Hello! I have not been posting because I keep forgetting. I'll probably post the next Bat logo in a bit, but for now I'll share how the Robin lineage starts in my project!
For a little necessary context, in my project nobody becomes a Vigilante until they're 16 (Bruce wanted 18 but Dick is stubborn and the rest of the bats are clever enough to argue for a standard age once Dick sets it), because anything else is child abuse and I really can't imagine Bruce or Alfred allowing that to happen. Before becoming proper vigilantes at 16, they receive training if they desire.
Anyways, point is this revolves around a 19yo Dick who is still Robin as it's his title but has left Gotham to do cross-country Vigilante shit, and has/is setting the Titans up with other young heroes he meets.
Dick was upset at Bruce pretty much coddling him for 3 whole years as well as being unable to separate their home life and Vigilante life, exacerbated as opposed to canon due to him being more trained and older. I haven't decided what exactly was the final straw, but it doesn't matter too much since it was a final straw and not a major singular breaking point.
So when Dick, angry at Bruce but finding himself, heard he had taken in another kid, he both panicked a little and was severely pissed that Bruce would take in another kid when he hasn't even made it up to his first one yet.
So, TLDR, Dick kidnaps a Preteen Jason to take him on a cross country Road Trip. They evade Batman for about 2 months, both as an act of spite from Dick and him showing off that he's very competent without Batman's help and even against him.
A lot of this is accomplished by Dick calling in his new friends to delay Bruce under the guise of a training exercise which leads them to think he's just super intense, and he doesn't hurt them for obvious reasons but he IS super severe the whole time so he doesn't exactly disillusion them of that notion.
Anyways, long story short Dick has a lot of heart to hearts with Jason over those 2 months, and comes to terms with being an older sibling a lot sooner than in Canon (because he's not as fucked up from trauma), and decides to train Jason as a Vigilante after realizing he's practically destined to be one.
Dick hands over the title of Robin to Jason, telling him that it's his family's name and practically adopting Jason then and there. Jason is very touched by this, because he's more than smart enough to understand the connotations, and gives Dick a name as well- Nightwing.
(The explanation I'm going for here is that it's a folk legend basically in Crime Alley about a dark hero who would save children, because this is a Batman project and the JL doesn't exist yet so Superman cant exactly have too much interaction with Dick yet. The explanation could be a time travelling super in Gotham or something, haven't settled yet, but I really wanted the narrative of the first two Robins trading names).
This is also the mini arc where Starfire is introduced, since I really like the idea of allowing Dick and Jason to do their first team up on this trip, and it sets up Starfire being basically a step-sister to Jason (Inspired by but greatly deviating from Outlaws), and of course her joining the Titans and eventually marrying Dick.
I really love this solution to the Robin lineage, since it lets the characters breathe and bond while still staying relatively faithful to their relationships and characters, but also allowing Dick to choose who gets to be Robin- because it's his title to bestow.
