black orchid
the city below me, a thousand lights twinkling like incandescent blooms. how may dark secrets does it hide?
Nick Lester's origin story isn't a particular happy one and he's not keen on sharing it with anyone. If asked, he doesn't exactly lie but rather omits the first ten years of his life and skips ahead to the part where he was a wide eyed ten year old who stepped foot onto American soil to live with his loving aunt in small town America and taught his classmates the difference between British football and American football, still believing British football to be the one true and pure form of football. But that's not how Nick's story goes.

Anna and Peter Lester were a typical working class folks living in Liverpool who married upon learning that Anna was pregnant with child. The duo were reluctant parents, never having discussed the possibility of children until it was staring them down in the face but they believed that together they could make their happy little family work. Unfortunately, Anna succumbed to complications during Nick's birth leaving Peter to be a widower with an infant son who didn't know the first thing about being a father. For the next ten years, Nick would be pawned off onto neighbors while Peter logged in hours at the factory and the local watering hole to drown his sorrows and get into bar fights. Thankfully Nick wasn't around his father enough to incur his drunken wrath and it was something that saved his life when he was only ten. One night, Nick had been staying with a friend from school a few blocks over. After playing video games and falling asleep, Nick woke up to the sound of sirens wailing down the street and learned that it was his flat up in flames and that his father had died in the ensuing fire.

Though he was officially an orphan, he didn't get tossed into the system. His Aunt June who had moved stateside for a job offer before Nick was born was more than happy to step up to the plate when she received news of her brother's death and take Nick in. Nick had only met her once or twice in his young life but had fond memories of her as the type of aunt to put money in his pocket and tell him to buy a toy for himself or let him stay up past his bedtime. Though a bit flighty and naive, June turned out to be a devoted maternal figure to Nick was and insistent on showering him with the love that he had been deprived of.

It was no surprise that Nick played up the poor little orphan boy schtick with his aunt, almost allowing him to practically get away with murder. Nick was quite the little hellion or as he'll put it "insufferable shithead" who now had the freedom to act without the threat of a beating from a drunk father looming over his head. Even at the age of ten, Nick started pushing his limits and seeing how much he could get away with when he laid the accent on thick and tried to flash his big brown eyes to get out of many sticky situations. His aunt subscribed to the notion that "boys will be boys" and Nick's behavior didn't harm anyone. He was a rambunctious spirited boy who was deprived of the chance of being a child and needed to get it out of his system. As Nick grew older, he maintained the notion that the consequences to his actions were rather insignificant and he could slide by on charm if needed. His carefree, hedonistic attitude won him friends in high school as well as enemies that he laughed off. Nick pulled off above average grades for the sake of his aunt whom was the only person he felt any sort of loyalty towards after she opened her home to him when he had no one else. When it came to his peers, Nick was a bit more of a fair weather friend - the type that would dare you to do something absolutely stupid and then leave when things got hairy. His teenage rebellion was rather standard - drinking, smoking, parties, being the boy that parents didn't want their daughter (or son) to bring home.

To appease his Aunt June, Nick made his way to college in Long Island for four semesters until realizing that secondary education wasn't for him. His aunt was justifiably mad and disappointed, hoping for a better future for Nick than his father had and thought college was the sure fire way to a more productive existence. But Nick couldn't see himself attached to something like a career for the rest of his life. Instead, he forged on with a journey of self discovery taking him on a nomadic trip across the country from New York City to Detroit to Memphis to Dallas to Vegas to Los Angeles for the next several years, working odd jobs and making it a point to not lay roots in any particular location.

In 2012, the woman he was "dating" at the time had gotten a job offer in Boston and ever the freeloader, Nick decided to hitch himself to her wagon and found himself on the east coast after three years in Los Angeles. The relationship soured after the move and Nick found himself perusing craigslist to find a place to live. For one reason or another, he hasn't had the urge to uproot himself since he landed in Boston. Maybe this is a sign that Nick's grown up and gotten out of his vagabond lifestyle... well, temporarily. Maybe.

⤑ name nick lester ⤑ comicverse john constantine / constantine ⤑ date of birth + age may 10th, 1984 + 33 ⤑ birthplace liverpool, england ⤑ current residence boston, massachusetts ⤑ occupation bartender @ ______ + barista @ compuggedon ⤑ relationship status single
John Constantine is an occult detective from Liverpool, England. His violent and anti-social attitude makes him a formidable anti-hero, and he's known for doing whatever it takes to get the job done.

point of canon Constantine is pulled from both the New Earth and Prime Earth continuities.

comic parallels • same birthday
• both born in liverpool, mothers died during childbirth, fathers died in a fire.
• both are musically inclined.
• both have a seething hatred of the band coldplay
• name is an ode to two important people in constantine's life (gary lester and nick necro)
• both are intertwined with zatanna zatara in their respective universes (or well, zoe anderson in this one)
• lived with his aunt in new castle, pennsylvania - sting, the inspiration for john constantine, is from newcastle, england where constantine also spent some time.

abilities/powers Magic
    astral projection
    chlorokinesis
    cosmic awarenesss
    demon summoning
    dimension travel
    divination
    disintergration
    electrokinesis
    energy construct creation
    energy projection
    exorcism
    illusion casting
    invisibility
    magical sense
    mind control
    necromancy
    pyrokinesis
    spirit ward creation
    telekinesis
    teleportation

Tainted blood
    healing
    bitter taste defense

escapology
hypnosis
indomitable will
occultism
possession resistance
tactical analysis
hand to hand combat (basic)
prestidigitation

items house of mystery
moon blade
yellow power ring
helmet of fate
facts • self taught on the drums and has a decent singing voice, tends to float from band to band to lend his talents.

• often plays up his britishisms when the situation calls for it. jokingly blames this on the fact that no one would have forgiven hugh grant back in the 90's for his scandal if it weren't for his stuttering accent and british charm. still occasionally defaults to british spelling and prefers tea to coffee. still doesn't know why americans haven't adopted the metric system.

• tends to be a semi decent friend although he lacks any sort of filter when it comes to doling out "advice" and will encourage you to do something incredibly stupid for his own amusement.

• will charm and flirt his way out of situations. will also flirt with anything with a pulse and is over the age of eighteen the longest that he's ever dated someone is a year which went to hell when the two of them moved to boston together. prefers to live an attachment free lifestyle (unless he's super drunk and he still has your number and you don't hate his guts, then expect to get drunk texts)

• goes on a yearly weekend trip with his aunt june and visits her during the holidays. really, he's got a soft spot for the woman. aunt june is still under the impression that one day her nephew will be a successful contributing member of society (i mentioned she was a little naive, right?)

• enjoys playing poker and has often blown his rent money or made a month's rent playing cards with friends. don't tell anyone but his tell is biting the inside of his cheek.

• despite being an overly hedonistic shit, he only regularly smokes cigarettes and drinks. he has no problem with pot (edibles are great) and has done mushrooms a few times but abstains from the harder drugs after watching a friend fall victim to addiction.

• can cook quite well but doesn't show off his talents. cooking takes effort. however he once worked as a chef in a restaurant and did quite well for himself, only leaving the job because he was moving.

• before uber existed, he was that friend who would call you after getting kicked out of the bar to haul his drunk ass home. is still a freeloading son of a bitch.

education • new castle junior senior high school (2003)
• stonybrook university / dropped out (2005)
storylines