#i love very many tim drake-escapes-neglectful-parents fics

[menokai]

There are several stories of this trope that I've loved to read and they remain some of my favorites. Mostly, I think my enjoyment of a story is not the premise so much as how well the premise is written. If the story is written in such a way that it draws me in, and I am hooked into it from the moment it starts to the very end? Fantastic story. I don't care if it was an AU or EU or non-canon or OOC or whatever else. If it can be written in such a way that makes sense and draws me in, I am more than happy to read it and enjoy it.

It is also that I am a huge sucker for stories of hurt that resolve with someone getting the emotional support they need, or finding their own families outside of the hurtful, damaged one they were born into - for reasons that are not at all related to my issues, not at all. Haha.

But I definitely agree with your interpretation of how Bruce's parenting was actually, canonically, just as bad as if not worse than what Tim's canonical parents were. Just a different flavor. Interpretations for the opposite very likely have to do with the predisposed bias we as people have towards our favorite characters and want them to be paragons of some traits or another. Not that I am criticizing that. I have read so many fantastic stories that change or remove elements entirely of a lot of the messy complexity the Batfam relationships have, and still thoroughly enjoyed every word.

The Batfam as a whole is also a very excellent vehicle of found families for people to use as methods of comfort for themselves and for other people through adjustments of an admittedly very messy canon timeline. (Tim's specific situation is also like going into a candy store for writers as far as having an existing conflict and juxtaposition directly against Bruce. Built-in antagonist, as it were. His position is in one of the most precarious parts of Bruce's life, what with Jason's death and Dick's estrangement. Bruce is directly in this time period with Tim, as alone if not moreso than when his parents died when he was a child, and we as authors cannot help but want to FIX and give Tim the childhood he deserved with a better parent - or to provide the means for these two to reconcile the trauma of Tim being that emotional crutch for many years. Safety and reconciliation that we may never have gotten or will never get for our own problems.)

I also agree that a child being the emotional support for a parent is an unhealthy dynamic that does not get as much attention as other unhealthy parent-child dynamics. Part of it is the fact that it is a subtler, harder dynamic to portray than something perhaps relatively straightforward, like physical abuse, or even gaslighting, which can be fairly obvious to see from an outside perspective. Though, it is important to note that the child taking care of the parent is a dynamic that CAN have physical abuse or gaslighting involved, since dynamics are always complicated particularly in messy familial situations. If I had the ability to write a consistent story on the topic that came out coherently, I might give it a go, but my relationship with writing is taking a raincheck.

Sorry for the bombardment! I got unexpectedly passionate about the topic the more I wrote.

Unpopular opinion?

I’ve noticed a running theme in Tim Drake’s backstory in fanfiction, to which he was raised by neglectful, albeit abusive parents. When in actuality, he was raised like any child of wealthy duel working parents. He was raised by nannies and boarding schools. Not ideal, bags the questions why so many of these people with highly busy jobs/lifestyles have kids in the first place (that’s a whole other conversation), but they were not these horrible people.

My biggest curiosity is not entirely with the characterization of Janet and Jack Drake in these fanfics, but how Bruce Wayne is characterized as a just, kind, present father who finds the Drake’s parenting as neglectful and abusive. Bruce Wayne would have been raised the exact same way, by butlers/nannies and private schools, if his parents hadn’t died.

Based on canon, Bruce Wayne is fiercely loyal to those he loves, but his obsession on his war on crime leads him to self isolate, neglect his children at most times, and draw them into danger to bring a grown ass man away from the edge of absolute insanity. The kind of trauma children deal with from needing to emotionally support a parent is not talked about enough.

Fiction is fiction, enjoy what you enjoy. I’m genuinely not judging, because fanfiction is to be enjoyed separate from canon material. I’m curious what draws you to this trope, if that is what you like to write or read!