[In another world, Arthur Brown was a famous quiz show host who was callously fired and tossed aside, starting his downward spiral, taking his wife and daughter down with him.
In this world, Arthur never lost his job. The show flourished. Maybe the difference was Arthur himself; a little more patient, a little kinder, a little less obsessive. It kept him from becoming a violent, angry criminal, whatever the reason. It saved Crystal Brown from turning to drugs and alcohol to cope. And most importantly, it meant that Stephanie Brown was raised by a loving, well-off family who did their best to give her a good life. Neither of them had expected to have a metahuman for a child, but they focused on raising her as normally as they could, steering her away from heroics out of concern for her safety.
She was able to focus on school without having to worry about her father's temper or her mother's addiction, and did well in class as a result. Gymnastics was something fun, not just an escape, and with better resources and more support, she ended up competing several times at Nationals. A gymnastic scholarship had been in the cards at UNC, until a poorly timed high school fling resulted in Steph discovering she was pregnant at seventeen.
Life hasn't been all sunshine and roses, but she kept the baby with the support of her parents, and worked hard to finish high school so her life wouldn't be knocked too far off course. In a way, she views it as a blessing in disguise. There's a lot of pressure in professional gymnastics, with such fierce competition and unreasonable demands on the body. With those plans sidelined, she took some time to focus on raising her daughter, Chloe; being a single mom with reasonably well connected parents kept her from the front lines, during her service. As soon as she was free of all that nonsense, she decided to return to gymnastics, finding a job as a coach at a local gymnasium.
It's fun, working with little kids who don't take themselves too seriously, and it leaves her with enough free time to take a few courses at CUNY. Once Chloe is old enough for school, Steph plans to return to college full-time, earn her degree, and start the rest of her life. With little interest in heroics or serving, she'll figure out the military issue whenever they eventually come knocking at her door.]
i → college campus
[It isn't often that Steph manages to make it to campus; most of her classes can be taken online, but sometimes she has to make the trip in for whatever reason. It's a good excuse to get some socializing in, especially on the occasions when she isn't just there to take exams or hand in papers.
Today, after spending the morning studying in the library and attending a hands-on class, she's detouring to some kitschy Valentine's Day market, just to catch up with some friends and buy some cute trinkets. It's a little bit of a bummer, being alone on Valentine's Day, but she's determined not to let it ruin her good mood.
Later in the day, she ends up going out for a few drinks with friends, knowing that Chloe is safe and happy with grandma and grandpa. There isn't anything special about the bar, it's just a fun spot with cheap drinks and a great music selection, where she can dance half the night away. Without the weight of her mom's addiction, Steph has no qualms about enjoying those few drinks until she's laughing on the dancefloor and chatting happily with anyone she bumps into.
The train home at the end of the night (or early morning, to be entirely accurate) is quiet, giving her the opportunity to get started on her next reading for class.
Some things will always stay the same, and Steph's never been good at slowing down.]
ii → a day in the park
[Chloe is a proper menace when she wants to be, which only serves to make Steph love her more, no matter how exhausted or covered in paint/food/etc she might be. It's been fascinating watching her daughter develop into her own little person, and Steph is fond of all her quirks and nonsense, including her frequent desire to befriend anyone and everyone she sees.
It results in Steph chasing after her and scooping her up with a laugh, flashing an apologetic smile at whoever Chloe was in the middle of bothering.]
Sorry, I swear she's determined to make everyone her best friend.
[At least it means Steph is meeting people, too.]
iii → the wildcard option
[Throughout the rest of the week, Steph goes about her life as she believes she normally would. Grocery shopping with Chloe, stopping by a café on the way to work, taking a long lunch in the park, going for a run in the early hours of the morning, grabbing dinner with her parents, attending town hall meetings to argue with shitty politicians (just because she's not a superhero doesn't mean she doesn't care), stopping by the library to study. The sort of normal, every day things that people do.
It's nice.
Even when she remembers herself, later, she'll think that it was nice.]
steph brown | dcu | au | ota
[In another world, Arthur Brown was a famous quiz show host who was callously fired and tossed aside, starting his downward spiral, taking his wife and daughter down with him.
In this world, Arthur never lost his job. The show flourished. Maybe the difference was Arthur himself; a little more patient, a little kinder, a little less obsessive. It kept him from becoming a violent, angry criminal, whatever the reason. It saved Crystal Brown from turning to drugs and alcohol to cope. And most importantly, it meant that Stephanie Brown was raised by a loving, well-off family who did their best to give her a good life. Neither of them had expected to have a metahuman for a child, but they focused on raising her as normally as they could, steering her away from heroics out of concern for her safety.
She was able to focus on school without having to worry about her father's temper or her mother's addiction, and did well in class as a result. Gymnastics was something fun, not just an escape, and with better resources and more support, she ended up competing several times at Nationals. A gymnastic scholarship had been in the cards at UNC, until a poorly timed high school fling resulted in Steph discovering she was pregnant at seventeen.
Life hasn't been all sunshine and roses, but she kept the baby with the support of her parents, and worked hard to finish high school so her life wouldn't be knocked too far off course. In a way, she views it as a blessing in disguise. There's a lot of pressure in professional gymnastics, with such fierce competition and unreasonable demands on the body. With those plans sidelined, she took some time to focus on raising her daughter, Chloe; being a single mom with reasonably well connected parents kept her from the front lines, during her service. As soon as she was free of all that nonsense, she decided to return to gymnastics, finding a job as a coach at a local gymnasium.
It's fun, working with little kids who don't take themselves too seriously, and it leaves her with enough free time to take a few courses at CUNY. Once Chloe is old enough for school, Steph plans to return to college full-time, earn her degree, and start the rest of her life. With little interest in heroics or serving, she'll figure out the military issue whenever they eventually come knocking at her door.]
i → college campus
[It isn't often that Steph manages to make it to campus; most of her classes can be taken online, but sometimes she has to make the trip in for whatever reason. It's a good excuse to get some socializing in, especially on the occasions when she isn't just there to take exams or hand in papers.
Today, after spending the morning studying in the library and attending a hands-on class, she's detouring to some kitschy Valentine's Day market, just to catch up with some friends and buy some cute trinkets. It's a little bit of a bummer, being alone on Valentine's Day, but she's determined not to let it ruin her good mood.
Later in the day, she ends up going out for a few drinks with friends, knowing that Chloe is safe and happy with grandma and grandpa. There isn't anything special about the bar, it's just a fun spot with cheap drinks and a great music selection, where she can dance half the night away. Without the weight of her mom's addiction, Steph has no qualms about enjoying those few drinks until she's laughing on the dancefloor and chatting happily with anyone she bumps into.
The train home at the end of the night (or early morning, to be entirely accurate) is quiet, giving her the opportunity to get started on her next reading for class.
Some things will always stay the same, and Steph's never been good at slowing down.]
ii → a day in the park
[Chloe is a proper menace when she wants to be, which only serves to make Steph love her more, no matter how exhausted or covered in paint/food/etc she might be. It's been fascinating watching her daughter develop into her own little person, and Steph is fond of all her quirks and nonsense, including her frequent desire to befriend anyone and everyone she sees.
It results in Steph chasing after her and scooping her up with a laugh, flashing an apologetic smile at whoever Chloe was in the middle of bothering.]
Sorry, I swear she's determined to make everyone her best friend.
[At least it means Steph is meeting people, too.]
iii → the wildcard option
[Throughout the rest of the week, Steph goes about her life as she believes she normally would. Grocery shopping with Chloe, stopping by a café on the way to work, taking a long lunch in the park, going for a run in the early hours of the morning, grabbing dinner with her parents, attending town hall meetings to argue with shitty politicians (just because she's not a superhero doesn't mean she doesn't care), stopping by the library to study. The sort of normal, every day things that people do.
It's nice.
Even when she remembers herself, later, she'll think that it was nice.]