#referring to damian as being affectionate toward his brothers like he is toward dogs is GOD tier oh my god

[necrotic-nephilim]

I love reverse robins oldest brother damian because I just shift his animal care and empathy onto his younger brothers LMAO. Tim somehow became something in the same category as a dog or beloved pet two toed ungulate in Damian’s mind and now he likes him. Doesn’t mean he gets along super well but I think rev rob damian would treat his younger siblings differently from his peers, who get the “what did living with Bruce do to you” treatment. And this makes growing up kind of suck because it’s not super sudden or overt but something about Damian’s behavior and how he treats you changes when he starts to see you as a grown up. Is that anything

YEAH YEAH YOU GET ME.

i don't think Damian as a strong grasp of familial love and so to make him the *oldest* means he has no one to guide him through it. sure there's Bruce, but he's... Bruce and a father is different than a sibling, especially a younger one that Damian is supposed to look after in some capacity. and he wants to love them bc that is what you *do* you love family and you care for them. but he's awkward at it and so like you said, it's very similar to the feeling of caring for a dog. Damian's affection is awkward, but it comes with hair ruffles and the softest "you did a good job" as he's cleaning a weapon bc that's the only love *he* wanted as a child. Damian didn't need smiles and hugs and laughter, he needed a firm hand to tell him they were proud of him, and only the most chaste touches that don't linger. so that's what he gives to Tim, then Jason and Dick. and they understand this is just kind of How He Is and it's the best you're gonna get with Damian. like, Damian respects his peers as equals but his siblings are younger and therefore he needs to Protector them. and to be Protector, you must hold yourself to a higher standard. it's never demeaning to them or viewing them as lesser, but more so putting a weight on his shoulders that he needs to carry. they are small and Damian has to care for them bc no one cared for him like this when he was small and he will not repeat that.

but when they're *adults* it's a brutal transition. bc then they are respected as peers and certainly still loved, but the Protector Instinct is gone. suddenly the kindness that his siblings are used to getting is replaced by him talking to them like Adults, which means he's *far* more scrutinizing of their choices. he argues with them, he pushes back on their plans bc that is how hero work is. you must leave room for no mistakes and he's never cruel about his corrections but he lacks the kindness he used to have bc to him, this is what respect is.

which!! i think makes the moving of the Robin mantle from Jason to Dick interesting bc it'd be Damian's way of seeing Jason as an adult. and Robin is a role of youth and so taking it from Jason is meant to be Damian showing Jason a *massive* amount of respect. he's saying that Jason has *earned his stay* and is ready to move on. but of course he doesn't explain this bc to Damian, it's an implicit part of the mantle that's simply how it works. he moved on when he was done with it and now Jason is ready to move on. but the shift isn't one Jason is ready for and it makes things painful between them bc to Jason, it just feels like replacement. he doesn't understand that Damian is honoring him and this is meant to be a gift, letting him move on from Robin.

it's just all so interesting and you're spot on. Damian has endless amounts of love and affection for his siblings but it's like a loyal dog. where he's protecting something vulnerable that cannot speak for itself. *especially* if this plays into Damian being very aggressive with Bruce about how the Robins should be trained and raised bc that is what Damian is protecting them from, Bruce. i'm of the opinion in a Reverse Robin situation Bruce would be an even shittier dad bc he didn't ask for Damian and wouldn't have the experience. they would clash hard and it'd build resentment, especially when Bruce takes in others. i feel like Damian and Bruce would have a cold war over who gets the most control over the Robins. like god i'm just so obsessed over how Damian would change as a head of the family.