Ghost.Bird

Yesss absolutely! 💚

1. Jason. Hands down my fave of the batboys to write. Which probably isn’t surprising lol. Many things about him just deeply resonate with me, and it’s very easy to slip into his mindset. If I could stomach to write it I think I could even do his more… violent and morally questionable moments. And he’s just the right amount of sass and angst that it never gets boring. Also, PTSD rep. ✨🧪

2. Tim. Overworking to the point of exhaustion and so much coffee intake that his blood probably comes out as espresso? Chaos gremlin with flexible morals? Crazy smart and sassy? Yeah, adore him. He’s super fun to write, especially when he’s got his angsty moments. And yes, I like making him soft and vulnerable and baby just as much as I like making him a total badass that’s one step ahead of everybody at all times. Or both those versions at the same time, because one doesn’t necessarily exclude the other. Also, tech genius Tim and cutthroat CEO Tim have my whole heart. I really need to write more of him.

3. Damian. Yes, ironic considering how little I’ve written him until now, but it’s very enjoyable to write the little demon and make him have his moral dilemmas about killing and death and family. And the catastrophes that have to occur for him to admit that, yes, he CARES. Also, animals. Need I say more?

4. Dick. Maybe surprising considering how many fics of mine feature him, but somehow it’s really hard for me to slip into his happy and charismatic mindset. If it’s a feral version of him that doesn’t hate killing as much as he usually does, it’s much easier, but in general… yeah, very hard to write and do his character justice. I adore Dick, but I’m pants at writing him 🥲

Duke doesn’t get a ranking because I haven’t tried writing him yet, and my first introduction to him was through WFA. But from what I’ve read until now he’s an absolute cutie patootie with a side dish of kickass and I can totally see him ranking third or fourth✨

Oh that’s a heartbreaking scenario. Especially if Jason cares about what the common folk think of him 🥲

And stupidly brave Duke would definitely get at least lightly singed by Red for the audacity. Which, unfortunately, just drives home the point of Jason being just as bad as his predecessor… 😔

Depending on where they are/what they’re doing right now the reactions would vary slightly. But in general I don’t think any of them wouldn’t feel a stab of panic at that sound. Especially Bruce. (Maybe he‘s heard that scream before. Maybe there was footage to be recovered from the smashed domino in that warehouse all those years ago, maybe he still dreams of this exact sound over and over and over again)

Bruce would drop everything and run in Jason‘s general directions (trying and failing to fall into the clinical focus of Batman).

Dick wouldn’t be much better, though slightly more level headed about it and try to put his initial panic on the backburner. He knows Jason. Jason doesn’t scream even if he‘s being tortured these days. This could just be him being dramatic (please please please let this be him being dramatic)

Tim would assess the situation. Worried in his own way, but channeling that worry into securing the perimeter to give his comrades a clear shot at their target. Make sure there’s nothing in their way that could stop them.

Stephanie would jump straight into screaming back. She‘s not buying this bullshit. If Jason was in serious danger/hurt he would be making awful jokes and snippy comments about it. Or not make any sound at all. (She‘s not worried, she refuses to be worried. She‘s just gonna check up on him to give Jason a piece of her mind about interrupting patrol/a quiet night/a nice nap)

Cass would know straight away that nothing is actually happening and appear at Jason‘s side only so she can pat him on the shoulder. Maybe even get a hug.

Damian would loudly proclaim that Todd should learn how to suffer in silence, and that he‘s only going to check up on him because he cannot think with that awful sound he‘s making. (He‘s not worried, what are you talking about. He‘s not shaking. He‘s just a little cold. Get your facts straight. Jason screaming doesn’t rattle him in the slightest.)

Duke would one hundred percent believe someone‘s in the process of killing Jason and almost fall over himself trying to reach him. He‘s annoyed when it turns out to be nothing, but mostly he’s just relieved and demands Jason never does this again because he almost had a heart attack.

I think Dick would be interested at first… up until Bruce sits him down and tells him how Talons are made. Then he‘d be horrified. And refuse to stop hugging Cobb for an hour at least. (Cobb really doesn’t get what all the fuss is about and can this little child PLS stop being sentimental thank you)

He still wants to keep training, but he‘ll pass on the electrum injections, please and thank you.

And YES! Absolutely! Cobb cannot escape being called “grandpa” by Dick. No matter how many times he threatens bodily harm.

Jason steadfastly calls him Will, just like Bruce, when they’re at home. And even with the Court he will call him “Tal” or “Birdy” (he really wants to see Cobb lose his composure but the guy is stubborn. The closest Jason came was during an official Court meeting when Jason sweetly asked “Flappy” to hand him a stapler.)

Tim is too scared of Cobb for the longest time to call him anything but “Sir”.

Steph joins the “grandpa” game.

Cass and Duke are too polite to call him by anything but his name or designation lol.

(Bruce would call him anything from “Will” to “sweetheart” (the latter of which almost made Cobb commit regicide) Bruce just loves pissing Cobb off too much to stop inventing new nicknames to embarrass him with)

Tim Drake’s involvement was covered in a previous ask! As to Kate, I admit I know next to nothing about her so I’ll have to skip that for now >.>

But there’s no reason to believe the way the get introduced to the family is going to be wildly different than canon!

Alfred is still Bruce‘s loyal butler (I think I mentioned him tangentially once or twice) and knows Bruce is trying to do good. He‘s 100 percent got his back.

Steph meets Tim first after our little stalker establishes himself as the eyes and ears of the court. (Even Cobb is unnerved by how good the kid can blend in). She never becomes part of the Court or Robin (mostly because she wants nothing to do with the Owls) but she does accept the gear they provide her with. It‘s kind of a love-hate relationship between them all, but Bruce still includes her in the list of his children when anybody asks. Steph is very annoyed by this. (And also a little touched.)

Cass is sent to assassinate Bruce (without knowing he’s the Voice) and gets intercepted by a furious Cobb. She‘s still only a teenager at this point, something that makes Bruce stop Cobb from killing her and… well. (Cobb knows how this goes as soon as it comes to light the girl cannot even talk. He wonders if Talons can retire. He cannot deal with another traumatized child that needs babysitting. He deals with another traumtaized child that needs babysitting.)

That leaves Duke, whom I headcanon Bruce came across on accident while working on cleaning up the foster system. He‘s just another child right up until the moment that Bruce happens to quite literally run into him while he’s out alone in Gotham (having slipped away from the Talon once again). Duke notices Bruce is being followed by some shady looking people and helps him escape. And, well, “no good deed goes unpunished”, right? And the manor’s got a lot of spare rooms still. (Cobb would like to put himself in cryo and not come out until Bruce has managed to get a grip on his adoption problems.)

Damian is… tricky. There would be a very short window of time in this AU where him and Talia could have met that would result in Damian being conceived in a consensual way. I haven’t really made up my mind about this yet.

And Bruce is still working together with Jim to help Gotham. He’s still operating as “Batman”, after all. Just not usually in an armored suit. 🦇

Okay I think that beyond the stage of ascertaining that Jason’s mind is still intact the others would probably just chuckle nervously for a minute. And depending on which family member he said that to, they would either brush it off as Jay’s usual brand of dark humor or keep asking him if he’s hungry whenever they enter the room lol

Jason would probably be both pissed and amused in equal measure.

(One time he pretends to gnaw on Tim’s arm and he’s SO glad he remembered to keep the security camera running for this. By the end of the day footage of Tim’s high pitched scream is playing on every single screen inside their hideout lol)

Oh dang yeah that’s totally gonna be an interesting moment lmaoooo

Now imagine tho: Jason has zombie privileges. He can now walk amongst the dead without fear of getting bitten again. The other zombies don’t clock him as something alive.

So for a while Jason keeps his distance, watches his family flounder about… and then one of them gets swarmed and he has that “goddammit” moment where he looks at the camera like he’s in the office before jumping to the rescue.

(And the others already saw him around on supply runs, walking with the horde (“I had to blend in ok!?”) and that was heartbreaking enough, because they STILL couldn’t bear to take the shot)

So when Jason shoulders himself to the front and grabs the batfam member that was about to become a nice snack— they’re just happy they get to see him again one last time. Even if they think Jason is about to tear into them.

And he does tear into them. With words. Because BOY does Jason have some things to say about that level of idiocy.

And while there’s a teary reunion happening with Jason and that batfamily member of choice, the others only caught glimpses of what they presume is zombie Jason reaching their poor child/sibling and couldn’t bear to keep looking. Thus missing the entire not-actually-becoming-a-snack-for-Jay thing.

….

Dang it. Don’t tempt me into writing this.

Honestly at one point I think it all devolves into plausible deniability. 😭😂

Jason is the first to notice something amiss, obviously. But he joins Bruce in pretending it‘s just Dick‘s general weirdness. After all, as long as the dog just howls once in a while it’s not necessarily a wolf, right? And Dick, after the initial hang up and trying to kill him a little, is sweet as a summer‘s day to him and viciously protective to boot. Galas and all the rich people there that used to treat Jason like a circus animal aren’t a problem anymore because Dick always swoops in like a bat out of hell and distracts the creepy old ladies with a charming smile until they walk away with vacant eyes. It‘s all pretty funny. And very weird. But hey, Jason gets a laugh out of it and that secretive little grin from Dick so whatever.

Tim I headcanon has Dick all figured out within a month of officially meeting him (the opposite of this would be Tim never figuring it out which is also kinda funny and just attributing it to his circus past or something) and is veeery cautious about interacting with Dick for a time. It makes Dick kind of sad and Tim can only withstand the puppy eyes so long until he caves.

Steph just kinda shrugs and accepts Dick‘s strangeness at face value. It ain’t hurting her so why should she bother? Dick is cool. She likes Dick. End of story, thank you and good day. And yeah, fine, some of his habits are downright weird and everything but who is she to judge? And he‘s always down to cause mischief with her which is?? Super cool???? Even the more devious pranks she can bribe him into joining by handing him a jar of fresh honey or hand picked fruit!! Anybody trying to say shit about Dick lands them on her hit list, period.

Cass is Cass. Nobody can fool her. She may not know what Dick is, but she‘s painfully aware he‘s other. Most wildlife treats him like bees would their queen, there‘s always the scent of pines and rain following him. Dick‘s body language says ‘playful-content-happy’ but his eyes say ‘dark-dangerous-predator’. It’s all very conflicting; a study of contradictions. Cass learns to go by what his body language says and quickly finds a kindred spirit in Dick, who somehow always seems to know exactly what she tries to express but has trouble translating into words.

I headcanon Damian grew up with folklore so while his first theory may not be “fae” he definitely has Dick down as something other than human. Which means he must be powerful. Which means Damian must keep himself in Dick’s good graces in the hopes of making the creature teach him how to be powerful in turn. And, well, the kid grew up with a grandad that regularly takes dips in a magical swimming pool. I don’t think there’s much that can genuinely shock him lol.

Duke is… well, he’s the sensible one so of course he’s the first one to actually ask questions. And then proceeds to go nearly insane because??? Nobody seems to?? Care???? That Dick just rotated his head a full 360°???? Or that the manor sure af isn’t supposed to??? Randomly add hallways???? Or that there’s a whole ass SWAMP that appeared in the basement overnight???? Or a door that leads straight into the forest?????? Duke very nearly nopes the hell out because that’s too much even for him. But finally, finally someone takes pity on him (I headcanon it’s Cass) and she doesn’t explain anything per se, she just kind of… shows Duke. Shows him around the manor, introduces him to twisting halls and strange rooms, takes him to where Dick is lounging with the rest of the family, purring like a content cat. And Duke still doesn’t understand, not completely, but Dick smiles at him with too many, too sharp teeth and tugs him into the huge cuddle pile and?? Are those feathers on his neck?? No, he must have imagined it. Anyway, Duke thinks he can handle this… strangeness, if it scores him a family like this. It’s Gotham, right? Weirder things happen here on the daily.

Omg this turned into a whole ass essay I’m so sorry 😰😅😭✨