#like all these flanderizations of Tim are because his character served its purpose so well

[galaxymagitech]

The fanonization of Tim Drake is completely unsurprising and actually a core function of his character. Fanonization is often facilitated by particularly relatable or flexibly-characterized characters, often termed “blorbos,” who inspire the audience’s sympathy, recognition, and/or imagination. Considered in historical comics context, the character of Tim Drake—including his hobbies, relationships, and personality—was constructed to be perfectly relatable to contemporary audiences. Over the next few decades, Tim Drake was propped up as a vessel for both readers’ and authors’ projection. It is no surprise, then, that Tim Drake’s fandom takes advantage of this built-in “blorbo” and interprets his character in wildly different, often extreme, ways, ranging from “poor wet cat” to “cold blooded killer” to “the most competent neglected seven-year-old in existence.” In this essay, I will—