#however sticking to strict gender roles- well that's progressive

[sarasade]

Seeing a Tumblr post criticising people who call their favourite male characters "babygirls" 'cause it infantilises and sexualises male characters in a feminising way which is misogynistic towards women. almost 13.000 notes in 3 days

I'm honestly kind of moved . I haven't seen discourse this silly for awhile excluding Twitter. Good job Tumblr. you still got it.

[b-splendens]

gender, marriage, relations, descent (culture stuff)

i did it. woohoo. unlike my magic system which never got off the ground

SO everything IS based on the family; birthing and raising children.

couples who procreate are ranked the highest, value/moral-wise. but it's more viewed as a duty than really a value judgment. no one really cares who you bang as long as you're discreet about it (and not extramarital about it) and MAKE BABIES.

there is an ethical loophole to this. in the past, monasteries/nunneries would be the primary adopter of parentless children. when the joseon analogue came into power, they forced most of these institutions to essentially adopt less and sort of give a monopoly on it to non-procreative couples (same sex, trans, etc). non-procreative couples essentially fill a vital ethical obligation to make sure that every child has good CONFUCIAN parents. surrogates are seen as extremely immoral and Not an option. They were used in the past infrequently, and usually were of the (abolished) slave class, and thus are associated with barbaric, historical inequality.

however, bloodlines and honoring one's direct ancestors is still valued the highest, which is why the joseon analogue royal family has never adopted outside of their own family and birthed their own children directly, whenever possible.

inheritance usually aligns with the eldest child, regardless of gender. descent (whose surname the child bears) is a trickier question. it usually falls to which side of the family would give the child more eminence, respect, etc. but instances where the statuses of different families is unclear then can be disputed. traditional ceremonies in the past have settled these disputes, consulting with shamans, or even getting the village together to vote on which family is just better. in more recent times though, it's been a personal decision between the couple.

couples have historically been seen as an uneven affair; one end of the couple predominates, while the other one is more subordinate, regardless of gender. it is a more recent idea that (gasp) the two could be on more equal footing.

gender is also a little weird. heading into marriage age (historically, adolescence), people would go through something called a "gender reckoning," in which they would basically cement their social roles. If they were trans, it would be either already affirmed or they would start officially transitioning. If they didn't want to marry the opposite gender, then boom. it is known, and matchmakers would adjust accordingly. most parents would want their children to just have children themselves, but forcing their children into self-repression was looked down upon; the anguish that would result was seen to manifest in harm against the community.

but after one's gender reckoning, historically, you would be locked. gender norms of appearances were extremely strict. even as women were allowed into all kinds of roles, they would be made visually distinct from men. gnc people were made out to be EXCLUSIVELY non-binary. and nb people occupied a kind of weird, almost admirable gray zone. they were accepted because they could still procreate like everyone else; so it didn't really matter what gender they actually were. and those who could not or refused to do so were given extra leeway to enter fields like science, more hands-on civil service, military service, etc—the thinking being, that if they can't raise their own children, they would "raise" the country as a whole. but whatever their individual understanding of gender was, they were expected to stick CONSISTENTLY with one form of presentation.

nowadays, what's progressive is the notion that consistent appearance does not equal gender, as well as the idea that "NO, DAD, I DON'T want to have or raise children and I don't have to!" Polyamory too is probably experiencing a resurgence (dunno). In the past it was infamous for causing succession/inheritance disputes and seen almost in romantic, mythical/medieval terms. Nowadays, with the slight breakup of the family unit and general disruption of society, inheritance is less important.

SO: to recap

no explicit homophobia, but rather, prejudices based on the idea of blood ancestries and the ethical obligation to reproduce that have been slowly eroding.

no terrible gender discrimination, but rather, some strict behavioral and mostly appearance norms slowly fading out.

a rather firm binary, but with an acknowledgement of the in between or outside.

lineal descent based on seniority and status (hierarchy).

room for all kinds of monogamous married couples, with an explicit superior and inferior half.

special culture tidbits: - gender-reckoning - descent/surname determination rituals

and bonus! - some compound last names (disyllabic surnames) originated from historical/mythical figures whose parents combined their surnames

[psychologyserviceannoucement]

I've Done Therapy Before and It Didn't Work

Therapy is a hard thing to go through. It’s success is dependent upon both the participation of a professional and the individual. It requires discussing and evaluating a lot of personal information that can be hard to tolerate, let alone put active work into. While therapy is a proven effective treatment for a variety of mental health conditions, the reality is that it often takes people multiple attempts to actually reap the benefit of it. That may seem like an oxymoron, but there are a few reasons why someone’s first go at therapy may not work out and why it’s still worth giving a second shot.

If you’ve ever gone through therapy before then I wanna give you props for putting yourself out there to begin with. It’s uncomfortable and vulnerable, but I appreciate that you gave it a shot. Moreover, I extend my sympathies that your efforts didn’t end up being rewarded. I can understand if that experience has kind of turned you off to the idea of therapy or if it’s made you doubt the effectiveness of it all together. After all, there aren’t many other medical procedures that have this same problem. If you go to a doctor to get a bone set, you generally expect it to work without a second attempt. It’s not a very flattering look to say the least. Even still, despite how negative those experiences may be, I believe it is important to consider why things didn't work out before. Because when I say that people often need more than one attempt at therapy, that doesn’t just mean that it didn’t work. It also means that it did work later on. So it naturally brings us to question about what made the difference between the first try and the third.

One of the biggest reasons people give up on therapy is because of the timing. When people are struggling, they can become desperate for any sort of relief. However, therapy as a treatment takes time. Without going into too much detail about how therapy works (see here for a longer discussion), the process is essentially attempting to work with a part of your health that cannot be observed through traditional methods. Instead of conducting tests or making measurements, therapists have to rely on a far slower way to gather information, talking about symptoms a lot. Even after they are able to identify potential factors contributing to the problem at hand, enacting solutions can also take time. Correcting maladaptive thinking patterns, for instance, can be an extended process of convincing a patient that the pattern exists, that it should be changed, and helping them make that change. That’s already going to take a few sessions to accomplish. Lifestyle changes similarly take some weeks to show the effects of. And that’s assuming the first attempted solution proves correct. As such, the typically recommended period of time suggested before you may start to see results from therapy is 3-4 months or 12-18 sessions. And that’s a long period of time, especially for some more severe conditions. It’s very common for people to get frustrated with the process because they are being asked to do a lot of work even though they aren’t feeling better yet. In fact, a large percentage of patients quit therapy well before it has the chance to show it’s effectiveness. So although the effort you put into treatment before was likely difficult and shouldn’t be diminished, it’s possible that things simply needed more time before they could work. On the other hand, by the second or third attempt people are more likely to stick with therapy longer. They also have the benefit of their previous experiences helping them to progress more quickly. So if you’re willing to try therapy again it might be a little easier than the first time.

Another obstacle people encounter is finding a therapist that fits. I often describe individual therapists as akin to a primary care physician, a general knowledge health professional that’s able to tackle a wide diversity of problems. However, while they may have a surface level understanding on many topics, any specific therapist is not going to have a deep knowledge of all of them. Just like other kinds of doctors, individual therapists specialize in different fields and are going to have gaps in their information. These gaps sometimes prove problematic if a therapist is attempting to treat someone with a condition they are not familiar with or cannot relate to. They have a lot of skills and tools that are universally applicable to any problem, but they may not always use them effectively. And that barrier to understanding can appear for a number of reasons. Sometimes it’s a lack of personal, academic, or professional experience. Sometimes it’s a difference in cultural background: religion, race, sexuality, gender, or so one. Sometimes they have certain core beliefs that are in contrast with yours. Some therapists are very strict and direct. Some prefer a more patient-focused approach where they have a more passive role. Not every therapist is a good fit for everyone. It’s entirely possible that the first person you saw just wasn’t the right person for the job. If you were dissatisfied with your previous therapist, I would encourage you to seek out one that specializes in the specific issues you are struggling with. Alternatively, you can seek someone with a similar background to you. I would go so far as to recommend interviewing them to see if they have views and personality traits that would compliment your treatment.

The last obstacle I would like to discuss is a bit more personal. I’d like not to come across as if I am blaming anyone for their negative experiences or accusing them of not trying hard enough. However, it is sometimes the case that someone may attend therapy sessions without truly giving treatment a shot. The thing about therapy is that it looks silly from the outside and there are still a lot of people who are hesitant to accept it’s validity. That is perfectly understandable. I do not expect everyone to put the same value in therapeutic techniques that I do. Unfortunately though, therapy depends on patient participation. Therapists can help you identify necessary changes in thinking patterns and lifestyle, but only if you allow them access to the information they need to understand you. Moreover, it is entirely up to the individual to actually enact the changes recommended. As such, entering treatment without an open mind that is ready and willing to adhere to the treatment can often become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you go to treatment, fully believing that it won’t work and letting that belief drive your actions, then it certainly will not. And that’s not to say that everything will work perfectly if you try hard enough. It will still be a process. Sometimes you will put your best effort into something and it still won’t work out. However, the only way to know one way or another is to try it thoroughly. I understand that those who are seeking mental health treatment are oftentimes not in a place where they are able to be very hopeful or optimistic. That’s ok. I’m not asking you to believe with all your heart that you certainly will get better soon. But I am asking you to consider if you really did give it your best shot the first time around.

At least those are some of the bigger reasons why people have trouble with their first attempt at therapy. It’s possible they apply to you, but I don’t know much about your specific experience. I can provide as many explanations as possible, but I can’t account for everything because sometimes things just happen. The truth of recovery is that it’s work, but it’s not like climbing up a mountain. Recovery is more like being lost in a forest. It can take a lot of persistence.  You can’t take three steps in one direction and decide that you’ll never find your way out.. You have to walk pretty far in one direction before you can really find out whether something is there or not. If that attempt didn’t work out, you’ll need to change directions and try a different way. It would be much easier if there was a simple path to follow, but it's simply something you’ll have to work on for a bit. Granted, things aren’t always a struggle. There is a way out. The forest doesn’t go on forever. It does stop eventually and there might be signs to help along the way to point to where that might be. You have your therapist as a guide to help you along and the longer you walk, the better you’ll get at navigating. I’m sorry if you feel stuck, or you’re tired of fighting, or you’re frustrated that nothing seems to be working. But hope is not lost. Statistically, you can still and likely will get better. Perhaps it shouldn’t take this much for you to get to that point, but it is still within your reach. Recovery is very much worth the work that it takes to get to it. So despite the obstacles, I hope that you continue to pursue treatment and put as much as you can into it so that you can find what’s effective and make therapy work for you, even if it takes a few tries.

For more information on mental health topics, check out our Index

[normal-thoughts-official]

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeHHDBpb/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeHHCTwq/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeHHUxHb/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeHHDxww/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeHHCtVm/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeHHCvo3/

She's hilarious but there's two videos where she starts to speak more mumblingly

ok first of all these are brilliant and i'm losing my mind and i love you, thank you for curating these to me.

i will transcribe them in a bit but i just felt the need to leave this "little" (it's long sorry) note:

as someone who's been raised catholic i just want to say that she is pretty wrong about almost everything she said about catholics, and i say that as someone who hates catholicism with my whole mind body and soul and who's been traumatized by this stupid fucking faith to the point where i can't get into a church without breaking into sobs dauihdasiuh. the catholic guilt is real but catholics are absolutely allowed to divorce and use contraceptives, and also have sex before marriage. the first one is met with some guilt esp from women altho honestly i think it's more due to mysoginist reasons than religious reasons, and the second and third ones are commonpractice and if you say that it's wrong and bad everyone will think you're a fucking weirdo

and even with the divorce thing, while the guilt is there (im pretty sure half the reason my mom doesn't divorce is because she would feel guilty about it, although again, i feel like that's got very little to do with religion and way more with internalized mysoginy), i cannot stress enough that divorce is allowed, almost everyone i know has divorced parents and they're all catholics. the church's official position is kinda weird (as of now pope francis basically said that it's "morally necessary" in some cases but he also referred to ppl who divorced and remarried as "imperfect", but like, it hasn't been forbidden for years, so much so that people get second marriages at catholic churches literally all the time, and i kinda feel like ppl overestimate how much ppl care about what the pope says. at least here in latam, cuz we've always kind of freestyled religion since it was imposed on us anyway, but like... in my experience the average catholic practitioner is INCREDIBLY less conservative than the vatican and i feel like most people don't even know what the pope says or doesn't say. and i'm saying that as someone whose grandfather almost became a priest and only gave that up because he fell in love with my grandmother, and he's been a ferverent catholic his entire life. also two of his kids divorced, one married a divorced woman, one is gay and living together without marriage with his divorced boyfriend, one never married, and one had two kids before marriage which necessarily means that they fucked, and none of that was ever a problem to him. oh, also, my dad had divorced AND he was a buddhist when him and my mom married. currently he is a spiritist)

i think it might be possible that u technically have to ask for "permission" to the church to remarry in church, but in practice i think it's more of a ritualistic thing than actually asking for permission, cuz i've never met a single person who had them say no. it was pretty much "hey local bishop guy so my husband sucked and we divorced can i marry again" "sure lol". obviously it sucks that you even have to ask, but it's nowhere near as strict as people seem to think

the contraceptive thing is also absurd. like i cannot stress enough that my family would absolutely flip if they found out i DIDN'T use contraception. that was always something that my family reinforced very strongly, ESPECIALLY my grandpa. i've never met a single catholic who does not teach their kids to use contraceptives. my high school was catholic (literally named the Holy Cross, fun times, although they didn't impose the faith or anything. in fact almost half of the students in that school are jewish, but like, still, there was a priest in the school board) and we were taught to use contraceptives, put the condom in a banana and the whole pizzazz during biology class

like yeah the bible says not to but it also says not to mix different fabrics and that doesn't mean it's actually a thing that's reinforced in most catholic communities doaihdaj at least not here in latam. in here non-catholic christians are actually way more hardcore about the puritanism rules than catholics are, particularly evangelicals, which are kind of overtaken the catholics' traditional role of being colonialist fuckers as they are mostly from the US so they come to further US imperialism through religion here. watch out catholic church they're coming for ur crown

and even outside of puritanism, "non practicing catholics" are absolutely a thing like ppl who are catholic but don't even pray or go to church, much less care about that shit douahdsaohj so like the stereotype that all catholics are like the very small minority of hardcore catholics is like the stereotype that every muslim lives by the ultra-conservative muslim rules. it's not true and it's stereotypical and taking the minority ultra conservatives to be the rule when they are not

there's also the fact that there are many different currents of thought inside the catholic church (a little bit like with judaism although way less flexible than judaism is), some of which are very conservative, some of which are progressive. here in latam in particular the teology of liberation is extremely popular (it's the one my family subscribes to, and i'm pretty sure it was actually born here in latam) and it's pretty progressive. for catholics, that is

and like mandatory disclaimer that i am coming from my own experiences with latam catholicism, which i feel is different from other catholic countries - my polish friends for example have experiences with catholicism that are a lot closer to those stereotypes than mine ever were - but since most of the catholic population in the world is brazilian (like me), and second place goes to mexicans, i feel pretty comfortable taking it as a ruler to measure general catholic practices

with that being said, however, the catholic church can choke and die in a fire as it is a symbol of colonialism first and foremost, its proselitism is one of the worst things ever, and even the progressive currents are still way too damn conservative for my tastes. i just don't feel comfortable transcribing something that i know is incorrect and stereotypical (and that in some cases is used to further oppression like with the Irish in the UK or armenian catholics, and i've even had some US-diaspora latinos hear some incredible things from gringos who assumed they were catholic, or, in their beautiful words, "had latino religion". but obviously in most cases catholics are the oppressors, especially here in the third world)

also, her assessment in the third video is absolutely correct. A/B/O IS just conservative gender roles born of christian and catholic imposition transposed to a fictional world where the genders have slightly different names, which is why i, as a rule, hate it dauhdsaiuhdauhda and even though the assessment that catholicism is thaaat much more conservative than other christian religions (it's absolutely not, it's Exactly As Conservative) isn't true, catholicism is still where most if not all of western conservative rethoric is born of, and ugh, it's so refreshing to see someone understand this and put it into words so well

so yeah keep that note in mind but anyway, transcriptions:

[Video transcription #1: in reply to a tiktok question, which says, "now i'm thinking about the catholic guilt that would come with it oh my god". user @Omarsbigsister is saying, "good morning", she then covers her mouth as she starts to laugh, before continuing, "I guess I'm the religious omegaverse tiktoker now. I did not know catholic guilt was more than just sex, I thought it was just about sex, but nO. people who are catholic, if you don't know, they get guilt over every little thing, they get guilty when they eat, they have guilt when, like... [dismissive gesture] they have fun... it's messed up *cut* [mumbling i don't understand, sorry] in which you HAVE to be bonded before... *sticks tongue out* *cut* and catholics, from what i know, uhm, cannot get divorced, so you can't be unbonded, you're stuck for life with that alpha or omega, and then you can't use contraceptives so if you have a heat or rut, good luck, you cannot escape it, and on top of that, they preach abstinence, right, so if you're having a heat or rut in your teen years you just gotta deal with it alone like you are not allowed to be bonded, so, that would be really intense."

#2: in response to a question, which said, "follow up question: if in the real world hijabis are women, in ABO universe would hijabis be omegas of all genders?". the user is shown stroking her chin in contemplative silence for a long time, before she says, "actually, both men and women have to wear a hijab, it's just more visible on women, but men also have to cover from like, the neck all the way down... so like when you see them [mumbling i don't understand, sorry] that's their hijab. *cut* Islam is actually treating men and women, like, fairly somewhat equally, so, I feel like in omegaverse alphas, betas, and omegas would all be held to the same standards, and alphas and omegas would also be held by the same standards but then culture would ruin it, just like western culture has ruined it. for your other question. 'would muslim families prefer betas more, and would betas be spiritual leaders', i feel like everyone prefers betas more, but then also Islam came to like, uplift women [a written note then shows up, which says, "like girls are seen as a blessing to have as kids"], so like omegas would be seen as like, a blessing to have as a child.

#3: in response to another tiktok question, which says, "fun fact bestie you cannot get divorced in the catholic religion even if your spouse is abusive and horrible to you so in omegaverse how would that work?". she replies, "the reason that Abrahamic religions seemingly fit so well into the omegaverse universe is because catholicism specifically and christianity, uhm, all the gender norms and all the cultural norms especially in the west came from catholicism and christianity, they were forced on people, and then you know, people might not be religious, but the norms stay. but now you have omegaverse which is basically just a bunch of like youth exploring the youth through this, like, werewolf fanfiction trope, using all these gender roles that you have in society on their head, so, really, what i'm saying, is that... omegaverse is just catholicism fanfiction"

#4: she looks at the camera and says, "getting islamophobic comments is one thing, but getting islamophobic comments that say that muslims cannot be in the omegaverse".... she then breaks into laughter for a solid 30 seconds

#5: she is shown reading out loud, in a mock-outraged face, a tweet that says, "about to murder tiktok they try to make Ramadan a 'quirky' trend. it's a religious holiday. stop it, get some help. /srsly /g.", then a follow-up tweet, which says, "saw a tweet saying on tiktok they are asking questions about how ramadan would work in omegaverse. i'm done with y'all, just say you disrespect muslims and go". then another tweet by a different user, which says, "i tried to read, i got secondhand embarrassment-" they then break out of character and say, "oh, that's fair," before going back, "if it wasn't ramadan i'd be boxing those people right now. those people should be ashamed to even think that way wtf". then another, which replies, "well i'm not celebrating it, so as a non-muslim, i'll happily box them". then, back to her normal voice, she says, "i really was just making a silly little tiktok and seeing that stuff really hurts... i'm just kidding, i can't keep a straight face. you like minecraft youtubers, what are you gonna do to me? what are you gonna do to me?"

#6: in reply to a tiktok ask, which said, "prince philip was an omega". she slowly films herself as she takes a walk, finds the nearest trash bin, and tosses the phone there, before putting the lid over the box. end ID]

[thedcdunce]

Red Robin

“At the end of the day, I have to accept that I can control everything, except the things I can't control.” - Red Robin

Real Name: Timothy Jackson "Tim" Drake

Aliases:

Robin

Alvin Draper

Batman

Mister Sarcastic

Gender: Male

Height: 5′ 6″

Weight: 125 lbs (57 kg)

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Black

Abilities:

Aviation

Acrobatics

Computer Hacking

Computer Operation

Driving

Martial Arts

Escapology

Firearms

Gadgetry

Genius Level Intellect

Investigation

Lock Picking

Meditation

Photography

Stealth

Vehicle Combat

Tactical Analysis

Throwing

Weaknesses:

Immunocompromised

Equipment:

Utility Belt

Redbird

Redboard

Robin's Motorcycle

Batarang

Robin's Battle Staff

Universe: New Earth

Citizenship: American

Base of Operations: 

Gotham City

Titans Tower

Parents: 

Jack Drake; father

Janet Drake; mother

Marital Status: Single

Occupation: Student

First Appearance: Batman #436 (August, 1989)

Last Appearance: Batman: Gates of Gotham#5 (October, 2011)

Abilities

Aviation: Tim Drake is able to fly a variety of small jets, including the one the Teen Titans use to get to missions.

Acrobatics

Computer Hacking

Computer Operation

Driving

Martial Arts: He can even keep up a conversation while taking down multiple well armed enemies. He's fought trained ninjas and assassins as well as mercenaries.

Stick Fighting

Karate

T'ai Chi

Aikido

Kung Fu

Judo

Escapology

Firearms

Gadgetry: Tim has invented a number of his own innovations such as his "bang-a-rang" flash grenades and his "redboard", a powered skateboard.

Genius Level Intellect

Business Management

Criminology

Disguise

Mechanical Engineering:

Multilingualism: Tim has demonstrated at least some proficiency in Spanish, Hong Kong Cantonese, Russian, and German in addition to his native English. He also picked up at least a small amount of French while studying in Paris.

Investigation: Tim Drake is often recalled as the most investigative and analytical of all the Robins. He is always listening, exploring and scrutinizing.

Lock Picking: The picking of locks was among the skills Tim learned while training to become Robin.

Meditation: Tim has learned a meditation technique that allows him to continue listening to his surroundings even when drugged to unconsciousness, though his grip on his hearing slowly slips. He has also learned a technique that allows him to slow his heart rate which allows him to survive grievous injuries he would otherwise bleed out from and be mistaken for dead.

Photography

Stealth

Vehicle Combat: Tim has adapted his martial arts and skateboarding knowledge in order to design a way to fight efficiently while skateboarding.

Tactical Analysis

Throwing

Weaknesses

Immunocompromised: Tim lost his spleen in a confrontation.

Equipment

Utility Belt

Redbird

Redboard

Robin's Motorcycle

Batarang

Robin's Battle Staff

Personality

Tim Drake is extremely passionate and dedicated, having taken up crime-fighting willingly as a vocation. His parents later died during his career, but he was the first vigilante to become Robin with a stable home life. He has made it clear that although Bruce Wayne has qualities he aspires to, he does not want to be Bruce Wayne.

Romantic Relationships

Ariana Dzerchenko

Lynx

Secret

Stephanie Brown

Tamara Fox

Wonder Girl: She was not attached with Robin, but there is attraction between the two. When they were grieving over Superboy's death, they shared a brief kiss before Wonder Girl ran away crying.

Zoanne Wilkins: She is a classmate of Tim's who reveals feelings for him when he's kidnapped. Their first date at a restaurant is promising, and Tim turns down helping Batman to spend time with her. However, she breaks up with him because he is emotionally distant and not ready for a relationship.

History

Tim Drake is a vigilante and member of the Batman Family. He became the third Robin at a young age, succeeding Jason Todd as Batman's sidekick. Eventually, he would be forced to give up the identity of Robin and begin wearing the costume of Red Robin when he was replaced by Damian Wayne.

Origin

Timothy Drake was the only son of Jack and Janet Drake and he was raised in a wealthy household. As a small boy, Tim was taken to Haly's Circus, where he met Dick Grayson and the Flying Graysons, the same day of their deaths, which he witnessed and could never forget. Some years later, he saw footage of Batman and Robin apprehending the Penguin and he noticed Robin's acrobatics, which reminded him of Dick Grayson. Making use of impressive deductive abilities, Tim learned the truth behind Batman and Robin and he followed their careers very closely.

Tim Drake became aware of Grayson's change of identity to Nightwing and Jason Todd becoming the second Robin. After the death of Jason and at the age of 13, Tim noticed a change in Batman's personality and he went on a quest to reunite Batman and Nightwing, hoping to return the Dynamic Duo back to basics. When Dick refused to become Robin, Tim adopted the identity, despite Batman's refusal. However, after proving vital in the capture of Two-Face, Bruce agreed to train Tim to become the new Robin.

His chance came when he learned that Nightwing had left the Titans for a short time in order to find himself. So Tim followed Dick and convinced him that Batman needed help. Grayson then took Tim to the Batcave and left, as Nightwing, to help Batman deal with the vile Two-Face. Alfred Pennyworth insinuated that Tim was brought to the Batcave to help Batman as the new Robin. But with Clayface on the loose, Tim and Alfred became worried about the safety of Batman and Nightwing, and went out to help them.

Tim donned the costume of Robin and, with the help of Alfred, managed to rescue them. Batman accepted Tim as the new Robin on a trial basis. He trained over several months, first with Alfred, then Batman, and finally, Nightwing.

The Obeah Man captured Tim's parents during a trip to the Caribbean. Janet died in the resulting conflict, and Jack was left with paralysis, despite Batman's help. He now required the care of a nurse/physical therapist, Dana Winters.

After assisting in the defeat of Scarecrow, Batman finally deemed Tim was ready to fulfill his role as the new Robin. He was given a new costume that set him apart from the previous Robins.

Starting on the Path

Tim had his doubts about becoming the new Robin, but Bruce told him that he had every confidence in Tim being his new partner. Bruce also confided in Tim that he was looking for someone with smarts, not just guts, and Tim had that and more. All that was necessary was for Tim to go through some intensive training before taking to the streets in Gotham. This would involve a tour overseas, helping Tim understand who he was in addition to learning how to be a great fighter.

His first stop was Paris, to learn from Rahul Lama, a Chinese martial arts master. In Paris, Tim crossed paths with some thugs working for King Snake, who was himself being shadowed by Lady Shiva. Shiva actually joined with Robin and a man named Clyde Rawlins to help take down King Snake's heroin trafficking in the area. It was not that Shiva was opposed to it for any moral reason, she simply wished to learn for herself if King Snake was truly as dangerous as rumors made him out to be; a good challenge for her talents. Together, they discovered that King Snake was interested in more than just drugs: he was going into chemical weapons and manufacturing his own bubonic plague. They followed the trail to Hong Kong, and whilst there, Shiva continued to train with Robin and it was during this time that he acquired his collapsible fighting staff. King Snake's plan was to unleash his plague into Hong Kong so as to leave it a rotting cesspool before the Chinese reclaimed it from the British. The team split up when they breached his lair. Clyde found him first and was quickly killed by Snake. Robin managed to defeat him, but refused to kill him when Shiva ordered him to. He returned to Gotham, ready to take his place alongside the Batman.

Tim distinguished himself from Jason Todd by being far more reserved in temperament and from Dick Grayson by being more cerebral a detective and less a great acrobat. Whereas Dick had been brought up from a very early age to be acrobatic, Tim had to work hard for it. He proved himself more than capable of holding his own alongside the Batman. However, Batman did have strict orders with Tim--whenever Tim came across a known killer, he was supposed to withdraw and summon help. Tim also started dating a classmate around, this time, a young girl named Ariana Dzerchenko, who was the daughter of Russian immigrants.

Knightfall

On his new role as Robin, Tim fought with Batman during Bruce's most weak moment. He assisted Batman stopping the False Face Society from continuing the arson attacks on Wayne Enterprises' buildings and he helped on the rescue of Lucius Fox from Black Mask. During those days, he took his father, Jack, to his therapy sessions with Dr. Kinsolving. At night, Robin helped Batman after the fight he had against Metalhead.

Bruce assigned Robin to train Jean Paul Valley and together they captured a gang that was stealing from Wayne Enterprises. Robin and Azrael stopped a couple more crimes in progress and later along with Batman, they managed to save Lucius Fox from Cypher and captured the criminal. When Killer Croc reappeared in Gotham, Bruce was out of action and Tim gave Jean-Paul the Batsuit so they could fight Croc. However, Bane appeared and defeated Croc, leaving Robin with an injured Jean-Paul.

Tim was in Gotham City when Bane broke open Arkham Asylum, unleashing nearly every inmate into the city, and was the first to suggest to Batman that Bane was responsible. He set out with the Batman at first, and initially they had some good progress busting up the Mad Hatter's tea party and bringing in a half dozen or so thugs along with him, however they got separated when Robin decided to pursue Bird while Batman went after The Ventriloquist. Robin joined Batman again at the girls' school where Mr. Zsasz held many students hostages. Batman sent him away and Tim spotted Talon again and decided to keep track of the animal this time. Later, Robin was briefly captured by Bane but managed to escape thanks to Killer Croc. Tim then did some detective work regarding Firefly, but a physically and emotionally drained Batman ordered him to stay in the Batcave while he took on Firefly by himself. Tim saw some action when Riddler held a live TV show hostage and helped to apprehend the self-appointed Prince of Puzzles. During one last mission, Robin tried to help Bruce against Two-Face, but Bruce denied Tim the chance. However, Robin and Alfred went looking for Two-Face and they found him during Batman's time of need. Together they managed to capture the villain and Batman was grateful that Robin decided to join.

Later, Tim was safe at home when Alfred knocked on his door, asking for help as Bruce was being brutally beaten by Bane. Tim joined Alfred and Jean-Paul to rescue Batman after Bane broke his back and threw him from a rooftop in downtown Gotham. They acquired an ambulance and took Bruce back to the Batcave. Later, Robin contacted Jim Gordon to get some medicine that Bruce needed and waited from Bruce to recover.

As soon as Bruce recovered his consciousness, Tim was asked to give Jean-Paul the mantle of the Bat, as Gotham was in dire need of Batman. Unfortunately, Robin realized that Jean-Paul became brutal and driven, but he could do nothing to restrain him. While they were out on a mission, Robin was dragged along to witness Jean-Paul's newfound brutality and for this reason, he was not present at the time when his father, Jack and Dr. Kinsolving were kidnapped from Drake Manor. Robin assisted Jean-Paul against some of Bane's henchmen, but after their failed mission, Tim finally learned about his father's disappearance and Bruce's efforts to bring him back. Tim tried to reason with Jean-Paul once again, but all he managed was to get pushed away from the crime-fighting team. Later, Robin found Jean-Paul's designs for the new batsuit and he tracked him down to the place where he and Bane were fighting. After saving the passengers from a train, Robin witnessed Bane's defeat at the hands of Jean-Paul and how the winner spared Bane's life. This event changed Robin's mentality about Jean-Paul and he admitted that he earned to be called Batman.

Flying Solo

Tim soon learned that Jean-Paul didn't want him as his sidekick and blocked almost every entrance to the Batcave. However, when Tim received his special driver's licence, he entered the Batcave as Robin using an entrance Jean-Paul didn't know about and he tried to take his own vehicle, the Redbird with him. Unfortunately, he was confronted by Jean-Paul, who almost killed Robin. Finally Robin decided to part ways and he took the Redbird with him.

Later, Tim met up with Ariana Dzerchenko, his girlfriend, for their first date in weeks, doing his best to put Jean-Paul, Bruce, and even his Dad's disappearance aside for a few hours. There was some excitement at the party they attended when some masked thugs, the Speedboyz, tried to carjack another student's vehicle and Tim had to intervene. Later that night, Robin decided to try and track them down, only to be confronted by a local county cop, "Shotgun" Smith, who mistook Tim for one of the carjackers. Robin managed to evade arrest and got to work tracking down the Speedboyz. He managed to bust up their gang and leave a phone call for Shotgun, letting him know who to thank.

Going back home, Tim had to blow off Ari, who was beginning to think that he was seeing someone else. Tim decided to make it up to her by taking her to the movies. However, his mind kept wandering having just learned that the Cluemaster, and some other thugs, had escaped from prison. One was the Electrocutioner. Another was Czonk, who decided to create a new identity for himself, the Baffler. The others didn't like the name, so he changed it to Headbanger. Robin got to work investigating, stumbling into Spoiler soon enough. Unsurprised at this, because he knew that Stephanie was the Cluemaster's daughter and had reasoned that she'd turn up eventually. He went to the last known location of the gang and here Robin discovered a clue that the Baffler had left for the police. He followed the clue to the gang's heist: an armored car robbery. He and Cluemaster got sealed inside the car, and the other two put it in a pit and started covering it with cement. Robin could only wait until the others came back but they arrived much earlier than planned because the cops were onto them. With some help from Spoiler, Robin was saved and Cluemaster and his buddies were sent back to jail by Smith.

Robin bumped into Huntress and helped her get out of a jam from her involvement in a gang war with Mandy Paul. Tim reaffirmed that while he had discovered her real identity, he had never told Batman. They came to Mandy's lair only to find a man calling himself Deathangel, trying to "send all sinners to God" with a pair of pistols. After a firefight where Deathangel fled the scene, Robin and Huntress split up, with Robin following Mandy to a church. Huntress found Robin and Deathangel at the church, after correctly guessing that he was really Danny DePaolo, Mandy's brother, a priest at that very church. He was suffering from a delusion caused by his sister's wickedness. Everything led to a final confrontation with Mandy and her goons. Deathangel could not pull the trigger, but his sister could, and she gunned down her brother. Robin kept Huntress from killing him.

Afterwards, Tim felt the need to assist Jean-Paul in locating the serial killer Abattoir, but by the time he managed to locate the killer's hideout, Jean-Paul was already confronting him on a nearby foundry. Robin tried to get there in time to help Batman, but he could only witness how Jean-Paul refused to help as Abattoir fell to his death in a vat of molten metal.

KnightsEnd

Soon after this, Tim was glad to hear from Bruce and learn that he had rescued his father. Once Bruce and Jack returned to Gotham, Tim learned of his father's intention to spend more time with him, but he had to put that conversation aside as he had the duty to inform Bruce about Jean-Paul's actions as Batman. After telling Bruce everything, Tim was pleased to know that Bruce would fight Jean-Paul for the mantle of the bat after an intensive training.

While Bruce trained with Shiva, Robin was asked to keep a close eye on Jean-Paul and Robin noticed that the new Batman was in fact acting very strange. As Robin was unable to find valuable information by himself, Batman summoned Nightwing to help Robin and the two of them went looking for Jean-Paul. The two of them went to the Batcave and placed surveillance equipment to monitor all of Jean-Paul's activities. After this, they were shocked to see Jean-Paul acting as a madman, talking to himself alone in the cave. They decided to tell Bruce about Jean-Paul, but when they found Bruce, they witnessed how he apparently killed one of his opponents as part of Shiva's training. However, they soon learned that it was all a ruse to deceive Shiva and Robin joined Nightwing preparing the Batcave for Bruce's final comeback.

Robin and Nightwing joined Batman on his final confrontation with Jean-Paul, but they were sidetracked by the bodyguards of Penn Selkirk, who were trying to kill Catwoman. After dealing with them, they witnessed the fight between Bruce and Jean-Paul until Bruce was apparently killed inside an exploding Batmobile and they were confronted by Jean-Paul, whose armor had turned red. After Nightwing and Jean-Paul started fighting, Robin decided to help people after the accident and he soon learned that Batman had avoided the explosion and was ready to challenge Jean-Paul.

Robin left Bruce to confront Jean-Paul on his own and the next night he learned that Bruce had defeated Jean-Paul and taken back the mantle of the bat. This victory meant that he could still be Robin and the Dynamic Duo were back in action.

Prodigal

Afterward, Bruce decided he needed some time off, and this time he handed the mantle over to the right person, Dick Grayson.

Robin and the new Batman got along great, working against the likes of Two-Face. In his home life, Tim kept trying to make it up to Ari while his dad kept insisting on some bonding time because of his absence. Jack also hired Dana Winters to be his personal physical therapist. On a date with Ari, some teens picked a fight, and Tim had to take some hits, not wanting to reveal his martial arts training. He vented his frustration later that night when he went out with Dick. On another night, when he ran into the teens alone, he got his revenge, but it was spoiled when he visited Ari and found out her uncle had been attacked at his shop by gangsters.

Dick's tenure as Batman quickly came to an end when Bruce decided to return to the job. That event also brought some long needed healing between Bruce and Dick, who were very much like father and son. Bruce redesigned his costume, making it darker than ever.

Robin then had a run in with the KGBeast, but unlike their last encounter, he did not have the backup. KGBeast was perfectly willing to kill Tim and destroy most of Gotham City. KGBeast had already put down Harvey Bullock, who only survived due to Robin's knowledge of CPR. The battle against the KGBeast was tough. Robin was tempted to use Bullock's sidearm but refused. He managed to defeat him just as Batman showed up. Bullock was comatose for a while, but recovered.

Robberies were up recently, and Batman discovered that someone was sending very lame clues to the police department from inside Blackgate Prison. Figuring it was the Cluemaster and the villain would talk to Robin, Batman took Tim to the prison. Cluemaster told them that he was being blackmailed to plan some crimes by some thugs on the outside and that they had kidnapped Stephanie to ensure his cooperation. Batman tracked down their lair and Robin came along. Robin saved her life and rescued her, and after changing into her costume, she insisted on coming along. Batman was not amused, but Stephanie told him that Cluemaster had conned them and was in on the whole thing. While Batman went for another chat with Cluemaster, Robin and Spoiler stayed put until he pointed them in the right direction, where they rounded up the rest of the gang. Spoiler acted like the whole thing was a date, despite Tim's protestations that it was serious business. Afterward, Stephanie paid a visit to her dad in jail.

In an attempt to expand his criminal empire, King Snake came to Gotham. After a brief encounter with King Snake's enforcers alongside Huntress, Robin was told to back off by Batman. Robin next saved the life of Mayor Krol from a disgruntled city employee, but the credit went to another man, someone who had recently been fired for trying to blow the whistle on safety violations around the city.

Following a couple bizarre heists, such as a missing lion, Robin stumbled across Ulysses Armstrong, recently released from juvenile hall. Ulysses had recruited a vagrant who was under the impression he was Julius Caesar and together they plotted a crime spree. With some help from Shotgun Smith, Robin foiled the plot. Returning home, he discovered Ari was in his bedroom. She told him she had run away because her uncle was planning on moving away from the city because of the attack on his shop.

Tim might have been in some trouble with his father and maid for Ari spending the night if Jack's physical trainer hadn't come out of Jack's bedroom that morning. Dana had worked wonders on Jack in more ways than one, and he was up and walking about with a cane. Robin got to take his mind of things by helping Batman investigate a string of local robberies perpetrated by a gang of amateur ninjas, one of whom died when he fell off a rooftop. The deceased turned out to be a classmate of Tim's and he learned that the kid had gone to a Ninja Camp. Robin followed another classmate and easily defeated some of the ninjas, though they managed to escape. Tim decided to go undercover and enrolled at the camp using his alias, Alvin Draper. He impressed the camp leaders enough that they let him in on their outfit, provided he could pass one last test. Robin passed with flying colors and arranged for the ninjas to be arrested. Tim got home and learned that Ari's uncle had sold his store and they would be moving at the end of the week.

But things weren't so bad, thanks to a little help from Bruce Wayne. Bruce arranged for Lucius Fox and Wayne Enterprises to buy the store at a very generous price, enough for the family to open another store in a better neighborhood and remain in the city. Ari would even be going to the same school as Tim. Robin felt great. That night on patrol, he heard that Killer Moth had broken out. Figuring Moth for a third tier super lightweight, Robin went after him on his own. Moth had just sold his soul to Neron during Underworld Unleashed and been transformed into Charaxes. The monstrous being shredded its way through some cops and evaded a shootout with Sheriff Smith while capturing Robin, hoping to devour him. Robin was saved by an unknown party before Batman could turn up, and Charaxes was gone.

Robin met the new Green Arrow about that time. Green Arrow and Spoiler joined Robin to take down some gunrunners who were selling guns around Tim's high school. One of Tim's classmates, Karl Ranck, had been given a gun by his dad to protect himself, prompting Tim to tell his father. Jack had a talk with Karl's dad, who took the gun away. Karl then took one of his dad's guns and was killed in a shootout at the school. Tim was so angry that the beat-down he gave the gunrunners might have been much worse had Stephanie and Connor not been there. Tim spotted Stephanie at Karl's funeral and tried to avoid her, prompting Ari to misread the situation. Luckily, Tim managed to straighten that out easily enough. Robin and Spoiler then went after the guy who shot Karl, who was part of a larger street gang. They had to be saved by Batman, who was not happy that Robin decided to go at the gang without more backup than Spoiler. He also reminded Tim that Karl had made the choice to pick up the gun and become a target.

Contagion

Batman sends Robin to track down a plague survivor named Kendall Stuart when the Apocalypse Virus breaks out in Gotham. He reluctantly teams up with Catwoman, but they're both beaten by a bounty hunter named Tracker. Azrael intervenes to save them, but Robin fails when Stuart is shot dead by the Order of St. Dumas. He fights rioters with Nightwing and Huntress, then gets infected when one of them spits in his face. Alfred is forced to take care of him in the Batcave, and Tim hallucinates while dying. He's saved when Azrael deciphers the cure, and dutifully helps the relief efforts even in his weakened state.

Ariana briefly bleaches her hair blonde, and Tim is distressed to realize that she's jealous of Stephanie. He's captured by Maxie Zeus and Julie Caesar, but manages to defeat them both without help. When he meets Wildcat at a car show, he is thrilled to team up with a legendary hero against the Speedboyz.

When Armand Krol dies, they realize the Apocalypse Virus was never cured and Tim still has it in a dormant state. Batman travels to the Sudan with Nightwing and Robin where they track down an ancient cure. It's revealed that Ra's al Ghul is controlling the virus, and they're forced to fight through an army of assassins while he escapes. Nightwing and Robin chase his acolytes to Paris, where they stop a terrorist attack on the Louvre. Robin beats up Shen Chi in a surprise showdown, and is forced to work with Henri Ducard. Batman destroys the last of the plague in Gotham, and Robin pursues Ra's with Huntress and Nightwing. They track down his boat The Shrike, and Robin steals data from his computers before escaping while it explodes. Bruce and Tim blame themselves for the number of deaths, and Alfred reminds them they should count everyone they've saved.

Final Night

Robin met Impulse for the first time when their respective classes went on the same skiing field trip in Colorado. Alfred went with Robin, for they had an extra business, a plot involving a group called White Heat and Mystral. Tim met Bart early in the trip, and once he saw Bart in uniform, he was able to instantly guess who his identity, much to Bart's surprise. This would mark the beginning of a long and close friendship.

Tim hated that he kept having to mislead Ari ; trouble seemed to come up everywhere, even at a student outing to "Macbeth on the Beach" where Tim had to avoid Helena Bertinelli so she wouldn't recognize him. Tim cared for Ari very much, even if Spoiler kept making passes at him. During the Final Night, the Robin and Spoiler were trapped in a snowdrift along with a thug who tried to kill them with a chainsaw. Spoiler could not understand why Robin tried to save the thug trapped in the snow. While they were digging him out, they found a woman and her child also trapped in the snow and rescued them.

"General" Ulysses Armstrong got out on parole and Robin decided to visit him at home, and remind him that he should stay in line. He knew that Armstrong would not do so, and sure enough, the kid soon joined up with the Toyman to try and steal the toy collection of a local eccentric, Phillip Crouch. Robin tracked them to Crouch's manor, where a fight broke out with some hi-tech, deadly toys. Toyman betrayed Armstrong, and Robin had to rescue him and stop them both. Both were arrested.

As a young child, Bruce Wayne enjoyed watching Roy Raymond, a TV criminologist. His son, Roy Raymond Jr., had a TV show that aired dramatizations of crimes on which he called himself Manstalker. Tim thought the show was a joke, but it couldn't take his mind off things. Ari had been a little distant lately, and his friend Ives was keeping secrets too. On patrol, Robin found Slyfox and his crew trying to rob an insurance company, and of course, Manstalker and his TV crew arrived on the scene during a special episode. Robin had to destroy the tape in the camera before heading after the hoods, whom he apprehended.

While Spoiler was out getting into some trouble with Lynx and her goons, Tim was spending time at Ari's. He got the shock of a lifetime while they were alone at her house and she walked out of her room in her underwear, wanting to sleep with him. Tim finally learned what was bothering her; when she had dyed her hair, she had hung out with another guy and the guy tried to rape her. It was an unsuccessful attempt, but it left her feeling very scared and vulnerable. Tim told her that he loved her and said it would be best if they waited to have sex. While Tim and Ari were sharing a tender moment, Ari's uncle and aunt walked in and was cross with them. Ari's uncle was not in the mood to listen to an explanation. Tim had to flee before Ari's uncle strangled him. He decided to go on patrol, where he ran into Spoiler and she explained about Lynx's Ghost Dragons. Robin agreed to work with her, but the Dragons proved too much for them to handle on their own. Robin knew he should tell Stephanie to give up being Spoiler, but he just couldn't do so.

Soon Tim learned that the only secret Ives was keeping was that he had a job dressing as a giant mouse at a kid's restaurant. Ari, however, was transferred to an all girl's school. Tim kept thinking about Spoiler, and when he went to meet her, he found out she had been kidnapped by Czonk, who was back to calling himself the Baffler. Despite being one of the dumbest goons in Gotham, Baffler managed to tie up Robin and Spoiler and planned on leaving them to die in an old project building that was being demolished. He managed to knock himself out, and they ended up having to save him as well as themselves. Afterward, Robin told Stephanie she might have to stop being Spoiler. When he got home, he found his dad back from his recent lecture tour and Jack had spoken to Ari's uncle. Tim was grounded, but even when forbidden to leave his room, he managed to solve a crime by watching the news.

Second Sabbatical

During the Genesis crisis, Robin was unable to save a hood who had to tried to kill him from drowning. Feeling depressed, Robin headed for the frontlines. Armstrong was back, this time as the adviser to Ali Ben Khadir, a claimant to the throne of the Karoccan Emirate. His rival was being backed by Qurac. With Nightwing's help and a Wayne Tech jet, Robin went over to the war-torn country. Nightwing managed to stop two armies from clashing outside the capital while Robin penetrated Armstrong's lair. He found that Armstrong and his employer had experienced a falling out, so the boy was arrested and Robin withdrew. Robin had Nightwing drop him off in France, saying that lately he'd been feeling lost and decided he needed to step back for a while. He thought Paris was the right place to start, since his training had never really ended there.

Knowing that Rahul Lama was dead, Tim decided to train in the course of the Iron Master, although he remained in his identity as Robin. He stopped a former student from stealing from the master and also met a girl named Dava Sborsc. The girl was there to learn a single move to add to her arsenal of lethal moves. She wanted to be able to fight in the war that was destroying her native country of Transbelvia. After she left, Lady Shiva arrived looking for her. Robin had to withdraw, leaving the Iron Master to fight her alone, and Shiva killed him. King Snake was also involved again, this time selling weapons to Transbelvia. Robin went after Dava to warn her about Shiva. Back in Gotham, Jack Drake, Ari, and Spoiler were all wondering what had happened to Tim. Robin found Dava, a rebel fighting against the oppressive regime using a special chemical called Aramilla that allows her to move at super speed. Together they easily took down some military thugs, but then Shiva turned up. Not willing to step aside and let her murder Dava, Robin attacked, using the Aramilla to his advantage. Not even Shiva could stand up to Robin moving at super speed. Losing control, Robin beat her to death, just as King Snake sauntered in. While Dava fought King Snake and his minions, Robin performed CPR and managed to revive Shiva. Shiva had absorbed some of the Aramilla, and at super speed, she took down all of King Snake's men and went after King Snake herself. Robin left them to fight each other and brought an injured Dava to safety. But the war continued, and Robin decided it was finally time to return home.

Cataclysm

On the flight home, Gotham City was struck by the Cataclysm, a massive earthquake that leveled most of the city. Robin joined with Batman and the rest of the "family," overwhelmed at the near total destruction of the entire city. There was little that Robin could do in such chaos, and Batman asked him to stay out of most of the city. Luckily, the Drake home, in one of the outer neighboring communities, suffered only minor damages and they were able to effect repairs. During the Aftershock, Ari and Stephanie were both staying in a shelter with their families. Stephanie asked Robin to retrieve her costume, worried someone would steal it and learn her secret. Cluemaster was waiting there, but Robin took him down and turned him in to the National Guard.

After spending more time with Stephanie, Robin decides he really does care for her, and that he has to break things off with Ari rather than keep her hanging on. Fortunately, Ari feels exactly the same way about a breakup, although she says it is because they are too young to pursue a relationship. Ari is not seen again.

At this same time, Robin also became one of the charter members of Young Justice.

Tim and Spoiler got along wonderfully. She didn't pry about his real identity, and he could share being Robin with her. After their first real date, Stephanie told him that she was pregnant. Robin was not responsible for her condition, but he stood by her. Disguised as Alvin Draper, he went to classes and told her that she had to give up being Spoiler until after the baby was born. Later, Robin had to save his friends Ives and Hudson from Steeljacket. At school, a friend of Tim's was found dead in the woods and two bullies were suspected of killing him. While Tim initially believed they were innocent, he soon found evidence of their guilt, which led to their arrest.

With all of Gotham city in ruins, Jack Drake decided the family should relocate from Gotham Heights for a while. He decided to move to Keystone City. When they arrived, Robin teamed with the Flash to take on the Riddler and Captain Boomerang. They also got some help from Superman to stop a bomb threat. While they were in Keystone, Stephanie went into labor and needed a C-section. Flash got Robin back to Gotham in time for him to come to the hospital. The baby was born and Stephanie gave the child up for adoption. Jack was furious with his son for running home to Gotham but admitted that he had hated Keystone and also wanted to come back. Robin even managed to help Shotgun Smith take down three monstrous thugs who held hostage an emergency room.

No Man's Land

Recalled to Gotham City by Batman, Robin and Nightwing had to crawl through an extensive system of tunnels and underground chambers, as the bridges were all down and patrols kept them from crossing the river. They had a tussle with Tommy Mangles and Gearhead, but Nightwing easily defeated them and got into the city. Robin was depressed by the despair and desperation he witnessed in people fighting to survive. Batman put Robin to work immediately, ordering him to track down a cache of food from an old shelter. Robin found it and discovered the Ratcatcher there. Robin had to flee from the Ratcatcher and his legions of rats, though a combination of rat bites and exposure to sewage gave him a fever. He managed to stave it off with some antibiotics, and was found by a group of children known as the Wolflings, including a kid Robin knew from his school who was calling himself Aragoth. The Wolflings decided to find the stores, and Robin was too sick to follow them at first. The kids found it, but so did the Ratcatcher and Mister Freeze. Robin managed to defeat both Freeze and Ratcatcher, arranging for them to be arrested. Batman was impressed with Robin's actions. Robin did not have much time to recover, as he knew Batman and the others were fighting for their lives. Robin was captured by Killer Croc, who was planning an all-out battle with Penguin and his police allies. Alfred helped free Robin and he rallied with Bullock and Penguin to defeat Croc. He then had to make the hard decision to call his father and tell him that he was in Gotham and that there was no way out. Jack made a lot of noise, and Washington took notice. Federal agents were ordered to stage a rescue. Tim was told to come to Grant Park to be extracted. The rescue site turned into a fire fight, but Tim was successfully lifted out with some help from the new Batgirl.

Brentwood Academy

Jack decided to enroll his son in Brentwood Academy, a private all boys boarding school not too far from home because of Tim's many absences while attending Gotham Heights High School. His first roommate was Ali Ben Khadir, the religious leader of a small country called Dhabar; and was accompanied by his bodyguard, Zugir. Bruce assigned Alfred to be Tim's personal valet for the rest of the semester. Tim decided life at the school wasn't so bad. He still got to see Spoiler and even created a new hi-tech skateboard. He discovered four Man-Bat-like creatures that warranted investigating. With help from Nightwing, he learned that the bats were Kirk and Francine Langstrom and their children. He had to ask Jason Bard for an antidote Kirk had entrusted him with years ago. The serum worked on the parents, and their daughter but not their son.

Young Justice

Much like Dick Grayson, Tim Drake has allied himself with the other superheroes in his age demographic. He mostly worked with the Gotham City heroes, but on occasion joined forces with other heroes such as Superman, the Flash, Superboy and Impulse. During one adventure where a preteen boy was given god-like powers, Robin, Superboy and Impulse joined forces to defeat him. The boys worked so well together that they created their own team of heroes called Young Justice. Robin acted as the leader of the team until he temporarily quit following the Imperiex War. During that mission, the group was tortured on Apokolips. Afterward, Robin discovered that over half the team, including Superboy, Wonder Girl, Impulse and Cissie King-Jones, no longer trust him. The Justice League had discovered that Batman kept contingency plans on them, and the younger heroes began to wonder if Robin might also have plans to defeat or even kill them. Secret, who has deep feelings for Robin, along with new members Empress and Lil' Lobo however remained trusting of Robin. Still, feeling hurt as well as strained by problems in his personal life, Robin quit temporarily.

When Tim returned, the team agreed to elect their leader, and Tim lost to Wonder Girl. The team still looked at Tim as its tactical expert, aiding Wonder Girl, in leadership, similar to Batman's own position in the JLA. Unwilling to quit Young Justice a second time, Tim took on the identity of "Mister Sarcastic" at a point where Young Justice agreed to become reality TV stars. Soon after, Secret was turned evil by Darkseid, and it was Tim who managed to save the world by reminding Greta of her humanity.

Graduation Day

The Titans and Young Justice are both approached by the corporation Optitron who want to fund them as a massive tax write-off, but Nightwing angrily refuses. Outside this building they're attacked by an android named Indigo, but the team is decimated by bad coordination. Robin broods over his hospitalized teammates believing it's his fault for letting them get hurt, and the android releases a rogue Superman Robot that kills Omen. There's a massive battle and Donna Troy is killed. In the wake of this tragedy, Young Justice decides to disband because their lack of experience gets people hurt. Cyborg offers to mentor them instead.

Teen Titans

Beast Boy, Cyborg and Starfire decide to mentor the next generation of heroes as the new Teen Titans. They establish a Titans Tower in San Francisco and invite Robin alongside Impulse, Superboy and Wonder Girl to join them on a weekends-only basis. Their first battle is against Deathstroke who attacks them saying that kids shouldn't wear costumes, although he's revealed to be possessed by Jericho. They end their first weekend when the Justice League visits and the two teams battle over a misunderstanding, with Robin fighting his mentor until Nightwing tells the League to trust the next generation.

On his 16th birthday, Tim is so busy that he forgets and his friends plan him a surprise party. He receives a present that appears to be a hologram of Alfred from the future. This message tells him that one member of the Batman Family will betray the rest, and turn Gotham into a subjugated nightmare. Robin works hard to determine which of his friends could be the traitor. Eventually, it's revealed that this was a hoax engineered by Batman to test Tim's detective skills.

Robin then helped Batman stop and investigate random crimes around Gotham. Some time later, he was assigned the mission of taking care of an injured Ventriloquist during an attack by a group known as The Body. Having to deal with several enemies, a convalescent crime lord and a deranged Frank Ivers, Robin called James Gordon to help him. However, Robin and Gordon fell victims of an infectious fear that caused them to attack each other and lost control of the situation. With help from Frank Ivers, Robin and Gordon were released from the fear and returned to normality.

Unmasked!

Beginning his junior year at the unfamiliar Louis E. Grieve Memorial High School, Tim quickly makes friends with Bernard Dowd and Darla Aquista. Batman gives him a new motorcycle, and his parents catch him with a black eye after fighting crime. The hitman he was fighting gains powers and becomes Johnny Warlock. Warlock takes over crimelord Henry Aquista's business, then seemingly dies trying to kill Robin and Spoiler. During his weekend with the Titans, Robin takes a joyride in a stolen Batmobile and helps rescue Raven by defeating Brother Blood.Warlock hires the assassin Scarab to kill Robin when he's forced to leave the country.  Jack Drake catches his son lying about the black eye, and confronts Bruce Wayne after finding Robin equipment hidden in Tim's room. Tim's father demands that he quit being a superhero, and threatens to expose their secrets. Tim reluctantly accepts that he has to give up being Robin.

This puts a strain on his relationship with Stephanie, although Tim says being normal gets easier every day. Stephanie catches Darla forcefully kissing Tim and begins avoiding him. Batman agrees to train her as Tim's replacement when she makes her own Robin costume and sneaks into the Batcave. When Tim learns of this he tries to talk to Steph, but she continues to avoid him. Scarab begins systematically murdering teens who look like Tim in an effort to complete her contract on Robin. Superboy visits Gotham and deduces Tim's identity by careful listening. He tries to persuade him to come back to the Titans, but Tim insists he is happier giving up the responsibilities of being a superhero. Batgirl protects Tim while Batman and Robin go after Scarab. Bruce eventually fires Stephanie for disobeying orders.

War Games

When the city is plunged into gang war, Tim's dad urges him to stay at home although he is uncomfortable. Darla is targeted by the Odessa Mob and the Ventriloquist, who send hitmen to kill her at school. Tim is forced to protect other students in his civilian identity, although Darla still gets hit by a bullet. Batman, Batgirl and Nightwing finally arrive to help him deal with the situation. They prevent any deaths, but Darla still leaves in critical condition. Tim decides to break his promise and become Robin again to help. Batman is not surprised to see him back, and they partner up again. He asks Nightwing for advice on his situation. Robin is alerted with all the others when Batman realizes the gang war was one of his "war game" contingency plans. Tim confesses to his dad that he's become Robin again, and his dad begrudgingly realizes that the city needs him. Jack Drake and Dana Winters volunteer at the Thompkins clinic. Robin helps GCPD hold their barrier at the Robinson Park riot. He rescues Batman and allows him to go after the Orpheus impostor revealed to be Black Mask. Robin takes down Mr. Fun, the Ravens, and Trickster, then takes a break and spends time with his dad. When they rally at the siege on Gotham Clock Tower, Robin takes down Scarebeast by parlaying with the cops ordered to shoot on sight. The crisis ends, but Stephanie dies of her injuries in the Thompkins clinic. Bruce told Tim about her death afterwards, and noticed that he did not cry or make a sound. Tim returns to active duty with the Titans shortly afterward.

Titans Tomorrow

Tim encounters his future self in the identity of Batman after his mentor dies in a crisis. This future happens despite his repeated statement that he does not want to be the next Batman, and is rather content being Robin. In this timeline, Tim is now the leader of the future Titans with himself as Batman. After Bruce Wayne's death, Tim has the Titans take control of the entire West Coast. He orders any rebellions put down by Dark Raven absorbing the people's free will and hope. He even hunts down most of Batman's Rogues Gallery and kills them with the handgun that was used to kill Thomas and Martha Wayne. As he explains to his younger self, 'It took me years to do it.' He even begins a relationship with Bette Kane, who becomes his partner, Batwoman. He later kills her during an argument. Wracked with guilt, he made a deal with Ra's al Ghul to restore her using the Lazarus Pit. Once revived, she joined the Titans East and opposed Batman and his team. His latest victim before the younger Teen Titans show up was Duela Dent, the Joker's daughter, whom he murders out of revenge for the death of assorted people including Cassandra Cain and Alfred Pennyworth.

Identity Crisis

Tim, along with the rest of the superhero community, tries to keep all of his loved ones safe after some tragic attacks upon the family members of the Justice League. One night, while Batman and Robin were investigating these crimes, they receive an incoming transmission from Oracle that Tim's father needs to speak to him immediately. It turned out that there's an intruder in the Drake home and a mysterious note with a gun was for Jack suggests that he protect himself. Jack tells Tim that he is proud of him and that he is not responsible if something bad happens. The intruder is revealed to be the hired killer Captain Boomerang. Jack fired as Captain Boomerang unleashed a razor boomerang and the two killed one another before Batman and Robin could make it back to the scene. Like Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson before him, Tim Drake had now lost both of his parents to crime.

Blüdhaven

After Identity Crisis, Bruce Wayne offered to adopt Tim, who was not initially fond of the idea. Tim falsified records to create an uncle who would become his legal guardian. He then moved in with his 'Uncle Eddie' in Blüdhaven, while his stepmother received treatment at a psychiatric hospital. Although Tim covered his tracks well, Batman was still able to figure out the truth. Rather than being angry, Batman is impressed with Tim's subterfuge. He even offers to teach Tim to cover his tracks completely.

To Kill a Bird

Soon afterward, a military superhero legend called the Veteran attempted to recruit Robin. Tim, now concerned with his own mission rather than Batman's, took the Veteran's offer under consideration and went on a mission with his team to get a feel for the job. Tim eventually turned down the offer. Some time after this, Jason Todd, long thought dead, returned as the new Red Hood. Angered that someone has replaced him as Robin, Jason broke into Titans Tower wearing a version of his own Robin costume. Quickly immobilizing the other Titans, Jason confronted Tim to see if the new Boy Wonder was really as good as everyone claimed. The two Robins fought, until at last Jason struck Tim down in the Hall of Fallen Titans. Although Tim was defeated, Jason demanded to know if he still believed himself to be as good as people say, to which Tim replied with a defiant 'Yes' before Todd rendered him unconscious. Jason spared Tim's life, simply tearing off the 'R' shaped emblem from his chest. In the epilogue of the story, Jason has developed a grudging sort of respect for Tim, wondering if he would have been a better Robin and a better person, had he had friends like the Titans.

Infinite Crisis

As in the events surrounding the Infinite Crisis storyline, Robin, along with the Veteran's forces, had to defend the city of Blüdhaven against an army of OMACs who had captured dozens of metahumans for immediate extermination. After a virus deactivated the cyborgs, Tim, the Shadowpact and the Veteran's team captured the metahumans. With Blüdhaven safe, Wonder Girl arrived on the scene asking Robin for help. Along with the Teen Titans, the Doom Patrol and the Justice Society of America, he battled against Superboy-Prime, who had violently assaulted their world's Superboy. The fight overwhelmed Conner's body to the point where it began eating away at itself for energy.

After Robin's departure from Blüdhaven, the city was destroyed by the Society. Although he worried about his stepmother, his "uncle" and Nightwing, Tim continued to Titans Tower. He then led a successful assault on one of Lex Luthor's genetic research bases to find a cure for Superboy. With Blüdhaven still in chaos, Superman left Robin in command of all the superhero rescue efforts. But when the government put the city on complete lock down, the Titans were kicked out. Following the discovery of Superboy's death at the North Pole, Robin joined the rest of the world's heroes in a final battle against the Society in Metropolis. Although the heroes won the battle, many on both sides were injured and killed.

52

After the Infinite Crisis ended, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Tim Drake went on a trip to retrace Bruce Wayne's original journey around the world in his quest to become Batman. The journey took them to Europe, where Robin and Nightwing went on a quest to stop Intergang's associates on different countries. While on this quest, Robin changed his costume's colors in order to strike fear into the eyes of criminals.

At a ceremony honoring Superboy one year after his death, Robin attended in a new costume made up primarily red and black. When asked why by Jimmy Olsen, he explained that they were the colors of Conner's costume.

One Year Later

When Batman and Robin return to Gotham, they work better together and start a crime-purge. Having trained together, they are able to wipe out major super-crime in a month. Bruce informs Tim that since his parents died he has decided to adopt him, and Tim joyously accepts. Robin is framed for murder when Lynx turns up dead in a Batgirl suit and Cassandra Cain goes missing. He is forced to break David Cain out of prison for the ransom, but it turns out Cassandra is responsible. Cassandra has turned evil and taken over the League of Assassins, now wanting Tim to fight at her side. He refuses and barely escapes alive.

Tim leads the new Teen Titans, and he tries to put the team back together with Cyborg. When Wonder Girl learns he is trying to clone the dead Superboy, they share a grief-stricken kiss.

Teenage Wasteland

When Robin goes undercover to stop a crew of kidnappers, the wannabe super-hero Dodge interferes and is put into a coma. Tim blames himself for this, but talks through these problems while convincing a teenager not to commit suicide. He teams up with Klarion the Witch-Boy and Teekl when a Limbo Town resident named Uriah attempts to create a Judgment Beast. Tim goes on a successful date with his classmate Zoanne Wilkins, although they are interrupted by the super-villain Jitter. On Halloween he goes after the serial killer Scary Mary. Jamie Harper enlists him to fight a metahuman street gang called Lords of the Avenues, and Cassandra returns to murder his enemies. Zoanne breaks up with Tim because she believes he is not ready for a relationship. Deathstroke puts together his own team of super-villains called the Titans East to battle the Teen Titans.

The Big Leagues

On his first Father's Day with Bruce, Tim plans a nice evening and has to fight the Jury so he can make it home in time. Dodge returns to take revenge with a crew including the villains Brutus, Cheater, Macro, Micro, Skill and Tapeworm. Robin takes them down with the help of Zatara and Ravager posing as Skill to be their spy. Dodge realizes his mistake and dies a hero, protecting Robin as his powers finally kill him. Tim has a relapse into violence on the anniversary of his father's death, but swears to honor him by improving. The Teen Titans have another encounter with the Titans Tomorrow despite two of their present day deaths.

The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul

Damian arrives in the Batcave to warn everyone that Ra's al Ghul has returned. They have a rematch when Robin doesn't believe him, although Alfred scolds Tim. Wayne Manor is attacked by the League of Assassins, and Nightwing is forced to let them be captured while he rescues the Insect Girls. Ra's asks Tim to serve at his side and realize his true potential, promising to resurrect his parents. Batman is forced to choose whether Ra's will use Robin or Damian as his new host body, and Batman offers to take him to Nanda Parbat instead. Robin and Damian escape and fight their way through White Ghost's ninjas. Tim reconsiders the offer Ra's made and decides to sacrifice himself for his lost friends and family. Nightwing fights to stop him until I-Ching breaks them apart. Tim is allowed to make the decision on his own and chooses not to, breaking down in tears. They travel to Nanda Parbat and fight an army of ninjas, until Rama Kushna saves them from Ra's in his new body. The four men realize it's Christmas on the plane-ride home, and toast to family.

Violent Tendencies

Robin begins chasing a new vigilante who reminds him of Spoiler named Violet. He takes down Condiment King, and Harper puts him in contact with her corrupt superior officers Marcus Wise and Roman Cavallo. They are working for the Penguin and use Robin to wipe out his competition, starting with Maxie Zeus's illegal casino. Sebastian Ives is diagnosed with treatable cancer and Tim supports him. He chases Violet to a Korean counterfeiting operation, where they're interrupted by someone wearing a Spoiler costume. He loses track of both women, but later hunts down "Spoiler" with Batman. She reveals that she is actually Stephanie Brown, having only faked her death. Tim gives her a huge kiss and they talk through the details. Robin and Spoiler become a crime-fighting duo again, although this creates a rift between Tim and Zoanne.

Batman R.I.P.

Robin and Nightwing put away the Wonderland Gang and after this, Batman warned them about Hush's return. A few days later, Robin and Nightwing were summoned to the Batcave to confront Hush and put an end to his evil scheme.

After this, Batman and Robin took the new Batmobile out for a test drive, stopping a criminal wannabe named Green Vulture. Tim was worried about Bruce's mental health since the Thögal Ritual, and is angry that no one will tell him the results of Damian's paternity test. Batman went missing and Robin searched the city for him with Spoiler, believing he has lost his mind. He took down the Sprang Bridge Soldiers, made a deal with Penguin and brought Jamie Harper deeper into his confidence. While Robin was reading through the Black Casebook, he's ambushed by Pierrot Lunaire and Swagman of the Club of Villains. Robin teared the city apart, vowing that he will either save Batman or take him down. However, he learned that Spoiler had been sabotaging his efforts under Batman's request. Robin escaped from Pierrot and Swagman to alert Knight and Squire. He rallied the Club of Heroes and they dealt with the Black Glove all over Gotham. Robin went to Arkham in time to see a helicopter crashing. He explained the situation to Gordon as Hurt's helicopter went down.

Afterwards, Robin helped Batgirl decipher a code sent by the Black Glove in which they revealed their master plan to eliminate the Outsiders along with Batman.

After a while, Nightwing returned to Gotham and together they started working on the reconstruction of the Batcave. Later, Robin and Nightwing went to Vietnam to capture Hush and they took him back to Gotham, where they locked him in a secure cell at the top of Wayne Tower.

Search for a Hero

Robin tries to protect Gotham in Batman's absence, as the gangs and police begin rioting. Jason Todd tries to take control of the gangs, but Robin has him put in Blackgate. Spoiler continues testing Robin, hiring mercenaries like Jaeger and Scarab while he's already fighting Lynx. Jason Bard takes down Cavallo and Wise, making them work for Robin, then begins dating Jamie Harper. The General returns as Red Robin, then becomes Anarky while Lonnie Machin is paralyzed. When the riots reach a climax at Anarky's manipulation, Tim wears the Red Robin costume and adopts a grimmer persona. Spoiler worries that to make him a better hero she's made Robin a worse person, and Tim recognizes that he must do whatever it takes to keep Gotham safe.

Lady Shiva challenged Robin to a fight to the death. He made peace with his loved ones and broke up with Zoanne Wilkins. During the fight, Shiva broke three of his ribs, but he defeated her as he had poisoned her food earlier in the day. Later, Tim also defeated the Obeah Man when he got out of prison in Haiti, and had him extradited to a US prison.

Battle for the Cowl

In the wake of Batman's death, Robin patrolled the city constantly to keep order and stopped criminals like Nocturna.

Later, there's a massive gang war and the entire Network was enlisted to help, leading Robin to team up with Squire. Tim tried to convince Dick to become the new Batman, but Dick refused and Jason Todd began wearing a Batsuit to gun down criminals. Tim responded to this by putting on a Batsuit and took to the streets, but Todd impaled him with a Batarang through the chest. Tim was barely rescued from dying by Damian and Squire when Jason's make-shift Batcave collapsed. Shortly after, Dick defeated Jason and became Batman.

Red Robin

Tim believes Bruce is still alive somewhere after seeing a painting of his "ancestor" Mordecai Wayne in Wayne Manor. He is angered when Dick chooses Damian Wayne to be Robin instead of him, and nobody believes him when he insists that Bruce is still alive. Traveling to Europe to investigate Bruce's disappearance, he begins wearing the Red Robin costume as it will allow him to become darker without tarnishing an existing symbol. In Paris he's attacked by Owens, Pru and Z of the League of Assassins but it's revealed that this is Ra's al Ghul reaching out to help him. These assassins help him fight the Wild Huntsman when he infiltrates a museum, and Ra's explains that they are completely in Tim's service. This leads him to a cave painting that proves Bruce is lost in time, but outside they're attacked by Widower of the Council of Spiders who kills Owens and Z.

Blackest Night

Red Robin is called back to Gotham by Batman and Robin when their old enemies start rising from their graves as members of the Black Lantern Corps. He arrives in the Batplane to save them from a siege at GCPD Headquarters by sweeping the building with flame-throwers and airlifting them out. His father Jack Drake becomes a zombie and reenacts his own death with Captain Boomerang, to get an emotional response from Tim and feed off his life-energy. Dick and Tim use Mister Freeze's Freeze Gun to avoid the zombies' detection, then have Deadman unfreeze them and pass on their information to others.

Council of Spiders

Ra's al Ghul has Red Robin and Tam Fox kidnapped by the White Ghost. Drake is put in charge of the League of Assassins while they're attacked by the Council of Spiders, as Drake is the only person to survive an encounter with the council. He sets up fake assassinations across the world to bait the Spiders, but they slaughter his men and infiltrate the League's headquarters to kill Ra's. Drake is barely able to save Tam and Ra's is seemingly killed by their leader the Wanderer. Despite the entire League of Assassins having been killed by them, Drake takes on all of the Spiders simultaneously and wins. Before leaving with Tam he uses the League's computers to blow up all of their facilities across the planet, and Ra's announces he will retaliate by destroying Wayne Enterprises.

Collision

Tim reunites with Conner Kent in Paris, while trying to look for a Mother Box in order to get to New Genesis. After looking for one of Lex Luthor's labs in the catacombs of Paris, Tim broke down and told Conner of the hardships he'd faced. Conner emotionally supported him, also believing that Bruce is alive.

Returning to Gotham, Tim takes down Killer Moth and tries to reconcile his new grim persona with his old life. Ra's announces that he will kill those dearest to Bruce Wayne, and Tim teams up with Batgirl to save Leslie Thompkins. Pru gives them inside information on Ra's plans, but they are ambushed by the Seven Men of Death. They are able to survive these assassins, and Tim enlists Batman and Robin to help as he believes Ra's is planning something larger. Tim uses his connections in the Network and the Titans to rescue the hostages, explaining that unlike Batman he has friends. To stop Hush from transferring control of the company to Ra's, Lucius Fox has Tim appointed CEO of Wayne Enterprises. Ra's is outraged and kicks Tim out a window, although he calls him "detective" and privately admits he'd like Tim to father an heir. Tim apologizes to his friends for the dark direction he's taken and reveals his evidence that Bruce is still alive. Vicki Vale publishes an article saying he is engaged to Tam Fox. Alfred designs a modified costume for Tim, allowing him to truly become his own person.

Hit List and Return of Batman

After dealing with Ra's al Ghul's attempt to destroy the Bat-family, Tim Drake began a new quest of his own to take down several of the Bat-family's currently active foes, starting with the new Lynx. He also enlisted the help of Lonnie Machin to be his "Oracle," had a confrontation with Damian Wayne, and captured Ulysses Armstrong, who had stolen the Anarky persona.

Red Robin was then summoned to the Justice League Headquarters to help them rescue Bruce Wayne from being stranded in time. After Bruce's return, he teamed up with Red Robin to defeat the Council of Spiders in Amsterdam, with a little help from Prudence, Tim's ally, formerly of the League of Assassins. Later, after Bruce had established Batman Incorporated, Tim, as Red Robin, traveled to Hong Kong, where he contacted Cassandra Cain, the former Batgirl. Cassandra was still affiliated with the Bat-family but had no interest in returning to Gotham City. Nevertheless, he gave her a duplicate of her old costume, which she accepted. After here turned to Gotham City, Red Robin sprang Lynx from prison, the latter having claimed to be an undercover Hong Kong Police Officer, who kissing him in return. Batman was mildly annoyed by this but gently offered to give Tim advice on his dealings with Selina Kyle, as Tim considered Lynx to be on the road to becoming his own personal Catwoman. Tim then revealed that a Neon Knights center had been established in Gotham City, and that they would be preventing young people from turning to crime while the Bat-Family fought crime.

The Rabbithole

Tim's next mission was to investigate the supervillain communications network, the Unternet and discern how to either control it, or destroy it. He traveled to Russia, with Tam Fox in order to find out whether or not industrialist Viktor Mikalek had anything to do do with it. He was met with an icy reception from Red Star, who told him to be careful when dealing with Mikalek, as his actions had contributed greatly to the Russian economy. Tim and Tam arrived at Mikalek's headquarters, and were discussing a proposal to set up a Neon Knights center in Moscow, when a vigilante calling herself Promise broke into the meeting room and started to attack Mikalek. Red Star appeared to resolve the situation, but Promise managed to escape. Later, as Red Robin, Tim looked for Promise with the help of Lonnie Machin, who has been rendered catatonic following torture by The General, and was now only able to communicate by a special computer, thus allowing him to hack anything. Tim tracked Promise to her hideout, and after a brief conversation, Red Star attacked them, thinking that Red Robin was in league with "the terrorist." Meanwhile, Tam and Lonnie had hacked into the Unternet, and Red Robin had given Promise a comlink. After a fierce chase, Red Robin found himself aboard Red Star's ship, where he discovered dozens of missiles. At this moment, one of the Calculator's defenses was activated, which resulted in Red Robin, Tam, Promise, and Lonnie being knocked unconscious and their consciousness being absorbed into the Unternet. There they discovered a very surreal world where all of the persons inside manifested as they saw themselves, with the Riddler representing Tim Drake's mind figuring things out. After a series of scuffles with manifestations of the likes of the Joker and Deathstroke, they encountered Promises's manifestation, who revealed to them the meaning and purpose of the Unternet, and that Viktor Mikalek wished to regulate it, and make the world's supervillains pay him to use it. Tim, Tam, and Promise were able to escape, leaving Lonnie behind as a spy and to police the Unternet.

Shortly thereafter, Tim discovered that the Calculator had constructed hundreds of androids that looked like him, and had sent one such android to kill Tam Fox in an attack instigated by Catman. Tim realized that he would need some help tracking down the real Calculator. Thus, he contacted the Teen Titans, who met with him. The Titans were very happy to see him, with the exception of Damian Wayne, who had joined the Titans as Robin. The group set out in the Teen Titan's jet, and found that the Calculator's base of operations seemed to be in Istanbul. They used Damian to draw out one of the Calculator's androids, and followed it to one of the city's most popular nightclubs. After the Calculator android explodes, Kid Flash barely got Robin out of the way. Red Robin then realized in shock that there are several Calculator androids scattered throughout the crowd. Acting quickly, the group destroyed the Calculator robots and entered the location where Calculator's signal was originating; a nightclub. Digging underneath the building, the team stumbled across what appeared to be Calculator himself, who revealed to them that he had tortured and killed Kid Eternity. He then deployed a set of other more powerful robots against the Titans. Red Robin worked with Robin to destroy a few of these robots, and helped him to realize that this Calculator was also an android, the latter destroying it a few minutes later. In the aftermath of this occasion, Red Robin rejoined the Teen Titans, but Robin resigned, telling the former that the team "already had a Robin." Tim eventually discovered that the source of the Unternet was the Madmen, who had been turned by Darkseid into living servers for it. Red Robin lured them to Gotham City where he was forced to fight with them. He finally managed to render them catatonic, and thus disabling the Unternet, by contriving for them to hooked up to the Gotham City power plant.

Fun Facts

Tim Drake is not religious, believing that if God existed he would not let so many bad things happen. He has mentioned that his mother was religious but his father was not at all. This becomes relevant during Judgment on Gotham when the Crusader questions his faith and Tim is forced to admit he does not believe in God, although he knows this will put the city in further danger. This makes him a confirmed atheist.

Tim's birthday is on July 19th.

Tim's grandfather Charles Drake was 15 when he snuck off to join the military during World War II. He won the silver star for conspicuous valor at Iwo Jima. 

Tim's father Jack gave Tim his first beer. Tim took a big swig and immediately spat it out all over his dad. Jack did not know he was giving his chronologically 15-year-old son beer because Tim was temporarily aged into adulthood as a result of the Sins of Youth event.

Tim considers Conner Kent to be his best friend, and Bart Allen to be a close second.

[perfectlearners]

Early Childhood

2- 6 years old

At the age of three, I had a new four-wheel bike and my dad taught me to ride this. As I proudly demonstrated my new skill, I said "Watch how I ride this bike!". I sparkle when I am complimented by my mom for drawing a view of a house and mountain with my pencil and crayons. I always feel good about myself when I show off my intellectual abilities, counting out one to one hundred. I gained a "top " in our class and I am happy that time. I acquire feeling of self-worth because of my interactions with others who are important to me, such as my teacher, and my parents who gave me an immediate positive verbal and visual reinforcement. The center of libido is learning to control bowel and bladder movements. I failed in this stage. Wanna know why? When I was in kinder, grade one and three, I always poop on my underwear. The most embarrassing moments that happened in my life. When I was in grade four, I started learning how to wash my anus after pooping. I realized how embarrassing is to poop in the underwear. Obviously, this tells why I am always messy on my things and my thoughts-- I failed to surpassed anal stage and I developed shame and doubt. In addition, this was also the most ‘hayahay’ stage that we all ever had. We are just assigned to play and to do some household chores with rewards and recognition. Everytime I behave, they also gave me a rewards and if I failed to so, they will punish me. In this stage, I started to engage in different roles because of watching media. For example, in Super Twins, I always played the role of 'Tine'.

As I developed my capabilities to do more things, I learned how to walk, talk, and do the basic things that I need to learn such as reading, writing, counting and many more through the guide of my mother.  This was also the time when I started to go to school as a pre-school student. I developed my self-concept when I get along with other children, seeing my differences from them especially when it comes to simple things like playing. As a pre-school student, I was being disciplined by my mother to do homeworks and to learn reading and writing by limiting my TV time which was the major source of my entertainment. Also, this was my anal stage in which I am learning to control myself to be independent when it comes to my bowel movements and controlling my bladder and at the same time, I developed shame and doubt as my parents happened to punish me over the things I didn’t mean to do, like accidentally peeing on my bed, dropping the drinking glass, and forgetting to say ‘po’ and ‘opo’ when I’m talking to elderly. Every time I get punished, I will know that I did something wrong in which I started to developed the concept of morality. The good thing I can still remember is that everytime I got punished by my mother and after I cried, she will comfort me and explain why she got angry and punished me so as a little kid, I understand such things and tries my best to avoid being punished again

At an early stage, I have started to show exemplary skills in reading, writing, and counting, as well as deciding what should I do and what should not. This is because of the constant guidance of my relatives who culturally know what's best for me and the heavy exposure to the cartoons I watch on TV. Living with a strict family, I always have to ask for permission, like playing outside. Often times, it comes with a condition. My mom, being the organizer she is, wants me to clean all my mess first. As a result, I have developed the sense of being clean by washing my hands always and cleaning the toilet accordingly. Sometimes, however, they say no. And that is when I will cry to the fullest volume, unaware of the neighborhood who might be sleeping. This is because I still have struggles in thinking logically and understanding others' point of view. As a result, I'm only halfway between having a sense of autonomy, and shame and doubt. But when they say yes, my progress advances. As shown in the picture, my motor skills are being developed, and I slowly learned to be independent by not letting them push the bike anymore. The development of my self-concept now lies with the growing number of people around me, like my parents, other relatives, playmates, and classmates at school.

From the ages of 2-6 years old, I have learnt to develop a sense of awareness to my identity including gender, temperance, mental capacity and self-concept. A usual 3 to 5 year old is considered as a ‘yard kid’, where they are allowed to play outdoors and explore themselves, but I was different, for I was not fond of going outdoors to play with the other kids. I played alone or watched cartoons with my cousins and my parents for I only find comfort and safety inside our home. The idea that I am introverted was vivid at this stage, I usually get anxious whenever I spoke to someone I have newly met. Between my parents, it was my father whom I am more comfortable to be with, he was with me during my symbolic and pretend play moments, as well as during my learning stage. I remembered those times when he instructed me to recite the letters in the alphabet while holding a long piece of wooden stick. Once I recited the letters wrong, I will be whipped, a punishment which I guess was somehow effective for I become a disciplined one, a personality I am bringing until today. Regardless of the punishments I have received from my father, I still saw him as a role model, that’s why it seems like we connect and relate most of the time compared to my mom.

Since I started to learn how to talk, I’ve always loved talking! From talking, I developed that I can also sing. In the picture, that was the 3-year-old me singing in church. At the age of 3, I started going to a daycare school where I enjoyed interacting with other kids my age. At age 4, I entered preparatory in a bigger school. Here, I found people that turned into my friends. When with them, I started to differentiate myself from them, and realized that I was a unique individual with my large curly hair and big round eyes. My teacher taught us how to read, write, and count; after school I always want my parents to know what I learned that day by demonstrating it to them, challenging them to test me. That time I enjoyed going to school that my dependence on my parents decreased as I became a preschooler who wanted to discover more things more by herself with the world around her. I started to choose my own clothes and have my favorite food. I also discovered that I like performing that I always join in our mini classroom activities. Thankfully, my parents just let me experiment things to help me discover the things I can do giving me autonomy and initiative to choose. But of course, I was still young, so in any way possible my parents still taught me new things, such as toilet-training, and telling me to clean the toys after playing. I do remember having a television this time, but my brother and I can only watch if we slept after lunch. I can remember that I was always thinking that the characters on my favorite cartoon shows were real, and I always liked to be like them and do what they can do and because of watching too much on TV, my parents limited our time with it, and helped us focus more on studying.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Our early childhood days are one of the best stages that we all have passed. This was the learning stage of our young and little minds. As we learned how to talk, run, walk and other skills like riding a bike, we became more excited about those skills that made us more playful as we love to repeat everything we can do. Also, by learning how to do basic counting, memorizing the alphabet, and basic reading, we developed the feeling of self-worth and achievement especially that everytime we gain positive reinforcement from our parents, just like what Tine told. However, some of us also experienced punishment as a form of discipline and as a part of teaching strategy from our parents  just like we have all  experienced in different ways such as limiting our time in watching TV, whipping with the use of stick just like what Joanna experienced and scolding us every time we misbehave. From those punishments, we learned the concept of what is right and wrong, but as a kid we tend to be self-centered on the things and decisions we made because just like what Joshua said, we still have difficulties to think logically and understanding others during this stage. Moreover, this was the stage where we have undergone potty training in which some of us find this kind of self control difficult and as a result, we happened to have one of the most embarrassing moments in life like peeing in our pants and accidentally pooping in our underwear just like what Tine experienced. For Joshua, he successfully passed this stage in a more good way than most of us and as a result, he was successfully trained to be an organized person. During this stage, we also achieved the autonomy vs. shame and doubt. Des, Joshua, and Joanna developed shame and doubt as they are being punished every time they are misbehaving and being mischievous while Tine and Amor built autonomy as they started to feel their independency from their parents to choose simple things that they prefer. Lastly, we all developed things based on the level of our awareness about the things that we like or we don’t like. We became more clear in demanding for the things that we want not unlike before from infancy stage in which what we can only do is to cry whenever we need or we ask for something. Tine developed to learn simple household chores as an exchange for positive reinforcements. Joshua developed his awareness on the things he preferred and he needs such as food, toys, clothes and other simple things. Amor developed her talents in memorizing and reciting poems and singing. In this stage, we all just love to play and have fun with our toys and playmates.

[anellatulip]

ME:A Countdown Ryder Meme

Days 30-18

ORIGINAL POST

So I'm late to this meme but I really wanted to do it to help me flesh out my Ryder!! :3c Under the cut because I'm behind a few days oops~

30 Days: Will you play SisRyder or BroRyder first? Why? How does your Ryder define their gender?

SisRyder! Just because I have more ideas for her background & personality. Also I'm just coming out of playing the Witcher 3 and to be honest, I'm quite tired of playing a guy for over 150 hours so there's that. However I'll most likely end up doing a Bro!Ryder playthrough as well after. I usually start out with a female OC because they’re easier for me to identify with and roleplay as. For those reasons her pronouns will be she/her (unless I change my mind later haha).

29 Days: What is your Ryder’s name? Why did you pick this name - is there a meaning or origin story behind it? Do they go by any nicknames? What would you name their sibling, father and mother if you were able to choose?

My Ryder goes by her nickname 'Midnight' in-game but her real name is 'Medina'. It's a codename she received during her sniper training for the Pathfinder program. Her combat style very much incorporates stealth tactics and her teammates claimed that she 'could perfectly hit a target in pitch darkness from miles away'. One day her brother started calling her that too, and it just sort of stuck. Their father is the only one who calls her by her real name. If I could name her bro, I'd probably go with Kalem. I'm fine with their dad's name.

28 Days: Are you going to use the default appearance or create a custom Ryder? If custom, describe your Ryder’s physical appearance (hair color, eye color, skin color, height, weight, facial features, any scars or tattoos, racial origin, etc). If you have art and/or a face-claim, feel free to add them here

A custom Ryder for sure!!! Midnight naturally has shoulder- length black hair that she dyes dark blue (haven't decided if she dyes all of it or just the tips yet BUT YKNOW). She only originally did it because her bro always teased her that she never did anything fun/unique with her appearance (she doesn't have tattoos, piercings, wears little make-up, no jewelry) but ended up liking it in the end and decided to keep that look. Since I love projecting onto my OCs, she and her brother will be mixed - half white, half central-asian. Don't have a face/body claim yet but she's quite short (5'3) and not overly muscular (seeing as she was mostly preparing to be a scientist, not a marine). Her brother is the one who has a lot of tattoos, an ear piercing, and is quite stocky since he did a lot of physical training to be a soldier.

27 Days: Are you going to use the default appearance for Ryder’s sibling or customize them? Describe your ideas for their sibling’s and father’s physical appearance. 

Already answered that in the previous question oops. I'd like to customize Bro!Ryder to look as much as his sis, if that option is available. I actually don't mind default Dad's appearance tbh? The only thing is, I figure he'd have a lot more scars thanks to his long and colourful military career. I figure Kalem would try to match him in that too.

26 Days: Do you have a specific class profile or mix of class profiles in mind for Ryder?

Stealth, long-range, and tech skills are the way to go for Midnight. I don't know if the classes will be the same in Andromeda or not but based on the previous three games, she'd either be Adept or Engineer. She will definitely have that Tactical Cloak, Overload, and Hacking abilities ready. Kalem, on the other hand would definitely be a Soldier or Vanguard class.

25 Days: Describe Ryder’s favorite combat style. Bioware call Peebee a “gunslinger” and describe Liam as a “close-range fighter” - how would you describe Ryder’s combat role/strengths? What are some of their favorite biotic/tech/other abilities?

Midnight is stealth and tech expert. She doesn't act rashly but considers carefully her every move. She's also resourceful and will use her environment to her advantage if she can. Since she isn't super strong she will probably have to rely a lot on her learned knowledge of her enemies' weaknesses. She prefers long-range guns and only resorting to close-quarter combat if she knows she can use her Tactical cloak and one-shot the enemy. She doesn't take unnecessary risks and she isn't reckless like her brother (or at least at the start of the game, we'll see how/if that will change as she grows into her role as the leader). She won her local science fair by building a robot when she was little and her love of robotics persists to this day. You will usually see her hack other machines or set up a turret to help her out.

24 Days: Which squadmates do you think will best compliment Ryder’s combat style? Alternatively, who do you plan to take out most in the field?

Hmm, since we haven't had a chance to get to know the companions yet, I really can't say for sure! I do kinda feel that she and Vetra would get along really well on the battlefield. Cora too probably? But I'll most likely rotate who she takes with her on missions so I can get to know them all better.

23 Days: Which weapons or category of weapons will Ryder prefer? Describe their favorite loadout.

Midnight's first love is a sniper rifle but she will most likely try to switch to another weapon so she can be on the front lines with her squad. She hates the idea of just sitting back in relative safety while her teammates put themselves in danger (it's a matter of honour, I guess) so she will train real hard to get good with other weapons (plus a sniper rifle is heavy af). I can see her choosing light pistols, also energy weapons (I think they showed in the trailer? cant remember their name) and maybe assault rifles. No for shotguns tho.

22 Days: Will Ryder craft? What are you most excited about crafting? Do you have any names in mind already for weapons?

I'm not too excited about crafting but my Ryder would definitely be :'D I can honestly see her crafting weapons and developing armour plans in her spare time, or when she has a lot on her mind. She likes to keep her hands busy. She'd be the kind who evaluates her team's combat skills and would develop weapons for them to boost their efficiency or accuracy. Also, she...often has insomnia and can't sleep so I can see her staying up all night and getting carried away crafting stuff for her team or herself. She'd need help naming her weapons tho - she gives them standard, boring names like 2K-501 but her bro would be the one to name them something ridiculous like 'Demolisher'.

21 Days: What are Ryder’s personality traits? Describe 5 strengths and 5 flaws.

Midnight is very hard-working and once she sets her mind on something, she gets it done. It can be a bad thing, however, since she tends to overwork herself a lot. She's a great planner and prefers to use her mind and diplomacy to solve problems and only resorts to violence if there's no other way. Because of this, however, she's a very inexperienced soldier who's not used to being a leader. She joined the Andromeda Initiative mainly to keep an eye on her brother, to keep him safe. Kalem's really the one who wanted to be the hero and lead the team but instead his sister was chosen, and as much as he loves his sister it was a bit of a blow to his ego. Whereas her brother is a rule-breaker, Midnight likes sticking to a routine or a strict set of rules. She isn't above questioning orders from her superiors, however. It's kind of her nature to question everything...she's very inquisitive and curious about everything. She was studying to be a scientist so learning about history or other species is absolutely fascinating to her. But because she is an inexperienced leader & soldier, she can get emotional during battle and do stupid, reckless things. Her brother teases her that he's rubbing off of her.

20 Days: What first impressions does Ryder tend to give people? Do they have any ‘odd’ or specific mannerisms, habits or other quirks? How do they present and carry themselves?

Midnight can seem serious and strict at first. Once she's given a mission, she becomes very focused, almost fixated on it. To really get to know her, you need to catch her off-guard, probably off the battlefield when her tactical mind isn't whirring and trying to plan 3 steps ahead. She handles diplomatic/political issues with ease but can be really awkward in personal social situations and is still struggling to be the charismatic leader she is expected to be. Despite all her knowledge and training she can be really naïve and as a result, ends up being a very easy victim to teasing (which her brother does all the time). Despite everything, she cares deeply for her teammates and her family and would go to any lengths to protect them. She's very good at controlling her emotions and can stay calm under pressure but gets completely overwhelmed when matters of the heart come into play :')

19 Days: Where would Ryder fall in the classic Paragon/Renegade morality system? What would their D&D alignment be? If you know their personality type in any personality typing systems (such as MBTI and Enneagram - you can find various type descriptions and tests using Google), feel free to add and discuss them here.

HOO BOY Midnight is definitely Paragon. At the beginning of the game, she starts out as a Lawful good which changes as the game progresses. I'd say her true self is somewhere on the neutral spectrum. Again, she starts out as INTJ (The Architect) and as she warms up to her team and grows into her role, becomes ISFJ (The Defender). Her Enneagram is Type 1: The Reformer.

18 Days: What qualities does Ryder like and dislike in other people? Are there any things they particularly appreciate or can’t stand?

Midnight hates disorder/chaos and she isn't really fond of surprises, since she likes to plan and be prepared for anything. Reckless, headstrong, aggressive or overly close-minded people who refuse to listen she'd have a hard time dealing with as well. She doesn't like insubordination either as it makes her feel incompetent as a leader. She admires idealistic, just people, those who are willing to do anything - even sacrifice themselves - to save others or do the right thing. She also admires humour and charisma, since she kinda sees herself as lacking those at the moment. Loyalty means everything to her, as well.

[samjbatty]

By Comparing and Contrasting Portrayals of Viola in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night Pre-1900 and Post-1900, Explore the Ways in Which Social Attitudes Have Affected the Exploration of Viola’s Gender Identity.

Gender identity is often defined as the personal conception of ones self on the gender spectrum. It is firmly believed that this is a separate identity than ones sex – male or female. The idea of gender identity is one that is ever changing due to social contexts and progressing attitudes towards gender and thus, is a popular motif in literature. Shakespeare is particularly interested in the expression of gender identity as he uses many of his plays to explore the concept, one of which is Twelfth Night. In this comedy, the lead character Viola disguises herself as a male in order to serve the Duke of a foreign land. Shakespeare uses Viola to explore themes of disguise and duality but most importantly, gender. In this essay, I aim to use three sets of resources – a range of pre-1900s paintings and photos of the character Viola, a range of post-1900s photos of the character and reviews of performances, and a modern critical essay on a film adaptation of Twelfth Night – as well as the original text of the play, to track the portrayals of Viola - and her disguise as Cesario - through the contexts in which they were produced, in order to demonstrate how these depictions have become more socially progressive with time.

 Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night was believed to have been first performed on 2nd February 1602, at Middle Temple Hall. At this time, women were not hired as actors; meaning, Viola would have been played by a young man. This casting choice would have added both humour - to lines such as “Thou shalt present me as an eunuch to him.” (1602, 1.2:59) and “Fortune forbid my outside have not charmed her!” (Shakespeare, 1602, 2.2:18) - and confusion to the play’s portrayal of gender, which “provides a productive route for thinking about the elasticity of identity” (Karim-Cooper, 2016). In the 1700s, as women began to gain more freedom from the strict patriarchy of Tudor England, more female actresses were hired to perform the role of Viola. One such depiction is an oil painting of Act 3, Scene 4 by Francis Wheatley (1771). This painting features Viola, in disguise as Cesario, being pushed to duel Sir Andrew Aguecheek by Sir Toby Belch and Antonio. Wheatley dresses Viola in soft pink clothing, which provides a stark contract to the male characters in the scene, who appear in black, grey, yellow and red. Viola’s pink clothing is accented with blue and black, possibly to depict the conflict of gender taking place within Viola’s head. Pink is a colour commonly associated with femininity, suggesting Wheatley has no intention of hiding Viola’s true sex and the bright colour forces Viola to stand out from the painting as ‘other’ from the male characters in the scene. However, Wheatley paints the female character wearing shorts when disguised as Cesario, giving Viola a masculine quality that adds to the illusion of a male character. Wheatley paints Viola with a rounder, more feminine face than Antonio, who appears with a sharper jaw and thinner nose. Wheatley used actress Elizabeth Younge as his model for Viola, differentiating his portrayal from those previous, which used male actors. This may provide an explanation for Viola’s softer appearance. Wheatley’s depiction demonstrates a large change in the role of women in 18th Century society, however also shows us how the hiring of female actresses lead Viola to be presented in a much more traditionally feminine way.

 This portrayal of Viola seems to continue into the early 19th Century, exemplified by Henry William’s painting (1806) of the same scene from Twelfth Night. Here, Viola is dressed in white, blue and pink with long, curly blonde hair. William’s interpretation of Viola’s face is an even sharper contrast to her male counterparts than Wheatley’s, as both Sir Andrew and Sir Toby are drawn in an exaggerated manner, this once again highlights Viola’s femininity and prevents the character from reaching the androgyny suggested by the text, however, William seems to capture Viola’s reluctance to fight, shown in the line “I do assure you ’tis against my will.” (Shakespeare, 1602, 3,4:314). William’s image sticks closely to the traditional depictions of women, with softer features and lighter colours, as well as Viola’s hesitation to fight, however his inclusion of shorts in Viola’s costume adds a masculine element to the character in a similar manner to Wheatley’s interpretation.

 By the end of the 19th Century, interpretations of Viola had taken a more ambiguous execution. This can be seen in a photo of Ellen Terry in costume as Viola (Window and Grove, 1884), the performance of Twelfth Night at the Lyceum Theatre in 1884. Her portrayal was described as “a departure from traditional lines” (Times, 1884). The image shows the actress facing the camera with her eyes looking slightly above the camera lens, her left hand is nipping at the hat that the actress wears whilst her right arm is covered with a long cloth, which is possibly part of the costume. The costume is a knee length robe with a large cloth belt and a jacket worn over the top. Terry wears thick tights and pointed, buckled shoes with the outfit. Terry’s hair is cut short underneath the hat. However, the costume isn’t entirely masculine as the ruffles of the neck and intricate patterns on the jacket and belt suggest femininity, which is reinforced by the heel of Terry’s shoes and the robe, which doubles as a skirt. This suggests a more fluid presentation of Viola as Cesario, with aspects of masculinity and femininity present to highlight the confusion that the character feels in relation to her gender identity. This image offers a more progressive depiction of Viola than the two previous resources, which contrasts the presentation of a submissive, young woman who would “let concealment, like a worm i’ th’ bud, /Feed on her damask cheek” (Shakespeare, 1602, 2,4:123-124). The Times believed Terry portrayed “a bright somewhat mischievous hoyden” (1884) who “enters thoroughly into the fun of her disguise” (Times, 1884). This interpretation highlights the active and determined aspects of Viola’s character within the text, such as her insistence that she left no ring with Olivia to the lady’s steward (Shakespeare, 1602, 2,2:17) and her disagreement with Orsino on a woman’s capacity to love (Shakespeare, 1602, 2,4:99). Ellen Terry’s portrayal of Viola is a character full of confidence that blurs the lines of the gender binary, through both costume and action by using her disguise as Cesario as a means to fully express herself, defying the expectations of women at the time. The idea that Viola perhaps delights in the opportunity of being a male is also demonstrative of a more accepting society, with less rigid definitions of gender identity. This interpretation may be undercut by the ending of the text in which Viola reassumes her female identity. However, Shakespeare seems to leave this decision in the hands of the director – writing no stage directions that state Viola must change back into her feminine attire meaning she is dressed as Cesario in the final moments of the play (Shakespeare, 1602). This suggests a duality as opposed to a disguise.

 In the following years, depictions of Viola began to form two different categories – the first being a more conventional, feminine look and the second being a more modern, genderless portrayal. Images from the early 1900s, such as the Otto Sarony (1916) image of Viola Allen in costume as Viola and the J. and L. Caswell Smith (1910) image of Lily Brayton in costume as Viola, depict the contrast between conglomerated interpretation of a gender fluid Viola and the more traditional portrayal. Allen’s Viola (Sarony, 1916) wears a white shirt with rolled sleeves, a pleated skirt, and a patterned vest with multiple cloths tried around the waist. The actress wears thick tights and knee-high boots. The appearance in general is feminine which is emphasised by the actress’ long, brown hair being kept on show. This contrasts Lily Brayton’s Viola (J. and L. Caswell Smith, 1910) who wears a similarly flowing, shirt but pairs this with long pants and a cape. Brayton wears mid-calf boots and a cap perched on top of her curly hair. Brayton’s Viola is photographed sitting down, legs spread, with her head resting on one hand in contrast with Allen’s Viola who stands demurely. The divide between portrayals of the character seems to stem from a surge in cultural respect for Shakespeare’s text and the wish to recreate his plays in a more traditional manner juxtaposed against directors wanting to produce a new take on his plays.

 The establishment of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1959 lead to an influx of interest in Shakespeare, which meant a wave of new portrayals of Viola. In a snippet of the TV show Playing Shakespeare uploaded onto YouTube (2009), we can see Dame Judi Dench’s RSC-directed take on the character. She performs the ring scene with a bewildered nervousness. Dench draws out lines such as “Fortune forbid my outside have not charmed her!” (Shakespeare 1602, 2,2:18) as if in shock then rushes through the following “She made good view of me” (Shakespeare 1602, 2,2:19), trying to make sense of the situation. She then transitions into frustration on the line “None of my lord’s ring? Why, he sent her none!” (Shakespeare, 1602, 2,2:24). Dench stutters the line “I am the man.” (Shakespeare, 1602, 2,2,25), indicating her Viola is struggling to accept her new identity of Cesario. Later in the speech Viola repeats this phrase, much more assured, but follows it with a wistful “As I am woman” (Shakespeare, 1602, 2,2:38). Dench follows director John Barton’s instruction to create “a mixture […] of the pain and the comedy.” (Kris Joseph, 2009) Together, they construct a complex Viola who is in over her head. Dench’s performance plays on the drama of the soliloquy, reminding the audience that this is a woman who is grieving the loss of her brother whilst navigating a new place, disguised as a male. Whilst not in costume, Dench’s outfit evokes images of a more gender fluid Viola, with short hair and a shirt under a baggy, knitted, jumper and loose pants.

 In recent performances the interpretations of Viola have differed greatly - from a 2009 RSC production’s “jaunty […] and relentlessly positive” (Kirwan, 2009) portrayal to the more conceptual portrayal as Viola as a ‘1920’s silent film star in a brown suit and bowler hat’ (Bradshaw, 2014), to an androgynous Viola with “a casual posture and slicked back haircut.” (Kirwan, 2014) of a 2014 Liverpudlian production of Twelfth Night. The interpretations that perhaps, deviate most from Shakespeare’s original text are the Violas from recent motion picture adaptations of Twelfth Night. In a critical essay, Klett (2008) states, “ [She’s the Man] make[s] Viola a reflection of the contemporary teenage girl.” He believes Andy Fickman, the director of She’s the Man (2006), uses Twelfth Night to “articulate a modern girl’s struggle with her gender identity in an oppressive world.” The Viola of She’s the Man fights sexist discrimination within the sports community whilst she feels she is being “forced to conform to an idea of femininity that does not express who she really is.” (Klett, 2008). Klett (2008) claims:

 Flickman’s film presents us with a Viola who fulfills this idea of a ‘strong, competent and active girl’. Instead of sitting “like patience on a monument,/ Smiling at grief (2,4:114-115), […] Bynes’s [sic] Viola actively seeks to challenge the sexism she sees in her culture.

 However, this progressive reading of the adaptation is dampened by the ending, in which Viola returns to her feminine identity and openly embraces her debutante career that she had previously fought against. Klett (2008) points out that this defies Shakespeare’s text (1602) wherein Viola does not fully return to her female identity by remaining in Cesario’s clothes. Overall, Klett (2008) believes the adaptation “Lend[s] significance to [Viola’s] struggles with gender issues.”

 In conclusion, the character of Viola started out as a comedic play on gender, as well as a symbol of the oppression women of Shakespeare’s time faced, through the in-text sexism such as Orsino’s opinions on women (Shakespeare, 1602, 2,4:103) and through performance, wherein only young men played the role. As social attitudes towards women changed, more accurate representation came to light -however; the non-traditional exploration of gender identity began to be ignored in favour of presenting a much more straightforward feminine Viola. In the late 19th Century, portrayals of Viola began to break out of the gender norms as the character began re-embracing traditionally masculine aspects such as her determination and a much more gender bent appearance. As time went on, presentations of Viola continued to fluctuate between feminine and genderless depending on the director’s intention. In the late 20th Century and early 21st Century, depictions of Viola began to reflect the more open, fluid ideas of gender, confronting concepts such as gender roles and feminism more openly through less faithful film adaptations of Twelfth Night. The vast range of Violas is perhaps indicative of society’s recent strides forwards in terms of women’s rights, as well as reflective of the acceptance of women as individuals with opposing attitudes, characteristics and perhaps, gender identities.

 ----------

References and Bibliography

Atkin, G. (2008) Character Studies: Twelfth Night: Character Studies. [e-book] London: Continuum. Available at: Leeds Trinity University Library http://lib.leedstrinity.ac.uk [Accessed 27 October 2016].

Bradshaw, K. (2014) Twelfth Night (Synetic Theater) @ Arlington, Virginia, 2014. Reviewing Shakespeare. [blog post] 26 January. Available at: http://bloggingshakespeare.com/reviewing-shakespeare/twelfth-night-synetic-theater-arlington-virginia-2014 / [Accessed 27 October 2016].

Caswall Smith, J, and Caswall Smith, L. (1910) Viola (Lily Brayton) [graphic]. [online] Available at: http://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/detail/FOLGERCM1~6~6~303172~123704:Viola--Lily-Brayton---graphic----ph?sort=call_number%2Cauthor%2Ccd_title%2Cimprint [Accessed 27 October 2016].

Hägglund, K. (2014) Twelfth Night (Shakespeare På Gräsgården) @ Bridgettine Monastery, Vadstena, Sweden, 2014. Reviewing Shakespeare. [blog post] 22 July. Available at: http://bloggingshakespeare.com/reviewing-shakespeare/twelfth-night-shakespeare-pa-grasgarden-bridgettine-monastery-vadstena-sweden-2014/ [Accessed 27 October 2016] 

Jackson, R. (1979) ‘Perfect Types of Womanhood’: Rosalind, Beatrice, and Viola in Victorian Criticism and Performance. Shakespeare Survey, 32(1). P15-27.

Karim-Cooper, F. (2016) Cross-Dressing in Twelfth Night. Globe Education. Available at: http://2016.playingshakespeare.org/sites/default/files/public/attachments/Cross-Dressing%20in%20Twelfth%20Night.pdf [Accessed 27 October 2016] 

Kirwan, R. (2014) Twelfth Night @ Liverpool Everyman. The Bardathon. [blog post] 6 April. Available at: http://blogs.nottingham.ac.uk/bardathon/2014/04/06/twelfth-night-liverpool-everyman/ [Accessed 27 October 2016].

Kirwan, R. (2009) Twelfth Night (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre. The Bardathon. [blog post] 11 November. Available at: http://blogs.nottingham.ac.uk/bardathon/2009/11/11/twelfth-night-rsc-the-courtyard-theatre/ [Accessed 27 October 2016].

Klett, E. (2008) Reviving Viola: Comic and Tragic Teen Film Adaptations of Twelfth Night. Shakespeare Bulletin, 26(2), p69-87.

Kris Joseph (2009) Discovering text in the moment: Twelfth Night/Viola as performed by Judi Dench. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxftRZ_Uzq0 [Accessed 27 October 2016].

N/D (1884) Twelfth Night At The Lyceum. Times, [online] 9 July, p.13. Available at: The Times Digital Archive http://tinyurl.com/hmoev2d [Accessed 27 October 2016].

Sarony, O. (1903) Twelfth night [27 photographs of a production starring Viola Allen as Viola, performed in 1903] [graphic]. [online] Available at: http://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/detail/FOLGERCM1~6~6~302702~123610:Twelfth-night--27-photographs-of-a-?sort=call_number%2Cauthor%2Ccd_title%2Cimprint [Accessed 27October 2016].

Sarony, O. (1916) [Viola Allen as Viola in Twelfth night] [graphic]. [online] Available at: http://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/detail/FOLGERCM1~6~6~267666~117970:-Viola-Allen-as-Viola-in-Twelfth-ni?sort=call_number%2Cauthor%2Ccd_title%2Cimprint [Accessed 27 October 2016].

Shakespeare, W. (1602) Twelfth Night. Folger Digital Texts. Ed. Mowat, B., and Werstine, P. [online] Available at: http://www.folgerdigitaltexts.org/?chapter=5&play=TN&loc=line-2.4.0 [Accessed 27 October 2016].

Suzuki, M. (2016) Gender, Class, and the Ideology of Comic Form: Much Ado about Nothing and Twelfth Night. In: Callaghan, D. Ed. (2000). A Feminist Companion to Shakespeare. 2nd ed. p 139-162. London: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. (originally published by Blackwell Publishers Ltd. 2000).

Wheatley, F. (1771) Scene from "Twelfth Night," Act III. [online] Available at: http://shakespeare.emory.edu/illustrated_showimage.cfm?imageid=321 [Accessed 27 October 2016].

William, H. [1806] The duel between Viola and Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth night (act III, sc.4) [graphic]. [online] Available at: http://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/detail/FOLGERCM1~6~6~514849~137496:The-duel-between-Viola-and-Sir-Andr?sort=call_number%2Cauthor%2Ccd_title%2Cimprint [Accessed 27 October 2016].

Window & Grove. (1884) Miss Ellen Terry as Viola [in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night] [graphic]. [online] Available at: http://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/FOLGERCM1~6~6 [Accessed 27 October 2016].