hold on hold on obsession with the circus? dos Tim Drake canonically have an obsession with the circus?
No, Tim’s obsession with the circus is just part of this AU.
Remember how I mentioned Janet was still pregnant when Haly’s Circus came to Gotham? Well, the reason Jack and Janet went to the circus at all was to film it for baby Timmy. After all, it’s not everyday you get to see THE Flying Graysons. So Jack and Janet go to the circus, pay a little extra to spend time with the Flying Graysons backstage, and everything is great. Janet and Mary are talking about motherhood, about how to raise a child and juggle a very demanding job with very little time to adjust. Little Dick is asking all sorts of questions, is the baby a boy or a girl, what will the baby’s name be, can he feel Janet’s belly, etc. They all take a photo together, and little Dick tells the camera that he’s dedicating his performance to Timmy, and that Timmy has to come see the Flying Graysons himself when he’s older!
And then the Flying Graysons fall, and Dick is orphaned right in front of them.
Jack and Janet never tell Tim about the circus. They hide the photo and the video, as well as anything they bought that night, in the attic. Years later Tim discovers it all while trying to get over his fear of the attic. A performance, dedicated to him. A little boy who wanted to see him someday. Toys and stuffed animals and shirts that are still a bit too big, all gotten for him by his parents. For the first time in Tim’s life, he feels like he matters to someone. He will never get to see it himself, but Haly’s Circus changed Tim’s life.