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Tweak says, "Mushrooms!!!"

iesika (iesika) wrote in scans_daily,
@ 2009-06-10 07:46:00

Current mood:	cheerful
Entry tags:	char: robin/red robin/tim drake, char: spoiler/robin/batgirl/steph brown, creator: chuck dixon, creator: staz johnson, series: one perfect moment week

One Perfect Moment: Tim Drake
Imagine the following scenario:

You have a new girlfriend - one that you like very, very much. Unfortunately, because you are a teenage vigilante, she doesn't know your name. After one perfect night on the town, in uniform, blending with a crowd of sci-fi geeks in costumes, she tells you that she's pregnant. With another guy's kid.

You are Timothy Drake. What do you do?

You invent/misappropriate a fictional cover identity, pick her up at the front door, and TAKE HER TO BABY CLASS.

Because you are awesome.

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toasty_fresh
2009-06-10 06:24 pm UTC (link)

I mean, I can understand why it might happen, but it so didn't have to happen, and imo I don't think it did much for her character. While there are tons of mitigating circumstances, becoming a teen mother is widely viewed as being not a good decision, so it made her seem like, well, the kind of person who doesn't make good decisions. And, iirc, the issue was kind of dropped like a hot potato after she put the baby up for adoption, so I have to wonder what the whole point of the pregnancy was . . . other than ~drama~.

Or maybe I just don't like it and want to ignore all the evidence for why it might not be that bad xD

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parsimonia
2009-06-10 06:55 pm UTC (link)

so I have to wonder what the whole point of the pregnancy was . . . other than ~drama~.

Well, I think part of the way it was handled was done badly. Teen pregnancy and ideas on how to deal with it are generally controversial, but Steph's decision and discussions around it, had a very anti-choice vibe to it which felt off to me, as a reader. (Partly due to my own left-leaning political inclinations, granted.)

Obviously it's a very personal thing, and everyone is going to have different opinions and feelings, as well as outside influences, that are going to determine such a decision. But for someone who is 15 and in Steph's particular circumstances, it does seem a little odd that she would be so dead-set on having the baby.

Of course, this being comic book land, the little Stephlet will probably super-age to become a teenage vigilante soon enough.

(Fixed HTML)

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zahri
2009-06-10 09:13 pm UTC (link)

Yes, keeping the pregnancy, especially when Steph was exploring her other side as a teenage vigilante, always seemed... not too well thought out.

I figure we've probably got at least another 5-10 years before Stephling shows up as a teenage vigilante. Turning up any earlier is likely to be a kidnapping, either because the adoptive parents are just not boring enough, a random event occurs, or someone twigs to the fact the kid's a Brown.

I'm waiting for the kidnap/missing persons report that sends Tim into a wild hunting frenzy, actually. Especially as every other Bat will be going Bzuh? about why Tim's so into this case (Except maybe Babs). Because the chances of Tim being oblivious to the kid's whereabouts is about the same as Bruce not knowing where Helena ended up. Between Tim's 'everyone dies!' issues and his thing about parents, he probably checks in on the kid at regular, random intervals. From a tree, with binoculars.

I hold out hope that Bruce's answer to the shell game they played, hiding Helena, was simply to track every kid placed by the three agencies who's within a few months of Helena's age. But he probably still knew exactly who had her.

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	ladymirth 2009-06-10 11:27 pm UTC (link)
	Between Tim's 'everyone dies!' issues and his thing about parents, he probably checks in on the kid at regular, random intervals. From a tree, with binoculars. And now I cannot rest until I find this in fanfic. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

zahri
2009-06-10 11:59 pm UTC (link)

Tim totally stalks Stephling. He probably has a photo album full of photos of the kid from birth onwards. He's planning to stake out the preschool graduation, just in case someone attacks it. He knows what mini-Steph's favourite park and piece of play equipment is, and makes sure that Poison Ivy doesn't ever use that park as a base.

Yes, I may have thought about this a little too much. You don't want to hear Bruce's contingency plans for Helena's safety, which include a computer subroutine that sends out a bemused JLA to rescue the kid when needed, in case Bruce happens to be incapacitated and/or dead. Or the back up set of faked birth certificates that make Alfred Helena's closest living relative, so that she ends up safe at the Manor if necessary.

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	ladymirth 2009-06-11 12:17 am UTC (link)
	Want. Fic. Naow. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	zahri 2009-06-11 12:23 am UTC (link)
	Unfortunately, I can generate the ideas - the writing isn't always so good. I'll try it though. (And why isn't there more mini-Bat fic online? With the amount of Steph-love there is, you'd think there'd be more fic devoted to what happens when the baby inevitably ends up finding out it's related to both sides of the costumes) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	faile_neume 2009-06-11 10:04 am UTC (link)
	I remember reading a fic that had Steph and Tim babysitting together and it turned out they were babysitting Stephling. It was so awesome and now I can't remember where I read it. Conversely, I really want to write Tim looking after Stephling. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	ladymirth 2009-06-11 11:16 am UTC (link)
	Now you have told me such a fic exists, I cannot rest till I've found it!Was it on Livejournal? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	faile_neume 2009-06-11 05:09 pm UTC (link)
	Yeah it was on LJ, I'd say look at either the mrsarcastic_tim community or titans_together community. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	jlbarnett 2009-06-11 07:43 pm UTC (link)
	http://shananagin.livejournal.com/77494.html (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	ladymirth 2009-06-11 09:45 pm UTC (link)
	THANK YOU! off to read (Reply to this) (Parent)

	faile_neume 2009-06-11 10:59 pm UTC (link)
	Ooops. I had a feeling it was one of my LJ friends who wrote it. Thanks for the link. (Reply to this) (Parent)

runespoor7
2009-06-11 01:19 am UTC (link)

Stephling totally has a trust fund set up by Bruce. And when/if she's kidnapped and people are sent to her rescue, they find out that she has a "secret uncle" who's been teaching her martial arts.

Especially as every other Bat will be going Bzuh? about why Tim's so into this case (Except maybe Babs).

Bruce would know. He's made it his business to keep an eye on the kid and feel guilty since Steph's death.

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zahri
2009-06-11 02:32 am UTC (link)

Hah. Tim totally contemplated kidnapping the baby all for himself after Steph died. Then he realised he'd have to explain why he'd come home with a toddler to Jack. The impulse returned, many times, until Tim found a way to visit Stephling without letting anyone know who he was. He probably volunteers at the kindergarten or something.

I'm not sure if Bruce knew or he figured it out. Maybe Bruce tracked Stephling down after Steph's death, out of guilt, and then went to program the computer to keep an eye on Stephling... and found the programming already there.

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