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alternis · 2 years

Text

okay I have had thoughts percolating within my brain about tim drake and his life going to shit like as soon as he stepped out of "normal boy" and into the lives of vigilantes.

this is incredibly rambling steam of consciousness meta bc I can like. Feel the thoughts I'm trying to express but words are hard and typing on a phone is a pain in the behind.

because: Tim was introduced and intended to be a counterpoint to Bruce, as they both had similar backgrounds, and yet Tim had no great personal tragedy compelling him to help others. he simply wanted to do the right thing, in his own clumsy way

but as SOON as he got involved with Bruce he started experiencing personal tragedies at an ever increasing rate. his mother dies, his father is paralysed. he copes. his father wakes up, they have relationship issues, things improve and remain 'stable' for a long while. he gains a stepmother, and a brotherly relationship with dick. he's still the Normal Robin, with school and parents and girl troubles.

but his relationship with his father suffers because he is Robin. jack can see the shape of the secret that lies between them and every time they seem to work things out, they fall apart again. is Robin to blame for it? that one thing Tim must hold back from his father, that his father can see being held back? Jack certainly seems to think so, judging by his reaction when all Tim's obfuscation falls away and Jack discovers his costume (hidden in the closet, something that won't gain any hidden layers of meaning for a good long time)

so tim loses Robin. he does not cope well with being fully demoted to civilian. it chafes at him like outgrown clothes. and the universe punishes him for leaving his role! his schoolmate dies. his girlfriend dies. his father dies and his stepmother is hospitalised until she too dies. his best friend dies and his other best friend dies.

52 happens. he goes away for a year to leave the tragedy behind and recentre himself. he comes back and cass has been brainwashed into being evil and he almost gets a friend killed.

and then Bruce dies.

the universe itself seems to punish him when he tries to stay away from being robin. and then, when he returns to robin he gets bad shit happen to him because that's what happens to superheroes and people who put themselves in danger. danger comes to them. this is a meta thing but, also, is a narrative thread across his life.

and to me it all comes down to one panel.

batman and robin are orphans. therefore, tim drake must become an orphan. the laws of the universe bend around him to give him the motivating trauma he did not have before stepping into his role. causality runs backwards. events happen because of their consequences.

the will of the world demands tragedy.

congratulations on becoming Robin; the red will spread across your body as the blood pools underfoot.

#this is also why on a meta level I'm not as keen on fics where they ramp up the trauma and issues Tim faced in childhood #there was definite emotional neglect there but no evidence of physical or financial neglect or abuse #and to me his life falling apart when he becomes Robin and due to being Robin is just a meatier way to tackle it #because he didn't choose the tragedy and loss but he did choose Robin #without knowing what that choice would lead to #tim drake meta #tim drake #my posts #I wish I could express this better bc its been floating around my head for days at this point #and I didn't even get into recent tim stuff which I do have thoughts tying this to post n52 and modern tim comics #and why his character can't seem to move beyond a Robin mantle #but again writing sucks and typing on mobile hurts my fingers

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