman. “Bruce,” he said, voice laced with suspicion. “Is this the same one from the cleanup?”

Danny blinked. “Oh, cool, I get to be a ‘this one.’ That’s not ominous or anything.”

Superman ignored him, gaze locked onto Batman. “You know his heartbeat is wrong, right?”

That made Danny pause. He put a hand over his chest, mildly offended. “Uh, rude?”

“It’s not human,” Superman said firmly. “It’s close—but there’s something off about it. Bruce, tell me you did not just bring home an unknown meta without vetting him first.”

Batman, to his credit, didn’t even look up from his data pad. “I know what he is.”

Superman frowned. “And?”

Batman didn’t elaborate.

Danny grinned. “See, this is why I love working with Bats. So good at keeping a secret.”

Superman wasn’t amused. “What are you?”

Danny tilted his head. “A guy who really likes pancakes.”

“Not what I meant.”

“Wow, rude again.”

Superman’s frown deepened. Danny could practically feel the suspicion rolling off him.

The kid’s heartbeat wasn’t human. That was odd enough. But something about it nagged at him—because it wasn’t just different. It was familiar. He couldn't place it exactly, but it reminded him of something. Kryptonian? No, that was impossible. …Right?

Superman listened closer, trying to pick apart what exactly was off about it, but the more he focused, the more the suspicion dug in. His mind whirred, running through possibilities. Half-Kryptonian? A clone? A hybrid of some kind? The lack of information was driving him insane.

By the time they left the Watchtower, Superman was still staring at Danny like a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve. 

Then Danny, ever the dramatic little menace, casually floated up into the air like it was nothing.

Superman stared.

Danny caught his expression, grinned, and gave him a mock salute. “Later, Big Blue.” And then he shot into the sky, disappearing into the vastness of space like it was just another Tuesday.

Superman turned to Batman, expression unreadable. “Bruce.”

Batman didn’t look up. “Clark.”

Superman pointed at where Danny had disappeared. “He flew.”

“Yes.”

“Without a jetpack. Or wings.”

“Yes.”

Superman folded his arms. “You cannot tell me that didn’t look Kryptonian to you.”

Batman smirked, finally glancing his way. “I collect strays, Clark. That doesn’t mean I always explain them.”

Superman huffed.

That kid, no Bruce said his name was Phantom, is definitely Kryptonian.

And Clark was going to prove it.

----------------------------------------------------

2.5: Danny vs. Superman (on Behalf of Kon)

A couple of weeks later, Danny met Young Justice. And by met, he meant he immediately took interest in Kon-El—aka Superboy, aka Superman’s clone—because, well. Having a clone of yourself was a whole mess of weird, and Danny had some very strong opinions about it.

At first, this whole thing had just been funny. Messing with Superman? Hilarious. Letting him think he was Kryptonian? Comedy gold.

But now? Now it was personal.

Because the more he learned about Kon, the more pissed off he got.

Superman didn’t even acknowledge him? Treated him like he wasn’t worth his time? Oh, hell no. Danny knew what that was like—the existential crisis, the what even am I spiral, the feeling of being ignored by someone who should have given a damn. But Danny had figured it out. And Ellie—his own clone, his little sister—was one of the best things to ever happen to him.

Superman didn’t get to just pretend Kon didn’t exist.

So yeah. Maybe Danny had started this whole thing as a joke.

But now?

Now he was going to teach Kon Kryptonian. And they definitely weren’t telling Superman.

Masterpost

Batfam and Danny, Part 24

One night while in patrol.

Barbara (over the coms): Nightwing, Spoiler, I need you two to head to Gotham City Bank, there's a robbery in progress.

Dick and Steph: On it!

Barbara: Batman, Red Hood, and Phamtom, I need you in the harbor, the Penguin is sneaking in some kind of nuclear material.

Bruce: Can you see what kind?

Barbara: Working on it.

Bruce: Got it, on my way.

Jason: On it!

Danny: See you guys there!

Barnard: Red Robin, Robin, I need you two at Gotham Museum, Condiment King just broke in.

Damian: Got it!

Tim: Got it- wait, Barnard!?

Barbara (holding back laughter): Red Robin! How many times do I have to say this? Code names!

Tim (confused): I'm sorry what's happening?

Barnard: Well I've seen how hard you and your family always work, as well as Superboy and his family, so I decided I also wanted to help. I asked Superboy and he recommend I ask Oracle if she needed an extra set of hands.

Barbara: Which I gladly accepted, all of you are a lot to deal with.

Barnard: Batman approved, so now I'm in the clocktower with Oracle.

Tim (happy): Really? You did all that for me? You and Superboy are always looking out for me.

Barnard: Of course, we do anything for you, and by the way my code name is The Prophet.

Tim: Welcome to the team, Prophet.

Barnard: Thank you Red Robin.

Damian: This is cute and all, but I still need you at the museum Red Robin.

Tim: On my way!

(Master Post)