ghost-of-ao3

[ghost-of-ao3]

Love that Tim Drake is the kind of person who's entire life is on fire and he's like yes. A list will fix this. And then generates the most depressing list the world has ever scene while like, 90's skateboarding shredder music plays in his brain because he's soooo nailed it and this is totally gonna fix his life this time.

[ghost-of-ao3]

The only thing you need to know about Tim becoming Robin is that he's the protagonist of a horse girl movie and Batman is the horse.

[ghost-of-ao3]

So this is going to be a list of Tim centric fics. To be clear I haven’t read very many of the comics but I love both fanon wet cat Tim and Canon feral jackass Tim. I love all the flavors of Tim and I feel like my fic recs will show that so be mindful. I’ll also try to warn for triggers as I list them but I probably won’t get everything so please please be mindful of the tags and keep yourself safe! That said here’s the list in no particular order.

The Definition of Valor by nerdpoe 10,106 words and 1 chapter. This fic is about Tim having been blinded by Ra’s after his Widower attack is forced to adapt and overcome the difficulties that comes with losing his sight. It’s a good mix of funny and serious and I personally adore the way it’s written.

The Blood on Our Hands by KelpieCodyne 8,207 words and 1 chapter. This one is about Tim getting blasted by a spell meant for the person with the highest kill count. I like how Bruce has to grapple with his kids morality and with the fact that many of them have killed before and I really love how his siblings step up and bring out their own problems with his strict moral code. If that’s something you enjoy you might like this one.

Loch & Key by jayburb (toothpasty) 12,514 words and 3 chapters. This one does have Tim being abused by his parents so TW for that. The fic itself is about a legend of Loch Gotham. It features Tim’s interactions with the Loch and the vibes are excellent. I really really loved reading this one.

In Service by smilebackwards 12,730 words and 3 chapters. This is about how Tim ends up apprenticing under Alfred instead of becoming Robin and it changes more than you would think. I really adore the interactions between Tim and Alfred and watching him learn from him. It also re-frames his relationship with Bruce which is deeply sweet because the man has an adoption addiction that can’t be stopped.

Baby Birds and Bat Caves by IzzyMRDB 30,113 words and 20 chapters. Tim goes into the cave system after a storm and it makes him weirder than he already was. It’s based on Welcome to Nightvale but Gotham style and is very fun to read. I adore watching how Tim interacts with the forces that be while the bats are panicking over a child running around Gotham and reporting on the oddities of the city. It’s just a good good fic. TW for Joker’s attack on Barbara and Jason. These are still mentioned and while I don’t find the references overly graphic others might disagree.

Growing Old with You by LilliputianDuckling This is a series with 12 works currently and 110,554 words. It’s a Timkon series where Tim and Kon are childhood friends with good father Lex Luthor, identity shenanigans, and just the struggles of growing up and falling in love. I really cannot recommend this enough if you’re a Timkon enjoyer. There is some smut in the later works and some of the vague homophobia of being 12 year old boys in the early 2010s era but nothing that’s like hate crimes, there’s also mentions of peer pressure with regards to sex but nothing happens. The warnings being said I really connected to the characters in this fic and it just felt very real in a way that was so good. This is probably my favorite Timkon series and like I said I cannot recommend it enough and no words I say will do it justice.

Where Bats and Birds Roost by Mouse_in_this_house this is a series with 26 works and 204,783 words. For warnings There is a fic in here that centers on Sexual harrasment, attempted assault and stalking all done by an original character, Ra’s also harasses Tim So for this series please be mindful of heavy themes in regards to sexual assault. There’s other warnings but I can’t remember them all so please be mindful of the tags and do what you need to do to keep yourself safe. I cannot describe exactly what this series is but it’s a focus on Tim, the Batfam and the Core Four. Tim is so Tim in this series, he’s feral and a little unhinged but also scarily competent. It feels like Tim coming into his own and building a home, building safety net after safety net and making his own. Meanwhile people are worried about him and are dedicated to trying to work it out. That and the Bats think there’s a new player on the rise and the Batfam has no idea it’s Tim. Just all in all a really cool series.

Damian Drake by InkpotSprite 6,962 words and ? Chapters. Damian gets told to find his dad without being told who it is and ends up thinking his dad is Jack Drake. I adore it when Damian ends up imprinting on Tim like a baby duck. This is very sweet and it’s very funny to watch Damian and Dick be at odds. Just a very funny lovely fic.

Alone Together by SpaceWall 22,908 words and 4 chapters. This features Batfam heavily and isn’t exactly Tim centric but I had to add it to the list because this idea for platonic soulmates changed my brain chemistry. Your soulmates are with you your whole life, as invisible forces. I cannot describe this one but it’s really really good.

The Threads That Bind by SpaceWall 5,921 words and 1 chapter. Tim is practiced in thread magic, when Jason attacks Titans tower he sees that magic first hand. I personally love fics where Tim has a special little thing that’s uniquely his, this one does that really well as it describes his relationship with his small form of magic.

Into the Brighter Night by shoalsea 162,894 words and 12 Chapters. This is a fic about Tim that takes place mostly when Tim isn’t there. It shows how his family and friends view him without him being explicitly present for most of the fic and it’s done incredibly like I’m still losing my mind over this fic. Young Justice is heavily present and is my everything. It starts with a threat against Robin and then spirals out from there. I highly recommend this one just showstopping. TW for sexual assault being brought up, it's not graphic but still be mindful.

Maybe with a Shift in Planets by SilberSkiesAtMidnigh 4,557 words and 1 chapter. For warnings there are mentions of Cassandra being abused by her father. This is a fic where Tim finds Cass on a roof before they are found by Bruce. I love how this is focused on Cass’ POV and how it makes sense of the world in her eyes. And I love the way she views Tim Just really lovely work.

To Eat Well by SilverSkiesAtMidnight 4,599 words and 1 chapter. This is a fic about Tim but it focuses mostly on Jason. When Tim is kidnapped the family is left to cope as well as they know how. Jason stress bakes. I’m adding this fic in for a few reasons, one it’s really good and super well written and two the focus is Tim being missing and the love and concern the others have for him.

Surveillance by smilebackwards this is a series with 4 works and 29,187 words. This is a Civilian Tim Au where Jason never dies and it changes things. This series is really good, I love Tim arriving late or early to the Batfam and this fic delivers it so well. Just because he isn’t Batman trained doesn’t mean he’s not competent and just really incredible as a character. A lovely series.