Dogs Are Angels

(A short one for once)

Becoming an elder god at the ripe age of 16 is tough. There is no one you can talk to that's your age and power level. This means that even if a ghost had the same maturity level they treat you like their leader.

Let's not mention humans. If they try to perceive him and understand that he is they go insane and die. Which Danny did not want to happen. But Danny still wanted to interact with the physical realm deep down.

Danny had given up until this wild-haired teen appeared. Well, technically he appeared. Danny of course worried but was shocked to find this guy was fine. His name was Impulse which Danny took to mean impulsive.

Impulse didn't understand Danny nor tried to which was enough to keep his sanity in place.

Danny: Oh my Ancients!! You people! Cant I watch my interdimensional cable in my sanctum in peace!

Constantine: You sanctum is currently in the room we had a shine/alter built for you so you can come and help us.

Danny: That remainds me, I don't like the recent offerings. There are not enough chips and I prefer if Flash or the other speedsters deliver it.

Diana: No. You agreed to follow the schedule. And no chips until you help us.

Danny: But—

Diana: No buts!

Danny: I am a 6th dimensional being and will not be told what to do!

Diana: I will call Cronos!

Having pieces of his soul split across so many demons wasn't so bad. At least he knew he was going to hell. But recently all the demons who held those contracts have been...disentagrated.

No only one entity owns his soul. The king of the infinite realms. A major upgrade but probably the worst case scenario.

Now Constantine was at the mercy of the ghost king who had made his presence known.

The first command that echoed in the back of his head was to build an altar to his new master.

"Bring me a burger, please."

That was one of the first odd requests but Constantine tried not to kind hard about this ordeal. Why the hells would the ghost king want a burger? He didn't know. Does he even know what a burger is?

Constantine didn't argue as he went to the nearest diner and came back to place the sandwich on the alter. Immediately the burger dissappeared.

"Pretty good. Not the best I've had but it'll do."

After that once every few weeks the king would request something. It was always something random. The only reason Constantine did it was the easy access to magic and artifacts his new contract gave him.

"Find Vlad Master's car and break his window shield. Then make the inside of his door handles sticky with maple syrup. Then put sugar in his gas tank."

"What kind of problem dae ye hae with this bloke?"

Phantom pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to take in what he was just told.

"Explain it one more time. I need to know if I got this right." He said his frustration mounted.

They were standing at the edge of the Lazarus pit. The Ghost hero had been searching for wells formed from ectoplasm on this planet.

"We-" Superman spoke first.

"YOU SAW A BIG FUCKING POOL OF OTHERWORLDY GOO AND DECIDED TO SWIM IN IT?!" Phantom exploded.

"Well, it does heal and revive people," Flash said hidden behind Wonder Woman.

"Well that makes it perfectly safe and healthy for you doesn't it," Danny said sarcastically. "It's not safe at all! You people are just tossing corpses into this thing and think it's a miracle that people come out alive! This stuff is a waste pit made from the leakage from my realm!"

"Waste? Like as in-" Clark's face gritted in disgust.

"Not like human waste but still waste. Our bodies take in new ectoplasm and the old tainted stuff flows out. Like a fish breaths with it's gills. The old material tends to collect in different spots like a dump of toxic waste. And you people are bathing in the used materials." Phantom explained.

"And why is it so dangerous." Batman finally spoke up after considering the information.

Phantom sighed.

"The reason why the goop is bad is because it's tainted. As in it has remnants of the ghosts that expel it. When you dump the corpse of a freshly dead person in the goop it melds with the person giving them the ability to persist beyond death and linking them back to their soul. That sounds good, but the soul is now infected with the random assortment of attributes of the ghosts that are in the goop. It won't do much to you though. Barely affecting you in any negative way. Now if you keep putting bodies in the goop you create a big problem as the ectoplasm is invected with the freshly dead's issues. If someone evil, vengeful, or unbalanced is put in the waters parts of them will stay behind. Constantly using the ectoplasm will cause someone to go insane as it corrupts them. If someone dies painfully enough, it will also persist in the ecto and create a revenant. Like an avenging super soldier hellbent on revenge so their soul can rest. The ectoplasm will also become less potent over time, and eventually, the only thing that can come out is zombies." Phantom tried his best to spell everything out like everyone present were idiots.

"That explains many things." Batman said pinching the bridge of his nose.

Danny: I see and what's it worth to you?

Tim: A date.

Danny: Deal! Show them this movie. Got it from a neighboring universe.

Tim: What's it about?

Danny: A little girl who has a chronic illness and is slowly dying while her neglectful parents abandon her to be raised by her older brother who is bearly older than her. He hates and resents her but she never hates him because she relies on him to survive and feels like that's love enough. She is treated like a burden by her parentified brother who takes care of her until she dies in her sleep after telling him that she will always love him. It's the perfect movie to fill your family with guilt and I use it on Jazz all the time. It will make you want to curl up into a ball and cry though.

-Next movie night-

Movie:What are you sorry for this time, Melody? Being born? Being sick all the damn time? Existing? It's not like you had a choice in any of it. No one wanted you around to begin with.

Damian:*biting the inside of his cheek* who let Drake pick the movie?

Movie:If you're dying, Melody, just do everyone a favor and hurry it up. Don't drag this out any longer. No one wants to watch you waste away in that bed. I'll get your fucking medicine. But this is the last goddamn time I'm saving your miserable ass, understand?

Bruce: *looking at the ceiling so he doesn't tear up of course* He can't mean that.

Movie:I love you. I know you hate me. I know you'd be happy if I was gone. But you're all I have in this world so I can't help but love you. You're my only family. If you weren't here I'd be dead.

Dick: *Has been crying the entire movie* noooo....please. She loves so much and he just-ghuaaa *sniff*

Movie:I'm not your family, Melody. I'm just the poor sap who got stuck with the job of keeping you alive. Don't mistake my grudging obligation for love.

Jason:*understands this too well and it hurts so much* fuck, I hate this so much.

Movie:I had gotten it from the medical school, I told her that I needed the heart monitor for research. That was a damn lie. I didn't know why I had done it, only that I couldn't bear the thought of her dying alone, unnoticed, unremembered. Or maybe I just wanted to know the moment when she finally dies and the exact moment I'd be free. That's so fucked up. I'm actually waiting for my sister to die...for my sake!

Cassandra: *walkes out of the room after feeling an emotion*

Movie:Last time we went to the hospital the doctor told me it wasn't long before her heart gave out. Even if an eligible donor could be found we wouldn't be able to afford the surgery. It would take a miracle for her to survive. Let's face it...there aren't enough miracles to go around... I'm just a kid! Why is it my job to do all this! I don't want to watch her die! I don't want this damn responsibility!

Barbara: *bearly holding it together and has been silently tearing up*

Movie:Goodbye, Melody. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry I couldn't be the brother you deserved. I'm sorry I hated you for so long. Maybe in the next life, Melody, we can be a real family. But for now, it's time for you to let go and be free of all this pain.

Stephanie: *sobbing* Duke, why aren't you crying?

Duke:*absolutely destroyed and going to breakdown later* I cry on the inside.

-Later-

Tim:*eyes red from crying* I think tye movie had the opposite effect. They aren't mad anymore but now they won't leave me or the rest of the family alone. Even Damian is being nicer.

Danny: Sooo...is the date still on the table?

"I asked for a sad movie." Tim rushes to excuse. He doesn't want them thinking bad about his new boyfriend, so he was fine with taking the fall

"It's actually how we started dating. I knew he loved indie bands, games, and movies. I had told him that their was no way to fully get immersed in an indie movie, cause of the low quality. He bet me he could find one that would make me cry. I told him that if he won, he'd take me on a date. And if I won, I'd take him on a date. Super cheesey, I know. But it worked. I did find out that he makes indie movies and his friends make games and music."

"Did... he make that one?" Jason hesitantly asked. "Cause you could have fooled me if you said it was a professional movie."

"He wrote the outline for the story and half of the script. Said it was based on something that happened in his own life. It's really good isn't it?"

And happily walks away. He got to brag about his new boyfriend, and bag about him. Even if he'd have to go tell Danny the cover story. He'd probably get to listen to more Dumpty Humpty with Danny.

Meanwhile, the family now has a bad impression, thinking Danny's a shit brother who profited off his sister's death. Or, was a friend of the brother and did nothing to help.

Until Damian sees Danny the first time.

Tim had brought the other young man the the manor to watch movies in the theater room, and had left to go to the bathroom. Danny was sat on one of the seats on the very edge of the row. There was a folded walker next to him. Despite how warm the manor was kept, the young man hadn't taken off his oversized Red Robin sweater.

As Damian got closer, he realized that Danny was wearing a cloth medical mask in dark blue with stars on it. He had a disposable eye patch in blue. There was also a single, navy blue, compression glove on his left hand.

When Danny saw him approaching, he perked up.

"Hi! You must be one of Tim's brothers. Damian, right?" His one visible eye upturned with the raise of his cheek, so he must be smiling.

He looked so friendly. Bubbly even.

"Yes, I am. I just wanted to check if my brother's partner was... good." Damian internally cringed at how flatly he ended the sentence.

Danny nodded sagely in understanding.

"Ah. You have to make sure I'm not mean or too weird. Hopefully, I'll pass the test on the first one. But I doubt I'll pass the second." Danny chuckled. "It's nice to see he has such a loving family."

"May I ask why you are wearing an eye patch and mask?"

"Oh, I have some scars I know look scary."

"I highly doubt Timothy would care about how your scars look. And no one in this family will look at you in a cruel way for having scars."

"Yeah, I know Tim doesn't care. But I don't like people looking at me with pity."

"That is... fair. However, if you feel that someone is looking at you with pity, just tell them. Most everyone will stop doing so or leave."

"Eh, it's your house. I don't want to make anyone leave."

"I assure you, the manor is large enough to do so. If you are to be my brother's partner, we will all have to get used to you. It would not do for you to feel uncomfortable for something you can not change."

"Ha, how sweet. But I doubt Tim will want to stay with me when I'm pretty boring. So there's no need to get used to me."

"I have found that the only way Tim will stop caring about a person he has chosen to pursue, whether as a friend, family member, or partner, is if he's dead. He is still kind towards all his ex's. If you are correct, and he does break up with you, you will still be welcomed at the manor as long as you are friends. It is in my best interest to get used to your presence."

"Wow, you sure know how to debate. You should join a team and keep practicing that skill. Alright, I'll take them off if Tim thinks it's okay."

"If I think what is okay?" The other young man asked as he entered the room.

"If you think me showing Damian my scars is okay."

"Unfortunately, the kid has seen way worse. He won't care. He's more interested in them now, because you're hiding them. Soon as you show them, he'll lose interest."

"Timothy." Damian tried to growl.

~

Long story short, Damian tells the rest of the family that Danny was, most likely, Melody.

Neglectful parents, an older sibling that was forced to take care of them, and severe disabilities that make it hard to be on his own. Danny had even said how he had once wanted to be an astronaut, but that he has a heart condition that prevents him from doing so.

Which leads to one family movie night that they invited Danny to. Him and Tim are cuddling until they fall asleep halfway through the movies being watched. (I'm going to put that it was probably a movie marathon of Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter.) Cassandra notices Danny's not breathing and rushes across the room to check Danny's pulse.

She stands straight up and leaves the room when she can't find one.

Bruce had rushed after her when she had checked on Danny, so he took over gently pulling the cold body away, and tried to find a pulse himself.

Nothing.

Bruce tells Dick to call an ambulance. He knows chest compressions would do nothing in this case. Jason hands him a blanket to put over Danny's body, then goes to burrito Tim and move him from the room. Duke sits next to Bruce, staring at the covered body in confusion. Stephanie goes to comfort Cass, and to flee the scene to cry. Damian hugs his dog to disassociation from the situation.

"Uh? Bruce? I really think you should do chest compressions."

"It's too late Duke. It's been too long and he's too cold."

"No, Bruce, he's still glowing. He always has a glow around him and it hasn't changed in the slightest. Hell, maybe just turn him on his side and thump his back. You know, like a drowning victim? Maybe he just needs someone to force his lungs to work? I don't know. But he's still there. We have to try."

Bruce looks at him, unsure. But he turns Danny on his side and and thumps his back. Hard.

And Danny's gasping.

Jazz would tell the Waynes she made the film based on the struggles they went through. If anyone even suggested she was like the brother in the movie she'd throw a fit. The brother was a representation of repressed emotions and resentment.

Yes, Danny is Melody but so is Dani. They tell them that their youngest sister died of a medical condition she was born with.

And the batfam (minus Tim, because he has more details) just moving that bad impression onto her instead. Since how dare she, when Danny is so sweet to her despite what he showed she did in the movie.

Danny: That's Femur, my Bonehowler. Its howl can wake the dead, and it can reassemble itself if shattered. He's often seen prowling cursed battlefields, drawn to areas of great slaughter.

Damian: I suppose that would happen.

Danny: Yeah, and you can't keep a Necrognawer and a Bonehound despite how similar they look at first glance. Necrognawers eat bones.

(A gaunt, mummified canine wrapped in ancient burial cloth, with exposed bone and a sickly purple glow in its chest naps on his dog bed.)

Danny: That's Pumpkin a Gravefang. He's not my dog. He belongs to my friend Tucker. It can drain life from those it bites, and its presence accelerates decay. Their breed is the former pets of pharaohs and necromancer kings, still guarding their tombs. Your grandfather wanted one.

Damian: Perhaps I can take one to rub it in his face.

(A decayed, pus-dripping mastiff with milky, sightless eyes and flies constantly swarming around it scratches his ear)

Damian: Ew.

Danny: That's Goblin a Plaguebound Cur. He's a rescue. He's going to a new home soon. They are created when a dog dies in service to a plague-ridden master and refuses to leave their side. It spreads sickness, so don't pet him.

Damian: I wasn't planning on it, but he is more than worthy of a new eternal home.

(A massive, stitched-together dog with multiple mismatched limbs and empty eye sockets that drip black ichor lumbers by)

Danny: That's Hannibal, a rare Carrion Hound. It cannot be killed unless completely burned, can bite through steel, and resurrects fallen dead nearby. They are created through dark rituals and are hard to control. They are such rare breed because I destorying all records of their creation ritual. They suffer a lot from health issues, so the breed is banned. Its what is best even though other ghosts love how they look.

Damian: Something I wish people did more in our world.

(Tysm! I’m glad you like my works! :D I’m not sure if you wanted art or writing, but I already had a scene I’ve always wanted to write so,,,,)

Part 2

The moment Jason stepped into the meeting room, both Constantine and Zatanna stood up, eyes wide at him.

Jason stopped and tilted his head, his hands dropping to his sides where his guns were. He could see his family stare at the two in bafflement and suspicion, prepared to step in and help him if needed.

Batman spoke up, “What is going on?”

Constantine said slowly, “That’s one of yours, right, Batman? He feels…”

“Tainted,” Zatanna finished. “He’s been touched by a creature from the Other Side. Something incredibly dangerous and unpredictable has attached itself to him.”

From the other side of the room, Jason heard a soft snort from the hero named Phantom but not many people seemed to have heard it.

Batman narrowed his eyes. He stood up and looked at Jason for an answer.

Jason had an inkling of what they were talking about but he didn’t exactly want to air out his relationship for all to see. He just shrugged lightly, “I haven’t touched any cursed objects lately, if that’s what you’re wondering. What? Am I dangerous or something?”

Constantine and Zatanna shared a look but lowered their defensive stances, still looking at him with skeptical gazes. Zatanna said, “Probably not. But John and I have been catching readings of creatures from the Infinite Realms for months now, and when you came in, it was the strongest traces we’ve caught so far. Neither of us have any idea how to counteract against these creatures.” She then looked at Batman with a worried expression. “Batman….”

Before Batman could say anything else, Constantine moved faster. He shot off a spell at Jason, too quickly for him to dodge. Before he could even panic, a large turquoise circle filled with runes and alchemical symbols erupted in front of him, blocking the spell. Constantine narrowed his eyes and fired off more spells, all of which were blocked as more and more shields popped up, surrounding Jason.

“Constantine!” Batman roared.

When Constantine sent a large blast of pure power at Jason, one of the circles broke and suddenly, hands wrapped themselves around him, pulling him against a soft chest.

He knew instantly whose embrace he was in.

“Hey, princess,” he said slowly, eyeing Constantine warily as the man paused in place, staring behind Jason’s shoulder with wide eyes. Zatanna had already lifted her hands in preparation for her own magic and even Batman looked shocked. To the side, Phantom noticeably looked annoyed. “Can you explain what’s happening?”

“Maybe,” Jazz said softly. Their gazes met as she leaned against his shoulder. Her eyes were slitted, glowing brightly. “Promise you won’t be too mad?”

Jason snorted lightly. “You should probably convince everyone else first.”

Her gaze turned back to the room filled with heroes, all staring at her with mixed emotions. She smiled sweetly and didn’t pull herself away from where she was wrapped around Jason like an octopus. Something thin and wiry wrapped itself around his thigh as Phantom bristled out of the corner of his eye.

First | Previous | Next

“You’ve been beaming since you arrived. I’m guessing you have good news,” Raven said

“Yes, I have the most amazing news to share, friends,” Starfire replied, practically glowing. “I have taken Starboy to be my protégé. My sidekick, if you will.

“Really? That’s great, Gold. You’re definitely getting a spot at the big dogs’ table now,” Cyborg laughed.

“Good luck if that happens, Star,” Beast Boy teased. “That stuffy boardroom is overrated. Best to stick with us and our team.”

“It might not be a bad thing,” Nightwing added. “It means the rest of us won’t have to be called in separately when they have a mission. They can just call Starfire.”

Original Post | Next

Word count- 983

It started with a few strange moments in the sky. A light that streaked across the night in a bright arch. Like a shooting star.

Many tried to photograph this phenomenon but only resulted the fuzzy images.

The investigation bared fruit eventually as in the space between the moon and earth a boy was bound. A pale boy this green flushed cheeks and spatterings of glowing freckles swam though the dark. His hair a snowy white like soft fox fur. In his hand he eagerly clutched a green light that peeked through the gapes between his fingers.

You would not believe it but as he let it go the light sparked to life and burned bright for only a few seconds before burning away. His disappointment was clear but he shrugged it off and flew elsewhere.

The Watchtower's telescope was able to capture the moment only by coincidence because the boy's heat signature was absent. Not cold, just no heat.

This "Starboy" (they didn't name him that) began appearing in various places on earth. Not as a flying light but as a explorer it seemed. He walked the streets carelessly and flew from rooftop to rooftop. The wanderer gained notoriety as people became obsessed with his alien appearance. He never talked to anyone, he just smiled and waved before taking off again.

An unknown alien child was cause for concern for the League. It could be a Superman situation, where he had been raised on Earth or it could be a Starfire situation, where he had come here on his own. Both possibilities were better than the alternative: that he had come to destroy the planet.

His behavior was not that of a world-destroyer, at least not to Kori.

Starboy definitely had power. She had just watched him use the energy of a star—a starbolt, just like hers.

Starboy definitely had power. She had just watched him use the every of a star. A starbolt, just like her's. She had to meet him.

Koriand’r did not wait for permission.

The moment he rose again into the sky, she followed.

At first, she kept her distance, studying him the way one might approach a frightened creature. One moment he drifted lazily above the clouds, the next he vanished in a streak of light that tore across the sky.

Koriand’r smiled.

Then she gave chase.

The air screamed as she broke through it, her body igniting with familiar heat. A blazing orange trail followed in her wake, bright and burning like a piece of the sun itself. Ahead of her, his light—bright, green-tinted white, shimmered as it cut through the dark.

Faster.

She pushed harder, the world below dissolving into blur and color. Oceans, cities, clouds, they all melded together.

For a moment, she thought she might lose him.

Then—

He slowed.

Not by much, just enough.

Enough for her to see the tilt of his head as he glanced back.

He had noticed.

Koriand’r surged forward, closing the distance until she flew beside him. For a brief, impossible second, they matched pace, two streaks of light racing across the curve of the Earth.

He laughed.

It was bright. Clear. Surprised.

And then he darted forward again.

A challenge.

Koriand’r’s eyes lit with delight.

“Oh, you wish to race?” she called, though she did not know if he could hear her over the roar of their passage. “Very well!”

She lunged after him, faster still, her flames flaring brighter as she gave everything to the chase. His trail twisted and curved unpredictably, weaving through the sky in playful arcs, never quite letting her catch him, yet never truly escaping either.

This was no pursuit.

It was a game.

And for the first time since she had seen him, Koriand’r understood.

He was not fleeing.

He was playing.

"From below, their race looked like twin shooting stars streaking across the sky before their arcs finally broke.

“Starboy” let out a laugh as he twisted and turned on a dime, forcing Starfire to give chase after the wily boy. He spiraled around her in tight, effortless loops before suddenly diving toward the sea below, only to shoot right back up again in a burst of light.

The moon illuminated his opaline form as Koriand’r lunged forward and tackled him.

They tumbled together through the air, spinning for a brief, dizzying moment before she caught herself, hovering as she held onto him.

This joy.

She had missed it.

It was like she was back on Tamaran, where her people lived unrestrained, where laughter rang freely and brightly through the air.

For a moment, she simply looked at him.

Up close, he was even more unusual. The soft glow of his freckles pulsed faintly, like distant stars, and that strange green-white light flickered beneath his skin as if something inside him radiated from deep within.

He did not struggle.

Instead, he grinned at her.

“You are pretty fast, lady,” he said, laughter still lingering in his voice as the Tamaranean held him beneath his arms.

Koriand’r beamed at him, her bright eyes alight with delight. “And you are very difficult to catch,” she replied, her grip firm but not unkind. “I have never raced one such as you before.”

He didn’t seem bothered by being held, if anything, he kicked his legs idly.

“You almost had me,” he added, grinning up at her. The glowing freckles across his cheeks shimmered faintly in the moonlight. “Almost.”

Koriand’r laughed, the sound warm and full. “Then you must allow me to try again.”

His eyes lit up at that. So bright, curious, and full of mischief.

“Maybe,” he said, drawing the word out as the light gathered again between his fingers. “But you’ll have to keep up this time.”

No one knew Danny's hero name for a long time. He had nicknames like Ghost kid, Invisabilly, and Ghost boy. But that makes sense in Amity where ghosts are a common and known thing.

"Dibs!"

"You can't call dibs on the boy."

But she could and she did. She already had a list of name changes in case Star Boy wanted one.

Firefly

Balefire

Hellfire (too edgy)

Bonfire

Spitfire

All good but he IS Starboy and that matches him so well. Maybe these names can wait until he is older.

Shes a princess as well so Queen Dora and Pandora will finally get him to sit down for all those King lessons and etiquette classes since a sidekick/apprentice reflects on their mentor (also space royalty! Practice with aliens who have at least a mild reason to be nice to him about slip ups would be great.)

Starfire would absolutely double down on the mentor dibs due to this as well, star theme and royal? Food that reanimates? Shes perfect for this kingling.

Kori would connect very quickly with Danny because they share a very important trait. Empathy and love for life. Even though Danny can have trouble showing forgiveness due to his anger. Kori would understand tyat better then anyone else because her anger gave her the power to withstand torture that would have killed her but she also has other emotions that can give her that power and she had to learn that.

I can see Danny having a big soft spot for her and not just because of the red hair that reminds him of Jazz.

Danny wouldn't objectify her like for what she wears because HE RESPECTS WOMEN. Though changing up his suit would be a hard ask if he doesn't do it on his own. Starfire wears what she does out of her love for her home and as much as she wants to share that with her new protege she'd rather wait for him to show interest.

Kori: You can trust me. He has already agreed to come under my wing as they say. I think we will work well together.

Bruce: There is more to it then that—nevermind, you'll do fine. Better then Arrow, I hope.

Kori: I know Roy went though a difficult experience but I don't blame him or Green Arrow.

Bruce: Just—be careful. Keep a firm hand on him or you will risk losing him. The pain of doing so...it's unimaginable.

DIBS!!!

(I've been busy with Woolhaven.)

The flock crowd the hall. Their feet shuffle across the icy floor. The rectangular hall had no light beside the glow of the moon from the large clear floor-to-ceiling window behind the podium.

The raised plinth was empty as the midnight mass assembled.

The worshipers filled the pews with whispers and excited laughter. Their white fur ladden cloaks sheltered thrm from the cold air. Each of them had given up their everyday lives to be in this community. Here in the frozen mountains they devoted themselves to their god.

Then HE entered. Their leader.

Dressed in thin high slit robes, in what you'd call a mockery of holy garbs he walked in. Unlike the rest of the crowd his clothes had no regard for the weather. His long legs were wrapped in crossing leather wraps. Strings of icicles drapped his waist and neck like crystal jewelry and clattered against eachother like wind chimes as he walked down the aisle. His chilly hands grazing the shoulders of longing worshipers. Each yearning for the leader’s touch.

The man was young unlike the usual old and bearded man you'd often see in his position. No he was fresh faced with no evidence of stubble. His skin was as light as porcelain. You'd second guess whether his dewy flesh would give under the press of your fingers.

His frame was androgynous. A broad slat chest with hints of muscle with curved toned hips. It wouldn't matter what your attracted to, you'd find something you wanted just looking at him.

He took his time getting to the podium, each step slow and deliberate. His bare jeweled feet pressed against the ice coated floor showed no sign of frostbite.

"Good evening, my friends." He said at last folding his hands into his billowing sleeves. "I brings be great joy that our flock grows."

The followers clapped and cheered as he gestured for them to be still.

"Now, now, that's enough. Let's begin with todays sermon. Today's lesson is on the joys of sacrifice." He said opening his book. "We must give with joy in our hearts but as our king did for us. He does not damand, he asks only what we are willing to part with. There is no pain in giving what was not originally ours. Just as I give myself to you, give yourselves to one another. Share your woes and jubilation. Sacrifice is love the truest form and with it comes knowledge. In time each of you will understand that principle."

The followers nodded along as the words seemed to make make sense to them but to anyone else it was a string of nonsense.

That is if there was anyone else here.

"Why do we do this? For our king. To enter his kingdom and be granted refuge in the infinite. To be his people forever more." His icy blue eys lit up in the moonlit hall as he brushed strands of black hair from his eyes. "He desires those who seek answers and gives them to those most devoted to that cause. For that we must be willing to sacrifice our our selfish desires and fre ourselves of greed. I know it sounds contradictory or impossible be we must try."

When the sermon ended the temperature plummeted even further.

"Please go rest, my flock. Go enjoy the amenities. The sauna and spa should be open about now but the gym is currently closed for revenants. The observatory is for stargazing only please go to your private quarters next time." He coughed looking away, "That concludes official business for the night.... except. I would like our guests to remain here with me."

The room was deathly silent as the followers shuffed out the door.

The group approached the plinth cautiously. With each step the space became suffocating the air seemed to freeze in their lungs, feeling like shards in their chests. The length of the room seemed to extend to shadowed figure whose eye glowed like stars in the black of space.

You could swear that the preacher had grown ram horns and a tail as the room warped at the edges before everything snapped back into place.

In my mind he's both. The imposters don't know that though. Nor do the cultists.

I like the idea that Danny is leading his own sermons. I love the idea that he’s specifically cultivating a group that focuses on loving each other and the world, on not hoarding wealth, and on being present in one’s life. It makes me wonder how he got to this point

All danny had to do was let them come to him. Sure, he may have done some convincing but it was easy.

He was going the right thing. Humans were weak and savage little things. They needed guidance and attention. They needed HIM.

He watched them tear eachother apart for thousands of years since he took the throne. He watched them through countless dimensions.

For any religion you need rules and Danny knew better then to be lax. He didn't want them twisting his words or intent. For that he needed control.

He spread his words in the flesh. While the vessel isn't human it at least looked like one. It looked like how he used to be and what he would have become. The vessel had its drawbacks, those messy little urges were back.

He built the temple on the mountain from the reamains of a ancient monostary. He wanted it to be difficult to infiltrate for just anyone. Many groups would seek to crush them and he was prepared for that.

He picked his followers wisely. Sure the rich would give plenty to their cause but they required...indecent things in return. Their greed and gluttony would be dangerous. They thought witu logic, a cold and unfeeling logic that belonged to pigs who had tasted blood. No they wouldn't do. However, there were always wealthy eccentrics, modern day philosophers, all around odd balls. Occulist who are driven by nonsensical mysteries. These people would be a start.

They listened in earnest. They understood or at least pretended to. They wanted what he did. A better life for humanity, a peacful one.

Some called what Danny did hedonistic but he wouod tell them it was freedom. A life where leisure was base. Learning was a way of life. Work and play in balance. Everyone was equal and the future isn’t just a dream but a goal.

He thought himself better then leaders who fed themselves on the crop of their people's labor and suffering. No, he gave them everything they needed and the disires they wanted fed. All they had to do was return it in devotion.

He fed them and in turn they fed him.

He had gone through lengths to insure it. Fulfilling their requests without reservation. Well most, he had been asked to lay with a few of them. He had a feeling things would snowball if he did so. So if he did it was kept very hush hush.

Danny thought he was rather noble. He didn't sacrifice his followers and he didn't kill them when they angered him. That's better then any other god. His wrath was limited to the afterlife. Only then did he rip their souls to shreds. Those who dont get to stay in his eternal kingdom. He didn't even do infinite punishment, you get erased from the afterlife. Its quick.

All his followers needed to do is follow his rules. To be generous, to be kind and to worship him. Its all so easy.

And when the Blip-A has been gone twice as long as it should have been with no indication of what happened to them, when the astrophage has been attacking Erid’s sun for 50 years and they are starting to feel the pressure of its effects, when the Tau Ceti plan looks like a failure and the whole crew aboard has been assumed dead and they need to figure out something else… Eridian governments approach Adrian’s dome habitat team with the serious question of how much of the Eridian population could feasibly be moved into climate controlled geothermally-powered xenonite dome cities. (The answer is inevitably “not enough.” But the debates over sending a second crew to Tau Ceti in case what happened to the Blip-A was a weird fluke are not finding any consensus and the planet is snowballing towards total climate collapse and the world is ending and Adrian is bitterly glad that they and Rocky never had children because what kind of future is even left—)

him and franky will turn a scene into a musical at random moments

his sense of gentleman etiquette is outdated and so he will do things like stand whenever a lady walks into a room, run over and pick up whatever a lady drops, and randomly help ladies across the street or help them out of a vehicle without warning. it’s only a little awkward on the ship but it’s mortifying in public. sanji tries his best to teach him modern etiquette but brook is scandalized by his cursing and how he smokes in front of ladies

people will talk to him for a while. he’s actually asleep.

he gets stabbed and freaks out but the sword has gone between his ribs.

franky’s tech fuckin blows his mind and from then on he assumes that any machine or weapon he doesn’t recognize does incredibly improbable things, or expects franky to have unreasonably specific gadgets for every situation. 

robin mentions important historical events, everybody turns to brook and asks if he remembers it. even if it happened 800 years ago

someone suggests hiding something in brook’s chest cavity, he gets very shy and embarrassed. especially if they need to hide a really small kid. “brook, there’s literally nothing to see” “BUT IT’S SO FORWARD 

 at one point, everybody realizes that brook is light as shit and that means zoro can pretty much just launch him into space, cue everytime they have to infiltrate some base everybody turns to him. zoro stretches his arms. brook cries.

during one of their adventures, brook finds a skeleton and decides to bring it back. he leaves it around in any manner of poses and also in all manner of funny hiding places. it gets tossed overboard after too many times of mistaken identity and accidental jump scares.

he keeps turning poetry into songs instead, and it’s especially impressive when it’s free verse.

sometimes he tries to mimic sanji’s weird-ass leg poses behind him, and ends up doing it better without any fat or muscles or skin in the way, also his legs are way longer and it looks cooler. sanji says he’s not jealous, is actually super jealous.

at some point in the future he hangs a pair of spectacles around his neck and then every time he reads something he pulls them up to his eyes and acts like he’s really peering through them and it’s so obviously a set-up for a skull joke but he never fucking says it and it drives everybody crazy.

- Brook has no fucking clue what the Pirate King is. i mean, he spent 50 years in the fog. when he went in, Roger was just some rookie, i remember him mentioning once. as far as I can recall, no one ever explained to him what the Pirate King is. sure, someone could have done it over the timeskip, but why would they? after all, who hasn’t heard of the Pirate King? so,