(no subject)
Tim Drake
DC Universe
Age: 13
Race: Human
Codename: Robin
Location: Gotham City
He may not be as outright petrifying as Batman, but Tim is the one who turned Robin from just ‘the Boy Wonder’ into ‘the Legendary Terror of the Night’ in under a year. It's a reputation well-earned, for all that his own mentions of it are only ever joking. Focused, brilliant, and driven, Batman's newest protege has no problem fighting dirty if that's what the situation calls for, whether that means being extra mean in combat or trickery and flat-out cheating his way to victory. One of the only three people to have ever mastered the Leopard Blow technique - with the other two being Batman and Lady Shiva - Tim's not an opponent to take lightly, for all that he won't be making any of martial arts' 'World's Greatest' lists any time soon.
Overall, though, Tim is still just a thirteen year-old kid. Quiet but relatively cheerful, he’s an eternal optimist at heart, and though it’s tempered by a strong dose of realism, and he’ll always hope for the best possible outcome - and help it along, if he can. He has an unwavering sense of duty, and though he cares a lot about others (more than he really cares for himself, honestly), he doesn’t quite know what to do with big shows of physical affection most of the time. While he’s aware he’s bright, he doesn’t quite realize the extent of it: humble and self-effacing, he thinks it’s just because he’s a big dork. He's not entirely wrong about the dork part, either: his fondness for puns and lame jokes is, frankly, sigh-worthy, a not insignficant portion of his slang is both completely out of date and used completely unironically, and a number of his habits slide just past 'quirky' and into 'slightly baffling'.
Or weird. Weird works, too.
History A very young Tim Drake was in attendance at the circus on the night the Flying Graysons were murdered, having met the family only a few hours before. It was also the first night he ever saw the Batman - a terrifying figure at first, though he quickly became a hero when Tim realized he was offering Dick comfort. Years later, nine-year-old Tim Drake saw Batman again on the news, capturing the Penguin with his partner, Robin. Tim was shocked to see Robin do a quadruple somersault, a move he knew only four people could perform. It was the first clue he needed: from there, he was able to deduce that Dick Grayson was Robin, and that his guardian, Bruce Wayne, was Batman. Finding the evidence he needed to confirm his conclusion wasn’t all that hard when he went in knowing the secret already.
Tim spent the next few years following the Dynamic Duo, and he knew when Dick left to become Nightwing, and when Jason Todd became the second Robin. He continued following Batman after Jason’s death, as well, and seeing how violent and reckless Batman became only convinced him that Batman needed a Robin - and he knew just the person for the job.
Only problem was, once he tracked Dick down, Dick didn’t want it. The acrobat did agree to return as Nightwing, however, and brought Tim back to Wayne Manor before going to help Batman with Two-Face. When Tim figured out that Nightwing and Batman were in danger, and with Alfred encouragement and help, he put on the Robin uniform himself and went out to save them. He succeeded, too, and in doing so, earned himself the job, though only provisionally at first. Near the end of his training, however, both of Tim’s parents, Jack and Janet Drake, were kidnapped by Obeah Man. While Tim stayed behind to finish the hacker case Batman was dealing with, Batman went to rescue the Drakes. Unfortunately, Janet didn’t survive, and Jack returned in a coma.
Tim took up the Robin mantle officially soon after, once he returned from a training trip to Paris that ended up putting him under Lady Shiva’s wing and into King Snake’s crosshairs. His father did eventually recover, and Tim made a lot of new friends both in Gotham and outside of it. He also became the leader of the team Young Justice alongside Impulse, Superboy, and Wonder Girl, and their adventures may actually sometimes be stranger than the ones Tim has in Gotham. They're certainly a lot less... Fraught, anyway. Tim knows that he has a lot more training and learning to do, but it’s something that he’s looking forward to.
Writing Sample "Ma'am," Robin murmured, managing a small, comforting smile as he handed her back her purse. Her hands shook a little as she accepted it, eyes wide and face still a few shades too pale. The teenager shifted slightly, breaking her immediate line of sight of the two large men who had attempted to mug her, then gently turned and guided her back towards the main street, careful not to spook her further. Robin wasn't too worried about leaving the would-be muggers behind. They wouldn't be moving for a few hours yet. "Do you need to call someone?"
The woman swallowed, something in her throat clicking softly as she did so. After a moment, she shook her head.
"I don't - " she took a deep, shuddering breath, tears beginning to pool at the corners of her eyes. "... My husband's on a business trip."
Wonderful. Robin suppressed a frown.
"Do you live far?"
"B..." She sucked in a sharp breath. "Branson and 83rd?"
That was only a block and a half from here. Not bad at all. Robin nodded and tried smiling at her again.
"May I walk you home? I'm Robin."
She laughed once, wetly, and smiled weakly back. "I know who you are. I'm Shera. Carson. And - yes. Please."
Robin offered her his arm, depressing a small button on his belt with the other. It would send the alley's coordinates to the computer back in the Cave, and from there, to the GCPD. They'd take care of the rest. Shera sniffled as she took his elbow, sniffling a bit as she apologized, "I'm sorry; I don't mean to be so weepy."
Robin offered her a small travel pack of tissues as he led her down the quiet street. "You had a pretty good scare; it's fine. And honestly, you're doing better than some people - last week, I helped out a guy who had to be twice Batman's size, and he ended up bawling and hugging my ankles."
He gestured down towards his feet and looked up at the woman with a rueful grin. She was, unsurprisingly, a member of the large portion of the population who was taller than him. Even with his boots on.
"Guy like that, my ankles are pretty far down."
Shera giggled despite herself, expression easing around the edges.
"Wow," she murmured, sounding a bit breathless with amazement. "You're really real, aren't you? You and Batman both."
Robin smiled at her, and Shera shook her head with a sigh, dabbing the last of her tears from her eyes.
"It's so hard to believe," she admitted. "You can't be much younger than my son, and here you are, saving the city from lunatics and protecting old women like me from... From... Thugs."
"You won't ever be old, Mrs. Carson; you're far too pretty."
"Oh!"
Shera swatted halfheartedly at him, laughing in earnest. Good: she was past her earlier scare. Robin left the woman at her front door with a reminder to call the police with her statement and an overly-gallant bow that made her laugh again, then returned to the rooftops, heading for the industrial district to continue his patrol. The night had been quiet so far, but with Robin's usual luck, that meant that things were about to heat up.