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2001honda-civic · 26 days ago

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hey are you a conclave fan ?? don't understand all the stuff the cardinals are wearing ?? want to write about them celebrating mass but don't know what they wear ?? want to know more about snazzy catholic fashion ?? worry no longer !!

procrastinating hard on writing my own fic so i started researching clerical clothing because i love symbolism and fashion, here are the fruits of my labour. i'm not catholic nor was i raised one so sorry for any inaccuracies, at the end of the day this is just to help people write fic. if you see any spelling mistakes though no you didn't.

i tried to include anything that might help or inspire people, including for aus or just playing dress up with old men. hope its of use !!! this took me a really long time please clap

also i cannot be bothered to change it but on the liturgical 2 page, in the part about ferulas i keep mentioning pius xi. its actually pius ix.

more detailed image id under the cut, with plain text if you can't read my handwriting. really really long so watch out

this is kind of hard to format so im just going to do the image id followed by its annotations as a list, i hope thats good

FIRST PAGE

CARDINALS: everyday wear -> main colour is red, symbolising the blood they are willing to shed for christ.

[image id: three cardinals in everyday wear standing next to each other, smiling at the camera. the one in the middle is not wearing a sash, and the one on the left is not wearing an elbow-length cape. they are all holding briefcases. end id]

zuchetto: scarlet watered silk skullcap

cassock: black wool with red silk piping. 33 buttons for the 33 years that christ lived. sometimes called a soutane, or if the pellegrina is attatched, a simar.

this weird second sleeve thing isn't in the movie design.

fascia scarlet watered silk sash with tassels. symbolises celibacy (wide eyed emoji). optional but almost always worn.

pectoral cross: personalised cross suspended from a chain over the chest.

gold ring: gifted by the pope to symbolise the bond with the papacy.

its hard to see, but the inside of the cassock and pellegrina is also red

pellegrina: optional elbow length cape that matches the cassock. these don't typically have buttons, but in the movie they do. they're also slightly longer in the movie.

clerical collar: white plastic, cotton, or linen collar. in the movie design, there is no slot for the collar in the front.

[image id: a half body image of a cardinal, in a white version of the everyday cassock. end id]

in tropical countries cassocks can be white instead.

[image id: a screenshot from the conclave movie, specifically from lawrence's homily. it is cropped only to show his hand, and there is a ring on his middle finger. end id]

lawrence's ring

[image id: a full body shot of a cardinal walking to the right. he is wearing in a long black cloak. end id]

tabarro: black broad-cloth cloak with shoulder cape. technically no longer allowed (?) but i think that's just the red version.

[image id: a half body shot of a cardinal smiling at the camera. he is holding a biretta and wearing a long red cape that is fastened by a red ribbon. end id]

ferraiolo: scarlet watered silk cape fastened by a ribbon. not that common anymore i think? (hence why only tedesco, being more traditional, wears it)

[image id: a screenshot from the conclave movie, specifically the start, when lawrence is walking down a road. it is cropped only to show lawrence's upper body. he is in his everyday wear, and wearing a black cape end id]

longer, buttoned pellegrina. basically a black mozzetta (see choir dress)

[image id: a screenshot of the conclave movie, of bellini in the cafeteria. cropped to only show his upper body. he is wearing a black coat. end id]

[image id: a poster for conclave, with a line up of tremblay, sister agnes, lawrence, and bellini. cropped only to show their upper bodies. end id]

no opening for clerical collar, with the exception of bellini's coat/jacket.

no second sleeve.

[image id: a small doodle of cardinal tedesco wearing his red cloak with coloured lineart. he is holding his vape. end id]

SECOND PAGE

CARDINALS: choir dress

[image id: a fullbody shot of a cardinal in full choir dress. he is holding his hands at his front. end id]

mozzetta: scarlet elbow length cape. made of wool with silk lining. 12 buttons for the 12 apostles.

pectoral cross: personalised cross suspended from a red and gold cord. the cord also has a tassel in the back.

cassock and fascia: the same as everyday dress except that the cassock is red and not black.

rochet: white linen or muslin tunic, usually with a lace trim. designs of the lace vary from person to person. rochets are very different in the movie - with the exception of benitez, all the rochets are the same. they all reach to the mid-calf rather than the mid-thigh or knee. they're very plain, with no lace trim or other designs.

biretta: square, ridged cap worn over the zuchetto. one corner has no ridge, and is always worn on the left. not actually worn in the movie, but you can see it on the way to and in the sistine chapel.

[image id: two images of the cord used to hang a pectoral cross on a grey background. the first shows the full cord, with a hook on one end and a tassel on the other. there are three knots at different points on the cord. the second image is a close up of the tassel. end id]

[pointing in between the two knots closest to the tassel] neck goes in here, fastened by these knob thingys (you can see this when lawrence is getting ready for the "pope who doubts" homily).

[image id: a doodle of cardinal lawrence with coloured line art. he is in his choir dress, stressed and holding a turtle. end id]

[image id: a cardinal and a monsignor walking past an altar in a church. the cardinal is in choir dress, and is wearing a red cape with a very long train. the monsignor is wearing a purple cassock and holding the train of the cardinal's cloak above the ground. they are both facing away from the camera. end id]

cappa magna: long as fuck red watered silk cape with a 7 metre long train. hood is lined with ermine fur in the winter. rarely worn in modern times, and only in processions. like the galero, generally only the traditionalists care for it.

[image id: full body shot of two cardinals looking at booklets. they are both in choir dress. one of their rochets is more lacy, and the other more plain. end id]

more examples of rochets, including one that looks similar to benitez'

[image id: a half body shot of a cardinal in choir dress. he is also wearing a long red cape and wide brimmed red hat. he is holding his hands at his front. end id]

galero: scarlet wide brimmed hat with 15 tassels attached at the sides. used to be given by the pope to every newly created cardinal, but is no only made on request. the only example i can find of a modern day cardinal wearing a galero is cardinal burke, who is a mega traditionalist/conservative freak. a galero is still featured on the cardinal coat of arms however.

[image id: cardinal tagle's coat of arms. in the centre is a shield, with a long stemmed double barred gold cross behind it. above the shield is a red galero, with 15 tassels attached on each side. they are arranged in a triangle shape on either side of the shield. at the bottom is white scroll with the motto "dominus est" in black text. end id]

shield and motto varies, but always has a galero

[image id: a behind the scenes photo from conclave. john lithgow, carlos diehz, robert harris, lucian msamati, and ralph fiennes are standing together in the set for the sistine chapel, smiling at the camera. the actors are all in choir dress. end id]

much longer, more simplistic rochet with a big as fuck hem. it's also slightly off white?

like in the book, benitez' rochet is too long, reaching to the bottom of his cassock. it also has a more "realistic" trim design. unlike the rest of the cardinals it seems to be pure white (hello symbolism).

benitez doesn't have a cord

THIRD PAGE

POPE -> main colour is white to symbolise purity

unlike the rest of the catholic clergy, the pope's dress isn't strictly regulated. what each pope wears varies and usually reflects their own views - e.g. pope benedict xvi wore a lot of clothes that had fallen out of use in the papacy, while pope francis refused to wear a lot of the more ornate clothing (basically, you can do what you want).

[image id: full body shot of pope francis walking towards the camera. a monsignor stands behind him. end id]

base everyday wear is the same as cardinals a bishops, but all white. always a simar.

[image id: full body shot of pope benedict xvi. he is speaking into a microphone, reading off a piece of paper. end id]

pope's loafers are traditionally red to represent the blood of saints, but both francis and leo instead have black shoes.

fascia has gold tassels, and is traditionally embroidered with the papal coat of arms. francis and leo have plain fascias

[image id: pope benedict xvi greeting people in saint peter's square. cropped to show only his upper body. he is wearing a red straw hat that has gold detailing. end id]

capello romano, red straw hat with a strip of red silk around the crown, embroidered with gold. also called a saturno.

[image id: a doodle of pope innocent xiv in his white cassock, with colour line art. he is smiling and making a peace sign. end id]

yay !

[image id: half body shot of pope paul vi, who has two fingers raised. he is wearing a red cloak that has gold edges. end id]

red papal tabarro, not used since benedict xvi.

[image id: four images of the rings worn by the pope. the first is of benedict xvi's, gold with an engraving of saint peter. the ring is on his ring finger as he hold a piece of paper. the second image is of pope francis', silver with an engraving of a cross. it is on his ring finger as he holds his pectoral cross. the final two images are two different angles of pope leo xiv's ring, which is gold. one shows that the inside has an engraving of leo xiv's coat of arms. the other shows that the inside also has his name engraved, and the outside has an engraving of st peter. end id]

ring of the fisherman/piscatory ring customised to each pope. usually gold (francis' is gold plated silver), with an engraving of saint peter. the fisherman part is a reference to mathew 4:19 and mark 1:17, where jesus tells saint peter and the apostle andrew that he will make them "fishers of men". presented to the pope during his inauguration (there's only been 5 inaugurations - i can't find who presented the ring for john paul i & ii, but both benedict xvi and francis had it presented by the dean of the college of cardinals (i.e. lawrence). leo xiv of course had cardinal tagle, who isn't dean - the rules for papal inaugurations are quite vague so each individual pope does whatever. in the days of papal coronations the ring would be presented by the camerlengo (i.e. tremblay)

[image id: half body shot of pope john paul ii greeting someone off screen. he is wearing full papal choir dress, including a stole. end id]

[image id: a screenshot from pope leo xiv's first appearance as pope. he is wearing full papal choir dress and waving. a monsignor and bishop stand either side of him. end id]

in choir dress, pope wears a rochet and red mozzetta over his everyday wear, as well as a stole sometimes. i don't think francis ever wore ful choir dress, but he did sometimes wear just a stole.

mozzetta is satin, not wool

gold cord

stole of the four evangelists, much more heavily embroidered than a typical stole.

[image id: half body shot of pope benedict xvi in choir dress. he is not wearing a stole and his mozzetta is lined with white fur. he is holding his hands at his front. end id]

pope benedict revived the winter mozzetta - made of velvet and lined with ermine fur

[image id: half body shot of pope benedict xvi waving. he is wearing a bright red cape and a red cap with white fur lining. end id]

matches with the camauro, a winter cap of the same materials briefly brought back by pope benedict.

[image id: half body shot of pope benedict xvi walking to the left. he is wearing choir dress but no stole. his mozzetta is white and lined with white fur. end id]

paschal mozzetta, used during easter.

FOURTH PAGE

LITURGICAL VESTMENTS

you can see lawrence don the following before his "pope who doubts" homily. each item has an attached prayer that should be recited while putting it on. worn over the cassock and fascia. before they even start dressing, the priest/bishop/etc washes their hands. [grey text] give virtue to my hands, o lord, that in being cleansed from all stain i might serve you with purity of mind and body [end grey text]

only writing the translations of the prayers here, but they would be recited in latin

[image id: a drawing of a priest in a black cassock. a white cloth is draped around his shoulders, and he is tying a string that is attached to it around his waist. the cloth and strings is pictured again next to him. end id]

[image id: someone wearing a black cassock, with a white cloth over their shoulders, fastened at the waist. the image is cut off at the person's neck and hips. end id]

amice: rectangular cloth draped over the shoulders and secured at the waist. no longer mandatory. first draped over the head when dressing. [grey text] place upon me, o lord, the helmet of salvation, that i may overcome the assaults of the devil.

[image id: a full body shot of a priest in a full length, long sleeved white tunic. he is holding an open book, and there is a mirror behind him, where you can see his full reflection. end id]

[image id: a screenshot from conclave, specifically when lawrence is getting ready for mass. it has been cropped to show only lawrence. he is wearing a white, long sleeved tunic and is looking down. end id]

alb: long white linen garment that covers the cassock. [grey text] make me white, o lord, and cleanse my heart, that being made white in the blood of the lamb i may deserve an eternal reward. [end grey text]

[image id: doodle of lawrence in full vestments, with coloured line art. he hold his hands at his front and looks sad and pathetic. end id]

he was forced to eat cement when he was 75

[image id: an image of a person's waist. they are wearing a white tunic, secured by a white cord. end id]

girdle/cincture: wool cord worn around the waist. [grey text] gird me, o lord, with the cincture of purity, and quench in my heart the fire of concupiscence, that the virtue of continence and chastity may abide in me. [end grey text]

[image id: a drawing of a priest wearing a long sleeved white tunic. he is placing a cloth decorated with a cross on his left arm. the cloth is show again next to him, where is can be seen that it has two cords attached to it. end id]

[image id: a long silk cloth that is folded over. the inside is gold and the outside is white, decorated with gold crosses. the ends flare out and has gold tassels. there is a gold cord attached to the middle. end id]

maniple: silk cloth worn on the left arm, fastened with a cord. symbolises the devotion & toils of priest. not always use anymore. [grey text] may i deserve, o lord, to bear the maniple of weeping and sorrow in order that i may joyfully reap the reward of my labours [end grey text]

[image id: a mannequin with a long sleeved white tunic. a long purple silk scarf with gold embroidery is draped around the neck. a matching purple cloth is draped over the left arm, which has been pinned to the chest. end id]

stole: silk band worn around the neck, symbolising priestly authority. [grey text] restore to me, o lord, the robe of immortality, which was lost in the transgression of our first parents, and, inasmuch as i approach your sacred mysteries in an unworthy manner, nevertheless, may i be deserving of eternal blessedness. [end grey text] the pectoral cross can be worn under or above the stole.

[image id: a mannequin wearing a purple chasuble with heavy gold embroidery. the mannequin has been positioned to hold a black biretta at the chest. the image has been annotated as "gothic". end id]

[image id: two images. one is a half body shot of a priest wearing a green chasuble and walking to the left. the chasuble is not as ample as usual, and more closely resembles a tunic. the second image is a similarly cut chasuble laid out on a grey background. it is gold and has heavy floral embroidery. the images have been annotated as "roman". end id]

chasuble: covers all other vestments. can't find what its made of but let's be real it's probably silk or brocade. worn during mass. roman style is considered more traditionalist, and is a lot less common. [grey text] o lord, who has said, "my yoke is sweet and my burden light," grant that i may carry it as to merit thy grace. [end grey text]

[image id: two priests at the front of a parade in a street. they both have heavily embroidered gold capes draped over them, and are holding their hands at their front. end id]

cope: silk/brocade heavily embroidered cape worn in liturgical functions outside off mass, such as baptism or matrimony. i don't think it has a prayer?

[the rest of the page is a section with a gold background labelled "bishops only"]

[image id: a plain white mitre on a table, next to a red zuchetto and fascia. the tails have red tassels. annotated as "simplex". end id]

[image id: a high angle picture of a mannequin head wearing a plain gold mitre. the inside of the centre is red. end id]

[image id: a folded white mitre propped up on a table. heavily embroidered with gold thread. end id]

mitre: white or gold silk folding hat with 2 tails at the back. has 3 styles:

simplex - funerals, mass, lent, good friday.

auriphrygiata - celebration of sacraments (baptism, matrimony, ordination, etc).

pretiosa - principal mass, feast days.

[image id: half body shot of three bishops outside a church. they are all wearing full vestments, but with a cope instead of a chasuble. they all have mitres and are holding croziers in their left hands. end id]

crozier: staff stylised like a shepard's crook, symbolising a bishop's role as a shepard.

[image id: a cardinal in a red chasuble walking toward the camera. there is a wool band around his neck. he is looking down and his left hand is at his chest. end id]

pallium: wool band worn around the neck. has sick black crosses. symbolises the lamb carried on christ's shoulders. often has gold pins in 3 of the pins to symbolise christ's crucifiction. given to metropolitan archbishops by the pope (archbishops that oversee multiple dioceses, i.e. tedesco & sabbadin, but not lawrence) can only be worn inside the archbishop's diocese, with the exception of the pope.

FIFTH PAGE

LITURGICAL VESTMENTS ... 2!!

[image id: a screenshot from pope leo xiv's inauguration, specifcally when he receives the fisherman's ring. the image has been cropped to only show pope leo. he is wearing a white chasuble and a pallium. end id]

[image id: pope benedict xvi sitting on a throne. he is wearing full vestments, as well as a circular shawl, and a pallium with red crosses. end id]

benedict xvi briefly introduced a papal pallium with red crosses, but francis eventually switched back to a black one, with leo xiv doing the same.

benedict xvi also reintroduced the papal fanon, a gold striped circular shawl, though it hasn't been used since then.

[image id: a full body shot of pope benedict xvi walking in a precession. he in full vestments and waving. in his left hand he hold a gold staff with a cross on top. the staff has been annotated as "pius xi". end id]

[image id: a head shot of pope francis in church. he is in full vestments and adjusting his glasses. in his left hand he holds a gold staff with a cross on top. the staff has been annotated as "benedict xvi". end id]

[image id: three head shots of different popes in full vestments holding the same staff, annotated as "paul vi". the staff is silver and has a statue of jesus on the cross on top. the first is of pope paul vi. it is black and white, and has been cut off to not show his face. the second is of pope john paul ii turned to the left, waving. the third is of pope francis, looking tired. end id]

instead of a crozier, the pope uses a ferula, a staff with a cross on top. there have been a lot of different designs for the ferula, with the most recently used being the ferulas of pius xi, paul vi, and benedict xvi.

[image id: pope francis with a mosignor and two deacons walking to the right in a procession. pope francis and the priests are in full vestments. their chasuble and tunics are green and plain. end id]

[image id: a line up of a priest, a deacon, a cardinal, and another priest. they are all smiling off to the right. the priests and cardinal wear a chasuble, and the deacon a tunic, all of which are slightly different shades of purple with gold embroidery. end id]

[image id: three bishops at church. they are all in a line looking to the right. they all wear plain, pale yellow chasubles. end id]

[image id: a priest and a bishop walk towards an altar in an empty church. they are both wearing red chasubles and holding paper palm leaves. the priest holds an ipad that has been annotated as "ipad ??" in grey text. there is a person filming them on a tripod behind them. end id]

[image id: a half body shot from behind pope francis in a procession, with a deacon in front of him. they are both in full vestments, and their chasuble and tunic are a pale pink. end id]

the colours of the maniple, stole, and chasuble varies depending on the event. only the main events are listed below because theres a lot <3

green - ordinary time (i.e. nothing else going on). [grey text] hope, growth, life. [end grey text]

violet - advent, lent, all souls day, requiem mass (funerals). [grey text] humility, penance, preparation. [end grey text]

white/gold - christmas, easter, baptism, matrimony, ordination (the pope isn't technically ordained but it's also used here). [grey text] joy, glory, innocence, purity. [end grey text]

red - palm sunday, good friday, pentecost, funerals of popes. [grey text] sacrifice, charity, the blood of christ [end grey text]

rose - gaudete sunday & laetare sunday (in advent & lent respectively - can choose either rose or violet). [grey text] anticipation, joy, repentance. [end grey text]

SIXTH PAGE

BISHOPS, ARCHBISHOPS, & MONSIGNORI

[image id: two half body shots of bishops holding their hands at their fronts. the first one is wearing choir dress and against a brown background. the second is wearing his everyday wear and in a church. end id]

bishops and archbishops wear basically the same as cardinals, except with purple instead of red (symbolising authority i think? not as well defined as cardinal red) plus some other details.

this includes accessories like the ferraiolo. galero specifically is green with two sets of 6 tassels for bishops and 10 for archbishops.

green and gold cord

piping on the cassock, mozzetta, etc is more red than the rest of the purples

[image id: a grey mannequin head on a white background. it is wearing a purple biretta with a pom on top. end id]

biretta has a pom

[image id: a full body shot from the conclave movie, when lawrence, mandorff, and o'malley find out about the new cardinal. lawrence is facing the camera and looking at o'malley, both mandorff and o'malley are facing away from the camera and looking at lawrence. they are all wearing their everyday cassocks. end id]

ok so researching for monsignori is driving me up the wall. first of all mons. is not an actual role, it's an address for priests with one of 3 honourary titles (apostolistic protonotary, honourary prelate, chaplain of his holiness). second, mons. o'malley is a bishop in all but title. he dresses as a bishop, and is secretary to the dean, a role typically held by a bishop. idk man ig in the conclave-verse bishops can be monsignori, or maybe a monsignor is higher up in the catholic hierarchy than irl.

monsignor o'malley has the same outfit as archbishop mandorff

[image id: from the conclave movie, o'malley in choir dress. he is holding a clipboard and looking off to the left. end id]

WHY IS HIS ROCHET SLEEVE DIFFERENT ITS THE ONLY ONE LIKE THIS ??? anyways bishop choir dress. i love this picture btw he looks so ouppy

[image id: two full body shots of a monsignor in two different styles of choir dress. both are wearing white tunics over a purple cassock, and the first has an additional sleeveless purple tunic over it. in the first image he is closing the doors to the sistine chapel, and in the second he is outside, holding his hands at his front. end id]

[image id: a full body shot of a monsignor walking to the left. he is wearing an everyday cassock and fascia, but no pectoral cross. he also has a purple cloak, and a black biretta with a purple pom. there is a metal pin on his left breast. end id]

[image id: a half body shot of a monsignor in front of an altar, facing the camera. he is wearing an everyday cassock and fascia, but no pectoral cross or skullcap. there is a metal pin on his left breast. he is holding an open book. there is a "yonhap news" watermark at the bottom. end id]

black biretta

no pectoral cross

no zuchetto

[image id: three simple diagrams of monsignor choir dress. the first two have a purple cassock, and the last is black. they are all wearing a white tunic, and the first has another purple, sleeveless tunic as well. they all have black birettas with poms, the first pom being purple and the last two being black. end id]

choir dress is closer to that of other priests, using a surplice instead of a rochet.

[pointing at tunic] surplice

SEVENTH IMAGE

MISC

[image id: a screenshot of conclave, from the end of the movie when lawrence is looking outside his window. he is wearing a black shirt with a priest collar, and a black sweater vest. the image has been cropped to only show him. end id]

when to wear what:

liturgical vestments -> celebrating/co-celebrating the eucharist.

choir dress -> public liturgical functions that the person is not the celebrant of.

daily dress -> day to day work

informal dress -> can be worn when daily dress would be impractical, in more informal work, or when "off-duty". black or grey clothes, including a shirt that allows the priest's collar to be seen.

[image id: a screenshot from conclave. a half body shot of sabbadin, who is turned to the left. he is in everyday wear, and holding a cigarette. the image has been cropped to show only him. end id]

[image id: six franciscan priests smiling at the camera. they are all wearing simple grey habits and pectoral crosses. end id]

if a priest is a member of an order, they can wear their habit instead of a cassock. sabbadin wears a franciscan habit in everyday wear, but not in choir dress.

[image id: a screenshot of conclave. tedesco sitting in the sistine chapel alone. he is wearing choir dress, and a shirt sleeve can been seen peaking out of both of his arms. he is vaping, the smoke obscuring the bottom half of his face. the image has been cropped to show only him. end id]

as for what they wear under their cassocks, i think it's just a shirt and trousers. you can see the sleeves peaking out in the movie. the only real rule is that the stockings/socks they wear should match their cassock (i.e. black in everyday, red/purple in choir dress, white for the pope). only other thing of not is that the pope typically wears white trousers, though francis wore black. anyways, [homophobic dog "i know what you are" meme]

[image id: several labelled doodles of characters, titled "proper forms of address". the first is of pope innocent xiv, who is calm and smiling. labelled "pope - your holiness". the second is of lawrence, who is sad and looking downwards. labelled "cardinal - your eminance". the third is of archbishop wozniak, who looks stressed or panicked. labelled "archbishop - your grace". the fourth is just text that says "(are there any bishops in conclave ??)". labelled "bishop - your excellency". the fifth is of monsignor o'malley, who is smiling. labelled "monsignor - reverend monsignor". the final is of john ward from faith: the unholy trinity, looking to the left, concerned. labelled "priests - reverend father". end id]

who's winning the sad pathetic priest war, john ward or lawrence.

[image id: a doodle of op, making a peace sign. he is looking to the right and making a ":3" face. end id]

yay that''s it. go forth and make crazy gay fanfic & fanart.

#conclave #conclave 2024 #conclave fanart #i guess #really had to fight the american spellings on this one #this is my first time writing ids btw god i hope theyre ok #anyways i love fashion history i love fashion and conventions with symbolism !! i wish the catholic church was real #side note i think i have a parasocial hateship with cardinal burke after making this im sick of searching for images and seeing him #oh my fucking god writing that full image id took hours. idk how you people do it #vincent benitez #thomas lawrence #so many spelling mistakes dear lord

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rin-may-1103 · 8 months ago

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The Eyes of Death. Pt 2

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"Robin!" Orcale cried through the coms, startling Damian as he ducked beneath a punch thrown his way. Growling, Damian Sparta kicked the goon before him, spun around, and throat-punched the last one standing.

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"Your boyfriend wouldn't happen to be named Daniel Fenton, right?" Barbara's voice was strained. She practically begged him to correct her and prove she was mistaken.

Damian tensed up but rushed over to help down the goons surrounding Dick, his heart thundering away in his chest. "What happened?" he growled, drawing his katana when a goon quickly pulled a knife. The sound of metal against metal almost blocked her voice, but Damian could still make out what she said.

"He's been taken by some cultists, they're broadcasting everything. They're setting up the ritual right now; they cut his arm and are using his blood mixed with black paint to mark the ground. I'm pretty sure he's in shock, he barely reacted to the cut."

"Oh, shit!" Steph cursed, "not the boyfriend!"

"Where?" he grunted, parrying the knife away and kicking the guy over the railing. The man's scream cut out as his body hit the floor. "Robin!" Father hissed in anger, quickly tying up Penguin.

"He'll live!" Damian shouted back as he marched toward the door and reached for his grapple gun, "Oracle! Where is he?"

The others could finish up here without him, they had already dealt with what the two rouges had been planning. All that was left was to gather up the goons and hand everyone over to the GCPD. His boyfriend, who hadn't texted him to tell him he had gotten home safe because apparently he'd been kidnapped by cultists, was more important than beating the crap out of some lowly goons.

"The Financial District, warehouse seven on 4th street." she huffed, the sound of keys clicking as she sent him the live footage. Clicking the side of his mask, he was met with the sight of his boyfriend bound to a chair and glaring up at the camera. His blue eyes were filled with more annoyance than fear, but that didn't reassure Damian at all when the camera backed up and revealed Danny's heavily bleeding arm.

They must have cut an artery with how deep the wound looked. The only reason he wasn't already dead from blood loss was because of how tight the ropes were, it seemed.

"Shit," Damian hissed as he shot his grapple up at the building across the street, "make sure an ambulance is en route, Danny's going to need it. They must have cut through his radial artery if not both."

He could hear Dick hold back a gasp at his words but ignored it, as he flew toward the roof and started running. A loud thud landed behind him, followed by footsteps as Father's gruff voice echoed into his ear as they ran. "Jets on its way, it'll be faster than the car." Damian silently changed direction, continuing to jump roofs.

"I'm coming with," Dick demanded, landing a couple buildings behind them. Damian grunted in acknowledgment, not caring what they did. He needed to be there, he needed to be there thirty minutes ago; when he should have been walking Danny home like he asked him too.

"GOTHAM!" the person holding the camera shouted with a slip of paper in their other hand, allowing the camera a glimpse of the words. Danny's eyes narrowed even more, something like disbelief filling his eyes as the man continued talking, "Tonight, you shall join us as we summon the most powerful being in the world!"

"Danny looks so disappointed," Dick snorted, pulling out his own grapple at the sound of the jet approaching. Of course, Danny was disappointed, it was a waste of paper just to remember so little. Damian agreed but couldn't do anything other than huff at his brother's comment, most of his focus on watching the video.

Dick wrapped an arm around him, firing at the jet just as it rocketed overhead. They were launched into the air and dragged over buildings as the jet flew toward their destination. Father dangled across from them for a second before the three of them latched onto the rail under the jet designed for quick departure. They sat in silence as all three of them focused back on the video feed.

"Now," the leader shouted, coming into view as the cameraman backed up. Danny and the freshly painted circle were in full view, but so was the group of people off to the side. Damian recognized two of the people on the ground. Nancy and Wyatt, Danny's forcibly appointed college guides or "parents".

Damian remembers the day Danny had been introduced to them, spouting vitriol in anger about them being acephobic and how the college wouldn't allow him to switch guides. Nancy was crying, her mascara running down her face. Wyatt was deathly pale, all the blood bleeding away from his face as he watched the cultists in what looked like horrified guilt.

"Let us begin," the leader cheered, grabbing Danny's shoulders from behind him. Danny glanced worriedly at the group and then at the camera like he couldn't decide what he should focus on, subconsciously cringing away from the man behind him.

"Join me as we summon our lord and savior!" Danny narrowed his eyes in anticipation, "The great tyrant of the dead!" he now looked confused, "The embodiment of war and bloodshed!" back to worried, "The one named PARIAH DARK!" amused, because of course, his boyfriend would find the name amusing, "THE HORRIFIC GHOST KING!!!" now he was back to confused and worried.

The leader turned and walked back over to one of his followers, snatching an old book and opening it. Without any fanfare, the man began chanting, guiding his followers like he was the director of a twisted play.

"ten minutes," Father grunted, "Oracle, get everything you can on the ghost king. We need to know what we're about to run into. Call someone from Dark, we'll probably need their guide on how to deal with this."

Dick readjusted his grip, tightening his arm in reassurance as Danny's eyes glanced up and toward the rafters like he was looking for one of them. No, not like. He was looking for them; because Damian had promised him in the past that if he was ever in trouble, the bats would save him. And if not them then he would. Danny had rolled his eyes at the time, sarcastically calling him his hero. But he believed him because Damian had promised.

Damian growled as one of the cultists smashed a bowl on the ground, splattering Danny in what he had to assume was the blood and paint mixture Barbera had told him about earlier.

Damian watched as Danny glared at the black stains all over his front with disdain, trying to mutter something through the gag in his mouth the camera couldn't catch. "Is he seriously worried about his shirt?" Tim huffed over comms, the sound of police sirens growing louder.

"I would too if that's the only nice shirt I had," Steph grumbled before shouting something at someone.

"My boyfriend owns more than one shirt, Spoiler." Damian hissed.

"No offense, Damian," Steph laughed, "but your boyfriend looks like he crawled out of a dumpster after losing a fight against one of your raccoons."

"Oh, give him a break! The poor boy's just been kidnapped, of course, he looks bad." Barbera chided.

Damian went to respond but stopped to watch as another cultist stepped forward and tossed salt at Danny. Danny shook his head and glared at the cultist, only to be slapped in the face with another handful of salt for his efforts.

"That's one way to rub salt in the wound," Jason huffed, "make sure you kick that one in the dick for me."

"With pleasure," Damian grumbled, leaning back to try and see the warehouse they were heading toward. "Seven minutes," Father added, noticing how impatient Damian was starting to get.

they silently watched as the cultists continued chanting, Barbera occasionally telling them things she'd found. (She was having difficulty connecting with The Dark members, something about an unexpected mission off-world.)

Danny was starting to look tired, his face paler than usual (A hard feat, considering his boyfriend looked like a fresh corpse on a good day. If he didn't know any better, he would think his boyfriend had never spent a second in the sun his entire life.)

Suddenly, Danny started to cough, shaking his head, clenching his eyes closed in pain for a second before focusing back on the leader. "The blood loss is starting to catch up to him," Tim commented as Danny glanced up at the rafters again, "let the hospital know to have extra blood ready."

"Got it," Barbera agreed, still typing away. "No one's answering, I'm going to try Constantine, now."

"Two minutes," Father warned, getting ready to jump. Damian steadied himself, leaning forward to time his jump correctly. "Shit," Jason cursed, drawing Damian's attention back to the video in time to watch as a cultist raised a bloody blade into the air and slammed it into Danny's chest. "You need to get there, now!"

The cultist yanked out the knife and handed it to the leader, who was now standing in front of Danny. Danny's chest quickly stained red, his eyes wide in shock and horror.

"Take this lowly sacrifice as a sign of our eternal loyalty, and grace us with your presence! Your humble servants plead that your godly ears hear our prayers! Join us in this mortal realm and bequeath us your power and name to rectify the sins of our brethren!" the leader's voice echoed in the silent warehouse like a gunshot. but Damian couldn't hear a single word the man spoke as he watched Danny lean forward in pain, trying to grab at his chest.

His restrained hands pulled against the rope, causing more blood to leak from his wound, his eyes clenching shut as his left hand started glowing green. He suddenly started screaming, his voice strained like it was being ripped out of his throat, barely muffled by the gag.

A bright light flashed, spreading from where he'd been stabbed and crawling over his body. His skin turned gray, almost blue, like a body found out in a snowstorm. His hair started floating in an absent current like he was underwater. and his eyes started glowing a bright blue, growing brighter and brighter.

"NOW!" Father shouted, launching off the railing and gliding through the air. Damian didn't hesitate to follow, all his training allowing him to go on autopilot as he used his cape to guide his fall.

Danny slumped forward, his head hanging limp as the warehouse went deathly silent.

Twisting in the air, Damian aimed his grapple hook and fired. It latched onto the warehouse and tugged him forward, his fall turning into a swing as he rocketed toward the glass window. "Your Highness?" someone asked, their voices glitching in and out with the video feed.

Damian watched as the Danny in the video slowly lifted his head in time with the Danny he could see through the quickly approaching glass. Damian only had a split second to register that his boyfriend's eyes were no longer blue, but bright green before his feet smashed through the window and he was landing in a roll on the ground.

Immediately, the camera feed disappeared from his view, allowing him to focus on what was around him. Father crashed through the skylight, showering the cultists in glass as he landed on the other side of the room. Dick landed next to him, fluidly popping up from his roll.

"Shit!" someone shouted, "it's the bats!"

"run!" someone else yelled.

Damian lunged forward, burying his fist into the first cultist's face with a satisfying crunch. The warehouse flooded with loud screams and rapid movement.

"Dammit!" the leader cursed, dragging Damian's attention over to him. He had left the circle at some point, crazily looking around to try and find a quick exit.

Abandoning the cultists he was fighting, Damian quickly sprinted at the man. Unsheathing his katana, Damian attacked. The leader used the bloody knife to parry, scrambling back to get away. Damian growled, about to follow when his eyes landed on Danny's black and blood-stained face right behind the man.

Bright Lazarus green eyes stared back.

Danny's vision tilted, or was that just his head? It felt like he was in one of those twisty things NASA shoves their astronauts in under the claim of training for departure and reentry into Earth's atmosphere. or maybe it felt like a hundred pounds of soaked cotton balls shoved behind his eyes and lit on fire?

he couldn't tell, at this point, his head could be detached for all he knew. Wait, no. He's done that before, this feels nothing like that. So, he still had his head... but does his head still have a body???

He would glance down, but he's afraid he won't be able to lift his head again... Had he lifted his head? or had the world moved around him like it does in the realms? Where was he?

Danny's core pulsed in confusion as someone stepped over the circle, quickly followed by someone else. No one was supposed to enter unless a deal was about to be made. Had he made a deal?

Blinking, he focused his blurry vision as much as he could on the figure slowly approaching him. Had he already been looking at them? His vision tilted again, making his gut roll in nausea. A voice slowly broke through the static ringing in his ears, and his shirt suddenly pulled in frightened hands.

"Your Highness! these are the sinners I told you about!" the voice screeched, a pitch so out of the norm that Danny could only assume the voice belonged to a small fly-turned-eldritch little girl.

Wait a moment, that was his title? Your Highness? seriously? Was everyone going to be calling him that? He was the king; wasn't it supposed to be majesty??? He'll ask Dora later; now wasn't the time.

"Oh great ghost king!" the high-pitched voice cracked and lowered back to one he was starting to get familiar with, "Pariah Dark, lend me your power so I might defeat him!"

Did he seriously just call Danny, Pariah??? The man, the leader of the cult, Mr. totally-read-one-fake-ritual-book-when-he-was-a-teen-and-now-has-to-make-it-everyone's-problem, kneeled in front of Danny, his hands twisted into Danny's ruined shirt. The blurry figure froze, not moving now that Danny had broken eye contact to look down at the horrible man.

Danny might be completely out of it and have no idea what's going on anymore, (he was in so much pain, why was there so much pain? he wanted it to go away, why wasn't it going away?) but he's been trained for moments like this. He can't let anyone see him as weak, not when he has to protect the realms as is his kingly duty.

Clockwork thought it would be a good idea to drop him in the middle of a meeting with some demons right after Danny had pulled an all-nighter and fought three of his rouges. let's just say, Danny was not pleased with the old goat after that. On the other hand, every time he meets a new demon, they seem to respect him much more than before. (he's still not sure what he did to earn that, but whatever)

So, acting like nothing was wrong would be easy peasy.

Sitting up straight, like Dora taught, Danny gazed down at the man who had demanded his attention. He turned his jaw intangible, dropping the gag and allowing him to speak freely again, "why should I?" His voice was echoey, cold, and devoid of the usual emotion.

It was completely different than what it usually was. Like he was a completely different person. (He sounded like Dan) which caught Danny off guard, but he had to ignore it for now. Clockwork had said that Danny Phantom was different from King Phantom, maybe this is what he meant. (hopefully not, he hated sounding like Dan. Was this permanent? was he always going to sound like this???)

"Why?" the leader stumbled, letting go of Danny's shirt in surprise, "because I summoned you! I control you!"

He looked outraged like it was Danny's fault he was in this mess.

Snorting, Danny smirked at the man. "Why should I lend you my power when you haven't even gotten my name correct?" That was like common summoning courtesy 101, right? Frostbite said something like that... or was it Pandora? Wait... wasn't that the demon etiquette? What was the ghost-summoning etiquette then? Also, could he even lend his power to someone else??? like, demons could, but could Danny???

"Who cares!" the man snapped, picking up the knife he had dropped next to him and slashing it at Danny. He didn't even have to think as he instinctively turned his right arm intangible and snatched the man's wrist, clenching it tightly to make him drop it. He was not going to let the man stab him again, thank you very much.

his core grumbled in annoyance, scattering his thoughts for a moment. What was he doing? his arm burned like it had been shot with an ecto blast, but that wasn't right, it was cut by-

Oh, right. cultists. Gotta deal with that.

Fazing the ropes off, Danny carefully stood up. An almost silent whine drew his attention up; it was the fuzzy figure, or now that Danny could actually see a little easier, Robin. Huh, looks like the bats actually made it after all. A little late to the party, but oh well.

Wait...

Shit, he didn't need the Bats up in all of his business. Especially since everything the ritual did to him was recorded, the ghostly stuff included. (Was Damian watching? Did he think Danny was dead now? a normal person would have died right?) He'd have to clear up any misinterpretations later, right now he has to focus on gaslighting the Fuck out of Batman and his partners.

Maybe he won't even have to deal with the Justice League if he pulls this off.

ok, what do they think the situation is? A Cult recording themselves sacrificing some random dude, the dude gets stabbed in the chest (probably assumed dead, he'll have to fix that...), then some ghostly shit happens, and the dude has glowing eyes... which basically lines up with the socially accepted symptoms of possession.

Cool, cool, cool. Danny'll just act like he's possessing himself then. No need to make it weird. Or reveal that he's a halfa.

...

How the fuck was a ghost king, who for all intents and purposes, knows nothing about mortal life, supposed to act when possessing a random body????? does he call it his body?? vessel? homing beacon?

"-leas me this intance! I summoned you, you listen to me! ME! I summoned you. Therefore, you have to do as I say!" the leader's voice broke through Danny's thoughts, bringing him back to the present. Again. Man, he seriously needs to get his shit together. Maybe it was the blood loss, they had cut him pretty badly earlier...

Sighing, which hurt a lot actually... he should probably fix that. Mentally shrugging, Danny allowed his ectoplasm to heal his wounds, which in turn settled his core a lot more than he expected. Maybe he shouldn't suppress it so much in the future... OR he should, and just not allow himself to be used in other rituals. Yeah, that's probably it. Man, he's going to have to talk with Frostbite after this is all over.

"You know nothing of which you speak, mortal," Danny grumbled, turning slowly to examine the warehouse. The bats had been fast, or Danny was just really out of it, because not only were all the cultists knocked out but the other hostages were gone.

"I know enough!" the man screeched, hitting his free fist against Danny's arm in an attempt to get Danny to release him. The only thing that was going to do was leave a bruise. Robin growled almost silently in response, which was weird. Why would Robin be upset about this man hitting Danny? or was he more upset along the lines of believing the random "hostage" Danny is "possessing" being hurt?

Yeah, that was probably it. All right, time to act all Ghost Kingly or whatever. If he was about to do something stupid then Clockwork would intervene. Since he hasn't so far, Danny was taking this as the old man giving his permission to proceed.

"Stop bruising my new favorite vessel, or I'll show you why it's a bad idea to mess with the dead." Danny hissed, pulling the man up so they were eye to eye. (it wasn't that hard, considering Danny was short as fuck. Who knew dying would stunt your growth?)

The man leaned back, his eyes wide in fear. His face turned green, or was that just the light from Danny's eyes? how bright were they glowing???

Oh, right, old ghost king, you need to focus here Danny.

Rolling his eyes, Danny harshly (not as hard as he could have though, even if he wanted to punt the man into the sun) tossed the man out of the circle and toward Robin. Nightwing, who Danny had just noticed was also there, quickly rushed over and wrangled the man over to the pile of cultists and tied him up.

"Your vessel," Batman grunted, stepping up to stand next to Robin. (Danny wasn't sure when, but Robin had left the circle. Which meant they probably had someone with magic experience telling them what to do now.)

"Yes, mine," Danny huffed, slowly turning to study the broken windows. his head was killing him, like four migraines stuffed into one killing him...

Do they not know how to use a door? Like, how often do they break through windows? Like, sure, it probably saves them a few extra seconds during a fight, but seriously? Do they at least pay the owners back for the property damage?

"He's not yours," Robin hissed, unsheathing his katana. Batman rested his hand on his shoulder, likely to warn Robin from doing something stupid.

Lifting his brow, Danny glanced down at his body. Did Robin know him? Or was he really just that protective of the people in his city? Even though Danny wasn't technically a Gothamite? He remembered Damian telling him at one point that if he was ever in trouble, the bats would save him. Hmm, yeah, probably just very protective of the people in their city then.

Danny was the same way when he was Phantom; those tourists might not be native Amity Parkers, but they were his tourists. So back off, ghost number 700 of the week. Or something along those lines.

Yeah, that's probably it.

"He," oh wow, speaking about himself was so weird, "was used as a sacrifice to summon me, which makes him mine." Ignoring the fact that his body belonged to him beforehand because, again, this is his body, but you know, can't tell them that. Also, even if this was someone else's body, it'd technically be Danny's. Look, being the ghost king meant Danny owned a lot of weird things, one of those being literally anyone's dead body. (He refused to think about the fact that Pariah had technically owned his body.)

Glancing up, Danny watched as Batman tightened his grip on Robin's shoulder. "Release his body at once, you lowly demonic pit waste! His body-"

"OK!" Nightwing cut in, clapping his hands. "How about this," he glanced at Robin and then back at Danny, clearly nervous about Robin's outburst. Also, what the hell was pit waste? Like, obviously Robin was insulting him, but he could have at least used an insult Danny would understand.

Also, why was Robin insulting a supposedly all-powerful king of the dead? Wasn't he supposed to be one of the more rational vigilantes? Maybe he just got emotional when he thought he failed to protect someone? Which is completely understandable, Danny did not react well when he failed to keep someone safe.

"We apologize for any wrongdoing Robin's words have caused. You willingly go back to your realm, leave your vessel's body behind, and we" he gestured at himself and the other two, "don't get other magic users involved? how does that sound?"

"Is that a threat?" because seriously, that sounded exactly like a threat. Did they seriously not know how to talk to other dimensional beings? Shouldn't they, as Justice League members, know how to diplomatically converse with others? Especially ones that could kill them with a glance? (like, Danny obviously wouldn't do that, but come on!)

His core stuttered again, drawing his attention to the fact that Danny was running out of power to keep up whatever transformation he'd taken on. Which was weird because he's obviously not in his ghost form, so why was it so draining??? And there's plenty of ectoplasm in the air, so, like, this was just ridiculous.

"Whatever," Danny huffed, looking down to study the circle as Nightwing started waving his hands in denial. "I already healed the vessel, he'll technically live." He could feel the pull it had on his core, which meant he had no idea what would happen once it was broken. Would he feel the same things he felt earlier? or would it just be like letting go of someone's hand?

Man, he was too tired for this crap. He wanted to go home and sleep. maybe steel his boyfriend's hoodie and cuddle with Cujo.

You know what? Danny didn't care, he should just break the circle and act like nothing happened. Yep, that's the plan. Still, he should probably prepare for if something goes wrong, you know, like passing out.

Carefully, both because the world was still kind of spinning around him, and to keep the bats from reacting badly, Danny made his way to stand in front of the Vigilantes. They should have quick reflexes; if he passes out, they should be able to catch him, right?

Without warning, Danny dragged his shoe over the line and broke the circle. Immediately his core hissed and all of his energy disappeared. Crumpling forward, Danny barely processed the sight of Robin's panicked lunge to catch him before everything turned dark and his body felt on fire.

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