#put Harper in more bat content everyon

[desperatecheesecubes]

Tim struggling so hard to express that his father is dying to Harper who can’t know their identities is everything, actually

[roleplayacc2020-blog]

The Big Dc Request Thread!

Hello all! I hope anyone and everyone reading this is having a good day in our crazy reality. Below you can find a little about me, my writing style, and how I approach writing. Feel free to peruse, and if you think we'd be a good match, let me know!

You can call me T! I go by he/him pronouns. I prefer Discord (Or Here) as the platform we write on, and my availability is at least once a week and more. I'm always open to communicating with my partners and letting them reply when possible. I typically aim for 200-300 words in a reply. I usually don't go lower than two hundred. Unless it's more of a back of forth dialogue type thing. Details are super important to me from my partner, so I do my best to give them myself.

I run my replies through Grammarly before I post them (including these request posts!), so at the very least, I hope my post is grammatically correct (*chuckle*). I write in the third person/past tense style and ask that my partner does the same; this is a requirement for writing with me. What I look for regarding my partner is someone that gets invested in a story, likes putting details in, and is open to the idea of adult themes and content enhancing a story and romance and not being a detriment to the work. I enjoy writing erotica and feel it enhances the narrative.

I'm looking for someone who feels the same way. In return, I put a lot into my stories and ideas to make them as thrilling and engaging as possible.

I can't stress that enough. I'm looking for partners interested in crafting a long-term story, world-building, and don't shy away from the adult aspects.I put a lot of work into my writing, and this is both a hobby and a passion for me. Even if I primarily do fandom writing, these characters are significant to me. If you're the type to ghost more often than not, please think twice about messaging me and wasting my time.

Please note this story will have adult content and be NSFW. I don't do Fade To black and I do want romance in these stories.

All Characters Are Eighteen Years Of Age Or Older

-__-

Popular Pairings

Bruce Wayne (Batman)/Selina Kyle (Cat Woman)

Dick Grayson (Robin/Nightwing)/Koriand’r (Starfire)

Dick Grayson (Robin/Nightwing)/Barbara Gordon (Batgirl/Oracle)

Clark Kent (Superman)/Lois Lane

Olliver Queen (Green Arrow)/Dinah Lance (Black Canary)

Siggy/Diana Prince (Wonder Woman)

Steve Trevor/Diana Prince (Wonder Woman)

Barry Allen (the Flash)/Iris West

Arthur Curry (Aquaman)/Mera Of Xebel

Hal Jordan (Green Lantern)/Carol Ferris (Star Sapphire)

Shiera Hall (Hawkgirl)/Carter (Hawkman)

Garfield Logan (Beast Boy)/Rachel Roth (Raven)

Joker/Harley Quinn

Constantine/Zatanna

Lesser Known

Roy Harper/Jade Nguyen (Cheshire)

Bruce Wayne (Batman)/Talia Al Ghul

Roy Harper/Donna Troy (Wonder Girl/Troia)

Wally West (Kid Flash/The Flash)/Artemis Crock

Scott Free (Mr. Miracle)/Big Barda

Tim Drake (Robin/Red Robin)/Stephanie Brown (Batgirl/Spoiler)

Jaime Reyes (Blue Beetle)/Traci Thirteen

Wild Cards

Jon Kent (Superboy/Superman)/Mary Marvel (Shazam)

Bruce Wayne (Batman)/Harley Quinn

Waylon (Killer Croc)/June (Enchantress)

Kate Kane (Bat Woman)/Renee Montoya (The Question)

Kyle Rayner (Green Lantern)/Soranik Natu (Green Lantern)

Ted Grant (Wildcat)/Hippolyta

David Cain/Sandra Wu-San (Lady Shiva)

Teth-Adam (Black Atom)/Isis

Knockout/Scandal

Rex (Metamorpho)/Sapphire Stagg

Tatsu Yamashiro(Katana)/Jefferson

Question/Helena Wayne Or Bertinelli (Huntress)

Adam Strange/Alanna

Emiko (Red Arrow)/Damian Wayne-Al Ghul (Robin)

Doctor Freeze/Nora

Kent Nelson (Doctor Fate)/Inza

Kara Kent-Danvers (Supergirl)/Querl Dox (Braniac Five)

Billy Bastion (Shazam)/Courtney Whitmore (Stargirl)

Nathaniel Adam (Captain Atom)/Bette Souci (Plastique)

Leonard Snart (Captain Cold)/ Lisa Snart (Golden Glider) [Incest]

Hank Hall (Hawk)/Dawn Granger (Dove)

Ronnie Raymond (Firestorm)/ Caitlin Snow (Killer Frost)

John Stewart (Green Lantern)/Mari Jiwe McCabe (Vixen)

Guy Gardner (Green Lantern)/Tora Olafsdotter (Ice)

Clark Kent (Superman)/Maxima

Jason Todd (Red Hood)/Artemis (Amazon)

Cisco Ramone (Vibe)/Cynthia (Gypsy)

Pamela Isley (Poison Ivy)/Alec Holland (Swamp Thing)

Genderbends

Fem Lex Luthor/Clark Kent (Superman)

Fem Clark (Super Woman)/Lex Luthor

Fem Bruce Wayne (Batman)/Clark Kent (Superman)

Fem Clark Kent (Superwoman)/Bruce Wayne (Batman)

Ted Kord (Blue Beetle)/Fem Micheal Carter (Booster Gold)

Micheal Carter (Booster Gold)/ Fem Ted Kord (Blue Beetle)

Open Pairings (No Specific Person)

Vic Stone (Cyborg)/Open

John Henry Irons (Steel)/Open

Nubia (Wonder Woman)/Open

Leonard Snart (Captain Cold)/Open

Komand’r (Blackfire)/Open

Kara Danvers (Power Girl)/Open

Pamela Isley (Poison Ivy)/Open

M’Gann M’orzz (Miss Martian)/Open

Cassandra Cain (Batgirl)/Open

Floyd Lawton (Deadshot)/Open

Digger Harkness (Captain Boomerang)/Open

J’onn J’onzz (Martian Manhunter)/Open

Jason Todd (Red Hood)/Open

Jim Gordon (Batman)/Open

Beatriz da Costa (Fire)/Open

Ronnie Raymond (Firestorm)/Open

Jessica Cruz (Green Lantern)/Open

Eel O'Brian (Plastic Man)/Open

Natasha Irons (Steel 2)/Open

[ao3feed-timkon]

Stepping Stones

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/eilMdxu

by xSeeingStarsx

Jason Todd has finally come home. Red Hood is intent on staying in Gotham permanently, even if it means playing by Batman’s rules. But Gotham has changed since he left, no more so than the dynamics at play at Wayne Manor. Who are the Williams siblings? And how are they connected with one of Black Mask’s clients?

Petra Williams' life didn’t feel like her own, hell, even her name wasn’t her own, it was a carefully-crafted facade to keep her and her brother safely hidden. But maybe there was a way to get her life back, and Red Hood was going to help her, whether he liked it or not.

 Fic updated every 3rd Saturday of the month

I would also like my lovely friend m_e_winters here on AO3 who has put as much work into this fic as I have with my consistent pestering them, bouncing ideas off of them, and their reliable help with editing.

Words: 2185, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Batman (Comics), DCU, DCU (Comics), Bat - Fandom, Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics), Red Hood: Lost Days, Young Justice (Cartoon)

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/M

Characters: Original Characters, Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Batfamily Members, Roy Harper, Talia al Ghul, Kon-El | Conner Kent, Clark Kent, Jonathan Samuel Kent, Lois Lane, James "Jimmy" Olsen, Roman Sionis

Relationships: Jason Todd/Original Female Character(s), Red Hood/Original Female Character, Batfamily Members & Original Character(s), Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent, Stephanie Brown/Cassandra Cain, Jonathan Samuel Kent & Damian Wayne

Additional Tags: Batbrothers (DCU), Batbrothers Bonding (DCU), Batfamily (DCU), Slow Burn, Falling In Love, no graphic smut, Implied/Referenced Sexual Content, Fade to Black, Implied/Referenced Child Torture, Implied/Referenced Child Death, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Get In We Are Finding Love And Emotional Healing, Everyone Needs Therapy, Only once character actually is in therapy, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Bruce is a tired dad™ trying, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Communicating, Bruce Wayne is an Unreliable Narrator, Projecting my mixed feelings about Bruce Wayne, Vigilantism, Murder, Psychological Trauma, Tim Drake and Jason Todd are Best Bros, Talia Al Ghul as a Maternal Figure, meta-humans - Freeform, Metahumans, unethical medical experimentation, Child Soldiers, Puts Favorite DC Media in a Blender: Cannon? What Cannon?

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/eilMdxu

[alecmagnuslwb]

Right In Front of Him - @doubleredweek Day 3

Read on AO3

Roy Harper came back wrong or at least that’s what everyone says.

He died bloody and violent and just shy of being an adult at the hands of a monster that wasn’t even his problem to begin with. Wrong place, wrong time. That’s what they called it. The young son of a billionaire killed by Gotham’s most notorious monster in the hopes of a payout or just for fun. Speedy and Green Arrow were never mentioned, Star City had replacements in the form of Oliver’s other son and daughter in no time to keep their father and the memory of their dead brother safe.

Jason never even got the chance to meet his big brother’s best friend and by the time Oliver Queen had slipped past Batman’s prudish defenses and no one kills in my city rules and avenged his son Jason had already picked up his mother’s bad habit.

Robin couldn’t be a drug addict, Bruce made that abundantly clear. And while Oliver Queen happily sat in prison doing the only thing he could to avenge the son he never expected, but loved all the same, Jason’s father labeled his son a problem.

Oliver got five years, the one and only time Jason can remember hearing about a rich guy using his money to get a lesser sentence being reasonable and justified. He thinks the jury probably wasn’t feeling too bad for the dead psychopath who had been terrorizing their city for decades either.

And then the son he avenged came back, but he came back angry. He’d been angry and vengeful and grateful and a million conflicting feelings that made the once shining bright example of the sidekick into a rogue, an outlaw.

The entire Arrow family still wanted him back anyways, no matter how wrong everyone said he came back, no matter how many lives his bow started taking. He kept his distance though, the rage of the Lazarus pit he’d been thrown in under control but still boiling under his skin.

And then for some inexplicable reason he picked up Jason. Grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him from a prison in the middle of nowhere that he’d quite literally joked and drank his way into and certain death because Dick tentatively reached out and asked him to.

Why Dick didn’t just do it himself Jason could care less.

Roy helped him get clean, helped him get back into the work of being a hero or well as close to one as he could get with a new identity and new suit and didn’t even bat an eye at some of Jason’s poorer choices.

Hell he hadn’t even mentioned when Jason started a brief affair with their teammate, who also happened to be his brother’s former fiancée.

Jason’s never said it out loud, but the broken angry sidekick that everyone wants to take ten steps back from is Jason’s saving grace. His best friend, the closest thing to home he’s had since Bruce sent him packing, quite possibly the love of his life.

And Roy doesn’t have a single clue.

He just loads his arrows and doesn’t know it drives Jason crazy when he slips past him a steadying hand on his lower back. He doesn’t know that Jason twistedly savors when Roy’s hurt and needs to be patched up just so he can get a little closer to his skin. He doesn’t know how much it makes Jason’s unlovable heart clench knowing that he’s the first and only person Roy has let get close since he came back from the dead. He doesn’t see it and Jason resigns himself to what they have, forcing himself to be content with what they are so he can keep him close.

“You should pick up this time,” Jason says frankly tired of watching Roy pace back and forth across their shared loft in nothing but a pair of low hanging sweatpants. He cares too, but he also really needs Roy to take a call in the other room and put on a shirt while he’s there.

“I don’t know if I can,” Roy says finally stopping his pacing. He pulls out a chair at the small rickety kitchen table where Jason is trying to figure out how exactly they’re going to pay rent this month flipping it backwards and sitting in it his arms resting on the back. He tosses his phone on the table the weekly missed collect call shining brightly on the screen.

“Why not?” Jason says looking up from his budgeting that’s giving him a headache. If Roy would just let them tap into the fund that Oliver has set up for him for things other than technical gear he wouldn’t be doing this. But that’s a conversation for another time, right now it’s the phone call conversation that needs to be had. As long as his good behavior continues Oliver only has a year left on his sentence and Jason knows he’ll call every single one of those fifty-two weeks if Roy continues to not pick up.

“He’s in there because of me,” Roy says running a frustrated hand through the floppy red hair on the top of his head scratching a little harder than necessary at the shaved down sides. “No matter what he says he has to blame me for some of that.”

“Roy,” Jason says reaching out and grabbing his hand that’s scratching far too hard and resting it on the table. “Oliver Queen has never been quiet or subtle about his opinions, if he in any way blamed you he would have said it by now.”

Roy sighs looking down at where their hands are still touching. Jason swallows hard once pulling his hand back quickly.

“He doesn’t regret what he did, you coming back didn’t change that at all,” Jason continues on trailing his fingers along the little marks along his inner elbow a nervous habit he’s never quite been able to shake. “A monster who killed you, who would have killed hundreds more if he’d been allowed to live is gone because he had to do something for you. Because he wanted to do something for you, you coming back was just the icing on the revenge cake for him.”

Roy sighs rubbing at his forehead like a headache is coming on. “How can you be sure about that?”

“Because I may have been three sheets to the wind the whole time the trial was going on, but I still saw the news. I saw his face in that courtroom and I know what someone with no regrets look like,” Jason says. He scratches at his elbow one last time before reaching out to place a hand on Roy’s wrist reassuringly. Roy’s not big on touch these days, like coming back made him sensitive to everything, but that rule doesn’t seem to apply when it comes to them much anymore.

“Plus, he calls every single week, and every time Dinah goes up to visit him he asks about you which results in her calling every other week too,” Jason adds on.

“If it was Bruce would you pick up?” Roy counters.

“Fuck no,” Jason says without missing a beat. “It’s a completely different situation and you know it, but nice try with the deflecting.”

Oliver is painfully sincere in a way Bruce could never be. The bridges were burned between he and Jason long ago, a call wouldn’t be anywhere near what Jason would need to think of him as his father again. Oliver and Roy’s bridge however is perfectly intact just a little neglected and in need of some care. It’s just waiting for Roy to walk across it again and whether Roy admits it or not he’s ready.

He doesn’t have the wake up screaming nightmares as much anymore, he hasn’t killed a criminal in months and the rage in him still boils, but only when it’s justified.

Roy chuckles with one of those tilted little half smiles of his. “Caught me,” he says just as the phone rings the familiar number popping up like clockwork. He takes a deep breath and slips his wrist out from under Jason’s fingers before he picks up his phone.

On the other side of the phone Jason hears the tinny robotic voice asking if he’s willing to accept a collect call from Blackgate Penitentiary and for the first time in nearly two years of calls, he says yes giving Jason a small nervous smile as he walks into the other room.

Roy’s not gone as long as he’d thought he’d be, he guesses that even with all the good behavior and the perks of being rich in prison Oliver still only gets so long on a phone call. Jason’s making dinner when Roy rolls out of his room, a shirt blissfully covering up his tattooed and scarred chest now.

“If Ollie is bulking up the way he claims he is in prison he’s gonna be able to kick Bruce’s ass when he gets out,” Roy says walking into the kitchen leaning back against the counter a reasonable distance from the open flame Jason is working over, but still a little closer than needed. Jason’s not complaining about the choice.

Jason chuckles as he stirs the contents of the pan in front of him.

“So it went well I guess?” he says turning down the flame so he can focus his attention on Roy.

Roy rubs at the light stubble on his jaw tracing along the scar that moves from the bottom of his ear to the corner of his lips, one of the many unhealed remnants of the day he died.

“Weirdly well, I mean there’s a lot still, but it was a good start. Thank you,” Roy says reaching out a hand and dragging his fingertips lightly down Jason’s arm a barely there breath of a touch, it’s unexpectedly intimate.

Jason just shrugs ignoring the tingling feeling of Roy’s fingertips against his bare arm. “I basically just told you to suck it up, it’s no big deal,” he says shaking off any gratitude.

“Not just for pushing me today, I just mean for a lot of stuff,” Roy says with a shrug not quite meeting Jason’s eye. He may not be biologically related to Oliver but that sincerity when he truly means something is a tone they share. It’s rare when Roy lets it out, harder for him to let slip through than it is for his father, but it’s there and Jason is grateful every single time.

“It’s nothing,” he says with a smile. “If the messed-up sidekicks don’t stick together I mean who will.”

Roy laughs at that and steps a little closer. Closer than he’s probably ever been before. Neither of them speaks or moves for a moment and for the first time since Roy pulled him out of that makeshift prison he can’t read what’s going on in Roy’s unearthly green eyes. He remembers Dick saying Roy had been hard to read without words even before he came back, how whatever was going on in his head always seemed out of reach, how he was an open book but only when he wanted to be. Jason has prided himself in being able to pick up on everything in every moment up until now.

And then Roy’s expression shifts like he’s made up his mind about something and before Jason can ask what it is Roy’s hands are on his neck and his lips are connecting with Jason’s. Jason responds immediately his hands flailing a little uselessly before they settle at Roy’s waist. The kiss doesn’t last long barely a few beats, but it’s everything Jason has been yearning for. It’s better than any fix he’s ever gotten.

“Sorry, I’ve wanted to do that for so long and I probably should have given you a warning or something,” Roy says when he pulls back trying to put much more distance between them than Jason wants.

“No,” he reassures quickly pulling Roy back in with his hold on his waist. “No, it’s okay. It’s more than okay.”

“Yeah?” Roy asks, quietly vulnerable in the small space between them.

“Yeah,” Jason says smiling. Roy nods and leans back in kissing Jason slow and softer than he ever thought the big bad Arsenal would kiss.

And it’s in that moment that Jason realizes maybe Roy does have a clue.

[stxleslyds]

Have you watched the Teen Titans animated series or Young Justice? If so, what do you think about their characterization of Dick Grayson?

And while we're at it, what about the animated movies? How does his characterization compare there?

Hi! Thank you so much for the ask!

I have to be honest, Teen Titans wasn’t a show that I was able to watch when it came out because I didn’t have cable tv yet and by the time that I had it I was actually into other TV shows, I watched a few episodes from what I believe was the last season but I didn’t really like the Titans lineup so I didn’t pay much attention to it. So, I can’t really say anything about his characterization there.

Young Justice I have watched! I believe I watched it for the first time in 2018 on Netflix. I loved the first season, it was amazing and it kinda made me want to read DC comics again. I had “taken a break” from reading DC because I was consuming another type of content, mostly MCU and Marvel Comics. I watched seasons two and three but I didn’t like them as much as the first one because I felt like there were too many characters and it overwhelmed me a little bit.

So, to answer your question, I love Young Justice’s characterization of Dick Grayson (as Robin, Nightwing, and just Dick). Although the universe where YJ is very different from the comics one, they did make an excellent job developing Dick and the other team members in the first season.

It was weird seeing Dick in the YJ team instead of the Titans one but I am glad that they did it that way because they took their time to develop Dick and then Tim as the Robins in the different seasons.

Dick not being the leader of the team was also weird but it led to so many interesting plotlines for him. I also felt that their take on Dick Grayson was very in tune with the times in which the show came out he was very tech-driven (which he used to be in comics but then they gave that characteristic to Tim and took it away from Dick) and is Bat training was shown plenty, he truly seemed like one of the most valuable assets for the team even though he was the youngest and he had no powers.

His personality felt real for his age in the show, he was funny and smart, his acrobatic skills were there. I really loved the way they handled his change of mind when it came to wanting to lead the team at all costs and wanting to become Batman in the future. That episode was wonderfully done and seeing that therapy session that Dick had still makes me feel sad for him.

He was friends with everybody and tried to make everyone feel welcome which I think is also very in tune with Dick Robin in comics. He seemed to be learning from everyone and every experience too which was also nice. The Circus episode really showed us another side of Dick, he was being protective of his first family and he was also starting to feel comfortable as a sort of co-leader of the team. He had a very deep connection with his teammates and that was also similar to his relationship in comics with the Titans.

As I said before I really couldn’t enjoy the other two seasons the same way that I did the first but the Dick Grayson that I saw in them was a really cool one, it did give me Outsiders (2003) vibes from those seasons so I am a little bit biased. But I really liked the idea of Dick and Kaldur having this secret plan that could help everyone in the end even though it might have cost them their friends. When that situation repeated itself in the third season I still sided with Dick (and the people that were on “his” team), it really felt like Dick could see the bigger picture of the problems that they were facing, I wouldn’t say that Dick puts the mission in front of everything else though, that’s Batman’s thing. Dick really just wanted everyone to be okay and he saw that people were trying to solve the problem inefficiently, which would eventually get more people hurt. He was very selfless but also realized that by doing what he did he didn’t only help to save the world but he did make some people think twice before trusting him completely.

That last scene where Dick calls everyone for a meeting and he is surprised when everyone shows up is a very Dick Grayson scene, people really understood that as a team leader Nightwing had to make some very difficult decisions so when he called, they all showed up. Bruce saying that Dick commands more respect than he realizes was so true and iconic of him.

One of my favorite episodes was “Private Security” where Dick teamed up with Will, Roy, and Jim harper, it was super fun and it also had some very interesting moments that showed how Dick was grieving the death/disappearance of his friend, and how he needed someone to tell him that he was going to be okay and that there were people who needed training and he was the best option to do it. That interaction between Dick and Will made me remember Dick and Roy’s chat at the beginning of Outsiders (2003).

Overall, I really enjoyed Dick’s characterization in that show, it respected the original material and made Dick a solid character even though he had differences from his comic counterpart.

-

I have seen very few animated movies from DC that had Dick as a featured character. I watched: Under the Red Hood, Son of Batman, Batman vs Robin, Batman: Bad Blood, Teen Titans: Judas Contract, and Batman: Hush.

In those movies, Dick’s characterization hasn’t been consistent, in each movie they manage to get something right but they butcher everything else. Mostly I enjoy Dick’s interactions with people, he had a fun moment with Damian, Kory, Bruce, and Selina. But he is never the real center of these stories so they kinda throw him to the side and nerf him a bit too much.

In “Bad Blood” he was Batman to Damian’s Robin but that movie didn’t do much for their relationship. He kinda is reduced to Batman’s most loyal friend or something like that, there isn’t much depth to him or his characterization.

He really wasn’t loved or respected in these movies, “Batman vs. Robin” had the Court of Owls as the main enemies but they didn’t use Dick as a plotline, they had Damian and Bruce having a conflict instead.

“Batman: Hush” was a mess, from every point of view, Dick was done dirty in that scene in the cemetery (I can’t really remember if it was a cemetery the place where he got dosed with fear(?) gas and Selina had to save him), he is treated as if he were an unexperienced vigilante, it is very sad to see.

Also, they had this very annoying “trope” where Dick dislocated his shoulder someway, somehow in every movie. I don’t know why that was, but it happened too often.

-

As you can see, I haven’t watched that much DC animated content so, from what I have seen Dick’s best characterization is the one from Young Justice, I think they did a great job mixing their own version of Dick Grayson with his comic counterpart. They really respected and worked with the original material.

But! “The Lego Batman” needs to have a special mention because this movie was a gift from the gods. This is a masterpiece, it’s Dick Grayson makes my heart melt, I adore that little Robin, he makes me happy. Bruce and Joker’s relationship is a perfect dramatization of what Batman and Joker’s relationship is in comics and I will be forever glad that DC took the initiative and made fun of themselves like that.

It is just the perfect comfort movie!

Another special mention is “Batman: Under the Red Hood” but I am not mentioning it because of Dick’s appearance there, I just think that this movie is neat and amazing and that everyone should watch it. It has Jensen Ackles voicing Jason! Best Jason Todd/Red Hood that we have ever had out of comics!

Anyway, I am sorry it took me so long to answer your ask, I hope you have a marvelous week!

[peppersonironi]

Duke Thomas/The Signal Fic Recs

This is for @capttain-emo who saw me reblog this wonderful rec list by @stories-from-the-batcave , and asked if I knew any more. (I highly recommend those, btw, I love all the fics on that list! Yes, that includes the one I wrote in there) Duke Thomas is my favorite Batfam member, so I have a bunch! Unfortunately, there isn’t as much Duke content out there as I’d hope - people just don’t seem to like him as much for some reason? It’s sad. So, there are gonna be a couple here written by me. Rest assured, I have way more Duke content on the way - including a WIP coming out this week! (Ao3 linked out at the top of my blog)

I love recommending Fics, so hit me up in my inbox if there’s a trope or character or relationship (platonic or not) that you’d really love to read! I also write fan fiction, and my requests are always open!

1. Siblings: The Truth of the Matter by Me!

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & his siblings

Duke had a strange family. Two of his siblings had been raised from birth to be assassins. One was born in a circus. One had been a crime lord for a time. Yet another was the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company by the age of seventeen. All of them dressed up in spandex every night to punch bad guys.

So when he was woken up by icy water being splashed in his face, tied to a chair in nothing but his boxers, he wasn't surprised. Now, that's not to say he wasn't worried. Duke was definitely worried. Especially since it was these two.

AKA Duke gets tied up and questioned by his siblings, all while drugged with Truth Serum!

2. Bliss by Me!

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Damian

Duke walks in on a sleeping assassin child in need of comfort, and takes a chance. Brotherly bonding ensues!

3. An ever growing family of birds and bats by alicecrow6

Rating: General Audiences/Teen Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Damian

a series of Batkids Age Reversal fics where Damian comes first, then Harper, then Duke and so on.

4. look at me, all the things I can do by Aelig  

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Cass, Duke & Bruce

"Duke took a bite of his toast, gaze still on Bruce. His foster father was sipping at his coffee, eyebrows frowning. To an outsider, you would think he was reading the morning news on his tablet, like always; Duke knew better. Bruce's look was a little away from the screen, his lips downward.

It was almost funny, to watch Bruce internally panic."

OR: It's the morning, and Duke is going back to school for the first time since his injury.

5. The Batchair(s) Issue by NightFlier

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen w/ background ships Relationships: Duke & Cass, Duke & Steph, Steph/Cass Trio & Batfam

Duke Thomas feels like an outsider, and not just because he's part of the new Outsiders team roster. He's the newest member of the legendary Batclan and hasn't yet formed the close bonds that the others share. Not to mention, he's the only active Meta on the team. As if it wasn't hard enough to relate with people with such colorful, unique backgrounds.

But it's okay! Duke has a plan and it'll probably work for a while before crashing & burning. BatShenanigans ahead.

6. All That Glitters is Gold (Unfortunately) by IndefiniteIceCube

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Tim, Duke & Steph

The world is gold and Duke can't breathe.

He can't breathe.

He was sitting in AP World History just a minute ago.

Was it a minute ago? It seemed like a minute ago but it could have been hours because all he can focus on is that he can’t breathe. His lungs won’t fill and- and he’s trying he swears but he just. can’t. breathe.

And the gold—

-----

Duke's powers emerge.

It doesn't go well.

7. Be the Light that Helps Others See by Ace_Corvid @ace-corvid

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Batfam

Duke didn't really know what to expect from movie nights with the Bats.

He could only assume they approached this with the same determined intensity as they approached everything else. They were all so extra it was like their gauge for normal was completely broke. He wasn't really prepared for this.

And yet here he was. Surrounded.

(Alternatively; Batkid's have a movie night.)

8. I've Made a Million Mistakes by Sohotthateveryonedied

“Y’all need Jethuth.”

Rating: Teen Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Batfam

“Don’t worry,” Dick says, throwing his arm around Duke’s shoulders. “Everyone in this room has had their teeth knocked out at one point or another. It’s a rite of passage around here.”

“I don’t know how to tell you thith, but that doethn’t happen to normal people. We acthually prefer to keep our teeth, believe it or not.”

“Wait until you get your first major battle scar. Trust me, they’re cool.”

“Y’all need Jethuth.”

9. Children (All of Them) by TheFalconWarrior

Rating: Teen Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Batfam

In which Tim is not stupid but Jason might just be, Damian is furious, Dick kind of feels like he should be doing…something, Steph is ecstatic, and Duke wonders how long he can survive.

10. In the Dark of the Night by Aelig

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Jason, Batfam

"Duke was woken up by someone sliding into his bed. Someone big judging by how the mattress shifted.

Because Duke was a well-trained vigilante, his first reflex was obviously to kick whoever was being creepy right now and push them out of his bed.

It was only when the someone landed on the floor with a yelp that Duke realized that he was at Wayne Manor, which was incredibly secure – normally. He could recognize the voice, too."

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: none

OR: The Batfam and their way to deal with nightmares.

11. Welcome to the Family by angstyelephant

In which Duke Thomas goes back to the beginning.

12. Family-- by incorrectbatfam

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & batfam

“Your assignment over the weekend is to write a poem about your family.”

13. I'm Still Climbing(Even When the Rest Have Fallen) by anidear

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Dick, Duke & Damian

After his first exposure to the Fear Toxin, Dick checks in on Duke.

14. The cat and the newcomer by Fleur_de_Violette

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Alfred the Cat

Duke always found people talking to their pets about their problems silly. And yet here he was.

15. Duke-napped by NightOwl1600

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Bruce, Duke & batfam

The others don’t really bother Duke with his business. They all care about him, he knows, but outside of the vigilante business, they don’t really care to ask aside from the typical “How was school?” or “Can you buy me some chilidogs after you’re done with whatever you’re doing?” So he’s a bit concerned if they’ll even notice when he’s been kidnapped as Duke Thomas, Bruce Wayne’s newest ward. But he’s not about to panic; as the others seem to be so determined that traumatizing new experiences are part of Bat-initiation.

Meanwhile, the rest of the family freaks out because “Did anyone go over the do’s and don’ts of getting kidnapped with Duke?!”

16. Nightmare/Hallucination by FearfulKitten @fearfulkittenwrites

Rating: Teen Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Jason

Duke found himself staring at the ceiling again. His heart was no longer racing, but he wouldn’t exactly say that he was calm either. This is the moment after the end of a race you lost, when all of the adrenaline is starting to wear off and the hopelessness sets in. That’s it. You’re out of the competition, buddy.

Except that this isn’t a race, and Duke hasn’t just lost his spot for the finals. He had simply lost sleep.

17. Jason Todd, Big Brother Part 8792 by Gemini_00

Rating: General Audiences Category: Other Relationships: Duke & Jason, Duke & Damian

Robin and the Signal sneak along the Outlaws mission in order to steal a bazooka and hang out with Kori. Jason has to deal with two little brothers and feeding a team of outlaws. He's putting this on Bruce's credit

18. "What's wrong? What's happening?" By FearfulKitten @fearfulkittenwrites

Rating: General Audiences Category: Other Relationships: Duke & Tim

Duke runs into trouble during his daytime patrol, and ends up needing some back up. The resident over-productive insomniac bat picks up the call.

(A little bit of and Duke interaction for a nice tumblr Anon :) I hope you like it!)

19. Nightmares by FearfulKitten @fearfulkittenwrites

Rating: Teen Category: Other Relationships: Duke & Dick

Filling the nightmare square on my bingo card with the help of an anon on tumblr who asked for a fic where Duke has a nightmare and asks for the help of one of the older batboys!

"Duke checked the time again. Two minutes had passed.

Time was ticking too slowly. He was tired, but sitting alone in the dark was definitely not a good idea right now.

He’d have to ask for help."

20. Brothers in Arms by TheFalconWarrior

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Batfam

...possibly against each other. Batkid prank wars are the worst.

Duke is learning. Tim is evil. So is Damian. Dick is embarrassing. Jason is dramatic. Steph is brave. Babs is all-knowing. Cass wants in. Alfred is a little amused, and Bruce is so. Tired.

21. First rule of Robin, right? By ALzzza

Rating: Teen Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Damian,Duke & Dick

"Nothing’s going to hurt you—you got that, nothing.”

Duke doesn’t have anything better to do but it’s not like that matters. Hell, he’d drop everything and run—always in time to catch this little bird.

Or, Damian’s Been Having Nightmares, Duke To The Rescue—Dick Always With The Reassurance

22. Duke's Diary by fiery_day

 Rating: Teen Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Batfam,Duke & Dick

This is a couple of journal entries by Duke as he learns to become Signal. He relates his thoughts on the batfamily and aspects of the vigilante life he now leads.

23. Significance of a Gala by nxttime

Rating: Teen Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Batfam,Duke & Jason, Duke & Tim

This year’s Wayne Gala would be Duke’s first, and he had no clue how to feel about it.

 25. The cloud that looks after each other by Batmango

Rating: Teen Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Bruce, Duke & Goliath

Duke wakes up the Bat cave after a fight with the Joker.

For MashpotatoeQueen5 as a thanks for using so many of my prompt in the excellent January Jot-Downs.

Prompt: a hurt comfort after an injury/illness? Or just cuddles. I love me some cuddles.

26. The One You’ll Know By by Redrikki

Rating: Teen Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Bruce, Bruce & Alfred

After losing his memory, Bruce asked Alfred not to tell him about his vigilante life, but he's beginning to think his butler left a few other things out. Like, say, his kids.

27. Duke Thomas Hates Bullies by Gemini_00

Rating: Unrated Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Steph, Duke & Tim, Duke & Bruce, Duke & Damian

Everyone loves that Duke Thomas isn't like all those other crazy Waynes. Everyone loves that the Signal isn't trying to get himself killed. Duke may not see Bruce as his dad, but he is definitely part of the bat family. and nobody is going to bully his family. Or, Duke Thomas Kicks Ass.

28. batman is dancing to fortnight and this might as well happen because vigilante life is already so *Goddamn* weird (Duke Thomas: A Memoir) by MashpotatoeQueen5

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Bruce, Duke & Batfam

You may not have time to unpack all that, but Duke Thomas does.

(He doesn't get it either.)

(He loves his new crazy family nonetheless.)

29. In a World Where You Can Be Anything, Be Kind by RedHoodie1723

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Bruce, Duke & Batfam

Day Six of Batfam Week 2020: Take Your Child To Work Day

It was Duke's first time visiting Wayne Enterprises, and he couldn't help but be intrigued by the Martha Wayne Foundation.

30. You’re My Brother by blackpercy

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Dick

Duke's missing his parents a lot and Dick comes in to help his little brother.

And that’s it for the list! I hope you enjoy these thirty works! Once again, send me an ask if you have requests for fics, recs, or if you have general questions!

[hyunrun]

Dream SMP/Batfam

This is my reasoning for connections between Dream SMP members and the Bats. This was all just for fun, but feel free to give feedback if you’d like! And do say if I’ve made a mistake. I haven’t done everyone, so if there’s anyone else you’d like me to do, lemme know! Please read, I spent a good while on this :D

Batman (Bruce Wayne)/Technoblade: Technoblade's Dream SMP origin story starts with his parents dying, so the backstory fits. He swears to kill all orphans because of the way they killed his parents (Similar to the way Bruce wanted to stop crime from running rampant in Gotham). Techno is also, technically, an orphan as Bruce was. I've always imagined Bruce's voice to be kinda like Techno's, especially that monotone tone he uses, and especially when he's Batman and not Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne is -Bat-man and Technoblade is a pig, need I elaborate? Both of them seem to stay up till ungodly times of the day, and I'm sure their sleep schedules are never on the same clock as anyone else's, Bruce's because of his vigilante lifestyle and Techno because... well, he's a Minecraft YouTuber. Both of them have a father figure, although not biological. They also have a friendly rivalry with a fellow content creator/hero (Cough Dream/Superman cough). We say Dick/Wilbur is dramatic, but you can't possibly mean to tell me Batman/Technoblade isn’t subtly more dramatic. They practically invented being dramatic in their respective businesses.

Alfred Pennyworth/Philza Minecraft: Is the father figure to Batman/Technoblade. Is really a force of chaos but everyone pictures them as a soft, loving dad because we all have parental issues and we need more father figures. Both of them are very badass in their own ways. Old and British. Here's a parallel I thought was pretty cool. Philza had been building up his hardcore world for 5 years before he died. It was like his home disappeared in front of his eyes as he fell away from his life. I'm not sure which continuity/arc this is from (Please do not hate on me, I am but a small child) bUT I do know that Alfred died of a heart attack/stroke at the same time the Wayne Manor was destroyed. His home was destroyed as he died. Just as Philza's had been.

Damian Wayne/TommyInnit: Is never really loved by anyone at first glance (From the fandoms). Tommy's the loud, annoying one, Damian's the grouchy, haughty one. But everyone eventually gravitates towards their characters later on. Their families were wary of them at first but grew to love them. Both of them are the youngest, and generally angriest child. Both are not American, Tommy being British and Damian, Arabic. They both have ICONIC mothers. MotherInnit is a queen, we all know this. If she can handle Tommy, she can handle absolutely anything. Talia Al Ghul has a reputation of her own right, and while she hasn't quite the pristine repertoire, she definitely strikes a strong mark on people. Now, this is a dumb connection between the two, but hair!! Tommy’s seems nice and floofy while Damian's is generally drawn spiky, and I think that's a cool contrast. Their love for pets is also important to note. Tommy's the one that's known for starting wars over the deaths of his pets, and it's easy to know that Damian wouldn't hesitate to hurt someone if they did anything to Titus or Batcow. It’s been shown on multiple occasions that he loves his pets a lot.

Jon Kent/Tubbo_: Best friends with Tommy/Damian. Do not try to argue that Jon and Damian aren't best friends because come onnn. And PLEASE do not take this as a dumb excuse to ship Tommy and Tubbo, as I know people ship Dami and Jon. Both are the embodiment of chaos wrapped in kindness, and both are definitely the more stable of their friendship with the other gremlin children. I am confident that both would probably refer to their parents as mother and father dearest. You cannot convince me otherwise. Tubbo has already done so, and Jon would never disrespect his parents, so this would obviously be the next best alternative for when he is upset by them. Jon’s powers fluctuate upon shifts in emotion and he can’t really control his powers, like the shifting of Tubbo’s alter egos. We never know when Toob or Big Law will creep out of the shadows.

Dick Grayson/Wilbur Soot: (Second) most dramatic in the family, though perceived as the drama queen because of their boisterous personalities. The one that was probably a theatre kid in school. The lighthearted one that keeps everyone cheerful, but also the one with the easiest path to a horrid descent into madness. They have a flair for drama, the glitter and sparkles to Batman/Technoblade’s sombre smoke and haze, which is why they work together so well. The closest family member to Tommy/Damian. Their little brother/big brother dynamics are just impeccable. Both are the most simped for by their respective fanbases (from what I’ve seen). The token pretty boys. Both artistically talented in different ways, with Wilbur’s music and Dick’s acrobatic skills. Also the ones that get constantly shipped with every woman they literally even look at. They also express their dramatic tendencies through their clothes, Dick with his jazzy Discowing suit and Wilbur’s dramatic L’manburg outfit.

Superman/Dream: The OP gods, need I say more? Friendly rivals with Technoblade/Batman. Very often perceived as ‘Perfect’ which they are not, but many refuse to accept that. A funny parallel I drew was the fact that both of them are famous in their own rights, but can just walk around and not get recognised despite millions of people knowing their online/superhero identities. Both are technically not human.

Stephanie (Batgirl/Spoiler)/Sapnap: Both of their names start with S! Not my only reasoning, but I’ll take it into account anyway. Both are basic looking in my head (Blue eyes blonde hair for Steph?? There’s at least 3 other girls that look EXACTLY like her in the nearby DC universes. And Sapnap blends in with every other white boy, though I love him regardless.) but both also have immaculate personalities to make up for it. They’re the most normal people out of all their co-streamers/superheroes in my eyes, also my favourites. (I didn’t realise as I put them together that I loved them most but here we are). They’re both great at dumb banter. They don’t have huge, hilarious bits often or any constant jokes that are pulled on time and time again, but their general atmosphere makes everything seem like a joke. They may not be the best at what they do in their friend groups but are actually really good nonetheless and do not get due credit for their effort and talent sometimes. Has a warring relationship with Damian/Tommy (Sapnap over the pets and Steph and Dami didn’t have the most friendly relationship at the start)

Jason/BBH- Same but opposite but same. Exists to cause chaos. I wouldn’t have associated these two with each other till the Badlands became a thing… but then the Badlands became a thing and I had to. Now, I know that technically Bad doesn’t have a grudge against Techno, but Jason would totally set up a whole empire just to mess with Bruce’s plans, just to get in the way, to instigate, to fan the flames of the fire till he’s driven Bruce to his breaking point. Bad isn’t exactly trying to do that, but he’s only around for the chaos. He’s only here for his own benefit, and he’s only here for that because of the hurt caused to him by the nation he came from. A parallel being Jason causing havoc because of the pain Bruce caused him. Besides, both have a cool red and black colour scheme, and both wear jacket!! Both are also technically not alive (If we're considering BBH as a demon).

Roy Harper/Skeppy: I have absolutely no explanation for this, but it just Fits. Besides, they have cool opposing colour schemes and are best friends with BBH/Jason!!

Aaaand last but not least

Jason/Technoblade: Now you must be thinking But Kaly you already spoke about them! And yes, I did, and they do go really well with their respective characters but I couldn’t simply ignore the connection between these two, so I thought I might as well write about it. Technoblade was an English major (If I remember correctly) before he dropped out to pursue his youtube career. Jason, though this may not be a well-known fact, was a definite literature nerd at school before he met his demise. Their cut off education in English is an interesting parallel to me. Both of them also have destructive tendencies, with Technoblade being an anarchist and Jason periodically running an underground empire to make sure he can do whatever the hell he wants to. They don’t generally care who they hurt on their way to reach their end goal. Jason’s reckless shooting and killing clearly shows this, as he continuously justifies his actions by saying he’s ending crime rather than just making it wait in line for its turn to pop up again, while Technoblade’s release of the withers and excessive use of his firework crossbow clearly shows that the deaths of the residents of L’manburg do not matter to him as long as he abolishes the government.

[duketectivecomics]

Hey I was wondering if you know the official order of bruce gaining all the kids including harper, Barbara, and stephanie? I know its Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian but where does the other 3 and duke and cass fall in? Tia!!

So I’m gonna assume that you mean the order in which they get adopted, since finding First Appearances is one of the easier things to google for any character. (Getting First Appearance issues afterall is part of the reason some comics retain their value, so it’s usually well documented when a character first shows up. Side note: DCUguide is an excellent resource if you’re looking to comb through appearances for characters, although I’d also recommend asking for reading lists from other fans, since usually those have been curated down to essential storylines only)

I tried to provide actual issue #s where I could, but a lot of the time in comics, it’s usually something that’s dropped or hinted around or casually mentioned rather than outright boldly stated.

Also some of these characters span DECADES and their histories change depending on continuity. So I tried to account for that where I could.

But also canon is fake and everyone in fandom cherry-picks anyways so yknow. Keep THAT in mind too.

Before we dive into this, I wanna have a quick convo on what Legal Guardianship vs Adoption is.

While guardianship includes some of the same responsibilities as adoption, it also comes with a few key differences, such as allowing any living parents (also possibly any living relatives) to contest the guardianship. Adoption would make the child fully and solely the potential parent’s responsibility, and would nullify any legal ‘say’ that the biological parents may have. Also of note, is that  guardianship does not allow the child in question a claim to inheritance unless the guardian specifically wills it to them, as there is again, a bit more of distance that is placed between the child and guardian, as more of a mentorship is expected to take hold. One way to look at it is that adoption is permanent (& usually a longer drawn out process bc of that), while guardianship can be more legally flexible.

With that out of the way, let’s start~

Dick: pre-flashpoint/52, it’s stated often that Dick was actually Bruce’s ward, that Bruce has legal guardianship over Dick. I know this is a nitpick and doesn’t matter bc it’s usually retconned/ignored in favor of Dick being adopted. But I think it’s a fascinating point of potential contention nonetheless. especially given the historical reason, that it was absolutely unheard of at the time for a single man to adopt a child, but no one would bat at eye if he was taking Dick in out of a sense of altruism & duty. Contract this with decades later, when he DOES appear to adopt Jason outright, which puts some friction in place between Dick & Bruce. and well, you’ve got a whole story & conflict to explore right there.

Barbara: Usually dons the Batgirl cowl after Dick becomes Robin (the only exception to that was The Batman (2004) cartoon and it was absolutely galaxy brain of them honestly) She has her own Dad though (idk if y’all know him? Jim Gordon? Yknow? The Commissioner?) so she doesn’t get adopted. She’s considered a core batfam member mostly in the sense that she’s been there so long and esp as she makes herself absolutely essential when she becomes Oracle. She has never, and will likely never be adopted by Bruce (bc again. W h e n is that gonna come up? When Jim dies? L m f a o)

Jason: pre-crisis it’s assumed from the go I guess? I could only find slight confirmation and ended up finding more info that there was a custody battle and that Bruce would won Jason back officially in Detective Comics #548. post-crisis, Jason’s history is redone, though & I remember his adoption being touched on, but could not for the life of me find a particular issue. N52/Rebirth it’s simply assumed from the go as far as I’m aware.

Tim: Batman #654. This was after his father died, though he’d been Robin at this point for at least a decade. For n52/Rebirth as far as I can tell he’s also been outright adopted by Bruce (though I think he’s parents were still alive but in Witness Protection? Idk. I haven’t read at all for Tim’s history there so take that with a heavy grain of salt)

Steph: another one who is not adopted (Crystal Brown is very much alive and taking care of Steph (barring the time Leslie Thompkins squirreled her away after faking Stephs death BUT)) She does show up pretty soon on Tim’s tail when he starts as Robin. Again, she’s considered a staple of the family because of how long she’s been involved with them. I like to think of her like Kimmy in Full House. She’s a Good Friend who’s Constantly Showing Up and is one of the family through mutual agreement on everyone’s part.

Cass: Batgirl (2008) #6, though like Tim, Cass had been Batgirl for nearly a decade at that point in continuity. She’s shown and stated many times that she considers Bruce a father/father figure and likewise that Babs, who had been mentoring her, was the closest she has to a mother. In n52/Rebirth, I have yet to see or hear about official adoption for her, but again. We usually ignore canon on that part anyways. I mean they made her into Orphan so uhhhh. Not super great yknow?

Damian: since he is biologically Bruce’s, it’s never really addressed as far as I’m aware (I have yet to read Damian’s appearances Altho he’s next on my Robin list). I personally think it’d be interesting to explore the fact that he was likely born outside of the country and what that means for Bruce gaining legal custody & whether or not Talia would contest that? I’m sure there’s probably SOME thinkpieces about it out there, but I’ll search for them on my own time eventually

And now we’re getting to *drum roll* Harper and Duke!

Harper: her appearances are mostly kept to the n52 runs, though with Tynion returning to Detective, it’s likely she’s coming back into Rebirth soon. She’s a unique case where, due to her abusive home life, she emancipated herself and took her brother, Cullen, with her. Neither she nor her brother were adopted by Bruce, and as far as I’m aware/understand, they’re fine with it that way. I know Stephanie was living with them at some point (it’s dropped in Batman & Robin: Eternal at least?), so I certainly think it would have been nice if DC also brought them into the fold like Steph. Just a couple of kids who are Really Good Friends with the family and continue to insert themselves in batfam business lmao

Duke: I actually addressed this fairly recently here! Duke’s guardianship (bc like Dick, Duke is not outright adopted by Bruce, likely to afford Duke’s parents the opportunity to regain custody should they recover from Joker’s toxin) its a little more up in the air at this point in Batman & The Outsiders. Since Bruce is very clearly taking both him and Cass away on globetrotting adventures. It would make things EASIER ofc if he is under Bruce’s guardianship. But given that it’s not really addressed, it’s led most of fandom to simply assume it instead. And really? Considering that DC themselves probably doesn’t realize that they’ve written themselves into this corner, it probably won’t be fully addressed or recognized anyways.

So to answer your first question actually: Babs, Steph, and Harper? Not adopted, likely never will be, but they ARE interspersed fairly regularly in the line-up. Everyone else? Varying degrees of being under Bruce’s guardianship if not outright adopted.

We’re all happy that they’re here, though!!! And we love and appreciate them ALL.

[teentitanimals]

Carrie Kelley in the Batfam

I freaking love Carrie Kelley, she’s so awesome. I desperately wish to see more content of her (I say, never even having read the comics she’s in- so sue me, I’ll get to it eventually). So, I’m taking it upon myself to write how I think she’d function with the rest of the Batfam! In ‘my’ version/understanding of the Batfam, she becomes Robin when Damian is AWOL. She quickly assumes the identity of Catgirl after Damian returns (angry, of course), and then eventually becomes Batgirl when no one else takes that mantle.

I personally view Carrie as someone who’s really, really eager to have a true family, and if she gets to kick criminals’ asses to have that family, then that’s just a big bonus. In basic, I see her as someone who’s very outwardly bubbly, energetic, eager to please, full of determination, enthusiastic, and somewhat stubborn, but has layers of doubt and anxiety expertly pushed down (as is the Bats’ way). In more depth, I see her as someone who knows what she has to do, and will do it no matter what. When she’s given an order, she will go through with it. When she needs to lead, she will. When she needs to follow, she will. Still though, she is inexperienced and untrained compared to the others, both on the physical side and emotional side. While she can put on that facade of coldness, strictness, when she no longer needs that mask, she can break down. For example, when she unhesitatingly punished that Batboy (Mutant guy) for killing some one, but later cried about it. She does what she believes needs to be done in the moment, but can often doubt or regret afterwards, when it’s safer to do so.

Anyway, here’s how I view her relationships with the Batfam! I might do this with some of the other Batfam as well, like Duke :)

Bruce - Carrie instantly views Batman as a parental figure. Her parental figures barely even remember she exists, so when Batman finally accepted her temporarily as Robin, she immediately started to view him as a positive adult role model in her life. She’s always very eager to impress him and relishes in every moment she’s near him, but she can get super anxious when he’s silent, often interrupting it as him ignoring her, just like her real parents do.

Alfred - Carrie loves Alfred, no surprise there. Who doesn’t, after all? She’s only seen her grandparents a few times, so it’s much like what she did with Bruce, instantly viewing him as a grandfather figure. She loves getting him little gifts and enjoys helping him with the work he does around the manor. She would spend every moment telling him how much she appreciates him, if she could.

Selina - She’s a bit hesitant with Selina, because she doesn’t really know much about the woman past her sort of being Batman’s “lover” and also a criminal dressed in a catsuit sometimes. She wants to view Selina as a mother figure, but she gets nervous and shy around her. The two do bond over a love of cats and dogs, though. (I actually have an idea/AU where Carrie becomes Catgirl but as Catwoman’s ‘sidekick’.)

Commissioner Gordon - She has a good amount of respect towards the Commissioner, along with a certain amount of pity. Sometimes, when she’s able to, she’ll prompt him to tell stories to her, and just sit down and listen. She wants to know him better, maybe become like uncle and niece, but she doesn’t really know how to do that.

Kate - Carrie takes well to Batwoman, admiring and respecting her a great deed. She adapts easily to viewing Kate as an aunt. She isn’t as eager to impress Kate like she is with Bruce, but she does value her opinion a lot. Carrie really enjoys hanging out with Kate outside of their masks too, and finds her to be really fun and cool, especially compared to Bruce- although, she would never tell Bruce that to his face.

Dick - Carrie was really, really anxious for Dick’s approval. No, not for being Robin, but rather for being accepted into the family. He was the eldest sibling. The first sibling. Needless to say, getting his immediate acceptance was so relieving it was almost addicting. And, not to mention, Dick was the first person to really hug her in a long while. A full on, arms wrapped around, tight squeeze, warm, loving kind of hug. She about cried on the spot. An unfortunate side effect is that having Dick hug her and seeing him hug everyone else made her Dick’s rival as the most touchy-feely of the Batfam. At least the fam has better luck escaping Carrie’s hugs than they do Dick’s.

Barbara - Carrie also was really anxious for Babs’s approval as well, this time more focused on being a Batgirl than with being accepted into the family. The two aren’t super close, or super chatty, but Carrie always appreciates Babs’s easy and quiet acceptance of her. Even when Carrie feels ignored and forgotten by the rest of the family, she can always count on having Babs simply just greeting her, or sending her out on a mission, just a casual acknowledgement of her existence. In return, Carrie also enjoys giving her small gifts from time to time like she does with Alfred.

Jason - She was a bit nervous initially meeting the infamous Red Hood, but she covered it well with guts and confidence. After she overcame her wariness of him, she definitely tried a bit harder to impress him, viewing him as the ‘cool older brother’. Jason isn’t all that touchy-feely with her like Dick, but every pat on the head, shoulder or back feels like ‘He Accepts Me as His Little Sister’ heaven to her. The two don’t always mesh well together, but they don’t have any animosity or history between them, so it’s easy for them to get along well.

Cass - Cass both fills Carrie with anxiety and love. On one hand, Cass is often very silent, and that really activates Carrie’s ‘She’s Ignoring Me, She Doesn’t Care About Me’, but on the other hand, Cass is very warm and comforting, even without words. Carrie would compare her to a ‘blanket’- warm, soft, comforting, always there for you, even without saying anything, but sometimes when it gets too hot (too silent), you need to get rid of the blanket until its colder (too loud) again. It’s an odd simile, but Cass finds it amusing. Cass more than makes up with her silence with many friendly pats and hugs to her new little sister (which Carrie was ecstatic to find out Cass viewed her as such almost as immediately as Carrie viewed her as an older sister).

Luke - Carrie doesn’t see Luke or Batwing all that much, but she kind of enjoys that. It’s like having a distant cousin you see on holidays that you get along well with. It really solidifies the whole ‘family’ thing for her. She likes hanging out with his siblings, too.

Harper - Harper, too, is more like a cousin, but one Carrie is just in awe of. She definitely wants to get to know Harper better, but they haven’t found the time too.

Tim - She often finds it hard to get along with Tim. Not that they clash heads or anything, it’s more like an awkward silence (and you know by now how much she hates silence). Carrie is loud and energetic even without coffee, yet Tim sometimes can barely stay awake even with coffee. She also isn’t as good with tech as the other, having less experience and access to even the more simpler digital devices due to her parents neglect of her and her childhood. She admires his intelligence and skill greatly, and often feels inferior to him because of it. It’s weird, because she also knows and acknowledges that the rest of the Batfam is greater than her in most skills simply due to more experience and training, but for some reason Tim’s skills make her feel worthless and unimportant to the family. Still though, the two find ways to get along, even if it is just something as minor as Carrie offering to get him some coffee and watching him work. Tim has offered to teach her more on tech too, which she’s pretty eager about, even if a lot of it flies over her head.

Steph - Once again, Steph is one of those people Carrie highly admires. Steph was, after all, both a Robin and Batgirl like Carrie too. Plus, Carrie just really loves Steph’s personality, humor, and wit. She’s the older sister Carrie wants to impress the most. The two got along immediately, personalities bouncing well off each other, like an echo chamber but better. Steph greatly enjoys having a little sister to teach ‘girl stuff’ too, and is happy to pull Carrie along on any trips to the mail, or to paint nails with her and Cass. Inviting Carrie to watch reality TV and musicals with her and Damian. Their text messages between each other consist solely of memes and random ramblings done at 2am. Bruce often has to separate them on patrols or missions, because Steph brings out Carrie’s ‘lack of brain cells’ side, making her more eager to just jump head-on into danger without a proper plan or instructions to do so.

Duke - She and Duke are both the ‘new kids’, but Duke knows just a little bit more about the Batfamily than her. He enjoys showing her ‘the ropes’ when getting used to the family’s insanity. She’s more rambunctious and eager to join in on the chaos than he was, but they can still bond over giving each other those little glances of ‘Are you seeing this too? I’m not crazy right?’ and ‘They can’t be serious.’ Carrie enjoys the more calmed down energy she can have with him. Everyone else in the family’s high energy brings out hers, but Duke has that perfect balance that she appreciates. Even someone as eager for familial attention can be overwhelmed at times. Sometimes they just enjoy calmly, casually talking about whatever, relaxing as they eat, or read, or watch TV.

Damian - Damian is by far the one Carrie admires the most. She’s the one she craves the most acceptance from, and Damian being Damian, it’s very hard to get it, especially since she was a ‘copycat’, a ‘temporary replacement’, a ‘little girl scout looking at the big leagues’ to him. Despite Damian’s many, many insults and jabs and overall disrespect to her, she took it as best she could in stride, not wanting to upset him further. Much like Jason was Tim’s Robin, Damian was Carrie’s Robin, the one she looked up to. It’s why she so easily gave up being Robin and became Catgirl when Damian came back. It was his role, and Carrie didn’t mean to ‘steal it’ from him, or to ‘replace him’, just to help Batman when he didn’t have anyone else. It takes awhile, a long while, but Damian begins to warm up to her, slowly, slowly, accepting her as his sister. Eventually, he actually becomes pretty protective of her, after all, Robin and Batgirl are just as iconic a pair as Robin and Batman. Despite Damian being younger than Carrie (in my eyes), Carrie views him as a protective older brother. They enjoy taking care of all their pets and animals together, and complaining about school to one another, and crashing on the couch after a long day, watching random shows until they fall asleep and one of their older siblings has to carry them to their respective beds.

[thebluenebula]

So todays my birthday so I figured I'd write a birthday fic for Ashleigh. I really enjoyed writing this. This take place about three to six months after she arrived, so she is much more comfortable around the Batfam.

Masterlist

The Day After (Coming Soon)

Birthday

I sat at the breakfast table, reading todays paper. I never really read them. I just skimmed through them until some picture or crazy headline caught my eye. Bruce sat across from me.

"So." He loudly said.

I looked up from the paper. "So?"

"Sunday."

"What about Sunday?"

"It's your birthday."

"Oh." I was genuinely shocked. It didn't feel like a year had passed. I guess when a lot happens, you don't notice the time go by.

"I was just wondering what you wanted to do for it?"

"I don't really want to do anything." I explained.

"Really?"

"Yup."

"No party?"

"Yep."

"You're only eighteen once Ashleigh."

"And I'm quite content not to celebrate it."

"Alright." Bruce looked a little disappointed. "How about a gift, what kinda gift do you want?"

"Gift." I looked at Bruce with genuine shock. "Bruce you've literally given me everything I could have ever needed in the last six months."

He grinned. "Thats my job."

"I dont need anything else."

"I know you don't need anything, but so you WANT anything?"

"How about my own house?" I joked.

"If you want one." Bruce replied, deadly serious.

"No." I quickly responded. "I'm not going to get kicked out am I?"

"Of course not."

I sighed with relief. I may be about to be eighteen but I'm in no way prepared to be on my own.

"If I was going to kick out any of my kids, don't you think Dick and Jason would already be gone."

"What's this about me getting kicked out?" Jay asked as he walked in.

"Don't worry Jay, I'm not kicking you out. Yet." Bruce assured him. "Just making a point."

"Wait," Jay leaned against the table. "I understand why your using me as an example, but why would you want to kick out Dick?"

Bruce shivered. "I have heard him say things I never wanted to hear any of my kids say."

"God." Jay yelled and slammed his head into his hands. "I'd repressed that memory."

"What happened?" I cautiously asked.

"Well there was this one time Dick and Wally were fu-" Jay began to explain.

Bruce elbowed him. "She does not need to know. No one needs to know."

I looked at the two curiously. I wonder what Dick and Wally got up to.

That night before I lay into bed, I looked at the photograph on my locker. Siobhan, Sean, and I. We all looked so happy. It felt odd, this would be the first year I'd have a birthday without Sean, and the first in years without Siobhan. I grabbed the photo and lay into bed.

That Friday I was lying on my floor, texting Cassie. "Artemis seems crazy."

"She can be, thats why her and Jay get on so well. So it's your birthday Sunday. 🎉🎉🎉" She text me.

For a moment I wondered how she knew, then I remembered that it was on my Pixtagram account. "Yup."

"You doing anything for it?"

"Not a thing."

"No party?"

I wish. "Not much of a party person."

"Dick or Steph will through you one regardless."

"Bruce made Dick promise not to and I don't think Steph even knows."

"Wait you didnt tell them its your birthday?"

"Nope. Only Bruce, Alfred, and Kate knows and I'd  rather keep it that way."

"Okay, mind if I come around tommorow? We can just hang out or something to not celebrate you're birthday."

I giggled. "That'd be awesome."

"How's 12 sound?"

I yawned. "That'd be awesome. If it's alright, I'm going to go to bed."

"Goodnight Ashleigh. I'll text you in the morning."

"Night."

I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Cassie text me the next morning and we confirmed are meet up. A little after one Cassie arrived. We got to togetehr with a couple of the other kids and played video games and chatted for hours. Cassie had to leave in a bit so the two of us headed up to my room.

I sat down on my swivel chair and Cassie plopped onto the bed. "So any idea what Bruce is getting you for your birthday?"

"Nothing, I think."

"Nothing?"

"Well he asked me what I wanted but I couldn't think of anything else I could want"

"Maybe you could ask for a car and give it to me." She joked.

"You can fly though."

"It would be a tad questionable if I FLEW to school."

"Point taken."

"Speaking of gifts," Cassie pulled a wrapped box out of her bag. "Since I won't see you tomorrow."

"Cassie you didn't have to."

"I wanted to."

I took the box from her. "Thank you. Do I open it now?"

"I'd prefer if you did." Cassie said. "You can't imagine the amount of thought you have to put into getting a gift for the child of a billionaire."

"I'm not picky." I explained, then pulled off the wrapping paper. A photo frame. A blue frame surrounded by little clouds and bats. "Cassie, its adorable."

She smiled. "The clouds were already there but i stuck the bats on cause... you know."

"Yeah, I know." I smiled. "I love it."

"Well I seen that you had that photo by your bedside and thought you might use this frame for another. Maybe you could put like a picture of everyone in in it or something.

"I don't have a picture of everyone in the house together. That'd be nice."

"That's it!" She exclaimed.

I jumped. "That's what?"

"Your birthday gift. Ask Bruce for a picture of you all together."

"I'd love that but I'd have to blow on a hell of a lot of candles for that wish to come through."

Cassie laugh was interupted by a ding from her phone. She checked the phone. "Diana's outside, I've got to go."

"I'll walk you out."

We headed down to the entrance. Cassie opened the door and prepared to leave. "I guess I'll see you again Ashleigh." She said as she stepped out the door.

"Cassie."

She stopped and turned. "Yes?"

"If you aren't busy tommorow... maybe you like to come around."

She smiled. "I'd love to."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'll remember to bring those extra candles for the wish."

I laughed. "I'll need them."

"I won't forget." She promised. "I'll see you tommorow then."

"One other thing, when is your birthday?"

"Why?"

"So I can remember to get you that car."

She giggled and walked down the steps. I wonder if Bruce would actually let me buy her a car.

I got up early the next day and to my delight. No big deal seemed to be made of my birthday. Dick, Bruce, and Alfred wished me a Happy Birthday but that was it. Everyone else seemed clueless to it.

Around eleven Cassie arrived and her, Carrie, Harper, and I ended up in the den playing video games again.

About one Bruce dragged me out of the den. "What's up?" I asked him.

"Someones here to see you."

"Who?" I asked as we stepped out into the hall.

"Hey Ashleigh." Kate stood just inside the door. Arms open.

"Kate!" I hugged her. "I didn't know you were coming today."

"Thought I'd surprise you, considering it's your birthday." She ruffled my hair. "Happy Birthday, by the way."

"Thank you." I smiled. "How'd you know?"

"I always know."

"Bruce told you?"

She nodded. "Bruce told me."

"I felt it was necessary." Bruce added.

Kate held a box. "A little something."

"Thanks but you didn't have to."

"I know, Bruce said that. Which is why I distinctively ignored it."

Bruce scoffed. "I shouldn't be surprised."

Kate looked to Bruce then back to me. "I'll hold on to it for a little while."

"Sure." I looked to Bruce skeptically.

"Follow me." He said.

I followed Kate and Bruce towards the Dining room. "Where are we going?"

"I just want to say, that this was primarily Dicks idea." Bruce said.

Oh no. I already knew what this is. I put on a smile as we walked through the doors into the dining room. It was decorated to the nines with birthday banners and other colorful decorations. Sometimes I hate Dicks insistent to go over the top with everything.

"Happy Birthday!" Everyone yelled as I entered. I smiled at the large gathering of people. To say I was uncomfortable was an understatement. But just for a second. Before, when I had parties, it fwlt like a lot of the smiling faces were just that, smiling face, no genuine emotion behind them but not this time. This time the smiles held happiness, love. I could feel it

All the nervousness I should feel, melted away. I don't know of it was Kate's hand on my shoulder or the smiles of my family and Cassie.

I was quickly tugged to the table by Steph. In front of me sat a large chocolate cake. On it, there had to be about fifty candles. "I told you I wouldn't forget." Cassie smiled.

"Come on!" Dick shouted excitedly.

"Can't we just skip that part?" Jay moaned.

Dick ignored Jay's remark and burst into song. "Happy birthday to you!"

Dick was quickly joined by the others, even Jay mumblwd along. After the song was over, I blew out my candles. Downside of so many candles, took quite a few blows.

"So what'd you wish for?" Steph asked.

"She can't tell you, that ruins the wish." Dick said.

"I didn't wish for anything." I said. "I have everything I could ever need."

Damien scoffed. "Corny. You sound like Grayson."

Cassie nudged me. "Do it."

"Fine." I sighed. "I did wish for something."

"Anything." Bruce said.

"I wish for... a photo. Of all of us. Together."

"That's all?"

"That's all."

"That's doable." Bruce turned to the kids. Jay and Damien in particular. "Isn't it."

Jay sighed. "Just this once."

Damien scoffed. ""Yes, as Todd said."

"I shall get the camera." Alfred stated.

"No need I have one here." Steph said, handing a camera to Alfred. "I have been capturing every moment of this."

"At this point, I'm surprised you don't take pictures of us sleeping." Tim remarked.

"Maybe I do."

"I'm double checking the locks in my door tonight." Duke commented.

"I'll always find another way in."

"You are the creepiest blonde I've ever met." Jay said. "And thats not a low bar."

"But you love me for it."

Jay sighed. I turned to Alfred. "You're  not going to be in the photo?" I asked.

"Someone must take the photo."

"I can take it Alfie." Cassie said.

"I will allow you to take this photo, Miss Sandsmark, on one condition."

"What's that?"

"Never refer to me as Alfie ever again."

"Fiiine." Cassie snagged the camera. "Now go join them."

"Okay," Bruce said. "Tallest to the back."

Dick, Kate, Bruce, Alfred, and Jay stood at the back in that order. Damien, Babs, me, Harper, Carrie, Duke, Steph, and Cass stood in front.

Dick picked up Damien. "Let me go Grayson!"

"Chill out." Dick said as he placed Damien on his shoulders. "Don't want you cut out of the photo.

"This will suffice." Damien huffed, pretending to be upset.

Steph turned to Cass. "Pleaaase."

"Sure." Cass lifted Steph onto her shoulder.

Bruce smiled at his children and place an arm around Alfred. I felt Kate place her hand on my shoulder.

"Say cheese." Cassie said.

"Cheeese!" We all shouted as Cassie snapped the picture.

We all walked over to her. "How's it look?"

She through an arm around my neck. "Smile."

I looked at the camera in surprise as Cassie snapped a picture. "What was that about?" I asked as Cassie let go of me.

She shrugged. "You needed a photo of us."

She handed me the camera. I looked at the photo of us. Cassie looked perfect but I had a look of absolutely confusion plastered on my face. I smiled and looked at the family picture. Everyone looked perfect in it. Even Damien and Jay were smiling. The camera was quickly passed around everyone as they looked at the photo.

Afterwards we cut the cake. I could tell by the way that Cass and Steph watched me as I took the first slice, that they had baked it. "Best cake ever." I said after I took a bite. The two girls had huge grins plastered across their faces. The cake was quickly devoured by everyone.

A pile of gifts sat on the table from each of the Batfamily. I figured I'd open them later and we went to play party games. For a moment I thought they be boring but the look on Tim's face when the donkey tail ended up pinned to his back, courtesy of Steph, proved me wrong.

Eventually we all lay up and watched some movies. By eleven everyone was clearly knackered. I could barely even keep my eyes open. Carrie was sound asleep against Bruce and most of the others weren't far behind. I was almost asleep when I felt a small weight on my shoulder.

Cassie looked half asleep as she leaned against me. Maybe she was asleep, just with her eyes open. I couldn't tell.

"Is she asleep?" I heard a voice ask from behind me.

I looked over my shoudler. Diana stood in the open doorway. "Diana." Bruce slid out gently from under Carrie and stood up. "I didn't hear you come in."

"I knocked. I assure you." She said. "No one answered, so I let myself in."

"Sorry, Miss Prince, I was preoccupied." Alfred stated.

I hadn't even noticed Alfred in the armchair in the corner. Jay was curled up beside him and appeared to be sound asleep.

"No worries Alfred."

"You've come to pick up Carrie. I assume." Bruce said.

"Yes. I'd leave her here but I promised her mother I'd bring her home tonight."

"Of course."

I shook Cassie. "Wake up."

She looked up at me groggily. "Huh?"

"Diana."

She sat up straight and looked to Diana. "Oh hey."

"Time to go."

Cassie stood up and stretched. "Sure, I'll juat grab my bag, i think it's in the kitchen." She turned back to me. "See yah Ash, and Happy Birthday."

I smiled. "See yah."

Cassie and Diana left and I looked back at the TV. I didn't recognise the movie that was on. I didn't even know who picked it. Slowly I drifted off to sleep on the couch.

[junker-town]

In this photo, Mike Morse is hitting a grand slam without a baseball bat

In the first inning of a 2012 Cardinals-Nationals game, things got ... sort of weird

The image above is a screenshot of a video of a Major League Baseball game, taken on September 29th, 2012. It features Washington Nationals outfielder Mike Morse, St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and home plate umpire Cory Blaser. The feet at the top of the screen belong to Nationals 3B Ryan Zimmerman.

Oh, and Mike Morse is hitting a grand slam. You might have some questions about that. Hypothetically, and in no particular order, they might be:

Why is everyone standing up?

Where is Morse’s bat?

How is it possible to hit a grand slam with first base open?

These are good questions! I will try to answer them all at once. Everyone likes a challenge.

This game matters more to St. Louis. The Nationals are 95-62, in first place in the NL East, and while they haven’t clinched the division they’re four games ahead of the Atlanta Braves with four to play. The Cardinals, meanwhile, are 85-72, which is the sixth-best record in the National League. In 2011, that wouldn’t be a great spot, but this is the first year that MLB has opened up the postseason to feature two wild-card teams; the Cardinals are currently in possession of the second of these, and attempting to fend off the 82-75 Los Angeles Dodgers. Blowing a three game lead with five left to play? Stranger things have happened, and the pressure is very much on.

Most of my memories of Kyle Lohse, who’s starting for St. Louis, are of him on the Minnesota Twins, and they’re not even memories of him per se. He’s just one of the dozens of interchangeable Twins pitchers that swum idly around as Johan Santana did things. They were, as far as I remember, all named Kyle.

Anyway, Lohse is pitching for the Cardinals, and, freed of his Minnesota shackles, he is having a great year: ferocious win percentage, good ERA, in fringe contention for the Cy Young. Morse, meanwhile, is having a less-great year, hitting for power but virtually never walking. He came into this game hitting .287/.319/.454, a far cry from his excellent 2011 season. Despite loading the bases with a walk to Adam LaRoche, Lohse should have the edge; right before Morse swings at a 0-0 pitch the announcers mention that he’ll be looking for a double play.

Flashback to the broadcast graphic again:

Right. So. What the hell happened here?

The bases are actually loaded when Morse steps to the plate. LaRoche is on first, having walked, as we mentioned. Ryan Zimmerman is on second after a double. Bryce Harper is at third. Lohse’s first pitch is a 0-0 fastball. Morse goes down and gets it. He’s a strong man, and despite the slightly awkward lunge, the ball carries off his bat and into right field. Carlos Beltran has absolutely no play. Bryce Harper trots home.

Here’s where things get confused. It’s not clear to me whether Ryan Zimmerman thinks that the ball was going to be caught or that it was a no-doubter home run, but he ends up staying at third base, jamming up the basepaths for everyone else. LaRoche has to hold at second, and Morse is basically hurtling right up his ass, having hustled for a double in case the ball stays in play.

Which it does. Or at least, seems to. The ball caroms off the top of the wall, a friendly bounce puts it in Beltran’s glove, Morse has to turn around and sprint to first base, and despite a pretty heroic effort doesn’t make it before Allen Craig applies the tag. For those scoring at home: single to right runners advance, tagged coming back into first base. Not a grand slam.

...

Except ...

... Except the ball clearly was over the wall before bouncing back into the field of play. By this point, instant replay is part of baseball, and the umpires confer for the review while the teams mill about. Said review does not take very long, and a home run is quickly signalled. The only problem is that with the running back and forth during the play itself plus all the aforementioned milling about, it’s no longer very clear which bases Morse and the rest of the Nationals have to touch.

The solution? Have everyone go back to where they started and reenact the home run trot. Morse, standing somewhere around shortstop, is asked to jog back to second, then to first. Then, as LaRoche arrives, Morse is sent back home. So here we’re being treated to a grand slam in reverse as everyone moseys on back to where they began.

The absurdity of the situation is not lost on Morse, who decides to have some fun with it. If he has to re-enact a grand slam, he might as well go whole hog, right? And that’s how Mike Morse ends up standing in the batters’ box without his bat to hit a grand slam after running the bases backwards. Baseball! It’s extremely normal.

Oh, I know everyone has one more question, so: yes, Mike Morse does have a connection to the Seattle Mariners. He made his major league debut with them back in 2005, was there for four years, and returned to the Pacific Northwest in 2013. Because, of course.

[nightwingswing]

“Stalker” (Jonathan Crane x Reader x Jason Todd) Part 2.

Hello my little wings!! 

Here it is! The second and last part of stalker!

The next week will be published the two endings! One of them will be smutty!!

Thank you all the ones who comented and messaged me! 

@illeatyoursoulwithmustard  @a-mannequin-with-kill-appeal @myprettywolf   @hamsterforlive @purplelily24 @princessquinn33 @wannabe-weasley @starpidor @trashyemonerd @books-netflix-and-pizza @writersfailure @empress-of-destruction all the anons and the people who liked it! I love you all!

If you want to be tagged in any of the endings or have any prompts of any villain or superhero  message me anytime!

Tags: @hamsterforlive @plethora-of-things @purplelily24 @ladyfairenvale @princessquinn33 @wannabe-weasley 

WARNING!!!! THIS CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT!!!  A STALKER CHARACTER, VIOLENCE, SWEARING  IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE PLEASE SCROLL DOWN.

Part1 Part2 (here)  Jay’s ending  Jon’s ending  [Sequel!]

Hope you enjoy!

Its been a week since The scarecrow had taken Gotham. The villains ran wild while the civilians tried to escape, but being intercepted and captured by any villain to serve as the playthings. The worse one could get was being captured by the Joker, as death came slow and torturous.

You looked out of the windows at the burning city, the screams of panic hurting your ears as you hugged yourself. Your white nightgown did nothing to stop the piercing coldness of the once city Gotham.

Your back was to the door as Jonathan came in, sitting behind you in the windows and hugging your waist. His head laid on your shoulder and he gave you little, sweet kisses.

“Good night my beautiful” He whispered before kissing your ear.

“…” Since he had kidnapped you, his words were answered with silence.

“My love, come to bed. You are freezing. Come, we shall warm you “ He got up and carried you bridal style to bed, he laid you on the right side and then he laid next to you. His hand caressed your naked legs slowly as he kissed your neck.

“I love you so, my (y/n) …” He whispered before kissing your lips. You didn’t move, to scared of him. “You love me too….” He cuddled you and fell asleep. You silently cried until the darkness overcame your senses.

///*\\\

Jason Todd wasn’t the most patient man.

Nor the most peaceful

Batman’s shit was pissing him off greatly

He seriously didn’t expect him, Jason Peter Todd to not go save the only person on the world he truly trusted and loved.

Fuck you bats.

So in order to destroy the villains he had the best group in mind.

“ Hello, ladies gentlemen. I’m thankful you all came to this hideout, and decide to defy Batman” Jason smirked as he looked at his companions.

His team

Damian Wayne aka Robin

Roy Harper aka Arsenal

Koriand'r aka Starfire

Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman

Clark Kent aka Superman

Barry Allen aka Flash

“ We are all here because Bats plan isn’t gonna work. There is people, kids, babies dying…and he’s taking to much time to act!”

“I normally don’t agree with Todd. But you are right this time.”

“ We can’t let more people die! I can’t take his pleas and pained screams of terror anymore!” Said Superman, holding his head. Wonder Woman patted his shoulder amicably.

“ This is the plan, we enter the city on-“

“That’s not going to work Jason” Barbara welled to the middle of the circle. “I’ll help you…we all help you “ Dick and Tim entered with Cass behind them. “ I’ll plan everything, she’s going to be okay…everybody is” Barbara opened her laptop, where a map of Gotham sewers was displayed.

“This is the plan, Jason, Dick and Cass will enter Gotham sewers and fight Killer croc, then walk to the scarecrows hideout in Wayne Labs.

Superman, wonder woman and starfire will fight Ivy, Quinn and Mr. Freeze. While Robin, Red Robin and Arsenal take penguin, riddler and catwoman.

The joker presumably is with Scarecrow, trying to ask for …expand their territory…”

“Well, those fuckers are mine!”

“The rest will take Twoface and Clayface”

“OK” Everyone said, and they prepared to march to Gotham. Jason looked down at a locker with a photo of you and clutched it in his hand.

“I’m coming (y/n)… I’m saving you” Jason kissed the locker and hided it under his shirt.

“ LET’S GO!”

///*\\

Jonathan waked up with his beautiful fiancée next to him, he kissed her shoulder and then all his bite marks.

“Wake, my dear “Jonathan kissed his lover lips…those lips he haven’t seen laugh or smile since his jail time on Arkham. “My dear… today is you day! Joker will get another experiment for you to investigate! Aren’t you happy?! You can write another thesis!! Any editor will publish it!!! ” Jonathan smile was wide and crazy and you couldn’t look at him. “ My love…please look at me” You still didn’t look, he got angry and turned you around harshly “LOOK AT ME!” You looked at him with wide, scared eyes and whimpered. His harsh look softened and he smiled kissing your lips over and over. “ shhh, my love…I’m sorry….you just-made me angry! I’m sorry! I love you!” He kissed you passionately “ Now dress…your test subject is getting loud….Joker is getting antsy. “He opened the door to exit the room as a woman’s pleas and a child’s cries made you feel light headed and nauseous.

You let yourself fall to the ground of the shower, the cold water clashed with the hotness of your tears. You hugged yourself and whimpered.

“Jay…”

///*\\\

“ Nightwing to Oracle, fase one of the plan done” Dick talked to his com.

“Great, now you had to be careful…Bane has disappeared of my radar… You just have to follow my voice. Now, right and go on!”

The team followed Oracles orders but just before the exit to the hideout of the Scarecrow a big, burly, shadow blocked their way.

“Birdies came to play” Said the Bane.

///*\\\

Jonathan waited for you outside your room, he was getting worried when you took too long and when he was about to enter the room you came out in the black, short dress he bought (robbed) for you.

“Beautiful, my darling….” Jonathan smiled “As beautiful as your mind! “a deeper voice said, but it still came from Crane.

You bowed your head in acknowledgment and Crane smiled lovesickly.

“I have a present for you!” He searched on his pants smiling wildly, his tongue sticking out a bit until he found it. “Here!” He kneeled on the ground “My beautiful fiancée. It would be my honor if you had this ring! This belonged to my mother! It would be my pleasure if you had it!” His smile was so bright you couldn’t say no.

“It’s…. beautiful…” You half smiled.

“Let me your hand?” He grabbed your hand and put the ring on. Then he kissed the ring. “I love you, (y/N) (y/l)! Now come! Your subjects are waiting!”

He dragged you to a room were a woman and a child here hugging desperately, with a few bruises. The joker laughing menacingly next to them.

“We had to…convince them to stop screaming…” Jonathan gave you a paper and a pencil. He then pushed a button to open the mic.

“Joker out, the experiment is on” The joker laughed and got out of the room. The woman and the child screamed and pleaded. Crane smiled and let the button go.

“Now, my love! We have improved my toxin! Now it’s worse! Hahaha! You will be the first one to see my beautiful princess of fear!” Jonathan pushed another button and a weird lilac gas was pushed in the room. The screams got worse, the woman started hitting her head on the wall and the child was hiding in a corner. You let the notepad go and started trembling.

“stop please. Jon please!! STOP!!! STOP THIS! I HATE THIS!” You started crying “ STOP THIS ! NOW ! PLEASE!” Jonathan pushed a button and all the gas disappeared, letting the woman and child breath. The child ran to the woman who hugged him back.

“YOU MONSTER!” You yelled at him, running in the room with blankets. “I HATE YOU!”

You put the blanket around the both of them and hugged them, saying sorry, over and over again.

“Buhh, I wanted to see the show!” Laughed the joker.

Jonathan didn’t answer, his eyes where put on you. His eyes started feeling hot and hurted as his head only remembered your words, the first words you said to him…

I hate you.

I         hate    you

You monster…

“YOU MONSTER I HATE YOU!”

“out” Cranes eyes didn’t look away from you.

“What?” the joker said.

“GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!” Scarecrow yelled.

Joker laughed as he went out “Oh? So jonny boy’s heart is brooookeeen hahahaha!” Joker ran out as Scarecrow punched the wall angrily.

“I see…we will….need it in the end” Crane smile was wicked and vicious as he saw you carry the women and child out.

///*\\\

Jason smirked as Bane body fell to the ground.

“Peachy, now let’s follow!”

The three of them exited the sewers, arriving on the parking lot of the labs.

“Great, now what?” Nightwing said.

“You and cass take the guards, I’ll go get (y/N).” Jason said and cass noded.

“Go!”

///*\\\

After you helped the woman and child out of here and gave them a safe map out of gotham.

“Be safe” You smiled.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!!” The woman said.

“It’s nothing…just go! And be safe!” The woman carried the child.

“Thanks!” The child smiled.

You smiled as the both ran away.

But while you weren’t watching, someone knocked you out.

///*\\\

When you waked up you were tied to your bed. Scared, you tried to untie yourself nut the bonds were too tight.

“HEELP! SOMEONE HEELP!!!” You screamed as Jonathan came in.

“Jonathan???” you smiled.

“Yes, my dear.” Crane smiled as he caressed your cheek. “I’m sorry my dear…I didn’t want this to come to this.”

“What? Jonathan?? What?” You said, afraid.

“ I wished this hadn’t come to this….but you didn’t gave me options.”

“What- are you talking about?”

“You…said you hated me...that I was a monster…I love you…I need you to love me back…. i hope you aren’t afraid of needles my dear… This will hurt me more than you.” Crane smiled crazily.

“Jonathan?’ no please! Im-im sorry!!” You cried as Crane injected you a tranquilizer.

“now sleep.”

///*\\\

Jason punched the last crony before entering the labs.

“Babs im in! How are the others?” Jason said

“It’s Oracle, and Dick and Cass have took all the cronies and  Superman, wonder woman and starfire took care of  Ivy, Quinn and Mr. Freeze. While Robin, Red Robin and Arsenal beat penguin, riddler and catwoman. They are now taking them to BlackGate.”

  “Okay, Thanks Oracle”

“Did just Red hood said thanks to me??”

“Red hood out!”

“Wait i-”

Jason turned off his com and smiled looking at the picture again.

Now it’s a matter of finding you.

And he wasn’t going to give up”

“I’ll save you, (y/N)... I love you��� He kissed the picture before puting it near his heart.

Jason entered the labs and  walked around opening the doors, finding scared civilians who ran away.

But there was no trace of you.

He went up, closer to the main labs. He knew his way around, this was Wayne’s, and even if he said no. He’s still was a wayne.

“HEY YOU! YOU CANT BE HERE!!!” a armed crony shot at Jason. He smirked and trew his gun at the cronie’s face, the gun bounced and returned to Todd’s hand, then he jumped above the crony and shot him four time.

“Oh, but i can. “ Jason smirled and went up the stairs. When he was about to enter the room you were on...

“well well well! A birdie fell from the nest!” Tha joker laughed.

Red hood smirked.

This was going to be fun.

///*\\\

Crane was sitting next to you unconscious form, caressing your hair lovingly. He smiled ar the little smile you gave him when he kissed you cheek.

“Soon, (y/n)… very soon the process will be over and you will love me back! We  will then fly this scum place and live together! We’ll go to Europe! I’ll be a teacher! And you will be a brilliant psychologist! Oh and our child! Our child will be beautiful and smart!!” Jonathan kissed you lips

“I love you, (y/n)…” Scarecrow smiled. “you are the only one for me.,,”

“I just hope Stockholm syndrome is enough….i don’t want to hurt you more…” He kissed your lips and fell asleep next to you.

///*\\\

“Well birdie…looks like you are about to lose hahahahaha!!! This gives me so many memories! Ahh! To bad the big bad bat won’t come! ☹ But anyway…im sure you came for your little princess??? Ohhh you did hahahahaha!! The little robin is alone again!! Poor youuu! Too bad she doesn’t love you anyway!! Hahahahahaha” The joker laughed, over the blodies body of Red hood.

“ Fuck …you” Jason said.

“Good night!” The joker prepared for the last strike.

“BAM!”

Jason Todd Ending     (here)

Jonathan Crane Ending.   (here)

[chorddebtor0-blog]

Michael Kenny’s Offseason Plan, and Plan Tracker

Before I get started with my own plan, I wanted to share the link to the South Side Sox offseason plan tracker spreadsheet, which I’ll be updating as all of your plans roll in. This will give us an idea of which decisions are the most popular, how much everyone is giving up in money and trades, and more.

2018-19 SSS Offseason Plan Tracker

Sorry, White Sox fans, but the window is not opening in 2019.

It could have, had things gone better in 2018. Yoán Moncada could’ve broken out for 4 or 5 WAR instead of backing into 2 and looking like 0. Michael Kopech could’ve stayed healthy and lived up to the hype. Any other prospect could’ve stayed healthy. Seriously, was Dylan Cease the only guy in the whole farm system that didn’t get injured? That’s ironic.

With Moncada providing more questions than answers, Kopech tearing his UCL, Lucas Giolito falling apart, Eloy Jiménez being held back, and a big ol’ pile of injuries in the minors, it’s become clear that 2019 is not the year. The Sox need another season of development to get the answers they currently lack, which makes pushing toward contention this winter a futile exercise.

Any moves the Sox make this offseason need to be with 2020 and 2021 in mind. In 2020, Moncada, Giolito, and Reynaldo López will have one more season under their belts, Jiménez will be settled in, Kopech will return, and the second wave of prospects will arrive in the majors. In 2021, Carlos Rodón and Yolmer Sánchez will reach free agency. Those two seasons represent the convergence of most of the organization’s talent, and hopefully enough players will take steps forward to extend the window well beyond that.

Of course, the two names on everyone’s minds are Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. I’m sure either of those guys would be thrilled to sign with a team that just lost 100 games, and I’m sure the White Sox would offer them enough money to do it, especially since they’re known for giving out blockbuster contracts. There are simply too many teams with too much money, too much existing talent, and too much TWTW for the Sox to even be a footnote in those negotiations.

My goal is to set this team up for future success knowing that the blockbuster is not happening, but hoping that they’ll go all in a year from now, when the time is right. Let’s get to it!

Arbitration-Eligibles

José Abreu – $16 million – TENDER

Avisaíl García – $8 million – TENDER

Yolmer Sánchez – $4.7 million – TENDER

Carlos Rodón – $3.7 million – TENDER

Matt Davidson – $2.4 million – TENDER

Leury García – $1.9 million – TENDER

The first four on this list are easy decisions. I wouldn’t blame you if you non-tendered Leury or Davidson, although I think they can both still be moderately useful players and their salaries won’t break the bank. If either has to be DFA’d midseason to give someone else a chance, so be it, but they stay for now.

Options

You already know how this goes in real life; James Shields’ option was declined, and Nate Jones’s option was picked up. Jones presents a tough decision, but I think that it’s wise to give him one more chance to pitch a full, healthy season. He hasn’t lost any velocity through all of these injuries, so there’s still hope that he can get back to pitching effectively.

Impending Free Agents

Miguel González (2018 salary: $4.75 million) – LET GO

Hector Santiago (2018 salary: $2 million) – LET GO

There are far too many pitchers in this organization to give any more innings to either of these guys.

Free Agent Signings

Sign RHP Nathan Eovaldi to a 3-year, $51 million contract.

After missing all of 2017 following Tommy John surgery, Eovaldi picked up right where he left off with a 3.60 FIP in 111 innings. He’s an above-average starter when healthy, and it’s unfortunate that he had such a great postseason because he’s no longer as under-the-radar as he was a month ago. I’m signing him for three years, although now I’m a bit worried that it will take four to get a deal done, so I’m upping the annual value to compensate.

Eovaldi issued just 20 walks this season, so he’ll be a great addition to a pitching staff that led the majors in free passes (653). He also generates a healthy amount of ground balls (46.8 percent career). Basically, Eovaldi should help to stabilize a highly uncertain 2019 rotation, and if he continues to pitch well, he becomes an asset to the team in 2020-21 or a trade chip to acquire help elsewhere.

Sign LHP Drew Pomeranz to a 1-year, $9 million contract.

The Sox already had one hole to fill in the rotation, but with Michael Kopech down for the count it’s probably a good idea to add another. For that reason, I’m signing both Eovaldi, a pitcher on the rise, and Pomeranz, a reclamation project.

Pomeranz posted back-to-back 3-win seasons before bombing with the Red Sox this year. He spent two months on the disabled list with biceps tendinitis, and the issue sapped both his velocity (90 mph average fastball, down from 92) and control (5.35 BB/9). He got some of his zip back in the second half, but the Red Sox bumped him to the bullpen after they acquired... Nathan Eovaldi.

Eovaldi and Pomeranz fill out the rotation, with Jordan Stephens the next man up out of Charlotte. There’s also a chance that Dylan Cease forces his way into the conversation, but given the nature of pitching there will always be opportunities.

Sign C Jeff Mathis to a 1-year, $2 million contract.

I really don’t know what to do about Omar Narváez. His bat is legit, but his glove does not belong at catcher. Like, at all. A guy who hits .275/.366/.429 shouldn’t feel like a fringe major leaguer, but that’s how much value he gives back with his defense. I gave a lot of thought to just moving Narváez to third base this offseason (hey, it worked for Brandon Inge), but I think the most realistic solution is to make him a part-time catcher, part-time 1B/DH. That will diminish his offensive value, but it will also limit his defensive damage.

Given Narváez’s limitations, Welington Castillo isn’t the right catcher to pair with him. I think keeping Omar as a catcher requires bringing in a defensive specialist as his caddy, and Mathis can be that guy. He’s a banjo hitter, to be sure, but he’s also an excellent defender. There’s a reason he’s continued to find work despite a career 50 wRC+. Oof, did I say 50? Well, ultimately he’s just keeping this spot warm for Seby Zavala.

Trades

Acquire 3B Maikel Franco from the Phillies for OF Blake Rutherford and RHP Jimmy Lambert.

The Phillies are looking to make a huge splash this offseason, and they can’t afford to wait around on Franco to realize his potential when Machado and others are there for the taking. At 26, Franco is still mostly projection because he’s yet to live up to his former elite prospect hype. He showed signs of life this year with a 105 wRC+, but his performance has been uninspiring overall, in part due to some conditioning issues. Give him a change of scenery, get him in the Best Shape of His Life, and maybe he’ll run with the new opportunity.

The Sox have such a ridiculous glut of outfielders and pitchers that they can start dipping into it a bit to diversify their assets and take a risk on a player like Franco, who has three more years of control. Rutherford and Lambert are expendable without putting the depth of the system in jeopardy.

Acquiring an everyday third baseman also allows Yolmer Sánchez to shift into a super-sub role, where I think he can be very valuable on a good team. If Franco flops, Sánchez can just take the hot corner back. This also means saying goodbye to José Rondón, but I don’t really believe his low-average power surge is sustainable.

Acquire RHP Stiward Aquino from the Angels for C Welington Castillo and $3 million.

I really liked the Castillo signing at the time. The only reason I didn’t include him in my plan last year was because I didn’t think the Sox would be able to get him. Of course, a midseason PED suspension is a great way to kill any goodwill with your organization and fanbase.

Moreover, as I said above, Castillo just doesn’t fit on this team anymore. Unfortunately, these factors combined give the Sox about as much leverage on the trade market as they had with Nick Swisher. I suspect some team that really needs help behind the plate will allow Castillo to don the tools of ignorance, but they’ll want to acquire him at a discount and give up little in return.

I imagine the Los Angeles Angels would take on Castillo given that their current catchers are a 29-year old rookie, a 26-year-old rookie, and Kevan Smith. In exchange they’re sending Aquino, a 19-year-old pitcher with a lanky 6-foot-6 frame who lost his 2018 to Tommy John surgery.

Other Moves

Offer OF Eloy Jiménez a 7-year, $50 million extension.

I don’t expect Jiménez to sign an early-career extension the way many young White Sox players have. He’s a star waiting in the wings, and the Sox done him wrong at the end of 2018. That said, a record-shattering deal like this might get his attention given that his amateur signing bonus was a mere $2.8 million. It would also spare both sides the “Work on your defense for two weeks” charade.

In all likelihood, the charade is still on. If it is, Nicky Delmonico breaks camp with the major league team and, barring injury, he’s the odd man out come April 12.

Get Matt Davidson on a mound.

Seriously. I don’t think there’s any reason that a team can’t lean on its backup DH to throw two or three innings in garbage time. In an era where relievers are more important than ever, converting a defensively limited guy into a two-way player and pitching him in low-leverage situations can spare the rest of the bullpen. It may even allow the Sox to forego whatever random junkballer veteran swingman they would need instead. It’s the new market inefficiency!

The Roster

Lineup

2B Yoán Moncada C Omar Narváez 1B José Abreu DH Daniel Palka LF Nicky Delmonico Eloy Jiménez RF Avisaíl García 3B Maikel Franco SS Tim Anderson CF Adam Engel

Bench

C Jeff Mathis UT Yolmer Sánchez OF Leury García 1B/RHP Matt Davidson

Rotation

LHP Carlos Rodón RHP Nathan Eovaldi RHP Reynaldo López LHP Drew Pomeranz RHP Lucas Giolito

Bullpen

RHP Ian Hamilton LHP Jace Fry RHP Zack Burdi RHP José Ruiz RHP Nate Jones RHP Thyago Vieira LHP Caleb Frare (Or swap in Ryan Burr, Carson Fulmer, Aaron Bummer, Juan Minaya, Dylan Covey, etc.)

Summary

You may have noticed that this team is not that good, but it’s a pretty big step forward from 2018. If things break right, they could push into the 75-to-80-win range, and that would set the table for a serious push in 2020.

This team’s payroll is in the neighborhood of $88 million, and only Eovaldi and Tim Anderson (and possibly Jiménez) have guaranteed contracts beyond 2019. That kind of flexibility opens up endless possibilities for next offseason, when the free agent market will be headlined by players like these:

Source: https://www.southsidesox.com/2018/11/1/18038098/michael-kennys-offseason-plan-and-plan-tracker

[astrologista]

Proper Caution (wip)

Universe : DCAU

Characters : Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen, Roy Harper, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake (the teamup that never was)

[I wanted to try to write a JLU episode that I felt was “missing” and would have been a great team-up opportunity. So because of that, this fic should be thought of as being set in the JLU animated verse. Basically, this whole fic is an excuse to have that teamup happen. This is meant to be a big multi-chapter thing that I’m not used to writing. I might post it up on AO3 if I ever finish it. Also this fic inspires me. A lot.]

Plot: Superman is off-world. Batman and Green Arrow (along with their ex- and current sidekicks) team up in Metropolis to take down R'as al Ghul in his attempt to regain a Lazarus Pit lost to him many years ago that is positioned underneath Metropolis, since some of his other sites have been compromised. R'as and Talia will show up to take back what's theirs. But, the Team will have to work together to stop their plot. Dick and Roy have to deal with Tim tagging along and Bruce and Ollie have to accept the fact that they're getting older, both themselves and their boys.

PROLOGUE On an uncharted island of West Polynesia...

Amid the acrid scent of incense mixed with the fragrance of juniper flowers, Talia al Ghul carefully supervised the excavation of a lost artifact - a Lazarus Pit, lost to her father about 360 years prior, to natives who claimed its powers were not meant for the use of man, or woman for that matter.

"Carefully. Clear a space for the drill."

Her command fell on most obedient ears. Expensive equipment had been procured, only the best for such a procedure, and brought a mile and a half beneath the island to this dark crypt lost to time.

Talia watched with a scrutinizing gaze as her orders were carried out to the letter by her father's retainers. They knew to be careful, at the cost of their lives.

R'as himself was becoming slightly more haggard by the day. Rejuvenation was available at the few Pits he still controlled, but R'as was convinced that the power of said Pits continued to wane with the passing years, making them less and less potent with their effects becoming less and less noticeable. A Pit that had had centuries to fester and bubble, he reasoned, would certainly be more potent - that, and he was never a man to lose something that rightfully belonged to his legacy and longevity.

Now R'as approached the worksite where his minions worked mechanically, without rest, to uncover the Pit.

"Progress, my daughter."

Talia dutifully answered. "Father, we are about to penetrate into the chamber of the Pit. "

R'as smiled thinly. "Then let us step back and witness this moment of glory."

The massive drill roared to life, sending a group of bats far above to squeaking and fluttering in protest. R'as watched with a marked intensity.

For several minutes, the diamond-tipped, ludicrously expensive instrument bored away at layers of rock and rubble. As the wall gave way, however, everyone present became aware of something else happening.

Great cracks appeared in the wall, spreading like a spiderweb of destruction, and soon a rumbling could be heard from above.

"Farran, cease this! Stop the drill!" R'as voice was like a sharp knife through the din. But it had to be said, else Farran would not stop the drill, even if the crypt came down on his head right then, unless he was told so by his master.

Luckily, he had heard this command, immediately shutting off the massive drill. Quickly, Ubu manuevered to his Master's side to ensure his safety, whether he wished to stay or depart.

Obviously, the sane choice was to leave. R'as wasn't known for being a sane man, but he was adept at survival.

"Father, we must go! This crypt is doomed!" Talia called, her voice of a controlled type of fear that comes with long life.

With a last look at the now unearthed Pit, R'as saw that its contents had dried up or been funneled away long ago. There was nothing of use here.

Another loss.

Though the crypt collapsed about him, pieces of stone ceiling falling from high above, bats screeching, floor shaking, R'as found himself stopping simply to know the feeling of this loss.

The same feeling that pervaded his senses whenever Batman intervened in his carefully-formed plans.

Always rage.

"Father! We must go!" Snapped back to the task at hand - survival - by his daughter, R'as swept away accompanied by Ubu to the secret elevator of the crypt. It would hold only R'as, Ubu, and Talia - no others were worthy.

Those minions would be taking the stairs. For a mile and a half.

--

Now on the surface, R'as watched as the crypt itself collapsed into the chamber of the Lazarus Pit. His Lazarus Pit. It left a cloud of dust like a smoke signal.

Rage.

Talia observed, "After the volcanic eruptions on this island 100 years ago, the underlying ground became unstable. Drilling into the inaccessible chamber resulted in failure."

Farran, who had been operating the drill, immediately fell to his knees in front of his master, begging for forgiveness. He was dragged away by two other ninja - his fate would be decided.

Talia continued to muse, "Father, you said there was another Pit that had been lost to you."

R'as' face twisted strangely. "Yes, daughter. We shall depart for it with all haste."

Retrieving a communicator from his cape, R'as spoke to his pilot, who had been hovering above the island. "Sarangul. Prepare for departure immediately. Our mission was a failure, but our next one will not be."

Talia knew that look on her Father's face. The one he used as he charged into battle, assured of victory. Eyes like fire, the fire of a Demon, the fires of Hell and the Demon's Head.

"Bring us to the United States. I have business in the city of Metropolis."

---

Ch.1.

---

"You've gotta be kidding."

Roy Harper must have read the mission briefing ten times. No. Twenty.

Going to Metropolis? That was cool. Cool city. No arguments there. Meet some chicks, see some flicks, the whole deal. The League would put him up in a sweet hotel, with a fridge full of free soda, and everything for the duration of the mission. Absolutely a sweet deal for being a reserve Leaguer.

And working with Nightwing? Awesome. Great guy, could fight with the best and was one of the few leaguers around Roy's age, so it was easy to find stuff to talk about in terms of pop culture, video games, martial arts, whatever. Just an all-around great guy, easy to get along with, easy to talk to, amazing. Nothing would be cooler than just hanging out with the 'Wing in a sweet hotel in a sweet city, if Roy had anything to say about it.

But just like anything in this job, there had to be problems. Three of them, to be exact.

The other members on the brief - well, one of them wasn't even a member, to be technical. Robin. Roy couldn't help but think it was a pretty weird choice. He was okay with the little munchkin tagging along, had met him a few times. Roy couldn't think of much to say about him other than that he was tiny and also a pain in the ass at times, basically the definition of a little kid brother. Anyway, it would seriously cut in to bro time if Nightwing had to babysit.

But apparently, that wouldn't be a problem. Batman was apparently on their team as well. Batman. The Batman. It made sense when Roy considered that they were going to be running surveillance on gang activity in Metropolis while Superman punched space robots out in the cosmos. But Batman hanging out in their hotel suite was awkward enough, without...

Oliver. Wasn't that just the cherry on top of the awkward sundae. The Martian man must really be out of line still with Earth culture if he thought this was a decent teamup to put together. But no problem, really. 

Just two young guys trying to prove their independence as ex-sidekicks, accompanied basically by their father figures and one seriously annoying brat who was way too smart for his own good. And who was also currently a sidekick.

The weekend was gonna be interesting, to say the least.

--

Roy wasn't really worried, but as a pre-emptive strike he thought it was only fair to meet with Dick and get some kind of alliance going, seeing as they were in essentially the same boat.

Metropolis' Hightower Cafe had free Wifi, anyway. He could easily stream vids and that was a pretty good deal. It meant he could watch the livestream of his college's graduation ceremony.

He'd graduated some months before, in December. It meant he didn't get to walk for graduation, but the ability to sweep out early and continue with more... pressing work was just too attractive to pass up.

Speaking of attractive... Shannon Haight was taking her diploma now. They'd dated for three months. She was a control freak, but God if he didn't miss the smile he was seeing now from his Ipad.

It was nice to be normal for once. Just hanging out with a cute chick, no commitments. Carefree.

The League was basically the opposite of that. But it drew him in anyway, because if he became a member it'd be much easier to get away from the stigma of the sidekick role. He could be recognized as his own hero. To his dismay, he'd only been offered a reserve position. The League's equivalent of a college's waitlist. Basically, the bench. They'd only call him in if they absolutely needed him, and it was only very rarely that they had any particular need for a non-meta. At least if you were a reserve meta, you had a chance of getting called in, say if they needed a bunch of firepower or water power and you had the goods.

But he remained only a last resort.

Nightwing was an amazing fighter. That was why they offered him full-time membership. He'd passed the tests with flying colors, apparently. But he only accepted a reserve position. After all, he had an entire, very corrupt city to fight for in Bludhaven.

Right now, the man himself was strolling into the Hightower, three minutes early.

Grayson grinned with the convivial knowledge of an inside joke as he sat down across from Roy. "Don't you think this is gonna be a fun weekend? I think this is gonna be a fun weekend." Roy sighed like a man carrying a ton of bricks on his back. "Man, can you believe? Free hotel suite WITH chaperones. And a little kid."

Dick shrugged with a what-are-you-gonna-do affect. "I'm sure they won't set bedtime too early." Then he got a bit serious. Dick was good at that, going from jocular to a bit serious.

"Look, we're independent agents now. Not their little helpers. They're pretty smart guys, I'm sure they'll treat us like the mature adults we are. They're not our bosses, anyway - they have no power over us, Roy. We can stay out 'til the sun comes up and they can't say boo."

Roy didn't look exactly convinced. "We're probably not gonna get any good action, you know. They're gonna end up taking it over, I'm sure. And we'll be stuck with the kid, probably shaking down schoolyard bullies and shoplifters."

Dick held up a finger. "Now don't go underestimating Tim. He's stronger than he looks."

"I'm sure he is, dude."

A little silence never hurt, in Roy's experience anyhow.

Dick was good at changing the subject. "How's college?"

"Eh. Finished a few months ago."

"That's cool, you get your degree?"

"Yeah."

"Dude, that's great!"

"Hey, thanks. Busted my balls getting this one philosophy class finished up. Pain in the ass."

"That sounds rough."

"Yeah, it was. Got it done though."

"Awesome."

"Yeah."

A comfortable silence extended itself. Roy knew they were... acquaintances, to say the least, but not necessarily friends to the point where they could maintain a comfortable silence for longer than a few minutes without it becoming uncomfortable quite quickly.

Roy's phone buzzed just then, which was kind of a relief.

"It's... Oliver. We were supposed to be at the room for meet and greet shit at 2:30."

"Time's it?" "2:31. Classic Ollie."

"We should probably head over there."

"I guess we should."

---

[Insert looots scenes here of Bruce and Oliver being awkward dads.]

---

[Pretty much a lot of the scenes are like this... Bruce basically forgetting that Dick and Roy are older than Tim lol. Also something happens at dinner in which Tim is a little shit and apparently Roy is his mortal enemy now. We shall call this the “dinner incident”. Also, there’s a running joke where Ollie is constantly calling Roy “Speedy” and not “Red Arrow”.]

[In this scene, I guess I was thinking that both Dick, Roy and Tim are temporarily banned from hero business for whatever reason by their guardians. Essentially they’re grounded.]

"So what are we watching?" Dick inquired.

"Oh, nothing much. Rented the Saw trilogy." Roy grinned.

"Pretty good. Wanna play a game?"

"Funny. Yeah, actually I do. Some COD?"

"Sounds good."

It was just their luck that Tim should walk in a few minutes later when they had gotten into playing.

Roy sneered, not having gotten over the Dinner Incident yet. "What'cha want, twerp? You want us to switch to Mario Kart so you can play?"

"Um, I've played Call of Duty before. Dick, can I have a controller?"

The kid was decent at playing. Bruce was right - he did have a tactical mind. He tired quickly, though.

Dick noticed. "Tim, go to bed. It's a big day tomorrow, right?"

Tim decided not to suppress his yawn now that his tiredness was obvious. "'Kay. Night, Dick. Night, Speedy."

"Sleep tight, kiddo." Dick had that stupid sappy big brother smile on his face again.

The kid left, presumably for bed, and they got in about ten more minutes of play before Bruce's voice rumbled quite close which made Roy flinch a bit because he didn't hear him come in.

"Are you going to be watching these?"

Bruce was holding the Saw DVDs.

Dick answered. As always. "Yup, we're gonna have a movie night while you guys go out. Have fun. Don't worry about us."

Bruce was looking straight at Roy as he spoke. "These look too intense..."

Dick cringed imperceptibly.

"...for Tim."

What a save. Dick spoke up, "Let me redefine 'we'. 'We' refers to Roy and I, actually. Tim's going to sleep, okay? Nothing to worry about."

Bruce didn't look happy about it, but he put the DVDs down, muttered "I hope not" and stalked away, leaving them be.

Roy felt himself breathe again.

---

[Insert more scenes]

[astralworld-blog1]

Donald Marshall (Wed. April 25, 2012) - UPDATE---> Well they got me last night bad, Elizabeth had me in a small room just off the concourse of the main arena of the cloning center, said so I'm a pig-faced smelly hag am I? smiling at me. I said "yes you are among many other things a child murderer a drunk a senile pervert and a remarkable pathetic loser" all said with a straight face, I was chained to a black wooden cross, upright on a wooden base, been there many times, she leaned in and bit me on my cheek growled and shook her head around like a dog, then grabbed my testicles and crushed them in her hand slowly, all the while shaking her retarded fat head around, snarling wierdlike. Trying to look evil for the others in the auditorium who don't even like her, I couldnt breath or scream just seized up couldn't curl up into a fetal position, was chained hand and foot to the cross,... then she let go and left the room laughing saying something I missed, was too hurt to register it. Then Phil Reece came into the room, said oh Donny she's furious, as if she has a right to be. I said leave me alone retard in a messed up voice, could barely talk, he said you called us heathen filthy perverts Donny, you said god hates us and your talking about us too much, I shrugged said its true and I have no choice but to talk about this, he started punching me, face head body just kept going then he had a bat and was literally smacking me in the face with it,... all went black, Ah I was whole again and in the main arena in a new clone, still shaky and messed up from the last death, couldn't walk or talk good for a while, when I could, my mother and the Cohoons (her married in family) were talking to me from the front row, just behiond the hockey boards, saying so Donny were a bunch of Gaolers are we? (Gollers Incestious pedophile perverts) The Cohoons think theyre celebrities themselves there just because they know me. Think I'm theyre link to the stars at the cloning center, so they were talking down to me for a while, the celebs don't even like them, they told them themselves, they think theyre some of the grossest human beings there are for selling me out theyre own relative (married in) the celebs like to think well yeah I do scummy stuff at the cloning center but at least I'm not like one of those Cohoons. The Cohoons came out and attacked me Gordon Tom and Tony ,brothers, step father and 2 step uncles, smashed me all up bad for "insulting" they're good name and including them in the letter which theyve done before. Then all went black again and I was on that cross in the main arena now, whole body again, and who was looking at me when my vision cleared MILA KUNITZ!!! Actress from that 70's show, "Go on Mila" Elizabeth said... Miss Kunitz was shaking and looking down, I said what the hell do you want you scummy little whore? Oh you gonna hurt me? what a surprise. She said I'm mad at how you said I look like a ring tailed lemur, saying my eyes are huge in your letter" I said yes I did and whatcha gonna do? your eyes are abnormally large yes and I included you in the letter because you hurt me WHILE I was writing it. So too bad bitch go back to your home planet, She brought a bat up and pointed it at my face, I said " oh my a bat" she was shaking as if she didn't think it was right, then Elizabeth said "Mila!" and she started smashing me with it vertically, hit right above the forehead then top of head top of head, and she kept going, all went black. Elizabeths ugly pig face apperaed then, around her head cleared and she said smugly, were not afraid Dun, we will be bringing you here for the rest of your life you will make the new songs or you will be tortured." I said nothing, was too dizzy and messed up from the hurt before, she said just kidding Dun, this was a grand finale smiling, were not bringing you heya anymore, your boring anyway, stop talking about us or we will bring you back for more. My hearts weak today. Help me spread that letter my friends or I am going to die. DOC2 (document part2) will be coming very soon.

they want me alive to possibly keep me going there for songs and torture, they can't shut down my facebook, they say there its free speech and no one will believe me, well thats what they DID say, most believe me now, they WERE gonna take out my fb but said no one will believe me, then they did and they said its too late anyway. They threaten to kill me all the time, but said I've done too much to be killed, I said all this in the letter g they aint gonna kill me they say, and the only thing that seems to bother them and scare them is me mailing the letter and the upcoming DOC2.

takes hours of consistant torture to kill someone dead in real life,... they had to cut up Bernie Macs guts for 4 or 5 hours before he had an aneurysm the next day,... they get me for half hour at a time, then talkie talk then hurts then talkie talk, make a song and get no torture, make them,... you would too... ever heard of Nazi tooth torture? it's not good. I think theyre just trying to make me think theyre not concerned with the letter spread, but they are, theyre frantic... and tell me when I make DOC2 they may have to kill me.

different people suffer different effects from clone torture, common are heart trouble (me) similarities to syndromes like aspergers or adhd add different things, some peoples liver quivers, they even put that in a song somewhere. They can mess ya up in lots of ways, David Thorpe this is all true most know it's true, why don't you? Told you my nephew is speaking out about them too at the right time, I'm asking people to give me and others low level members and then high ups polygraph tests, I'm constructing DOC2 which will be so long it will take days with my limited library computer access it will contain the names of everyone I have ever seen there what theyve done there to people as clones and in real life and other things theyve done technologies they have that do wierd stuff,... other than that what the hell else CAN I do, I'm a poor 36 year old man with no connections against the richest and most powerful people in the world, in the biggest most powerful corrupt cult the world has ever seen. I have no choice but to inform the world about them. Theyre torturing me, you'd understand if they clone stabbed you even once David. I have no choice, the only thing they fear is the populace knowing about it and polygraph tests. The police and Rcmp high ups all go there, theyre loyal to the crown... someone help me. It's true. it's all true and theres much more... it'll be a long letter , just the names alone will be pages. But you all will know everything I know. A lot of content. even though just the pickton murders should do em in. Some rich people went to picktons house and ate some pieces of the hookers on a barbeque just to see what human flesh Real human tastes like, because they have it igrained into theyre heads that to be evil is cool so the nerds walk around trying to talk like gothic vampires all dark and mysterious and evil n stuff, theyre rich and politically powerful cowardly perverts hiding in the shadows messing with cloned people and children,... makes em feel powerful, oooh evil slavemaster,... its just a technological advantage they use against people, no defence against it, no way to get caught, pedophiles paradise, seriously, and it must be stopped,... if I die writing DOC 2 continue to spread awareness about cloning guys, worlds only hope. Seriously I know it sounds heavy but it's true this is the time. Do something soon or be slaves to them forever, they can clone nearly anyone. People with Riley Day syndrome cant be cloned for some reason, wish I had that syndrome.

dont waste your time thinking reptiles demons or aliens, its just cloning, they LIKE people talking about the other stuff, even throw some bs out in movies and stuff to keep people thinking of the possibilities, make em think anything as long as its NOT cloning, don't have em asking questions about that. This is happening in the physical Dawnatilla, it's a place small sports arena, with small dome (I call it the diddle dome) they hate that, its isolated and I don't know the location, but Steven Harper does, along with many others,... half them there don't know where it is, just get cloned in as they call it. Speilberg goes there knows about me even talked to me about movies there and stories, because of all the songs, they started thinking I would be good at other things, everyone wanted to meet me there. If I couldnt help them or give em a good idea or story or song, they would literally torture me in different ways while the others watched, some cry some puke some laugh some masterbate, its bad and someone has to do something, they do lotsa other stuff, in real life too, then watch the evil video at the cloning center as clones... spread the truth about them to the four corners of the earth.

[directsportsdaily-blog]

The MLB Sucks!

Major League Baseball is slowly sliding into a pit of complete and total irrelevancy. You’d think the sport would be in a great position after the Cubs World Series win, however the MLB has failed to capitalize on the new found success of its once  beloved perennial losers. The league has continued season after season to lose the mind share of casual fans. I’m willing to bet if you asked the average person on the street today most wouldn’t even know that the MLB season has even started.

Let me start this discussion with my personal baseball opening week story. So throughout my entire life I’ve watched opening day for baseball on a Monday, but for some reason there were three games on Sunday that I had no idea were going on until it was too late for me to watch them. The next day I realize I can’t miss work in order to watch my favorite team the Tigers open things up in Chicago, so I plan a media blackout in order to watch the replay after I get off. However, weather caused a game cancellation. So that brings us to Friday, I have the day off from work and its Opening Day in Detroit. I completely forget about the game come 1st pitch and end up missing the entire. ‘Whatever there are other games to watch to satiate my baseball palette, right? Wrong. I checked through my entire upcoming television guide and there are no more televised MLB games on for the rest of the day. Heck I even found college baseball between Texas and Oklahoma, but no MLB. And this is the experience for me a former hardcore fan trying to come back to the sport and making slight efforts to go out my way to find it and consume it. Imagine what the experience is for the casual fan or someone attempting to get into the sport for the first time.

As the MLB struggled through the fallout of the steroids era, it has failed to establish an identity here in what is a very different world. We all know that the NFL has established itself as “America’s Game” and our new pastime stealing that title right from baseball. And the NBA has built itself on putting its stars front and center and turning them into larger than life pop culture icons. But where does that leave baseball in all this? It seems as if in the past 15 years we’ve seen baseball go from a solid number two position behind football as the top sport, to now there starting to lose ground to the NHL in order to hang on to the number three spot. I find myself hearing Conor McDavid’s name come up almost as much as Mike Trout.

The MLB has failed to establish stars out of its players, managers and teams. Let’s do a quick comparison to other leagues and their marketing. The NFL has it’s star quarterbacks like Brady and Manning but beyond that it does a great job of promoting great teams like the Atlanta Offense or the Seattle Defense. Why don’t we ever talk about big time defense units that bailout pitching for example? Who even has the best defense in baseball? I honestly have no idea, but I can tell you the Cowboys have the best offensive line in football. The NBA takes a different approach by putting their superstars front and center. But who are the LeBron James and Russell Westbrook of the MLB? Clearly Mike Trout and Kris Bryant, but those aren’t names the average person knows. There are so many marketable names from Noah Syndegaard to Bryce Harper but the MLB just doesn’t get it done in terms of making them household names. Heck Crosby and Ovechkin are bigger names in a less popular sport. Federer and Nadal, Spieth and McIlroy, Messi and Ronaldo, the list goes on and on of sports with bigger name stars than baseball. Taking a page from college sports, rivalries could help, but outside of the Yanks and the Sox, there almost are none. The Cubs and Cardinals have a small one and so do the Giants and Dodgers. But what if you’re a Mariners or Rockies fan? And where are the larger than life managers? A lot of them are actually still there we just don’t hear about them as often. They’ve muzzled to certain extent. We need more hat throwing tirades!

We’re knee deep in the digital age and people have the least amount of free time they’ve ever had. The MLB hasn’t  done much to embrace this either, however to be fair no league truly has. But it seems as if baseball has done the least in this realm. It is a sport that leans so heavily on tradition and that seems to be its biggest fault. There is a shift in culture that MLB has failed to shift with. People of Generation Y and X need three main things from the content they consume. They need it to be quick, easy to find and give them a sense of accomplishment after viewing. The MLB has failed to produce on all three of these accounts.

Let’s start with quick. One thing that has worked to save the NFL to a certain extent is the RedZone channel. Whether you’re a Scott Hanson person or an Andrew Siciliano person, Red Zone has become the number one way for many of us to consume football. So I want to watch all the big plays from every game as they happen. It’s the compromise many of us thought impossible until the NFL figured it out with Red Zone. Where is baseball’s equivalent? I’ve tossed around the idea with some friends of a thing called MLB Final Pitch. Wherein you’d get whip around coverage from every game going on at the time, prioritizing at bats where there are runners on and further from there at bats that are deeper in the count. How would this work in practice? Probably not well, but hey it’s an idea.

Moving on to easy find and consume. So unlike the NFL streaming games is relatively easy and hassle free, with a hard emphasis on relatively. Cord cutting is growing around the country as people are beginning to consume the majority of their content through the internet and many are quickly parting with increasingly antiquated cable subscriptions. Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are set to dominate living room time along with other video streaming services like YouTube and Twitch. MLB TV premium is supposed to be baseball’s way of not conceding to much ground in that area but like all of the major sports streaming services it falls way short. From the exclusion of local games to the ridiculous price point, MLB TV premium doesn’t do much to convince me to cancel my HBO Now in order to see the action on the diamond. People have the more money to spend on entertainment now than they’ve had in the past decade. However we live in a post financial crisis world and purchasing decisions tough. Spending roughly $10/month on Netflix or $20/month MLB TV premium isn’t a tough decision at all except for the most die hard baseball fans. This barrier to entry is such a turnoff for most people and throw in the fact that if you live near your favorite team (as many of us do) the games you want to see most aren’t available to you. And I’ve already explained how to difficult the MLB is making to watch games on cable lately.

So that brings us to whether or not you can feel accomplished after watching an MLB game, whether or not it was time well spent to see this glorified game of rounders. This is tough for baseball and there is no easy solution to make every 1 of the 162 games in a season feel meaningful. However, I think you can do it by shortening the season. Now hold on all you purists! I’m not talking about shortening the number of games. I’m talking about shortening the amount of real world time the season takes. I’m talking about a four month baseball blitz from May to August. I’m talking about dropping down to one level minor leagues, expanding major league rosters to twice their size and playing double headers almost everyday. Now it would seem like this works against strengthening the value of each individual game but if your team as made twice as much headway one way or another at the end of the day, it helps appeal to our ever shortening attention spans.

Now this plan would be dramatic and probably has a ton of negative externalities I couldn’t even begin to imagine. I realize baseball is a very stat driven league and that would screw that up because players would play in much fewer games individually and it would difficult to promote the games stars when you wouldn’t have the same amount of certainty that your top players would be playing in any particular game you’re trying sell tickets to.  However, here’s a few advantages for owners, fans and players alike:

More day and night games means it’s easier to schedule a trip to the ballpark around your schedule. Also for the growing number of us that work nights more day games means we can catch at least half the action from our favorite teams because not everyone is sitting at home at 7:05pm or 1:05 pm on a Sunday.

The MLB doesn’t have to compete with football and an August World Series would do way better in terms of viewership than it does now in the extremely crowded sporting month of October.

Baseball Managers probably have the least amount of impact of any head coach on his particular sport. Forcing an increase in the amount they have to consider player scheduling would go a long way in undoing this.

For fans of teams that are clearly not making the playoffs August and September are pointless but with the expanded rosters you could see more playing time for big time prospects coming up through the ranks. It gives more an opportunity to find bright spots in lost seasons and not have them drag on for so long.

Now I realize a lot of the changes I propose are drastic and I’m sure there are some half measure that could probably work better. However, it’s clear that change is needed in the MLB and fast. This is a key time for the MLB. It’s clear that given the landscape of sports right now that football is set to take a major hit over the next few decades as player safety continues to haunt the NFL. The NBA is skyrocketing in popularity and shows no sign of slowing down. And the NHL is starting to expand to new markets. The ball is your court baseball and stagnation is not the winning play call.