Do You Ever Think About Alfred?

Do you ever think about Alfred?

Do you ever think about the way that he's a safe place for almost the entire batfam, almost not everyone because he went along with phycological torture of Tim on his birthday?

Do you ever think about how Tim has no one he knows for certain he can trust, because everyone sides with Bruce?

Do you ever think about how if Alfred had told Jason and/or Damian not to hurt Tim, they probably would have listened?

Do you ever think about how half the reason Tim became Robin was because Alfred agreed, but if he had disagreed, has not given Tim the suit, Batman would have turned Tim away? Do you ever think about how the Robin's are partly Alfred fault, or how if Alfred told Bruce he was going to far, he may well have listened?

Do you ever think about how much control and influence Alfred has, and how much harm he causes with the decisions he makes?

Do you ever think about Alfred, and Tim?

I want to wear his initial On a chain round my neck, chain round my neck Not because he owns me But ‘cause he really knows me

suddenly struck with thoughts about the devastating concept of Jason Todd

because he was good. because he had a bleeding heart despite every reason not to. he loved school and was good at it. he was the first to be adopted, with little pretense of guardianship. he did everything he could to be a perfect Robin and live up to an impossible ideal. he only ever wanted Bruce and Dick to like him.

because he met Bruce in the same place and on the same day that Bruce's parents died--the single defining moment of Batman's existence. and he made Batman laugh. he hit the Dark Knight, Terror of Gotham, with a tire iron. he wasn't afraid of the man who turned fear into a weapon.

because he couldn't save his mother from herself, but he tried. because he was too good not to try and save the woman who gave him up. too good to play the Joker's game. the crowbar didn't kill him, the bomb did. he died knowing he wouldn't make it and tried anyway. he died a hero.

because other Robins have died, but none of them put an irrevocable tear in the mythos of Batman. because Jason Todd always dies, in every universe. he dies for the sins of his father. he was put to death by popular vote, sacrificed by the crowd. doomed by the narrative and doomed by the audience. the boy who only ever tried to prove he was good enough--wasn't good enough.

because he has every reason to be angry. because he didn't ask to be murdered, didn't ask to be brought back, and when he did everyone acted like he was better off dead. Bruce tried to kill him and nearly succeeded. he's blamed for his own death and blamed for his resurrection. he can never come home because the house is haunted by his own ghost.

because he's been the hero, the victim, and the villain. because his family and his writers and his universe don't know what to make of him. they don't know how to look his tragedy in the eye. and how can you?

it hurts to look at the hero who cannot be good enough, the victim who will only ever be angry, the villain who can sometimes be right. the audience hates to feel complicit and, in this exceptional case, they are.

A lotta y'all be writing Dick as this terminally lonely man with no friends like 3/4s of the DCU isn't fighting over who gets to be his emergency contact

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An AU where Bruce is a Meta, but his power lets him see a persons potential for becoming a villain. So no, this man is not just collecting children he is collecting children with the highest potential of burning the world to the ground successfully. He never tells anyone this, and while he can’t always curb there more…feral intentions, his kids respect him enough to not break most of his bigs rules.

It is a miracle among miracles that when Bruce got lost in the time stream the only one who really went off the rails was Tim. When Bruce returns he sits down with Tim and asks about his six months. What happened. I want to know what all you did to rescue me because you are my son and I love you but you shouldn’t have had to suffer alone.

Reluctantly Tim admits to teaming up with the LoA but also that he systematically demolished it from the inside out and garnered enough unintentional support due to his own normal charisma that half the remaining assassins jumped ship and settled under his leadership. He doesn’t really have plans for them outside of establishing a more thorough global information network.

Tim uses the empty shell of Drake industries to create a support network for the ninja’s under his care. He doesn’t know what they were paid before but if they’re working for Tim he’s giving them benifits and a paycheck. It helps that everyone thinks Drake Industries went under. What doesn’t help is that during his cataloging of company assets after his parents pass he learns his parents found a heaping chunk of kryptonite and now Luthor is trying to buy the company.

Dick is the one who actually does something about it after Lex sent one too many assassins after his little brother. He doesn’t kill Lex, but he and Barbra team up cause so much chaos to his company that he can’t focus on little Timmy at all or else he’ll fall to chaos. Yes some labs were blown up (Dicks work and probably some family bonding time with Damian or Jason). Barbra leaks all of their secrets to the web. It’s a PR nightmare.

Duke low key kinda ran a cult, which is a concern of its own, and Bruce is trying to make sure Duke and his totally not cult buddies have healthy normal teenager outlets to do stuff.

Steph while not officially part of the family is still on the radar because she spiked Bruces meter and also her dads a rogue. Like obviously Steph hates her dad but Bruce isn’t gonna let her stick around on the off chance Cluemaster see’s Steph as an asset and uses some chemical to make her comply. If Steph falls, Tim will probably fall and if Tim falls the dick will likely follow, and if Dick falls Damian will be right by his side.

Jason’s meter chilled out somehow when he came back, despite how angry he was when he came back, but there was still a healthy risk. So Bruce let’s him keep free reign of crime alley and makes him switch to rubber bullets and provides the support he can.

Damian was probably the lowest on the scale. At his core he’s a Soldier. Skilled yes, but he follows orders. He’s prideful, yes, but once given the opportunity to be a kid (and an outlet for the training he was raised with) that meter kinda just mellows out. Not to say Damian wasn’t pinging Bruces Radar, he just wasn’t pinging it as much as Dick and Tim always do.