#cold black and infinite

[t-800]

TRENT REZNOR of NINE INCH NAILS

September 29th, 2018 // Nashville, TN Photographed by Madison Lindeman

[halo-eight-94]

NIИ | Cold & Black & Infinte ticket sleeve | 2018

[supersonictalan]

TELL ME THIS ISNT TRUE

[the1entirecircus]

The kind of Pokémon I think each Legion of Doom member (along with a few other enemies of the league) would have and why:

The Joker

Mr. Mime- If you’ve been on the Internet long enough, you would remember how the Joker would always get paired with Mr. Mime. This would be true for my version of the Joker’s team. Except there is one major difference: Joker’s Mr. Mime is a Meta-Pokémon (mentioned in previous post about the JL’s Pokémon teams). This Mr. Mime would be Poison/Fairy with the ability Intimidate. Why Intimidate? Its a creepy clown with a creepy smile.

Weezing- Another Meta-Pokémon Joker would have, this version of Weezing is constantly spraying an obnoxious gas that makes people constantly laugh. This is of course in reference to the Joker's toxic gas.

Gengar- Gengar has been noted to being incredibly sadistic from killing people just to make them ghosts like Gengar is. This reason is rooted in a deep loneliness Gengar has, which kind of makes him kind of pathetic. Similar with Joker, who is pathetic, no matter what retelling of his origin you here.

Remoraid- A reference to the Joker Fish, Meta-Remoraid is Water/Dark, sadistically firing water at enemies. Due to it becoming a Meta-Pokemon, it can no longer evolve

Toxicroak- Growing up with the Batman tv show, I am used to seeing the Joker as a capable fighter. Based on its dex entries saying that it sways and dodges attacks from opponents, it sounds fairly similar to the Joker's fighting method in the tv show.

Seviper- A Pokemon with an arch-rivalry with another, Seviper holds similar traits to the Joker.

Type overlap was bound to happen for the Joker's team. It's the Joker, poison is his thing. So, it had felt obvious to me to give him a bunch of poison types.

---

Lex Luthor

Silvally- A Pokémon developed to destroy aliens, hmmm, where have I heard that before in terms of DC Characters? But yeah, Silvally felt like an obvious choice for Lex because he totally would develop one to defeat Ultra Beasts and Superman.

Alakazam- Being a very smart man, Lex having an Alakazam would reflect his great intellect.

Porygon-Z- Another artificial pokemon made by mankind, this pokemon reflect's how even with advanced technology, there is some flaw in it that weakens Lex.

Volcarona- Being revered as a "sun deity" by ancient Unovans, this felt like a good Pokemon to be transformed into a meta-pokemon by lex. Now with the ability Red Sun, Lex's Volcarona weakens kryptonian meta-pokemon.

Kryptonian Minior (Green Core)- A radioactive green rock falls from the sky? Why that must be a meteor of kryptonite? Right? Nope! Regional variant of Minior thats Poison/Flying type.

Shiny Palafin- Being a pokemon inspired by Superman, Lex of course had to have a shiny Palafin to reflect how he created Bizarro.

If you couldn't tell already, Lex's team is inspired by the many ways he's tried to defeat Superman over the years. From the creation of a synthetic organism capable of fighting aliens to creating an evil doppelganger of his arch nemesis, these Pokemon all reflect Lex's schemes in some way.

---

Cheetah

Chien-Pao- In her New 52 origin, Barbara Minerva would stab herself in the name of her goddess to transform into the Cheetah according to the DC Wiki. She use the god-killer knife to do so, and while Chien-Pao is no Cheetah (A leopard actually) and has a sword and not a knife, there are slight parallels.

Runerigus- Barbara is an archaelogist.

Cofagrigus- Same reason as previous

Sneasler- Sneasler is a femine Pokemon that utilizes its sharp claws in both climbing and combat. Yes I could've used a different cat pokemon, but this one felt better as Sneasler is one of the many pokemon that was worshipped by the Peal Clan in ancient Sinnoh/Hisui.

Spiritomb- Again archaeology, but also a parallel to Cheetah's mystical acts of villainy.

Hydrapple- This pokemon was chosen out of Cheetah's love for Greek Mythology, and while Hydrapple is not the only Multi-headed dragon pokemon, it is the most similar to the Hydra.

If you couldn't tell, Cheetah's team is consistent of Pokemon relating to mythology and archaeology. I didn't want to give her just cat pokemon because that seems really reductive to her character. Yes, she was turned into a cat, but that doesn't mean she has to have a bunch of cat pokemon. Catwoman on the other hand would have a bunch of Cat pokemon.

---

Reverse Flash (Eobard Thawne)

Raichu- because of Raichu's problem of getting angry every time it build's up too much electricity, it reminds of a lot of Thawne's angry temperment and how he relieves it by doing petty things...its a bit of a stretch I know. Eobard's Raichu is a Meta-Pokemon connected to the Negative Speed Force. This gives it the ability Negative Pulse, the more damage this pokemon takes, the stronger their attacks become.

Midnight Lycanroc- Its a very angry dog that seems to have more personality than the Midday form. This pokemon is also connected to the Negative Speed Force and now has the ability Pettiness and the signature move Phase Claw. Pettiness activates whenever the enemy goes first or uses a priorty move to go first. The pokemon with the ability then hits the target with an attack boost. As for phase claw, the user's claws move so fast that they sink right into the target, landing a critical hit.

Blaziken- Bred with the ability Speed Boost, this is Eobard's reverse of Cinderace as this pokemon is also charged with Negative Speed Force energy to make it a Meta-Pokemon. The things changed is that Blaziken is now naturally faster than Cinderace.

Ceruldege- Now while an odd-choice to parallel Pawmot, Ceruledge's signature move saps energy from the target while Pawmot's S.M. can restore a Pokemon.

Obstagoon- Obstagoon is meant to reflect how much crueler Reverse Flash is to Barry as Obstagoon is very different compared to the other kinds of Linoone. It is also a Meta-Pokemon with negative speed force power. This gave it a higher speed stat and the ability Revolt, which causes damage to enemy targets who use physical moves on the pokemon.

Electrode- Its one of the fastest pokemon in the game currently. Electrode also has a connection to the Negative Speed Force giving it the Dark type.

Two big components to Eobard's Pokemon is that they're meant to be evil mirrors of Barry's pokemon from my previous post, and that they're all meant to be stronger than Barry's pokemon. All of Eobard's pokemon are either naturally better than Barry's or augmented to be better. Eobard has been shown to know more about the Speed Force than Barry does in the comics. From how to influence time to how to utilize phasing, Eobard knows a lot. Therefore, he would know how to influence his Pokemon's abilities once they were connected to the Negative Speed Force, paralleling his creation of the Acololytes of Zoom in the New 52.

---

Captain Cold

Glaceon- Before anyone asks, yes. Every member of the Rogues (the team) has an Eeveelution. Leonard Snart would of course have Glaceon in his team.

Mr. Rime- A major factor Captain Cold has to overcome when performing a Bank Heist is the Flash. So what does he do? Create a layer of ice for the Flash to slip over on. While no dex entries state that Mr. Rime can do this, its pre-evolution of Galarian Mr. Mime has dex entries stating it can.

Delibird- Little known fact about the Rogues is that they're not all-inherently evil. Yes they commit crimes, but its for the money. They don't kill cops, women, or children. So having Delibird is a reflection of that.

Galarian Slowbro- Back during the New 52, Captain Cold fused himself with the powers of his cold gun. A Meta Galarian Slowbro is similar to Cold's transformation as it isn't just a Slowbro now, but a Slowbro with the abilities of a Shellder. Now a Ice/Psychic type, Snart's Slowbro is now capable of freezing enemies with chilling blasts.

Octillery- During the Rebirth era of DC Comics, the Flash went up against Captain cold who had obtained an improved Cold Gun modified by Black Hole's stolen speed force tech. Meta-Octillery reflects this by being a Ice/Electric Type and having the ability to freeze everything with its new attack Octobeam, an ice move which has the ability to freeze targets entirely.

Blastoise- Not only a reference to his cold-gun, but a reference to his current state in the comics. Snart was given cybernetic enhancements to fight Barry Allen with. Before anyone wonders, no, this is not a meta-pokemon, its just a regular blastoise.

Snart was initially just going to have a bunch of Ice-types with no thought added to them. Then I came to realize that the character deserves much more justice than that. He is a strategist, a bad man with a good heart, and a fighter.

---

Sinestro

Darkrai- Being that this mythical pokemon causes nightmares, Sinestro having a Darkrai is an easy to answer question.

Mimikyu- Given that this pokemon's appearance can cause death upon seeing it, I wouldn't be surprised if Sinestro used this pokemon's ability to his advantage.

Blacephalon- This Ultra Beast is said to sneak up on people and then violently explode to startle them. As it craves on fear, it feels like a good pokemon for Sinestro to have.

Shiny Naganadel- This pokemon both reflects Sinestro's color scheme, but also provides a sadistic way to scare enemies.

Gallade- A meta-variant of the pokemon, this pokemon is meant to reflect how Sinestro was once noble and one of the greatest green lanterns of all time. Meta-Gallade keeps the same typing but it instead preys on the target's fear. Its new ability "Terrorize" reflects this by having opponents drastically lower their attack when Gallade enters battle.

Due to my lack of knowledge on the character, I didn't give him a full team. I did try to find a pokemon who would fit his time as an ultra-violet lantern, but none felt right.

---

Black Manta

Sharpedo- This felt like an obvious choice considering that this pokemon is regarded as the Bully of the Sea and Black Manta is...something else, I'll tell you what.

Basculegion- This Pokémon is known to have evolved because of its fallen comrades. Black Manta’s origin involves him trying to avenge his father’s death. Now while this is very different from Basculegion’s reason for evolving, it isn’t that different.

Intelleon- Considering that Black Manta is a highly-weaponized killer with many gadgets, Intelleon felt like a good match for him.

Cradily- At first this may seem like an odd choice until you consider that Black Manta has a slight degree of knowledge on Atlantean Archaelogy. Cradily reflects this as while it is a product of paleontology, it is still an aquatic species. Its adjacent to Atlantean Archaelogy, meaning this is a stretch of a choice.

Kilowattrel- According to Lockstin & Gnoggin's video about this pokemon, Kilowattrel is based on pirates, and what is Black Manta? A pirate with a goofy helmet.

Genesect- In terms of desing, Genesect looks like a purple Black Manta with a giant laser canon on its back.

Black Manta's pokemon weren't that difficult to come up with. I didn't want to give him too many water types, but since there are a few pokemon that aren't water-type but water-adjacent, I thought, why not?

---

Non-League Villains:

Darkseid

Scizor- Compared to what's to come, Scizor feels like an out of place choice until you consider Parademons. Parademons are seen as Darkseid's minions, and they do share a small resemblance to Scizor...ignoring that its red and is more bug like. Darkseid's Scizor is a Meta-Pokemon with the ability Army's Strength which increases the user's attack and defense the more pokemon are on your team.

Tyranitar- Being based on Godzilla, Tyranitar's lore states that it has destructive power capable of destroying mountains and flattening mountains. In a few depictions, Darkseid is a force to be reckoned with, demolishing anything to get what he wants.

Malamar- Darkseid's biggest goal that he has often achieved is to obtain the Anti-Life equation. In short, the equation acts as a sort of mind control that extends Darkseid's presence onto others. Malamar is known for mind control, but I would assume Darkseid would want to take a step further on that. So his Malamar is also a Meta-Pokemon with the ability "Anti-Life" an ability that inflicts confusion to any surrounding pokemon once this pokemon enters the battle.

Origine Giratina- While in no way are Giratina and Darkseid similar in origin, they are similar in Power. New Gods affect reality on a grand scale. Final Crisis shows how a New God like Darkseid falling on the multiverse can lead to devastating things. Giratina is the one responsible for the Space-Time Rift over Hisui in Pokemon Legends Arceus. I assume Darkseid would of course want to take advantage of this power.

Dawn Wings Necrozma- While Lunala itself would have been a good way to represent Darkseid's ability to create Boom Tubes, Dawn Wings Necrozma felt like the better option to me for the fact it seizes power over Lunala. Necrozma also connects with my previous statement about Darkseid being a cosmic being.

Primal Groudon- This is an obvious choice but to add context, Primal Groudon has the Omega Symbol on its hands. That and it is volcanic pokemon with tremendous power. It is also one of the strongest pokemon in Gen 7 with a high base-stat total.

Darkseid's pokemon were mostly easy to come up with. Given his status as a New God, giving him several Legendary pokemon didn't feel wrong to me.

---

Mongul

Gloom- A reference to the black mercy, Mongul's Gloom is a meta-pokemon with the ability Fantasize where enemy pokemon have their health sapped away while getting an increase in their strongest stats.

Ceruledge

Armarouge

Gallade

Kommo-o

Iron Valiant- My first comic introduction to the character was in Dark Nights: Metal. In the first issue, the Justice League fight against creations of Toyman commissioned by Mongul. This is a reference to that.

I didn't give descriptions to Ceruledge, Armarouge, Gallade, and Kommo-o, as they're all mostly self-explanatory: They're fighters that Mongul would put in a gladiator arena.

---

Vandal Savage

Slowking- Being as old as he is, Vandal has witnessed many things and influenced many historical events. Slowking reflects this through its own wisdom.

Ursaluna- Since Vandal has been in many areas, him obtaining pokemon that are supposed to be extinct is of no surprise. Ursaluna would be one of them.

Kabutops- Although rare, Kabuto is still not extinct. Vandal obtaining one would no surprise me.

Noivern- This choice is a nod to how after Final Crisis, Vandal fought Batman who had been sent back in time.

Absol- Initially this choice would seem odd until you realize that having a pokemon with foresight is a good idea for an immortal like Vandal.

Mega Lucario- Three of the aliases Vandal has taken up was Alexander the Great, Khufu, and Khafre. With these numerous ties to Egypt, giving Vandal a Lucario makes sense, especially if it were a mega lucario as he would have been alive around that time mega-evolution happened.

I had thought about giving Vandal a Meta-Pokemon to stay in theme with the other pokemon, but I like the idea of him having to capture new pokemon as time goes on as death touches everything mortal.

---

Starro the Conqueror

Starmie

Starmie

Starmie

Starmie

Starmie

Starmie

Yes, Starro would have an army of Starmie.

---

Anti-Monitor

Regieleki- Regieleki by itself represents the electric age and can produce tremendous amounts of power. Anti-Monitor's Meta-Regieleki is capable of doing the same, but this time with Anti-Matter. This is reflected in its new ability Anti-Particle where type match-ups are swapped for the pokemon with this ability. The Special Attack of this pokemon has also been swapped with its Speed stat.

Regidrago- Regidrago represents the Medieval age and is believed to have the powers of every dragon pokemon. Anti-Monitor's Meta-Regidrago also has this ability, but its connection to Giratina is enhanced. Its new ability Shadowy Maw enhances both Dragon and Ghost type attacks. Regidrago however is still pure dragon.

Regirock- Regirock represents the stone age and is made purely out of rock. Anti-Monitor's Regirock is very different from this as it is now a Ground type due to its composition. It's defense stat has swapped places with its Attack stat. Its new ability Refract warps any stat changes to do the opposite effect.

Regice- Regice represents the ice age and is made purely out of ice. Anti-Monitor's Regice is the opposite, becoming a Water type due to its composition being different. It also has the refract ability

Registeel- Registeel represents the industrial revolution and is made of an unidentified metal. Anti-Monitor's Registeel is the opposite as it is now a Fire type due to its composition. Its defense and sp. defense have swapped places with its Attack and Sp. Attack.

Regigigas- Regigigas is the creator of the five different Regis. Ant-Monitor's Meta-Regigigas did the same, but since it too is composed of anti-monitor, it is very different from Regigigas. Now a pure Ghost type, Meta-Regigas's attack stat has swapped with its sp. attack stat. Its new ability, Slow Build, its special attack and speed stat are halved for five turns.

The choice to give the Anti-Monitor the six Regis was an idea I made out of the idea that the Anti-Monitor's goal was to create its own anti-matter universe. So, each Pokemon is both representative of its power and destructive ability. I originally planned on giving him Meta-versions of Marshadow, Gardevoir, and Gigantamax Duraludon to represent the Shadow Demons, Harbinger and Pariah, as well as the anti-monitor's tower things.

---

This took forever and I am so glad I've gotten it done. The Bat family will be next followed up by the Teen Titans and then Suicide Squad. Might do the Spider-Man variants after that.

Justice League Pokemon Teams

[the-8-of-spades]

Call of Duty has had so many chances to create something really unique and original and just,,, not. Like, Vanguard was a WWII game and they wanted to keep the gunsmith and MW style killstreaks, and instead of leaning into it and going full alternate history dieselpunk they just,,, made a shitty generic ww2 game?

Cold War's campaign was a genuinely interesting and unique spy thriller. I would have watched it as a movie. Since playing it I've noticed the distinct lack of first person spy thriller games. Like can you imagine an open world spy game set in Cold War Berlin?? If it wasn't CoD this game would have set off so many copycats! But did they do anything with that concept elsewhere, say, co-op infiltration multiplayer, stealth based game modes, etc? Nope! Just the same multiplayer sandbox every CoD game has had since the Modern Warfare reboot, and the campaign was written off by the gaming world at large because it was CoD and the part that people actually care about stayed exactly the same.

It's so disheartening that this franchise with so much money and so many incredible programmers and writers (yes writers Advanced Warfare, Infinite Warfare, and every Black Ops game have all had stories that can go toe to toe with the likes of Arkane, Obsidian, Naughty Dog, etc) behind it is too afraid to take any kind of risk or make anything that's memorable in favor of the safe option of yearly iterations of the same thing.

[licorishh]

OK SPOILERS I GUESS FOR BLACK OPS COLD WAR UNDER THE CUT BECAUSE I JUST DID THE HAVANA MISSION AND "BREAK ON THROUGH" AND I'M LITERALLY SO PRESSED RN??

I AM SO UPSET THEY MADE ME CHOOSE BETWEEN HELEN AND LAZAR WHAT EVEN WAS THAT WHY'D IT HAVE TO BE THOSE TWO THEY'RE LITERALLY MY FAVORITES OF THE NEWER CHARACTERS WHY

TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE THEY HAD CRAZY GOOD CHEMISTRY AND I WAS LITERALLY SITTING THERE THE WHOLE TIME DURING THAT MISSION THINKING "Dang y'all make a good couple y'all got it goin' on" BUT NO OF COURSE NOT THIS IS CALL OF DUTY WHERE NO ONE IS HAPPY AND GOOD ENDINGS DON'T EXIST AND LOVE IS A LIE

I struggled for like fifteen minutes just sitting there on the pause menu trying to pick UGHHH but I ended up going with Helen in the end simply because I think she can bring slightly more value to the team (NOT TO SAY LAZAR IS USELESS HE'S EXTREMELY HANDY AND VERY COOL AND I LOVE HIM) just because of her connection with MI6 and her ability to gather intel and all that good stuff and I'm just ever so slightly more attached to her as a character and I also got the impression Lazar really liked her a lot so I would've felt worse saving him and knowing he missed her like a crap ton so in the end I think I made the better decision

HOWEVER COMMA THEN WE HAVE "BREAK ON THROUGH" AND I'M LITERALLY SO MAD BC WDYM ADLER WAS LYING AND I LITERALLY DON'T EVEN KNOW THE GUY AND I HAD A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LIFE AND I WAS THE GUY ARASH KADIVAR SHOT IN THE BEGINNING IN THE MISSION WITH WOODS AND MASON AND ADLER LIKE WHAT?? WDYM THOSE MEMORIES IN VIETNAM WEREN'T REAL?? WDYM I'VE ACTUALLY KNOWN ADLER FOR LIKE TWO DAYS AND NOT TWENTY YEARS?? Wdym HUDSON was actually RIGHT to be worried about me going into the Lubyanka building?????? HUDSON?? RIGHT ABOUT SOMETHING?? NUH-UH

And wdym PARK KNEW THE WHOLE TIME LIKE GIRL I THOUGHT WE WERE BESTIES WHAT IS THIS!! YOU HAD ME RISK MY NECK FOR YOU INSTEAD OF MR. LOVER BOY AND NOW I FIND OUT YOU WERE FRICKIN LYING TO ME THE WHOLE TIME TOO LIKE?? I'm aware it was for the greater good and that technically it was good for Bell too bc now she's a good guy and isn't a bad guy (I play with female Bell to be clear because that's awesome and I love that that's an option) BUT Y'ALL STILL LIED TO ME?? I'm gonna keep an eye on those two for REAL now like watch as Adler frickin tries to offer me up as some sacrificial lamb at some point I just KNOW he will UGH

Idk I'm still holding out hope Lazar is alive somehow because technically I didn't actually see him die he was just lying there and I felt so AWFUL UGHHH

Anyway I'm going to carry on pretending he's fine and he got out and everything is hunky dory and great and he and Helen went on that date and they're together and everything is fine and wonderful

[meatsex]

[djrenard]

My Pull List (11/16/22):

Stargirl: The Lost Children #1

Nightwing #98

DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #4

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #9

The Flash #788

Black Adam #6

Titans United: Bloodpact #3

Dark Crisis: Young Justice #6

Dark Crisis: Worlds without a Justice League: Batman #1

[nyxthesis]

Going to be posting my cod zombies reviews that I already posted on twitter here since the transphobia on there with that vtubber's fan so be ready for alot of posts today

[ahrencmeptn-aa]

Teehee!

[littlebum-india]

Shoulder Baby Carriers | Comfortable & Handsfree Shoulder Carriers | LittleBum

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[24-24-1-482]

COLD AND BLACK AND INFINITE (2018) Japanese muffler towel.

While I did not attend Osaka’s Summer Sonic or Tokyo’s Sonic Mania, I had to add this to my collection of 🇯🇵 muffler towels (see post March 2023).

Now I’m really curious to find out if they had towels for the 2009 & 2005 Summer Sonic/Sonic Mania festivals, and 2000’s fragility shows.

[carmenpeach]

was gonna try and be infinite for halloween but never got around to making the mask since ive had other shit going on + lazy and was hoping i could do it last minute but am out of town and wont get back until like afternoon on halloween so guess im gonna be shadow again lol

[sleepingdead96]

Ambassador Danny AU

Just a silly thing knocking around in my brain.

Batman halted in the door of the conference room, taking in the sight of a strange being lounging imperiously in his chair. His white hair seemed to defy gravity ever so gently and his green, glowing eyes—Jason’s eyes—stared back with none of the regard or fear so many people showed towards Batman. His tanned face was speckled with tiny stars that Batman had to actively resist becoming memorized by. The boy’s choice of covering was sheening armour that refracted the light through his chest-plate of black ice. The white sleet that sharpened his knuckles seemed perfectly capable of movement despite it encasing his hands in similar fashion to the chest-plate; glassy in it’s brutal edges and as hard as the sheets that form over the coldest of lakes. 

The watchtower had been invaded. Batman had questioned why the place was so cold when he’d arrived. Now he knew.

The only thing that kept Batman from immediately reacting might have—very much—had to do with how young he looked. A boy in the second half of his teens.

And the fact that several other Justice League members were at Batman’s back as he strolled further into the room, watching the boy warily.

The boy’s eyes were unconcerned as he watched the Justice League file in. Worryingly so. Who was he that he would be so unfazed, how powerful? Or was it faith he wouldn’t be harmed, taking advantage of the Justice League’s strong morals?

The teen had commandeered the chair with all the authority of a king and the confidence of one assured of their own position. He sprawled across it. The chairs were all identical of practical, unassuming make, but this boy made it look like his throne as he leaned heavily on one side and stretched one leg way on the other. A hand was extended to dangle off one chair-arm and he had a knee braced up, showing an armoured shin protecting his black, sturdy, cargo-like pants and iced boots that jagged treacherously upwards.

The boy smirked. “Took you long enough. I was getting bored.”

Batman resisted the urge to clamp his hands over his already protected ears from the unearthly static and screeching glaciers that came from the boy’s mouth. He noticed Superman flinch and his face grimace.

“Who are you?” Batman growled. This boy was obviously inhuman. He was also an unknown. Batman would be foolish to underestimate someone who had somehow infiltrated the watchtower without being seen or setting off any alerts. Who exuded too much confidence, as if the entire world was at his fingertips.

Attacking took the back-burner in favour of garnering information in such a concerning situation.

“You may address me as. . .” He contemplated a bit too much for Batman to believe whatever he would give them would be his true name. “Danny.”

“. . .Danny.” 

The name was so. . .normal.

“How did you get here?” Wonder Woman asked with hints of warning and aggression.

The boy smiled. He had fangs. Too many sharp teeth. He didn’t answer and was revelling in their ignorance.

“What are you doing here?” Superman asked. It said something about Danny’s energy that even superman was being cautious about approaching.

“Waiting for you.” He smirked.

“Why?” Batman pushed as much threat and intimidation into his stance and words as he could. He usually didn’t have to think about it. “What do you want?”

Danny chuckled and a shiver ran up Batman’s spine. Goosebumps formed even through the protective layers that shielded him from the cold.

“Why don’t you sit?” The words should have been innocent. They felt like a trap. “You’ve gathered for a meeting, haven’t you?” 

The league members didn’t move. Danny sighed.

“Fine, fine, fine.” He rolled his eyes and Batman was eerily reminded of how much the adolescent exasperation reminded him of his own children. Danny leaned off the chair arm to lean an elbow on the table instead, propping his chin up. He was all teeth. “The Infinite Realms wishes for peace. I’ve come to investigate the possibility of a treaty on behalf of the High King.”

<><><><>

“THERE’S A DENIZEN OF THE INFINITE REALMS IN THE WATCHTOWER??!!!”

Batman held the phone away from his face at Constantine’s uncharacteristic display of panic. It did not bode well and it settled uncomfortably in his bones.

He grunted in affirmation.

Constantine swore up and down enough to fill Alfred’s swear jar ten times over. “What do they want?! What did you say to them!? Ohhhh, bloody ****! You’ve already antagonized them haven’t you?!”

“No.” Batman ground out.

Constantine was quiet. Several seconds ticked by.

“. . .WELL?!”

“He claims the High King wants to negotiate for peace.”

There was silence on the other end. Batman usually preferred it when Constantine was quiet, but this was thick and seemed to claw out of the phone to infect the watchtower. It muffled the noises and beeps and drowned out the presence of the other league members who had stepped out of the conference room with him.

Then there was a great, controlled release of wavery air. When Constantine spoke, it was more serious than Batman ever remembered hearing him.

“Okay, okay.” Constantine mumbled to himself. “Listen closely, Bats, and repeat everything, and I mean everything, to your circus clowns.”

Superman cleared his throat. “We’re here.”

“YOU LEFT THE AMBASSADOR ALONE?!”

“Of course not! Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter are monitoring him.” Batman said. 

Constantine grumble-sighed. “Good.” He mumbled. “Two of the competent ones. I don’t trust Bats not to **** this up and get us all killed.”

“What now?” Flash said.

Batman was a little offended. “Constan—“

“NO!” He yelled vehemently. He sounded a little manic. “Batsy, you have the emotional intelligence of a wet paper bag, a sad, trampled, wet paper bag with so many holes that it can’t even be considered a bag anymore, you have the emotional intelligence of wet, paper scraps and the diplomacy of a feral hyena! Unless he addresses you first, Do. Not. Initiate! Do not open your mouth! I have no faith in you whatsoever!”

“I will n—“ Batman tried to growl again, but Constantine cut him off. Again!

“No!” Constantine reiterated oh, so eloquently. “Look.” He sighed. “Getting news of the newest High King since he defeated the last one has been near impossible. All Deadman will tell me is that he’s better than the last guy and we are incredibly lucky our entire dimension wasn’t wiped out after that stunt the American government pulled with the Anti-ecto Acts.”

Batman saw some of the leaguers pale. He suddenly wasn’t feeling the best either.

“Anti-Ecto Acts?”

“Laws declaring their species non-sentient and illegal, I dealt with it, thing is, this is an extremely delicate situation.” He stressed. “We don’t know what kind of ruler he is, what little thing might set him off, and we cannot afford to set the High King off! Capiche?! It’s a good sign that he’s willing to negotiate peace, but he could change his mind. Some ghosts are very temperamental.”

“Ghosts.” Several of the leaguers repeated. Constantine let out an incredibly exasperated sound.

“Do you idiots know nothing?! Yes, ghosts! The Infinite Realms is the dimension between dimensions, the land of the dead and the never-born! They are incredibly powerful entities and many of them could level our planet easily! Whatever you do, DO NOT ask how they’ve died! It is highly taboo and you’ll get yourselves killed!” Constantine let out a stressed groan.

“I would come back and deal with this myself, but I am. . .occupied at the moment. Don’t try to negotiate without me! You lot will muck everything up! And seriously, DO NOT ASK HOW THEY’VE DIED! Keep the Ambassador happy until I can get there, convince him to stay! We might not have another chance like this, don’t annoy them, do not ignore them, and, just in general, don’t give the ambassador any reason to deliver anything negative to King Phantom and have him erase us all, got it?”

The Justice League exchanged several, stunned looks.

“Got it?”

Batman grunted.

“Good. And Bats.” Constantine added lowly. “If this fails, I am blaming you for the end of the world.”

Constantine ended the call and the phone beeped before drowning everyone in silence. The leaguers shared more looks.

“Now what?” Hal said.

[thevoidstaredback]

Danny couldn't tell you what he expected, but it most definitely wasn't this.

Time and Space were weird in the Infinite Realms, both bending to the will of their masters and no one all at once. They didn't follow a line or a path. Time and Space did as they wanted. Fitting, considering who their masters are.

The first time Danny was ten years old, his Grandfather killed him. He remembers that, in an effort to save him, his mother submerged his body in the Lazarus Pits he and his brother had been warned about ever going near.

As it was explained to him, the Infinite Realms has a base level of sentience at the very least. She allows herself to peak into the worlds She cradles to keep an eye on them. She found Danny when his mother had lowered him into the water and She claimed him as Her own. She bent Time to Her will, making Danny a toddler again, before bending Space to drop him in the world that would most allow him to grow. She promised that She would come back for him when the time was right.

The first time Danny was fourteen, after the second time he had been ten, he died. The parents he had learned to accept as his own tried to open an unnatural gateway into the Infinite Realms. He was the one to turn it on. The electricity of the mortal world killed him, but the energy from the Infinite Realms revived him.

He remembers the whispers barely heard under his own screams. Whispers and imprints of "I'm sorry" and "I do not mean to hurt you" and "You will only grow stronger" and "Welcome back, my champion".

Danny can count on one hand the number of times he's felt safe between the first time he was six and the first time his was fourteen. He can tell you the names of exactly two places he has never felt the need to hide from.

The day Danny turned fifteen for the first time, he told his parents what happened to him. He knew, instinctually, that they would not understand, that they are researchers before they are parents. But he held onto the hope that had been trained out of him when he was first four years old. He had hoped that they would go against all odds and accept and help him.

He shut down the portal the very next day. He destroyed it and all of his parents' lives work. He would not stand by and let them hurt his people when he could not be there to interfere. He escaped back into the embrace of the Infinite Realms through Vlad's portal, giving him the Order to destroy it. The only way for the citizens of the Realms to enter the mortal worlds was to use natural portals, as unstable and unpredictable as they are. He would not risk them again.

He finds himself wandering listlessly, letting the Realms take him where She wants him to go. Sometimes She takes him to places that are completely empty, places where he can mourn what he lost without anyone finding him. Sometimes She takes him to his mentors and friends. Sometimes She takes him where he needs to be.

Danny finds the boy just as the natural portal closes behind him, the sickly green and black oozing like a festering wound.

The boy looks similar to Danny. His hair is spiked, his clothing dulled shades of a hero's costume under a black cloak, a mask covering his eyes, his body being more filled out to match his age. But Danny, on every level of understanding that he is and ever will be capable of, knows that this is his brother.

"Damian?" he whispers. The Realms push him forward. "Damian!"

Danny cradles the body of his brother, slowly sinking to the ground the Realms produce for him to land on. He carefully peels the mask from his face and lays it beside the katana on the ground.

As expected of anyone who finds their way into the Infinite Realms without proper protections, Damian has no pulse. He is not breathing. He is cold. The wound under his sternum is not bleeding.

Danny brushed his thumbs under Damian's eyes, his hands on his cheeks. "What did they do to you, ahki?"

Despite having no mortal ability to do so, Damian's eyes opened. He started ahead, blinking when his green eyes met Danny's. "Danyal?"

Tears fell from his eyes as he nodded. "Hi, Damian. You're here early."

Tears fell from Damian's eyes as well. He knew where he was. There was only one explanation. He couldn't feel himself breathing, nor could he hear his heart beat or his blood flow. There was no pain from where his mother had run him through.

"She killed me!" Damian cried into his brother's shoulder.

Danny held him tighter. "I'm so sorry," No one should ever have to go like that.

"Father couldn't save me."

"It's okay."

"Dick and Tim and Jason and Cass-!"

"Shh, ahki. You will see them again. I'll make sure of it."

The brothers held each other as they cried. The Realms wrapped Herself around the boys, comforting them as she could. Her champion and his brother, both children She had claimed and would protect.

Part 1 Storyboard

@anarinette