#The batfamily are shocked

[redhoneysugarorange]

I imagine that Danny at some point gets kidnapped for whatever reason to be a sacrifice for a summoning. Of course, he just says bet, and changes the ruins to the personal hotline of one of the infinity realms ghosts (I like the idea of fright night for the next part).

The bat family comes sweeping in, realize that that one b tier villain friend of Orphan is the sacrifice, and try to stop the ritual. Of course they're too late, the cultists may be knocked out but the ritual is set in motion. And this hulking knight-like figure appears. Of course they expect to see Danny get killed or something worse by the giant ghost spirit thing that comes through the portal riding a demonic alicorn and pointing a sword right towards Danny's heart.

It's the Classic Emotional heartbreaking moment as the batfamily try in vain to save this somewhat annoying but reasonable villain that for some reason Orphan likes. They've gotten to know Danny a bit more at this point, they know he helps Cass get out of things, and they know Cass and him has tea time where they bitch about their families. They don't want to see what happens when a villain who is basically just a more advanced version of their everyday annoyances get vaporized or possessed.

Slow motion shot as the large being swings down his sword, with the batfamily on the outside of the circle trying to get in. The sword swings down, and simply breaks off the chains keeping Danny on the floor.

Then the B tier villain hops up, breaks the circle with a rub of his foot, and the bat family hear him... chatting!?!?! to this spirit.

Danny: Ah yeah you know I hadn't seen you in a while Frighty and this seemed like the perfect time to do it you know? I thought you'd get to mess up some cultists but the party poopers stole that chance already sorry.

Fright Knight: A summons for a battle that I did not to get to fight, a disappointment indeed.

Batfamily member: Excuse me? Fenton. How do you know this... Spirit?

Danny: oh right you party poopers are still here.... I guess I should introduce you all.

*Danny gestures to the figure nearly three times his size* behold, Fright Knight, physical embodiment of Samhein and tormentor of Hallows Eve, the ruler of the spooky and the scary, head guard to the coffin of Eversleep, One of three battle coordinators in the Head Coucil of the infinity realms, um.... Am I missing any titles. Oh yeah, carrier of the ummm... Terror sword?

Fright Knight: Several missing titles, Phantom, and it is the sword of nightmares.

Danny: Ah well, say hi Frighty!

*The large spirit makes a sound that is reminiscent of bones crunching and screams shivering up the batfam's spine. Danny seems pleased anyway*

Danny: I've never seen him so friendly!

Fright Knight: It has been several centuries since my last visit to the realm of the mortal coil after my banishing. The fear here is different, yet the same. This city reeks of the cries of the dead. I would like to visit again.

*Fright Knight steps forward, to the sudden in battle formation bat family*

Fright Knight: Despite the lack of decorum it is always a worthy summons to meet fellow knights so well known in the realms. However, I must be off, I do not trust the coffin unattended. I shall see you mortals in the end.

*And then suddenly the large nightmare spirit is gone*

Danny: That was fun ha ha. Anyway are we done here? I have a house-plant-water-inator to work on.

Danny and Cass are Dr Doof and Agent P

So! Here's a simple prompt. Danny is a small time Villain who uses his Technical Mind to build batshit crazy Inventions in an attempt to take over the "Tri-City Area" (Gotham, Bludhaven, Metropolis). Cass is the Silent Badass who is stuck having to defeat him every time.

Just imagine it!

...

Danny: Ahhh, Orphan. What an unexpected surprise. And by Unexpected I mean COMPLETELY EXPECTED! *slams buttom* *trap springs up around cass*

Cass: ...

Danny: Now, I bet you are wondering why I have covered all of Metropolis in Aluminum Foil. Well. IF I am to take over the Tri City Area, all three Cities must be together! So, using my Fenton-Magnet-Inator, I will pull Metropolis across the Harbor and unite all 3 cities! What do you think of that!? *turns back to cass*

Cass: *holding the dismantled trap with a bored look on her face* ...

Danny: ...Okay then, fine, whatever. It took me all day to design the perfect trap for you and you dismantled it in 5 seconds...I'm not upset...

Cass: *sheepish look* ...want to fight now...?

Danny: ...I would like that...

...

And if Danny is Dr Doofenshmirtz, and Cass is Agent P, who would Phineas and Ferb be? I vote for Jon and Damian.

And Tim is Candace.

...

Jon: I know what we're gonna do today!

Damian: This will be entertaining.

*5 hours later*

Tim: BRUU-UCE! Jon and Damian built a Kryptonian Flying Roller Coaster!

Bruce: I'm one of the world's greatest detectives Tim, I think I would have noticed that.

Tim: *also one of the world's greatest detectives* ...dude...

...

This was just a fun thought I had at work, but I feel like it works well enough.

This could be a Romantic Cass/Danny, or just regular old Frenemies Cass/Danny, but either way I just really love the concept of Danny being a Villain and Cass being the Hero constantly sent to stop him.

(Maybe he is too competent otherwise? The other Heroes don't know why, but every time someone other than Cass tries to stop him he is suddenly Extremely Dangerous. Maybe it's a Crush?)

[ghost-bxrd]

Prompt:

After some very eventful weeks of Jason’s debut as the Red Hood he takes a well deserved night off and decides to crash in one of his safe houses.

He did not count on one of the Bats finding him there.

So to keep his plans from being torpedoed entirely Jason goes with the split second decision of pretending he was held captive by the Red Hood.

[bruciemilf]

We as a society need to take advantage of Bruce’s movie trauma more.

First of all, not only is he incredibly apprehensive about cinemas, he’d also be way too busy with Batman and single mom-ing to stay in the cinematic pop culture loop?

I wanna see Bruce who only ever watches recorded Gray Ghost tapes. Name any movie post 2001. He hasn’t watched one.

When the Batkids enter the picture, they hold a contest on who can inflict the hardest psychological damage. Tim tries hooking him on Mean Girls but Bruce is too scared of Regina.

Steph: Okay so, it’s her wedding day and she strategically invites all three of her mother’s exes to find out who her biological father is, but! They all just end up adopting her instead!

Bruce: [Quiet but excited clapping]

Dick shows him Twilight. The resemblance between him and Robert Pattinson freaks him out.

[undertheredhood]

any dc character: *confessing something about their past they kept hidden out of fear/shame*

their batfam bff who had already known for a while and is now desperately trying to hide that they knew the truth this entire time: “oh, wow! that is so crazy, i am so sorry you had to go through that.”

[p1nkshield]

Jason: (stubs toe) AH GAH F*CK THIS TABLE

Dick: Jay Language! You should be ashamed!

Jason: You. You taught me these words man.

Dick: (now sweating a little bit) Such foul language and now lies? You lie on the name of your older brother? I don’t know what I did wrong! Timber have you ever ever heard me curse?

Tim: …no?

Dick: exactly! You wound me Jacey!

Jason: you literally would party all the time and you once told this very table the exact same thing I just said!

Tim: … okay the joke was funny before but now you’re taking it a bit too far Jason.

Jason: WHAT? ME!?

Later he found a Polaroid of a younger Dick Grayson clothes in disarray, holding a bottle of tequila and dancing amongst several other people. Said photo has a note on the back that read “hope to see you again soon” next to a deep red kiss mark.

Jason: SEE I WASN’T LYING LOOK!

Tim: …This is really good photoshop! I thought you didn’t want to learn! But seriously can you drop this? You’re asking me to believe that the guy who calls me timbits did drugs. Its not gonna work.

Dick: (mouthing behind Tim) no one will ever believe you >:)

[snakeredbirdbatkatana]

Bruce loves his kids, even when they eat all his food , crash his cars, sneak metahumans into his city, hell they make out with random redheads in his Batmobile and he still loves them.

But his house is literally on fire and he is struggling to remember why he got children like there must be a way to return them he's begging any god for help at this point.

His wonderful children standing in front of him yelling screaming and fighting while his couch is on fire and for just one second he wishes he could go back in time and decide nope celibacy and no circus.

He's tired he's a vigilante he has twenty kids Alfred is on vacation and maybe this is why he opens his mouth. Which he would later realize was a mistake and utters these words.

I shouldn't have gone to that damn Circus

A

PIN

DROP

His eldest who was trying to pull apart his younger brother's turns tears already pooling in his eyes.

You regret me?

He sees his other children turn looks that would have killed him if he wasn't Batman. Jason's hand already on his holster. Knife in Damian's and Tim's bowstaff is out.

He rushes to his eldest Sweetheart no never I was joking I would do it a thousand Times over. No Dickie No.

Suddenly his children run faster than Barry god damn Allen. A smirk on Dicks face as he dashes.

Seriously B how do you always fall for that.

He should have Gone to Therapy

Shit the couch is still on fire

[frownyalfred]

is he solemn from trauma and unflappable regardless of the situation, or does he just have >50 units of Botox in his face at any given time; a novel about Bruce Wayne.

[nenehyuuchiha]

[hyperfixating-chic]

I don’t think the fandom talks enough about the level of culture shock Damian went through.

First of all, he was in the desert then moved to the frikin’ north in America. That child was *freezing*.

Second, he moved from a dictatorship like violence cult to a dysfunctional family. That child was confused and probably felt very out of place.

Third, he moved from most likely a pretty strict schedule (I’d assume it was fairly normal for an assassin) to the Bat’s insane ‘sleep’ schedule and an actual school.

(Please don’t sacrifice me if I got something inaccurate)

@damian-al-ghul-wayne

[violent138]

I believe that Jason's in built taser armour has gone off during hugs and nobody believes that it was a mistake at all, despite Jason's repeated insistence that even he wouldn't be that evil.

[nightwingsgirlfriend]

i hate golden child Dick Grayson. everyone ignores how ANGRY this kid actually was. We rarely get accurate dick grayson, all the teen titans shows have been so off on his personality (you cannot tell me they accidentally made the character tim and realised halfway through wrong robin) and the fandom sees him as "oh everyone finds him attractive + he's Bruce's perfect angel and Jason hates him because of that"

no he literally killed the joker.

why do we skim over that he KILLED THE JOKER. He didn't even know Jason; bruce was his father and he not only refused to kill the joker, interfered when someone else tried to but hit jason in the same way after he came back. His SON. But dick felt so strongly about a kid he regretted not getting close to that he killed a man.

and then if you think that was a one off

in that panel where he fully BEATS Bruce's ass in gotham war? served. ate.

people dumb him down way too often like he wasn't the first robin. you cannot out do the doer so they gotta drag him down to bring others up.

not to mention the fanon portrayal ignores the trauma he has from liu, mirage and tarantula. it looks at that and goes "ok! cool but he IS a flirt :3" he isn't allowed to grieve in the comics either because SOMEBODY (devin) won't let him because he "didn't say no"

and give jason his own friends DC please stop giving him handmedowns he deserves more (i do love him and roy i just wish they also maintained the roy dick friendship because it's usually one or the other)

thabk yoau and gooenight

[ghost-bxrd]

Prompt:

Actor Au!

Where Batman and Co. are the most popular TV series and they’re currently filming Jason’s death.

Only Bruce goes so deep into acting he breaks down for real upon the part where he arrives at the warehouse and digs through the rubble for his child.

[nyerusnova]

Glad to see that Tim being a giant Dick Grayson fanboy is finally being highlighted again, and sparking more discussion especially on their early relationship! (Please gimme more!!! I love them so much, augh!)

Probably as a result of that surge, there seems to be reciprocal chatter on the topic of how young Tim actually felt towards Jason, too. It's honestly pretty interesting, because it's more nuanced than it appears at first glance.

Which means it's very fun to dissect! ✨

There's a degree of subjectivity to keep in mind, because readers are going to have different interpretations of the same scenes, or will pull from entirely different scenes than one another to form their individual view on this topic. That's just how it is in comic book fandom, for many things! Regardless, in this case... if the scale ranges from the extreme of "Jason was Tim's Robin" to the other extreme of "Tim actually hated Jason [as Robin] or thought he was a loser that got himself killed" — the actual truth is closer to the middle, as is often the case.

At least, in my opinion.

Mainly I want to focus on those relatively early days with this post, to highlight Tim's initial(-ish) feelings towards his heroes, and touch on the point at which they really begin to change. This turned into a very long post, though. Brevity is beyond my skill, so grab snacks and water lol. Transcripts for each image will be posted at the very end under the cut.

So, the two storylines I want to cover are "Rite of Passage," which is rolls into "Identity Crisis." (NOT to be confused with the major crossover event "Identity Crisis™" which came years later, and is where Jack Drake dies.... But it sure is an interesting coincidence that Tim deals with the loss of each parent in two similarly named stories!) These take place before Tim is even Robin, and I'll be considering them as one arc for this post.

Detective Comics vol. 1 #618 (July, 1990) -- Pages 1 & 2

"When Gotham needed him, he was there. When the Batman needed him, he was there. He was a hero."

"One day, I'll be as good as Jason. One day I'll wear the suit."

To start off, we have this opening from "Rite of Passage." Tim is still in training here, mainly helping Bruce with minor stuff from the cave. His parents are off traveling, alive and well as of these next few pages. He's still bright-eyed and full of wonder. An extraordinarily weird but ultimately innocent kid.

So his view on Jason is positive and fairly simple: a hero, and someone to look up to as Robin. Clearly, Tim here doesn't think Jason was deficient in his role, either as a protector of Gotham or as Batman's trusted partner.

Moreover, Tim already held Dick in very high regard because he was amazingly skilled before he became Robin. To Tim, that's not something he'll ever be able to achieve. Meanwhile, Jason wasn't like that. He was a regular kid without crazy acrobatic training since practically birth. Yet he still went on to be a hero—which is obviously motivational for Tim who finds himself in similar shoes.

It's true that Tim only ever knew or thought of Jason as Robin, and idolized him in that regard. But that's kind of all that mattered to him at that point, because he was this kid who was utterly star-struck by his heroes. Even if he's technically aware of their shortcomings as people, it's overshadowed by the hero-worship.

It was kind of the same with Bruce as Batman at first. (Which was still enough for Tim to risk life and limb to help his beloved hero, before Bruce even knew his name.) Dick was the only one Tim had any sort of "personal" relationship with beforehand, so there is an extra level of attachment—and hence why it was the nidus for his obsession with Batman. Yet even then, it wasn't like he actually knew anything about Dick as a person until later. Until then, Tim's ideas of him were all he had, too. With Jason, Tim just didn't get to know him at any point before his return (oof), apart from what he heard over the years secondhand (also oof).

Ultimately, it's the loss of innocence—along with the ricocheting bullet that is the unresolved guilt of those around him—that begins to change Tim's perception. Not just of Jason, but of things in general.

Batman vol. 1 #455 (Oct., 1990) -- Page 13

"I know why they do it now. Why they put on the suits, and the masks, and go out into the night. They're angry, they're full of rage. They want to hit back."

Losing his mother was a major shift for Tim, obviously. This is right after the previous storyline, and Tim's had the worst week or two of his life (so far). His monologue here is a reference to what happened to both Dick and Jason. The unbearable pain of loss, the rage masking the grief underneath. And importantly, that he feels both of them were justified in their anger. (And Bruce too, indirectly.)

The major theme of the aptly named "Identity Crisis" is to mirror aspects of Dick and Jason and Tim's lives—to show how they converged onto the same tragic road. It's something that Tim notices early in the story, and was frightened by. Now, horrifically, it's become a part of him as well. His parents are gone, and he was entirely helpless to do anything about it. Dick was the same way, Jason was the same way. The cycle is repeated.

In particular, the part about him wanting to go to Haiti for revenge—for his mother—sort of struck me as being an intentional parallel to Jason and Ethiopia. It's a bit of a stretch, especially in isolation, so others may see it differently (e.g. the angry ramblings of a grieving child that does sound like something anyone might say). But it always stuck out to me because of how much Tim is compared directly to Jason in this arc. More on that below.

It's not something I can really give an accurate feel of because it's a lot of subtle things that begin to add up, so I'd encourage folks to read this arc themselves to see what I mean. (Or maybe you'll still disagree which is fine too lol.) Again, many things are in reference to both Dick and Jason in relation to Tim, but it's weighted more on Jason's side.

Batman vol. 1 #455 (Oct., 1990) -- Page 18

"You think my anger will boil over, the way Jason's did. I can assure you, it won't!"

Tim's grief has begun to pull away the veil of idealism that enshrouded his heroes in his mind. It doesn't apply only to Jason, but to the rest of them. Plus add the fact that Tim's keenly aware that he's being managed, even if the adults around him are careful to not outright say certain things. He still knows.

Bruce, Dick, and Alfred are all worried about Tim potentially turning into "another Jason." They (and mainly Bruce) caution Tim to not ignore his emotions, but they're still concerned that he may be overly eager to prove himself in order to cope, and could get hurt or killed as a result. While they aren't wrong for their caution—especially at how unsettlingly similar all the circumstances are—they aren't very subtle about the elephant in the room.

Imagine how that would affect Tim's perception of his predecessor, especially when he's in the midst of a traumatic event he hasn't had time to fully process. The negative association is pretty much inevitable.

Tim's known from day one that he's walking in Jason's shadow, and now it's become inescapable. Tim went from seeing Jason as a goal to reach, to feeling that unless he surpasses him, he wasn't going to be taken seriously by anyone. However, as of this arc, Tim doesn't even fully come to that point yet.

Batman vol. 1 #456 (Nov., 1990) -- Pages 14 & 15

"Drop-outs don't make it. And dead heroes are no use to anyone!"

It's really easy to take away "Tim totally thought Jason got himself killed" as the main thing here, but I think that's missing the forest for the trees.

First some context: Bruce has gone out on a mission to get Scarecrow, and expressly forbade Tim from doing any shenanigans. Meanwhile, Tim is grappling with wanting to prove himself and trying to help Bruce from the cave, all while trying to deal with his emotions. At some point, he falls asleep and ends up having like... exhaustion-grief hallucinations of Dick!Robin and Jason!Robin who confusingly caution yet encourage him. The main theme of this part is facing your fears.

Depending on how you want to interpret the intent of Jason's dialogue here, you could go several ways with it. Ranging from "writer's feelings towards Jason" to "a peek into Tim's mind as his fears manifest as visions of his heroes" or some mixture thereof.

Though Tim argues with Bruce that Batman needs a Robin, we're shown that Tim is understandably scared of joining Batman's "war." He's still not willing to let Bruce go it alone, though, and that's something he feels more strongly than his fear.

Meanwhile, hallucination!Jason's warnings are a lamentation of what happened to him in a way, but it actually exactly describes Tim's current situation even more so. Unlike Jason, Tim is under-trained, under-experienced, doesn't even have a suit of his own yet. But like Jason, he can't sit by and do nothing while someone he cares about is in danger. Tim knows that if he goes out there, he will probably get himself killed, and it will be his own fault. So he's about to disobey Batman's orders, and fly right into danger. If that got Jason killed, then Tim—who is in a way worse position experience-wise—has every chance of ending up the same.

Like... it's about Jason, but it's also about Tim. It's Tim's worst fears made manifest, via the representation of why he is even here in the first place (Jason's death).

That's my theory anyway, but perhaps this is an overly charitable reading of this scene on my end. (Not that I think that makes me wrong lol.) However given that Grant wrote both parts of this arc, and the beginning of which is especially favorable towards Jason, it certainly is something to ponder. I have a lot of thoughts on it I can't expand on here tbh but perhaps that'll be another post.

Anyway, returning to the point of the similarities vs differences between Tim and Jason: since this is the arc that solidified Tim as the next Robin in comic continuity, it makes sense that the writers really pushed the comparisons between the two of them, specifically. (Even though Dick was pretty similar, as going against Batman's orders is the Robin thing to do, it's not his shoes Tim is directly filling.) So making Tim's "debut" story arc mirror Jason's "swansong" is an obvious narrative choice.

To drive home the parallels, I wanted to include this panel from just a few pages prior to the "daydream":

Batman vol. 1 #456 (Nov., 1990) -- Page 9

"The suit is magic."

That so distressingly close to Jason's famous "being Robin gives me magic" line (Batman #385, page 6). Given all the previous context, it's hard for me to just dismiss it as pure coincidence. Even if it is, the point still stands. Tim is shown having the some of the same heartbreakingly naive views as Jason once did, right in front of Jason's memorial, just as he's about to go and run off into the night against orders.

I think that speaks for itself. There's a lot to take away from it, if you so choose. Especially given the context of that specific Jason arc.

Alright, back to the main course:

So in the end, Tim actually goes out in civvies and a ski mask because if he fails, then at least he wouldn't bring shame to Robin's legacy™. When he gets fear gassed saving Batman, it's once again both Dick and Jason that he hallucinates encouraging him to push past his fear. (Shout out to the fact that he's literally more afraid of tarnishing the legacy of Batman & Robin than he is of dying.... I'm sure this will not be a recurring thing for him in the future.)

Tim's ideology is shown to be similar to Jason's, and the actions Tim ultimately takes are similar to Jason's... but the outcome is different. And it really isn't just "Tim succeeded where Jason failed." At least, that's not what I took away from this. Rather, Tim had no reason to succeed any more than he had to fail, just that he did. Luck combined with caution because he knew what happened to his predecessor, and the fact that Batman was there to finish the job all made the difference.

You could say (and I know some will) that it's just classic Jason character assassination and the writers trying to implore readers that this new kid is different we promise pls don't hate us look how much better he is! But in this case, that feels like it undermines the whole point of this story. It doesn't fit with what the characters actually say.

Thus, we return to the question of how Tim felt towards his predecessor. And the answer is different from where we started, because Tim is different. Not that different though. Because even though at this point Tim—like all the adults around him—has probably attributed Jason "going off on his own" being what led to his death, Tim still thought of him as a hero to look up to. It's about Robin, first and foremost, yes. But Tim is fully aware of the people who made that suit mean what it does, because it's all intertwined.

Batman vol. 1 #457 (Dec., 1990) -- Page 20

"I mean--Dick made it into a symbol the whole world knows. Jason gave his life for it."

Even further, Tim thinks of it in terms of Jason having given his life for what he believed in, for the legacy that now falls to Tim. There's a sense of gravitas there. He's afraid of failing both the Robins who came before him.

Ultimately do I think Tim adored and loved Jason on the same level as Dick or something? No. It's not comparable. (Dick was like part of some of Tim's earliest memories and everything! They have a really unique bond ok.) Yet Tim was also far from thinking poorly of Jason so early on. Frankly, it seems that Tim thought of Jason as a noble hero and a cautionary tale. Yes he took risks and sometimes went too far, generally stuff that Tim doesn't want to repeat and all that. At the same time, Tim still saw him as someone whose legacy and memory was worth honoring.

It's complicated, which is why I like it so much—because it feels real. Having conflicting feelings towards someone is... so human. Especially someone you never got to know, yet who plays such an integral role in your life via the shadow of their death. How can you feel anything but complicated towards them?

It has to be said that, yes, Tim's views—even before Jason's return—change over the years. He becomes more jaded as a person and is surrounded by people who are even more jaded than him... and who often mention Jason as the "failed Robin." It's something that's hung over Tim's head all the damn time. The curse of the Robin mantle.

So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Tim's idea of him becomes more akin to "sounds like a skill issue" as the years go by. All bets are off after Jason's return, and the Titans Tower Incident™. At that point it's firmly "I am better than you, loser" lmao.

And... that's all without getting too into things like authorial intent and general "moods" of different DC writers towards Jason at a given point. Or retcons that played a role in his characterization and how other characters talk about him, depending on what "era" you're reading. That's way beyond the scope of this post though!

TLDR; even though young Tim Drake was obsessed with Dick Grayson as Robin, he still looked up to Jason Todd as well. He didn't think of Jason as a cringefail loser until later. :)

(image dialogue transcripts under cut ↓)

Dialogue Transcript for Image 1 (Detective Comics vol. 1 #618 -- Page 1):

Narration box (Tim): When Gotham needed him, he was there. When the Batman needed him, he was there. He was a hero.

Dialogue Transcript for Image 2 (Detective Comics vol. 1 #618 -- Page 2):

(Scene continued from previous page)

Narration box: But he was nothing special, really. Just a boy, who was taught--trained--brought to his full potential by someone who knew how. Just a boy... like me. I know I can do it. I know I can. One day I'll be as good as Jason. One day I'll wear the suit. One day I'll be a hero.

Dialogue Transcript for Image 3 (Batman vol. 1 #455 -- Page 13):

Tim: I hate him! I hate him! I know why they do it now. Why they put on the suits, and the masks, and go out into the night. They're angry. Full of rage. They want to hit back. They want to fill the hole that's burning inside them.

Bruce: There's more to it than that, son. Much more.

Tim: I know. It's just--I feel--like going to Haiti myself and strangling that creep with my bare hands!

Bruce: The Obeah Man will spend the rest of his life in a prison hospital. He's history. Forget him! But don't fight against your anger. It's natural. Accept it. Live with it. One day it'll be your friend.

Dialogue Transcript for Image 4 (Batman vol. 1 #455 -- Panels from page 18):

Tim: Because you think my mother's death has upset me too much. Well, it did. But I've taken your words to heart. I can cope. You think my anger will boil over, the way Jason's did. I can assure you, it won't. But that doesn't make any difference, does it? Why can't you have a little faith in me?

Dialogue Transcript for Image 5 (Batman vol. 1 #456 -- Page 14):

Narration box (Tim): Blast it! My head's starting to swim. I'm about ready to give up. I almost wish I'd never heard of Batman and Robin!

Vision Dick: Heroes never give up, Tim.

Vision Jason: You know that.

Tim: Dick--! Jason Todd!

Vision Dick: You're training to fight in a war, Tim. It'll last all your life. No matter what, you have to go on fighting.

Vision Jason: Drop-outs don't make it. And dead heroes are no use to anyone! I thought I knew better than Batman. I thought I could run before I could walk. I killed myself, Tim. Because I couldn't wait. Because I couldn't think it through.

Dialogue Transcript for Image 6 (Batman vol. 1 #456 -- Page 15):

(Scene continued from previous page)

Vision Dick: Think, Tim. Concentrate!

Vision Jason: You can do it.

Both: You can do it!

Tim, waking up: What--? Robin...?

Narration box (Tim): I must have been daydreaming. They're right, though. There's a solution to everything. I can find it! So here I go again... Whim. Caprice. Doing something without forethought.

Dialogue Transcript for Image 7 (Batman vol. 1 #456 -- Panel from page 9):

Narration box (Tim): The suit is magic. It gives you power. It hides your weakness. It makes you give it everything you've got. It makes you a hero. If only I could!

Dialogue Transcript for Image 8 (Batman vol. 1 #457 -- Page 20):

Bruce: Are you afraid of it?

Tim: No. It isn't fear. It's more... the suit carries so much history. I mean--Dick made it into a symbol the whole world knows. Jason gave his life for it. Failing them--what they fought so hard to build--that's what worries me!

Bruce: I appreciate that, Tim. That costume weighs a whole lot more than any symbol should... and I'd be failing you if I expected you to bear that weight. So... let me know what you think.

Narration box: A mask has a double edged, he said. It hides your own anxiety as it strikes fear into your enemy.

[undertheredhood]

bruce 'tired single dad' wayne: *lecturing jason once again on something he did during a fight*

jason 'theatre kid extraodinare'' todd who immediately starts fake crying on the spot: do you just not love me anymore?

[smilesheartshugs]

Okay so it’s like way to late for me rn but I had this idea bouncing around in my head for a while but I can’t wright angst to save my life soooooooo….. I guess I’ll put it here! (Maybe someone else can take this half baked idea and run with it)

So it’s like your typical Justice League Kidnaps the RedHood AU. But like this is early Read Hood. Like the bats don’t know his identity yet early.

Something is happening to make some of the members of the JL act irrationally or maybe some of the members wanna prove themself to what they consider to be a “better more membery member the league” (if I had more sleep I might be able to come up with a better way to fraze it but for now that’s all you’re gonna get from me, brain is running in empty sorry)

Anyways the Redhood is there in the tower for a while, the bats are away for something so are not currently in the tower. The red hood has a bad time there on top of an already bad week so by the time Batman walking into the Watchtower he just sees a kid crying for his dad and goes ballistic.

“Why is there a kid tied up and beat up in a chair?!? We’re supposed to be the good guys here? What’s going on? How could you have possibly thought this was a good idea? Oh my god that is a child!”

And that’s how Bruise finds out his dead child is alive again

Maybe one day I’ll right out a more thought out thought on this idea, though then again I really can’t wright angst satisfactory.

[kens-ramblings]

so ik i’ve seen a lot of hcs for what the batfam would listen to in the bat mobile and for tim a lot of people say that he listens to podcasts. which like yes i can see that but i also think if he is like podcasted out(bc i get that way so i think he does too) he listens to like cunty, trashy music in it. like they are on their way to a drug bust and tim is on aux and all the sudden you hear like ayesha erotica playing. and the goons are like “oh shit it’s spoiler!!! ,,,,, is that red robin????” so here is a list of artists/songs i think tim fucks w/ hard core when he is on patrol.(to preface he avoids pop-punk on patrol if he knows people will hear his music bc tim drake-wayne is known for enjoying it in my head so red robin is when he lets out the more suprising side of his music taste)

ayesha erotica(as stated)

kesha

mindless self indulgence

6arelyhuman

ppcocaine

slayyyter

conceited by flo milli

tia tamara by doja cat

lady gaga

kim petras

it girl- sped up ver by aliyah’s interlude

charlie xcx