I feel like I've complained about Tim's email situation in Gotham Knights before (edit: I have), but the truth of it is just so funny.
He's signed up for so many podcasts, video game streamers, and random news alerts; it's just a constant barrage of data going straight into his constantly whirring brain. Hell, he even floats the idea of the Batfamily having their own podcast as a way to correct misinformation about them (which Jason shoots down instantly), and it's made me realize something.
Timothy Drake would be a YouTuber.
In this universe specifically, Timothy Jackson Drake, the heir to Drake Industries and the foster son of the late Bruce Wayne would be a YouTuber.
Think about it. It'd be the perfect cover. Who would ever suspect that some 16-year-old nepo baby with a YouTube channel could ever be Red Robin? You'd have to be mad. I mean, look at him.
Red Robin just dropped out of literal thin air and garotted someone four times his size, and you expect anyone to believe that's the same kid who does 24-hour Minecraft charity streams and occasionally drops 6-hour video essays (his last one was on Lex Luthor's illegal bit mining operation on the moon)?
That kid?
You think that kid is Red Robin?
Ch'yah, okay, sure. And the Joker is funny 🤡.
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A chat with Leith
You can read all the q's if you'd like to support me on my Patreon, but I want to share this one with you too <3
What do you most want to tell the hunter when you are reunited?
“This is dangerous.”
“Can we try?”
They sit quiet and still for a while, so still that I have to blink to make sure they are breathing. "Leith?"
Leith smiles a watery smile, wavering at the edges. "Fine- I imagine it all the time anyway. When I finally see them again, the first thing I want to do is hold them close," Leith says, their voice quiet, their fingers fidgeting. "I want to wrap my arms around them and feel their heartbeat against mine, just to know that they're real, that they're here, with me."
“Don’t you think you’ll scare them, doing that?”
Leith shrugs, nodding. A tear escapes and trickles down their cheek, but they brush it away, trying to compose themselves. "I want to tell them how much I've missed them, how every day apart felt like a lifetime. I want to apologize for any moments of doubt or hesitation, for any times I let fear get in the way."
With a deep sincerity in their gaze, Leith continues- but I can see the flash of their teeth, the hopelessness in their eyes turning into something darker, something hungry. They speak slowly. "I want to tell them that they've been my light in the darkest of times, my anchor in the stormiest seas. They're my best friend, my confidant, my everything. And I want to promise them that from now on, I won't let anything keep us apart."
A bittersweet smile graces their lips, and they take a moment to compose themselves, trying to hold back the tears that threaten to overwhelm them, hand trembling over their mouth. They shake their head. "I've dreamed of this reunion, yearned for it with every fiber of my being. It's been torture I wouldn't wish on my worst enemies. But now, knowing that it's finally happening, I am…" They hesitate. "Scared."
Leith's voice cracks, and they pause to take a deep breath before continuing, "I want to create new memories, laugh together, and share our future together. I want to have it all back, to show them how deeply they've affected my life and how they've made me a better person. But I don't know if I can do any of it- I, I lost that part of me. It was taken from me.”
I flinch as they snarl the last words, lunging from the couch. Leith walks away, their back to me. Shadows swirl around them, licking at the walls. When they speak again, their voice is low, barely contained, one of many.
“I don't know if they will accept what I am now. There is so much darkness there. So much pain. I can't hide it- I can't be like I once was."
Their darkened eyes shimmer with unshed tears as they flash me a look over their shoulder, but they speak with unwavering determination, "When I finally see them, I'll take whatever they can give-"
Something breaks, a levy crumbling. A growl grows in their throat, their shadows rising. They face me fully. “I will take it.”
The room pulses into darkness as Leith's energy shifts, as they spread, as they grow. Shadows dance across their faces, their smiles turning into grim lines, all hard edges and terrifying severity. I’ve seen the transformation many times, but it never stops from being horrifying. I can barely look at them, pushing back into my own seat, fear creeping up my sternum and out my throat.
“Take it- what they give willingly, you mean?” I croak out.
"Í̷̹̥̔̿̄̉ṭ̵̲̯̒̋̒̽̽͜͜ ̸̨̨̻͂̍̾̌̐̓̽͊̽͝͝i̶̡̝̘̪͎̮͖͂š̷̢̻͇̖̙̩͉̦͙̞̰̩͓͉́̉̀̾̂̊̌̒̏͒̎̊̅̂͐̈́ ̶͔̣̪̟͖͋͘ṃ̴̻̄̉̂͌̑͂̔̀̊̐̊̚͝i̴̡͖͈̬͓̥͆̃̄̃͆́͊̀̈́͑͜n̶̢̨̺͚͍̗̬͎̪͈͕̤̙͙̖͔͑̒̋̀ẹ̶̡͑̐̇̀̓̎̍́͘.̴̹̺̫̙̮͚̬̫͊̇̅͛͑́̌̉̐̋̓̾̚̚͝ͅ"
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