what do you like to hc about tim drakes childhood? like I remember you mentioning something about him stalking the bats at night being fun (I think) but what about his parents and stuff? And like just tim hc in general I guess:)
i loooove the hc that tim was stalking the bats as a kid. Mostly because it's funny as hell, and that it makes sense for his character. With how he shows up in their lives, i wouldn't doubt that he had been watching them or keeping tabs on them somehow.
HOWEVER... I'm gonna be a little controversial... I don't like his parents being majorly abusive towards him. For starters, it's not canon and feels like a cop out sometimes for the way Tim is. He is a freaky little genius, and he's just Like That. I honestly don't think his parents had much imput on that part of his behavior. He just turned out Like That.
But!!! I also recognize that Tim was, in fact, abused. It was a while back and so i don't remember exactly which comic it was, but i'm pretty sure at some point after his mother's death, Tim and Jack started getting into arguments a lot and it felt pretty emotionally abusive with how Jack acted. And in canon, the fact that Tim was able to get away with like, literally everything he did, is because I imagine his parents weren't keeping an eye on him
That's not to say he wasn't taken care of- Tim had friends, he went to a boarding school (at least i'm pretty sure he did), he regularly interacted with people and he wasn't physically neglected in any way. Emotionally? That's where Tim wasn't getting his needs met. They were gone a lot for their archaeology studies and etc, and so I hc that Jack and Janet really only had a kid because they felt like it was the most natural progression for their marriage, not because they truly wanted one. They love Tim, don't get me wrong, but they were pretty distant with that love.
I also hc that Janet was closer to him before she died. I think her having health problems and being tired a lot would make it harder for her to connect with Tim when she's actually home, but she would make an effort and keep an eye on how he's doing at school and with his friends. She has the healthier relationship with him, but Tim might not know if it's because she was that good, or if it was because she was never around to have fights with.
Jack also loves Tim (as evidenced by the fact that when Jack is finally seeing Tim on a daily basis, he takes notes of Tim's behavior and schedule, and he figures out Tim's identity as Robin. AND the fact that he sent a search party for Tim during that time Gotham was blocked off from the rest of the world and etc). I also think he takes pride in the fact that Tim is so smart and good with people. But I give him that flavor of father that doesn't exactly know how to put that into words or actions, and just expects Tim to know it. There's also the fact that when Jack was alive, there was some emotionally manipulative conversations about Robin, Tim's life, etc. Jack might have been doing these things as a scared parent and wasn't aware that this was what he was doing, but it was in fact still pretty fucked up and I'm sure it left a lasting mark on Tim
So in Tim's eyes, they never really talk about "I love you" and stuff, because his parents didn't really feel the need to say it out loud. I think they're not the mushy type or overtly affectionate.
But, you know. Tim's a kid. And as smart as he is (we'll get to that in a second), a kid who doesn't hear "I love you" often might... wonder. Because they're never home and he's always at school, and he only really gets validation from them when he excels at school or with higher society. (I'm pretty sure in the comics, Tim wasn't as high society as fanon makes him out to be, but I like the idea of Tim being a little higher up there because it adds to that air of distance and reputation.) Him learning "I love you" means "I love you, but from over here", makes sense for how Tim is. He loves his people, but unless prompted to say it, he sort of assumes people get what he means, sometimes. Not all the time, because Tim has had interaction with friends (I'll say it again, fanon lovers: Tim has friends both as a vigilante AND as a civilian, he is not isolated from the world), he's not oblivious to the fact that sometimes it needs to be said. He's probably much better at it than his parents.
That goes to say, though, that I think Tim also isn't the type to delve really deep into his emotions. Not outwardly, anyway. He's just like his parents, after all. I'd think he HATES being vulnerable. ANY sort of expression of weakness or failure gets amplified in his mind and he takes that on like "I am now the worst." He sees his love for both friends and family as something to give, to offer, and likes being useful in that love. "I love you, from here, and loving from over here means I have to give things." I think he hates crying in front of people, and if Tim is crying in front of you it's either REALLY, REALLY bad, or he just trusts you THAT much. In the comics, Tim says that he doesn't know his worth outside of being Robin. (More proof DC needs to let him MOVE ON FROM ROBIN!!) He sees himself as being his most useful, and most cared about, and most able TO care about others, when he is Robin. That's why he's so confident in his role as Robin, why he told Jason (not a direct quote) "I actually am better than you, bitch" when they fought at Titan's Tower. Robin is the best of Tim, someone who can't make failures, who was taught by Batman and seen as useful by people he respects a lot. (He also wouldn't dare make any besmirch on Robin's name for Dick's sake. Because that's his hero and big brother.)
And now to get to how smart Tim is, and why I love the hc that he stalked the Bats as a kid so much:
All of these headcanons for his family history helps fit into the most canon version of Tim, imo, and doesn't dull the fact that Tim is clever as hell. Tim was neglected by his parents, for sure. But he still was watched. He had supervision, they have rules at these boarding schools. Tim is the type to get around those rules and sneak out whenever he wants. Maybe it started as something to do to get his parents attention, but no one ever caught him because Tim was so good at escaping. And then he starts seeing the Bats and the hobby evolves from there. He goes Batwatching and no one at school is any the wiser about it. He gets photos and knows their patrol routes, he gets good at parkouring around Gotham and ups his stamina (I think while Tim might not be the strongest or the most flexible of the Bats, he'd the one with the most stamina and therefore, is the fastest fo them). No one even suspecting that Tim is gone at night, especially at a pricey boarding school with security and probably someone in charge of making sure kids at the dorms aren't doing anything stupid, makes Tim look a lot more clever and sneaky than a kid who just has to get around a camera at his family home.
And if you personally like Tim being at home more than at a school, and he actually is neighbors with the Waynes and therefore would have a pretty big house, his parents would 1000% have staff at the house. Bruce Wayne is strange for having only ONE staff member, Alfred, for a manor. The Drakes are well off CEOs that get to gallivanting around the world for their hobby, they know how to hire a whole bunch of people to take care of the big house they bought and "modernized." For large houses like that, you definitely need more than one person keeping an eye on it. So in this case, yeah, Tim would also be very clever to get around someone there at the house where there entire purpose for being there is watching the kid.
Tim stalking the Bats also just... Makes sense. Because I think Tim 1) broke into Titan's Tower BEFORE ever meeting Dick, 2) found out where Dick lives and met Kori there who was like "What???" 3) knew where the circus was when Dick went there to visit and investigate it, 4) figured out their identities in the first place. People often forget that with detective characters, you're gonna have one of their biggest traits be curiosity. You're telling me a really smart kid just found out the identities of Batman and Robin and he did nothing about that information until later? Baloney! For sure he was doing shit he wasn't supposed to! Tim Drake's biggest trait is also the fact that he has no self preservation instincts and is likely only still alive because 1) it'd disappoint/make Batman and Nightwing sad and 2) he's lucky as hell. Tim is a clever kid who likely thinks he's invicible based on survivor's bias or something like it. "Well of course I got out of that pickle, I'm not an idiot." Is probably his catchphrase
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