#red hood!steph

[msfcatlover]

I have been thinking so much about Jean-Paul Valley in my Reverse!Robins AU. Specifically, how he’d react to Steph’s return.

Because, listen: here is a man who had his autonomy stripped from him. Had his identity stripped from him. By the cult his father secretly raised him to serve, while letting Jean-Paul think he was having a normal childhood (and he did. That is one of the things I like about JPV as a character; in the original “Azrael: Fallen Angel” & “Knightfall” stories, he had a perfectly normal childhood… aside from the hypnotic brainwashing implanted while he slept.) This guy who was tricked into murdering several people, when he never, ever wanted that.

He gets saved by the Bats. And they help him. They really, genuinely help him, and sure, Duke & Damian are still teenagers (JPV’s like… 20-22 at this point in my mind,) but they’re also his anchors to reality. Damian, who also was raised to be a weapon by someone he should’ve been able to trust. Damian, who has experience with cults & rebuilding your identity after losing everything. Damian, who’s basically JPV’s “Brainwashed Cult Assassins Anonymous” sponsor. Duke, who also had a normal childhood. Duke, who knows Gotham like only a kid who was raised in its heart can. Duke, who agrees that this whole situation is certifiably fucked, but never hesitates to help Jean-Paul potentially recover a lost memory or find a new one, because it’s not just about who Jean-Paul was before the cult of St Dumas got their hands on him, it’s about remembering that he’s a living human being right now.

They take him in. They save him. They help him save himself. Bruce offers to pay for him to go back to college, for fuck’s sake!

They gave him his life back.

Jean-Paul can never, ever repay them. They tell him they don’t need it, but he wants to and he can’t. He feels so selfish to take & take without giving back, but how do you pay someone back for all that?

So his couch is always open to them, whenever they want. He’ll be their ally, their friend, their confessor, their confidant, their homework editor if need be. And when newer batkids join, well, Jean-Paul would’ve done his best anyway, but the fact he’s entrusted with Duke & Damian’s apprentices is just. It’s something else. And it’s hardly a hardship—the kids are a delight. Obnoxious, sure, and messy, and pushy, and constantly interrupting, and sometimes they break his stuff, and always they eat all his food, but Jean-Paul has more civilian friends now, and they tell him that’s just what kids are like.

What matters is that he loves them. He loves them because Duke & Damian love them, and then he loves them for being them.

And then. Stephanie. Dies. (Because Jean-Paul is broken, he’s a sinner, he can never make up for what he’s done, what he is, and he can never have nice things. Because Steph was sunshine & rage & stubbornness, because she joked that “We blondes have to stick together!” Because no one was there for her when it mattered most. This has to be punishment, right? He got too close, and Steph paid the price.) (His therapist says he’s being irrational again, but it doesn’t feel irrational. They say they need to adjust his medications. Jean-Paul knows better than to trust himself, but he can trust in Bruce to make sure the therapist is safe, so Jean-Paul doesn’t fight it. He’s not happy, but he doesn’t fight it. Because if he starts hallucinating again, he knows it won’t just be his father hovering over him, demanding to know why Azrael refused to avenge them. So yeah, sure, adjust the meds if you think it’s needed—he doesn’t miss Steph that badly. Yet.)

And then. Steph. Comes. Back.

She’s not dead. She’s not dead, but she’s different, she’s so very, very different. Damian says she fights like she spent time with the LoA, that same cult that raised Damian which he’s told Jean-Paul so much about over the years. Training like that takes time, but it’s been 6yrs, and she’s back, risen & gifted back to them! And she’s killing, but Jean-Paul’s killed before, and he’s been kidnapped by a cult before, and he thinks he knows how this goes. Death Mask isn’t Azrael, but he thinks it’s close enough.

And. And. And. He can save her. Because he knows what to do now, after nearly a decade in recovery. He can make up for his sins, he can bring her home again, and maybe, finally, he’ll have finally managed to pay them all back! He can give Steph her self back to make up for—(“You didn’t kill Stephanie,” his therapist reminds him, “you never laid a finger on her. Remember? You didn’t hurt her. It’s not your fault.” But it feels like it is, it feels like it, he can’t shake the idea that he did)—and he can give the Bats their sister back to make up for all that they’ve given him over all this time! A life for a life, and yes! This feels right!

He cooks up scenarios, imagines Steph reaching out in a moment of lucidity, or showing up injured on his doorstep guided by muscle memory, or running into her on the street or in a cafe and the look of alarm & recognition in her eyes as she—like he did, still does occasionally—knows that she knows him but can’t remember. He imagines the conversations they could have, all the different variations, and knows that it will take time, but patience is a virtue and Jean-Paul’s gotten rather good at it. He can be her anchor.

He just needs to figure out how to start.

(And meanwhile, Steph’s on the other side of Gotham like, “Why are my ears burning, and why do I feel like I’m staring down a tsunami-level wave of second-hand embarrassment right now?”)

#red hood steph #red hood!steph #red hood stephanie brown #red hood!stephanie brown #Villain Stephanie brown #Antihero Stephanie brown #jean paul valley #jean Paul valley #jeanpaul valley #azbats #dc azrael #Dc azreal #Reverse!robins #reverse robins au #reverse robins #reverse order robins #Reverse order betkids #Reverse batkids #reverse batfam #reverse batfamily #Batfamily #batfam #batkids #stephanie brown #batman #my writing #mine #// #I actually like him a whole lot—just not in any comic I’ve read so far. #JPV you are so fun & interesting on a conceptual level! Sure hope the DC writers do something fun & interesting with you at some point!

[lilbabybirdiefic]

All i want is a Reverse Robins AU that involves Red Hood!Steph flirting outrageously with Oracle!Tim, much to his brothers' dismay.

#batman #reverse robins au #Red Hood!Steph #Oracle!Tim #batfam

[ashoss]

patrol is fun :DD

#akpsdj this took so long #NOT SHIP ART !!!!! #stephanie brown #steph brown #spoiler #jason todd #red hood #dick grayson #nightwing #yes nightwing is supposed to be in that peter griffin death pose #damian wayne #robin #dc fanart #illustration #batfamily #batfam #batman #dc comics #ash's doodlings #tw food #u can see the progression of my tiredness lmao #the first one panel is so detailed compared to the last one

[evaningotham]

i need the batfam fandom to give damian the same energy we give tom hollands peter parker in fics like

i want Field Trip to Wayne Enterprises fics

fics where damian gets phone calls from his famous siblings in class

fics where damian has to deal with the other kids watching thirst traps of his older siblings

fics where he’s getting bullies and one of them shows up in full vigilante attire to scare the middle school bully

just

damian al ghul wayne fanfic that centers around his school life and protective family

#dc comics #batman #damian wayne #damian al ghul #damian al ghul wayne #damian wayne al ghul #bruce wayne #wayne enterprises #tim drake #jason todd #dick grayson #red hood #batfam #batfamily #nightwing #cass cain #cassandra cain #steph brown #duke thomas #jon kent

[ditzybat]

damian: why'd you shoot that man? i think he's dead

jason: he was pulling out his weapon

damian: what are you, a cop?

jason on the verge of tears: i'm so proud of you, but never compare me to a cop again

#dc #damian is like a baby who repeats back what he's heard #he picked this up from steph and jason #damian wayne #jason todd #robin #red hood

[ressaart]

streets of gotham

#screams #its done #this one gave me so much wrist pain lol #tim drake #red robin #jason todd #red hood #dick grayson #nightwing #damian wayne #robin #bruce wayne #batman #also cass and steph are there they're just at the very top of the tallest building i ran out of places to put ppl #so i wont tag them sadly :( #my art #gotham

[batbabydamian]

reverse robins of my fav trio!

#stephanie brown #damian wayne #dick grayson #fav trio i say as i draw them not even interacting sdfgh #this was also an excuse to use Dan Mora's Steph Future State hair/scar design as inspo again xD and using Mora's Robin shoes from WF! #Dick was resolute about his Robin uniform so Damian compromised by having him wear elbow/knee pads LOL #tried doing laceup thigh highs for Damian’s batsuit but it looked off 😭 also considered using the Red Hood suit from B&R09 but too silly... #tbh i rarely have interest in reverse robins AUs unless Damian's featured and tries to be a good big bro 😭 #batbabyart

[dragonpyre]

Secret Robin au

Bruce was on edge for the rest of patrol

Prev / Next / Commission info / ko-fi

#secret robin au #jason and steph both come from harder backgrounds so they'd be the most vocal about this type of thing imo #also Jason deserves a croptop jacket #batdad #batman #spoiler dc #red hood #stephanie brown #jason todd #bruce wayne #fanart #fan art #my art #comic #dc #dc comics #batfam #batfamily #batkids #batsiblings

[an-entity-i-think]

What if Jason did the whole shtick of "wow another Robin huh? You'd think the old bats would think better of it after the last one kicked it" and then Tim is dead faced pissed and punches him in the face and goes "Don't ever talk about my dead girlfriend like that again" and Jason's just bluescreens cause wat

#jason todd #timsteph #tim drake #stephanie brown #steph!robin #tim!robin #jason!red hood #entity writes dc #dc universe #dc #batfamily #batfam

[allthegothihopgirls]

everyone talks about how bruce talks about his 'babies' as if they're just sweet little kids, when they are OBVIOUSLY not (shocking everyone who meets them). but i think dick would do the Exact Same Thing:

dick: "and you're gonna LOVE my baby brother jason, he's so smart, and has such a sense of empathy. but god does he just get bigger every day, they grow up so fast"

enter 6'5 literal mountain jason todd, who looks like he's going to snap someone's neck if they so much as look at him the wrong way.

dick: "sometimes i'm just blown away by tim's genius. i'm always so proud of him when he accomplishes new things, but every time it just reminds me how independent he's getting. he's so full of life too, it's hard to keep up with him."

enter tim, who looks like he's met death and bears all of the world's secrets. although perpetually battered and worn down, he is also, not a baby.

dick: "oh and damian... he's the littlest one, and he's just the cutest, always learning and wanting to be just like his big brothers. he's so sweet too, not a mean bone in his body"

enter damian.. this one fits the size description at least.

#i KNOWWWW canonically jasons like 6'0 but idccccc #dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #damian wayne #damian al ghul #robin #the robins #minus steph #red robin #red hood #nightwing #batfam #batfamily #batboys #dc comics #dcu #dc #gothihop speaks

[lustwithoutlore]

Stephanie, clearly upset: I just spent $30 at the grocery store and all I got was eggs, mayonnaise, fruit, and pop.

Tim: Oh so prices have gone down, that’s good.

Stephanie: …. I really hate you sometimes, Tim. Really hate you.

Tim: Isn’t $30 for all that cheap?

Stephanie, calling Jason: I need an immediate extraction I’m about to kill Tim.

Jason: … And you need the extraction, why?

#steph: *cocks gun* time to eat the fucking rich #tim: thank god if I get killed I can finally rest #steph: *lowers gun* uh…. you good bro? #batfamily #batman #jason todd #red hood #batfam #tim drake #stephanie brown #batgirl #red robin #dc comics #dc comics funny #incorrect batfamily quotes

[msfcatlover]

*mushes two of my favorite AUs together*

Red Hood!Steph would still be a Desolation avatar—there’s too much anger, too much destruction, too much hate & desire for the complete annihilation of the targets of that hate to be anything else—but she’s different.

RH!Jason is an earthquake.

RH!Steph would be a lightning storm. The crackle of electricity, the taste of ozone, the light of something utterly uncontrollable in her eyes. The billowing, bulging thunder cloud sweeping across the sky to blot out the sun. Wind enough to rip up trees, rain so heavy you can’t see, but lightning, lightning every few seconds, like all the electricity in the world has been stolen underneath her skin. A fire-starter (like Jason) but the blaze itself is not what you have to Fear, the blaze is merely a side effect of something much more powerful sweeping through. Her victims are not shattered bones & splattered brains, they’re bleeding ears & the reek of cooking meat.

Jason borders the Buried far closer than he’d like.

Steph would dance on the border of the Vast like a small child dances in the rain: with wild abandon & near-feral glee.

#tma crossover #batfam crossover #Stephanie Brown #red hood stephanie brown #red hood!stephanie brown #Red hood steph #Red hood!steph #RH!steph #Steph brown #reverse robins #reverse!robins #Reverse Robin’s au #Reverse order robins #Reverse order batkids #Reverse batkids #Reverse batfam #reverse batfamily #Batfamily #bat family #batfam #bat fam #my writing #mine #Desolation aligned Jason Todd #Desolation aligned Stephanie Brown #Hunt aligned Stephanie Brown #(That’s my usual tag for her in this AU. Using the same timeline as my RR!AU… Steph would never have joined the Hunt in the first place.)

[brucewaynehater101]

Each of the Batfamily members have moments that genuinely scare the others.

For Cass, the family generally tries not to piss her off from a consensus that she'll win any fight.

Damian is usually not feared, especially when he's making assassination attempts or insults. When he becomes silent and an animal is involved, that's when the Bats start to freak out.

Duke doesn't mean to be scary. He'll just casually mention something he's done or react to someone instinctively with his powers. This reminds the others why he usually handles the day shift alone.

Dick has two settings to set his family instantly on edge: The first is when he lacks a smile or quips. This is usually reserved for enemies. The second is when he -is- smiling, but it's not right. He only does this allies who are about to be verbally or physically eviscerated.

Steph will lack any visible emotion in her face.

Jason's scary to his family when he makes biting remarks or starts to monologue. He usually follows those up with physical retaliation or some dastardly plans.

Babs uses her "Customer Service" voice as the last warning before your tech or reputation is destroyed.

Tim will either disappear without warning (to make some heinous schemes), or he'll pull out the Drake™ smile.

Bruce just starts talking about emotions.

For Alfred, there'll be dirty dishes in the sink.

#dc comics #dc universe #dc robin #tim drake #batman #dc red robin #damian wayne #bruce wayne #dick grayson #red hood #dc nightwing #jason todd #duke thomas #cassandra wayne #alfred pennyworth #dc signal #steph brown #dc batfam #batfamily #barbara gordon #dc oracle

[incorrectbatfamandfriends]

Tim: So anyways, my boyfriend-

Jason: Woah woah, “boyfriend?”

Tim: What’s that supposed to mean? Come on Jason I thought you were cool don’t tell me-

Jason: Pump the breaks, I’m not homophobic. Just surprised anyone would date you.

#incorrect batfam #incorrect batfamily quotes #batfam #batfamily #tim drake #red robin #jason todd #red hood #Jason is team Steph get that right okay #timbern #bernard dowd #robin

[sarahreadstoomanycomics]

Okay this panel is really fun.

#tim drake #stephanie brown #cassandra cain #bruce wayne #damian wayne #duke thomas #jason todd #batfam #batman #robin #red hood #batgirl #the signal #steph using choc chips as a garnish instead of in the pancakes #cass and duke just vibing in the background #etc #tuesday spoilers

[trashcattt]

outfit swap pt 2!!

#i have a disease… it’s called steph and jay duo brainrot… #jason todd #red hood #jason todd fanart #red hood fanart #stephanie brown #spoiler #stephanie brown fanart #spoiler fanart #dc fanart #dc #dc comics #tc art #tc dc #outfit swap