#we are Robin

[all-0f-the-above]

the superhero's parallel to the hero's journey is one of an almost unbreakable curse: someone is harmed or killed while you are unable to stop it. you spend the next part of your life learning how to stop exactly that, promising yourself it won't happen again. you think to yourself, "if only I had been more prepared the first time, then I could have stopped it."

except defusing bombs isn't the issue. the person planting them is.

betrayal can't be anticipated: that's what makes it a betrayal.

and it's impossible to predict every single time someone will need life saving medical care.

still, you fantasize, "if I had the knowledge I have now, things would be different." and you save others from the same situation. time and time again. but still you ache. you didn't do it all those years ago. it haunts your every triumph.

it's not until you look in from the outside. the exact same thing happens to someone else this time, and you weren't able to stop it.

as you're beating yourself up for it and desperately trying to control the damage that's been done, you see someone sitting off to the side. they are alone and wrapped in a blanket. when you talk to them, you are shocked to hear that they blame themselves.

"What?!" you exclaim, "it wasn't your responsibility to stop this- you couldn't have known! it's on the shoulders of the perpetrators and people like me, who couldn't make it in time."

they are inconsolable. "from now on," they say, "I won't be so naive, and I will do everything I can to stop this from happening again."

you know when a battle is lost, so all you can do is nod and step away. back to your own business.

but it makes you terribly sad for someone to lose their innocence in such a way. to blame themselves for the consequences of someone else's evil. to never again see the world as a hopeful place: just a mosaic of fulfilled and missed opportunities.

and your story, the hero's story, will be tragic as long as you continue without looking inward.

it is only by considering your own beliefs that you are free of the vicious cycle:

sometimes, there is no happy ending, no clever way out. sometimes, awful things happen and there is nothing we can do about it. all we can do is pick ourselves off the ground, movement by excruciating movement, and hold our heads high. we continue. because it is worth it. not because you can "fix" things now. not because you will do things "right" this time. but because you deserve a good life. a life after the bad things. a joyful life.

this is when when you, the hero, finally realize that you're living a triumph. that even after something tragic happens, your life is not a tragedy.

[video320]

I drew the bat family

[we-r-robin]

Been on motorcycle tiktok… thinking about these two f-ing around on their motorcycles…

—

Duke: There’s a cop

Jason: Just drive away it’s fine

Duke: No s*** I’m already on the other side of the city

—

Bruce: We’re on the same side of the police, even if they’re corrupt we’re all for justice

Duke, a Robin during the Robin War, a motorcyclist, and a black teenager: Uh huh. Of course

—

Dick: There’s a motorcyclist going 200 in Crime Alley

Jason: Damn, that’s me

Dick: Sick, do a wheelie

[starspilli]

laundry day

(pls click for better quality!)

[incorrectbatfam]

❌ Bruce hating his kids' friends

✅ Bruce forgetting his kids' friends

[cyanide-sippy-cup]

The idea that Duke is the super well-behaved and rule-following kid is really funny to me cause like, have you read Robin War? His bit in that book opens with him being arrested for wearing red shoes (long story, just know he was also wearing a red hoodie that apparently wasn't a problem) and he explains step by step to the cop exactly how he plans on escaping before executing that escape perfectly by jumping off a bridge. He fought an armored Jim Gordon, the Court of Owls, and Damian who had been manipulated into joining the Court. Duke managed to talk Damian down while getting his ass kicked and then kinda befriended the kid after. He also has defied Batman several times and was proven to be right. All with a healthy dose of sass.

But also I do like lil rule-following sweetheart Duke so I have a proposal. Duke Thomas who follows the rules he agrees with. Most of the time, he's the sweet little angel in the manor. He's polite, he's well-mannered, he's kind, and he does what he's told. However that's only because everything aligns with what he believes to be the right path. The moment Bruce makes a bad call or order, Duke takes it to 11 and becomes more impossible to order around than Jason. Chaotic Good Duke.

[raynetheinsane]

Tim was Dukes Robin.

Sure Jason would have been Robin when he was a little kid, but if we do our math Duke is about 2 years younger than Tim, placing him at about 11 when Tim became Robin meaning that Duke would have been 9 when Jason died.

At age 9, Duke, being a fully normal civilian for the most part, would never have fully connected with Jason’s Robin, he would have connected with the idea of Robin, but not any specific person behind the mask.

Then comes Robin 3. He’s different, at least thats what everyone is saying. But Duke doesn’t care. There was a new Robin, one who was smart and used his head to fight people *just like Duke*.

A lot of things change in Dukes life but Robin was constant.

He was crushed when a new Robin took over, but he adjusted. (He was a little ashamed to admit he was happy when his Robin came back)

Then Batman “died” and Robin disappeared and Duke lead We Are Robin and then he became signal blah blah blah.

After he joins the batfam, he is more than a little shocked to find out that his Robin is such a wet cat of a man (/aff) and so whenever people ask him who his favorite Robin was, he always says We Are Robin.

The rest of the bats never find out and Duke never tells Tim.

[ftm-dick-grayson]

[ID: the "you can excuse racism?" meme format. The first woman is labeled "Duke" and the words have been edited to say "I can excuse eight heads in a duffel bag but I draw the line at littering." The second woman is labeled "Nightwing" and the words have been edited to say "you can excuse eight heads in a duffel bag??" End ID]

[5-7-9]

SHUT THE FUCK UP BATMAN

LARK IS AWESOME

HIS FRIEND HELPED COME UP WITH IT

AND DUKE’s HELMET!!! HE LOOKS LIKE A LARK 😭 🐦‍⬛

HIS COWL HAS HORN TUFFS

[himejoshiangels]

we are robin

[theratking-heheheheheh]

Re-reading We Are Robin and I love Duke sm had to draw him!!!!!!!

[leoleolovesdc]

I love the concept of the “street kids” of the batfamily being close and i js dont get why dc refuses to explore them together!!! Duke and steph both grew up as lower middle class, decided to be heroes on their own to fix injustices that no one else would, they had mothers who they couldn’t rely on for a really long time and recently have regained the opportunity to rebuild a relationship with. Jason and steph had mothers struggling with addiction, lived at park row, became robins and died tragically under batman’s care (leading them to develop a hard relationship with him) and developed some sort of violent streak/murderous impulse even as kids. Duke and jason became homeless when their parents went missing and/or died suddenly, they felt very strongly abt crime but didn’t have any ways to solve the problems of the world and ended up with a lot of bottled up anger that they learned to canalize through vigilantism

[we-r-robin]

Duke: You’re the second Red Hood? Kinda unoriginal

Jason: Says like— the eleventh Robin

Duke: At least I’m not the second Robin AND the second Red Hood. Might as well be the second Two Face

Jason: …

[incorrectbatfam]

Damian & Duke Bonding? There are not enough of those in the world. Maybe this planet would be a better place if there was.

Duke: I'm heading out.

Bruce: Where?

Duke: Just hanging out at the museum with my friends.

Bruce: Good, then you can take Damian.

Duke: What? Why?

Damian: I have a paper due on Friday.

Duke: Ugh, fine.

Bruce: And remember, Duke, you're older so it's your responsibility to keep him safe.

Duke: Whatever.

[at the museum entrance]

Duke: You know the deal. Just stay out of my way.

Damian: Not to worry, I don't need anyone to supervise me.

Damian: *snatches his ticket and walks away*

Duke: That's a relief.

[dinosaur exhibit]

Duke: ...Yeah, then the principal said—

Duke: *sees Damian climbing a T-Rex skeleton*

Duke: Hey, look over there!

His friends: *look the other way*

Duke: *flips over the dinosaur and grabs Damian*

Duke: *puts Damian down and runs back to his friends*

Duke: Whoops, thought I saw something. Guess I was mistaken.

[solar system exhibit]

Dre, snickering: Uranus. Get it?

Riko: Oh yeah. Hilarious.

Duke: *sees Damian dangling upside-down from a planet on the ceiling*

Duke: I'm getting a phone call, one sec.

Duke: *grabs a ladder and meets Damian*

Damian: Can I help you?

Duke: *sighs and slings Damian over his shoulder*

[biodiversity exhibit]

Izzy: ...So I told my brother that, but still...

Damian: *leans over a railing*

Duke: *slips away and pulls Damian back before he falls*

Duke: You're lucky that shark's not real.

Duke: *goes back to his friends*

Damian: I would have simply adopted it.

[engineering exhibit]

Dax: Guys, check it out.

Dax: *launches a baseball catapult*

Duke: *catches the ball before it hits Damian*

[bathrooms]

Duke: *leaves the bathroom*

Duke: *sees Damian entering an exhibit under construction*

Duke: This kid just can't quit.

Duke: *tackles Damian away from a falling beam*

Duke, annoyed: You're welcome.

Damian: Tt.

[food court]

Duke: I'll take a ham sandwich and a cookie.

Steph, the cashier: Here you go.

Duke: *sits down by his friends*

Steph: Next!

Damian: I will have a vegan burger, apple juice, and cookie.

Steph: Sorry, kiddo, we just sold our last cookie.

Damian, disappointed: Oh, alright. I'll just take the burger and juice.

Duke, to his friends: I'll be right back.

Duke: *hands Damian the cookie*

Duke: How's the paper coming?

Damian: I believe I've gathered what I needed.

Duke, ruffling Damian's hair: Cool, just stay out of any more trouble.

Damian: Tt.

Duke: *goes back to his table*

Damian: *pulls out his notebook*

Damian, writing: Of the many things at the Gotham Museum, the one that stood out the most is my big brother...

[were-wolverine]

have some tim jason and dami being brothers in We Are Robin vol. 2

bonus:

damian yelling “CHOW TIME!” as he lands right on some talon’s face

& jason yelling “YAAAAASSS!”

[kb-jank]

yea...duke was dripped out. im not forgetting this anytime soon my boy was standing on BIG business. the whole bullet proof-biker-robin jacket too? the done stole his swag smh