#ask tbp

OMG ARE YOU SERIOUS????

Congrats on the 10k, friend, and thank you so much for sharing my cosplay!!

It's rough out there these days. The world appears to be falling apart and we're all stressed.

Hi!! Thank you!!

I did actually share the whole process over on my YouTube and tiktok!

https://youtube.com/@thatblondeperson?si=e3UYbwE53bhe9yTF

It was...a beast of a project...

with your actual face attached to your social media and everything

you know we can see this? like, this is visible to people you know and who have to look you in the eye?

Dont know what this is about but sure, I suppose I am??? Idk, I'm on here a lot. You'll probably have to be more specific.

Hard to say anon, I post a lot, I'm going through this world however I can. I probably get pissed off at stuff that doesn't matter, and I probably should care more about things I don't pay enough attention to.

I probably don't always think through what I'm saying, you don't magically gain the ability to be perfect at any particular age, especially when we're all thrown into this current world being able to see way too much happening, all at once, all at the same time.

I definitely act different online than I do irl, I think we all do to an extent, and over the years I've learned to block more than engage, which has been helpful. I think in a lot of instances, blocking and moving on is just a better use of our time, but it takes practice, as we all encounter new forms of rage bait, or shit we didn't even KNOW we could be mad about every day.

Unfortunately anon, I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about. I can't really say 100% what my feelings were behind something if I don't know what that something is. Oh well.

Sure, I'll give 'em scores out of 10.

Starting with Tim:

The Classic: 10/10. Who doesn't love the original? It was a brand new take on Robin and it stood out and still does to this day given that it's the one most seen on merchandise. This suit became the default in a way, and for good reason. It's simple, functional, and timeless. Great suit.

The "my best friend is dead" Robin suit: 7/10. I don't hate it, it's just not as good as the original. The more simplistic and darker color scheme is indicative of not just Tim's meaning for the colors, but the decline in a lot of his optimism. This was the start of his downward spiral and he never really came back from this era. It's a good suit, I wouldn't call it great. She's basic (affectionate).

Red Robin (the 2009 run): 9/10. I would put this at a perfect 10 if he didn't have the stupid cowl. I hate that thing, and the only saving grace for it is the fact that it could have been there to cover his burn scars. Swap that for the Unternet mask and it would be my fav.

See?

(^Original art by Marcus To, recolored and posted on Reddit)

Unternet Red Robin: 10/10. Ok this one is so cute because it shows just how much Tim still looks up to Dick. This is basically a rebranded Nightwing suit, complete with finger stripes, and it's adorable. This is what Tim envisioned himself as in the Unternet and is that not just precious? And I love this dorky mask. It's got a giant bird beak and it's so stupid that it's endearing as hell.

Swan Queen Red Robin: 2/10. Not sorry, I hate this suit. I don't know what it's trying to be but it's a mess. There's too much going on and it needs to be simplified. I hate the tiny logo on his chest.

This stupid shit: 0/10. What the fuck is this?

The Rebirth Robin suit: 10/10. This suit is spectacular. Plays on the original but modernizes it in a way that still feels like Tim. I love this suit, it is exactly the kind of look I would want for Tim in this day and age as Robin.

Drake: 0/10. Burn it. I don't think anything needs to be said. We all agree, yes? Good.

Not going to speak on the video game suits but just know that I hate all of those too.

Moving on to Steph:

The Classic: 10/10. It's campy, it's colorful, I love it. She made this herself and I think that makes it even better. It's such a classic look for the time and I think it's wonderful. Look at that giant shoulder strap. What is that for? No one knows. It went through a few variations over the years. The shoulder strap got smaller but so dud the outward facing underwear and they gave her basically a thong. Not cool, DC.

Stephanie's homemade Robin suit: 2/10. This is just pure over sexualization and I hate it. Why does it have to be a loose crop top? Why is it so tight?

Stephie the Hedgehog: 9/10. This one is also way too boob heavy but I like the overall look better. The skirt is still debatable as far as movability goes, but the hair is so great that I'm just going to ignore the flaws, silently dock it a point and move on.

Spoiler 2.0: 8/10. It's a good suit. This is the one I based my cosplay off of. It's simplistic but it still has the essence of the original with those ridiculous boots and gloves. I still love this, I just like the original better.

Katavi: ?/10. I don't know how to comment on this design. I love that Stephanie just wanted to help and took up a new persona in a new place to do so. I think the design is lovely but I can't speak on whether it's as appropriate worn by a white character. I think character wise, it makers sense for Stephanie, but I don't know what to say about it past that.

Batgirl (the 2009 run): 10/10. I'm skipping past the borrowed suit since this suit is specifically Steph's, and it's perfection. It's classic but with the touch of purple to make it hers. It's simple, but it's great. I'd love to have this suit someday.

Nightwing: 10/10. This is a great suit that we were robbed of. I would love this look more with Stephanie's short bob that she had for a while, but this look is so great.

The New52 suit: 10/10. This may come as a shock considering my distaste for the Ew52, but I actually really love this Spoiler suit. It's a great mix of some of the elements of her classic Spoiler suit, heavily mixed with her Batgirl 2009 look, and modernized in a way that feels very Steph. It's scrappy looking, idk. I just like it. I really love the half mask on it too.

Future's End: 6/10. I feel like it's missing a lot. It's drab.

Future State: 0/10. This is Rose Wilson.

The Batgirls suit: 7/10. This is just the Rebirth look with a purple bat slapped on. Lazy. I still like the look, but I wish they did something new.

To an extent, yes.

Tim has been kissed without being asked by a number of girls and there are more than what I'm about to list.

Darla:

Cissie:

Tam:

And yes, Steph as well, but I'll give a small chronology of their kisses because it irks me to no end that the fandom picked one side in this "toxic ship" debate, negating that Tim and Steph are both perpetrators in the toxicity in their relationship.

Tim kissed Steph first, to her surprise, in Robin #5.

This is what sets off the flirting. Before, Steph does seem to understand that it's a one-sided crush, until Tim kisses her. he does not ask, he does it impulsively.

She then kisses him in Robin #16 to his surprise.

He's not thrilled and she does not ask first before doing this.

Then yes, there's the CPR stunt in Robin #35.

This is fully not okay. But she does make a solid point that no one brings up, in her saying "So it was okay to kiss me". Why don't fans mention that? That this is a toxicity give and take? imo it's the misogyny, but regardless, neither of their actions are okay. No, it was not okay for Tim to kiss Steph, and no, it was not okay for her to kiss him. It's a 2-way street they're both driving recklessly on. They don't discuss their relationship, Tim has a girlfriend, Steph knows he's spoken for, it's clunky and messy and not well written for a while. It gets better when Tim actually gets introspective about his feelings and when they kiss in Robin #44 it's consensual.

And they don't kiss again until Robin #56, one issue before their date, and in this issue Tim does break up with Ari because his feelings for Steph are realized and he wants to be with her.

To try to pick a side in this "who made it toxic?" debate is silly. Tim started it, Steph pursued it, Tim then pursued it back until they got together. Messy.

It's an ugly old trope for girls to just jump kiss the protag/hottie/boycrush in every piece of media. It was very big at the time these comics were published, right in its heyday really. The 80s through the 2000s were rough and we have to look back on it as a problematic product of it's time. Is it sexual assault? Yes. Do I consider these characters to be problematic and toxic and would I call any of them sexual assaulters? No. The writers are being gross and weird here and playing into that teen boy "every girl wants me" (chicks dig the cape...) trope and the girls in question are just tools to remind you that Tim's a Hottie McDreamboat that every girl wants some lip action with. Ugh...

Some more advanced sexual assault? We have to talk about Rose Wilson. Again...writers being gross and creepy, but YIKES.

This is right after Bar5t dies, (can't remember issue, sorry...) and Tim goes back to his room to mourn where Rose is waiting naked in his bed to drunkenly jump him. By being drunk she's not fully consenting either, but Tim has to literally fight her off and cuff her to get her to stop.

The fandom used to pass these panels around as a "teehee Timmy's afraid of boobies!!" joke but like...that's super disgusting and I hope those people understand that this was almost fucking r*pe.

And later when she comes back (again, can't remember issue, sorry...) she's wearing a Robin thong and he ends up shoving her out of his bed which, imo is slightly reasonable given the way she previously acted with him. Why is she trying to fuck his sadness away DC? idfk. But then he takes the fall for it and gets yelled at for hurting Rose and like..I'm over it.

What was their relationship supposed to be????

And then of course there's the whole League of Assassins thing with Timmy ready to produce the next heir.

That "next time on Red Robin" quip makes me gag...

Hey remember that ship that people like? RasTim? The ship where Tim, a 17 year old, is shipped with a grown ass crusty old man who wanted his daughter to r*pe him to produce an heir to the LOA? Remember what a cute and quirky thing that was? Wow, so adorbs. Love wins.

I'm bitter, can you tell?

Tim has definitely been on the short end of the stick when it comes to non-consensual advances, and it's...not good anon. There's not really a way to redeem the creepiness of male comic writers, and I would just love to be a fly on the wall for all these decisions to see why they were made. At the end of the day, it's the whole "sex sells" angle, and for any hetero teen boy who related to Tim, it was to fulfill the fantasy of being Robin, the super cool crimefighter thqat got all the girls I guess...

Just...ew.

That's genuinely such a good idea but I'm kinda terrible with royal stuff XD

I love the concept, but idk if I'd execute it well, it's definitely more @incoherentbabblings area of expertise since she has a history degree to go with it.

It's definitely an interesting special. The timeline on this is way iffy. It definitely takes place after Robin issue 174 but where Tim is with Zo and Steph is a bit fuzzy. It's before they had their falling out because Tim is still calling Steph his sort of not girlfriend in issue 177.

And neither of them know if they're dating or not in the special.

On one hand, they gave Steph friends which is a first in a very long time. It's a weird group to give her given that they're loose canons in a law-breaking way, but on the other hand that makes sense for Steph. She seems to want to be a good influence while still being able to relax and let loose and I love that for her. Too bad nothing ever came of this.

It's very clear that Stephanie still has feelings for Tim, which carries over into their collision issues in their 2009 arcs. I think she does genuinely hold those feelings until they team up or hang out and by then she's kind of bursting to the point where it's all cloudy. It's nice to see the traces here because I think it's integral to how the two of them work, always sort of holding those feelings. Putting a pin in them to address later, circumstances willing.

I do love that we actually got an idea of what Stephanie went through in her time away, what she did, who she was. It's a shame they wrote her as having what seemed like a year of growth away from Gotham, and then obliterated it later.

She's helping Leslie, gaining medical expertise. She's absolutely beautiful in this little arc too.

But despite the new surroundings, she's still Steph. She wants to do more, be more than what she is. She's dreaming of Spoiler.

And it ends up taking her away from her new environment.

She is who she is.

I think it's a genuinely sweet little look at Stephanie's character. How she's been trying to piece herself back together, why she comes back, why she'll always come back. She can't sit still, she needs to have outlets, and she needs to help others. It's nice to have a kind of resting point to examine where she and Tim are, and I love love love how it's all one big diary entry. It's personal, it's soft, it's optimistic.

It's a checkpoint, anon, but I think it's a fairly good one. If only everything hadn't gone to shit right after because this would have been a nice, mellow transition into Stephanie's Batgirl run. Allowing her to figure out who she is, where her p[lace is and always has been, and moving on and up from there, on comfortable terms with Tim as well. Not that I don't love the angst, but it could have come from general awkwardness and the palpable tension between them, without it being about distrust. They already had shared trauma from several other places. We could have worked with all of that and gotten a very similar, but less character decimating, outcome.